Podcasts about thwack

BAM! THWACK! BOKKO!!!!! Joining us in our dank dark cave this week is the excellent writer and podcaster Tim Worthington, who has taken us back to 1989 when super-hero films were a bit of a treat, and so was Tim Burton.  Yep, it's BATMAN.  Anybody need an enema, or having their rhubarb rubbed?END CREDITS- Presented by Robert Johnson and Christopher Webb- Produced/edited by Christopher Webb- "Still Any Good?" logo designed by Graham Wood & Robert Johnson- Crap poster mock-up by Christopher Webb- Theme music ("The Slide Of Time") by The Sonic Jewels, used with kind permission(c) 2025 Tiger Feet ProductionsFind us:Twitter @stillanygoodpodInstagram @stillanygoodpodBluesky @stillanygood.bsky.socialEmail stillanygood@gmail.comFind Tim:timworthington.orgBluesky @outonbluesix.bsky.socialSupport the show

[School of Everything Else 2025] One of the most beloved 90s RPGs, and one of the few on Super Nintendo that was released in the UK. So, while I envied Americans for getting Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy IV and VI, Earthbound and Breath of Fire, THIS ONE was my first actual big console RPG. And it has problems; real playability issues that make it hard to recommend for everyone in the 20s. You'll find Mana fans who say that these don't matter, but they absolutely do. A fine comparison I came upon while mulling this one over was Breath of the Wild. Absolutely gorgeous, engrossing you in a luscious world dominated by fertile nature, but Link's swords breaking after half a dozen battles are not going to make the game more fun and engaging for everyone. And yet, there IS that immersion, there is the overwhelming emotional response that Mana fans have to the music and art style, and there's the undeniably satisfying THWACK of the combat. So, come on a journey with us and the three intrepid adventuring kids, Primm, Popoi and Randi, and decide whether playing Secret of Mana is right for you.

 A countess offers her body to the highest bidder.By LouisaAdler. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. Chapter 1.The Marquess of Ravenswood hated dramatics.He also loathed crowds, prying eyes, and London. Yet, there he sat, in the very back row of what was surely the most infamous, crowded event in the city's history. Only one thing could pry him to this cesspool.The Hellfire Club was having an auction.Even Ravenswood couldn't resist that temptation. He shifted in the rickety wooden chair, his large frame unused to such cramped spaces. A growl of impatience left him. “For a gathering that's supposed to be secret, there are crush of fools here.”Next to him, Lord Seth Cardew rolled his eyes. “Only you would call two hundred attendees a crush, Will. It's been almost a year since the last auction, you know. Our membership craves this sort of diversion, even those whose pockets won't let them bid.”Will grumbled. Truth be told, he wouldn't be attending this blasted event, if it weren't for the letter. Even in the wilds of Yorkshire, he kept up with London's underbelly. Gossip had reached him, quietly and with the archest of tones, that suggested he might find tonight's auction particularly interesting. He didn't dare hope that what he looked for would be on display, however. In the five years since Violet had left him, no woman had tempted him for long. To think one of the women here, willingly selling herself to the highest bidder, would fill that void was ludicrous. He would be a damned, romantic fool to assume such a thing.Just in case, though…Just in case, here he was. Dressed like a Christmas goose, in his top hat and tails, and antsy. He'd taken the train down just that morning. “Get on with it,” he growled.As if bidden by his thoughts, the electric lights dimmed. The audience members, or buyers he supposed, were left in shadows, while the slightly raised stage remained illuminated by a host of white, glowing tapers. A woman stepped out of the gloom and onto the stage. Hers was a serious beauty, made more so by the candlelight. Inky black hair swept back in a chignon, with features as sharp as a hawk, she reminded Will of a governess.If governesses wore men's clothing, of course. The mistress of ceremonies was kitted out better than Will. On her tall, slim frame she'd donned black trousers, a perfectly tailored jacket, and gleaming, emerald silk waistcoat. The only nod to her femininity was the bright red stain on her lips.Will roused a little, intrigued against his will. She wasn't for him—too sharp, when he'd been spoiled by curves—but he appreciated beauty in all forms.“Welcome, friends, to The Hellfire Club's Mistress Auction,” she said in a deep, throaty voice. The room quieted even further. “I am Madame Valerie, purveyor of fine mistresses and the ringleader of this particular circus. We'll start, as always, with the gold contracts.”“Bring on the whores!”She narrowed her eyes at the audience, skewering the interrupter. “These are not whores, sir. The women who take part in this auction are of the highest breeding and class, women who have willingly signed their contracts and are bestowing their talents onto select, respected persons. We vet not only our mistresses, but their protectors.” Her tone suggested the man in question could kiss his luck tonight goodbye. Madame Valerie straightened and continued her introduction. “As I was saying, we'll start with the gold contracts. For those who are new to our ranks, I will explain.”“The Hellfire Club color codes our contract levels, each corresponding to a prescribed set of limitations. Gold contracts, the rarest, are entered into very carefully. There are no limits on what you can do, after purchasing a gold contract, aside from inflicting permanent bodily harm. For whatever amount of time she signs on for, the mistress will be under the buyer's complete control, both sexually and personally.”“She is, for all intents and purposes, an indentured sexual servant. Though, one who is paid quite handsomely for her time. We start the gold contract bidding first, so that your pockets are filled to her liking. Shall we begin?”Enthusiastic applause met her questions. With a flick of her wrist, Madame Valerie cued someone offstage and three women filed up the stairs, then into the light. Each was shrouded, from head to toe, in a velvet cloak. Red, green, and white, they looked like Christmas decorations, The Hellfire Club's sadistic nod to holiday merriment. They stopped behind Madame and bowed their covered heads in unison.Madame Valerie nodded her head. She smiled, cold and fast. “Very good, girls. Now, Twenty-Two do come forward. We begin with your contract.”The green-cloaked woman moved forward. Even covered by velvet, her generous body was evident, hips moving in sensuous rhythm with each step. Will stirred, aching for a closer look. That walk. It struck a chord in him, unfurled some long-tamped desire to possess.His lips twisted in the gloom. What foolishness. Underneath that cloak, she would be like every other woman he'd had. Beautiful, surely, but uninspiring.As if reading his mind, Madame Valerie reached out one slim hand and untied the other woman's robe. It fell to the floor in a puddle of emerald.The audience gasped. Several people around Will flipped through their programs, searching for her information page.Will started. She was completely nude, save an extravagant green half mask. Tumbling waves of long, dark red hair rioted around her, framing her body with flame. God, what a body. Twenty-Two was all curves. Generous breasts, more than a handful each, sat high above lush hips and an impossibly narrow waist. Will grew hard with just one glance, his cock insisting that he open his wallet, give her whatever she wanted. Anything to take her.Was her skin really so fair, or was she scattered with light freckles up close, like gold leaf over a canvas? Suddenly, it seemed the most important thing that he find out.He'd so loved Violet's freckles.The hand on his shoulder shocked Will out of his daze. He was half out of his chair, Seth restraining him with a smile. “Patience, Will,” his friend whispered, with a laugh.Right. The Hellfire Club would have its pomp and circumstance. No matter that Will was the richest man here by a mile, heir to both a dukedom and an American shipping fortune. This girl was already his, no question. Whatever amount of time she was contracted for, Will wanted her. Perhaps she, so like his first love in both coloring and form, would be the one to finally flush that need from his system.He would pay millions for such peace.2 Months Ago..The Countess of Mulvane shivered.Despite the fires raging in the ballroom, Georgiana was chilled through. Standing naked in a room full of your peers trembled even the most stalwart body. Given her life lately, she wasn't feeling particularly hardy. What foolishness, to think this would be the easy part.After agonizing over this decision, the Countess was ready to get on with it. There would be no more worry, simply pure sensation. Meet the man, fuck him madly for six months, then spend the rest of her life free. What a lovely word that was. Free.Funny, really, that giving in to a stranger's every sexual whim was her ticket to true freedom. Not only would her sisters be safe from scandal, but little Camille would be set up for life. All for something she enjoyed immensely. Stephen, damn his treacherous soul, had been a terrible husband, but an adventurous lover.And yet… Back to Today's Nude Mistress Auction.And yet nothing had quite prepared her for this feeling. Lascivious eyes raked over her body. Hundreds of masked and shadowed figures loomed in the darkness ahead of her, making appreciative murmurs of her form. If her mask should slip, all would be lost. The utmost secrecy of the contract was part of what lured her to the Hellfire Club. No one but her lover need know that the Countess of Mulvane had sunk so low. All of Stephen's failures were overturned, in exchange for half a year of Georgiana's service.It wasn't even a choice. She willed the mask to stay put.“Please turn around, Twenty-Two,” Madame Valerie ordered.Georgiana slowly pivoted to the back, conscious of every inch of her body. The audience's gazed tickled over the flare of her hips, down the swell of her bottom. Only two men had seen her so bare. To think that number was now multiplied a hundredfold, in less than a minute.Her eyes burned into the masked faces of the two women standing robed, at the back of the stage. The snowy fall of white silk and the bright crimson velvet shimmered in the light. What circumstances had brought them here? Were they desperate to right a wrong, like Georgiana, or merely in search of a few hedonistic thrills? Would that she could see their faces, find solace in their shared experiences. Madame Valerie had kept them in separate rooms, until right before the auction began. Time for one last reflection, the intimidating woman had suggested.“Our dear Twenty-Two has a generous figure, to be sure.” A cold, slim hand traced the line of Georgiana's spine. Goosebumps raised along her skin. When she came to her bottom, Madame Valerie squeezed the right cheek in apparent appreciation. “What a magnificent rump you have, lovely one. A man like's something to hold on to.”The audience whooped. A room full of aristocrats turned to rowdy schoolboys, with a little nudity and sexual titillation. Madame Valerie pushed at Georgiana's side, indicating she should turn once more. The woman's throaty voice continued its examination. “Twenty-Two's true assets, though, are these breasts.” At that, the mistress of ceremonies came around to the back of Georgiana, arms threading through hers like a lover. The woman's breath, hot and minty, caressed her neck. Madame Valerie cupped both of the countess's generous breasts in her hands. “Rare to have breasts so large still be so perky. What do you think, lads? Would we call them melons or grapefruits?”“Cantaloupes!”“Honeydews!”Madame Valerie laughed. “She will certainly do, honey.”A flush spread across Georgiana. Would the blasted auction never start? She raised her head a fraction, responding to the ribald investigation with hauteur. Her governesses had probably never intended those comportment lessons to land a peer's daughter here. Georgiana knew the ropes, though. The more they lusted after her, the higher the price. Whatever wicked little tricks Madame Valerie planned, they would drive the final payment higher. Her family was worth a moment's—a lifetime's—humiliation. Just as she finished that thought, Madame took both of her nipples in hand and pinched. Hard.Georgiana shrieked, taken by surprise more than pain. Sensation flooded her. Heat pooled, low and banked, in her pelvis.“They're sensitive, as well. Think what fun might be had with these darlings. I bet our prim little lady would love a set of clamps for Christmas.”The audience cheered in support. Georgiana shivered, desire ramping up past her defenses. How did Madame Valerie know? Stephen had a pair of clamps made especially for her, gold chain with emeralds winking at each tip. They'd been sold to a discrete buyer, along with everything else of value in Mulvane House. Just like Georgiana herself would soon be sold.Resolve wrapped around her heart. No.This was a temporary arrangement. She was selling her body willingly, happily even, but it was hardly the whole of her. Whomever paid for Georgiana's contract would receive a fool's bargain. He could have her body any way he wanted, but her soul wasn't up for grabs. She'd given that away only once and lived to regret it bitterly.Madame Valerie raked her hands down Georgiana's body, narrating for the audience, as she went. No mole, no patch of skin was left unviewed. The countess half expected the little majordomo to open her mouth and count each tooth aloud. For the inspection's finale, Georgiana was turned around once again, back facing the audience, and ordered to bend over. She clasped her ankles and closed her eyes. Cool air wafted over her nether regions.Oh, for heaven's sake, Georgiana. Don't be so missish.Nether regions, indeed. Her vagina—her cunny, Stephen had called it—was on full display for hundreds of people. Surely she could dismiss the euphemisms now.Madame Valerie spoke again. “Note the naturally red hair, gentleman. This one is a true ginger beauty.” An elegant finger traced the opening of Georgiana's slit, which was embarrassingly damp. “See how she glistens? Twenty-Two loves to submit to my whims. A natural pleasure object, as we proved during her training. You should see how she responds to the strap.”Shame, that useless emotion, flooded through Georgiana. How strange, to have her sexual deviancy discussed in such a cold, logical manner. She would be banished from Mayfair, if it got out that Countess Mulvane enjoyed being defiled in such a way. Yet, it was true. The last few weeks of training for the Hellfire Club had opened her mind to a world of sexual possibilities. Stephen had been dominant, yes, but he was the Pope compared to Mistress Valerie. Worse yet, Georgiana had enjoyed every moment. The darker the act, the more intense her pleasure.As if reading her mind, Madame Valerie began a rhythmic exploration of Georgiana's folds. The majordomo stroked up her pussy lips, around her clitoris. Up and down. Back and forth and—“Oh, God.” Georgiana couldn't control the invocation. Her body was alive with sensation. Nipples pebbled, muscles twitched, with the glorious motions.“Such a vocal little thing. Enjoying yourself, Twenty-Two?”“Yes. Oh, yes.”Slap. Madame hit her bottom, open-handed. “Yes, what?”The weeks of training jogged Georgiana's memory. Her voice was thready with desire. “Yes, Madame Valerie.”“That's better.” The mistress plunged a finger into Georgiana's opening, drawing circles with her thumb over the nearby clitoris. A second finger soon followed.Georgiana groaned in response. Heavens, that was good. So terribly, horribly good.“Do you want to come, little one?”“Y-yes, Madame Valerie.”“Say it. Tell these people what your naughty little body wants. Tell them exactly how bad you can be, despite those angelic curves.”“I want to come, Madame Valerie. Please keep doing that with your hands.”Slap. “Doing what exactly?”“Playing with my c-cunt, Madame.” The words burned through Georgiana. Humiliation warred with desire. Desire won, desperate and hot. Just a little more. “I like it when you fill my cunt with your fingers and stroke my clitoris. Would you go a little faster, please, Madame?”Slap. Slap. Thwack. A flurry of strokes rained down on Georgiana's upturned bottom. Pain twined with pleasure, white hot and sharp. Madame obliged the pleas, though, her hands working furiously at Georgiana's clit. Spanks alternated with strokes. Sensation overcame the countess, her cries dancing in the air.Oh, it hurt. God, it felt so, so—Georgiana climaxed, with a shout. The release washed over her in a storm of pleasure, twitching her muscles and firing each nerve, like a cannon. When she finally regained her senses, Georgiana quietly said the final words of her training. “Thank you, Madame Valerie.”Another slap to her bottom. “You're quite welcome, Twenty-Two. Stand up and turn around.”Doing as bidden, Georgiana faced the audience once again. A drop of sweat whisked down her spine. The front row of spectators watched her with obvious desire on every face, mouths agape. Her humiliation was worth it in the end, as Madame promised.The Countess of Mulvane had orgasmed in front of a room full of people. Next, she would secure her future. On cue, Madame Valerie gave the last signal. Georgiana fell to her knees, head bowed. And so the auction began.“That was quite a show, wasn't it? Imagine what a woman like this could become with a bit more training. We'll start the bidding at one thousand pounds, my lords.”A voice, deep and hideously familiar, rent the silence. “Five hundred thousand pounds.”“Sold to—” Madame Valerie paused, as if shocked into silence. “My, my. The Marquess of Ravenswood.”The words fell on Georgiana like an anvil. Oh no.No, no, no.Georgiana's head snapped up, willing her ears to be malfunctioning. There at the bottom of the stage, stood a man. He was a little broader than she remembered—the country exile did wonderful things for his already muscled physique—but the sandy blond hair and penetrating brown eyes were achingly familiar. The Marquess of Ravenswood had just purchased her contract. She was to be Will Thorne's sexual plaything.All was lost.By LouisaAdler for Literotica

