Show Notes:  

• Ben rants about checks and Josh gets punk’d by his Amazon delivery driver. Join us for a 4-month fitness challenge. Stephen Leeds is barking mad!  
• Ben and Josh on checks and deliveries (0:00-19:05) 
  • It’s 2020, can we please stop writing checks??! 
  • Josh gets punk’d by the Amazon Prime delivery driver 
• Planning 50th Wedding Anniversary Celebrations (19:05-39:14) 
  • Ben’s Unit in Italy 
  • The Italian Job, Episode 9, check it out! 
  • This or this 
• Bad at English (39:14-43:21) 
  • Barking 
    • Mad/Crazy 
    • Margaret “Daggers” Thatcher was: Three stops past Barking 
• Bad at Magic Fitness Challenge 2020! (43:21-50:27) 
  • Link to Bad at Magic Fitness Tracker app 
• Book Discussion – Legion: The Many Lives of Stephen Leeds by Brandon Sanderson (50:27-2:00:00) 
  • Psychology as a Superpower 
  • Mark Rosewater on breaking the rules 
  • 2014 SE Idaho Flood 
  • Did You Put Your Name In the Goblet of Fire 
• Thanks to our listeners!  
  • Check us out on Facebook 
  • Rate us on iTunes 
  • Bad At Magic on Reddit 
  • Our YouTube Channel 
  • Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/badatmagic 
  • Tell your friends! 

Ben rants about checks and Josh gets punk'd by his Amazon delivery driver. Join us for a 4-month fitness challenge. Stephen Leeds is barking mad!

Ben and Josh quiz each other their selected "expert" topics.

Show Notes:  

• Ben and Josh talk about … 
• Intro (0:00-5:18) 
  • Support us on Patreon to get access to a special bonus episode! “Magic in the MCU” 
• Film Theories (5:18-18:06) 
  • Ben’s: Groundhog Day as a modern retelling of Beauty and the Beast 
  • Josh’s: Gaston is not the bad guy 
• Bad at Parenting (18:06-25:29) 
  • Elementary School carnivals 
    • “Abraham moment” 
    • Duty/desire conflicts 
• Sonic the Hedgehog (25:29-27:29) 
  • Shovelware: bad licensed games 
• Bad at English (27:29-31:56) 
  • That’s a good “starter for ten” 
  • Reference classic British TV quiz show ‘University Challenge‘; means: “That’s a good start” as an easy one to kick things off 
  • Similar to you or I saying “I’ll take The Wheel of Time for $200, Alex” 
• Bad at Magic: Mastermind Edition (31:56-1:22:17) 
  • Ben’s subject: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 
    • Round 1: 4/5 
    • Round 2: 2/5 
    • Round 3: 1/5 
    • Round 4: 5/5 
    • Final score: 12/20 
  • Josh’s subject: Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan 
    • Round 1: 3/5 
    • Round 2: 5/5 
    • Round 3: 5/5 
    • Round 4: 4/5 
    • Final score: 17/20 
• Teaser for next time (1:22:17-end): 
  • Book poll winner: 
    • Legion: The Many Lives of Stephan Leeds by Brandon Sanderson 
    • Read before Episode 15 so you’ll be ready for the conversation! 
• Thanks to our listeners!  
  • Check us out on Facebook 
  • Rate us on iTunes 
  • Bad At Magic on Reddit 
  • Our YouTube Channel 
  • Now on Patreon: www.patreon.com/badatmagic 
  • Tell your friends! 

Ben and Josh talk about pizza, Cyberspace, prison, magic systems in storytelling, and the suitable application of high explosives

Show Notes:  

• Ben and Josh talk about pizza, Cyberspace, prison, magic systems in storytelling, and the suitable application of high explosives 
• Intro (0:00-0:42) 
• Bad at Parenting (0:42-6:34) 
  • Carter’s Amazing Jenga move 
• Ben vs. Bureaucracy (6:34-11:57) 
  • Donate to the Chicago Lighthouse 
  • AFCEA Rocky Mountain Cyberspace Symposium 2020 
• Bad at English (11:57-16:14) 
  • Living at Her Majesty’s Pleasure: a ‘legal term of art’ (situational jargon) meaning: in prison 
  • What is the British Commonwealth?? 
• Use of Magic Systems in Storytelling (16:14-1:42:20) 
  • Hard Magic vs. Soft Magic 
  • Brandon Sanderson’s Laws of Magic 
    1. An author’s ability to solve a conflict with magic is directly proportional to how well the reader understands said magic 
    2. The limitations of a magic system are more interesting than its capabilities 
    3. Expand on what you have already before you add something new 
  • Mysticism 
    • Harry Potter 
      • Josh Recommends: The White Mage Omnibus by Ben Hale ©2013 Ben Hale 
    • Star Wars 
    • Avatar: The Last Airbender 
  • Pseudo-science 
    • Back to the Future 
    • Star Trek (pre JJ Abrams) 
    • The Matrix 
      • Neo takes the blue pill 
    • Edge of Tomorrow 
  • Unexplained phenomena 
    • Groundhog Day 
    • Stranger than Fiction (6 unrelated films by this title!) 
    • Frozen 
      • How Frozen Should Have Ended 
• Teaser for next time (1:42:20-end): 
  • Episode 13.5? Evaluating the magic systems of the… 
    • Marvel Cinematic Universe  
    • Disney Cartoons 
  • Josh builds a new computer – check it out on YouTube
  • Give your vote on our next Book Review on Facebook or Reddit 
    • Ben’s nominations 
      • How Will You Measure Your Life by Clayton Christensen 
      • Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson 
    • Josh’s nominations 
      • The Hero With a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell 
      • Legion: The Many Lives of Stephan Leeds by Brandon Sanderson 
  • The Bad At Magic version of the British game show Mastermind 
    • Josh: Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan 
    • Ben: Come Unto Christ 
• Thanks to our listeners!  
  • Check us out on Facebook 
  • Rate us on iTunes 
  • Bad At Magic on Reddit 
  • Our YouTube Channel 
  • Now on Patreon: www.patreon.com/badatmagic 
  • Tell your friends! 

