Tosche Station Radio #53: It’s A Unix System!

Posted on April 10, 2013 by admin

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This week on Tosche Station Radio, the hosts look back fondly at of their favorite films, Jurassic Park!

Kicking off the show, the hosts highlight what’s New on the Blog. Bria and the Waru Express started the New Jedi Order and explained that Cosplay Is Not Consent. Meanwhile, Emily finally came up with a recipe for ryshcate! Bria then decided to be an overachiever (and we thank her profusely for it) and wrote up a new comics primer called “So You Want to Read Marvel Now.”

In Fixer’s Flash, Nanci’s kept herself busy by writing a few short stories. She also finished up Timothy Zahn’s Night Train To Rigel and started reading Overdraft: The Orion Offensive by John Jackson Miller. Brian has been reading through Season of Passage while not going to baseball games. Both of the hosts took the weekend to go see Jurassic Park. More on that later!

Deak’s Dirt starts out with news on the Star Wars animation front. Dave Filoni revealed he’s involved in the new animated series. In Expanded Universe linkage, EUCantina did an interview with The Last Jedi author Maya Kaathryn Bonhoff. Her Universe posted a sneak preview of the new Rogue Squadron tank. Outside of Star Wars, Christopher Eccleston will not be involved in 50th anniversary of Doctor Who. Comixology and Marvel team up to offer first issues for free. From Club Jade, the Legend of Korra is coming to BluRay in July! On the Star Wars rumor front, no one has spoken to Billy Dee Williams yet. In continuing entertainment industry woes, Walt Disney Studios was hit by layoffs. Finally, Yoda won This is Madness.

This week on Camie’s Concerns, the hosts look back at one of their favorite blockbuster films: Jurassic Park. How did the 3D re-release fare? Is it the perfect blockbuster? What lessons could future blockbusters learn from it?

Wrapping up the show, the hosts field questions in Ask Us Anything.

Tosche Station Radio is the official podcast of Tosche-Station.net and a part of Majestic Giraffe Productions. If you like what you hear, please leave a review on the iTunes Music Store. We can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.

Nanci and Brian are the co-founders and writers of Tosche-Station.net. You can find Nanci on Twitter with the handle @Nancipants and you can find Brian with @LaneWinree.

This podcast has been brought to you in part by Her Universe and Audible.com.

Think Geek wins at listening to customers

Posted on April 10, 2013 by Emily

It made the rounds this week that Fox started sending cease and desist orders to Etsy sellers who were producing their own version of the iconic ‘Jayne hat’ from Joss Whedon’s cult TV show Firefly. Both Ripple Junction, who now owns the license to make the hats and ThinkGeek, who sells them, denied any involvement in sending the C&D orders. ThinkGeek posted a blog entry attesting to as much.

While there’s not much that can be done for intrepid Firefly fans who want to sell their own versions of Jayne’s hat, ThinkGeek just announced that they have heard the outcry from fans and therefore will donate all proceeds from the sale of the official Jayne hat on sale at their website to Can’t Stop the Serenity, an organization that hosts charity screenings of Serenity in order to help support Equality Now, a worldwide charity that works to further the cause of human rights and end violence and discrimination against women around the world.

Four for you, ThinkGeek. You go, ThinkGeek.

DVR watch: Mark Hamill will guest-star on Criminal Minds

Posted on April 10, 2013 by Emily

TV Guide at Yahoo! is reporting that Mark Hamill will be guest-starring in the two-part season 8 finale of CBS’ procedural drama Criminal Minds. While there’s no word yet on exactly who Hamill will play, TV Guide speculates that he may be following more in the footsteps of the Joker than Luke Skywalker:

Details about Hamill’s role are being kept under wraps, but could he be the BAU’s season-long unsub/stalker The Replicator? In the two-hour episode, the team’s pursuit of The Replicator will come to a head when one of them becomes a victim. Executive producer Erica Messer also previously told TVGuide.com that the BAU won’t come face-to-face with The Replicator until the season’s final two episodes.

The Criminal Minds two-part season finale airs May 22nd, 9e/8c.

More Entertainment Industry Layoffs: Disney Eliminates Studio Jobs

Posted on April 10, 2013 by admin

Not even the Mouse House is immune, unfortunately. According to Variety, Disney has begun the process of laying off at least 150 workers at Walt Disney Studios. Some of the affected employees are part of the animation division, marking yet another company that has been forced to downsize their entertainment arms.