 A countess offers her body to the highest bidder.By LouisaAdler. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. Chapter 1.The Marquess of Ravenswood hated dramatics.He also loathed crowds, prying eyes, and London. Yet, there he sat, in the very back row of what was surely the most infamous, crowded event in the city's history. Only one thing could pry him to this cesspool.The Hellfire Club was having an auction.Even Ravenswood couldn't resist that temptation. He shifted in the rickety wooden chair, his large frame unused to such cramped spaces. A growl of impatience left him. “For a gathering that's supposed to be secret, there are crush of fools here.”Next to him, Lord Seth Cardew rolled his eyes. “Only you would call two hundred attendees a crush, Will. It's been almost a year since the last auction, you know. Our membership craves this sort of diversion, even those whose pockets won't let them bid.”Will grumbled. Truth be told, he wouldn't be attending this blasted event, if it weren't for the letter. Even in the wilds of Yorkshire, he kept up with London's underbelly. Gossip had reached him, quietly and with the archest of tones, that suggested he might find tonight's auction particularly interesting. He didn't dare hope that what he looked for would be on display, however. In the five years since Violet had left him, no woman had tempted him for long. To think one of the women here, willingly selling herself to the highest bidder, would fill that void was ludicrous. He would be a damned, romantic fool to assume such a thing.Just in case, though…Just in case, here he was. Dressed like a Christmas goose, in his top hat and tails, and antsy. He'd taken the train down just that morning. “Get on with it,” he growled.As if bidden by his thoughts, the electric lights dimmed. The audience members, or buyers he supposed, were left in shadows, while the slightly raised stage remained illuminated by a host of white, glowing tapers. A woman stepped out of the gloom and onto the stage. Hers was a serious beauty, made more so by the candlelight. Inky black hair swept back in a chignon, with features as sharp as a hawk, she reminded Will of a governess.If governesses wore men's clothing, of course. The mistress of ceremonies was kitted out better than Will. On her tall, slim frame she'd donned black trousers, a perfectly tailored jacket, and gleaming, emerald silk waistcoat. The only nod to her femininity was the bright red stain on her lips.Will roused a little, intrigued against his will. She wasn't for him—too sharp, when he'd been spoiled by curves—but he appreciated beauty in all forms.“Welcome, friends, to The Hellfire Club's Mistress Auction,” she said in a deep, throaty voice. The room quieted even further. “I am Madame Valerie, purveyor of fine mistresses and the ringleader of this particular circus. We'll start, as always, with the gold contracts.”“Bring on the whores!”She narrowed her eyes at the audience, skewering the interrupter. “These are not whores, sir. The women who take part in this auction are of the highest breeding and class, women who have willingly signed their contracts and are bestowing their talents onto select, respected persons. We vet not only our mistresses, but their protectors.” Her tone suggested the man in question could kiss his luck tonight goodbye. Madame Valerie straightened and continued her introduction. “As I was saying, we'll start with the gold contracts. For those who are new to our ranks, I will explain.”“The Hellfire Club color codes our contract levels, each corresponding to a prescribed set of limitations. Gold contracts, the rarest, are entered into very carefully. There are no limits on what you can do, after purchasing a gold contract, aside from inflicting permanent bodily harm. For whatever amount of time she signs on for, the mistress will be under the buyer's complete control, both sexually and personally.”“She is, for all intents and purposes, an indentured sexual servant. Though, one who is paid quite handsomely for her time. We start the gold contract bidding first, so that your pockets are filled to her liking. Shall we begin?”Enthusiastic applause met her questions. With a flick of her wrist, Madame Valerie cued someone offstage and three women filed up the stairs, then into the light. Each was shrouded, from head to toe, in a velvet cloak. Red, green, and white, they looked like Christmas decorations, The Hellfire Club's sadistic nod to holiday merriment. They stopped behind Madame and bowed their covered heads in unison.Madame Valerie nodded her head. She smiled, cold and fast. “Very good, girls. Now, Twenty-Two do come forward. We begin with your contract.”The green-cloaked woman moved forward. Even covered by velvet, her generous body was evident, hips moving in sensuous rhythm with each step. Will stirred, aching for a closer look. That walk. It struck a chord in him, unfurled some long-tamped desire to possess.His lips twisted in the gloom. What foolishness. Underneath that cloak, she would be like every other woman he'd had. Beautiful, surely, but uninspiring.As if reading his mind, Madame Valerie reached out one slim hand and untied the other woman's robe. It fell to the floor in a puddle of emerald.The audience gasped. Several people around Will flipped through their programs, searching for her information page.Will started. She was completely nude, save an extravagant green half mask. Tumbling waves of long, dark red hair rioted around her, framing her body with flame. God, what a body. Twenty-Two was all curves. Generous breasts, more than a handful each, sat high above lush hips and an impossibly narrow waist. Will grew hard with just one glance, his cock insisting that he open his wallet, give her whatever she wanted. Anything to take her.Was her skin really so fair, or was she scattered with light freckles up close, like gold leaf over a canvas? Suddenly, it seemed the most important thing that he find out.He'd so loved Violet's freckles.The hand on his shoulder shocked Will out of his daze. He was half out of his chair, Seth restraining him with a smile. “Patience, Will,” his friend whispered, with a laugh.Right. The Hellfire Club would have its pomp and circumstance. No matter that Will was the richest man here by a mile, heir to both a dukedom and an American shipping fortune. This girl was already his, no question. Whatever amount of time she was contracted for, Will wanted her. Perhaps she, so like his first love in both coloring and form, would be the one to finally flush that need from his system.He would pay millions for such peace.2 Months Ago..The Countess of Mulvane shivered.Despite the fires raging in the ballroom, Georgiana was chilled through. Standing naked in a room full of your peers trembled even the most stalwart body. Given her life lately, she wasn't feeling particularly hardy. What foolishness, to think this would be the easy part.After agonizing over this decision, the Countess was ready to get on with it. There would be no more worry, simply pure sensation. Meet the man, fuck him madly for six months, then spend the rest of her life free. What a lovely word that was. Free.Funny, really, that giving in to a stranger's every sexual whim was her ticket to true freedom. Not only would her sisters be safe from scandal, but little Camille would be set up for life. All for something she enjoyed immensely. Stephen, damn his treacherous soul, had been a terrible husband, but an adventurous lover.And yet… Back to Today's Nude Mistress Auction.And yet nothing had quite prepared her for this feeling. Lascivious eyes raked over her body. Hundreds of masked and shadowed figures loomed in the darkness ahead of her, making appreciative murmurs of her form. If her mask should slip, all would be lost. The utmost secrecy of the contract was part of what lured her to the Hellfire Club. No one but her lover need know that the Countess of Mulvane had sunk so low. All of Stephen's failures were overturned, in exchange for half a year of Georgiana's service.It wasn't even a choice. She willed the mask to stay put.“Please turn around, Twenty-Two,” Madame Valerie ordered.Georgiana slowly pivoted to the back, conscious of every inch of her body. The audience's gazed tickled over the flare of her hips, down the swell of her bottom. Only two men had seen her so bare. To think that number was now multiplied a hundredfold, in less than a minute.Her eyes burned into the masked faces of the two women standing robed, at the back of the stage. The snowy fall of white silk and the bright crimson velvet shimmered in the light. What circumstances had brought them here? Were they desperate to right a wrong, like Georgiana, or merely in search of a few hedonistic thrills? Would that she could see their faces, find solace in their shared experiences. Madame Valerie had kept them in separate rooms, until right before the auction began. Time for one last reflection, the intimidating woman had suggested.“Our dear Twenty-Two has a generous figure, to be sure.” A cold, slim hand traced the line of Georgiana's spine. Goosebumps raised along her skin. When she came to her bottom, Madame Valerie squeezed the right cheek in apparent appreciation. “What a magnificent rump you have, lovely one. A man like's something to hold on to.”The audience whooped. A room full of aristocrats turned to rowdy schoolboys, with a little nudity and sexual titillation. Madame Valerie pushed at Georgiana's side, indicating she should turn once more. The woman's throaty voice continued its examination. “Twenty-Two's true assets, though, are these breasts.” At that, the mistress of ceremonies came around to the back of Georgiana, arms threading through hers like a lover. The woman's breath, hot and minty, caressed her neck. Madame Valerie cupped both of the countess's generous breasts in her hands. “Rare to have breasts so large still be so perky. What do you think, lads? Would we call them melons or grapefruits?”“Cantaloupes!”“Honeydews!”Madame Valerie laughed. “She will certainly do, honey.”A flush spread across Georgiana. Would the blasted auction never start? She raised her head a fraction, responding to the ribald investigation with hauteur. Her governesses had probably never intended those comportment lessons to land a peer's daughter here. Georgiana knew the ropes, though. The more they lusted after her, the higher the price. Whatever wicked little tricks Madame Valerie planned, they would drive the final payment higher. Her family was worth a moment's—a lifetime's—humiliation. Just as she finished that thought, Madame took both of her nipples in hand and pinched. Hard.Georgiana shrieked, taken by surprise more than pain. Sensation flooded her. Heat pooled, low and banked, in her pelvis.“They're sensitive, as well. Think what fun might be had with these darlings. I bet our prim little lady would love a set of clamps for Christmas.”The audience cheered in support. Georgiana shivered, desire ramping up past her defenses. How did Madame Valerie know? Stephen had a pair of clamps made especially for her, gold chain with emeralds winking at each tip. They'd been sold to a discrete buyer, along with everything else of value in Mulvane House. Just like Georgiana herself would soon be sold.Resolve wrapped around her heart. No.This was a temporary arrangement. She was selling her body willingly, happily even, but it was hardly the whole of her. Whomever paid for Georgiana's contract would receive a fool's bargain. He could have her body any way he wanted, but her soul wasn't up for grabs. She'd given that away only once and lived to regret it bitterly.Madame Valerie raked her hands down Georgiana's body, narrating for the audience, as she went. No mole, no patch of skin was left unviewed. The countess half expected the little majordomo to open her mouth and count each tooth aloud. For the inspection's finale, Georgiana was turned around once again, back facing the audience, and ordered to bend over. She clasped her ankles and closed her eyes. Cool air wafted over her nether regions.Oh, for heaven's sake, Georgiana. Don't be so missish.Nether regions, indeed. Her vagina—her cunny, Stephen had called it—was on full display for hundreds of people. Surely she could dismiss the euphemisms now.Madame Valerie spoke again. “Note the naturally red hair, gentleman. This one is a true ginger beauty.” An elegant finger traced the opening of Georgiana's slit, which was embarrassingly damp. “See how she glistens? Twenty-Two loves to submit to my whims. A natural pleasure object, as we proved during her training. You should see how she responds to the strap.”Shame, that useless emotion, flooded through Georgiana. How strange, to have her sexual deviancy discussed in such a cold, logical manner. She would be banished from Mayfair, if it got out that Countess Mulvane enjoyed being defiled in such a way. Yet, it was true. The last few weeks of training for the Hellfire Club had opened her mind to a world of sexual possibilities. Stephen had been dominant, yes, but he was the Pope compared to Mistress Valerie. Worse yet, Georgiana had enjoyed every moment. The darker the act, the more intense her pleasure.As if reading her mind, Madame Valerie began a rhythmic exploration of Georgiana's folds. The majordomo stroked up her pussy lips, around her clitoris. Up and down. Back and forth and—“Oh, God.” Georgiana couldn't control the invocation. Her body was alive with sensation. Nipples pebbled, muscles twitched, with the glorious motions.“Such a vocal little thing. Enjoying yourself, Twenty-Two?”“Yes. Oh, yes.”Slap. Madame hit her bottom, open-handed. “Yes, what?”The weeks of training jogged Georgiana's memory. Her voice was thready with desire. “Yes, Madame Valerie.”“That's better.” The mistress plunged a finger into Georgiana's opening, drawing circles with her thumb over the nearby clitoris. A second finger soon followed.Georgiana groaned in response. Heavens, that was good. So terribly, horribly good.“Do you want to come, little one?”“Y-yes, Madame Valerie.”“Say it. Tell these people what your naughty little body wants. Tell them exactly how bad you can be, despite those angelic curves.”“I want to come, Madame Valerie. Please keep doing that with your hands.”Slap. “Doing what exactly?”“Playing with my c-cunt, Madame.” The words burned through Georgiana. Humiliation warred with desire. Desire won, desperate and hot. Just a little more. “I like it when you fill my cunt with your fingers and stroke my clitoris. Would you go a little faster, please, Madame?”Slap. Slap. Thwack. A flurry of strokes rained down on Georgiana's upturned bottom. Pain twined with pleasure, white hot and sharp. Madame obliged the pleas, though, her hands working furiously at Georgiana's clit. Spanks alternated with strokes. Sensation overcame the countess, her cries dancing in the air.Oh, it hurt. God, it felt so, so—Georgiana climaxed, with a shout. The release washed over her in a storm of pleasure, twitching her muscles and firing each nerve, like a cannon. When she finally regained her senses, Georgiana quietly said the final words of her training. “Thank you, Madame Valerie.”Another slap to her bottom. “You're quite welcome, Twenty-Two. Stand up and turn around.”Doing as bidden, Georgiana faced the audience once again. A drop of sweat whisked down her spine. The front row of spectators watched her with obvious desire on every face, mouths agape. Her humiliation was worth it in the end, as Madame promised.The Countess of Mulvane had orgasmed in front of a room full of people. Next, she would secure her future. On cue, Madame Valerie gave the last signal. Georgiana fell to her knees, head bowed. And so the auction began.“That was quite a show, wasn't it? Imagine what a woman like this could become with a bit more training. We'll start the bidding at one thousand pounds, my lords.”A voice, deep and hideously familiar, rent the silence. “Five hundred thousand pounds.”“Sold to—” Madame Valerie paused, as if shocked into silence. “My, my. The Marquess of Ravenswood.”The words fell on Georgiana like an anvil. Oh no.No, no, no.Georgiana's head snapped up, willing her ears to be malfunctioning. There at the bottom of the stage, stood a man. He was a little broader than she remembered—the country exile did wonderful things for his already muscled physique—but the sandy blond hair and penetrating brown eyes were achingly familiar. The Marquess of Ravenswood had just purchased her contract. She was to be Will Thorne's sexual plaything.All was lost.By LouisaAdler for Literotica

On Trump's 'liberation day' tariffs and the end of globalisation. [For the full episode, subscribe at patreon.com/bungacast] Contributing editor Lee Jones talks to Alex about the tariffs, as they try to reconstruct the Trump admin's thinking, and consider avenues and consequences. Why is this a retro-80s moment, and how much does China take the role that Japan used to in Trump's thinking? How much strategy is there to this? Is it possible to disentangle the competing logics? Is this a return to the 19th century: small state, no income tax, high tariff walls? How credible an attempt at reindustrialising the US is this? Is Trump trying to weaken the dollar? What store to put in the Mar-a-Lago accord? Do Europeans kick the can down the road and hope for the best? Is this a global restructuring or just a reset in terms more favourable to the US? The end of neoliberalism or a new iteration on it? Links: Will anybody buy a ‘Mar-a-Lago accord'?, FT A User's Guide to Restructuring the Global Trading System, Stephen Miran, Hudson Bay Capital  Is Trump 2 the End of ‘Neoliberal Order Breakdown Syndrome'?, Lee Jones, TNS  Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent Breaks Down Trump's Tariff Plan and Its Impact on the Middle Class, Tucker Carlson, YouTube Back to the '80s?, Andrew Liu, n+1 MAGA and the Fragmentation of Europe, Tim Pendry, Substack

Sometimes opportunity knocks softly and we have to be paying really close attention. Other times opportunity slaps us across the face and there is immediate recognition and response. The Bible says the moment any person chooses to begin and eternally continue a relationship with Jesus Christ, it is a magnitude 8.0 earthquake on the opportunity scale. God says: “Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” THWACK! Are you working OUT and multiplying what God has worked IN to you? Join author and men's expert Kenny Luck for this powerful session on what personal Christ-formation and transformation involves and looks like in God's man.

Get a peek behind the scenes of THWACKcamp, the free virtual learning event for SolarWinds customers. Hosts Chrystal Taylor and Sean Sebring talk to THWACKcamp Executive Producer Matt Murray about the extensive preparation, creativity, and deep knowledge that goes into this year's “love letter” to the THWACK community.    © 2024 SolarWinds Worldwide, LLC. All rights reserved 

On this episode of The Steve Dangle Podcast, the Nashville Predators continue the U2 tour (00:00), 2020 award trivia (08:00), Tom Wilson will have an in-person hearing with the DOPS (16:15), Adam wants MORE Max Domi (34:00), Ovi gets closer to Gretzky (43:00), Cherry Blossom jerseys and the Capitals moving to Maryland (54:00), a look at the East playoff race (1:09:00), we might get more player access (1:19:30), a Finnish mascot controversy (1:34:00), and Gordie Howe trivia, Who He Play For, and NHL headlines (1:43:00). Join SDP VIP: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0a0z05HiddEn7k6OGnDprg/join Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/thestevedanglepodcast Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sdpvip/subscribe Visit this episode's sponsors: RRROLL Up To Win is back for Tims 60th Anniversary! And to celebrate our big year, you can win some big prizes. All-electric Volkswagen ID.4, sun-soaked Hilton Getaway, and cash with a daily jackpot of ten thousand dollars! Play today on the Tims App: https://www.timhortons.ca/rollup Go to http://shadyrays.com and use code SDP for 50% off 2 or more pairs of polarized sunglasses. However you hydrate, grab your Liquid I.V. Hydration Multiplier Sugar-Free in bulk nationwide at Costco or get 20% off your first order when you go to https://www.liquid-iv.com/ and use code DANGLE at checkout. For all the odds and to learn more visit https://betmgm.com/DANGLE Any opinion expressed is not advice, a promise or suggestion that increases the chance of winning. Gambling can be addictive, please play responsibly. To learn more, visit: https://igamingontario.ca/en/player/responsible-gambling Or if you have concerns about a gambling problem, call ConnexOntario 1-866-531-2600. Must be 19+ or older to play. Follow us on Twitter: @Steve_Dangle, @AdamWylde, & @JesseBlake Follow us on Instagram: @SteveDangle, @AdamWylde, & @Jesse.Blake Join us on Discord: https://discord.com/invite/MtTmw9rrz7 For general inquiries email: info@sdpn.ca Reach out to https://www.sdpn.ca/sales to connect with our sales team and discuss the opportunity to integrate your brand within our content! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sermon for the Third Sunday in Lent

Sermon for the Third Sunday in Lent

Greeny tells a story of how an amphibious creature nearly ruined his vacation and the crew thinks he's being a tad dramatic. Greeny continues to campaign to become the next MLB commissioner and outlines the platform he's running on with Hembo which includes emphasizing the importance of the postseason. We play a riveting Sneaky Hembo Trivia before Greeny tells us why he's NOT a fan of Antonio Pierce's "Mahomes Rules". Plus, THWACK! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ready for a nostalgic laugh? Join FOQN Funny as we relive hilarious childhood antics with comedian Eric O'Shea. Remember those "unique" punishments, bratty kid moments, and supermarket meltdowns? Click for side-splitting stories and guaranteed giggles! FOQN Funny Love what you're hearing on FOQN Funny? Go a step further and become a member of FOQN Funny+. Enjoy exclusive perks and never-ending laughter. Join now at: https://plus.acast.com/s/foqn-funny. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Want to add some customization to your archery scopes?Thwack Bowhunting has you covered. Here is an install video and first impressions.Get your wraps here: @thwackbowhuntinghttps://www.instagram.com/thwackbowhunting/PartnersJOIN The Day 1 Crew on FB:https://www.facebook.com/groups/redbeardsfitcrew/Join the 1st Phorm Outdoors Group on FB:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/1stphormoutdoors/YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEeozMakHMvdwkNJPLs-3Aw 1st Phorm Root Beer Float Protein and more!https://1stphorm.com/products/post-workout-stack/?a_aid=RedBeardOutdoors&a_aid=RedBeardOutdoors&a_bid=ce903a62 1stPhorm app for nutrition and workout tracking:https://www.1stphorm.app/RedBeardOutdoorsMontana Knife Companyhttps://bit.ly/3w6g9MV BlackOvis:  https://alnk.to/28Qpe7FCode - RedBeard10 Ollin Digiscoping:https://ollin.coCode: RedBeard10% off Initial Ascent:https://initialascent.comCode: Redbeard A3 Archery Bow Strings: https://a3archery.comRedBeard10 Kryptek:https://kryptek.com/discount/REDBEARD20Code - RedBeard20 Kestrel Glassing System:https://kestrelglassingsystems.comRedbeard10 Dark Energy: https://darkenergy.com/?ref=johnathan_mccormickCode: RedBeard GoRuck: https://glnk.io/ko1wr/mccormick2Code: REDBEARD10 SheepFeet Custom Orthotics:Code - REDBEARD MyMedic:Code – RedBeard15 Canvas Cutter: Code – Redbeard Crossover Symmetry: https://crossoversymmetry.comCode - RedbeardTrailRax: https://bit.ly/3ugaG5K Affect Beard Oil:https://affectbeard.comcode: RedBeard10 Muley Freak:Code: Red.beard.outdoors BowHunter's United: https://bit.ly/RBOUTDOORS Joybees:Redbeard20 Quattro Archery:https://quattroarchery.comCode – RB15 The Bow Hitch: Code – RBOD Alpen Fuel for your backcountry nutrition:www.alpenfuel.comcode: RedBeard Heather's Choice meals:https://www.heatherschoice.com/discount/REDBEARDCode: RedBeard The Crazy Elk Company:https://www.crazyelkcompany.comCode – Redbeard20   Other discounts below:https://linktr.ee/RedBeardOutdoors 

Thwack boom pow

Phil goes for the water bottle. Sam releases her Thirst-Sona. Matt talks about cantaloupes in panties. Kelley regrets visiting a kitty strip club. All of this and Extra Life to boot! Donate! Now! The post RPG Cast – Episode 698: “Marry, Thwack, Puff Puff” appeared first on RPGamer.

In hour 2, Jen, Gabe and Chewy talk about how the sport of pickleball has become so popular to the detriment of some people's ears. What are some of the most annoying sounds in the world? Jen goes over the playmakers podcast and Kyle Shanahan's bizarre pregame ritual.

THWACK, the SolarWinds community, is 20-years-old and thriving. Two former THWACK MVPs and current SolarWinds employees, Kevin Sparenberg and Michael Kent, join hosts Ashley Adams and Sean Sebring to talk about what makes this community so successful.   © 2023 SolarWinds Worldwide, LLC. All rights reserved

If your story had a sound, Slushies. What would it be? A rush, a zuzz, a sizzle? David Landon's “Bach, Onomatopoeia, and the Wreck” triggers a discussion of stories and sounds, and poems that resist narrative closure. Shane Chergosky's “Headwind” takes us down a different path. Erasures, Slushies. Ammi right? Listen to us puzzle over the way erasures “make it new” and simultaneously obliterate and conjure the from which they're made. Special note: Jason reads the erasure twice. First as a robot, then as a human. We love both versions-- of the poem, and Jason. And if you are hungry for more: take this and this and this.   At the table: Marion Wrenn, Alex Tunney, Kathleen Volk Miller, Jason Schneiderman, Samantha Neugebauer, Larissa Morgano   This episode is brought to you by one of our sponsors, Wilbur Records, who kindly introduced us to the artist A.M.Mills, whose song “Spaghetti with Loretta” now opens our show.      David is never quite sure whether he is an actor who writes poetry or a poet who acts. And perhaps he can be forgiven his obsession with iambic pentameter: he has done a lifetime of Shakespeare, as an actor (New York, Nashville, and Alabama Festivals), director, and coach. His poetry—all iambic pentameter—has been published in Able Muse (Write Prize, winner), Georgia Review (Williams Prize, featured finalist), Southwest Review (Marr Prize, runner-up), the Dark House, Think Journal, and elsewhere. Officially, he is the Bishop Frank A. Juhan Professor of Theatre Emeritus at Sewanee, the University of the South.     Bach, Onomatopoeia, and the Wreck   For all we knew, it was a random chunk of interstellar rock, the rear-end crash that brought us to a halt. Dinner was out, of course, and the Bach too, I realized, feeling it in my neck, and standing there in the rain, examining my totaled car, the guilty driver soaked, in tears. The cops were nice enough, did what they had to do efficiently. The wrecker did show up, eventually, and we began to cope. And since it's now collision story time, the word I'm hearing in my head is ‘thud'.   There's ‘clunk', of course, or ‘jolt', ‘wham-bang', or ‘thwack'. ‘Thwack' has that sudden, can't-be-happening feel, as in, “I was just sitting, reading Kant, when suddenly, inside my head, I felt this ‘thwack', and everything went blank.” But no! The word that truly bongs the knell is ‘thud', essence—onomatopoetically— of impact, ‘thud', from dice, to hand-grenade, to asteroid. We need the stupid ‘d' of ‘doo-doo', ‘dodo', 'dude', or ‘dud', or ‘dead'. ‘You're-done-for-d' is what we're up against; you never know when out of nowhere, ‘thud'!   But on the other hand, there's Bach: the Bach we missed, the works for cello solo. Bach: initial ‘b', a kind of plosive bump, terminal ‘ch', a bit of friction in the throat, but in between the ‘b' and ‘ch', the ‘ah', release: sustained and open, ‘ah'. Think of the bow colliding with the string, a subtle thud, a scrape, and out floats Bach, genial Bach-analia of dark and light, a theory of the universe as music: bang, and then the sarabande, the minuet, the allemande, the gigue.     Shane Chergosky was born in Minnesota where he was raised on stuffed cabbage and heavy metal. His work has appeared in Pithead Chapel, HASH Journal, Juke Joint, and is forthcoming in Adirondack Review. He holds an MFA from George Mason University and lives in Washington, D.C.     Headwind   ? When I think about the story she told me about that I don't even wanna hurt the guy. I don't know if I could meet that person and act normal. I remember I did that when I was about 20,21. I didn't go into CVS with Xunaxi to What a bastard I was . And             //     ith what courses I take.Luckily I can only take two (!!!). Maybe a lit course and…an elective? It'd be SO cool to do screen- writing. Finally would have a chance to write that SciFi…I ordered “The Art of Syntax” after Phebe brought it over. I honestly get so self-conscious talking with her about sentence-level stuff. She's so smart and her recall is so good (regardless of what she says re: her               //     I want to sleep in a crappy hotel and make jokes hold her after we kill a pint of ice cream. something feels right about her, about the way I feel     around her. I want her attention. I want her to pay attention to me. She does! but I don't know it's different when you're with what I have a hard time with imagining her with her ex, though they're             //     I feel like fragments could be a part of my work/thesis. It'd be cool to take a finished poem of mine, print copies, and do some Christian Hawkey-type process with it/them. The 19th and 20th days had that feel to them because I tore a bit from the top of the page, forcing me to write around the tear. Now, if I had a finished poem, and shot it with a gun, or let an animal chew on I, or let a human chew on it even, the parts that survive             //arrative time no time       feeling of the trout throat closing odd breathing but accepting that I have limits I deserve to feel OK, to take a break I'm OK I'm doing everything             //       I'm afraid of telling her how strong my feelings are I think it wise to simply show her and not ask about sex for a few more months. She said we're dating and that makes me feel secure.             //     Canal  a cane smoothed orchard backlogged beggar concrete daisy a                   conquest           //     not together I guess I'm having a hard time NOT imagining them together. How could he treat her that way? I mean no relationship is a cakewalk but like how could someone tell a woman they've been with for over a year that they'd rather keep driving and make it (home?) on time than stop for a tampon, to let the woman you supposedly love (did he even tell her?) that you'd rather her sit in her own blood, in discomfort and shame than do everything in your power to relieve her? to actually act? to perform an act of humanity? of care? concern           //       subcultural history. I feel like (and I'm probs stating the obvious) thagt the niches of already niche are erased by the dominant cultural narrative/     the narrative(s) that are hoisted up by capitalist/ supremacist ideals and/or organizations. I can't  write organization without thinking about grant writing             //       I can, I'm doing a lot. Teaching is a lot. I'm  going to apply for the fellowship. It's not that I don't want to teach, I just want time to focus on my work. I keep feeling its really getting somewhere. A chapbook at the least and a publishable one too! I want it. This semester is just wearing       //       Where only a portion of the whole survives. Then, I could make the other parts appear elsewhere? Maybe it's too on the nose but I've been thinking about the fragmented texts of the Anglo-Saxons (and probs other traditions) in association with incomplete narratives           //       raging satin page paginate vagina labia vulva intestinal contested protest regress transgress shake Shakespeare a knight made of feathers stuffed w/ feathers feathers on the doorstep rich lumber in heaps full pools of yellow beer getting warm in the kitchen the glow of the microwave the suran wrap melting on the still-cold lasagna, the color of waiting. Not even a color. Page page again wait know confound botch rip slap chirp girder serve elastic teeth cold           //       I'm so glad I'm not that way. Maybe I am and don't know it until it happens? Maybe thinking about Phebe's ex reminds me of that, that's why it makes me so disgusted and maybe it's good that I'm disgusted         //       to do. But you live and learn. I want to love again and make it right, or do it effectively, the way that makes us both feel whole or more whole/full than empty. I will get an A in grant writing. I will succeed. I know I'll get an extension and be able to make the internship             //       I want to make love to her real bad she d r ive s me crazy. She's sensual , and erotic, and really         It was a terrible, immature thing       //       Intelligent ran runaways kept barking on. A sub miss ion hold putting entire cities into head -shirt void a void you can buy a void that becomes armor, a subculture, an agreed upon set of val u es in t elligent lights through a crispy gauze of hair swollen blue halo widening behind them like a wedding band. Overblown evening leather charms hanging on the door handle, on the bedpost. Literally                      thieves war paint corpse paint a mouth like a root system      spreading, fragmenting branching diverging at both ends a worry squirrely ratchet odor smolder controller recover withdraw sheath hearth bust bent bruised lashed fixate lack lax creation Bonneville cruiser a loose ruining  

When you started as a systems administrator, you might have connected servers, swapped out hard drives, run down spare components, and dragged around a crash cart. Those days might not be completely over, but the chances you physically interact with your systems grow smaller and smaller each day. In an era of virtualization, cloud-first, and software as a service, where does this leave the lowly systems administrator? These questions and more are discussed and debated by Technical Content Manager for the SolarWinds® Community Kevin M. Sparenberg and SolarWinds Manager of Information Technology Noel Barbee on this episode. How you do your job may have changed, but the role in your organization is as important as ever.  © 2022 SolarWinds Worldwide, LLC. All rights reserved.

Holy cow! The universe is relentless in sending messages to those it knows will receive them. The message of inspiration is unavoidable and the application is boundless. Kelly and David take the event and distill it down and then assign meaningful homework. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/red-kite-movement/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/red-kite-movement/support

The guys talk about sick days, cinnamosas, and cribbage. Join the Watercooler Patreon - Patreon.com/watercooler Woof Woof! And if you enjoy the show, please leave a rating and review on iTunes with nothing but barks. Chris Laxamana: http://twitter.com/chrislaxamana Matt Fondiler: http://twitter.com/mattfondiler Gary Smith: http://twitter.com/gpatricksmith Mike Dawson: http://twitter.com/dawsangeles Caelan Biehn: http://twitter.com/caelanbiehn

Superman vs. Wolverine... Batman vs. Spiderman... Wonder Man vs. Wonder Woman.... Wanda vs. Vision... WAIT! No, they are kind of on the same team :). This week our friend Sean Cannon joins us to discuss the Marvel Multiverse and why WOOTS DC... BAM! THWACK! HHHRRRUUUMMPPHH!!!... CHA-CHING! From the Infinity Stones to Black Panther to The Avengers, MARVEL has been a cultural phenomenon and a cash cow for creative types for all of our lives. I don't always get it, but Aaron, Lisa and our guest Sean Cannon attempt to school me on the topic du jour. Kneel Before Zod! YUH Theme by David T and Mojo 3 https://www.amazon.com/Insanity-Sobriety-Blues-David-Mojo3/dp/B091N8BJNB Facebook Video Clip from this Episode https://www.facebook.com/100066858614566/videos/812285679738737/ Yeah Uh Huh on TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@yeahuhhuhpod Yeah Uh Huh on Facebook https://facebook.com/YeahUhHuhPod Yeah Uh Huh on Twitter https://twitter.com/YeahUhHuhPod Yeah Uh Huh on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/7pS9l716ljEQLeMMxwihoS?si=27bd15fb26ed46aa Yeah Uh Huh on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/yeah-uh-huh/id1565097611 Yeah Uh Huh Website: https://yeah-uh-huh.comures --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lisa-huey/message

5PM - ‘Highly frustrated and sad,' says Tacoma mayor after deadly weekend of violence // ‘That's Not a No!' Gayle King Asks Hillary Clinton If There's ANY Way She'd Run in 2024 // Failed Reagan Assassin John Hinckley Offers Remorse in First Interview Since Release: ‘If I Could Take it All Back, I Would' // Thwack. Pop. Whack. Pickleball Noises Turn Neighbors into Activists // LETTERS See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When we think of alerts, we don't necessarily think of them as things of beauty—until now. Join THWACK® Community Manager Ben Keen and Technical Content Manager Kevin M. Sparenberg in an energetic discussion on taking your data to the next level. Ben and Kevin discuss the importance of making your data appealing to improve the user experience, help make sense of your data, and benefit your end users with a cleaner and prettier experience

Search and download for free our amazing complete database of amazing sounds and special effects herehttps://www.tale-teller.club/free-sfxNo sign up needed, immediate downloads.Check our free social network platform for musicians and artists www.tale-teller.club/forumCheck out our own story www.tale-teller.club/immersionauthentic-sfx #game_audio #gaming_tools #loops #reels #shorts #youtube #tiktok #sound #soundeffects #specialeffects #free #logicpro #taleteller #taletellerclub #soundrecordings #ASMR #recordings #studio #creators #creatortools #soundtracks #postedit #freedownloads #audio #audiotools #audiorecording #podcaster #podcasttools #gamedesigners #musicians #filmmakers #juicysounds #free-lessons #digital-music-school #digi-mus #ads #advertising #voiceover #vocals #taletellers #taletellerclub #soundscape #sound_designer #audio_tricks #loopmaster #juicy_loops #loopscatalogue #cubase #garageband #royalty_free #Greatdownloads #no-copyright #free_stuff #instagram_tools #facebook_video #Online_library #immersive #immersion #make_believe #story #stortellers #storytelling, #nocatch #100%free #moods #ambient #trance #ambient #imovie#music #musicpodcasts #musician #composer #digitalmusic #arranger #performer #how_to_create_soundtracks #soundtracks_fo_film, #classical #classicallytrained #contemporarymusic #recordingartists #††ç #TTC #entertainers, #apple_loops_ alternative #ringtone #ringtone_samples #create_ringtones#Live_backing_tracks #tale_teller_club #sarnia #sarnia-de-la-mare #pro_tools#makemovies, #howto #learn #learnfilmmaking #filmschool #video_art #filmsecrets#specialeffects #freetools #logicprofree #taleteller #taletellerclub #soundrecordings #ASMR #recordings #studio #creators #creatortools #soundtracks #postedit #freedownloads #audio #audiotools #audiorecording #podcaster #podcasttools #gamedesigners #musicians #filmmakers #juicysounds #free-lessons #digital-music-school #moody #mood_creation #petrifying_sounds #funny_sounds #games #game #gaming #online_filmschool #create_tension #synth #processed#electronic #electronic_sfx

The SolarWinds community, THWACK.com, has a new community manager. Ben Keen has been an active voice in the community for years as a THWACK MVP and has now decided to join SolarWinds' efforts to continue to have the greatest community out there. Ben will be joining as a regular voice here on TechPod as well bringing his many years of IT experience and passion for community to our conversations. In this episode, we'll dive into his experience and hopes for the future of THWACK. 

Search and download for free our amazing complete data bass of amazing sounds here and special effects https://www.tale-teller.club/free-sfxNo sign up needed, immediate downloads.Check out our own story www.tale-teller.club/immersion#game_audio #gaming_tools #loops #reels #shorts #youtube #tiktok #sound #soundeffects #specialeffects #free #logicpro #taleteller #taletellerclub #soundrecordings #ASMR #recordings #studio #creators #creatortools #soundtracks #postedit #freedownloads #audio #audiotools #audiorecording #podcaster #podcasttools #gamedesigners #musicians #filmmakers #juicysounds #free-lessons #digital-music-school #digi-mus #ads #advertising #voiceover #vocals #taletellers #taletellerclub #soundscape #sound_designer #audio_tricks #loopmaster #juicy_loops #loopscatalogue #cubase #garageband #royalty_free #Greatdownloads #no-copyright #free_stuff #instagram_tools #facebook_video #Online_library #immersive #immersion #make_believe #story #stortellers #storytelling, #nocatch #100%free #moods #ambient #trance #ambient#music #musicpodcasts #musician #composer #digitalmusic #arranger #performer #how_to_create_soundtracks #soundtracks_fo_film, #classical #classicallytrained #contemporarymusic #recordingartists #††ç #TTC #entertainers, #apple_loops_ alternative #ringtone #ringtone_samples #create_ringtones#Live_backing_tracks #tale_teller_club #sarnia #sarnia-de-la-mare #pro_tools #makemovies, #howto #learn #learnfilmmaking #filmschool #video_art #filmsecrets #specialeffects #freetools #logicprofree #taleteller #taletellerclub #soundrecordings #ASMR #recordings #studio #creators #creatortools #soundtracks #postedit #freedownloads #audio #audiotools #audiorecording #podcaster #podcasttools #gamedesigners #musicians #filmmakers #juicysounds #free-lessons #digital-music-school #moody #mood_creation #petrifying_sounds #funny_sounds #games #game #gaming #online_filmschool #create_tension #synth #processed #electronic #electronic_sfx

Join SolarWinds Technical Content Manager for Community, Kevin M. Sparenberg, and Head Geek, Chrystal Taylor, as they reminisce on the 10-year history of SolarWinds virtual event, THWACKcamp. Whether you're curious about the type of content you can expect at this year's event or simply want to join them on memory lane, this TechPod will answer the question: Why THWACKcamp?  Join the SolarWinds community, THWACK, in celebrating 10 years of THWACKcamp – the always free and completely virtual event for IT pros hoping to learn something new.  © 2022 SolarWinds Worldwide, LLC. All rights reserved.

Why is the NHS struggling so badly if Omicron is less severe than previous COVID wave? And how come the Government wants to tear up COVID testing and mass vaccination when hospitals are on the verge of being overwhelmed? Health commentator Roy Lilley joins us for a situation report on the pandemic. Plus, can Suella Braverman successfully turn the acquittal of the Colston Four into Culture War fuel? What are we giving up for January? And Michael Gove stars in Die Hard In A Lift.  “The NHS is running up the down escalator… It has no workforce plan, because it doesn't even get to write its own plan.” – Roy Lilley “It's interesting to see who's raging at Djokovic being kept in the same ‘unacceptable' conditions that actual refugees are kept in as a matter of course…” – Ahir Shah  “There are more NHS staff sick right now than there are soldiers in the UK army.” – Roy Lilley “Colston SHOULD set a precedent – that the State should listen to local communities when they want to get rid of these statues.” – Ayesha Hazarika https://www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Alex Andreou with Ayesha Hazarika and Ahir Shah. Producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic . Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. Group editor: Andrew Harrison. The Bunker is a Podmasters production.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

THWACK! "Ah holy hell, that hurt," I blurted out after the surprise attack courtesy of Fred in the seat in front of me. I can't even begin to describe how much assigned seats suck. If you're surrounded by kids who sleep the entire time, it's a pretty sweet setup. As luck would have it, I'm stuck with a chronic puncher five days a week. Most of my trip consisted of staring at the back of Fred's head, awaiting the attack. Billy, who sat beside me, knew better than to chuckle because Hulk would say, "What you laughing at," then smash him too. At least my daily abuse is over early in the morning before school, so the rest of the day is smooth sailing. The school bus makes the familiar "phhsst" sound and comes to a halt in front of MCHS. A cluster of students filters through giant doors while half of us break to the right up the steps toward lockers around the gym. Sneaker squeaks and the echoes of a large crowd signal the day has begun. After grabbing my English book, I bump into Chastity, who offers me a piece of Freshen-up. Gladly I accept the gift and head toward class. All the early birds mingle for a bit before the bell rings. Jennifer makes eye contact and stops to talk. It's an awkward situation because cheerleaders are a species I have yet to figure out. It's not that I don't want to have a conversation with a gorgeous girl in a sweater and short skirt, but my experience is limited, and as far as I can tell, the library has zero self-help books on the subject; I've looked. "You smell good; what are you wearing?" Jennifer asked, waiting on a reply. My mind went blank as I tried desperately to decipher the 'popular girl code.' "Should I tell her my shirt is a Kmart Hawaiin print or thank her first for telling me I smell good?" I thought. "The cologne, what kind is it?" she insisted as she threw a smile my way. "Oh, oh that, it's Drakkar," I spurted out two octaves higher than usual. She told me she liked it and took her seat. After thanking her, I made a mental note to remind Mike to ask his mom for more free samples. She works at the PX at Fort Campbell and gets them all day long. The bell rings, and Mrs. Dinsmore uses her desk as a seat while she addresses the students, "Alright, class, you know how I feel about gum." Oh crap, she despises chewing gum, and here I sit trying to figure out if she's talking to me or not. There was no look my way, so I should be safe. About half of the room walked by, throwing the contents of their mouth into the trash can held by Mrs. Dinsmore herself. Yeah, she never saw me, so I'll tuck it away to the side of my cheek until class is over, and she'll never know. Halfway through the pop quiz, she says once again, "This is your final warning, throw the gum away now, or there will be consequences." Not a soul budged, "Was she addressing me?" Impossible, I thought as I used my tongue to secure my hidden cargo. Obviously, someone in here is careless because I've exercised a great deal of caution, so she has no reason to suspect me. Her glasses slid down the bridge of her nose as she scanned the class waiting for the guilty party to approach. I should be in the clear; I'll continue to work like nothing is wrong. As the first period wrapped up, it was time for our irritated teacher to confront the bubble gum bandit. I felt sick as she cleared her throat, ready to unmask the fugitive. "Brian, I need to see you after class," she demanded as I took a giant sigh of relief. Evidently, Brian needs to work on his stealth skills, and maybe he'll luck out like me next time. Thankfully the bell sounded, and I heard, "Mr.Sherron, I need to see you as well," as I attempted to make my exit. It looks like the jig is up; I'm busted. We passed Coach Cron in the hall as Mrs. Dinsmore marched us to the principal's office. "What's up, Crest? You in trouble?" he said, knowing good and well Brian and I were about to get the paddle. Wondering why he calls me Crest instead of Chris has been a mystery since the first time he made me do push-ups. Brian and I both gave him a half-smile and nodded as we got closer to our demise. She gave us instructions to wait outside for a moment while she had a word with her boss. My fellow delinquent and I discussed how Mrs. Dinsmore could have possibly known we were guilty. Neither of us gave any indication that we were smuggling illegal contraband, so we concluded she must have some sort of superpower. Then the door opened. Brian went in first, and within moments I heard it. The sound was deafening, and I could feel the vibrations under my feet. My friend stepped from the office, shaking his head, and mumbled, "she hits a lot harder than you'd think." My superiors never asked me to come in or anything; they only stared through me as if to say, "it's your turn." The instrument of pain was almost as big as Mrs. Dinsmore, but she handled it as though it was as light as a feather. I assumed the position, and without warning, I heard a SWISH and then a THWACK! "Ah holy hell, that hurt!" I cried out for the second time today.

THWACK! Finding a sound more satisfying than hearing a broadhead hit its mark in the early fall is a hard sound to beat in the woods. The question that we are all dying to know the answer to is just exactly what all goes into making sure that arrow lands where it was intended in the first place? The use of a bow and arrow dates back to the early stone ages and has been used not only as a hunting tool but as an instrument of war all throughout history. This week we are joined by rick owner of Central Florida Archery to talk about the science behind the string and the method to the madness that is modern archery as a hunter and as a sport. Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/underpressuroutdoors join the community- https://www.facebook.com/groups/215742899927592 Central Florida Archery- https://www.facebook.com/centralfloridaarchery centralfloridaarchery.net tickets to the pig roast- https://www.eventbrite.com/e/under-pressure-outdoors-pig-roast-tickets-165821463461

Chris Meyers of "Crane Brewing dropped by and chatted about beer, making beer, selling beer and drinking beer. Chris brought a bunch of their tasty as heck beers and we had a tasting throughout the night. The wonderful music you will hear in this show is  the latest from Jason Beers. His newest album is called "Thwack". We are sponsored by our wonderful friends at "Jaykco Guitar Straps", "The Majestic Restaurant", "Found Sound KC" and "Cool Guy Foods". Please visit our "Patreon" and Keep practicing! https://www.cranebrewing.com/ https://jasonbeers.bandcamp.com/album/thwack http://majestickc.com/ https://www.facebook.com/CoolGuyFoodsLlc https://www.facebook.com/foundsound.kc https://www.jaykco.com/ https://www.patreon.com/wndp  

POW! THWACK! BAM! Steve, Jim and Bill yuk it up over this Bruce Lee Kung Fu classic. They also discover the connection between this movie and the TV show, Three's Company.

Thwack! I looked up and craned my ear toward the sound. Spotting a smudge on the windowpane, I peered out onto the deck and discovered the still beating body of a bird. My heart hurt. I longed to help the fragile feathered being. In Matthew 10, Jesus described His Father’s care for sparrows in order to comfort the disciples as He warned of upcoming dangers. He offered instructions to the twelve as He “gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness” (v. 1). While the power to do such deeds might have seemed grand to the disciples, many would oppose them including governing authorities, their own families, and the ensnaring grip of the evil one (vv. 16–28). Then in 10:29–31, Jesus told them not to fear, whatever they faced, because they would never be out of their Father’s care. “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?” He asked. “Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. . . . So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” I checked on the bird throughout the day, each time finding it alive but unmoved. Then, late into the evening, it was gone. I prayed it had survived. Surely, if I cared this much about the bird, God cared even more. Imagine how much He cares for you and me!

Hosted by Dana Galbraith and Meg Miller, TO BUY, TO LET, TO MURDER features two estate agents working in the murderous English village of Midsomer as they attempt to sell a range of properties with chequered pasts... This month, Lady Banbury is looking for a house in the ball obsessed village of Fletcher's Cross. Also is Joyce two timing Dana and Meg? A proud part of the We Made This Network. www.wemadethisnetwork.com

Hang around with IT folks for anything longer than your typical stand-up meeting and you’re likely to hear some variation of “Managers! Am I right?” Snark aside, as folks who design, deploy, and maintain monitoring solutions, we’ve got a choice: we can continue to dismiss and diminish people who don’t know about our discipline; or we can take the time to educate and inform them.    It’s in this spirit we are building spaces—from THWACK forums to conference talks to this podcast—created geared to answering the technical questions managers—those folks who both lead and represent the boots-on-the-ground monitoring engineers—might have.  

Read for This Week’s Study: Gen. 2:2, 3; Exod. 20:11;Exodus 16; Heb. 4:1–4; Exod. 31:12–17; Deut. 5:14.Memory Text: “Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep thesabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for aperpetual covenant” (Exodus 31:16).The seventh-day Sabbath is like a nail that—Thwack!—withunbroken regularity returns us each week to the foundationof all that we are or could be. We are so busy, running to andfro, spending money, making money, going here, going there, goingeverywhere, and then—Thwack!—Sabbath comes and reattaches us toour foundation, the starting point of everything that follows, becauseeverything that is anything to us becomes that only because God createdit and us to begin with.With unceasing regularity, and with no exceptions, the Sabbathsilently hurls over the horizon and into every crack and cranny of ourlives. It reminds us that every crack and cranny belongs to our Maker,the One who put us here, the One who “in the beginning” created theheavens and the earth, an act that remains the irrefutable foundation ofall Christian belief and of which the seventh-day Sabbath—Thwack!—is the irrefutable, unobtrusive, and unyielding sign.This week we look at this sign in the context of the Sinai covenant.The Week at a Glance: Where does the Sabbath have itsorigins? What evidence proves that the Sabbath existed before Sinai?What makes the Sabbath such an appropriate covenant sign?

This week we welcome Chrystal Taylor, to discuss job hunt and those “harder” skillset. Apparently she left the door cracked, cause Leon Adato came too.. This week we welcome Chrystal Taylor, to discuss job hunt and those “harder” skillset. Apparently she left the door cracked, cause Leon Adato came too.. vExpert #vCommunity #JobHunt Topics discussed: SoftSkills Learning Skills Finding that Job Negotiating Salary Initiative Learning things Links mentioned in this episode: https://twitter.com/girlgerms/status/1363687969333280768 https://twitter.com/QuinnyPig/status/1113102554118881281 https://www.adatosystems.com http://THWACK.com

Bam! Thwack! Pow! Holy sensational seminal storylines, listeners!!!The Dropped Culture fellas were challenged to come up with an original Batman story in a week! No pressure, guys!Not only will you be treated to some original stories of the Dark Knight but Brock gives us a brand new character, as well!So pop in your Bat-earbuds, pull on your cowl and let's get in to it!Thoughts? Have your own ideas? Let us know by hitting us up at www.droppedculture.com or by email at droppedculturepodcast@gmail.com.You can also get social with us: @droppedculture on Twitter and droppedculturepodcast on Instagram and Facebook! If you really want to help out the show, drop us a like and give us a review on your favorite podspewer!Thanks for listening!

After another weekend of chaos across the table, it seems as if this Premier League season won’t ever just calm down! Jules, Luke and Vish are here with all the reaction to a whole host of madness.The Merseyside derby was as wild as we hoped, with Jordan Pickford making yet more headlines and Dominic Calvert-Lewin sniffing out another goal. Elsewhere, Spurs left the back door open for West Ham’s Manuel Lanzini to smash in a rocket and Chelsea let another three points slip through their grasp. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Holy Rogues Gallery Batman! It's the only Culture Popped episode too big for one upload. We're talking about our favorite superheroes and villains. Who do we think are the best of the best heroes and who do we think are the worst of the worst villains. Today we're saying hello darkness my old friend because it's all about the villains. Which villains do we think are the coolest, most dastardly and nefarious ne'er-do-wells to ever give our heroes trouble. A hero is only as good as their villain so which villains do we think give our favorite heroes a run for their money. Stop reading and click play. You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy than this episode. Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel. BAM! POW! WHAM! THWACK! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/culture-popped/message

Holy Hero Batman! It's the only Culture Popped episode too big for one upload. We're talking about our favorite superheroes and villains. Who do we think are the best of the best heroes and who do we think are the worst of the worst villains. Today it's all about the heroes. Which heroes do we think are super and which ones are duper. From Caped Crusaders to Mercs with Mouths to Wonder Women. We love superheroes, you love superheroes so let's talk about them. Stop reading and click play. Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel. BAM! POW! WHAM! THWACK! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/culture-popped/message

In this episode, we talk about the Rorschach Test and then we roll some dice.Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @sntpodRate, Review and Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts.Follow us on Spotify too, if you'd like.Love ya, Shotties.

Did you ever wonder why IT diagrams always use a cloud to show an element where stuff goes in and comes out, but we're not 100% sure what happens inside? That was originally called a "TAMO Cloud" - which stood for "Then A Miracle Occurred". It indicated an area of tech that was inscruitable, but nevertheless something we saw as reliable and consistent in it's output. For IT pros who hold a strong religious, ethical, or moral point of view, our journey has had its own sort of TAMO Cloud - where grounded technology and lofty philosophical ideals blend in ways that can be anything from challenging to uplifting to humbling. In this series, we sit down with members of the IT community to explore their journeys - both technical and theological - and see what lessons we can glean from where they've been, where they are today, and where they see themselves in the future. This episode features my talk with friend and fellow SolarWinds aficionado Jez Marsh. Listen or read the transcript below. Leon: 00:06 Welcome to our podcast where we talk about the interesting, frustrating, and inspiring experiences we have as people with strongly held religious views working in corporate IT. We're not here to preach or teach you our religion. We're here to explore ways we make our career as IT professionals mesh, or at least not conflict, with our religious life. This is Technically Religious. Leon: 00:53 Did you ever wonder why it diagrams always use a cloud to show an element where stuff goes in and comes out, but we're not 100% sure what happens inside. That was originally called a TAMO cloud, which stood for "Then A Miracle Occurred." It indicated an area of tech that was inscrutable, but nevertheless something we saw as reliable and consistent in its output for it pros who hold a strong religious, ethical or moral point of view. Our journey has had its own sort of TAMO cloud - where grounded technology and lofty philosophical ideals blend in ways that can be anything from challenging to uplifting to humbling. In this series, we sit down with members of the IT community to explore their journeys, both technical and theological and see what lessons we can glean from where they've been, where they are today, and where they see themselves in the future. My name is Leon Adato and the other voice you're going to hear on this episode is Jez Marsh. Jez: 01:44 Hello. Leon: 01:45 Hi there. Thank you so much for joining me today. Jez: 01:47 No problem. Leon: 01:48 Before we dive into the actual conversation here on technically religious, we'd like to do a little bit of shameless self promotion. So Jez, tell us a little bit about yourself. Jez: 01:57 All right. Well I'm the founder and principal consultant for Silverback Systems, which is a UK based, um, enterprise monitoring, professional service, uh, consultancy service, but specializing in the SolarWinds mindset. Yeah. Well, you know, uh, and that's basically how we got here, but we'll talk about that later. Um, my website is a http://silverback.systems either with an S or not. It'll work. Oh, sorry. HTTPS or HTTP. Either one will work. Um, and I suppose if I had to say for this podcast perspective how people would describe me. Ah, well I would describe myself as an agnostic. Leon: 02:35 Okay. And if people wanted to find you on social media, do you have a presence or have you completely issued that and just stayed away? Jez: 02:42 No, I uh, I burnt my Facebook account over two years ago cause I could see where that was going. But you can get me on Twitter. I'm @JezMarsh on Twitter. Um, and I'm also on LinkedIn if, uh, if you've got a business persuasion. Leon: 02:57 Got it. Okay. So I'll wrap it up just to make sure that we have like bookends, uh, with the social, with the shameless self promotion. My name is Leon Adato. I'm a Head Geek at SolarWinds. Yes, that's actually my job title and SolarWinds is neither solar nor wind. It's a monitoring vendor. And we'll probably end up talking about that a little bit on the podcast. You can find me on the Twitters, as the younguns like to say, @LeonAdato. I also blog at HTTP://www.AdatoSystems.com. And I identify as Orthodox Jewish. And if you are scribbling all these things down, madly stop it. Just listen, relax and enjoy the ride because we're going to have show notes that'll have every link and everything that we talk about in there including a transcript. So you don't have to do that. So let's dive right in. I want to start with the technical. Um, and I want to start off with today. So what are you doing technically today? Describe the kind of work that you're doing and what a typical day looks like. Jez: 03:54 Well, as mentioned in the introduction, um, my business specializes in providing professional services to customers, either new or old of, uh, the SolarWinds platform. Uh, I look, I do a bit of dabbling and others, but SolarWinds is pretty much where I live. If you cut me, I bleed orange. A typical day for me really would be, um, dialing into a customer environment. Most of my work is remote these days because the is there, why not? And dealing with whatever I've got on my plate or whatever. Uh, part of the particular scope of work I have to do on that day. Uh, it's pretty frenetic. Uh, I mean my, uh, contract is with a specific customer right now until, until the summer. Uh, but there's always people asking me questions and I do like to be helpful. Leon: 04:46 Got it. And uh, for those people who aren't familiar with the SolarWinds ecosystem, Jez is very helpful over on THWACK.com. Yes, that's actually the name of the website. What can I tell ya? Naming things is hard. Okay? SolarWinds, THWACK, it's just, it can be very difficult. So over on THWACK.com, Jez is part of the crowd of MVPs: Most Valuable Persons, who, uh, answer questions when he's not, uh, working with clients. And I presume that you were born again, bleeding orange, that you, uh, came out of your mother's womb already knowing all things about SolarWinds, uh, back in... No, probably. That's probably how it work. So where did you start off in tech? How did you get into it? Jez: 05:26 I guess there's a lot of, it started when I was very young, probably around about 10 or 11, my father brought me a, a Zenex Spectrum, 48K with the rubber keyboard back in the day. Um, and I saw, I learned very much at the beginning literally by going through the Input magazine. I don't know if you're familiar with that, but uh, it would over months and months and months it would give you all of the code to type in to get this program running. And back then there was no colorization there was underlining of the code to say if you've made a mistake. So yes, I did spend weeks typing things in and need to find, I had a typo somewhere and then having to try and find out where it is. It was a nightmare. But that's where it all started. So a hobbyist I suppose you could say. Speaker 6: 06:12 Um, at 10 years old it's, there's no like, it's not like you're a professional at 10, so we were ALL hobbyists with everything at 10, but okay, fine. You were not thinking of doing this professionally when you first started. Okay. Jez: 06:26 Like most people, I didn't really know what I was going to do. Um, funny story really. I went through school, got into secondary education, which is around about 16, 17 years old. Did well in the, what they call GCSEs over here, which is the, um, high school education, I guess, uh, in the States. Um, and then went to the next level, which is college, I guess for you guys. Um, and sat down on day one and the teacher said, "Okay, we're going to do, we're going to learn BASIC." And uh, and I put my hand up and I said, "We did that for GCSE. When are we going to learn something useful?" Right. I know that. Well, yeah, I know, I know. Right. And um, the teacher stood firm and said, "No, this is, this is the curriculum I decided to go with. So you either do this or you get out. "And they actually kicked me off the course. Right. So that, that was a huge, huge thing. But I was, even then, I was adamant that I wanted to learn. I didn't want to repeat what I needed to do. What I had done previously, I wanted to learn something new and keep going. And that's something that stayed with me. But anyway, coming back to where I started in IT... Leon: 07:32 I just want to clarify, the thing that stayed with you was, um, was standing firm and being useful, not speaking up and getting kicked out of places. Jez: 07:40 No, no, no. Yeah, I don't like getting kicked out of places. I, I tend to uh, stop there, you know? Okay. Leon: 07:47 Just making sure, you know. I like to say the biggest barrier to my employment is my personality. Jez: 07:53 But who could ever not employ you? Leon? Come on. Leon: 07:58 A few. Demonstrably a few people, but this is about you, not about me. So moving on. Jez: 08:05 Okay. So my first job was, um, working for a very small, um, it support type mom and pop store, but it was lifted just run by one guy. Um, so it was building PCs, um, changing toners, that sort of thing. Really basic stuff. So in the trenches, like most people start. Um, and then from there I went to other companies and did more advanced versions of the same thing. And then it went through a mat work for a managed service provider and so on and so on until, um, I made the decision back in 2015 to start my own business. Um, it was basically the, the, the managed service provider I was working with, they'd been bought out by another company. They had a slightly different direction for the operations side of it to, uh, how we were running things before we were bought out. And the effect of he made my role as the, uh, monitoring engineer redundant. Um, so they said you can go back and do third layer Microsoft support or, um, you can take the money in, roll the dice. And that's what I did. And it was a good decision cause you know, uh, this worked out for me and uh, uh, it was obviously the right decision, but it was brave man. I was, uh, I was really, really not sure what was going to happen. Leon: 09:21 It, you know, I know that a lot of the folks who listen either are running their own business or are thinking of it and In IT I think that that's a pretty common thought is, you know, "Why am I working for this other person when I could go out and hang up my own shingle?" And yet the intestinal fortitude that it requires to actually take that leap is PRETTY challenging. So a full full props for, for doing that. And like you said, it's worked out for you so far. Jez: 09:47 Yeah. So far touch wood. Leon: 09:50 Exactly. So, uh, so that's how you got from there to here is really just that steady IT tech progression. I want to turn things around now and talk about religiously at the top of the show you mentioned that you were agnostic and I'm going to guess that you weren't born into an agnostic family, that you probably started someplace else. So, uh, first I want to hear what does your religious ethical point of view look like today? Jez: 10:18 Well, I think it's more a case of believing in more than just the flesh and blood on the ground... procreating,. But having read and spent time with people of various religious beliefs, um, I can't hang my hat on any one. So I believe there's something and I respect everybody for their views, but I'm not ready to, uh, hang my colors on a particular one. Um, so definitely not an atheist. It's more a case of there's something, but I'll find out when I do, when I need to or if something makes itself known, shall we say. Leon: 11:00 Okay. And is that a, is that the prevailing attitude in the household? I know that, um, you have kids and uh, so I wasn't, is that the whole household? Was that your personal philosophy? Jez: 11:13 Personal philosophy? I would say. I would say the children, um, were, did spend some time with, uh, in a Baptist church because we have relatives that is, um, that, uh, I don't even know what's the right word. A, a lay preacher I suppose for, for the, for the church there. And um, yeah, we used to go there quite a bit. Sleep were very involving. They had a "messy church" thing where you could take the kids and they can have fun and you could also spend time talking to the people who actually go on a regular basis. Leon: 11:40 A messy church. I like, I like that terminology. We have, we have a messy church and the families are like, "Okay, we can be here. Like you don't have to worry about knocking things over." That's wonderful. I that that's a terminology that needs to get picked up by a lot of other places. I think. Jez: 11:56 Yeah. I mean, I think the idea behind it was that the children can go, um, and then they have, they have these, um, activities for them. So you paint something, uh, make a Christmas card or make whatever at that particular time. They have a number throughout the year. Um, and uh, my wife, again, Baptist orientated, uh, I know her grandmother on her father's side was, uh, very much, uh, a church goer on a regular basis. Um, but it didn't, didn't, uh, didn't stick with her. So I think the whole household, I believe, uh, are believers, but not specifically in any one thing. And I'm being very, um, open minded for my children's sake. They can do whatever they want. I'm not gonna make them follow me into one thing or the other, but that's not why I'm an agnostic. It's more a case of they make their own mind up is their own. It's their own journey. Leon: 12:54 Okay. Oh, so going back to something I said earlier, you probably were not born into an agnostic house. So how, how were you raised, you know, what was the house when you were growing up? Jez: 13:04 Okay. Um, my father's family are not religious really. They are, um, arms length Church of England, I would say. Uh, so, um, Protestants rather than Catholics and my mother, um, well, you know, may she rest in peace. Uh, she's no longer with us, but um, she had a difficult upbringing. She did spend some time living in a nunnery. Uh, but that was mainly because her parents walked out on her when she was very small. Um, so she was, she had a Bible, she had a, a prayer book. I've still actually got that somewhere that I made sure I had when she passed on because I can always remember her leafing through. It's got lots of paper, uh, newspaper clippings and stuff in it. And um, but you know, she always went to midnight mass and then the local in the local Protestant churches. And uh, I would sometimes go with her to support her, but my father never did. Um, so I suppose the growing up the family weren't really practicing any particular religion, but they were, I suppose if you had to say they were Christian. Leon: 14:13 Okay. And then the question, similar to the technical conversation we had earlier, so how, how exactly was your progression or your journey from, you know, "there" in that, you know, generally Christian identifying family into where you are today. Were there any, were there any, you know, specific moments or milestones that you said, "Okay, this is, this is what I am now?" Jez: 14:37 Well, I suppose I've always had a bit of a liberal bent, um, myself and some of the, some of the decisions of the Catholic church or sorry, the, the Protestant church where there, no, at the time anyway, when I was growing up, no, uh, no, no female priests and so on and so forth and their ideas of, you know, like, uh, 'LGBT is wrong' or that sort of stuff. So back then I thought, well, you know, at the end of the day, if there is one God and He supports everybody no matter what color you are, what creed, no matter what, then why are you kind of saying no to that? That doesn't make any sense. So I think it started there when I realized that there are some people who were effectively excluded. And from there I just thought, well, there's definitely something, but I'm not happy with that label. So I'm just gonna bump along on my own. Leon: 15:25 Okay. Nope, fair enough. Okay, good. So, given that fairly, you know, I'm going to say wide open worldview of religion, um, and your long time career in tech. I'm curious if there were ever any points where the two came into conflict where you found that the technical work that you were doing and your particular ethical, moral point of view were somehow um, you know, creating a challenge for you? Jez: 15:52 Uh, it's when I was working with the MSP, um, or managed service provider for those who aren't a technical bent listening to this, um, there were a number of customers that we were supporting who were uh, aggressive investment bankers, uh, to the point where they would - there's nothing wrong with that per se - but it was more a case of the way in which their businesses bought other businesses, pare them down to the nth degree and then sold them at a profit. And I didn't like supporting that sort of behavior cause there are people who are going to suffer. And I found out a few years down the line that does actually exactly what happens! But yeah, I mean, but ultimately my job is to put, to support the customer. Um, and whether I don't agree with it morally, um, I couldn't afford not to support them. So that was the, my job, you know, my team had that customer and we had to support them. Leon: 16:45 So on the flip side of that, were there ever any moments where, you know, your, again, your moral, ethical point of view created a benefit or a positive that you weren't expecting but sort of, you know, came up and you realized with some surprise that "Hey, wow, this really worked out well"? Jez: 17:00 Well, I suppose putting myself out before the children were born. Um, we had a number of people who on the 24 hour rotation that we had at the MSP weren't able to work for whatever reason. And you know, and I stepped up and covered the shifts for them. And it meant that those people could have their time with their family cause they needed it. Because there was one occasion where somebody whose parents weren't very well in other occasions where the children weren't well. And whilst, you know, I knew that effectively I was missing out time with my family. I wasn't married at the time. Uh, it was my, my, uh, my parents and my sister. Um, I felt it was important that I could give something to them and help them in a time of need. So ultimately it's more a case of being flexible and I suppose being agnostic means you can afford to be flexible because... Leon: 17:47 Right. You don't have quite as much of a dog in the, when it comes to, uh, you know, specific holidays and things like that. Jez: 17:54 Yeah. I mean, obviously now I have children, it's a little bit different. Um, but, uh, you know, I still have respect. Like for example, my, uh, my eldest daughter has a friend who is from an Indian family and they celebrate Diwali and all the rest of it, and they include a, include her in that and I'm completely happy with that. Whereas potentially I may not have been if I had actually hang my colors somewhere else. Leon: 18:17 All right. So any final thoughts? Anything you want people to think about or, or ponder as we finish up this episode? Jez: 18:24 I suppose in this time of potential problems in the Middle East, um, ultimately everybody deserves to have a life. Um, and don't look down on those simply because they don't have the same outlook or religion as yourself. Everybody needs to have food and water for their children. Speaker 3: 18:44 Jez, thank you so much for taking a few moments out of your, uh, this is actually the end of your holiday, so thanks for carving out some time in and talking to us. Jez: 18:53 Not a problem. Anytime. Leon, happy to be here. Leon: 18:56 Thanks for making time for us this week to hear more of technically religious visit our website, https://wwwtechnicallyreligious.com where you can find our other episodes, leave us ideas for future discussions and connect to us on social media.  

