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List Envy episodes

March 30, 2021 Top 5 fictional librarians
Guest
Owen Stephens
Librarian. “What else is there to say?”
twitter.com
Overdue Ideas | Ideas linking Libraries, Computing, E-learning, and anything else that springs to mind.
Many people are intrigued by the depiction of their profession in popular fiction, and none more so than librarians, like this week’s guest Owen Stephens.
Owen’s picks
In order of discussion:
Bunny Watson
The TV company researcher and librarian played by Katharine Hepburn in the 1957 film Desk Set is top of Owen’s list for her quick wit and style. The film itself is a story that could be told today, and has perhaps only become more prescient.
Lirael
“It’s better to be a librarian than part of the collection”, so goes the advice given to the librarian in Garth Nix’s Old Kingdom series of novels, who uses her place of work as a means of escape and exploration.
Oswald Bates
Played by Timothy Spall in Stephen Poliakoff’s Shooting the Past – because that’s exactly who you cast – Bates fights tooth and nail against property developers intent on turning the stately home that houses his library into a business school.
Tammy Swanson
Tammy II, as she is less-than-affectionately known in the US sitcom Parks and Recreation, is the Deputy Director of Library Services in Pawnee Indiana, played blindingly by Megan Mullally. Although she has broken Ron’s heart on multiple occasions, driven him to distraction and corn rows, the worst thing about her is that “she works for the library”.
Mark’s picks
In order of discussion:
Horace Worblehat
The Unseen University is the school of wizardry in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series of novels, games and TV films. Its librarian is an orangutan who once purportedly went by the name of Horace Worblehat, but was turned into an ape via a magical accident in the first Discworld novel, and found that “being an orangutan has certain advantages”.
Mrs Phelps
Mark picked the kind woman at the desk of the public library frequented by Roald Dahl’s Matilda as his second choice, as she was the catalyst that propelled our heroine forwards, allowing her to explore and unlock more knowledge.
Brooks Hatlen
For his third pick, Mark went with the librarian at Shawshank prison, in the Stephen King short story Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption from Different Seasons. His [spoiler alert] death is what sets up the expectation of Red’s post-prison life
Joe Bookman
The “library cop” Lt Bookman, played by Philip Baker Hall is Mark’s sitcom pick. His job is to track down “library delinquets” like our hero Jerry Seinfeld. See him in action.
Honourable mentions
Rupert Giles
Flynn Carsen
Evelyn Carnahan
Wan Shi Tong
Twilight Sparkle
Kaisa
Mary from Party Girl
More of Owen Stephens
You can follow @ostephens on Twitter, or find him working on the Folio open source library project.
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1 hr 5 min
March 23, 2021Top 5 biopics
Whether they cover an entire life or centre on a pivotal moment, biopics are often Oscar fodder, and are frequently conic. In this episode, Mark and podcaster and web developer Aaron Conway get straight down to business, ranking the best biopics around.

(00:00) - Introduction
(02:29) - Aaron's pick: The Social Network
(06:52) - Mark's pick: Shadowlands
(11:44) - Aaron's pick: Rocketman
(19:46) - Mark's pick: Stan and Ollie
(21:50) - Aaron's pick: The Wolf of Wall Street
(27:22) - Mark's pick: Hillbilly Elegy
(30:46) - Aaron's pick: Dangal
(36:38) - Mark's pick: Lion
(39:24) - Aaron's pick: Marvellous
(43:10) - Mark's pick: Private Parts
(46:44) - Bio break
(50:44) - Building the final list
(52:46) - More of Aaron Conway

