Happy First Blogiversary!

So, yes, I know that this is coming fairly late at night; however, it's still April 20th, which means that I can still say...

HAPPY FIRST BLOGIVERSARY, HNED!

It has been a truly amazing year and, honestly, I wasn't sure that I would ever be able to celebrate a blog's first birthday.  But because of you - my wonderful Followers and readers - I can stand here, a full year later, and say "thank you."  Because, really, what is a blog without its Followers and its readers?  It's you all that have kept me going and who have encouraged me to continue blogging, and for that I am more grateful than I could ever express in words.  The English language just isn't sufficient to convey the depth of my gratitude for all of you, so I must simply say: thank you so very much.  You're all so wonderful, and I ever couldn't ask for better Followers.  Thank you so, so much!

Now I bet you're all anxious to hear my answers to the awesome questions you all asked over the past week or two, or at least I hope you're all interested in hearing them.  So, without further ado, here is episode eleven of The Holocron: Blogiversary Q&A!




I answered every question I received and had so much fun doing it, too.  I hope you all enjoy this episode (which will also be posted on The Holocron site) and, again, thank you so much for just being you.  You're all so very awesome, and I can't wait to see what the next blogging year has in store for all of us.

May God bless each and every one of you today, tomorrow, and for all of eternity!




 - Edessa, excitedly and gratefully signing off

New Holocron Episode

Y'know, I didn't know that homework was carnivorous but, apparently, it is. At least, that's the only way I can explain why my life was eaten up for the past two weeks.

Well, I'm gonna start scheduling a block of time each day to blog so my homework (hopefully) won't be able to eat my life again. I get the feeling that my planner is going to be one of my best friends this semester. =)

So while I wrestle with my planner, I thought I'd draw your attention to the newest Holocron episode. This  one is a little different than what I usually do, but I was so tired on Saturday that I just needed to watch a movie. That movie turned out to be Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins, and I decided, "Hey, why don't I do something weird and do an audio commentary to this movie?"

And that's what I did. I watched Batman Begins on my laptop and simultaneously recorded me talking about, well, everything about it. This episode, like the last one about The Hobbit, is me completely unscripted and also in a more random/crazy mood than I was when I recorded the previous episode. So if you feel the need to watch a movie this weekend, maybe this will be your excuse to pull out Batman Begins? =)

http://holocroncast.blogspot.com/2013/01/season-1-episode-6-batman-begins.html

I had a lot of fun doing the commentary, and I'd like to know if you guys would like me to do more of this type of stuff. Don't worry, I won't be hurt if you want me to just stop while I'm ahead. But if you guys would like me to do commentaries to other movies, then I'm definitely up for it if you all are!

Well, that's all I've got right now. Concerning the latest news that J.J. Abrams will be directing the new Star Wars movie...I need to do more research into Mr. Abrams so I can accurately decide whether or not I think that's a good idea. For the record at the moment, I think it's a good idea, but I feel like I need to find out more about him before I start giving a solid, concrete opinion. So, yeah. I'll get back with you guys about that one.

Now if you'll excuse me, my planner and I need to conquer the world... or a pile of homework, at least. I hope you guys have a great rest of the week! God bless!




 - Edessa, signing off

New Podcast Episode!

The Hobbit review is now up! Check it out at this link: http://holocroncast.blogspot.com/2013/01/season-1-episode-5-hobbit-unexpected.html




 - Edessa, signing off

Help Needed!

So many of you probably remember that I promised to do a podcast review of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Don't worry, I'm not going back on it or anything.

What's holding me up is writing the script. There's just so much stuff to talk about, and I'm having a difficult time simply outlining it. I'm seeing the movie again tomorrow afternoon (I already went to opening night), and while I was thinking about that a lightning bolt hit me in the head. Why am I beating a dead horse by continually coming at this thing using the same not-working formula? I'm gonna go at this from a different angle: answering your questions.

If you guys have time, please consider dropping a question or two or bazillion concerning the movie in the comment box, and I'll do the Hobbit podcast episode as a Q&A type of deal. That way I won't have to worry about outlining and discussing random stuff, and you guys will hear exactly what you want to hear.

Win-win, if you ask me. =)

So go ahead and ask me whatever in the world you want about the movie! Location, actors, characters, humor, dialogue, cinematography, whatever you want me to talk about concerning the movie, I'll do it. And there isn't a "maximum question limit" or whatever, so feel free to totally spam the comment box.

Seriously.

The only request I have is that you send me your answers by Monday January 7th. If you post a question after the 7th then it probably won't get in the 'cast.

Oh, and (if you so desire) you can ask your questions by commenting under the appropriate status update (you'll see it) on HNED's Facebook page. Just click on the Facebook icon over there *points to the right sidebar* and you'll be taken directly there.

I'll do my absolute best to answer everyone's questions and the 'cast should be up sometime around the middle of next week. I'm looking forward to all of your questions! This will be so much fun!




 - Edessa, signing off

The Holocron Blog Has Launched!

I am extremely pleased and excited to announce that the blog for my new podcast - The Holocron - has launched!

WOOOOT!!

The first episode ("Welcome to The Holocron!") is now up, so you can listen to it at anytime! I also figured out a way to stick an audio player in the actual blog posts, so now you don't have to click on a link to take you to the Internet Archive page and then click on the way you want to hear it (like how you used to have to do for The Radar). Just click the "Play" button, and there you go!

I'm also not using the same audio recording software that I did for The Radar. For that podcast I just used the really dumbed-down sound recorder that came pre-loaded onto my laptop. Now, though, I'm using an awesome program called Audacity, which means I'm able to edit my work in a gazillion and one different ways. Audacity, in my opinion, also makes me sound more like how I really do, and that's because it's such a better program. =)

Oh, and one last thing: you'll probably notice that in the first 'Cron episode I say "anywho" and "whatever" a lot. I don't say those two words as often in my other episodes, so if it bothers you that I seem to be saying "whatever" every minute or so you can be rest assured that it's not going to be as often in the subsequent episodes.

Well, I guess I really have nothing else to say on the matter, besides to check out the link below and comment away!

http://holocroncast.blogspot.com

Thanks, guys, and I hope you really enjoy it! =D




 - Edessa, signing off

Opinions, Please!!

I'm one of those weird, thinker kinds of people, the type who likes to think and strategize. Just ask the guys I roleplay with, or my siblings, or even my Youth Group whenever we play Ultimate Frisbee. I'm constantly creating lists of pros and cons in my head, trying to figure out patterns in what people do, throwing up strategies all the time. Sometimes all of that thinking can be quite the curse, but sometimes it's also helpful, like showing me when something just isn't working.

No, HNED is not the "something" that "just isn't working," so please don't freak out. =)

The thing that's not working is my podcast, The Radar.

The biggest issue is that, frankly, there hasn't been much of anything going on in either the film or video game industries for the past month or so. It's all just lawsuits, rumors, and gossip. Honestly, it's driving me up a wall because I'm all prepared to write a new podcast script...but then there's really nothing interesting to talk about. I don't know about you guys, but I can only take so much reading about lawsuits - much less talking about them - before I absolutely lose my mind.

I figured that out a week or two ago and, since then, I've been racking my brain for a solution. After talking with my siblings and a good friend, I think I've got something figured out, but I really want your guys' opinions on this as well before I either proceed or terminate this.

What I'm proposing is a total overhaul of The Radar. I mean, gut the whole stinkin' thing, change its direction, give it a fresh coat of paint, et cetera.

What I'm thinking of doing is, instead of using The Radar to talk about media industry news, I'll use it to talk solely about Star Wars. In effect, I'll be moving my Commentary Friday posts over to the podcast.

I can imagine that a few questions have started whirling around your head by now, so I'll attempt to answer the most obvious now:



What would you talk about on your Star Wars-themed podcast?
     I'd review new SW books (I just finished X-Wing: Mercy Kill, so there would be a whole review on that), when the new Clone Wars season starts I'd review all of the episodes, I'd talk about various SW issues, I'd talk about what I think might happen to different CW characters, I might even insert some breaking SW news, and even talk about new Star Wars: The Old Republic updates and whatnot.


