List Envy

Guest

Jon Hickman

Host of You Don’t Look Like a Runner, Thread, and Beware of the Leopard. Writer at Paradise Circus, and 101 Things Birmingham Game the World.

jonhickman (@jonhickman) | Twitter

Hi I'm Jon!

Fellow podcaster Jon Hickman joins Mark to cast aside things from our adolescence that we can get by just as well without.

Jon co-hosts the hilarious and often genuinely moving – no pun intended — fitness, running and tech podcast You Don’t Look Like a Runner with Nick Moreton, and Thread with Mark.

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Jon’s picks

In order of discussion:

Kevin Smith movies

The director-turned-podcaster Kevin Smith sidled onto VHS screens in the early 90s with films like /Clerks/ and /Mallrats/. He made them for a specific generation, but now they’re all grown up, is it time to leave those films behind, or is it enough to just not get excited about new ones?

The pop charts

Jon picked the pop music countdown as his second item, possibly in an effort to dump pop before pop could dump him. Nevertheless, it has become something of a cultural oddity in the era of streaming everything, so can we safely leave the pop charts behind? And what’s to be done about the Christmas single?

Graham Linehan

Linehan co-created two iconic sitcoms for Channel Four in the UK, but his recent history has been marred by unpleasant online behaviour. But the work stands, and on this Mark and Jon hold firm.

The Cheeky Nando’s

Who doesn’t love a nice bit of chicken and chips? And why must the idea of fast casual dining be a joke among snooty older people? These are the questions that need answering, but thankfully, Jon is on the case…. to ask them, if not to come up with a concrete answer.

Mark’s picks

In order of discussion:

Smash Mouth

In the late 90s, you couldn’t turn on a radio or seemingly watch a film without hearing a large man shout “SOME!” at you. Yes, /Allstar/ was a big hit, but by remaining consistent in its output, is the band serving its audience or allowing them to move on without them?

Bill Hicks

Bill Hicks was a hero to most (in their late 30s to mid 40s)., but he never meant shit to millennials. For so many, his work was a cultural touchstone whose effects ripped throughout comedy. He was also a misogynist and a cultural snob, so perhaps it’s time to let him rock out on the lake of fire in his by himself.

American Beauty

This Mendes -directed, Spacey vehicle was a firm favourite of the late-teenage Mark, but even without the lead actor’s stain, it’s a pretty marred picture by today’s standards.

The chip on his shoulder

This is something that may appeal to many, and is worth taking a listen to, as it probably doesn’t translate all that well in text.

More of Jon Hickman

You can follow Jon Hickman on Twitter, and add 101 Things Birmingham Gave the World to your Christmas wish list.

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Guest

Emma Stroud

Lover of all things fun. Like making people laugh and think. Enjoy being a clown. Plus a speaker.

Emma Stroud – MC * Performer * Speaker Mentor

Emma Stroud (@emmastroudldn) | Twitter

Everyone can stand to be a little bit more banana, so this week’s guest is professional clown, public speaker and banana enthusiast, Emma Stroud.

Emma’s personal day of relevation – perhaps not dissimilar to Albert Hofmann’s bicycle day, as covered in our first episode — came about when Emma realised how transformative she found the act of dressing up at a grown-up function, not like a fancy duchess, but like a banana.

Emma believes part of her purpose is, not only to help people laugh, but to encourage them to think more as a result. But that’s not where the healing ends: the pair uncover a way to save yourself from embarrassment at the hands of a mushy apple, and Mark asks Emma if she’s ever eaten a noni.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiDg_Qbo0NM

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Honourable mentions

Kiwi

Pomegranate

Emma’s picks

In order of discussion:

Banana

Apart from the fact that it did lead Emma to deliver a TED talk dressed as one, it’s a fruit that rarely disappoints, and has a handy traffic light system to let you know when it’s OK to eat one, depending no your personal preference.

Orange

This fruit that positively begs to be shared is also the name of Emma’s clown persona. It’s the orange. We’ve all had one. Orange. Go on, have one now, you won’t be disappointed. The orange. Orange.

Grape

The grape is an all-day fruit, and is never not available. You can take them to people who are ill in hospital — for some reason — or you can cut them in two to really change up how your day is going. You can also freeze them and pretend you’ve got sweets.

