We're back again,

The podcast that is, and isn't, but was, on holiday is back. Has the hot summer exposed any hidden secrets in your back garden?

We catch up with news and remind ourselves which end of the microphone to hold.

Rob looks at orange Lego spaceships, papermakers and Studio Ghibli. Jon takes a look at The Design Museum's events arm(s), a comic in the Booker Prize longlist, and a celebration of the BBC Micro. Switching to Mode 0…

Pies are from Aldi and St Margarets. A clear dichotomy of pies, if ever there was one.

We're back again,

The podcast that is, and isn't, but was, on holiday is back. Has the hot summer exposed any hidden secrets in your back garden?

We catch up with news and remind ourselves which end of the microphone to hold.

Rob looks at orange Lego spaceships, papermakers and Studio Ghibli. Jon takes a look at The Design Museum's events arm(s), a comic in the Booker Prize longlist, and a celebration of the BBC Micro. Switching to Mode 0…

Pies are from Aldi and St Margarets. A clear dichotomy of pies, if ever there was one.

We're delighted to have another special guest on the show. This time it's Mark Phoenix, web developer and co-host of the excellent Relative Paths podcast. He talks to us from underneath his secret blanket den in Cheltenham about his career in code.

Chat meanders across diverse subjects such as grapefruit curses, Baby robins, Extremity comic, Imaginary Worlds podcast, Yoda's house, Mike Sienkiewicz , Brian Eno, the resurgent Microsoft, imposter syndrome, and, of course, pies.

Special Guest: Mark Phoenix.

We're delighted to have another special guest on the show. This time it's Mark Phoenix, web developer and co-host of the excellent Relative Paths podcast. He talks to us from underneath his secret blanket den in Cheltenham about his career in code.

Chat meanders across diverse subjects such as grapefruit curses, Baby robins, Extremity comic, Imaginary Worlds podcast, Yoda's house, Mike Sienkiewicz , Brian Eno, the resurgent Microsoft, imposter syndrome, and, of course, pies.

Special Guest: Mark Phoenix.

In the podcast that is and isn't about GDPR we discuss anything that doesn't involve mailing lists, sign up forms and panicky marketing teams. Jon is at a crossroads and Rob is generally cross with anything to do with crossing London.

What time is love? No one knows, now we're all wearing Nuncs. Also with Roger Dean, Atari and Bill Gold, it's like the Seventies never went away.

Now they've gone, it's pie-time! Two of them. Both encased. In case you have forgotten what a pie is.

Links:

• Revisionist History Podcast — Rob's been enjoying Malcolm Gladwell's fascinating podcast.
• Worlds by Raphael Lacoste — Worlds - The concept art of Raphael Lacoste.
• The Etherington Brothers — The Etherington Brothers. Comic creators, illustrators, concept artists, the list goes on.
• Anthony Burrill — Jon has a new Anthony Burrill print. We're both big fans of A.B.
• Hellboy Omnibus Volume 1: Seed of Destruction: Amazon.co.uk: Mike Mignola, John Byrne: 9781506706665: Books — Jon's been reading this to his four year old daughter, for which we salute him.
• Spotify — Jon's been listening to this. Rob has never heard any of their music.
• Roger Dean On The Future - YouTube — Roger Dean discusses the future.
• Nunc-Home — Nunc. I can't bring myself to write anything else about it.
• Results for 'bill gold' | Posteritati Movie Poster Gallery | New York — Help yourself to some of the finest film posters ever produced, if you have a few hundred quid. RIP Bill Gold.
• 'A gothic space rocket to a secret realm' – Westminster Abbey's new £23m tower | Art and design | The Guardian — Jon and Rob both agree the new Weston Tower at Westminster Abbey looks fantastic. Get the to the Triforium.
• Notes to Myself – Produced For Use — Creative inspiration in stationery form from Brendan Dawes.
• New Adventures — New Adventures in Web Design is back next year.
• Atari VCS: Game, Stream, Connect Like Never Before | Indiegogo — Would you spend £300 to play Pong? We're not so sure.

Links:

This week we are joined by special guest and master of the Bézier curve, Ben the Illustrator.