This week's episode we discuss an accusation of extortion.  The snack attack is real and using USPS to bully a classmate.   justspillingit.com linktr.ee/just_spilling_it  

Did you ever wonder why IT diagrams always use a cloud to show an element where stuff goes in and comes out, but we're not 100% sure what happens inside? That was originally called a "TAMO Cloud" - which stood for "Then A Miracle Occurred". It indicated an area of tech that was inscruitable, but nevertheless something we saw as reliable and consistent in it's output. For IT pros who hold a strong religious, ethical, or moral point of view, our journey has had its own sort of TAMO Cloud - where grounded technology and lofty philosophical ideals blend in ways that can be anything from challenging to uplifting to humbling. In this series, we sit down with members of the IT community to explore their journeys - both technical and theological - and see what lessons we can glean from where they've been, where they are today, and where they see themselves in the future. This episode features my talk with friend, co-religionist, programmer, and recurring Technically Religious guest Corey Adler. Listen or read the transcript below. Josh: 00:00 Welcome to our podcast where we talk about the interesting, frustrating and inspiring experiences we have as people with strongly held religious views working in corporate IT. We're not here to preach or teach you our religion. We're here to explore ways we make our career as IT professionals mesh or at least not conflict with our religious life. This is Technically Religious. Leon: 00:22 Did you ever wonder why it diagrams always use a cloud to show an element where stuff goes in and comes out, but we're not 100% sure what happens inside? That was originally called a TAMO cloud, which stood for "Then A Miracle Occurred." It indicated an area of tech that was inscrutable, but nevertheless something we saw as reliable and consistent in its output. For IT pros who hold a strong religious, ethical or moral point of view, our journey has had its own sort of TAMO cloud, where grounded technology and lofty philosophical ideals blend in ways that can be anything from challenging to uplifting to humbling. In this series, we sit down with members of the IT community to explore their journeys, both technical and theological, and see what lessons we can glean from where they've been, where they are today, and where they see themselves in the future. Leon: 01:09 My name is Leon Adato, and the other voice you'll hear on this episode is Cory Adler. Corey: 01:14 Alon-zee, Mr. Adato. Leon: 01:16 Very well done. Uh, Alonzo. So, uh, before we dig into the actual topic, uh, let's take a moment for shameless self promotion. Corey, tell us a little bit about yourself. Corey: 01:27 Hi, my name is Corey Adler. I am a lead engineer at Autosoft who currently makes software for car dealerships. You can find me on Twitter @CoryAdler. Uh, you can find me on stack overflow as Ironman84 and I am an Orthodox Jew or as sometimes or sometimes cultist in the church of Jon Skeet. Leon: 01:47 There we go. You pray at the altar of Jon Skeet. Corey: 01:50 (whispering) Jon Kate is the whistleblower. Leon: 01:52 Okay, good. You heard it here first. Anyway, uh, just to keep things, uh, evened out. My name is Leon Adato. I am a head Geek at Solarwinds. You can hear, uh, my ponderings and read some of the stuff I've done at, adatosystems.com. You can find me on the Twitters @LeonAdato and I also identify as Orthodox Jewish. And if you're scribbling this down madly trying to catch those, uh, websites and stuff, stop and just listen. Enjoy the show. There will be show notes after this and you can have all of that and anything that we mentioned along the way. So... Corey: 02:26 dat da-da da! Leon: 02:27 Right, exactly. Just enjoy. Take a moment, smell the flowers, bask in the sunshine. All right, so the tales from the TAMO cloud has a very specific structure as you know. Um, so I want to start off with the technical side of the conversation. Tell me a little bit about what work, like what is the work that you're doing today? I know you said lead engineer, but what does that mean on a day to day basis? Corey: 02:50 So we are currently redoing our entire dealer management system from, uh, our existing product, which is about 20 years old. I am currently lead for the accounting team. We're reworking, uh, the accounting module, various transactions, maintaining your journal, cashier, all kinds of various items that inherently in a dealership needs. But very few people end up thinking, "Oh yeah, the dealership is going to actually need software for all of that." So currently we're working in a .Net tech stack with an angular front end, um, SQL server, uh, for a database and hibernate that as our ORM of choice. Um, well except data teams trying to remove that because they want stored procedures and other things that are more efficient with our time as if, as if developers are efficient know. Leon: 03:48 (laughs) Right. I see. If you take that as a personal insult, so, okay. So it's a little bit of what you do. So you're coding, I mean, you know, for, for those people who, who aren't quite as in the weeds, you're, you're a programmer and you work mostly in the .net stack as far as that goes, which is cool. Um, where... Think back now, think back to those early days. Where did you start out in tech? Corey: 04:11 Professionally I've been a.net developer my entire career. Uh, it's funny actually because I didn't start out and done that. Actually college and grad school both were in Java actually. Um, and the only .net class I took was for half a semester. My senior year in college, the one, the one semester of senior year that I had before I graduated, which was a computer games class and first half was, you know, still in Java. And the professor basically just had this thing of every week you're making a game. The way he phrased it was, "If I tell you to make a game in two weeks, you'll spend two weeks to make a game. If I tell you to do it in one week, you'll spend one week and you'll make a game." So one week he switched over to, um, to.net halfway through because that, uh, Microsoft has this X and a framework that for people to make games that you can download to your X-Box. So he had us doing that and I ended up, uh, programming in a team doing, uh, this site's girl shooter game where you were enemies could do drop bonus weapons. Then you could and had this little animation for, you know, attaching it. And I wrote most of the most of the code for this game and I brought that code actually with me to my first job interview and they were like, the interviewers, like these guys are senior developers. They were actually like, you could, I could actually tell on their faces, they were rather impressed with some of the stuff. Leon: 05:53 You realize that you were going to have to post your game in the show notes, like you're going to have to have that someplace where people can download it and play it. Corey: 06:02 The professor himself actually, I believe, does not delete his course pages. So it probably is still up there. Leon: 06:09 Awesome. Okay, fine, fine. Fair enough. Um, all right. So that's where we started was with, you know, like basically the equivalent of the XKCD cartoon, "That one weekend I spent playing around with Perl" was how you built your career, which, you know, fine. Okay. It's not Perl, but whatever. Um, so then the question is, where did you go from there? You know, you're, you're a, you're, you know, you're a full stack .net dev. Now you started off programming in your C, you know, comps, eyeglasses. But how did you get from there to here? What was your progression? What was the journey? Corey: 06:42 So I graduated college and I knew I wanted to get a masters and I knew because we were expecting our first kid at the time. Leon: 06:53 You're, I should clarify your wife and you were expecting not the development team, right? I just told them to, but, well, they were expecting your first company and have a completely different way. Corey: 07:02 I mean, this was after college. I hadn't worked professionally yet. Leon: 07:06 Oh, okay. Corey: 07:07 Yeah. So, so we were moving out of New York. Yeah. Thank God. And the choices were either too near where my family lived in Chicago or near to where her family lived in Cleveland. And I ended up getting into case Western here. Um, but then they, so they said to me, "You know, we don't really give financial aid for master's students, but if you'd be willing to enter the PhD program, we would be happy to make you a TA and tuition would then be free and we would pay you a stipend for being a TA in a couple of classes." As well as full time taking classes. I said, sure, I'll do that. Um, so I ended up, you know, TA-ing and getting a reputation for being strict, which has helped throughout my career because you know, especially as being a team lead, all those little strict things that I asked those students to do that long ago is stuff that I'm still correcting people on doing. You know, please sort you're using, please write some comments, please document your code, Leon: 08:25 (laughing) Comment your damn code! You hear that everyone? Corey: 08:29 Sort your damn usings or your imports if you're in Java for the love of God, have some professional pride in your work. Leon: 08:40 Perfect. I should point out before we go much further that you wrote a whole series of posts on the SolarWinds user forum. THWACK.com. Yes, that's... Naming things is hard apparently. So the SolarWinds user form is called THWACK dot com... And Corey wrote a series of I think four or five posts on just how to be a basically good programmer. Jjust you know, fundamentals and we'll link to that in the show notes. Corey: 09:05 Fundamentals are fun, Leon: 09:07 Right. We put the fun fundamentals, yes, I got it. Okay. So you've got to case Western. You were a TA in the an a P in the PhD program... Corey: 09:15 In the PhD program. And then so through various occurrences, I ended up in a situation where there was no money for me to work for the university over the summer, over a summer. And they said to me, "Well we can have you back at the TA the second year, you know, with same salary and everything, but we don't have anything over the summer. You don't have to do something else over the summer." And what, so what I ended up doing was, because I wasn't, I always wanted to just do masters anyway, was I just said, okay, well I'm going to switch out now to the master's program and I'm just going to go flat out and get a job. And I ended up getting a job at a company called MRI software that does, um, property real estate management software. So both commercial and residential property management. Um, I worked for them for awhile and I was taking, I took a night class at Cleveland state, uh, to continue on. And then two things happened. Number one was I got promoted very quickly at MRI from being from being a associated, you know, junior level basically to being, you know, mid level. And the second thing was was that, um, I had an advisor who, you know, was an awesome guy but didn't really give me such great direction in the final project. To the point where I just realized there was no added benefit... I was already in mid level. I was already doing really well. There was very little point in me, you know, basically killing myself to get a master's that may not have actually helped at that point. You know, people tend to get masters to help fast track their careers and I'd already done that through my own hard work at the company. So did it re would it really have helped me on future jobs to get an added degree there? Yeah. Versus say like a certification which probably would have. So I ended up, uh, dropping grad school, uh, worked for MRI for a little while, uh, then switched to a company called Rosetta. They, I think they still exist, but they're entirely Java now. They had two departments. They had a Java and a .net. wing And I was part of the .net wing working on a project for this big huge project. That - like many big, huge projects ended up getting canceled. Um, Leon: 11:58 (laughs) okay! Corey: 11:59 Uh, for a company called Safeguard properties, but so worked on this pro on that project for awhile and that's, I mean I started out learning at MRI, but Rosetta was a lot of like where a lot of my foundations really took hold. I had a couple of, because there's a difference that I noticed, especially for me, this doesn't apply to everybody, but there was, there was an especially big difference for me in somebody showing me directly, "Hey, this is how you do it and this is why it works." Versus I had a couple of guys and um, shout out to, uh, Sean and Ed if you guys happened to be listening to this, I don't know if you are, but shout out to you guys for this, which was me saying, "I don't understand why this, why this isn't working." And one of them saying, "Go look up this feature or this class." Not saying, here's "how you do it." This is just, okay, well write something down, hand it to me and say, "Go look this up. Go look at why this works." I said, I'd spend, you know, an hour or so researching it and I come back to my, I said, "Oh, okay, so if I do this and this, that should solve this problem." It's like, yeah, yeah. And that was just like, Oh, okay. Like the, the direction of you go that way. Leon: 13:17 Right. It's not, it's not, "Well figure it out on your own. Good luck." It's, "I'm going to point you in generally the right direction and let you take it from there." You know, that way, you know, you're not completely going off on a wild goose chase, but I haven't just spoonfed it to you either. Corey: 13:34 Yeah, exactly. So that provided a lot of, you know, the my bedrock, basically during my time there. I ended up then going back to MRI, in a completely different department - internal applications was there working on, because the company had bought a couple of, not exactly competitors, but also you know, software companies that were also in the same market doing different things in the same markets. So they wanted to integrate those systems into their own product. But now they have four different companies of billing and needed one package to the, to your bill in bill, their customers in. So start was writing on that. They ended up switching platforms. I ended up getting let go because the platform they were switching it into, I was not well first and um, apparently product development said "no" when it came time when they asked if they wanted to take me back. So... Which was fine because um, and I've told this story to people many times about... And usually in the context of how wonderful of a market there is for .net developers everywhere. But especially in Cleveland. Which was I got let go on a Friday by the following Friday, even with having laryngitis that week, I had about 10 phone interviews. I had two in-person interviews at a job offer by the following Monday I had a second job offer and I was at work the following Friday for at a job that paid more than the last one. Leon: 15:16 Know your strengths and know the market where your strengths are valued. Corey: 15:19 Absolutely. Leon: 15:20 You know, a lot of people in Cleveland, uh, you know, you and I both know folks who are coming up through the ranks of IT and you know, learning programming and they're learning, you know, "I want to learn Python and I want to learn Ruby and I want to learn... You know, you know, it's like those are great languages. They're very useful. Corey: 15:38 Ruby is a four letter word. Leon: 15:39 Okay. But there's no market for those skills in Cleveland. It's a very small market. We really are very much a production, you know, you know, get it done. .net tradition. I'll say traditional market. That's, that's not a slam on Cleveland. It's just a recognition of this is what this it market is. It's not Austin or Seattle or you know, whatever. You know, New York, Corey: 16:05 Chicago I've heard has got a lot of Ruby shops, which is, which is disappointing cause I'm from Chicago and that's just sad. Leon: 16:12 I understand. Okay. So that's how you got from here, more or less, how you got from here to there? Did I did Corey: 16:16 So, so then I, um, so I've got a job at Paragon consulting, which does websites for companies that don't want to hire full time developers. So using content management system and worked there for awhile and then got a hankering for, uh, working with not with, not working in content management systems anymore. And uh, so moved over to AutoSoft just as a regular mid level. And um, I think it's been working out pretty well. They've, yeah. you know. Now I'm the team lead and you know, things are, things are soaring. Leon: 17:01 Nice. Okay. So that, so that's the journey as far as the technical side go, but we are ]Technically Religious here. So, uh, let's talk about the religious side. You identify, as you said at the top of the show, um, as a Orthodox Jew. Did, you always start off at that level of observance, you know, where, where did you, sorry, let me, let me step back. What does Orthodox Judaism look like for you today? Because, as I like to say, especially on these kinds of shows, labels are hard and they're often imprecise. And a lot of times when you ask somebody, "What are you?" The first thing people says, "Well... I'm sort of, you know..." And then they give this sort of very qualified answer. So in, in the long form, how do you identify your religious observance today? Corey: 17:48 I remember one website that would give you a list of choices for which label really worked for you. And the funny part was you would click on like the, on the overall Orthodox part and then there would be eight different choices within that label. And included in that, you know, we have this term "modern Orthodox", they had it listed twice. First one was with MODERN in caps, the second one was with ORTHODOX in caps. So I'm kind of in between on those. Leon: 18:28 So you're camel case, Corey: 18:29 I'm camel case. Leon: 18:32 All right, fair enough. Corey: 18:33 So to me, I live in a very modern world while juggling the responsibilities of an Orthodox... Of a strictly Orthodox Jew. So for those who know that, I know Shulchan Aurch, i know Gemarrah, all those things, you know, I follow and I try to learn and I try to teach my children and whatnot and which, which means I'm carefully selecting the beer I'm getting. You know, when, when the fun car comes around at work. Leon: 19:05 You know, no, you're keeping kosher, you're keeping Shabbat, you're, you know, doing all that stuff. And for those people who don't know Corey, he's also what's called the Gabbi at our synagogue. He's the person in charge of making sure that people are running the parts of the service that need to get run and they're going as fast as they need to go and no faster. And that they stand up when they need to stand up and sit down when they need to sit down. And he also reads Torah at least twice a week to make sure that that happened, you know, so he, he is the glue that keeps things moving. So: knowledgeable and also taking responsibility for things. Corey: 19:40 I'm the Orthodox Jewish version of a bartender. Nobody notices me unless I've screwed up. Leon: 19:46 Right, exactly. And everyone has an opinion about how to mix the drink regardless. So, okay, good. So, so that's how you identify today. So then back to the question I started asking, is that where you, obviously you didn't start off as Gabbi, but did you start off in this type of, or this flavor of Orthodox Judaism or was there a progression? Corey: 20:06 I was born and bred in the gabbai tanks. Leon: 20:11 Next to the Kwisatz Haderach on Dune. Yes. I understand. Corey: 20:16 Uh, no, actually I did not start out religious. Uh, originally growing up I went to a Solomon Schechter school, which is a more conservative, uh, Judaism school. Uh, my family went to an Orthodox shul, uh, the local Chabad. Classically, there are two versions that you'll find in the wild of Chabad Shuls. One is the, you have all these Chassidic Jews who are all meeting together. In most other locations though they are, where like the handful of Orthodox Jews will be, but where they will get some of the, of the more non-affiliated or nondenominational people to come in and celebrate being Jewish and have some kind of connection that way so that. Leon: 21:09 It's the outpost. Corey: 21:10 It's the outpost, which was what we were. Um, but we would still drive to shul on Shabbos. We would easily eat out non-kosher and when not. But that all changed, uh, from two major events. Number one was my brother William going to Yeshiva in Israel after high school. Which got me more thinking about being religious. And the second thing was, uh, I ended up leaving Solomon Schechter because of a couple of bullies basically. Uh, and so the only other option as far as Jewish school was wa was, um, uh, an Orthodox one, which is what I went to. And called Hillel Torah in Chicago. I went there and then through osmosis, you know, and through seeing my brother becoming more religious, I ended up following suit there and then ended up going to a more religious high school than he had gone to. Uh, and then when also followed him to into having a Israeli yeshiva for two years, um, afterwards. And then, you know, unlike my brother though who went to Yeshiva University in New York, I ended up going to New York University and more, more secular school. Leon: 22:42 That solidified your sort of observance as it looks today. And I know that you talk about being Gabbi even at NYU that you were in charge of making sure that the, the congregational responsibilities within the, you know, NYU within the college crowd happened efficiently and effectively also. Corey: 23:01 Which basically consisted of me in the kosher cafeteria every day yelling out MICHA!!!! Leon: 23:07 So we've talked about your, your progress, your starting and ending point, um, in, uh, technical terms in religious terms. So now I want to focus on the overlap between the two. As a person with a strong religious, ethical or moral point of view. In this case, the Orthodox Judaism, who has a long career in tech, how have those two things, um, what challenges have you found along the way with those, with those two parts of your life? Corey: 23:36 I've been very lucky, lucky in that most places that I've gone to, they've been very accepting of my religious beliefs, especially in agile environments. When I say, "Hey, I'm going to have to take off early on Fridays, but I'm going to spend more time the rest of the week to make up for that. I'm still going to get my work done." My sprint work, I'm still going to get, you know, my at least 40 hours. And is that okay? And for, you know, everybody said, "Yeah, yeah, sure. That's cool." The only struggle that I had with that was, uh, at one company where the raises and bonuses and promotions were dependent on you're competing with your fellow developers. So if you had a number of developers who were working 60 hours a week and you were only working 50 hours a week, well they were more in line to get raises and bonuses and promotions, then you were. So for someone who's, you know, got 24 hours where 25 hours where they're not on the computer at all. That takes away a lot of times from being able to potentially join those ranks. So that was kind of frustrating and it ended up leading to me eventually leaving that company. Cause I, I'm competitive when I play board games. I don't want to be competitive in the office. I want to be, I want to be in a situation where I can be recognized for my own work and you can be recognized for your own good work. And I feel like, I feel like morale is better when you have that in a company versus that versus the pressure of "I've gotta be better than you." Leon: 25:31 Yeah. When it, when it's the accounting team versus the IT team and they're up six to four, everybody's losing. Yeah. But, but yeah, collaborations is far more effective in the workplace then than competition in that way. Corey: 25:45 There was one other thing, which is minor, very minor, but it's the fact that people sometimes have a need to apologize for things that I'm so used to for a long time that I don't even notice it. But yet people feel like they have to apologize to me for those things. The biggest example being kosher food. So your company has a lunch and learn, we're all going to be learning about this topic and they bring in pizza and of course the pizza has got, you know, pepperoni and sausage and they'll have a regular vegetarian one, but it's not kosher anyway. Yeah. Leon: 26:32 So people are apologizing... Corey: 26:33 So the people, Oh my God, you know, I'm so sorry. None of the kosher places deliver nearby. And I'm really sorry. I'm like ever since college, and we're talking now about, you know, 15 years, there's never been kosher food except maybe a couple of times. And even then it was sponsored by the Judaic studies department. So computer science, I had computer science talks in college. I had colloquium in grad school, I've had 10 years of being a professional developer. I don't expect kosher food. It's a slight irritation. It's a minor irritation, but it's still an irritation. When people apologize to me for not having kosher food or stuff like that, it's like I don't, I don't need it. Leon: 27:21 Right. It wasn't even on the table. Like it was never on the table. I appreciate, yeah, I appreciate the sensitivity and you demonstrating that you are sensitive to it, but really wasn't ever on the... like let's just have our meeting and keep on going and I'm going to eat the sandwich I brought anyway. Corey: 27:36 Although there was one company Paragon shout outs to Mark for, for doing this for me who said, uh, "If you want, when we have those lunch and learns, if you're willing to spend the time to drive over to one of these places, pick up food and come back, I'll give you the company credit card and you can go out and buy it." And I was like, "Hey, deal!" And then I ended up, uh, creating a series of lightning talks at the company. So I could not, not just so I could get free food, but... Leon: 28:07 Okay. I will say though that that especially when you're dealing with, um, team members who have specific dietary needs, whether it is vegan or gluten free or Halal or kosher or whatever, um, I think sometimes companies they err by saying, uh, "So we'll, we'll buy this thing that's kosher, we'll buy this thing that's Halal." And yet there are nuances to those dietary needs that the person who needs that food understands, but the rest of the company doesn't. And so you end up in a very awkward situation of somebody said, BUT BUT YOU SAID it was kosher." "Yes. But it's not a hecksher. It's not a standard that I hold by," you know, or "Yes, you got, you know, gluten free but it wasn't nut free" or whatever. And you end up with, you know, sometimes for feelings and things like that where as saying to somebody, Hey, we really want you to feel included. Will you go buy, will you go get well, you make sure is sometimes not the burden that it might sound like to the outside person. It's actually, you know, much more inclusive because now I know the food is going to meet my personal standards. I'm not saying higher or lower. I'm just saying that's my personal standards and it's gonna be what I wanted and it's, you know, I'm not going to have to have an uncomfortable conversation about you just went through literally hell and high water to get this and I'm still not eating it. So I like that. That was really smart. Good work Mark! Okay. So those are some of the, you know, again, nothing major but um, you know, some of the, the challenges between your religious and technical life and I want to spin it around now. Were there any benefits, were there any surprises, positive surprises that you had where you showed up into your technical world and realize that your religious point of view was actually an unexpected benefit? Leon: 29:59 Uh, I was working at Paragon and at the time we were working in this medical office building, which was kind of weird cause we were all in these offices instead of, you know, being in a room together. Cause it's just like these tiny offices. And there was one seat open in the room I was in. And Mark says to me, "Hey, we've got a guy who's coming in who's going to be taking over that seat. It's a man named Kamran and he's going to be starting on Monday. And yeah, just make sure he feels welcome." And I said, "Oh," me thinking, you know, because we had at Paragon we had, and I think they still do have a fair amount of people from Indian descent who worked there. And I said, "Oh, that sounds vaguely like an Indian name." And he goes, "No, actually Kamran is originally from Pakistan." And you know, the, the alarm bells almost went off in my head as it were because okay, now I'm going to be in this situation where I'm working with somebody who's obviously Muslim and I'm very openly Jewish. I wonder how this is going to work out. You know, not, not being pessimistic, but just like, okay, this is going to be something new for me. Working with somebody who is Muslim. And I am, uh, I was, I had a very positive experience at NYU with, um, uh, Jews and Muslims, uh, being very friendly together. Um, there was, as an example, there was a trip shortly after Katrina hit where they had Jewish and Muslim students going together and rebuilding some houses in new Orleans. And those kids ended up getting along so well with each other that you would see them frequently at the kosher cafeteria eating lunch and dinner together. You know, so very positive experience there. And so I was like, you know, I'm going to, this is going to be new for me because now I'm in that situation and I'm going to, I took it upon myself. I said, I'm going to, I'm going to really try and do exactly like what those kids did. I'm going to. And so, um, Kamran and I ended up becoming very good friends actually of working together and to the point, and of course we would have discussions and discuss. Of course the conflict in Israel in the middle East came up and we had our discussions and there were always respectful discussions. And I remember one time we were talking about something that was in common between Judaism and Islam. At one point I was just looking at me at all, "Why are we fighting? Like so many things that you have in common, why are we fighting?" He goes, "I don't know man. I don't know." Yeah. And the second story, I would come run his holiday party. And those are two very loaded words everybody, Leon: 33:11 We're going to have an episode on that coming up soon on technically religious about the dreaded holiday party in the office. Yeah. Corey: 33:18 But I, I still remember he brought his wife to the holiday party and she was in, uh, she was in full, uh, attire. Um, not, not a burka, but I, I'm blanking on the term off the top of my head... Leon: 33:31 Hijab? Corey: 33:31 Yes. On top. And then long skirt or dress or, I don't know that the technical term for it, but [and I'm like, Oh, I get to meet Kamran's wife. Cool. And there were a few people ahead of me who were truffle, wanted to meet her also, and she was shaking hands with these people, with these guys. And I'm just thinking in my head, you know, Judaism, we have an idea that the sexes don't really shake each, you know, make physical contact unless you're a family member. I wonder if Muslims have that too. And so I specifically did not shake her hand, but then I worried about it for like the rest of the weekend. I'm like second guessing myself. I'm like, did I God, I hope I didn't insult her. I went in and insult him and I come in on Monday and I said to come on by the way, I didn't shake your wife's hand. And he looks at me and goes, "You guys have something like that too, don't you?" I said, "Where we don't shake women's hands?" Yeah. He goes, "Yeah, we've got that. Also. You were the only one who knew about that." And just like, that's just so cool. So yeah, that's we, I mean we had a... Mark arranged when we moved to a new new building. Your range for us to have a closet basically that was designated as our prayer space. Which Kamran and I would always joke that if we got another religious person in, we'd have to have a signup sheet. Right. Because especially there was the afternoon prayers were so closely timed where I would go to the closet, and it would be locked. I'm like, Oh, Kamran's daven... Kamran's praying right now. I almost said Kamran was davening right now, which is the Jewish term for it. And so that was, that was an instance where it was so, it was so nice being religious and sharing, being religious in tech with this person and becoming good friends even with our differences. So there, that was both. Yeah. Benefit and to surprise. The other, the other benefits have been, I mean there's, you see really so many amazing people who you really get to see just how respectful people can be about it. Where if you weren't religious, you mean maybe they'd still be respectful, but there are so many times you find people willing to go out of their way to be accepting of you. I mean, there've been plenty of times where I've said to my team like, "Hey guys, I got to get out of here. I've got prayer services that I have to go to and then. Leon: 36:11 Sundown is coming fast. It's winter or whatever it is. Corey: 36:14 And especially Friday. I mean, so many times we've since changed it to a Wednesday to Wednesday a sprint. Right? But there were times where Friday's last day of the sprint, and I say, "Guys, I've checked in some code. It doesn't work. It's not, it's not finished. But I got to go." And somebody saying, I've got it, I'm going to, I'll take it. You know? And that's, that's been a wonderful sight to see, has been, has been those, that kind of reaction. Doug: 36:45 Thanks for making time for us this week. To hear more of Technically Religious visit our website, http://TechnicallyReligious.com where you can find our other episodes. Leave us ideas for future discussions and connect to us on social media.