Strawberry

Nothing goes with cream, or even ice cream, quite like a strawberry. Plus, it’s the only fruit that you are legally allowed to steal from anyone’s farm because it’s not a criminal offence: it’s scrumping. (Just make sure you have a basket with you and also don’t hold us responsible if you get caught with red all down your face.)

Blueberry

This superfood is a solid-performing team player of a fruit. They’re versatile, very good for you, and often overlooked.

Mark’s picks

In order of discussion:

Avocado

Mark only began to truly understand the power of the avocado in early 2019, and like all converts, has now become a zealot.

Pear

Mark has been known to grind up the bottom seedy bits of a pear in an effort to avoid walking to the bin, and if someone handed you a pear right now, you’d probably kiss them (unless it’s outside their brief window of acceptable ripeness).

Apple

Mark favours the braeburn for its consistency and delivering a satisfying, sweet crunch. It’s perhaps not the star of the show, but is the Virgil van Dijk of the fruit bowl.

Olive

It’s possible Mark might just have put this in to wind Emma up, but it is an actual fruit.

Cherry tomato

The writer Miles Kingston is perported to have said “Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad”.

More of Emma Stroud

You can follow Emma on Instagram, and on Twitter. Also check out her website.

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Guest

Dr Sophie Carr

World’s most interesting mathematician and #Queenof Statistics winner. Owner of Bays Consulting. Loves Bayesian statistics.

Dr Sophie Carr (@SophieBays) | Twitter

Bays Consulting – Operational and Mathematical Analysis

Mark gets mathematical with bayesian mathematician Sophie Carr.

Sophie describes herself as an “accidental mathematician”, getting into the subject after studying to be an engineer. She got her PhD on the job, and transitioned from fluid mechanics to Bayesian statistics.

Here’s the piping speech from Patriot Mark mentioned.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5-9Rfrui9A

Sophie’s picks

In order of discussion:

Turbo Code

Invented by telephone engineer Claude Berrou, this bayesian algorithm encodes information for use in phone calls, and has laid the way for technology like 3G and 4G, a couple of decades in advance.

Universal unique identifier (UUID)

UUIDS — sometimes galled GUIDs — are collections of numbers and letters that can be generated by independent machines, and be almost guaranteed to be entirely unique. They’re based on timestamps — a number of seconds since a given period — and some info about the computer creating the code, as well as some random bits.

PageRank

Named after Google co-founder Larry Page, the PageRank algorithm ranks web pages based on links, the assumption being that the more important a website is, the more people will link to it.

Proportional integral derivative control

A PID controller corrects problems with automated processes. The best example, and why Sophie added it to her list, is ABS (automatic breaking in a car).

Mark’s picks

In order of discussion:

LZ 77 compression

This simple form of text compression is Mark’s top pick because it forms part of the Zip archive format, which is something even non-technical people are familiar with, and have used for decades. It works by dropping markers to repeated characters within a file, so you could reduce the phrase “how now brown cow” to “h① n① br①n c①” (a reduction of around 20%).

RSA

Public key — or asymmetric — cryptography allows for information to be encrypted by one party, but only readable by the other party. That works because the party that wants to receive the information makes their public key available to anyone who wants it, and then those that want to send information, use that public key to encrypt it. However the information can only be decrypted by that first person using their private key.

Proof of Work

This algorithm is central to the block chain – which is what bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are based on, but is also how it’s possible to maintain a shared ledger to reliably keep track of information, and to keep people honest.

Reinforcement learning

This machine learning algorithm made it onto MArk’s list basically because it’s nice. It reinforces what a computer has learned — hence the name — by giving it a reward; it’s the computer’s job to maximise the time-to-reward ratio, so will figure out ways to solve the problem more efficiently to get that sweet, sweet reward.

Dynamic range compression

Mark uses this audio compression algorithm in his work as a podcast producer. Essentially it replicates the job of a human, turning the volume of a speaker or an instrument so that the quiet parts are audible, but the loud parts don’t blow your ears off.

More of Sophie

Sophie runs Bays Consulting, who you can follow on Twitter along with Sophie herself.

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Guest

Jamie Garner

He can count, He can read and he can cook. The original triple threat.

Jamie Garner - Birmingham, United Kingdom, keele university | about.me

Jamie Garner (@grunt121) | Twitter

Mark and his guest Jamie Garner have snuck out of bed, crept downstairs and turned on the telly for a channel-hop through ‘90s nostalgia.