At this point, it appears to be an industry-wide thing. The powerhouse Tippett Studios underwent layoffs a few weeks ago. Last week noted game developer and publisher Square Enix announced that they were eliminating a number of jobs from their Los Angeles studio as part of a corporate re-organization. This is just a sample of the hard times the entertainment industry has found themselves in lately.

While it’s easy for many fans to get angry with Disney for they layoffs at both Lucasfilm Animation and LucasArts, we have to understand that there simply wasn’t any malice involved with those decisions. The entertainment industry is in a state of upheaval right now and that’s forcing these studios to make some uncomfortable choices that lead to re-orgs and layoffs. Given the state of the industry right now, some of this restructuring could have happened even if George Lucas still owned the company.

So You Want To Read Marvel NOW!

Posted on April 9, 2013 by Bria

So you’ve heard about the Marvel NOW! initiative and now you’re curious about the books and want to start reading. We’re a couple of months into the initiative and it has been an overwhelmingly great ride. Unlike DC’s New 52, Marvel hasn’t rebooted their continuity. It’s better described as a shift in the universe. Creative teams have moved around and characters and teams have changed after the events of Avengers vs. X-Men. In short, it’s been a good jumping on point for new readers without tossing years of continuity out the window.

With the relaunch of Marvel and Comixology’s promotion that will offer 700+ #1 digital titles for free, now seems as good of a time as any to sample the comic book world. If you haven’t yet, go sign up for the promotion now as sign ups end April 9th at 11:59 EDT. Over 700 titles is a lot to choose from. In the past, I’ve written about some good jumping on points for the Marvel universe. Many of those books’ #1s will be a part of the promotion and I definitely recommend snagging them along with any one-shots, especially the character focused ones. However, if the current Marvel universe is something that you’d rather dive head first into, the Marvel NOW! movement is definitely perfect for that. Here are some of my personal recommendations about what books you should give a shot.

Avengers
Avengers and New Avengers [CMX – CMX]
I’m writing about these two titles together because they are the opposite sides of the same coin. To quote the writer himself, Avengers is about life and New Avengers is about death. Jonathan Hickman pens both and has thus far been doing a masterful job of it. Both are books that I’d recommend to someone who is already familiar with the universe especially New Avengers since it features the Illuminati group. Regardless, they’ve been fantastic so far. Hickman is the master of the long game writing style but it always pays off. If you like the Avengers, give these books a try. You’ll get to see some of your favorite characters along side some new ones. It’s all about making the Avengers bigger (and hopefully better) then they’ve ever been before.

Uncanny Avengers [CMX]
Spinning directly out of the Avengers versus X-men event of last summer, the two groups have joined together to create one team. The first arc of the book was a “the team assembles” story, making it ideal for newer readers. It’s also something that readers haven’t really seen before which makes it intriguing. (Captain America taking orders from Havoc? That still has me blinking in surprise some issues.) Some of the characters definitely have some history but it’s nothing that a quick Wikipedia search won’t solve for you. Alternatively, you can think of this as the book to read if you can’t decide between the Avengers of the X-men as your favorite team.

Secret Avengers [CMX]
This is definitely a title that’s a bit off the typical Avengers path but it’s one that could easily be accessible for newer readers especially those only familiar with the film. It features well known badasses like Black Widow and Hawkeye and other SHIELD agents and a black Nick Fury and Phil Coulson. 616 fans might be scratching their heads at those last two but film fans will be just fine. It’s all about SHIELD and its missions and looks like it’s going to be a fun book.

Continue reading →

ComiXology, Marvel team up to give away first issues

Posted on April 8, 2013 by admin

Want a bunch of free ~~gateway drugs~~ comics? Good news! Marvel and ComiXology are giving away the first issues to over 700 comics. All you have to do is go over to the ComiXology promotion page and sign up to get a promo code.

Once you’ve signed up, what should you get? Well I’ve got a pair of suggestions.

Hawkeye by Matt Fraction – This might be my favorite series out there right now. Follow the misadventures of Clint Barton while he’s not doing Avengers-y things.
Captain Marvel by Kelly Sue DeConnick – Looking for a well-developed, kickass female lead? Carol Danvers is right up your alley.

The site is getting slammed, so you might need to refresh your browser a couple of times to get it to resolve. Once you’ve signed up, ComiXology will send you a date when you can start downloading your comics. From that date you’ll have 48 hour window to get them.