Drop into the Listening Booth where this week DJRePete is spinning new electro alt from Devarrow, proper electronic with The Requesters and Bob Moses, punk from Lisa Prank, and trippy alt via My Little Hum. He also checks out the new record by Luke Temple and his under selling sales tactic in the promotion materials for it. Plus—a Mitten news tease, as we await word on any new music from the duo. 00:00 - Mic Break 01:00 - Crashed Cars - Devarrow 03:56 - Compare - FRANKIE 07:06 - Move - Stone Irr 09:38 - What You See - Levitation Room 12:21 - Farewell To Exile - Somos 16:40 - New Blood - Somos 20:22 - Mic Break 21:23 - Henry in Forever Phases - Luke Temple 25:22 - Ads For Feelings - Michael Zapruder 28:35 - Ocarina - Birds & Batteries 31:38 - Green - Mitten 34:20 - Road To Nowhere - Dark Horses 37:51 - Born - Fear of Men 41:05 - Mic Break 41:34 - Pianobytes - The Requesters 45:56 - The Raft (Mystery Skulls) - UNA 50:19 - Fever - Lou Canon 56:09 - Cherry 2000 - Michna 59:39 - Keeping Me Alive - Bob Moses 64:23 - The Future - Electrolightz 68:15 - Wax Rose Saturday (Remux Edit) - Mux Mool 73:03 - Fever - Balthazar 77:31 - Mic Break 77:55 - Cross My Fingers - Lisa Prank 80:36 - Moral Fibre - LIFE 82:12 - Mould Lies - Thigh Master 84:34 - Entity - Thigh Master 87:04 - Missing Wires - Soulwax 91:53 - Mic Break 92:05 - November in New York - My Little Hum 96:08 - Imagination - City And Colour 101:37 - Do You Want To Get Into Trouble? - Soulwax 106:02 - Dropkick ** - Marco Benevento 109:02 - Mic Break 109:27 - Nye Nummer Et - Choir Of Young Believers 113:52 - Static Electricity - Spencer Radcliffe & Everyone Else 120:19 - Finish

Plattym3 & Liamland welcome the man, the myth, the legend, Woodus of the Dragon’s Den for this episode. After running him through the questions all new guests get (and a game of Marry, Thwack, Puff Puff), Dragon Quest XI is discussed. Characters and plot are run discussed briefly and we spend a great deal of time discussing our recent memories of this amazing game! NOTE: We attempt to STAY 99% spoiler-free, talking about characters on the box and plot points in the trailer, but SPOILERS EXIST for 10 minutes from the 1:14 mark to 1:24. Anyone have a copy of Nintendo Power #230 from July 2008? We’re looking for the Dragon Quest article from that month. Hit us up @DQSlimeTime on Twitter or slimetimepodcast@gmail.com Support the Dragon’s Den, preorder DQXI S for Switch on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2LqhEfi

Episode 21 - Turkish DelightWith great power comes great responsibility…which is a little frightening because there’s very little evidence of responsibility here!POW! Pete delivers all the important news from the San Diego Comic Con.THWACK! Dean lets us in on some frankly disgusting illnesses.WALLOP! Allen tells us what we should be doing with our Tripe. You know….all that spare Tripe you’ve got knocking about.Turkish barbers, Superhero films (yes...AGAIN!), and whatever Allen considers to be news are all discussed, in no particular order, in this weeks report.So, take a load off, relax, but above all…DON’T GO OUTSIDE!!We are now on iTunes, Stitcher & Spotify! So you can listen on your usual podcast apps if that's your bag. Please Like & Subscribe!Facebook / Instagram / Twitter – Search for MonicaspodiTunes - https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/dont-go-outside/id1458596625YouTube - www.youtube.com/channel/UCXu3yhx-tqdWgNOdD62dIYQ

Hello my beautiful Black Eagles, Blue Lions and Golden Deer! In this episode of NEP, we put on the boxing gloves and discuss microtransactions in gaming, why Fire Emblem: Three Houses is so damn good, and the wild mechanics with Dragon Quest Hero as he debuts in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate! We also have a chat about the new additions to Nintendo Switch Online and if they save the service or not, Ubisoft’s Chinese Rabbids game and the meager announcements from Nintendo and Tencent at ChinaJoy. Finally in our Listener Mail segment, we recommend JRPGs and give our brutally honest feelings about the Final Fantasy series and Kingdom Hearts series. We hope you enjoy! If you like what you’re hearing, you can support us by giving NEP a 5 star review on Apple Podcasts, aka new iTunes. We would greatly appreciate if you could help us out! We’re very thankful for your support, and we thank you for listening! Timestamps 03:33 – Adventure Log: Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 has camera and menu foibles, but Oni Dino is enjoying playing it with his husband on his fresh YouTube channel, Gayme Married. 11:17 – Adventure Log: Galen loves his Shlooter, Destiny 2. Oni is a big bully who picks on poor Galen with talks of microtransactions and predatory game mechanics. 24:47 – Breaking down why Fire Emblem: Three Houses is so damn good. Impressions on the dodgy visuals, and explaining why the gameplay loop is so satisfying. Plus, what’s going on with that Byleth voice actor abusive controversy. And more Destiny chatter because we can’t get away from it. 45:04 – Dragon Quest HERO in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate! And how Sakurai approaches creating new fighters’ mechanics for the DLC. 55:35 – Nintendo Switch Online offering some new perks. Spirit Board Challenge Packs and Game Trials. Does this improve the system? What can be done to improve Switch Online? Galen has an idea for an incredible peripheral for new gaming experiences using old games on the Switch... it’s so crazy, Nintendo would toootally do it! 1:06:39 – Tencent and Nintendo hold a press conference at ChinaJoy to announce... almost nothing. Eh. Whattaya expect. Switch will release in China at some point. Then info that Ubisoft is making a Chinese Rabbids game, “Fengkuang Tuzi: Qiyu Paidui” aka “Crazy Bunnies: Adventure Party”. And Oni does a little language and localization talk. And a brief chat about why people hate Rabbids so much. 1:12:36 – Additional DLC. Talk with your grandparents. 1:18:38 – Listener Mail: Our suggestions on the Final Fantasy series, Kingdom Hearts series, and getting into JRPGs. Where does someone start? Additional DLC Granny Talk – Grump Out https://youtu.be/ZyrmJyxZEL8 Call of Cthulhu: Shadow of the Crystal Palace (Critical Role One-Shot) https://youtu.be/0uhqZdJ8swQ Send us an email and we’ll discuss it! NintendoEverythingPod [at] gmail [dot] com #nintendopodcast #gamingpodcast #podcast Oni Dino’s YouTube “Gayme Married”: https://bit.ly/2JK21xd Nintendo Everything on Twitter: @NinEverything Oni Dino’s Twitter: @Oni_Dino Oni Dino’s Insta: Oni__Dino Galen’s Twitter: @mobius087 Galen’s Insta: true_mobius HUGE thank you to Headphones of Listening for NEP's intro music! Check him out on soundcloud!

Alternatively titled "Thwack’d out of DC". The crew is back from Otakon and give a slight overview of the convention, as well as games they wish had a revival, and possible employees getting fired for having leaky faucets. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/gotrttv/message

Chris and Tom chat about Stoke's recent successes in preseason, the new signing Tommy Smith, whether James McClean at Left Back (?), and rate players on how handsome they are. New Theme song is by Merrym'n: https://soundcloud.com/merrymn/merrymn-neer-do-wells There's a new beer52 crate out! beer52.com/wizards to claim a free case of craft beer. New stuff over on our blogs: wizardsofdrivel.com

Noah Stubbs eyes the large white pill pinched between his thumb and forefinger, remembering the first time he hit golf balls on the moon with Gord. “I wonder,” Gord says to him as Noah lines up on the tee, “just how far these suckers'll really go?” THWACK! Noah swings. The little ball hurtles into the Lunar day, a pinprick of speeding light bright against the velvet sky. Long after the ball becomes invisible to the naked eye, his suit's visor tracks its trajectory until it drops towards the ground. They parked the hopper at the top of the Virgo Escarpment. Narrated by Stefan Rudnicki.