Both Mark and Jamie grew up with Saturday morning programming from the BBC, including /Going Live!/, /Live & Kicking/ and What’s Up Doc?, which showed cartoons and showcased some of the UK’s newest pop acts.

Mark does not pass up the opportunity to discuss the kids’ presenter Andy Crane, and the fact that he narrated one of his favourite children’s books. Incidentally, you can hear more about that book and MArk’s thoughts on it — and Andy Crane — on a recent episode of /Your Own Words/.

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Jamie’s picks

In order of discussion:

Dungeons & Dragons

Jamie’s first pick is a repeat-viewing for him. It was first released in 1983, but made its way to the UK some years later. Hollywood has tried to adapt it into cinematic form, but it’s never really taken, however there is quite an epic car commercial from Brazil, which is a must-watch for D&D cartoon fans.

ThunderCats

Every boy of a certain age had at least one ThunderCats toy. It featured a host of memorable characters, and the next piece of action was only a smash-cut away. And in keeping with the tradition of the American Saturday morning cartoon, each episode came with a moral. Remember kids, real winners don’t cry in the bath.

Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends

This Stan Lee narrated cartoon included Dracula, Frankenstein, the Green Goblin, the Incredible Hulk, and many more. Jamie’s now bringing up his kids to enjoy the series, but he maintains that their favourite character choices are incorrect.

X-Men: The Animated Series

This show ran for 5 s[image:(null)/(null)]easons, and was[image:(null)/(null)] picked up by Sky in the UK. It brought the comic books to life, transferring the most iconic characters from page to screen

Batman: The Animated Series

Starring Kevin Conroy as Batman and Mark Hamil as the Joker (roles the pair still portray in video game form), this dark and violent animated series holds up to adult viewing.

Mark’s picks

In order of discussion:

Danger Mouse

This ITV show started life in 1981, and was rebooted by the BBC a few years back. The original starred David Jason in a number of voices, and is part of a shared cartoon universe (which may be covered in a future pick).

Animaniacs

Mark maintains that this Warner Bros show had no business being made for children. It was anarchic, but the jokes were pitched so far over kids’ heads, it’s a wonder they managed even the five seasons they were commissioned for. For proof, here’s Pinky and the Brain making fun of a bad-tempered Orson Wells recording an ad about frozen peas.

Ox Tales

This Japanese cartoon captured Mark’s heart, even though he’d not seen that many episodes. It’s largely been lost to history, but bits are still available on YouTube. Here’s the opening sequence.

Count Duckula

As the theme song described, Duckula would bite neither beast nor man, because he was a vegetarian. It was another outing for Cosgrove & Hall, the writer-creators of Danger Mouse and other shows of that ilk.

Honourable mentions

The Centurions

Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light

The Transformers

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power

BraveStar

GI Joe: A Real American Hero

Heathcliff

Taz-Mania

Spiff and Hercules

Dogtanian and the Three Muskehounds

Jimbo and the Jet-Set

Muppet Babies

The Raggy Dolls

The Garfield Show

Ovide and the Gang

Sharky & George

Felix the Cat

Henry’s Cat

Rocko’s Modern Life

Doug

Hey Arnold!

Aaahh! Real Monsters

The Mysterious Cities of Gold

Around the Word With Willy Fogg

Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers

Roobarb

Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?

More of Jamie Garner

Follow Jamie on Twitter, and maybe one day he’ll release a podcast again.

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Guest

Ben Blacker

Writer of Hex Wives, co-creator of the Thrilling Adventure Hour, producer of the Dead Pilots podcast and host of the Writers’ Panel.

Ben Blacker (@BenBlacker) | Twitter

The Writers Panel

The show gets #spoopy as the Thrilling Adventure Hour’s Ben Blacker joins Mark to count down his top five silver-screen terrors.

Ben co-created the Thrilling Adventure Hour with his writing partner Ben Acker as a live theatre show in the style of an old-timey evening of radio entertainment. There’s over a decade’s worth of Thrilling to enjoy, so subscribe to the free newsletter to get some hand-picked favourites you can see and hear via YouTube.