You can follow @aaronconway7 on Twitter and on Instagram, and make sure to check out his podcast, The Third Wheel.
56 min
March 23, 2021 Top 5 biopics
Guest
Aaron Conway
Co-host of The Third Wheel podcast.
Aaron Conway | Developer, Designer, one or the other.
The Third Wheel
twitter.com
Whether they cover an entire life or centre on a pivotal moment, biopics are often Oscar fodder, and are frequently conic. In this episode, Mark and podcaster and web developer Aaron Conway get straight down to business, ranking the best biopics around.
Aaron’s picks
In order of discussion:
The Social Network
Aaron goes straight in with the Fincher/Sorkin collaboration that tells the story of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg up until his court battle with the Winklevoss twins. It’s a top pick for Aaron as it helped pave the way for an interest and then career in tech.
Rocketman
While most biopics arguably strive for some level of accuracy, this Dexter Fletcher musical biopic of Elton John throws realism to the wind, while stillk eeping true to the man behind the piano and the massive glasses.
The Wolf of Wall Street
Aaron picks Scorsese’s Jordan Belfort for its fast pace and storytelling that both beckons you in but also makes you think “can this really have happened?”
Dangal
This big budget Bollywood film tells the story of former wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat, played by the director Amir Khan, who pushes his daughters into the world he wished he could have pushed his sons, if he had them.
Marvellous
This might be easy to overlook, but Aaron was taken with this story of the life of Neil Baldwin, which plays with the form by including the subject alongside the actor playing him (in this case, Toby. Jones), as the subject. It’s all very meta. You should watch it.
Mark’s picks
In order of discussion:
Shadowlands
This love story between author CS Lewis and poet Joy Gresham hit Mark right in the feels when he saw this at the end of 2019. It’s a quiet story about a quiet man who was given an all-too-brief glimpse of love.
Stan and Ollie
Although Laurel and Hardy mean increasingly little to younger generations, they’re part of a history we can trace back, and one that bridges the gap between the British variety scene and Hollywood’s golden age.
Hillbilly Elegy
This Ron Howard film, based on a young man’s memoir, is emotional at best and heart-wrenching at worst. A compelling story portrayed by Glenn Close, Amy Adams and Gabriel Basso, that has big and bold characters without drawing lines between heroes and villains.
Lion
Apart from linking nicely to Aaron’s first pick by way of Rooney Mara, Lion is a solid pick for Mark for the gripping retelling of Saroo Brierley’s return to India after he was adopted by a Tasmanian couple who found him in India a thousand miles away from home.
Private Parts
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Mark enjoyed a particular radio style growing up. In America, that style was epitomised by people like Howard Stern, and although society has largely outgrown that personality type, there are still some performances Mark cherishes, mostly from Paul Giamatti.
Honouarble mentions
Mark and Aaron discussed these after recording had finished, but they still deserve a mention.
The Founder
42
Ray
Walk the Line
More of Aaron Conway
You can follow @aaronconway7 on Twitter and on Instagram, and make sure to check out his podcast, The Third Wheel.
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56 min
March 16, 2021Top 5 subtly life-changing non-fiction books
Journalist Eliza Lita is a self-confessed bookworm, but her early reading focused more on non-fiction work. As a result, she’s picked up a wide variety of useful knowledge, and kept her curiosity alive. She and Mark share an appreciation for good crime fiction, and Eliza has some tips to help Mark finish the books he keeps starting.

(00:00) - Introduction
(06:10) - Eliza's pick: Ikigai
(10:14) - MArk's pick: The Chimp Paradox
(12:14) - Eliza's pick: The Face
(15:56) - Mark's pick: Self-compassion
(18:56) - Eliza's pick: Sleep Well
(24:28) - MArk's pick: The Infinite Game
(27:08) - Eliza's pick: Beyond Mars and Venus
(31:34) - Mark's pick: Three Men in a Boat
(34:24) - Eliza's pick: Lady in Waiting
(41:10) - Mark's pick: Alexander Hamilton
(44:08) - Bookmark
(46:56) - Building the final list
(48:24) - Honourable mentions
(52:32) - Goodbyes

You can read Eliza’s writings on Medium, and follow @lita_eliza on Twitter. Eliza is also Europe Editor for The Meridian magazine, and you can read some of her contributions there.
56 min
March 16, 2021 Top 5 subtly life-changing non-fiction books
Guest
Eliza Lita
Europe Editor for The Meridian magazine. Top writer in Books and Reading on Medium.
Eliza Lita – Editor and freelance journalist
twitter.com
Journalist Eliza Lita is a self-confessed bookworm, but her early reading focused more on non-fiction work. As a result, she’s picked up a wide variety of useful knowledge, and kept her curiosity alive. She and Mark share an appreciation for good crime fiction, and Eliza has some tips to help Mark finish the books he keeps starting.
Eliza’s picks
In order of discussion:
Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life
Eliza’s first pick is life-changing for her, in a less-than-subtle way. This book can help you connect with your reason-for-being, and could even help you live to 100.
The Face: A Time Code
How many times do you really look in the mirror? In this book, author Ruth Ozeki does just that… but for a really long time.
Sleep Well: Everything You Need to Know for a Good Night’s Rest
This book helped Eliza navigate through her sleep procrastination. It has a lot of useful, practical advice for improving your sleep hygiene, including a powerful visualisation technique.
Beyond Mars and Venus: Relationship Skills for Today’s Complex World
This book unpacks the differences between the way men and women think, and a more constructive manner than the “men are from Mars” style books of the previous generation.
Lady in Waiting: My Extraordinary Life in the Shadow of the Crown
Eliza’s fascination with the British royal family is piqued with this memoir by peeress Anne Glenconner. If you’re ready to take another look at the stereotypes and the lives behind The Crown , this book comes highly recommended by Eliza.
Mark’s picks
In order of discussion:
The Chimp Paradox: The Mind Management Programme to Help You Achieve Success, Confidence and Happiness
This self-help book is Mark’s top pick as it had a dramatic effect on the way he approached the part of the brain that keeps us safe, but also keeps us mired in shame and self-doubt.
Self Compassion
This book challenges the hitherto lauded notions of “self-belief”, instead demonstrating that we’re all worthy of love and compassion – even when we make mistakes – because we’re human.
The Infinite Game
This Simon Sinek book helped Mark concentrate less on his small business competitors, and focus more on his ultimate aim.
Three Men in a Boat
Although this might not be everyone’s first thought when it comes to non-fiction, Jerome K Jerome’s travelogue has some hilarious moments that opened Mark’s eyes to a style of humour he’d previously been unaware of.
Alexander Hamilton
The book that inspired the smash hit musical is Mark’s final pick, as the work it inspired changed his life in a less than subtle way.
Honourable mentions
History and Myth in Romanian Consciousness
The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life
More of Eliza
You can read Eliza’s writings on Medium, and follow @lita_eliza on Twitter. Eliza is also Europe Editor for The Meridian magazine, and you can read some of her contributions there.
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9 min
March 02, 2021Top 5 rewards of urban walking
Mark is joined by nature lover and avid walker Sue Burlton, and together they uncover the joys of a good stretch of the legs. If you’re planning a stroll, this will make excellent accompaniment.
(00:00) - Introduction
(03:40) - Sue's pick: Wildlife
(06:46) - Mark's pick: Time to yourself
(10:28) - Sue's pick: Green space
(13:38) - Mark's pick: Get stuff done
(19:46) - Sue's pick: The canals of Birmingham
(21:28) - Mark's pick: Time offline
(23:34) - Sue's pick: The Seven Wonders Way
(29:26) - Mark's pick: Collecting things
(31:32) - Sue's pick: Discovering history
(34:34) - Mark's pick: Time with company
(37:58) - A wee sit down
(40:04) - Putting the final list together
(42:58) - Goodbyes

You can follow Sue on Twitter @sueburly.
45 min
March 02, 2021 Top 5 rewards of urban walking
Guest
Sue Burlton
Paediatric ICU nurse passionate about her career and her children.
twitter.com
Mark is joined by nature lover and avid walker Sue Burlton, and together they uncover the joys of a good stretch of the legs. If you’re planning a stroll, this will make excellent accompaniment.
Sue’s picks
In order of discussion:
Wildlife
You might be surprised how much wildlife is available for you to see, even in an urban space, so let the dog off the lead for a bit and take a look through the trees and the hedgerows and see what you can spot.
Green space
Trees are good for us, berries are often plentiful, and flowers are pretty. Look, it needed to be said, and now it has been. Flowers are pretty, dammit. Look at the flowers. (Not in a Walking Dead sense, just look at them all pretty like they are.)
The canals of Birmingham
It’s an oft-recited — and completely wrong — boast that Birmingham has more miles of canals than Venice, and it’s usually spoken by people who’ve missed the point of Venice entirely. But Birmingham’s canal network is a lovely thing to be part of, whether in a bot, on a boat, or near a boat.
Seven Wonders walk
In the mid-2000s, a group of young environmentalists created a circular walking trail that brings walkers in contact with some of the lovely things Sue’s local area has to offer, from the mill pond to the Dingle.
Discovering history
Walking tours and trails give us a chance to discover and reconnect with aspects of our history. You might have to venture further online than a quick Google search as so much is buried in local knowhow passed around orally, but it’s worth it. Plus, a savvy Internet-connected individual such as yourself could be just the person to help preserve it.
Mark’s picks
In order of discussion:
Time to yourself
A long walk gives us the chance to get away from the world for a few minutes, and be unproductive (in the traditional sense) through the disconnection from the Internet and the occupation of your hands and eyes.
It doesn’t have to be a means to an end
If you don’t like the thought of exercise, for whatever reason, a walk has good practical value too, as you can stroll to the shops instead of catching the bus or jumping in the car. You can also use walk as play, and take part in a geocache.
Time offline
It’s not often you have a good excuse nowadays to not be available. The benefit of taking a long walk is that, even if you’re reachable in a workplace catastrophe, there’s probably not much you can do about it, and even if you could, you have a ready-made excuse.
Collecting things
Whether you’re collecting pinecones, conkers, or in Mark’s case, sounds, collecting is a good way to give purpose to a walk, or add a few extra achievement points to your exercise.
Spend time with someone
Although there are great benefits to walking alone, you can get even more by walking with someone you love, or at the very least you like. In times of social distancing, it’s a great way to safely meet someone you might normally only see in the pub.
More of Sue Burlton
You can follow Sue on Twitter @sueburly.
Links
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James Brindley
Time to Walk on Apple Fitness+
45 min
February 23, 2021Top 5 point-and-click adventure games
Developer of horror video games including Butterfly Collector, Valerie Paris joins Mark to discuss point-and-click adventure games you’ll remember, and one or two you’ll never forget, no matter how hard you try.

(00:00) - Introduction
(46:55) - Honourable mentions
(11:44) - Valerie's pick: Myst
(27:42) - Valerie's pick: Loom
(50:28) - More of Valerie Paris
(23:49) - Mark's pick: Discworld
(42:42) - Please insert disk two
(19:45) - Valerie's pick: Still Life
(38:21) - Mark's pick: Space Quest IV
(07:11) - Valerie's pick: Grim Fandango
(44:40) - Putting the final list together
(08:59) - Mark's pick: Day of the Tentacle
(16:39) - Mark's pick: Little Big Adventure
(30:40) - Mark's pick: Under a Killing Moon
(34:20) - Valerie's pick: Bad Day on the Midway