Cosplay Monday: Jurassic Park

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Bria

Welcome back to another edition of Cosplay Monday where we find some awesome costumes to help cheer you up as you start your work week. This week, we’re going with a bit of a theme because as you might be aware, a little film called Jurassic Park celebrated its 20th anniversary this weekend with a 3D theatrical release. So today, we’re highlighting this great costume by Rachel Williams! Her Jurassic Park ranger costume is spot on and awesome looking! Plus, check out that rad car!

Bake It So: Ryshcate (aka Bourbon Pecan Cake Bars)

Posted on April 7, 2013 by Emily

Yeah, we know. Captain Picard has been asking us what’s been taking so long to get another installment of Bake It So back to Tosche Station too. Truthfully, it’s because I decided to tackle the ultimate Star Wars recipe: ryshcate. It’s the dish that started off Corran Horn and Mirax Terrik’s courtship, and the dish that celebrates Corellia and all it stands for. It contains the very best of Corellian whiskey. The question has been, though–what exactly is it?

I’ve tried various recipes. I’ve made pies. I’ve considered coffee cakes. I’ve worked my way through probably three pounds of pecans, and I’ve tried to figure out how to put genuine Kentucky bourbon into all of it (because what else could be closer to Whyren’s?). My friends have happily celebrated the bounty of my experiments. But it wasn’t until today that I finally found the happy medium–the pastry between a cake and a pie that would bring everything together. Ladies and gentlemen, Tosche Station’s Ryshcate recipe Continue reading →

Doctor Who 50th anniversary, One Potential Doctor Lighter

Posted on April 5, 2013 by Shane

On the tail of last week’s statement concerning Billie Piper and David Tennant signing on for the big 50th anniversary of Doctor Who this year, we can now confirm that the only other Doctor of the recent series will not be returning. The BBC announced today that, after speaking with Steven Moffat several times concerning the plans regarding the big show, Christopher Eccleston will not be returning to the mantle of the longest running TV, Sci-Fi protagonist.

Personally, I’m disappointed, but not surprised. Eccleston was ‘my’ Doctor. I picked up on Who in the last year of Tennant’s run, but started with Eccleston. At first I really preferred Tennant, but as I got further and further both through Tennant’s run and then into Smith’s, I’ve come to realize that Eccleston is likely my favorite actor to portray the most famous time traveler this side of Emmet Brown. After seeing how goofy, frankly, the tenth Doctor could get, the seriousness of the role and the drama that Eccleston brought to it really helped me to appreciate the series and its range. I could always believe Tennant’s elation and his sorrow but not quite ever his anger. Eccleston had real rage, and, to be honest, he was often not terribly pleasant. In a way, that’s something that I’ve missed since his departure.

No matter how you feel about Christopher Eccleston, I think most of us can agree that we’ll be a bit worse off for not having his foil against the much brighter personalities of Smith and Tennant. That leaves us with the possibilities of the other surviving Doctors that are of… how shall we say, appropriate age. I hate to say it, but Tom and Colin Baker are both a bit old, at 79 and 69 respectively. Peter Davison is distinctly possibile, and I might venture likely, considering he’s Tennant’s father in law. Sylvester McCoy is also possible, considering his recent high profile role in the Hobbit. Paul McGann is possible, but I really wouldn’t bet on him. He’s the only Doctor with less connection to the series than Eccleston and he’s had a very similar attitude.

If you have an opinion about this or any of the older companions you might like to see come back in the big anniversary this year, tell us in the comments, or tweet it to us at @Tosche_Station.

Once More With Feeling… Cosplay=/=Consent

Posted on April 5, 2013 by Bria

Warning: There will be strong language in this post. Read no further if some f-bombs are not to your taste.

It never ceases to amaze me how quickly people on the Internet can take a positive project and stomp all over it.

Two days ago, Sushi Killer over at 16-Bit Sirens started a new photo project. Inspired by the #INeedFeminismBecause project, it is titled “CONsent: The Importance of Treating Cosplayers with Respect.” The premise is simple: costumers take pictures holding a sign that says ‘Cosplay=/= Consent’ and their own additional message if they are so inclined. I, like many other people, thought it was a great campaign that spread a very positive message.

Guess how long it took some people to ruin it and make it all about them. Let’s start with an example. Think it was limited to just that shared Facebook thread? Look at some of the comments on the article that cosplayer Ana Aesthetic wrote.

Disgusted yet? Me too. Continue reading →