Tuesday, August 24, 2010

SnoutCast #30: "And Now For Something Completely Different"

I'm not going to lie to you, Marge: this week's podcast kinda sucks.


[ Download mp3 - 30 MB ]

00:58 - "intelligent"
01:47 - banter: what your characters do while the plot happens
02:10 - "Is this a horror movie?"
02:55 - an anecdote
06:33 - let's talk about TV shows!
07:38 - our viewing habits
10:35 - now watching: Burn Notice and Leverage
11:27 - DeeAnn is dissatisfied with these shows
13:50 - what's different about Burn Notice this year?
15:55 - DeeAnn also does not like "reality" shows
19:49 - possible advantages of scripted television
20:55 - Curtis knows it's a lot of work to produce a show
23:23 - some actual facts (which we probably misread)
26:18 - semantics of the verb "watch"
29:22 - upcoming events: Burning Man, PAX, Puzzled Pint, BANG 23 re-run, Ghost Patrol BANG
30:58 - math is hard. RUN MORE GAMES
32:33 - The End

Music: instrumentals from "Code Monkey" and "Tom Cruise Crazy" by Jonathan Coulton

[ Subscribe to SnoutCast / iTunes link ]

CKL DeeAnn Jasper

4 comments:

robotguy said...

I have been very impressed with the shows on USA lately; specifically Psych and White Collar. It helps that the shows are good and the season schedule is offset from the "standard" season. I've been meaning to check out Burn Notice because, well, Bruce Campbell.

Regarding The Game, would it be worth it to volunteer to help remotely design puzzles/gadgets for a GC, or would that be like applying for a job at a travel magazine by saying "I want to review hotels in Tahiti?"

CKL said...

Re: volunteering: In my experience, remote helpers can submit puzzle prototypes (which are very valuable), but the final revisions and actual production should be done "on site." This is mainly because Team Snout likes to package or label all our clues in thematic ways, or at the very least provide a consistent "look and feel" that ties the whole event together.

I can't really answer your question because I don't know what you mean by "worth it." Do you want to be involved in the planning of an event? Do you just want more experience creating puzzles? I'm not sure what your goal is.

robotguy said...

Thanks for the reply. Basically, I just really like designing puzzles and gadgets. I thought maybe everyone else liked it also and would think I was only offering to help with the "fun" parts. By "worth it" I meant for the GC. I was hoping that by offering to assist an active GC with puzzle/gadget design I could provide some benefit to the GC as well as get some feedback on my designs.

While working on my puzzle trail I came up with several ideas that aren't feasible for that type of game but might work well for a puzzle-hunt. Unfortunately, because of the complete lack of dichotomy between puzzle-makers and puzzle-solvers, I am having trouble finding a venue for sharing, or even receiving feedback on, those ideas. I have been actively looking for a "Puzzle makers forum" with no luck. I think the Puzzle Theory group on Google is closer to what I am looking for, but is obviously more disposed towards the theoretical. I tried the Puppetmaster section on the UnFiction forum, but the ARGs tend to shy away from the physical puzzles that I like. I concluded that helping with an actual Game was really the only way to get my feet wet.

Sorry for the long reply. Please let me know if you would rather I keep discussions of this sort on the forum, rather than in your comments section.

CKL said...

robotguy: You're in Sacramento, right? I'd recommend looking into the "Dr. When" event being planned for the bay area next summer. I think one of their current GC members is also in the Sacramento area. You should also find out who's hosting the next DASH in that area (around UC Davis) and see if they want any help.

If you're primarily interested in puzzle design, maybe check out the National Puzzlers League (NPL). I don't know if they do much with physical-object puzzles, but they are a well-established group with lots of experience solving and creating many different kinds of puzzles.

In general, I'd say the more you can interact with fellow puzzlers in person, the better. You just don't get the same kind of bonding experience over e-mail or through web site forums.