This week Ian and Ben are joined by Ben’s bro Frank and Doug pops in for a minute. Ben saw The Good Dinosaur so he’s going to tell us about that. But first Ian brings us today’s headlines.

Reinventing a small business: Why branding is a big deal.

Adobe Kills Flash Name, Rebrands It As Animator-Friendly Animate CC. Ben also shares some more links for this story.

• Adobe Flash Is Dead in Name Only.
• Welcome Adobe Animate CC, a new era for Flash Professional.

Geoff Keighley: Konami blocked Metal Gear creator from accepting award.

Hello Barbie: She’s just insecure.

Intel Skylake CPUs bent and broken by some third-party coolers.

Ben then shares some news stories he’s come across this week.

Lawsuit Alleges Disney’s Board of Directors Knew About Artist Wage-Fixing Conspiracy. Frank mentions a few links on the subject of paying artists.

• Japan’s Animation Industry Isn’t Just Tough, It’s “Illegally Harsh” Says American Artist.
• Newbie Animator Hourly Wage: Around One Dollar.

PSYCHONAUTS 2 IS IN DEVELOPMENT, AND ANYONE CAN PROFIT FROM ITS SUCCESS.

• Psychonauts 2
• INVEST IN PSYCHONAUTS 2

Dragon’s Lair: The Movie Kickstarter (Canceled)

• Dragon’s Lair Returns

Krita 2.9 Animation Edition Beta released!

Review: Autodesk Entertainment Creation Suite Ultimate 2016.

Niki Yang’s Empowered Fantasy ‘Yoyotoki’ Energizes Amazon Pilot Season.

Samurai Jack will return to Cartoon Network in 2016.

• Cartoon Network Nabs Genndy Tartakovsky, New Season of ‘Samurai Jack’ Announced.

‘Waking Life’ Animation Director Bob Sabiston: It’s OK To Not Work in the Animation Industry.

Ben then shares with us his opinions on Pixar’s recent release, The Good Dinosaur.

Finally, all three hunker down for some sitcom trivia. Who will emerge victorious this week? Tune in to find out!

Don’t forget you can check out the video version of this podcast here:

This week Ian and Ben are joined by Frank to discuss thoughts on marketing/SEO hats. But first Ian brings us today’s headlines.

For-Profit College System Expected to Pay Millions.

Why Most Internships Are Actually Illegal.

Last call sounds for Adobe Revel cloud service.

Ford creates a drugged-driving suit to show why you shouldn’t toke behind the wheel.

Free Amazon scriptwriting app lets scribes pitch directly to Amazon Studios.

Following a discussion with Ian over older people being open to new things, Ben gives us his headlines.

Meet Shirley Curry, A 79-Year-Old YouTube Gamer.

Edgar Wright to direct shadow film for Dreamworks Animation.

• Dreamworks Animation Enlists Edgar Wright for Untitled Feature
• Edgar Wright to Direct Shadow-Themed Film for DreamWorks Animation

Drawing Tablets Head-to-Head: iPad Pro/Pencil vs. Surface Pro vs. Wacom Cintiq Companion.

Sergio Pablos Project ‘Klaus’ Is Moving Forward with Toon Boom as Tech Partner.

Adult Swim Gives ‘Dream Corp’ Greenlight.

‘Family Guy’ Creator Seth Macfarlane Receives WGAW Lifetime Achievement Award.

Moving on to the main topic this episode, Ben asks about hats. Specifically, what kind of promotion and advertising is above board and what isn’t? This takes it’s definition from hacker types, (Hacker Hat Colors Explained: Black Hats, White Hats, and Gray Hats) but it’s common in the world of online marketing and SEO. See: SEO 101: Meet the White Hats, Gray Hats, Black Hats & Asshats.

Finally, all three hunker down for some early computer trivia. Who will emerge victorious this week? Tune in to find out!

Don’t forget you can watch the video version of this podcast here:

This week Ian and Ben are joined by Frank and Doug. Catching up spirals into more PC part talk as Frank discusses his plans for building a gaming rig. Then Ian brings us his headlines.

World’s only JetPack flies in New York (Capable of 10 Minute Flights!)

NASA has trialled an engine that would take us to Mars in 10 weeks.

Become An Action Figure at @Target With SUPER AWESOME ME.

Post arguing for separation of church and state gets pulled by Facebook.

Cops pull over Google car for doing 24mph in a 35mph zone.

Ben then pulls out his headlines for us.

