Just Talking Podcast

I'm joined by Carly Medosch this week to talk about rabbits, again. We also discuss her Crohn's Disease diagnosis story and the value of social support both online and in person when living with a chronic condition. And while no two days with Crohn's are alike, Carly sheds some light on what living with this disease is like. We also cover Medicine X and what it means to be a patient advocate. Enjoy.

You can follow Carly on Twitter at @CarlyRM and blog.chronicarly.com.

Run Time - 1:07:16

Send your feedback to [email protected].

Rick Altinger, CEO of Glooko is on the podcast this week. Our conversation covers Rick's time at Stanford, the significance of working in Silicon Valley, and why some of his earlier jobs set the stage for his current role at Glooko. We also discuss the importance of data liberation, literacy, and analysis with respect to people living with diabetes. Finally, Rick explains why it's important someone in his position to listen to patients, and why he makes it a priority to take customer support calls on a regular basis. Enjoy.

Be sure to visit glooko.com to learn more about Glooko's system..

Run Time - 1:09:15

Send your feedback to [email protected].

This week Harmonix Music Systems' Director of Communications and Brand Management, John Drake, is on the podcast. We cover John's collegiate experience at Harvard as well as his role as "fun czar". We also discuss his music background, including his record label, and why having your own record label is not fun around tax season. And we cover some highlights of working at Harmonix, from Rock Band, to Dance Central, and the upcoming Fantasia: Music Evolved. And I ask about the Super Drake Tracker 2000 EX, because I still can't believe it's a real thing. Enjoy.

Follow John on Twitter at @johntdrake, and keep up with the latest news about Fantasia: Music Evolved at facebook.com/fantasiagame.

Run Time - 1:16:36

Send your feedback to [email protected].

Fresh out of Evolution 2013, the Fighting Game Community's largest tournament, Wynton "Prog" Smith is on the podcast this week to talk all about Super Smash Bros. Melee. This game, and the Smash Bros. community had a memorable journey on its way to this tournament, from public polls, to fundraisers for breast cancer research, from nearly having the game banned from streaming to the public, to one of the most memorable moments during the final day of the tournament, Wynton details his experience from the front-lines of the movement. Enjoy.

Follow Wynton on Twitter at @progducto, and keep up with the latest from Smash Bros. community at SmashBoards.com and on Reddit.

Run Time - 46:20

Send your feedback to [email protected].

I'm joined this week by Abbie Heppe, Community Manager for Respawn Entertainment. We discuss unusual ways to find job postings and receive job offers (in her case, in the gaming industry). I learn about the pressure of covering E3 from the media perspective as Abbie shares some of her experiences working at G4. I also learn about the pressure of revealing your previously unannounced game to a worldwide audience and what it's like building a community around a game isn't public knowledge. Enjoy.

Follow Abbie on Twitter at @abbieheppe, and keep up with the latest from Respawn and learn more about Titanfall at Respawn.com and @Respawn.

Run Time - 1:00:00

Send your feedback to [email protected].

Nels Anderson, Lead Designer at Klei Entertainment is my guest this week. We cover life in Wyoming, life in Canada, and life before designing video games. More specifically, we discuss Nels' journey to video game development, why his career in the industry nearly ended before it truly began, at his work at Hothead Games on DeathSpank. Finally, Nels shares his feelings about all the positive reaction and recognition for Mark of the Ninja, and the upcoming release of the Special Edition of the game (which you can read about here). Enjoy.

Follow Nels on Twitter at @Nelsormensch and keep up with the latest Mark of the Ninja news at markoftheninja.com/.

Run Time - 1:05:30

Send your feedback to [email protected].

Adding some New England charm to the podcast, I'm joined this week by Jess Buchanan. We discuss the appeal of Vermont and the appropriate age to give a newborn a pair of hockey skates. Jess also shares the series of events that unfolded alongside her diabetes diagnosis as well as her journey to finding and eventually participating in the diabetes online community. And there's some conversation about stress-free wedding planning, triathlon training, and the notion that rabbits are trainable pets. That last one sort of blew my mind. Enjoy.

Follow Jess on Twitter at @saucygurl915 and http://nachoblog311.wordpress.com/.

Run Time - 53:51

Send your feedback to [email protected].

Prior to the beginning of the American Diabetes Association's 73rd Scientific Sessions hosted in Chicago, Illinois, I spoke with a few members of the diabetes community who would be walking the convention center floor and experiencing the madness for themselves. Scott Johnson was attending his first Scientific Sessions and we spoke about his expectations as a newcomer. Bennet Dunlap spoke about his most anticipated presentations and what he hopes to learn from his week in the Windy City. And Kerri Sparling and I briefly chat about her schedule in Chicago but quickly tangent off into a range of topics too long for this summary. Enjoy.

Follow Scott Johnson on Twitter at @scottkjohnson.

Follow Bennet Dunlap on Twitter at @badshoe.

Follow Kerri Sparling on Twitter at @sixuntilme.

Run Time - 1:02:21

Send your feedback to [email protected].

This week I'm joined by GameFly's Director of Publishing and host of Weekend Confirmed, Garnett Lee. Garnett shares his impressions fresh out of E3 2013, and discusses why devoting just one podcast episode to the Expo was not a popular decision among his listeners. We also cover his entry into games media and his podcasting origins while working at Ziff Davis. I learn about the potential influences covering the games industry can have on Garnett's role as publisher. And we briefly discuss the upcoming season for the Dallas Cowboys. Enjoy.

You can follow Garnett on Twitter at @GarnettLee and download Weekend Confirmed at http://www.shacknews.com/tag/weekend-confirmed.

[audio http://traffic.libsyn.com/iamspartacus/Just_Talking-192-Weekend_Confirmed.mp3]

Run Time - 1:05:24

Send your feedback to [email protected].

Coinciding with my marathoning through Scrubs on Netflix, Ashley Rose joins me this week. We discuss her journey to becoming a Registered Nurse, the compressed education track she took to get this far, the complexity of working within the current healthcare system, and the reality of working with patients that can find you on Facebook. We also discuss her diabetes diagnosis and we judge the accuracy of various medical shows past and present. Enjoy.

You can find Ashley on Twitter at @dream4muse and on her blog at talesofswaging.blogspot.com.

Run Time - 1:01:58

Send your feedback to [email protected].