News includes an Oliver Postgate exhibition, in-game art in Codemasters' Onrush, Microsoft's adaptive controller for disabled gamers, Monde's bookend models, and the curious case of the European Museum of the year.

We talk to Ben about his career in illustration, his creative process, his plans for the future, and why social media should be a two-way conversation.

Pies are a Pieminister Kate and Sidney pie (Jon – 7), a Minced Beef pie from Turner's Pies in Chichester (Rob – 8.96), and a John Thorner's Steak and London Pride pie (Ben – 8).

Special Guest: Ben the Illustrator.

Links:

• Temperate House | Kew — Rob visited the newly restored Temperate House at Kew Gardens. It's now his favourite building in London.
• The Fall - Vol.1 & pre-order issues 4-6! Blackyard Shop Illustration GmbH — Rob's been reading The Fall, by Jared Muralt.
• The Complete Calvin and Hobbes: Amazon.co.uk: Bill Watterson: 0050837310001: Books — Jon's been reading Calvin and Hobbes to Kitty.
• Mr Bingo’s Online Supermarket — Jon received a, typically filthy, book from Mr Bingo.
• Paper Girls Volume 1: Amazon.co.uk: Brian K. Vaughan, Cliff Chiang: 9781632156747: Books — Ben has been reading Volume 4 of Paper Girls, a comic book he recommends.
• Calf high socks. Overlook hotel socks. Burgundy, Party Orange and Chocolate Brown socks. — Rob was particularly taken by these Kubrickian lower-leg coverings.
• Magical Bookends Transform Bookshelves into the Back Alleys of Japan | Spoon & Tamago — Incredible bookends from @monde. Turning bookshelves in to little corners of Tokyo.
• Clangers, Bagpuss & Co | Hull Culture and Leisure — If you like the Clangers, Bagpuss, or Noggin the Nog, get yourself to this exhibition in Hull.
• Microsoft to launch disability-friendly Xbox controller | Games | The Guardian — An adaptive Xbox controller to make games more accessible.
• 8x10 - Sell Limited Edition Fine Art with a Single Post to Instagram — A new way to sell art through Instagram.
• ONRUSH | The all-action arcade racer from Codemasters — Ben, along with a number of other artists, contributed art for this brilliant looking game.
• Home - Design Museum — The Design Museum has been named European Museum of the Year. Jon and Rob have issues, some of them about this.
• Ben the Illustrator — Ben's brilliant website.
• Ben the Illustrator - Illustrator's Survey — The 2017 Illustrator's Survey.
• Ben The Illustrator (@BenIllustrator) | Twitter — Ben on Twitter.
• Ben The Illustrator (@benillustrator) • Instagram photos and videos — Ben on Instagram.
• Ben The Illustrator Print Store — Buy Ben's gorgeous work here.
• Superorganism - The Debut Album Out Now — Ben's pick for Website of the Week. The fabulous website for Superorganism.

Links:

Our hosts take a listen to a couple of new podcasts and the new sound effect library from the BBC. They ponder the task that faces Flickr's new owners and moot a possible visit to Thought Bubble in Leeds later this year.

Rob and Jon discuss tools they use everyday to help them do their work more efficiently. Find out who will survive when the grid shuts down.

Jon's pie gets more points than Rob's. The world is in turmoil.

Links:

• Goliath: Amazon.co.uk: Tom Gauld: 9781770462991: Books — Tom Gauld's fabulous Goliath.
• Moebius Library: The World of Edena: Amazon.co.uk: Moebius: 9781506702162: Kitchen & Home — Moebius's wonderful World Of Edena.
• BBC Sound Effects - Research & Education Space — BBC Sound Effects department have put over 16,000 sound effects online.
• Scenes Unseen: The Summer of ’78 - The New York Times — Another beautiful photo essay from the NYT. Summer of 1978.
• Temperate House | Kew — The Temperate House at Kew has reopened after five years and £40 million.
• WhatsApp CEO Jan Koum quits over privacy disagreements with Facebook | Technology | The Guardian — WhatsApp founder quits FB
• Visit | Thought Bubble Festival — Will the next North v South field trip be to the Thought Bubble comic festival in Leeds?
• About - Bullet Journal — We really have no idea…
• The all-new Things. Your to-do list for Mac & iOS — