mike schramm
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WoW Insider Show Episode 119 with special guest Mary Varn
Our podcast was live on the air as usual last Saturday, and the show is now up for your listening enjoyment. Artist Mary Varn was aboard to talk with us about her comic and her Warcraft career, and Matt Low of World of Matticus also jumped on to chat with Turpster and I about the latest WoW news, including the impending patch 3.3, the recent server outages, and the Taiwanese player who picked up all of the achievements in the game (which, probably not entirely concidentally, is the subject of Mary's comic today). And of course we answered your emails as well. For those of you wondering about our Podcast Awards nomination, voting has ended, and the winners are supposed to be announced next Saturday in a ceremony online. We'll keep you updated -- remember, if we win, we'll be giving away any prizes we get to one lucky listener, and we'll be recording a Warcraft bedtime story for all of you to download. Cross your fingers for us! Get the podcast: [iTunes] Subscribe to the WoW Insider Show directly in iTunes. [RSS] Add the WoW Insider Show to your RSS aggregator. [MP3] Download the MP3 directly. Listen here on the page:
Last week of Hearts, Hands and Voices
Azeroth United, the internet media community for all things World of Warcraft, has been holding a charity drive for Child's Play since November 1st. Hearts, Hands, and Voices has already surpassed their initial goal of $5000 and is now hoping to reach twice that by their end date of December 13th. Sunday, our very own Mike Schramm played Rock Band for 9 hours -- until his fingers hurt -- to raise money for the drive. Also, you can blame Syrana for all your troubles on Twitter and help raise money for the charity, just by tweeting. If you wish to join in on the fun and support this Penny Arcade-run charity, please donate by clicking on the ChipIn link at the main HHV site, or any of the supporting sites. ChipIn was the same service that the WoWathon players used to also raise money for the hospitalized children who are the recipients of Child's Play's funds, toys, games, etc. The donations from this service go directly to the charity. Hearts, Hands and Voices have drawings for donating $10 or $20 that include some really cool things like ThinkGeek gear or a Warcraft Stein. Please go check out the goodies you could win just for a small donation to a great cause. And if you don't, well, I blame Syrana.
Listen to the WoW Insider Show today with special guest Mary Varn
Yes, our podcast is back again this afternoon at 3:30pm EDT, and this week we're welcoming Mary Varn, the creator and artist behind NPC Comic, a webcomic about a girl and her two cats who all play World of Warcraft. She'll talk with us about her work and her own characters, and since we'll also have Kelly "Cadistra" Aarons of the new Byron the Tauren Rogue comic on again, maybe they'll be able to share some insight on putting WoW-related cartoons together. Turpster and I will make sure it's not all about drawing comics, though -- we'll be answering emails and talking about the most popular posts from the last week, including what's going on with patch 3.3 and when it might drop, what's up with all of the outages lately, and what it takes to get all of the achievements. All of them. Should be a great show -- you can tune in over on our Ustream page at 3:30pm Eastern, or just head after the break. See you then.
WoW Insider Show Episode 118: Taking sides
We had a great time as always on last weekend's podcast -- Kelly "Cadistra" Aarons and C. Christian Moore (a.k.a. Colby, a.k.a. C-money) joined us on the podcast to talk about comics and PvP, respectively, and we hit on the most popular posts of the past week as well, including wrapping up Pilgrim's Bounty, our favorite memories of the game for the fifth anniversary, and how GDKP works -- both in terms of mechanics and as a loot system. Additionally, we talked again about the Dungeon Finder system and how it will affect the game, as well as why Blizzard probably won't provide any more character slots per realm, even in Cataclysm. And we hear some more great fan-made intros -- if you'd like to send us one (or anything else, really), the address as always is theshow@wow.com. Thanks for listening and enjoy! Get the podcast: [iTunes] Subscribe to the WoW Insider Show directly in iTunes. [RSS] Add the WoW Insider Show to your RSS aggregator. [MP3] Download the MP3 directly. Listen here on the page:
WoW Insider Show Episode 117: Classing up the place