Ben’s picks

In order of discussion:

Xenomorph

Known more commonly as “the alien from Alien(s)”, the Xenomorph or internecivus raptus is Ben’s top pick because at its heart, Ridley Scott’s 1979 Alien is a horror film, and this monster ticks all the boxes.

The Creature from the Black Lagoon

Whether in its original 1954 form or its most recent, romantic incarnation, the Creature makes Ben’s list for its exceptional design, its pathos, and because childhood memories. If you’d like to know more, you can read Ben’s friend Mallory’s book, The Lady from the Black Lagoon, about the Creature’s designer, an overlooked name in Hollywood’s history.

Gremlins

The original Gremlins is fun for most, if not all the family, as it so well intersects comedy and horror. Ben appreciates how the rules are set out, but that as an audience we don’t yet know what the consequences are for breaking them. Ben is not a fan of the sequel, as it skews too much towards the funny.

The Thing

The titular Thing from The Thing is terrifying in its amorphousness. It can take the shape of anything it touches, and although it involves some body horror — of which Ben isn’t a big fan — it comfortably makes Ben’s list as a full-on monster, albeit a somewhat formless one.

Graboid

Ben’s final pick is the worm things from Tremors, one of his favourite movies (and a firm favourite of Mark’s). Ben appreciates the cool, gross and classic monsteriness of these underground creatures, but is not on board with the name “graboid”, and he wishes to make this position absolutely clear.

Mark’s pick

In order of discussion

Zombie

For Mark, a proper zombie film ends with courage in the face of utter hopelessness. They’re one of the few fictional entities that still scare Mark. Although he originally lauded 28 Days Later as a great modern take on the zombie, he’s not so sure it holds up.

Audrey II

Although Ben doesn’t consider this Little Shop of Horrors baddy scary, Mark thinks potentially being grabbed by the balls and eaten by a giant blood-sucking plant with the voice of a Motown legend to be a little intimidating.

Hannibal Lecter

Hannibal the cannibal, in all his incarnations, makes Mark’s list as an almost supernaturally naughty man, but can Ben reconcile this against his criteria, or does this constitute a slippery slope?

Pennywise

Mark put Pennywise the dancing clown on his list for similar reasons to Ben’s selection of the Thing. (And yes, Mark understands that Pennywise is just one form of It, but it’s the version we see most in the films.) Mark finds the films not only funny, but really scary (especially the first).

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More of Ben Blacker

Follow Ben on Twitter, order your copy of Hex Wives and read his Writers Panel blog.

Photo credit for Ben’s headshot: Roman Cho

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Guest

Adam Juniper

An Adam of all trades, master of some: Drone pilot and author, photo/tech publisher, sardonic wit and astronaut (possibly).

Adam Juniper (@AdamJuniper) | Twitter

Tame Sky: DRONE Reviews & Guides in Plain English

This is a short bonus episode, with extra stuff we couldn’t fit into Tuesday’s show.

It’s brought to you by our new membership page, where you can help support the show and get us to our goal to transcribe each episode, for just £2 a month.

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Guest

Adam Juniper

An Adam of all trades, master of some: Drone pilot and author, photo/tech publisher, sardonic wit and astronaut (possibly).

Adam Juniper (@AdamJuniper) | Twitter

Tame Sky: DRONE Reviews & Guides in Plain English

Technology writer and drone expert Adam Juniper joins Mark to discuss machines that go bleep.

Adam spent many years editing and publishing books on photography, which over the years has become more about technology than chemicals.

He and Mark discuss the fun and frustration that can be had when delving into the world of smart home tech, and you can read more of Adam’s thoughts on this — and other desirable tech — on his Tech Yearning blog.

Like Mark, Adam had a Game Gear, which you can hear discussed in episode 2 of this very podcast.

The pair also discuss the “Privacy: It’s a Crime” campaign.

As a listening note: the pair do talk about the Amazon Echo devices and the lady that lives inside them, but rest assured, thanks to the ingenious editing technique of cutting out a bit of the word Ale*a, your costly egg timer won’t be set off.

