Shedwa Weekly Roundup: My Favorite Podcasts

Welcome to Shedwa's Weekly Roundup!  This week I've pulled together some of my favorite podcasts.  These podcasts aren't necessarily design related, but I listen to them regularly, very much enjoy them, and gain lots of information from each episode.

Nerdist -  Host Chris Hardwick interviews a wide range of guests from Conan O'Brien to The Muppets.  Themes range from comedy to movies to pop culture to all things nerdy.  Very entertaining.

Eventual Millionaire - Interview series with highly-successful individuals.  Great insight into the minds and strategies of millionaires, with a focus on educating and encouraging people who want to be successful.  I find this podcast very interesting and inspiring.

This American Life - Famous NPR radio program with a wide range of themes.  Extremely well produced, always entertaining, and very informative.  One of my most enjoyable podcasts.

The Dave Ramsey Show - The podcast of the wide-reaching radio show of the same name.  Dave Ramsey offers simple personal finance device, such as how to get out of debt and stay out of debt.  Great reinforcement for living a successful financial life.

The Clark Howard Show - The podcast of Clark Howard's radio and TV show.  Clark takes calls from people dealing with all sorts of finance-related issues, from claiming a refund to booking a cheap flight.  Great tips and tricks for getting the most out of your money.

Empire State - A Love Story (or Not) Book Review

I want to share a quick review of a graphic novel I recently read.  The book is Empire State - A Love Story (or Not) by Jason Shiga.  Empire State follows the path of two friends, Jimmy and Sara, as they navigate the changes in their relationship while Sara moves to New York and Jimmy remains in Oakland.  Jimmy embarks on a bus trip across the country to visit Sara, and eventually finds Sara in New York, immersed in a new life.

I very much enjoyed the book, and it was a super fast read.  I read all 144 pages in one sitting.  The illustration style is fun and unique, and the story is entertaining.  I especially enjoyed the illustrations on the large, full-spread splash pages, as well as the random placement of the comic book cells, and the geeky humor sprinkled throughout the pages.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who appreciates graphic novels and is looking for a fun, light-hearted story.

Shedwa Weekly Roundup: Great Fictional Logos from Movies

Welcome to Shedwa's Weekly Roundup!  This week I've pulled together some great logos from fictional brands that appeared in movies.  Some of my favorites include Jurassic Park, Ghostbusters and Sterling Cooper Draper Price.

Most Popular Fictional Logo Designs - Lots of great fictional logos, from Superman to Jurassic Park.

Can you name the movies from the logos of their fictional companies? - Test your knowledge of movie logos.

Cool Fictional Company Logos from Famous Movies - Lots of logos and how they were used in the film.

Plex iPhone App Puts All My Media in My Pocket

A few weeks ago, I wrote about how I use Plex on my HTPC.  Now, I want to share a bit about the Plex iPhone App, which I also use.

Plex pulls together all of your media on your computer into one application.  The Plex iPhone App pushes all of that media to your mobile device.  It's great to have 100% of my media collection with me at all times.  I really enjoy using the Plex App to watch one of my movies or TV shows while I'm waiting for a flight at the airport, or on a treadmill at the gym.  Depending on the strength of your internet or cell connection, your video quality may fall below your personally acceptable standards, but in my experience the quality is more than fine 9 times out of 10.

Shedwa Weekly Roundup: Free HTPC Apps

Welcome to Shedwa's Weekly Roundup!  This week I've pulled together some cool applications to make the most of your Home Theater Personal computer (HTPC).  Did I mention they are free?

 
Hulu Desktop - Explore the wide world of on-demand television.

Skype - Turn your TV into a video chatting super center.

Plex - Make the most of your media.

NoSquint Firefox Plugin - Increase the size of your web pages by zooming in and out for easy couch potato web surfing.

McDonalds Large Coffee Ads

Love these.  Great idea, beautiful execution.  Well done.

Agency: DDB, Helsinki, Finland
Creative Director: Vesa Tujunen
Art Director: Jukka Mannio
Copywriter: Vesa Tujunen
Graphic Designer: Antti Salminen
Photographer: Marjo Tokkari
Retoucher: Fake Graphics

via adgoodness