We had a great show this past week -- Michael Sacco jumped in via dialup from his country home to join Turpster and I to talk about the most popular stories in World of Warcraft over the past seven days. We talked about Mr. T and his mohawk grenade, how the new tier 10 system will work in patch 3.3, the beautiful axe that is Shadowmourne, and what it means for weapons coming in Cataclysm. Plus, we answered your emails (including wishing one of our listeners a happy birthday), and we even played two operatic intros by our new friend Ethan B. I don't know anything about opera, but seems to me that dude has quite the vocal chords on him. And finally, we talked about our bid for the Podcast Awards -- we're asking you to vote for us every day until the end of the month. If we win, we'll not only give away the SleepPhones prize to one lucky listener, but we'll record a Warcraft bedtime story for them (and all of you others via mp3 download). Please vote! Thanks, enjoy the show. Get the podcast: [iTunes] Subscribe to the WoW Insider Show directly in iTunes. [RSS] Add the WoW Insider Show to your RSS aggregator. [MP3] Download the MP3 directly. Listen here on the page:
WoW Insider Show live this afternoon at 3:30pm Eastern
Our podcast (which, if you haven't heard, is award-nominated now -- please give us your vote every day until the end of November) returns to the series of tubes this afternoon on Ustream, and the great Michael "Belfaire" Sacco is coming along with it. Turpster, Sacco and I will chat about night elf mohawks, and what's up with the patch 3.3 PTR (including how to get the gear and some axe that people might like) and the next expansion. And as usual we'll chat live with the chat channel, answer your emails, and just generally have a good time talking about the World of Warcraft. The show kicks off at 3:30pm Eastern/ 8:30pm GMT on our Ustream page, or we've also embedded a feed in the second half of this post, so you can just go there. If you're planning to be out and about, you can also listen to the show on your iPhone or iPod touch (assuming you've got the Internet connection required to do so). And of course even if you can't make it to the live recording, we'll have the show on the feed next Monday as we usually do -- you'll miss the aftershow, but such, as they say, is life. Hopefully we'll see you today.
WoW Insider Show Episode 116: We'll see you there
Last Saturday afternoon, as usual, we sat down to record a podcast, and you can now hear the results of that below. Adam Holisky, Matt Low, and Turpster and I all got together to talk about the biggest stories from the past week in Warcraft, including what we've heard about the new guild leveling system, the story of the BlizzCon Vegas that won't be, and news of two bags from the PTR. We also answer your emails, talking more about the Dungeon group system coming in the next patch, and how it'll affect both cross-server interaction and folks looking for Oculus runs at three in the morning. We also talked about the Podcast Awards, and the fact that something extremely unlikely has happened: we got nominated for one. If you're so inclined, you can vote for us over there right now under the "Games" section, and as we say on the show, we're going to be giving away the prize (along with a little something extra) if we happen to win. You can vote every day until November 30th, so put up a little post-it as a reminder, and head back there every day if you can. We appreciate it! Enjoy the show. Get the podcast: [iTunes] Subscribe to the WoW Insider Show directly in iTunes. [RSS] Add the WoW Insider Show to your RSS aggregator. [MP3] Download the MP3 directly. Listen here on the page:
Listen to the WoW Insider Show this afternoon
Bored on a Fall afternoon? Wondering what to do with your time until Icecrown comes out? Worry not -- our podcast will cure all ails!* We're back on the virtual airwaves this afternoon at 3:30pm Eastern as usual, talking about the most popular stories in the last week of Warcraft, from the new guild leveling details in Cataclysm, to the Las Vegas Convention Center's BlizzCon listing, stopping somewhere along the way at what's new on the patch 3.3 PTR. Eddie "Brigwyn" Carrington, Adam Holisky, Turpster, and I will be your hosts for the combination of nonsense, news, and insight we call the WoW Insider Show. And oh yeah, since I might forget to talk about it on the show today, apparently we've been nominated for a Podcast Award! This is a prestigious honor that we obtained by... um, you listeners voting for us, so thanks for that! And now we need you to vote again -- you can do so every day up until November 30th. If we win -- well, listen in on the show. If I remember, we'll talk about what might happen if, hope against hope, we actually win something. *Podcast will not cure any ails, except boredom. And even then, only for about 45 minutes, or maybe an hour at most, if you think Mike is funny.