Ben and Josh talk about birthday parties, jaywalking, insurance settlements, running, Theros Beyond Death, kids and cell phones, and Josh's time at the United States Air Force Academy

Show Notes:  

• Ben and Josh talk about birthday parties, jaywalking, insurance settlements, running, Theros Beyond Death, kids and cell phones, and Josh’s time at the United States Air Force Academy 
• Follow up from last time (0:00-14:41) 
• Thanks to our listeners! (14:41-16:46) 
  • Check us out on Facebook 
  • Rate us on iTunes 
  • Bad At Magic on Reddit 
  • Our YouTube Channel 
  • Josh’s Random Thoughts: Essential Adulting Tools 
  • Now on Patreon: www.patreon.com/badatmagic 
  • Tell your friends! 
• Bad at English (16:46-21:22) 
  • “Ask me one on showbiz.”  (female) or “Ask me one on sport.” (male) 
    • Meaning: “I don’t know.” 
  • Possibly from the British game show Mastermind 
    • Josh: Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan 
    • Ben: Come Unto Christ 
• Josh’s Drive-thru strategy follow-up (21:22-31:10) 
• Bad at Parenting (31:10-39:09) 
  • Kids and cell phones 
    • Verizon GizmoWatch 
• New Magic set: Theros Beyond Death (39:09-56:28) 
  • Full-art Basic Lands that look like nebulae 
  • Mythology theme 
  • Is Wizards (read: Hasbro) deliberately killing cardboard Magic? 
  • Time Stop 
• Josh’s experience at the United States Air Force Academy (56:28-) 
• Teaser for next time: 
  • Go on Reddit to suggest Fantasy Intellectual Properties (IPs) for Ben and Josh to evaluate according to Sanderson’s Laws of Magic 

Ben and Josh talk bollocks about husbanding, drive throughs, and Star Wars: the Rise of Skywalker

Show Notes:  

• Ben and Josh talk about Christmas gift giving, children’s birthday parties, and holiday gaming with the family 
• Christmas gift giving (0:00-10:23) 
  • Arthur Christmas 
  • Bad at English?: stabilizers = training wheels 
• Bad at Parenting (10:23-38:03) 
  • Giving gifts to 6 kids 
  • Children’s birthday parties 
    • Suggested etiquette for planning children’s birthday parties 
      • No Sundays 
      • Signal whether parents are expected to stay 
      • If so, provide WiFi 
      • Parents don’t have to interact 
      • Gift value range: $10-30 
      • Notice: 1-3 weeks (one if there are no special requirements i.e. costumes) 
• Holiday Gaming (38:03-1:15:53) 
  • Ben’s recommended games 
    • Easy 
      • Blokus 
      • Just One 
    • Medium 
      • Splendor 
      • Trivial Pursuit: Bet You Know It 
      • [Not Recommended] Exploding Kittens 
    • Hard 
      • [Not Recommended] Trogdor: the board game 
    • Insane 
      • Twilight Imperium (4th Edition) 
      • Magic: The Gathering Online Vintage Cube 
  • Josh’s recommended games 
    • Easy 
      • LCR 
      • Shut the Box 
    • Medium 
      • Hollow Knight 
      • Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening 
      • Pokemon TCG 
    • Hard 
      • Carthage 
      • Magic: the Gathering Arena 
    • Insane 
      • MTGO Vintage Cube 
  • Josh’s article on the 3 flavors of consuming Magic: the Gathering 
• Life (1:15:53-1:25:58) 
  • Andrea + Icy Parking Lots = Donuts 
  • Teasers for next time: 
    • Josh at the US Air Force Academy 
    • Ben vs. Bureaucracy  
    • Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker review 
• Thanks to our listeners! (1:25:58-Fin) 
  • Check us out on Facebook! 
  • Rate us on iTunes!  
  • Now on Reddit!