Honourable mentions

Apple Watch

Nespresso coffee machines

Segway

Dyson Airblade

Zoom H2n Handy Recorder

Pebble Time

Netbooks

Smart TV sticks

Gadgets that went under the wire

Because they’re a little too old, but deserve a nod:

GSM phones

DVD player

MiniDisc

Dial-up modems

Apple iBook

Virtual reality

Adam’s picks

In order of discussion:

Apple iPhone

Although Adam labels this the gadget that killed all other gadgets (and most tech pundits agree that the iPhone 4 is the peak of Apple’s design), the first-generation iPhone from 2007 was an indisputably magical device. Not so magical for iJustine, who recorded a video unboxing her first post-iPhone AT&T bill.

USB flash drive

It’s such a humble gadget that many of us don’t think about it, but the USB flash drive, USB stick, USB “key” (it’s not a key) or “jump drive” (if you’re Griffin McElroy from 20012) is ubiquitous, and astonishingly

Parrot AR drone

Most boys wanted a remote-controlled car when they were growing up, but now 21st-century children get to want tiny helicopters that can be controlled with a smartphone. Adam was captivated by the Parrot drone when he saw one at a trade show, and has vastly upped his drone game in the intervening years.

Jaguar I-Pace

Adam picked this model, but wanted to submit electric cars in general. He likes the full-on gadgetiness of an electric car, and is also pleased to be able to talk about one that isn’t a Tesla.

Smart speaker

Adam has tested all the major smart speaker brands, and prefers the Apple HomePod, which is less of a smart speaker and more of… well, a really good-sounding speaker. But whether it’s an Amazon Echo or a Google Home, smart speakers are wonderfully useful gadgets for controlling your home and reminding you to take the chicken out of the oven.

Mark’s picks

In order of discussion:

Apple iPad

Mark picked the device that, incidentally was in design before the iPhone, but wouldn’t come out for another three years. This tablet has gone through a number of design iterations and is now available in a multitude of sizes, and is now firmly one of Mark’s everyday carries (as the tech writers would have it). He especially loves the 2018 Pro.

Flip Video

Mark was given a Flip camera as a parting gift after leaving a job in 2008, and it has remained one of his favourite gadgets of old. It was incredibly relevant for a very short period of time, before it was superseded by that dratted iPhone. The revelation was not only its point-and-shoot simplicity or its in-built storage, but the ease of transfer to a computer, compared with a MiniDV camera from the same era.

Nintendo Switch

Although Mark grew up without the joy of consoles as an everyday part of his life, he always identified as a Sega fan. And yes, like everyone else in the early 2000s he had a Nintendo Wii, but it wouldn’t be until the first ad for the Switch in 2016 that he’d begin his love affair with this powerful, portable and flexible games console. And Mark can still play Sonic on it.

Apple AirPods

The pair’s third Apple device is something Mark picks without apology, as it’s a marvel in miniaturised tech. These wireless earbuds have been oft-copied, but they do “just work”, in Apple parlance (and given that Mark has some Sony wireless earbuds to compare them to, that phrase is more than just marketing.)

More of Adam Juniper

As well as Adam’s blog, you can also buy his books on Amazon, follow him on Instagram and on Twitter, listen to the Photographer Podcast and That Option No Longer Exists, and ask him about publishing.

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Guest

Simon Heap

Director of Rugged Interactive, Cornish innovative sport design firm and maker of fitness equipment for everyone – Olympians, big brands and anyone with great ideas.

Simon Heap (@designforsport) | Twitter

Rugged Interactive | Motivational Fitness Technology

Mark speaks down-the-line with product designer, Simon Heap, as the two share their top five world-changing products, and gently collide over what can be construed a “product”.

Simon has dedicated his life to making, as he calls it, “a better mouse trap”, and now specialises in designing products for sport. You might know Simon’s work from Dragons’ Den, or perhaps you’ve bought his potato masher?

Simon once designed a CD player and argued for a sense of jeopardy within the mechanism (in the same way that there is a way to put a record on wrong), and Mark finds another member to join the ranks of those who mourn the passing of the MiniDisc. He also discovers that the Japanese may have the word he’s long searched for, to describe that wonderful sense of joy and satisfaction you get from a mechanical interaction: a good button, a sturdy spring or a crunchy click.

Honourable mentions

Printing press

Star Trek communicator

Tricorder

Simon’s picks

In order of discussion:

The wheel

It’s round. It can be used to move things. Attach two of them to a thing, and you can move it even easier. It’s what Ford Prefect called “the single simplest machine in the entire universe”. It’s the wheel.

