LOSTCasts 35: Skypecast

In this last podcast of the summer, we were joined for a special LOST skypecast by about 50 listeners and several LOST podcasters including Jay, of the Jay & Jack podcast and Ryan Ozawa from the Transmission. Heck, the LOST Chicks even showed up! Most of the discussion centered around unanswered questions from season 2, as well as what we might see happen in season 3. There were a few technical glitches with Skype, including a rather bizarre problem around 10 minutes into the Skypecast where everyone suddenly became un-muted, and chaos ensued. However, it only lasted for a short time, and we came out with a nice podcast.

Download podcast #35 here

Thanks to all of you who joined us. Hopefully the next time we give this a try, the listeners who joined us can actually make good use of their microphones, instead of having to send us questions via chat.

Next week, we'll be podcasting about the season 3. It's about time!

Stay LOST.

Comments

[Matt Beale]

Thanks everyone!

Can't wait until this time next week - First Podcast of Season 3!!!!

[matt beale]

first couple of mintues of Season 3....

http://www.dharmasecrets.com/forum/index.php/topic,8286.0.html

Want to... but i'm not watching it - i'll (try) and wait!

[Carl, UK]

Just heard the new podcast and have to say what a cool idea it was, to get other podcaster's to share there views all in one place. its just a shame skype kept playing up.
Really looking forward to season three.
At the end of the podcast John said they would be working with jay and jack a bit more so does this mean we will see you guys on the video podcasts they do, would be great to see what you guys look like after all this time.

Again great idea with the Podcast

[sam]

Hey guys, my name is sam, and I'm an high school student who is an aspiring actor. I was reading a play that will be performed in S.F., when I saw this quote that was in the script. Check this out:
"It is certain that compassion is a natural feeling, which by moderating the activity of love of self in each individual, contributes to THE PRESERVATION OF THE WHOLE SPECIES" Jean Jaques ROUSSEAU!!!
I duno, but this sounds like a phylosophy that Rousseau from LOST might have, expecially about preservation of the whole species, which is pretty much her from her origional group. Just thought that this was awsome and should tell you guys. Ohh, and it was fun on the skypecast, especially when we all got to talk. Lets do it again!!!

[Chris Mavis-UK]

The Skypecast was awesome its good to see your looking for more ways to involve your listners please do one again in the future.

[Jon W]

I liked the podcast and the topics that were discussd but through no fault of your own I think my ear drums exploded firsly with the hilarious un-muting episode and secondly through whenever Ryan spoke, his microphone must have been set on Maria Sharapova volume...Despite this, good job on the Skypecast guys.

Jon

[C Rider]

Sorry guys but this podcast was a mess. Kudos for trying something new but it didn't really work. You could have at least edited out the parts when Skype went nuts.

I'm afraid I had to turn it off. Looking forward to the normal podcast for season 3.

[Carl, UK]

Hey C Rider, you have to try these things for them to get better, just listen to Lostcasts podcast one and look how much they have come on, it will get better.
******Spoiler Start********

Has anyone read the spolier reports coming in about season three, only thing i seen was the song that starts season three off is 'Downtown' by Petula Clark, seems a good song as its in the same vain of 'make your own kinda music' frm season 2

******Spolier End*************

[John]

Sorry if we blew anyone's eardrums out with the unmuting episode. Just trying something new...

I did talk to Jay about perhaps participating in some of the video stuff they're doing, so it's likely you'll see some video this season!

[Jon W]

I dont blame you for trying something new, thats what will keep the podcast from loosing listeners. It was just a observation and inconvenience surfing my volume control for an hour, but Im sure you guys will improve on everything if another Skypecast was to happen. Which I hope it does

3 Days to go
Jon

[James Wicks]

Was a nice idea and in general a good show, but the different audio levels for just about everyone made it very difficult to listen too.

Looking forward to Wednesday.

James

[matt beale]

I've just watched the Lost Catchup from last week...

Wierd how some things left out, and what was added - obviously bits in will feature in S3 to remind people...

BUT!

Why the hell was the Short Wave Radio bit with Hurley & Sayid in there?!?!??!?!!?!?

[Jon W]

ABC just dumbing it down a little?

[Arbernaut]

Regarding the Skypecast. Great idea, but please *please* promise you won't do that again!

[Mike]

I don't think it's likely, but couldn't we meet relatives of the survivors in the real world along with Penny? It's easy too imagine a family member of one of the victims of the crash to be searching for answers as well.