WoW Insider Show Episode 114: Live on location
I think this might be one of my favorite things we've ever done (though all credit must go to Turpster, as usual). Last week on the show, he asked listeners for pictures of where they're listening to the show, and we got a nice gallery below of all of you in different places (many of you at work, which makes us worry a little bit), all listening to the WoW Insider Show all over the world. If you take a picture this week, feel free to send it along to theshow@wow.com, and we'll add it into the gallery below. In the meantime, here's a new episode, featuring said Turpster and myself, along with Eddie "Brigwyn" Carrington, talking about what's coming up in patch 3.3, including the new looting system, paladin changes aplenty, and hints at the next expansion. And as usual, we answer your emails and just generally have a fun time. Enjoy -- and be sure to send us a pic while you listen! %Gallery-77044% Get the podcast: [iTunes] Subscribe to the WoW Insider Show directly in iTunes. [RSS] Add the WoW Insider Show to your RSS aggregator. [MP3] Download the MP3 directly. Listen here on the page:
WoW Insider Show live today at 3:30pm
Our podcast brings the usual tricks and treats this afternoon -- before you head out in a costume to go get some real candy, be sure to stop by our Ustream page around 3:30pm Eastern and get some ear candy first. Turpster and I will welcome Eddie "Brigwyn" Carrington and another WoW.com writer to chat about the most popular posts on the site this week. On the docket, we'll have the new patch 3.3 notes, hints at things to come, why pallies are up in arms (and why they don't have too much to worry about), and the new looting system and what disenchanters think of it. And as usual we'll be reading your emails and chatting live with folks in the chat channel, as well as the usual preshow and aftershow (I've heard a lot of feedback about those lately -- people seem to like them). You can join us live on the Ustream page, in the embedded feed below the break, or even in the Ustream iPhone app, if you don't happen to be at home near a full computer. It all begins at 3:30pm Eastern this Halloween afternoon -- see you then!
WoW Insider Show Episode 113: LFG with a vengeance
We had a fun show as always on our podcast last Saturday -- Gregg Reece joined Turpster and I to talk about the most popular stories of the last week. We talked at length about Hallow's End and how it's going for everybody, the new LFG system coming to patch 3.3 and what to expect in there, as well as last week's developer chat on Twitter and whether or not Blizzard should do it again. And of course we answered your emails, and actually went longer than I think we ever have before. Not three hours long -- we're only doing that if we can get 25,000 followers on Twitter (and hey, though we're not there yet, we're actually moving pretty steadily towards that). But it was a nice long show this past week, full of the usual information and fun. Hit it up to listen on any of the links below, and enjoy -- we'll be back next Saturday afternoon as usual. Get the podcast: [iTunes] Subscribe to the WoW Insider Show directly in iTunes. [RSS] Add the WoW Insider Show to your RSS aggregator. [MP3] Download the MP3 directly. Listen here on the page:
WoW Insider Show Episode 112: We got segments
Our podcast is now ready for your downloading pleasure, and I have to say -- it was a good one. Nothing flashy, no once-in-a-lifetime guests (though both Turpster and Matticus were on with me, and those guys are definitely one-of-a-kind), but it was just a good solid podcast, with some great discussion about the latest PTR build and Lord Marrowgar, the Battle.net changeover, and our very first predictions about when we might see patch 3.3 on the live servers. Turpster's even got some money riding on his guess already.Plus we answer your emails as usual, and that's always a good time -- you can email us anything you want (including some mp3s for intros if that's your thing) at "theshow AT wow dawt com". If you like the show, don't forget to go hit us up on iTunes -- you can subscribe to the show there, or leave us a good rating or review if you like. Thanks for listening as always, and enjoy the show!Get the podcast:[iTunes] Subscribe to the WoW Insider Show directly in iTunes.[RSS] Add the WoW Insider Show to your RSS aggregator.[MP3] Download the MP3 directly.Listen here on the page:
WoW Insider Show Episode 111: Ninja werewolf
Good times on the WoW Insider Show last Saturday -- even though Turpster was AFK for the week, we had a packed show, with Matthew Rossi, Chase Christian, and Eddie "Brigwyn" Carrington all jumping on to share some opinions. We talked about the new instances already testing over on the PTR, as well as what we'll find in Icecrown (we kept the story spoilers out of it, though we did talk about some bosses and their abilities). And we hit up the character selection and creation screens and chatted about what might be better on those.Email was also answered, and we even heard from a fan that the Ustream app will even work over just a plain Edge network connection, so if you've got an iPhone or iPod touch, there's no reason that you can't listen live on the show every Saturday at 3:30pm Eastern. Meanwhile, enjoy the show this week, and oh yeah: there's only a little bit of time left to put in nominations for the Podcast Awards, so if you feel the inclination, please put us in for your People's Choice and Gaming podcast nominations over there. Thanks! Get the podcast:[iTunes] Subscribe to the WoW Insider Show directly in iTunes.[RSS] Add the WoW Insider Show to your RSS aggregator.[MP3] Download the MP3 directly.Listen here on the page:
WoW Insider Show Episode 110: Sniffing around