Bring Back MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000.

Ten Minutes of New ‘Cuphead’ Gameplay Footage.

The VR View-Master is Google Cardboard for kids.

View-Master Virtual Reality Starter Pack.

Enter Virtual Reality.

Fabric Software Prototypes New Editing Tools for Virtual Reality.

Ben then shares his thoughts after watching the new James Bond movie, Spectre.

Then he gives his thoughts on the new Peanuts Movie.

Though Doug bows out early, everyone else hunkers down for some difficult Peanuts trivia. Who will emerge victorious this week? Tune in to find out!

Don’t forget you can check out the video version of this podcast here:

This week Ian had weekend plans so he and Ben are joined for a Friday show by Ben’s bro Frank and friend of the show Doug. After some catch up and discussing Ian’s hairline he brings us today’s headlines.

Winamp to Return

• Winamp Rises From the Ashes, Will Live On Under Radionomy
•  Winamp News
• Winamp.com

Five-year-old savant from LA who displays signs of being telepathic

Websites can keep ignoring “Do Not Track” requests after FCC ruling

Escort’s New Radar Detector Spots Cops and Red-Light Cameras

Lytro Immerge: Groundbreaking Camera Will Let You Move Around in VR Video

Then Ben brings us some headlines of his own.

Rebooting ‘Danger Mouse’ For A New Generation: Interview with Directors Robert Cullen and Paul O’Flanagan

‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ Time Travel to Jurassic Era in 2D-Animated Special

Ralph Bakshi’s Last Days of Coney Island

• ‘I Love Animators, I Just Want Them to Wake Up:’ A Birthday Interview With Ralph Bakshi
• Bakshi is Back with ‘Last Days of Coney Island’

John K’s Treehouse of Horror Couch Gag

• John K’s Storyboards and Character Designs on His Blog
• THE SIMPSONS | The Couch Gag from “Treehouse of Horror XXVI” | ANIMATION on FOX

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aB03kM8kbHs

Lost Disney Cartoon Found in Archive

• Lost Disney Film Discovered in BFI National Archive
• Lost Disney Oswald Short Uncovered in London

World Animation Summit: Looking Beyond Network TV

Finally everybody hunkers down for a round of Simpsons trivia. Who will emerge victorious this week? Tune in to find out!

Don’t forget you can watch the video version of this podcast here:

This week Ian and Ben are joined by Frank and Doug returns. After playing catch up and some random tangents, Ian brings us the news.

PewDiePie urges fans to sign up for YouTube Red to defend creators from ad blocking. YouTube Red: Why You Need to Pay Attention.

Feds to require drone registration after close calls. Google gets back into podcast distribution with Google Play Music Podcasts. Is it Miitomo you’re looking for? Nintendo unveils its first smartphone game. Ancient bacteria help create self-ventilating sportswear.

Frank also stirs up some discussion on the upcoming ballot to legalize marijuana in Ohio.

Ben shares the Dragon’s Lair: The Movie Kickstarter with us.

On to our main topic this week, Ben’s been looking at storage solutions and considering NAS, though he’s been debating if it’s right for him and what sort of setup he should use. Lon Seidman on YouTube has a playlist discussing NAS that’s been informative.

He also has one covering the Western Digital My Cloud, a device Ben’s been considering.

Still debating the speed differences between a USB RAID drive or the various NAS solutions out there, Ben asks the panel for their suggestions. Should he buy a consumer/prosumer unit or build a custom rig with something like FreeNAS? Tested has a write up on creating such a server and even a video for it.

Of course there’s no end to tutorials and ideas to be found online.

Finally everybody hunkers down for some Halloween trivia. Who will emerge victorious this week? Tune in to find out!

Don’t forget you can watch the video version of this podcast here:

This week Ian and Ben are joined by Ben’s twin bro Frank as Ben tells us about his attempts with the Pomodoro Technique. But first Ian brings us the news.

A Crazy Way to Add Intricate Color to 3-D Printed Creations. Microsoft Surface Book. Tested: Microsoft Surface Book Review.

Mythbusters comes to an end. SIGGRAPH Asia 2015: Wetbrush: GPU-based 3D painting simulation at the bristle level with journal and conference papers.

Low wages, long hours persist at iPhone factory, says labor group.

Before Ben shares his additions to the new, he recommends people check out this Last Week Tonight with John Oliver piece on sweatshops to follow up with Ian’s last story.

