the dot matrix

Episode 28 - “Fish in Black and White”

thedotmatrix — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 04:51:01 +0000

Justin and Sean got back to being focused after a casual episode 27. To Justin’s surprise they start off with an impromptu discussion about Julia Child in black & white; they then move on to something they always come back to, the Dziekanski tragedy. Also getting a nod or perhaps a semi-nod is Barack Obama’s Nobel prize win. Sean tries to recap an opinion piece on Michael Ignatieff’s feelings about Canada he found in the National Post, and they end it off with a fiery controversy of late - Roman Polansky’s arrest in Switzerland.

Episode 27 - “27!”

thedotmatrix — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 05:38:59 +0000

After more than seven weeks since their last podcast, Sean and Justin brush off their old ‘casting chops to record episode 27! Kind of a random affair, talking about various personalities and happenings on Commercial Drive, then jumping around to short discussions about age and buying TVs, then bouncing around to being appalled about Tom Delay’s selection on Dancing with the Stars. That guy should be in prison! A tiny bit of Canadian politics is thrown in for good measure of course.

Episode 26 - “Ticketmaster fiasco indeed”

thedotmatrix — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 06:53:03 +0000

After 25 podcasts under their belt, Sean and Justin embark on episode 26 in much the same manner - talking about random things that irk them or that stir their pasions. The first topic was about Sean’s recent Ticketmaster fiasco for his Slayer/Megadeth concert. They do spend time talking about the death of Michael Jackson and of course the turmoil in Iran, but their thoughts about a recent Maclean’s article that Sean read about Gene Heyman’s theory about addition was the most refreshing since the early days of their podcast!

Episode 25 - “I don’t want people to think I’m sexist”

thedotmatrix — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 05:23:08 +0000

Although Sean and Justin mainly focused on local issues on this podcast, the duo started it off discussing some recent international event - like former Presidents Bush and Clinton have a “conversation” in Toronto, or the nomination of Justice Sonia Sotomayor to the US Supreme Court. But then they get down to business, debriefing on the outcomes of the recent British Columbian provincial elections, including lamenting the defeat of the BC-STV electoral reform referendum question. They end Episode 25 talking about some local transit issues, like the recent awarding of $600,000 to a local merchant affected by the construction of the new transit line to the airport, as well as lane closures for bikes on the busy Burrard Bridge to Downtown Vancouver.

Episode 24 - “I sort of started that without warning didn’t I?”

thedotmatrix — Tue, 26 May 2009 04:40:35 +0000

Sean and Justin are back and eager to talk about the last three weeks - particularly about Sean’s vacation to Paris! Of course Justin has been nothing but happy since his girlfriend has come back from her own extended trip away, convincing Justin to try his hand at rock climbing in the process. Surprisingly, he actually wasn’t bad at it! The big topic of discussion this month was the women ski jumpers’ court battle with VANOC. They end the podcast remembering the immense talent that was Bea Arthur, who passed away on the weekend. Although the New York Times article about her is no longer available without logging in, here are three interesting reads, one from the LA Times, another about her Golden Girls co-stars, and one written by her Maude creator Norman Lear.

Episode 24 -

thedotmatrix — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 04:54:49 +0000

Episode 23 - “Its the difference between cultivating the land and raping it.”

thedotmatrix — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 05:13:18 +0000

In record time, Sean and Justin hope to record and post their most recent podcast online. Squeezing one last chat in between Sean heads to Paris for a civilized two week vacation in the grand city. So needless to say Paris, the need for a vacation, and travel in general was top of mind, including Air Canada’s impending bankruptcy! Also, Justin continued to pine for his girlfriend, who is still out of the country. But the duo got fired up, for what else, more infuriating activity at the Robert Dziekanski inquiry, along with their fears on how it is all playing out in Poland. A fairly non-technical discussion about the economy and the banking system played out for a bit, but they mention President Obama a few times, which helped. And the end with some musings about the Junos, including Justin’s experience at the Juno Cup.

Episode 22 - “If you’re gonna play music, it should be happy music”

thedotmatrix — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 05:55:50 +0000

After a hiatus of more than a month, Sean and Justin roar back into their podcasting mode this episode. Although they gravitate to some repeat topics (that’s what happens when you don’t podcast on a regular schedule) like their new snowball mic (we hope the link to an image will suffice than posting an image directly here) and their man crush on Bill Moyers, they also provide some new thoughts on topics such as President Obama’s inauguration, Sarah Palin, the Oscars (check out Justin’s sister’s blog about the 2009 ceremony) and the HBO documentary Right America: Feeling Wronged. And though Justin and Sean don’t do their Best of 2008 list as they had intended, they do look back at 2008 a bit, but do much more prognosticating about 2009. One prediction - more podcasting for this year!

Episode 21 - “Our New Blue Mic”

thedotmatrix — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 02:00:31 +0000

Justin and Sean start 2009 using a brand new microphone - the Snowball mic. Nice find Sean! Surprisingly, the duo spend a lot of time prognosticating about how the Canadian political scene will unfold after all the drama of the federal government’s almost fall. Stephen Harper’s sudden embrace of the Senate chamber and appointing of 18 new senators was also a hot topic for Sean and Justin. For those not familiar with the Canadian system, here’s a nice overview. The two also use some time to think back on 2008 and forward on 2009. Bill Moyers again came up, this time about his recent episode with John Lithgow. And they end the podcast talking about George W. Bush’s accomplishments as he leaves office - yes really(!) sort of…

Episode 20 - “Speaking of Tapping That..”

thedotmatrix — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 23:46:08 +0000

Just over a year and 20 podcasts later, Sean and Justin finally disagree on something! And it only took a constitutional crisis here in Canada for it to happen! Although the duo start their 20th podcast talking about Sean’s new conversational French lessons, they meander through topics such as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, to Caroline Kennedy’s desire for Hillary’s senate seat, to Jay Leno taking on the 10pm time slot Monday to Friday in the Fall. Finally, Sean and Justin express their (somewhat) opposing views on the almost fall of the Canadian Federal Government and the coalition of opposition parties looking to form a new government, only two months after being defeated in the polls.

Episode 19 - “It’s about still keeping a woman in that position”

thedotmatrix — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 07:24:44 +0000

In Sean and Justin’s post-elections wrap-up, surprisingly the focus was on the Vancouver city elections (which was the freshest in their minds) and not the energizing US presidential contest. As promised by Sean, here are links to both Peter Ladner’s concession speech, as well as mayor-elect Gregor Robertson’s victory speech. The duo discussed the two controversies of the campaign - the leak of the $100 loan decision by council to the developers of the Olympic athletes’ village, as well as Gregor’s transit fare evasion. When the US elections finally came up in conversation, the focus was on Hillary Clinton and her potential role as President-elect Obama’s Secretary of State. What an interesting administration this will be…

Episode 18 - “With Glowing Hearts”

thedotmatrix — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 03:18:50 +0000

Life and other excuses for being lazy has caused a long delay in posting ths long-awaited and over a month-ago recorded podcast of the dot matrix. Justin had just returned from a trip to Calgary and was swooning over all the attractive cowgirls. Sean shared his experience of having his band’s name being VANOCed. And both of them discussed what seems to be the only topic of recent weeks - Sarah Palin, in particular the US Vice-Presidential debate. Both commented on the sadness that is Rudy Giuliani, and Justin ended with some thoughts from watching a documentary called Mr. President.

Episode 17 - “We’ve got a movie to go to”

thedotmatrix — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 04:33:32 +0000

Sean and Justin try to squeeze in a quick podcast before catching Woody Allen’s latest film Vicky Cristina Barcelona, but when politics is the topic of discussion, they found as usual that it was hard to rush that. Both the Canadian and US elections were vigorously discussed, particularly Gov. Sarah Palin’s surprise nomination as the VP candidate for the Republican party, and how on the Canadian side the Green Party was almost excluded form the televised debates. Also, the duo question what exactly is small town values?