In this episode of SolarWinds TechPod, A Hero’s Journey, Phoummala Schmitt opens up to host Alex Navarro about the unconventional career path that led her to becoming a Microsoft advocate. Listen in as they discuss taking control of your career path, training courses, and even a little cloud strategy.    Comments about this episode? Have ideas for future topics?  Tweet us @solarwinds using #TechPod     Who is behind this TechPod episode?   Alex Navarro (host/producer), Andrew Garibay (production/engineering), Luke Pearson (post-production/engineering), Phoummala Schmitt (guest)   This podcast is provided for informational purposes only. © 2019 SolarWinds Worldwide, LLC. All rights reserved.

Email security. Do a Google search and you'll find it's one of the biggest concerns facing businesses today. Join Ashley Bono, SolarWinds MSP Product Marketing Manager, and SolarWinds Mail Assure product team members Dreas von Donselaar and Mia Thompson as they discuss the evolution and weaponization of email spam...and the tools you can use to keep the bad actors out of your inbox.   Related Links:  SolarWinds Mail Assure  Comments about this episode? Have an idea for future topics? Tweet us @solarwinds using #TechPod  Who is behind this TechPod episode?  Anne Chaconas (executive producer), Luke Pearson (production/engineering), Ashley Bono (host), Dreas von Donselaar and Mia Thompson (guests)  This podcast is provided for informational purposes only. Information and views expressed in this podcast may change and/or may not be applicable to you. SolarWinds makes no warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information contained herein.  The SolarWinds, SolarWinds & Design, Orion, and THWACK trademarks are the exclusive property of SolarWinds Worldwide, LLC or its affiliates, are registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and may be registered or pending registration in other countries. All other SolarWinds trademarks, service marks, and logos may be common law marks or are registered or pending registration. All other trademarks mentioned herein are used for identification purposes only and are trademarks of (and may be registered trademarks of) their respective companies.  © 2019 SolarWinds Worldwide, LLC. All rights reserved. 

Many religious traditions embrace the idea of being an example, a "light unto the nations". On this episode, Leon, Josh, and Roddie explore this idea for those of us who work in IT, when it's a highly stressful situation such as a system outage - the dreaded "sev1 call"? . Transcript: Josh:                                      00:00                     Welcome to technically religious where we talk about the interesting, frustrating and inspiring experiences we have as people with strongly held religious views working in corporate it. We're not here to preach or teach you our religion. We're here to explore ways we make our career as IT professionals mesh, or at least not conflict, with our religious life. This is technically religious. Leon:                                     00:24                     Look, we all know that working in it isn't all rainbows and ice cream and unicorns. There are frustrations, there are disappointments, and even times when the work is downright stressful Josh:                                      00:33                     and perhaps no time is more of that then during an outage when there's a lot of unwanted attention and tempers are running high. Roddie:                                00:41                     Today we want to explore the ways that we navigate those high stress moments as an IT pro with a strong ethical, moral, or religious perspective. Leon:                                     00:49                     To put it in scriptural terms. How might we use our perspective to be a light unto the nations in those moments? Um, this week we have a couple of new voices. So let's just do some quick introductions. I'm Leon Adato, Josh:                                      01:01                     I'm Josh Biggley Roddie:                                01:03                     and I'm Roddie Hasan. So diving right in. Leon, why don't you tell us where the quote comes from and kind of give us some context here. Okay. For those people who aren't familiar with it, um, it actually comes from one of the books of prophets, Isaiah, for those people who are quickly flipping through, it's chapter 42, verse six. Uh, and it, the whole context of the sentence is, "I am the Lord. I called you with righteousness and it will strengthen your hand and I formed you and I made you for a people's covenant for a light to the nations." So that's, that's what we're talking about. Um, but what does that mean, right? Roddie:                                01:39                     Like, yes, what, Leon:                                     01:41                     What, what's that supposed to be? Actually, before we dive into that, um, just, you know who, who among us has obviously, you know, prophets or Navi, uh, is a Jewish, you know, is part of the Jewish canon. So it's part of our context, but I do want to clarify that from a Jewish perspective, the prophets is not considered what we might call gospel. You know, thou shalt it's really considered a timeless political commentary. So, uh, you can derive life lessons from it, but it isn't a binding in the way that a commandment might be. So how about for you guys? Josh:                                      02:19                     It's interesting. So in Mormonism, um, and as we talked about last week, Mormonism being my, uh, my previous religious belief now identifying as post-Mormon and although, you know, having spent 40 years in the religion, I know a fair bit about it. Um, in Mormonism, Isaiah is feared, uh, only because, hey, it's Isaiah and he, you know, he uses some really complex imagery in order to extract his true meetings. Um, however this particular idea is also reflected in the New Testament. Um, so certainly I think Mormons and Mormons identifying as Christians this idea that we should stand up and use our correctness are... And certainly in context of Mormonism, are our absolute belief that they're, um, that that it is the true religion. Um, we use, you know, this idea of being a light unto the nations as, Hey, we've got, we've got all the truth. Everyone else has parts of it and they should look to, uh, you know, to Mormonism to fill in the blanks. Leon:                                     03:19                     Okay. We're going to leave that whole truth thing aside because it can get to be a very linux-y conversation. Um, but spinning right around it. Roddie, how about Islam? Roddie:                                03:27                     Um, so, so as you know, a couple of themes probably see come up in the podcasts as we go episode to episode: there, there are a lot of similarities between Islam and Judaism. So, um, you, you know, without pulling direct quotes out of the Koran, the Muslims do believe in the Old Testament. So, so a lot of the things that are in prophets would also apply to Islam. So, you know, they, they might be taught in different language obviously because it was written in a different language or read in a different language. But um, being the word of God, it's, it's kind of taken the same way. Leon:                                     03:57                     Okay. Josh:                                      03:58                     All right. Leon, that fast then, have you ever quoted scripture in a Sev 1? Speaker 2:                           04:05                     I uh, under my breath I might have used words that did include the word God. Roddie:                                04:10                     Yeah. But, um, I certainly take taking the Lord's name in vain many times. Leon:                                     04:16                     Yeah. Yeah. don't.. I don't think so. Now see, now I have an achievement unlocked thing to try to pursue, I guess. I don't know. Um, no, I, I'll, I'll go on record as saying I probably have never quoted Torah or any of the other, you know, other books during a Sev 1 as such, to say, well, as we see it, like, no, no, that's a bad idea. Um, I think it's worth putting on the table that, you know, do we think either for ourselves or for other people, they might take that, you know, being a light unto the nations means being better than, or, you know, quote unquote holier than thou during a Sev 1. Does that, is that what we're talking about? Roddie:                                04:56                     I kind of see it as a more positive message and maybe it's just kind of my worldview, right? So I don't see it necessarily as changing minds. It's improving or helping to improve the world. Not, not, I, it, again, that's just the context that I see it in. I don't see it as pushing or, or trying to make somebody something they're not, it's to brighten someone's Day. . Leon:                                     05:17                     Okay. Josh:                                      05:18                     Yeah. Yeah. And that's 100%, you know, regardless of what our religious backgrounds may or may not be perceived as by others, I don't think that anyone who is a good IT professional, a good team player is going to come into a Sev1 and look at chaos and say, all right, how can I Loki this? Uh, I just, I really want to drop in some, in some additional a chaos, right? Yeah. Leon:                                     05:44                     Okay. I wasn't sure. Loki was that l-o-w-k-e-y is that a function that didn't know about no, look. Do you mean Lok, Thor and Loki? Josh:                                      05:51                     Yeah, we're... Thor, of course. Right? We are, we are geeks. Leon:                                     05:55                     Yes. Roddie:                                05:55                     I was going to say it. There's the word Geek. We can get that in here now. Josh:                                      05:58                     Of course. Of course. Um, so I, you know, I, and I love that idea, Roddie. I'd love to that when we come into a Sev1 and there is chaos that, um, our light quote unquote, I that idea of coming in and saying, hey, whoa, whoa, Whoa, hold on everyone. Let's just slow down a little, you know, let's, let's divide this. We are engineer's after all. So let's split the problem in half and, you know, get down to the essence of it and then let's try to pull it apart. So often we get, we get pulled in different directions and we are looking for some, some central pill or some, some light to lead us to the right the right way. Leon:                                     06:32                     Okay. Um, I, I also see it as simply allowing our behavior to speak for itself, but not being a proscriptive, but rather just exemplary and saying, you know, in, in the middle of this very stressful situation, I'm simply going to continue to behave in a particular way. And hopefully by being calm, everyone else can remain and focused. Other people will find it easier to be calm and remain focused also. Not to even say to say to anybody, this is what we should be doing right now. Just to like, be it. Right? Josh:                                      07:09                     So, uh, so I'm, I'm curious then, do either of you, um, do you crack jokes are or make wise cracks during Sev1s? Roddie:                                07:16                     All the time. Josh:                                      07:17                     Okay, perfect. I will, I was afraid that I was the only one who made wise cracks during a Sev1 Roddie:                                07:22                     All the time. Leon:                                     07:22                     Yeah, so I will say my problem is that because humor is one of my main go tos for uh, De de escalating a situation that it can be too much. Right? You can and some people do not appreciate that when they feel the pressure is on, they want to focus. And again, like reading people, being aware of their moods and not trampling on it. Um, because I need a particular modality is also I think informed, uh, in a little bit, in some way by it. I don't know about you guys, Roddie:                                07:59                     so I just, again, it's, it's real easy to, and it's been a few years since I've been on a Sev1, they get very stressful and um, different groups tend to blame other groups and, and I just find that kind of bringing, bringing a little bit of humor and levity into the, in the conversation really kind of calms everybody down. And, and the, the benefit of that is when they're calm or, or at least when they're not angry, they're not, they're able to focus more and figure out what's going on. Right? It's not necessarily a matter of being the peacemaker, right? It's, it's we got to get this through and the only way we're going to get it through as if everybody's focused versus trying to blame everybody else. Right? Leon:                                     08:37                     Right. So I think, again, being an it pro in and using my religious view in a Sev1 situation at, one of the things that I particularly love about Judaism is that the focus is often not, did it happen? Did that dude build a big boat and try to put all the animals on it? Did the water really part? Like that's not really the focus. The focus is what did everybody do about what happened? So how did people react around it? And I, I think that the, the lesson that can be derived is that things happen. The system crashed. And if you are, uh, focused on what, but did it really happen? Like, if that's your mindset, looking and, and learning, uh, religious texts help you to say, but it, it doesn't matter if the world really flooded or the water is really parted or whatever. What did people do? A guy figured out that it was happening and he did everything he could to try to save as many people as he could. Like that's the focus. What did he do about it? And I think in a Sev1, it's like there are people who are in that Kubler Ross moment, like, you know, denial, anger, whatever. And instead say, look, the system is down. It is down. We don't need to, to get stuck on that. What are we going to do about this? And later on, what can we learn from it? I think that for me, at least, that's what it, how religion informs the Sev1 experience. Josh:                                      10:01                     Yeah. And that's, that's interesting because I come from a more academic approach to religion in a part of the dogma of Mormonism is a very structured, uh, religious, uh, study experience on it. I believe that that's the same for Judaism. But you know, correct me if I'm wrong, uh, and Roddie, you'll, you'll have to clue me in on, on, uh, you know, Muslims and their studies. You know, I remember from a very young age, you know, you get into high school and you go through four years of, of seminar, either early morning or, uh, you know, take home seminary. And then if you follow the traditional path, you end up as a, as a missionary for between 18 months and two years. And then when you go to college or university, there's four years of institute. And then there's structured learning every Sunday. Um, and then, you know, now there's a prescriptive guide. On what you should study. We are, uh, as a, as a face, we are pushed to ask why and everything is based on our, in our history, you know. Well, why did the, why did the early saints have to move from Missouri to Salt Lake? You know, why did Joseph Smith, why was he asking you a question about, you know, um, what's religions should I join? You know, why did he go into the grove to pray? And you know, why is it an important that he saw God and Jesus Christ and his vision, those things are, are very, uh, uh, very much a part of who Mormons are and how we view the world. And so I, I have to fight constantly with myself to not ask peopl, "well, tell me why that happened?" And it's sometimes it's not even in the context of a Sev1, but they always, I always feel the need to pull things apart. Uh, almost like I'm not destructive little child who looks at a, you know, something mechanical and goes, Oh, goody. Yeah. You know, I'm going to pull that apart just to see how all the parts, you know, where it fit together. And then sometimes I forget that if I'm going to pull it apart, I also have to be prepared to reconstruct it. Leon:                                     11:47                     To put it back together. Yes. Roddie:                                11:49                     So, so Josh, Josh and Leon, let me, let me ask this question to both y'all. So, so, uh, do you feel an, I'll put my atheist hat on for a second. Do you feel that you would still approach things? Sev1 calls in the same manner, even if you hadn't been, uh, I don't really know that the history of it or even if he hadn't been born into the religion are raised with a religion or like, do you feel like this is just part of who you are and your personality versus how you were raised? Josh:                                      12:21                     Well, first let me compliment you on the propeller on the top of your atheist hat it is very becoming, Leon:                                     12:28                     It's delightful. NERD! Yes. And proud of it. Roddie:                                12:32                     Word 2. We got the, that's our second word that we had to throw in there. Leon:                                     12:36                     We got it for, for people listening, we actually have a game of, um, you know, of Buzzword Bingo. We see if we can work these words in, in the thing. So that was 2, um, so, uh, so Josh, go ahead. Josh:                                      12:50                     I was going to say, I, you know, I don't know, uh, you know, part of my, my faith transition. So again, if you haven't listened to episode 2 go listen to it, I talk about a little bit about my faith transition. Oh, I'm having left the Mormon church in the past 12 months. I have no idea. I don't know who I would be without that construct. That's a great question Roddie. Leon:                                     13:10                     I can definitely tell you that this is nurture, not nature for me. I am extremely reactive, highly overly dramatic and emotional and uh, in a Sev1, in a, in a stress situation, my, I would be all over the map. I would be, you know, both frenetic and frantic and, uh, relatively ignorant of other people's emotional states. And I would just be running rough shod over everything and having, you know, having done some of the study work and some of the, you know, but wait, what's the question of the question and why was that the question and why, you know, look at analyzing it more has helped me to foster that more analytical approach and that more other-focused approach so that hopefully, and, uh, folks who've been on a Sev1 with me are welcome to write in, in the comments and say, yes, no, whatever. But I, hopefully I'm a better partner, a better team mate because of it. How about you Roddy? Roddie:                                14:11                     So, uh, I fall more on or on the, uh, on the nature side of that, that question. Right. So again, just looking at experiences in IT and the number of Sev1 calls I've been on, I've been on Sev1 calls with many other Muslims, right? I work in it. It's, you know, it's a global, global profession. Um, not everybody, uh, that I would say identify as Muslim just based on their name or where they're from, kinda approaches things the same way. I would, I think, again, this is just kind of a result of 15, 20 years of introspection. I think a lot for me at least, a lot of his nature is just how I am. Um, I, I do approach things analytically now. I wasn't so, so Islamism as structured as say, Mormonism is with the seminary in the higher education and, and uh, and the missions and all that kind of stuff. Right? So, so while I was raised Muslim, I don't know that it's shaped how I would approach a Sev1. Again, that's just speaking for myself. Leon:                                     15:08                     Interesting. All right. So I want to put a question out there because you, Roddie, you brought something up, which is that, you know, IT is a global profession. We, we interact with people all over the place. So there's an IT community, clearly an it culture that's out there and there's obviously a culture and a community with any faith-based, uh, ethically moral-based, a community also. So how does being part of, or having been part of a community of faith inform the way that you interact with the community in IT? Because I think that some people in it come at it without that sense of community. They're just like IT is where I work and it's a thing and that always causes me. "But wait, wait, wait. We're, we're more than just people who work together, aren't we?" You know, I keep on trying to build or, or tap into that thing. And for those people who aren't aware, I work at a company called SolarWinds. I'm not promoting the company at all. SolarWinds, however, has a forum. This is like 150,000 members. I'm called THWACK.com and that's a community. I mean, yes, we talk about, "hey, I can't install your software" or "Blah-blah was broken", but we also have people who jump on there and say, "I've never configured a router before. Can someone help me out?" Um, and SolarWinds doesn't sell routers. So it's, it's just a conversation. And we also have, you know, strong, passionate debates about religious things like "who is the greatest star ship captain of all time?", which is Mal of course if you were wondering, I mean, there is no other truth, I will claim that as the single truth. Is it Malcolm Reynolds is the greatest star ship captain. But um, so how about you folks? How do you approach community having been part of this, you know, faith based community? Josh:                                      16:54                     Then I think I, I follow in that same line, uh, Leon, I, I don't understand how you could approach IT as a profession without trying to build community. Um, you know, I get the idea of, you know, putting your headphones on and doing your solo work. I, I work from home. I've been doing it for five years now, but I am a social creature. I need to interact with people. I need to have. Um, I need to have others around me to not only emboldened me, but also sometimes to tether me a little because I, I can be a little, uh, I'll use the word frivolous. I'm a little flippant about my approach to things. So, you know, the, the idea that you could be a, an island in an ocean of IT is just obscure to me. Certainly a in foreign by the, the whole idea of, of a, of Mormonism. You know, the concepts within Mormonism is it, you not only go to church every Sunday, but there youth groups for the youth and the men get together. Um, the, you know, the women gets together, um, you know, there's Temple to go to there's all sorts of things that are intended to, to draw together. Um, the body of saints and in fact we're encouraged to, you know, meet together often. I think that IT, I just, I have no other way to approach it other than what's been informed by my religious upbringing. Leon:                                     18:13                     Okay. So Roddie is the, is the morning call to worship anything like that? Morning standup meeting? New Speaker:                    18:21                     So (pause, laughter)... Oh Leon... so we, uh, you know, I, it just kind of listening to what Josh just said, Eh, I'm wondering, and I'm coming back to nature and I'm going to keep coming back to it because I think a lot of how you approach it depends on your personality and we don't want to get into too big of an introvert versus extrovert personality discussion. But I think that's a lot of it, right? So, uh, in my case, I would call myself an extreme introvert. I can, I can get on a call with the two of you and be fine. If there were five or six people here, I probably wouldn't be saying a whole lot. Um, and I, it's the same when I'm on a call, when I'm in a meeting, when I'm, especially when I'm in person or presenting, right? There are things that have to do because it's what I get paid to do, but at the end of the day, I need to go shut, shut the door, sit in the dark for a few hours and kind of just to recharge. So, uh, I've always been that way. It doesn't matter whether it's work related or community related in inside of Islam or you know, at work. So, um, I, I get, uh, so I get the kind of need, uh, Leon or Josh that you have and Leon yourself as well. The, uh, the one, the one thing I appreciate about our industry uh, versus, um, so communities within our religions is the diversity, right? So I, and, and both you guys will probably recognize this when you are in your community, when you're in your religious community, you are kind of in a bubble, right? It's everybody's there for the same reason. Preaching the same things, preaching with a small P, um, talking about the same things, whether it's cultural, whether it's religious, uh, in IT, there's a lot more diversity, right? You're going to, it wouldn't have been hard for you to find four people with four religious backgrounds to do this podcast right there. It's a very diverse community. So not, you know, the primary, um, primary topic of every discussion isn't going to be around around religion. We kind of take it more towards, I know you mentioned starship, I haven't seen Lords of the Rings, so I don't really understand that reference, but it, you know, it's all, you're Leon:                                     20:30                     I hear a sudden disturbance in the force. It's thousands of Geeks are crying out in pain and agony. Roddie:                                20:36                     And what's something about her Maya or she's riding a broom to the Harry Potter land or something. I don't understand any of those references, Leon. Leon:                                     20:44                     Now you're just trolling the audience. Okay. Speaker 2:                           20:48                     I like it. Um, we're probably at about time, unfortunately. I think there's a lot more to talk about here. Um, but, uh, I think, you know, final, final thoughts. So, uh, religious, bringing your religious outlook to a Sev1. Are you pro or you con, are you neutral? Like how do you feel about it? Um, so this is lightening round, Josh, you go first Josh:                                      21:10                     100% a pro, you know, as much as I don't necessarily agree with the doctrines and dogmas of Mormonism anymore, I am extremely grateful for Mormonism teaching me how to not be an introvert. Uh, when you've got to knock on people's doors for two years and stop them on the side of the street and you know, talk to them on buses and streetcars and whatever about your religion, then that forces you to be a, to be more open. So I, you know, I think that taking my religious perspective, um, having that religious perspective put in check by those people around me and using it in a Sev1 to improve the situation 100%, I think it's made me a better person. Leon:                                     21:47                     Great. Roddie, how about you? Roddie:                                21:48                     So, uh, I would qualify, I would say a qualified pro, right? So using some of the more positive aspects of, of any of the teachings and the idea of peace and calm and bringing people together. 100%. Absolutely. Speaker 2:                           22:03                     So, and I'm, uh, I'm going to stay in the middle on this one personally, that I think that my, my religious outlook informs my behavior. So in one respect, I can't help but bring it because it's part of who I am. But in terms of purposely trying to think about leveraging something from my religious, uh, you know, tradition into a Sev1, I don't, I don't know that that comes naturally. It just informs who I am and therefore it's there. But I don't take it any further than that. Leon:                                     22:34                     Okay. So, uh, during a Sev one, regardless of your religion, Roddie:                                22:38                     It's never the network, Josh:                                      22:40                     uh, except when it is. Leon:                                     22:42                     Thank you for making time for us this week to hear more of technically religious visit our website at technicallyreligious.com where you can find our other episodes, leave us ideas for future discussions or connect with us on social media.  