What if some breaking news happens on the film/game industry front, like if Sony decides to make a PlayStation 4 or something?
     If some big industry news came up, then I would definitely post about it on HNED. That way you still stay in the loop and don't miss a thing.


If overhauling The Radar means that your Commentary Friday posts become verbal, what is going to replace your Friday posts?
     I'm not sure yet, but I did get a lot of favorable comments on my Colorado Massacre post about a month ago asking me to write more serious stuff, so I might devote my Friday posts to covering more serious issues. Don't worry, I wouldn't go into politics or anything, just posts about forgiveness, grace, that kind of stuff.


Would you still do your Star Wars news updates on Tuesdays if you change the focus of your podcast?
     Yes, I still would. Some of the bigger peices of news I might talk about on the podcast, but I wouldn't stop updating on Tuesdays.


Why, exactly, do you want to change the focus of the podcast?
     A few reasons:

1. Most of the news in the film/game industries is all gossip and lawsuits, and only a few noteworthy peices of information actually appear but it's not all that often. After a while it not only gets tedious to talk about which company is suing which employee, but it's also boring to listen to. Star Wars, though, has many more topics to talk about and is updated regularly enough that there seems to be something new and different around each corner.

2. Because of the diversity of SW topics, it will likely be easier for me to have guests on the podcast. Guests are not only awesome, but they also add spice and interesting views on the discussion topic. I'm thinking that more people would rather talk about Clone Troopers than about celebrity gossip.

3. (And this is just a theory) I'm thinking that I might get more of an audience if my podcast was switched over to a SW focus. I think more people are interested in the galaxy far, far away than they are of media news.


Would The Radar retain its name?
     I'm actually thinking that I might want to change it to The WarZone (as in "Star Wars Zone"), but I'm totally open to suggestions here.


What would happen to The Radar episodes you've already posted?
     They'd still be available for download on Internet Archive, but I'd probably delete The Radar's website so as to make room for the new podcast.



So, in the end, what I'm proposing is this:

• The Radar would have a solely Star Wars focus, nothing else
• I would talk about a lot of different topics on the podcast, and hopefully line up a bunch of guests
• The Commentary Friday posts will be replaced with something else (maybe more serious posts?)
• The Tuesday SW news updates would remain
• Any breaking news from the film/game industries would be written in HNED posts
• The cast's name would be changed to separate it from The Radar (possibly The WarZone?)

*whew* That was a lot.

Please let me know what you think of this idea. I am aware that there are quite a few other SW-themed podcasts out there, but I think that another one would do better and be more interesting than what I've got so far.

Anywho, I really want to know what you guys think of this? It'd be quite a big change, but I think it'd be worth it if you guys liked it. So, please, let me know all of your thoughts about this, and if something I said doesn't make sense I'll try to explain it better. Rambling...it's such a curse! =D

Well, thank you for reading this ridiculously long post, and I can't wait to read your comments about this! God bless you guys!




 - Edessa, signing off

The Podcast is Up!

It took quite a bit longer than I thought it would (mostly because I had to switch my hosting site because Our Media was taking much too long to upload my file), but the podcast is up! I had to create a new blog for the podcast, so here's the link (and, yes, I'm still working on designing the blog):

http://radarpodcast.blogspot.com/

There's only one post on the blog so far, and it should explain everything and have the link for the file. If you have any questions about it, please let me know!

I hope you guys enjoy it, and please don't forget to comment on the podcast post and let me know what you think of it. Any and all suggestions, concerns, comments, and compliments (lol!) will be most appreciated. Thanks in advance, and I hope you enjoy it! =D




 - Edessa, signing off

Podcast Update

Just thought I'd update you guys on the podcast idea I posted about a few days ago. I have just recorded the first cast, and I think it sounds pretty good, even if I do so myself. =D

Currently I'm waiting for the file to upload on my host site, and it looks like I'm actually going to have to create a separate blog for the podcast (blame Feedburner for that). I'm hoping to have the first cast up maybe by tomorrow, though it may be up on Saturday. I'll let you know when it's up and running and where you can access it.

So that's just a quick update on the podcast, just so you guys don't think I forgot about it or anything. =D I hope you're all having an awesome week!




 - Edessa, signing off