Titmouse Announces R-Rated Feature ‘Nerdland’. Wes Anderson Will Return To Animation For His Next Film. Back to the Future Day live: Is October 21, 2015 turning out like the film predicted?

Ben then segues into this week’s main topic, task tracking.

Web Apps and Timers

• KanbanFlow
• TomatoTimer
• MarinaraTimer
• Pomodoro Timer
• moosti
• MyTomatoes
• tomatoi.st

Downloadable Apps

• TeamViz
• Pomodone
• Pomodoro Time
• Pomodoro One
• Tomighty
• Pomodairo

Finally all three hunker down for some quality Back to the Future trivia in honor of BTTF Day. Who will emerge victorious this week? Tune in to find out!

Don’t forget you can watch the video version of this podcast here:

This week Ian and Ben are joined by Ben’s bro Frank in his studio and friend of the show Nate at Ian’s place. They all play catchup and relate Frank’s stories of learning to play Minecraft with Ben. Then Ian brings us this today’s headlines.

Data dump suggests possible breach at Electronic Arts. Witches and thrones: Indian animators cash in on special effects boom. Real-Displacement-Textures. Another security flaw affects all versions of Adobe Flash. See the 2015 tech that ‘Back to the Future Part II’ predicted, and what it missed.

Ben then drops in a few links of his own.

Indivisible: An RPG by Lab Zero and 505 Games.

The Real Ghostbusters Intro – 3D Remake

TMNT 1980s Opening – 3D Remake

Finally, all three hunker down for a round of crafts trivia. Who will emerge victorious this week? Tune in to find out!

Don’t forget you can watch the video version of this podcast here:

This week Ian and Ben are joined by Ben’s bro Frank. After talking internet atrocity tourism and playing catch up, Ian brings us the news.

DARPA seeks to treat bodies with light, electricity, sound and magnets. TPP leaked: Wikileaks releases intellectual property chapter of controversial internet and medicine-regulating trade agreement. Adidas Will 3D-Print Your Shoe While You Wait. NASA offers 1,200 patents to startups, with no upfront licensing costs. Amazon finds another online marketplace to enter—handmade, artisanal goods.

This leads to a lively discussion on what is considered art, drilling down to professional vs. hobbyist, and how crafts are just as acceptable an art form  as painting or sculpture if passion and skill are put into it. Ian and Ben also discuss the new animated series Wabbit.

Frank ducks out early but Ian and Ben hunker down for a round of arts and crafts trivia. Who will emerge victorious this week? Tune in to find out!

Don’t forget you can also watch the video version of this podcast here:

This week Ian and Ben are joined by Ben’s bro Frank. After a little catch up and chat about visiting over the weekend, Ian brings us this week’s news.

The Simpsons’ Smithers to finally come out as gay, producer reveals. Mars Water: Follow the Toxic Stream to Find Alien Life. LinkedIn might have to pay you money for spamming your email contacts. Supermassive black holes found spiraling in at seven percent light speed. “WikiGate” raises questions about Wikipedia’s commitment to open access. Static RAM created out of carbon nanotubes. Google just hit a milestone in the development of quantum computers.

Ben then drops in his own news story that leads to a good discussion on crowdfunding. Patreon was warned of serious website flaw 5 days before it was hacked.

He also shares with us the showcase and winners announcement video and entry compilation for the Animation Challenge he entered for September.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5_S_-rZmOo

Finally, all three hunker down for some movie trivia. Who will emerge victorious this week? Tune in and find out!

Don’t forget you can also watch the video version of this podcast here:

This week Ian and Ben are joined by friend of the show Nate and Ben’s bro Frank. After playing a rabbit hole-filled round of catch up, which include a shoutout to some of our listeners, Ian brings us the news.

This smartphone-controlled laser toy will drive your cat nuts. Apple aims to finalize an electric car by 2019, Wall Street Journal says. How Much Are You Really Worth to Facebook and Google? LG will reportedly unveil a 55-inch ‘rollable TV’ prototype in 2016. YouTube Confirms Plans For An Ad-Free, Subscription-Based Service.

Ben then delivers updates on some continuing stories.

Documentarian wipes out Warner’s $2M “Happy Birthday” copyright. Nickelodeon Confirms Which ’90s Shows Are Coming Back.

While Nate has to head out, the remaining three hunker down for a round of art trivia. Who will emerge victorious this week? Tune in to find out!

Don’t forget you can watch the video version of this podcast here: