the dot matrix

Episode 41 - "Hey, Isn't My House Really Clean?"

An all-politics podcast for Sean and Justin, although the title wouldn't suggest that!  The BC NDP party elected Adrian Dix as leader, the federal election is half-way done, Elizabeth May from the Green Party of Canada couldn't get in the debates but had her say on Strombo , and a new provincial by-election is taking place for the new BC Premier Christy Clark - Sean's a big fan, Justin lives in the riding.  So the duo had a full plate on their hands, although they were able to squeeze in a small conversation that involved Britney Spears somehow!

Episode 40 - "If people wanted us to disagree, This is It"

The timing couldn't have been more perfect for Justin and Sean, as a Canadian federal election was called the morning the duo recorded their milestone 40th podcast.  This topic inevitably dominated their podcast, including a spirited discussion of the "legitimacy" of the Bloc Quebecois in the federal political system.  Reflecting on the 20th anniversary of the disappearance of Michael Dunahee led to a discussion of the power of the passage of time, as well as a brief conversation about the iPad2.  There won't be any links here (you'll have to search for it yourself), but there was also brief chatter of viral "non-singer" Rebecca Black and the Libyan situation - although not at the same time!

Episode 39 - "We're kind of like Ringo in that way"

Even with a list of topics in hand, Sean and Justin diverge into other conversations during this episode of The Dot Matrix.  All interesting digressions of course!  In particular was their initial conversation reminiscing about their childhood and thinking about sibling rivalries.  Pop culture topics - like that Watson computer on Jeopardy, Betty White winning a SAG award, the future of email, and George Shearing's passing - were all part of the mix.  But of course there's politics.  The history being made in Egypt and the Bev Oda affair (here's a link to the At Issue panel about the topic) were sources of much of their conversation.

Episode 38 - "It's a Sad Day When You Have to Coax People to Vote"

With Sean and Justin's Seattle Guys Weekend a distant memory, the two finally sat down for another podcast to recall that trip (in only broad details of course!), which ended with both of them considering their significant moment/event of 2010.  In between topics like the news anchors on Vancouver TV, ideas of increasing voter turnout, some politics of course, and some of Sean's predictions for 2011.

Episode 37 - "I Have Many Regrets in Life... So What's One More?"

Sean and Justin sit down for a podcast with both of their recent trips fresh in their minds.  Justin recounts stories from his Barcelona to Paris trip, including his big regret of not getting off the bus in San Sebastian!  Sean thinks back to his getaway to the Okanagan wineries, all before our recording starts to malfunction, though we wouldn't know it at the time. Enjoy while it lasts!

Episode 36 - "I Would Expect Nothing Less of Mr. George Clooney"

Yes, the duo tries to ride the coattails of George Clooney with the title of their most recent podcast.  Perhaps it will translate into more listeners to their conversation about Justin's upcoming European adventure, Glenn Beck's misadventures to Capitol Hill, the "use it or lose it" battle for the Northwest Passage, as well as two pointed perspectives about the NYC mosque near Ground Zero controversy, Mayor Bloomberg's speeches here and here, The Daily Show (look for Clip 1 of the August 23, 2010 show).  How can you NOT listen?!?!

Episode 35 - "We Were This Close to Getting Two Mics Going"

Politics was again the big ticket topic for Justin and Sean on this edition of The Dot Matrix Podcast.  Just that morning, Treasury Board President Stockwell Day has a perplexing press conference on fighting unreported crime with prisons, which the duo dissected at length.  The cancellation of the Canadian long-form census in 2011 was also a hot topic, along with the recent Afghan revelations care of WikiLeaks.  And Justin ended the podcast with a funny tale about how now to get too enthralled by the Social Web.  Oh and here's a few other promised links: to Democracy Now and to a preview of Industry Minister Tony Clement on Power and Politics.

Episode 34 - "We Got It All Out Today"

Sean and Justin are back!  With almost a 2 month hiatus, the duo is back with an hour-long session filled with new and familiar topics.  On the familiar side, the tragic Robert Dziekanski case was back in the news and Sean and Justin discuss the recently released Braidwood Report.  Also the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) made the grade for conversation, as well as Rue McClanahan's passing.  Justin also talked about his BC road trip (including his stay at the Free Spirit Spheres - YouTube it to find video clips) and the duo touch on tasty Indian food and Facebook defriending!

Episode 33 - "Really? It Isn't Episode 42?"

A shorter podcast from Sean and Justin this time, as the duo weren't all that keen to talk after witnessing another disappointing breakdown of the Vancouver Canucks in another playoff game.  Once they got over that, it was onto discussing some current events - like the car bomb attempt in New York City, and the oil spill off the coast of the US.  And Justin spent some time talking about his upcoming road trip around BC.

Episode 32 - "Lemon is a natural deodorant"

After a prolonged delay (due to Justin's Photoshop course), Sean and Justin finally got to podcasting and boy did they have a lot to talk about. What hasn't happened in that time span?  Justin swoons over the new iPad, they lament the impending departure of Bill Moyers from the podcast-waves (Evan Solomon's Power and Politics might be a replacement podcast), and they even discuss Justin's decision to change to a more natural deodorant. But that's just in the first 15 minutes! The Catholic Church, which is in the news of late, also got plenty of airtime (including their recent ad campaign), as well as the ever quotable Hamid Karzai. It was a jam-packed podcast to get back in the groove of things!