Here's the podcast we recorded last weekend, ready for your listening enjoyment. In it, Eddie "Brigwyn" Carrington, Dominic Hobbs, and Turpster and I chat about what's going on in the patch 3.3 PTR, as well as the new details we heard about Cataclysm last week. We answer your emails, too, including what will be possible and what won't if you don't buy the next expansion, as well as whether there's more war in Warcraft than there used to be.Two show notes for you: first of all, as we talk about in the show, our podcast is now featured in the Ustream iPhone app, so if you have an iPhone or iPod touch and don't happen to be near a computer on Saturday afternoon when we record, you can still tune in and listen. And secondly, we've never really done this before, but we'll try it: the Podcast Award nominations have just opened up, and if you enjoy listening to our podcast every week, we'd really appreciate a nomination in both the "People's Choice" and "Gaming" categories. Of course, we'll do the show whether we win awards or not, but winning awards is always fun and helps us find new listeners. So if you have a moment and can punch us in over there, we'd appreciate it. Enjoy the show.Get the podcast:[iTunes] Subscribe to the WoW Insider Show directly in iTunes.[RSS] Add the WoW Insider Show to your RSS aggregator.[MP3] Download the MP3 directly.Listen here on the page:
WoW Insider Show Episode 109: Drakes for everyone
We recorded our latest podcast last Saturday afternoon, and it was a good one -- not only did we have Eddie "Brigwyn" Carrington and Turpster on from here at WoW.com, but we welcomed two special guests: Fimlys and Nibuca from the Twisted Nether Blogcast. They were on to talk about their podcast and what they do with Twisted Nether, as well as their new Azeroth United project and what they'll be doing with that in the future. And of course, after we introduced everybody, we sat down and chatted about the most popular stories from the last week in Warcraft, including Brewfest and Onyxia, as well as patch 3.2.2 and the bugs contained therein. Enjoy the show.And if you've heard something you'd like to respond to on the show, feel free to drop us a note via email -- the address is theshow@wow.com. We'll see you next Saturday as usual, thanks for listening!Get the podcast:[iTunes] Subscribe to the WoW Insider Show directly in iTunes.[RSS] Add the WoW Insider Show to your RSS aggregator.[MP3] Download the MP3 directly.Listen here on the page:
WoW Insider Show with Twisted Nether today at 3:30pm Eastern
Hey hey, our podcast is finally back on the air this afternoon at 3:30pm Eastern, and it's gonna be a good one: Fimlys and Nibuca from the Twisted Nether Blogcast (and the new Azeroth United project) will join Turpster, Eddie "Brigwyn" Carrington and myself to talk about the past week in the World of Warcraft. I'm sure this week's events will come up, both the Brewfest celebration and the return of Onyxia, not to mention the new patch this week (and all of the problems we've seen with it). Sounds like a full show!It all kicks off this afternoon at 3:30pm Eastern over on the Ustream page -- if you're around, you can tune in, listen live, and chat with us and all of our guests. Even if you're not around, you can always email us at theshow@wow.com, and then hit up the site here on Monday when we'll post the recording of the show over on iTunes. But as our commenters will probably tell you, the chat room is always a good time, so if you can make it, it will definitely be a lot of fun. See you there!
WoW Insider Show Episode 108: Don't get your hopes up
We taped our podcast a little early this week, on Wednesday night, and rather than having you wait all the way until Monday for it (not to mention that Pirates' Day will gone by then), we figured we'd post it up for you today). Matt "Matticus" Low was kind enough to join us (he writes the Spiritual Guidance and Raid Rx columns), and while Turpster was on a business trip, he did end up making it to provide us with his usual sparkling insight. We talked about that wacky 2v2 team rating and what it means for Blizzard's Arena system, the Abyssal Maw and what else we've heard about Cataclysm's dungeons and raids, and whether being in a guild really can calm you down (Matt, our only guildleader on the show, says no).And as usual we answered your emails (including why Gamestop claims to know Cataclysm's release date) and chatted live with listeners, and you can listen to the show at any of the links below. Haven't subscribed to iTunes yet? Why not? Not only do you get the show automatically every week, but you can also leave us a rating and a review in iTunes, and we appreciate every single one. We'll be back a week from Saturday (on the 26th) at the usual time (and between you and me, we've got some nice guests planned for the next few shows, too!), so we'll see you then.Get the podcast:[iTunes] Subscribe to the WoW Insider Show directly in iTunes.[RSS] Add the WoW Insider Show to your RSS aggregator.[MP3] Download the MP3 directly.Listen here on the page:
WoW Insider Show live at a special time tonight
Because I'll be out of pocket this coming weekend (and by "out of pocket," I mean driving a Uhaul with all of my earthly possessions in it through the Rocky Mountains), our podcast is going live at a special time this evening -- we'll be on the air over on Ustream at 6pm Eastern time. I can't tell you exactly who'll be on with us, but it'll have all the things you've come to expect from the show: some silliness, your emails (email theshow@wow.com if you have something to tell us), and lots of insight about the latest news out of Azeroth. This week, we'll talk about shady Arena team ratings, the controversial change to Bestial Wrath, the Abyssal Maw and what we know of Cataclysm's dungeons, and if we have time, we'll talk about how being in a guild can actually make you calmer.Sounds like a packed show, no? That's because it is. And if you can't make it to listen live tonight (you can jump right after the break if you like for another embedded feed), then worry not, because as always, we'll have the show on the iTunes feed for your listening enjoyment. But if you are around, do stop by -- I'll guarantee it'll be a good time. See you this evening!
