Ben's Sandbox

I'm leaving this space until further notice.

In between Mysterious Universe and Facebook I just can't find the time. If I'm going to write about something it may as well be on MU.

I'm keeping the account though (I want the URL). I may return in the future...

I know every derro and his dog is linking to this right now but how can one resist the GREATEST Robot Chicken bit ever?!

LOL... No really, I actually laughed out loud when I saw this Pac-Man joke via Kotaku.

Pac_man_chart

Poor Sap

The look of utter hopelessness as this poor bastard goes out on Question 1 of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.

Makes my day so much sweeter.

Escape Pod

I was lucky enough to be selected to narrrate the latest Escape Pod episode! I answered the call for a young Australian voice as the story was centered around an Australian living in Japan.

Its a fun short story and crosses into themes quite often covered on my own podcast Mysterious Unvierse.

Check it out if you have an interest in Sci-Fi and Fantasy short stories or if you just love a dose of the paranormal to pull back the blinders.

Lou-and-Andy_LB_BBC

The silliest thing happened to my friend and I the night before last.

He and I had organised a "cheese" night at his house about 30 minutes drive from mine. I told him I'd be over after 7:30 pm.

I was held back at work that afternoon so when I raced home, got changed and left, I had forgotten to charge my Cell phone which was now well out of battery.

I arrive at my friends house to see no car and all the light off. Finding this strange I rumage through my glove box to find an old battery that may have some charge for my phone. Lucky for me it was there and about half charged!

I turn on my phone and the first thing that comes through is a message from him asking what my address is....

He been waiting at my house for 30 minutes! I called him and said " I was coming over to YOUR house!, We agreed on this!"

"No way" he says. "I was coming to YOUR house!"

We agree that I will go and meet him back at mine and the cheese night goes ahead after all, but not before some serious evidence is brought to the table.

"TAKE THAT!" I yell in true Pheonix Wright form as the Adium chat history is brought up on my powerbook.

Evidence

"I didn't write that!" he proclaims with obvious uncertainty.

Case Closed your honour.

I'm too bloated to type write now so this post is in Lazy point form:

- Our Hire Car = Mini Van.. ??
- Californians drive bloody fast = Try 130km in the slow lane
- The OC is beautiful
- Everything in America is big
- I like Mexican food
- US Cable TV is the bees knees vs. Australia's 5 channels
- LA has too many Freeways or not enough?
- Americans are so polite and friendly... and yes some are fat..very fat.

Joanne (Rocket Boom)

The second day at the expo was another brain overload. By 3pm I'd was all "seminared" out and just wanted to crash.

The memorable speakers were Jason from Gotham Cast and Ben Williams from Code Signal. Jason was totally switched on and had some great entrapanurial info. Williams was a shameless self promoter and very good at creating hype and viral momentum.

Ben Smith

My business partner and I then spent the whole evening brainstorming ideas and just going over everything we learnt at the expo. By the early hours of the morning we had a huge pile of notes and our heads were spinning from the possibilites ahead. Truly the start of something big...

Highlight of the day: Meeting Joanne from Rocket Boom.

She was so amazingly friendly and approachable that I turned into a gushing fan boy... oh and did I mention she's gorgeous?

Leo's Keynote

What a great first day of the expo! I'm having such a great time and my brain is about to explode from all the info its had to take in over the last 8 hours.

Highlights of the day included Leo Laporte's keynote address, David Lawrence on finding your inner voice, and Gigavox's impressive new Content Management System.

Following the Expo today was the 2nd annual Podcast Awards. It seems as though the best way to win an award is to be either a Catholic Priest or to have a Harry Potter podcast. The winner of the best podcast was Muggle Net and the Catholic insider won a staggering 3 awards!

It was kewl to meet the Nobody Likes Onions crew. Patrick is as big in the flesh as his personality is over the mic. Adam is catching up on him too ;) Alex Albreicht from Diggnation rocked up to receive an award and immediately had a beer in his hands upon entering the room! True Diggnation style... I wonder if he arrived in the Stretch Hummer parked out front?

Stretch Hummer

I had a great moment of random celebrity when I asked a question in one the conference sessions today. Immediately after the session ended Rick Stringer from Varient frequencies came over to say hi as he had recognized my voice from Mysterious Universe! Nice guy, great show. He promised to have me on eventually to record one of their stories which will be great fun.

In the lift on the way back to our room we cornered the Samson guys who promised to give us a Free mic tomorrow. Good news for Horst!

Now should I go back down to the marriot and party or give in to the jet lag?

Me Voxing from the Hotel

L.A Smoggerific

I made it!

After a 13 hour United Airlines exercise in boredom we arrive in LA. After a long wait in imigration I am jokingly informed by the imigration officer that I should take a Gas Mask with me to Ontario where the Podcast Expo is being held. I am later told that this wonderful place is the "armpit" of LA!

Before we know it, long time MU fan, and IT Ninja Chris H is racing us down Hwy 110. Swerving through traffic like a man possessed. Chris' energy and charisma makes me forget for a moment that I've had 7 hours sleep in the last 72 hours! What a perfect way to start off our little excursion though, great company and an air conditioned mercedes :)

The hotel isn't so bad... actually the only element of Ontario so far that resembles an arm pit is the sweltering heat and humidty...God its hot here. Actually the hotel just got a lot better: FREE WIFI BABY!

Homer sleep now....

BEEEEEEP