[anthony]

im glad to hear that the skype cast went well. i was really looking foward to participating, but my saturday ended up being completely booked. hopefully ill be able to be a part of your next skype cast. cant wait for the s3 premiere, and the next amazing lost cast.

stay lost.

[Wisdo]

About Watchmen:

I posted before about Watchmen symbols used in Lost - specifically the Ozymandias statue (the 4 toed leg) in the concluding episode of season 2 (a character in watchmen is called ozymandias). But I missed the most glaringly obvious one:

Henry Gales balloon has a big yellow smiley face on it!

The cover of watchmen is a big yellow smiley, in fact it was this book that helped make the smiley such a famous icon in the eighties and nineties. The Books author, Alan Moore even had one character draw a giant smiley face on mars. Subsequently Nasa actually photographed what looked like a smiley face on mars. Moore was reportedly "spooked" by the co-incidence. The symbol is used throughout the book, part "brave new world" motif and part ironic joke on the part of one Edward BLAKE.

[Wisdo]

About the Valenzetti equation:

This is a fictional version of an ACTUAL mathemathical argument known as the Carter or Carter-Leslie Doomsday argument. You may be dismayed to hear that there is a fairly sound rigorously mathematical argument that states that humanity may not have long to go before it becomes extinct. The argument predicts, with 95% "confidence", that humanity will disappear within 9120 years.

you can read the book:

The End of the World:
The Science and Ethics of Human Extinction
by John Leslie
Routledge, 1996
ISBN: 0-415-14043-9

Or go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doomsday_argument

By the way this is NON FICTION, but there are many rebuttals to the argument.

[mark b]

I thought the skypecast was ok and the approach certainly has potential. If you could sort out the volume issues and get the voice from question askers working I think it would be very worthwhile. Perhaps people could pre-record their questions ? Whilst that may take away from the 'instant access' it would remove the aparrent problems with skype. If the problems were with the number of people in the skype 'room' then why not do a by invitation only skype cast and see how that goes ?

To be honest I found the 'plink-plonk' of people (I assume)joining/leaving the skype room more annoying than the volume issues.

[jon]

good idea guys, but it seems like a lot of people had the same problems i did. could you not notice how loud/quiet people were coming in? anyways, hopefully if you do it again it'll run smoother, i couldn't even finish listening to it this time. i don't mean to come off as a jerk but maybe you should have had a dry run beforehand to the hang of the software (at least turn the notification sounds off under options!).

[Matt Lafferty]

Arg. I know LostCasts is almost always an upbeat place to post, so I'll try and keep on my smiley face (oh, GREAT catch about the smiley face in Watchmen, Wisdo!). Our hosts, along with Jay and Ryan, took time out of their Saturday to make a free podcast for us. Also, it's not like they were talking about a season finale or something: there hasn't been a new episode of Lost for about 100 days. Once again, LostCasts was thinking of the fans and trying something new while trying to keep the discussion alive. Also, according to previous postings, John and Jay DID test it out the day before.

The simple rule of technology is that the first time you need it to work perfectly it doesn't. This is, perhaps, why the Dharma Initiative :P decided to forego an automated button pushing device and instead decided to have two guys sitting in front of the computer--much like our hosts who have been kind enough to sit in front of their computers and push the "podcast button" 35 times in the last year, all without pulling a Radzynski. (ha ha!)

Speaking of future podcasts, if the book club returns during the long break, please oh please let's do Watchmen!

[Popmerchant]

Hey... big fan of the podcast here. It was a very interesting idea to do a Skypecast, but wow... that was hard to listen to. I found it more annoying than entertaining or informational.

Anyway, I look forward to keeping up with Season 3 of Lost with everyone here at Lostcasts.com!

[delilah]

hey, kirsten over at eonline.com posted some interesting tidbits about the upcoming lost episode.

---spoiler---
http://www.eonline.com/Gossip/Kristin/Archive2006/060929b.html

im so excited.

[mel]

WHY IN THE WORLD DID YOU NOT EDIT THIS PODCAST? I really wanted to enjoy the podcast but half the time was spent with you guys "working out your issues". If you do it again, edit it before you post!

[a pissed off listener]

The quality of this podcast has deteriorated beyond belief. Your latest "skypecast" is perhaps the worst podcast in the history of podcasting. If you're not going to take the production seriously and, at least, edit out the glaring examples of your technical ineptitude, why even bother with the podcast. Clearly, you have no respect for your listeners.