Episode 16 - “If you want to be Labrador, you be Labrador!”

thedotmatrix — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 05:29:29 +0000

Sean and Justin regrouped rather quickly after Episode 15 to get in another podcast before the Beijing Olympics were over. It was a major topic of conversation this time around. Plus, they tackled as promised, the topic of Liberalism with particular verve. Also on tap before time ran out (and over!), President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan resigning, Obama and McCain’s interviews with Rev. Rick Warren, and the Russia/Georgia crisis. Sean will just have to wait to share his camping and Tegan and Sara stories until Episode 17…

Episode 15 - “Two words - Recreational Sports”

thedotmatrix — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 05:19:38 +0000

A chat on the lighter side this time out for Sean and Justin. Having the recent memory of a great time on the beach with their closest friends, the relaxed and energized duo chat about audio versus video podcasts, which lead to a bit of nostalgia about the audio format - like CBC’s radio dramas. The main topic of conversation - a holdover from a chat on the beach (where is a digital recorder when you need one?) - was about Justin’s recent interest in joining a recreational sports team (here’s a link to one org here in Vancouver) of some kind. Again, missing the good old days of high school sports. The only problem is that neither Sean or Justin did any high school sports! Entertainment news took up the rest of the half hour - with the two paying tribute to Estelle Getty and wondering what the phenomenon of Dr. Horrible means about the business model in Hollywood.

Episode 14 - “Look Ma, no lists!”

thedotmatrix — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 05:37:19 +0000

It was bound to happen - an episode where neither Sean and Justin had a list of topics to talk about prepared before casting. Well, it happened this time and still the duo went over 30 minutes. The conversation took a very political bend - starting with the Omar Khadr interrogation tapes, moving inevitably to some commentary on Bill Moyers’ latest podcast on conservatism in the US, to a NY Times article about why it’s so hard to make fun of Barack Obama. Plus the two promised some links to an SNL Saturday TV Funhouse clip (we couldn’t find it, but the title of the clip is “The Obama Files”), a clip of George W. Bush on the Today Show, and a link to the Meet the Press website.

Episode 13 - “No. 2, right?”

thedotmatrix — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 06:07:38 +0000

After almost a month of life taking over, Sean and Justin finally sat down for podcast number 13. Although they had plenty to talk about, they did manage to get it under the golden 30 minute mark. Sean reminisced about Vancouver’s Car Free Day and his participation in the democratic process that was the Vision Vancouver Mayoral vote - although at times it seemed more like a party than a vote. But hey, energy is energy! The boys also discuss their recent adventure out together - including surviving the retail art experience that was this year’s Cheaper Art Show and eating sandwiches at the Greedy Pig. And they ended by discussing the demise of the CBC Radio orchestra - the last of its kind in North America. At least their website is still up…

Episode 12 - “We love you Mike!”

thedotmatrix — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 04:52:34 +0000

Food is on the minds of Sean and Justin (go eat at Stix out on Commercial Drive), and so was their mutual love for their good friend Mike - a true renaissance man! How soon these social commentators forget about their love of Bill Moyers! Justin also had love on the mind - for Melanie C, who gave a blow by blow account of her concert. Yes, that was him on the dance floor! And on the subject of shows, Sean took the opportunity to plug The Neins Circa big show at the Jericho Sailing Club and Culte du Cargo’s historic show during the Vancouver Jazz Festival. Go support our favourite drummer/synth player - that’s an order! The duo finished Episode 12 talking about the Vancouver Mayoral race and their encounter with Gregor Robertson, and ended with a little preview of a topic for their next podcast.

Episode 11 - “Bill Moyers, we love you”

thedotmatrix — Thu, 15 May 2008 07:07:42 +0000

It has become a running theme throughout the previous 10 podcasts, but in podcast 11, Sean and Justin’s love and respect for Bill Moyers and his program/podcast the Bill Moyers’ Journal was so prevalent that it had to be the title of episode! The “social commentators” spent time cooing over his extended interview of Rev. Jeremiah Wright, and even take a moment to give some kudos to another podcast - Democracy Now.

Other than Bill Moyers and the usual talk about the continuing Democratic primaries, the duo also contemplated what it really meant to them hearing the news that Scarlett Johansson is getting married, dissected more about passion, this time as it related to art and architecture, which for Justin was re-sparked by the program e2, which surprise surprise is another PBS show, this time about architecture, the environment and real sustainability.

Episode 10 - “Let’s Talk About It”

thedotmatrix — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 03:28:09 +0000

Apart from being a milestone podcast (episode # 10!), Sean and Justin marked this momentous occasion with their most engaging discussion yet (at least from their point of view!). It started with praise for one of Sean’s favourite US Presidents - Jimmy Carter, then took a detour into a brief discussion of Justin’s closeted admiration for Anne Murray’s music (Justin had it wrong, she sang at the 1992 World Series, not 1994), then the two social commentators settled into a good discussion about the Olympics coming to Vancouver.