WoW Insider Show Episode 107: Fighting the fanboy
Here's our podcast from last weekend, when both Amanda Dean and Adam Holisky tuned in to join Turpster and I and talk about the biggest stories of the past week in Warcraft. Unfortunately, it was a bad day for Skype, so we had some rough tumbles with lag and audio problems, but we did manage to get in some good insight about Matt Low's thoughts on why you probably shouldn't play a Priest, the incoming lore reasons on why those new race/class combos are possible, Adam's challenge to Blizzard and their veiled release information, and what our faction transfer survey came up with in terms of conclusions. Despite the technical issues, I'm told it was still a pretty good show, so tune in below to hear it for yourself.This week, we're going live at a special time (and yes, apologies to the guy who last week that we were switching around times constantly -- this is only because I'm embarking on a cross-country move later in the week, and the rest of the year we should always be found on Saturdays). We'll be live this Wednesday evening, September 16th, 2009 6:00 PM EDT right over on our Ustream page. I know that's probably a little late for you EU folks, but the last few shows have been earlier than usual, so this one's for the Americans getting home from work. And of course if you can't make that time, we'll definitely have the show on the iTunes feed later on for your listening enjoyment. See you then.Get the podcast:[iTunes] Subscribe to the WoW Insider Show directly in iTunes.[RSS] Add the WoW Insider Show to your RSS aggregator.[MP3] Download the MP3 directly.Listen here on the page:
WoW Insider Show this afternoon at 3:30pm Eastern
Our podcast is back on the air yet again this afternoon -- Turpster will join Amanda Dean, Adam Holisky and I to talk about the biggest posts of the past week, including (but not limited to) why even Priests dislike being Priests, the new race/class combos and how they'll be explained, why Blizzard is so secretive (and why they probably shouldn't be), and what kinds of things we learned from that faction transfer survey. And of course we'll answer your emails -- you can send those along to theshow@wow.com anytime.It all starts up tomorrow at September 12th, 2009 3:30 PM EDTvar date_span = document.getElementById("date"); var date = new Date(date_span.innerHTML); var monthname=new Array("Jan","Feb","Mar","Apr","May","Jun","Jul","Aug", "Sep","Oct","Nov","Dec"); var weekday=new Array("Sunday","Monday","Tuesday","Wednesday","Thursday", "Friday","Saturday"); var year = date.getFullYear(); var day_of_month = date.getDate(); var month = monthname[date.getMonth()]; var day = weekday[date.getDay()]; var hour = date.getHours(); if (hour > 11) { if (hour > 12) {hour -= 12} am_pm = "PM"; } else { am_pm = "AM"; } var minute = date.getMinutes(); if (minute < 10) { minute = "0"+minute; } date_string = day + ", " + month + " " + day_of_month; date_string += " at " + hour + ":" + minute + " " + am_pm; offset = -date.getTimezoneOffset()/60; if (offset >= 0) { offset = "+"+offset; } date_string += " in your time zone GMT"+offset; date_span.innerHTML = (date_string); right over on our Ustream page (or you can tune in on the embedded feed right after the break), so do be sure to join us if you're available. And of course, as usual, we'll probably have a little music during the preshow, and a little fun during the aftershow (where we turn off the recording and just chat with the kind folks in the chat channel about whatever comes up. See you there!