The match

Simon picks fire — or more specifically, the match — for the ability to create heat and light at will, therefore allowing people tilling the fields all day to come home and further their education at night.

Penicillin

This 1928 invention is Simon’s third pick, and something that came up in List Envy’s very first episode. He argues that, while most of the pair’s choices spread communication across the globe, penicillin spreads health.

World Wide Web

Simon knows this, Mark knows this, and in case you didn’t before, now you do: the Internet and the Web are not the same thing. With that out of the way, Simon picked this as an extraordinary communication tool (for good or ill), and Mark brings up the Mosaic web browser as the first widely adopted way of “surfing hyperspace”.

Marine chronometer

This device enabled travel across the sea in a way that would previously have been infinitely more dangerous, allowed for more accurate mapping, and ultimately brought the world closer together by making it more navigable.

Mark’s picks

In order of discussion:

Wireless radio

Mark used the de Forest RJ6 as an early example of a commercially-available radio receiver, as the first in a set of communication devices he believes have propelled us.

Commercial aviation

Mark discusses the first commercial aeroplane flight, a short hop in 1914, which Simon contrasts with Kitty Hawk’s first public outing in 1903.

Nokia 8110

Mark picks this un-smart, by 2019 standards unsexy flip phone, as being among the first mobile phones to be desirable consumer products. Not to be outdone, this is the point in the episode in which Simon’s landline starts chirping in.

Apple Macintosh

Mark picked this computer — which was far from Apple’s first — again as a desirable object, that democratised, commoditised and made friendly the idea of computing. Simon suggested the first iMac might have been a good pick.

Audio cassette

Mark picked the hissy, mushy-sounding cassette as an interesting device in its own right, saying that, unlike vinyl or CDs, cassette tapes mark their last use: they have to be manually rewound… unless you have one of those fancy machines that messes with the tape heads and flips them around.

More of Simon Heap

Follow Simon on Twitter and LinkedIn, check out his latest business, Rugged Interactive, and his consultancy, Design for Sport.

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Guest

Alison Edgar

Sales and marketing adviser, as seen on BBC One Breakfast. Dyslexic Amazon #1 Best Seller, award winning sales trainer and coach, International TEDx speaker.

Alison Edgar (@thealisonedgar) | Twitter

Home - Alison Edgar

Mark takes flight with speaker, author and “the entrepreneur’s godmother” Alison Edgar, to build a list of the best places it takes too long to fly to.

Alison flies a lot, and finds pinning her destinations on a map lends itself to a sense of perspective. Mark responds by finding another way to tie this into his favourite sci-fi series, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

Alison, like Mark, enjoys — or enjoyed - a Bloody Mary, which has — for reasons best known to others — become de rigueur for those who enjoy boozing above the clouds.

Public service announcement: if you have Netflix and are on a long-haul flight, do remember to download a season of something to watch before you fly. No-one wants to be caught short if the in-flight media selection is sub-par.

Born in Glasgow and a self-styled extravert, Alison is not content with spending all day every day on the beach or in the local British theme pub, watching endless Only Fools repeats. She wants to mix it up with the people that make up the places she visits.

As well as a couple of good cocktail recommendations, this episode also includes a game you can play at the airport.

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Alison’s picks

In order of discussion:

Cape Town

Alison lived in Cape Town for a couple of years and considers it one of the most naturally beautiful cities she’s ever lived in. If you’re ever in South Africa, you absolutely must try a Don Pedro.

California

We’re developing a theme with Alison’s pick, but you’d be hard pressed to argue that the weather, the food and the lifestyle don’t make California a must-visit destination.

Shanghai

Alison’s third pick is a place in which she describes “sticking out like a sore thumb”, but Shanghai taught her a lot and she has very fond memories of the people and places she visited.

Dubai

Any suggestion that Alison picked this city of beautiful weather and opulent architecture purely because she got to stay in their 7-star hotel will not be tolerated. It is very hot though.

Mark’s picks

In order of discussion:

Sydney

Mark went flew to Sydney via Singapore, and did most of the things you’re supposed to do in Sydney. This is also a top pick for Alison.

New York City

Mark’s second pick is not necessarily a place you’d want to live, but definitely one you should take a good long look at. It’s not on Alison’s list, but perhaps it can make the final?

Egypt

Although it’s not necessarily a place Mark wants to visit alone, he’s captivated by the history of Egypt.