You can follow @UncannyVallerie on Twitter and on Itch to experience her games, and look out for Apolysis when it arrives.
51 min
February 23, 2021 Top 5 point-and-click adventure games
Guest
Valerie Paris
Creator of games, immersive media, and broken dreamthings.
twitter.com
Valerie Paris - itch.io
Developer of horror video games including Butterfly Collector, Valerie Paris joins Mark to discuss point-and-click adventure games you’ll remember, and one or two you’ll never forget, no matter how hard you try.
Valerie is too young to have played many of these games when they originally came out, but has made up for that
Valerie’s picks
In order of discussion:
Grim Fandango
This wildly popular and hilarious swashbuckling RPG from LucasArts is close to so many hearts, and it is to Mark’s eternal chagrin that he has still yet to play it. Go north, pick up thing, put thing in other thing, and hope for a resolution.
Myst
Perhaps one of the most well-known and well-regarded games of the genre and era, the atmospheric Myst is Valerie’s second pick because of its genre-defining quality and because it ran everywhere.
Still Life
A slightly more modern pick, Still Life is set in two different time periods, allowing you to play as two different characters — a police detective and her grandfather — solving related murder mysteries. Valerie describes it as “if David Fincher directed a serial killer murder mystery point-and-click”.
Loom
Perhaps one of the more obscure LucasArts offerings, Valerie’s fourth pick is a beautifully colourful and innovative game that turns the verbing-the-noun trope on its head, allowing you to perform spells and control time by playing musical notes in a particular direction.
Bad Day on the Midway
This game is meant to be a little bit scary and creepy, but there’s a chance its uncanny valley nature has propelled it from creepy to nightmare-inducing. In order to complete the game, you have to play through as a number of different characters, to get the full horrifying perspective. It’s also possible to kill off the main characters, thus making the game impossible to complete, so that’s fun.
Mark’s picks
In order of discussion:
Day of the Tentacle
Mark’s list kicks off with another LucasArts classic, a story told in the past, the present, and the future, in which you play as three characters who have to save the world from the invasion of slimy tentacle creatures, hell bent on taking over the world.
Little Big Adventure
Not to be confused with Little Big Planet , LBA (or Relentless: Twinsen’s Adventure ) as it was for some reason known in North America, is a pretty chilled-out, cozy adventure in which you play a sort-of dissident whose prophetic dreams of your planet’s discovery make the ruler nervous.
Discworld
This funny, very long and often infuriating point-and-click adventure set in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld is perhaps better than it has any right to be, based on the voice talent alone.
Under a Killing Moon
This strange point-and-click first-person interactive movie combined slapstick comedy, gratuitous use of green screen and a Blade Runner aesthetic to create a detective film noir experience like nothing… except perhaps its sequels (one of which is still in development).
Space Quest IV: Roger Wilco and the Time Rippers
In this funny sequel within the popular Space Quest series published by Sierra, you play as space-janitor Roger Wilco. It is your job to avoid the Sequel Police who are intent on putting a stop to your existence, which sees you chased throughout space, ending up in a mall where you make burgers and try on women’s clothes.
Honourable mentions
Laurie Anderson’s Puppet Motel
Barrow Hill: Curse of the Ancient Circle
Shivers
Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders
Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis
Gobliiins
Simon the Sorcerer
Starship Titanic
Eastern Mind: The Lost Souls of Tong Nou
More of Valerie Paris
You can follow @UncannyVallerie on Twitter and on Itch to experience her games, and look out for Apolysis when it arrives.
Go deeper
Haunted PS1 Demo Disc 2020
Petscop
Frog Fractions
Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail
Halt and Catch Fire (TV series)
Syncro-Vox
Guys from Andromeda
LSD: Dream Emulator
Links
Support the podcast
51 min
February 16, 2021Top 5 tips for working in the creative sector
Mark is joined by the Creative Director at Worcester-based design, branding and development agency WeAreBeard, Dave Webb, to share his top tips for working in the kind of field that your mum told you you should have a backup for.

Dave remembers the first day he was praised for drawing something good, instead of being made to feel like he was falling behind academically, which is where his affinity for creative work began.

A creative person’s priorities often don’t fit in with a “professional” culture, which can lead to clashes, of which both Mark and Dave have experience.

(00:00) - Introduction
(06:32) - Dave's tip: Don't have a plan B
(14:40) - Mark's tip: Be supportive
(19:46) - Dave's tip: Be childlike, but not childish
(22:58) - Mark's tip: Be stubborn
(27:52) - Dave's tip: Be excited by your work
(33:58) - Mark's tip: Run your own race
(43:00) - Dave's tip: Failing is learning
(49:42) - Mark's tip: Use what you have to hand
(56:00) - Dave's tip: It's a numbers game
(59:26) - Mark's tip: Take all advice with a pinch of salt
(01:03:34) - Refer a friend
(01:06:38) - Building the final list
(01:09:00) - Honourable mentions
(01:20:12) - More of Dave Webb
Follow Dave on Instagram and @illustratteddave, and check out the wonderful WeAreBeard, of which he is Creative Director.

Links
Compare the Meerkat
Mark’s meme thing
@obscurestvinyl on Instagram
1 hr 23 min

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