Pow! Bam! Thwack! The Academy Awards have been and gone, so it's time for a change of pace on this week's podcast. Darren Mooney (the m0vie blog) stops by to discuss BATMAN (1966)...

Pow! Bam! Thwack! The Academy Awards have been and gone, so it's time for a change of pace on this week's podcast. Darren Mooney (the m0vie blog) stops by to discuss BATMAN (1966)...

Join host Alex Navarro as she visits with Stephen Foskett on the next episode of SolarWinds TechPod, Tech Talks. Foskett discusses his takeaways from Gestalt IT's Tech Field Day Austin event, including behind-the-scenes insight into what it takes to be selected as a Tech Field Day delegate, themes that have emerged from Tech Field Day events, and how end users are shaping the IT industry and influencing marketing trends.   Learn more:       YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCisaHnBrJzPtxd5PcCOoSSw Gestalt IT Podcast: https://gestaltit.com/category/podcast/  Tech Field Day Austin: https://techfieldday.com/event/tfd18/  THWACK: https://thwack.solarwinds.com/welcome/     Comments about this episode? Have ideas for future topics?  Tweet us @solarwinds using #SWTechPod     Who is behind this TechPod episode?   Alex Navarro (host/producer), Andrew Garibay (production/engineering), Luke Pearson (post-production/engineering), Stephen Foskett (guest)     This podcast is provided for informational purposes only. © 2019 SolarWinds Worldwide, LLC. All rights reserved.

This week, we join in the horseplay and revelry of “The Favourite.” Yorgos Lanthimos’ latest social farce crackles with the fiery trifecta of Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz, and Olivia Colemon. Last Bites include The Hollywood Reporter’s Actress Roundtable, a grandma’s Animal Crossing file, Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah’s “Friday Black,” and RRUCCULLA’s “Shush.” Also sampled: Timothée Chalamet, The Dewey Decimal System, ASMR, Lisa Brennan-Jobs, Michael Chabon, “The King’s Speech,” Sebastian Stan's beard, food porn, and The Post

**Hark! It's an 87th Precinct Sidepod!** Join Paul and his special guest, Herbert West of the Doctor Who Podcast “Trial Of A Timelord”, as they discuss Alfred Hitchcock’s 1963 film “The Birds”. In the late fifties and early sixties, Hitchcock and Evan Hunter crossed paths a few times in the course of the making of the TV series “Alfred Hitchcock Presents…” and this led to Hitch inviting Hunter to adapt the 1952 short story by Daphne Du Maurier into the screenplay for his next horror/thriller movie. The journey was not necessarily an easy one and we take a deep dive (from up in the sky – beak sharpened and pointed at your eyes) into what made this film a success, a failure or simply a cinematic curiosity, depending on your point of view (if you’ve got any eyes left after the dive-bombing). Along the way we hear an interesting theory about how horror and police procedurals work, learn about the magical German device known as the Trautonium and find out what magpies get up to on the winter holidays. If you want to know more about Hitch and Hunter’s relationship, Evan’s book “Me and Hitch” is a fascinating read, but we’ll put more on the blog about it for you to follow up! Find “Trial Of A Timelord” on [Twitter](http://twitter.com/whotrial) and [Podbean](http://trialofatimelord.podbean.com) – and why not start with the Paradise Towers episode, eh? Fare thee well!

Episode Summary: Librarians Amy Alapati and Dana Alsup discuss MCPL's upcoming comic convention, MoComCon. The event will include a variety of panels, workshops, programs, displays, exhibits, and cosplay, all free of charge. MoComCon will take place at Silver Spring Library on Saturday, January 27, 2018 (weather date is February 10) from 11 AM - 4 PM. Parking, which is free on Saturdays, is available in the Wayne Avenue Garage at 921 Wayne Avenue.  Recording Date: December 13, 2017 Hosts: Lauren Martino and David Payne Guests: Amy Alapati, a children's librarian at Damascus Library is a member of the committee organizing MoComCon. Dana Alsup, a librarian at Marilyn Praisner Library, is the chair of this year's MoComCon Committee.   Featured MCPL Resource: Free WiFi is available in all MCPL branches, no special encryption settings, user names, or passwords are required.  What Our Guests Are Reading: Amy Alapati: The Astounding Broccoli Boy by Frank Cottrell Boyce Dana Alsup: Carry On by Rainbow Rowell, a follow on novel of Fangirl, and Pashmina by Nidhi Chanani Books Mentioned During this Episode: Adventures of Polo by Regi Faller American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang Boys of Steel by Marc Tyler Nobleman Bill the Boy Wonder by Marc Tyler Nobleman Dog Man by Dav Pilkey March trilogy by John Lewis  Maus by Art Spiegelman Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales by Nathan Hale Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi Saints by Gene Luen Yang Shaun Tan - Author of children's graphic novels including The Arrival and Tales from Outer Suburbia. Raina Telgemeier - Children's book author known for her novels Drama and Smile.  Other Items of Interested Mentioned During this Episode:  Cosplay - Costumed roleplaying that involves wearing costumes and accessories to represent a specific character.  Don Sakers - Baltimore/Washington area author and sci fi convention speaker. Futuremakers - Organization focused on providing training, tools, and materials for makers.  MoComCon - MCPL's comic convention. MoComCon will include a variety of panels, workshops, programs, displays, exhibits, and cosplay, all free of charge.  Amy Pond - Character in the Doctor Who series. She was the first companion to the Doctor in his 11th incarnation.  San Diego Comic Con - The premiere comic convention in the United States.  Read the full transcript

BOOM! POW! THWACK! RADIOLEARY is on location this episode at the Saratoga Comic Con in Saratoga Springs, NY. Straight from the showfloor, this episode is packed with interviews including Scott Chase, organizer of the convention, an amazing Shaggy and Velma cosplay duo, the progeny of famed illustrator and artist Richard Ferguson, and the crown jewel you could make a lightsaber out of: An interview with the multitalented Jerome St John Blake!  If you love Star Wars, sci-fi or anything remotely nerdy, be sure to check out this episode!   www.thewriteideas.org/radioleary e-mail us:  radioleary@gmail.com 

We're sipping a monsoon cocktail, checking in on our 2017 so far, and chatting about how our creative endeavors are going - and whether or not we are suffering from August malaise.Show notes at www.girlnextdoorpodcast.comWe love to see you on Instagram - @higirlsnextdoor See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

René Lego, Video Content Marketing Strategist at SolarWinds, joins the Content Pros Podcast to discuss finding viral content gold by pushing the limits on the role of video in a modern B2B landscape.   Special thanks to our sponsors: Oracle Marketing Cloud Uberflip Convince & Convert: The Business of Story   In This Episode How believing in your idea enough to push back leads to viral marketing success Why producing impactful B2B content means marketing like a B2C How failing at video quickly and often ultimately leads to video prowess and content gold Why ingraining video into your corporate culture means turning its power inwards as much as outward   Resources René Lego on Twitter: @ReneLego SolarWinds on Twitter, Facebook, Thwack, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube ThwackCamp Email in Real Life A Conference Call in Real Life Stranger IT Teaser Stranger IT: Follow the Lights Stranger IT: Imposter Computer Stranger IT: The Upside Down   Visit ContentProsPodcast.com for more insights from your favorite content marketers.

When we ask this question in our workshops, we are usually met with blank  stares at first. I call them ‘blank stares’ because to be looked at as if you  are completely off your trolley isn’t something I choose to reinforce. The first response from that first brave soul suggests that there is no need to  influence oneself. Basically, it runs like this: I decide to do something, I  tell myself to do it, and I do it. No influence is required. I don’t have to ask  myself nicely, or threaten myself with unpleasant consequences, or  persuade myself that it will be worthwhile. Really? If we could slow down  the thought processes going on, you might think differently. Let’s take a slightly different approach. I suspect that you have, inside  you, at least two ‘voices’ - the pro voice and the con voice. The optimist  and the pessimist. The good and the bad. You may have more, you may  not consider them as ‘voices’ - that’s OK, I hope that you can work with  me on the concept for a little while.   Let’s say that this is two radio stations, 55.5 and 66.6. The first station on  55.5 is supportive - bolstering your ego, always proud of you and your  achievements. The second, on 66.6 is the doubter, always casting doubts  in your mind, running you down, always suggesting that others are trying  to get you, that you should not listen to 55.5, it always lets you down -  you never realise the dreams that 55.5 suggests. 66.6 reminds you of the  difficulties you had the last time you tried to do this or that. How nothing  ever works for you, that it’s all about luck and fate and chance and that  you just are not a lucky person. If you buy a lottery ticket, you will always  miss by one number at best. That nobody else deserves to win anything  either. Basically, this is a bad voice. I can see some of you nodding your heads as you read this. Don’t worry,  you’re not schizophrenic - this is normal, everyone has this going on.  Some days it’s like a continuous debate, others, one or both are quiet with  little to say. You know you have a problem when you cannot distinguish  between the voices and which of you is real. So, which station do you tune into? Here’s the two stations output for a few common golfing scenarios… 66.6 Approaching the first Tee on competition day: ‘Well, it’s a lovely morning  with plenty of gusty breezes to knock your ball off centre, and a touch of  rain in the air, but very unpredictable whether it’ll rain now or later. You did  some good practice yesterday but you know it’ll all go to pieces today  don’t you? You know that you always screw up on the first drive and  there’s no mulligans today. See your competition today, wow, that first  group were good weren’t they. No chance you’ll keep up with them is  there. Still, perhaps you can just enjoy the game for a change and not  worry about winning or losing - after all you know you’ll lose, so why get  your hopes up? Ridiculous game, I don’t know why you bother, should  have stayed home and cut the grass. be more useful than out here, being  mocked by your friends… oh no, talking of which, there they are, why do  they have to come and watch my first drive. They’ll cough or chatter  just  as I’m lining up, I know they will. Oh well, my turn now, what a disaster,  prepare for the worst and don’t get angry… First Tee shot: So nicely lined up, but then anyone can put a ball on a tee  can’t they. Now settle down, breath, how’s the grip - that instructor why  did he have to change my grip, it won’t work. Right align my feet, look up,  look down, those people down there, are in my line, why do they have to  stand there, don’t they know they could be hit… calm yourself, that’s  right, may as well get calm now, because once you hit it there won’t be  any calm left, And if you screw up this drive, it’ll all be downhill for the  whole day. never recover, so get this right. Wiggle the bum, yes nice,  settle, legs bent just right, what if my weight shifts before I strike then hit  those people standing there. i wouldn’t mind hitting that smug bastard -  he’s such a flash git. Custom clubs, custom balls, bet he cheats, never  puts a foot wrong, wipe that smug grin off his face, I’ll show ‘im. Back  swing, nice, but is it right, no of course not, arm down, elbow’s bent at the  wrong time, as usual, THWACK….. follow-through may as well let go of  the club, it’ll go further anyway. In spite of this, by some divine intervention, the ball soars through the air  and lands smack down the middle of the fairway, 220 yards at least  beautifully set up for a second onto the green and a possible birdie: Whoa -  didn’t know you had it in you. Nice shot, so lucky, you’d never do that  again, not in a month of Sundays. Still, plenty of time to screw up yet… ENOUGH! Sorry, I just can’t write anymore of this - it’s just too depressing. Is this  you? And, were you the one who said that they didn’t influence  themselves? 55.5 on the same situation… What a beautiful day, a few gusts, possible rain in the air. Be a good idea  to look at the trees as we walk down the course, see where the gusts are  going. if it rains, we’ll change clubs and, quick, borrow an umbrella from  Jim there, he can pop back and get another from his car. So nice that my friends are here to cheer me on. Great guys. Now I’m going to show them  a great drive. I can see it now, smack down the middle of the fairway,  perfect for a chip up to the green and a birdie. I can’t wait to pick up that  trophy at the end of the day. Good to have some strong competition -  nothing better than a real challenge. First Tee shot: Breath nice and deep, slow my heartbeat and see that  drive. A little gusty from left to right over those trees, just align a fraction to  the left because this ball’s going to soar above that line. Glove, into the  zone. Complete focus, nice alignment, well done, now a beauty practice  swing, nice and loose in the shoulders. Firm stance, good lad, check  alignment, now trust your swing. THWACK. THWACK. In spite of this, by some divine intervention, the ball soars through the air  and too far to the left, way over to the left and lands smack down into the  rough by the trees, maybe even really in the trees: Beautiful drive, well  done, aligned just a little too far left, so we’ll make sure to fix that. I think  maybe the wind dropped as well. Nice lay-up for the second shot - I can  use that chip techniques I learned from watching Seve on TV, good for a  par if I’m really in the rough, and good for a birdie if it’s not too long. Good,  well done. Now, which station do you want to listen to? The one that derides you no  matter how great you are, or the one that supports you and encourages  you no matter how poor the shot? “I don’t care” says someone, so long as I hit great shots I’ll put up with  either. Fair enough. Which one do you think will help you enjoy your  game? Which one will help you towards a stroke lying ill in bed feeling  miserable and no-one coming to visit because you don’t even like yourself,  let alone anyone else? Extreme? Sadly no. Go find the most miserable-faced player in your local  club and ask them which station they tune into… What to do? The single, most powerful way that you can develop the habit of always building yourself up, edifying yourself and listening to the "good" radio station is to be that voice for others. Yes, you heard me right. Be that voice for others. Edify others. Build them up. Encourage them. Yes, I know that nobody does it for you. I understand how unfair this is. But do it. Before long, you will find that you are encouraging your own positive self influence. An amazingly, more things begin to go right for you. And the people around you, they like you and they begin, ever so slowly at first, to encourage you back. Do yourself a favour today. Go to your boss and give them an encouraging word. Not in a creepy, sucking up way, but a genuine, caring and loving way. Enjoy. And by the way, you are so awesome.

It's our 50th episode!! Thwack your glittery Deadpool piñatas and rejoice! In this special episode, not only do we chat the WB shakedown, discuss our favorite upcoming TV shows and question MovieCreedLive, BUT (!) we also make one hell of a special announcement. It's a Planet X Podcast scoop! Happy 50th episode, questionably sane listeners!

Kapow! Biff!! Thwack!!! Chat!!!! Taking a break from fighting evil, our caped caster of pods Richard Drumm joins forces with the cryptic campaigner Paul Farren and Forbidden Planet's masked magician Scott Adair to enter the multiverse of DC's iconic characters and contemplate the battle of the franchises.

AFTERBUZZ TV -- Scandal is a weekly "after show" for fans of ABC's Scandal. In this show hosts Emile Ennis Jr., Kennelia Stradwick, Sofia Stanley and Bamm Ericsen break down episode 17. Scandal is an American political thriller television series starring Kerry Washington. Created by Shonda Rhimes, it debuted on ABC on April 5, 2012. Kerry Washington's character, Olivia Pope, is partially based on former George H.W. Bush administration press aide Judy Smith, who serves as a co-executive producer. The show takes place in Washington, D.C. and focuses on Olivia Pope's crisis management firm, Olivia Pope & Associates, and its staff, as well as staff at the White House. Follow us on http://www.Twitter.com/AfterBuzzTV "Like" Us on http://www.Facebook.com/AfterBuzzTV For more of your post-game wrap up shows for your favorite TV shows, visit http://www.AfterBuzzTV.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AFTERBUZZ TV -- Scandal is a weekly "after show" for fans of ABC's Scandal. In this show hosts Emile Ennis Jr., Kennelia Stradwick, Sofia Stanley and Bamm Ericsen break down episode 17. Scandal is an American political thriller television series starring Kerry Washington. Created by Shonda Rhimes, it debuted on ABC on April 5, 2012. Kerry Washington's character, Olivia Pope, is partially based on former George H.W. Bush administration press aide Judy Smith, who serves as a co-executive producer. The show takes place in Washington, D.C. and focuses on Olivia Pope's crisis management firm, Olivia Pope & Associates, and its staff, as well as staff at the White House. Follow us on http://www.Twitter.com/AfterBuzzTV "Like" Us on http://www.Facebook.com/AfterBuzzTV For more of your post-game wrap up shows for your favorite TV shows, visit http://www.AfterBuzzTV.com

Neal discusses obscure favorites from the past and the site's E3 plans. Oh, right, and video game music.

Holy half-baked opinions Batman! This week our very own Rogues Gallery of Villains (Gerry - The Joker, Owen - The Riddler, James - The Penguin, Steve - Catwoman) not only review The Dark Knight Rises, but also tackle all things Batman in a bumper 2 hour Batman Special. THWACK! In the opening section we discuss our randomly-allocated Batman films of the past - including Gerry's near-breakdown over the 1966 movie and Owen looking for the positives in Batman and Robin. Plus Steve puts us all to shame with his tales of heroism. Well, sort of. BIFF! This week's Triple Bill sees the critics giving us their favourite performances from the actors that have played the Caped Crusader in the last 25 years. CRACK! Then finally (at 1hour and 19 minutes if you want to skip) we review the most anticipated film of the year. Does it live up to expectations? Was it a worthy conclusion to the Dark Knight Trilogy? Could we understand a word Bane was saying? We're away next... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Thwack! My friend David smarted as I slapped his hand with the admonishment to never touch "my" radios...

A General mix of stuff

Volatility Views 5: The Thwack of VolatilityVolatility Review:  Sell-off of VIX cash going into the long weekend, with the normal pattern of a pop on Monday.  Euro VolContract update.  Sebastian talks about the thwack of volatility.Strategy Session:  Dynamic vs. static hedging for professional traders.  Don recommends two articles: Volatility Hedging - Turn Up the Static! Volatility Exposure for Strategic Asset Allocation Listener Mail: Keep those cards and letters coming!  Don and Mark tackle the disadvantages of variance swaps, the stickiness of ATM volatility, and individual name VIX products.  To access the Volatility Views section of the forum, click here.Crystal Ball:  Stabilization of vol? Keep an eye on commodities.  Euro vol is half way through the one-month May contract.

LaToya's sick. Again. Or has she actually gotten better since the last time? She drags herself into work to do the show and Barry teases her for being unprepared. She also brings with her today's guest and Stump the Chump victim, Trinidadian boyfriend, Kenrick Perez. With the Batman-themed game, Kell serenades them with the 60s classic show theme. Does he knock this performance out of the park? Bam! Pow! Thwack! Does Kenrick join Kell as the biggest loser? Na na na na Na na na na BATMAN!

#244 - Thwack