Jamaica

This nearly made Alison’s list, but it makes Mark’s because of its culture and its weather. That said, the disparity in wealth was a concern for both parties.

More of Alison Edgar

Alison is the Managing Director of Sales Coaching Solutions, author of Secrets of Successful Sales, and business speaker. You can find her on Twitter, Instagram, and on LinkedIn.

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Guest

Tani Levitt

Podcast producer for 247 Sports, host of SpeshFX, goofball extraordinaire.

Netanel Levitt – Medium

Tani Levitt (@HateItOrLevitt) | Twitter

Prepare to have your face melted clean off as you enter a whole new world of mouth noise, with guest Tani Levitt. And remember, if you’re sitting in the plash zone, you will get spittle all over you.

Tani presents SpeshFX, a narrative podcast that dives deep into the fascinating world of competitive beatboxing. If you’re familiar with the rap battle scene, it’s like that but nicer, and where people make their O face when being hit by several megatons of sick beats (just helping ease you in with the lingo).

Tani got into the scene via his brother, and started charting not only the beatbox battle scene, but also his own education, through SpeshFX. If you want a primer, start with his Beatboxing Basics YouTube playlist.

The world of the beatbox battle

Beatbox battles are judged equally on musicality, technicality, originality and stage presence. Both Tani’s and Mark’s picks have these qualities in spades, and especially for Tani who’s well-versed in this world, it can be difficult to rank performers when they’re at such a high level. So, mad props to all those spittin’ bars. (Is that a thing?)

Honourable mentions

Kaila Mullady

Beardyman

Nathan “Flutebox” Lee is probably the beatboxing flautist Mark is thinking of

Reeps One

Colaps

Zekka

Elisii

B-Art

Tani’s picks

In order of discussion:

Alem

This French master is Tani’s first pick for his technicality. He’s a multi-award-winner, having taken trophies home throughout the decade. Tani says his battle spirit and technicality are unparalleled.

Alexinho

Tani believes this Frenchman has the best singular set in beatbox history, and cites his 2017 battle against Two.H as “a masterstroke of technicality” and “90 seconds of non-stop power”. Check out the linked video, and watch for the tennis ball drop.

Hiss

This super-young and confoundingly-talented South Korean beat NaPoM to the finals in 2017. Tani describes him as a human metronome with a wide range of sounds. His studio album /Voiss/, released this year is available now.

Gene Shinozaki

This Boston beatboxer, originally from California is Tani’s favourite, for his pure musical talent. Ha made his stamp on the beatbox world in 2015 with his set entitled Jigsaw, for the Grand Beatbox Battle.

Mark’s picks

In order of discussion:

NaPoM

Hailing from the US, Neil Patrick Meadows (NaPoM) is Mark’s first pick as an entertainment powerhouse. He learned much of his technique from Tani’s #1 pick Alem, and Mark’s guest says he “redefined, with his lip roll, what it meant to be a cultured beatboxer”.

Codfish

Mark’s second pick caught him by surprise, which is why he placed perhaps higher than the other battler he was up against the first time Mark saw him. Mark enjoys the Aussie’s swagger and his ability to lift the energy of a room, and as of two weeks before this episode was recorded, his YouTube channel passed a million followers.

D-Low

Mark appreciates this Brit’s stage presence, entertainment value and sense of humour, and his ability to drop out of a beat, make a goof and unfailingly return. He won the Under-18 UK Beatbox Battle in 2014, and made it to the 2015 World Championships on the back of his wildcard video submission. Tani appreciated his moves in his battle against Colaps in this year’s Grand Beatbox Battle.

MB14

Frenchman Mohamed Belkhir, better known as MB14, is Mark’s final pick for his “amazing mouth gymnastics”, but he’s not been a solo battler for more than 15 months, having come up as part of Berywam. You can also check out his loop station album.

Where to go next

If this has got you ready for more, you can follow the scene

on YouTube

via SwissBeatbox, the host of the Grand Beatbox Battle, or Beatbox Battle who host the World Championships every two years,

and on Instagram

via Alem, Hiss, and Madox for the shoutouts, or Swish Beatbox for the goofs.

SpeshFX

You should subscribe to SpeshFX (via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts), to learn infinitely more about the beatbox scene than you will here.

Links

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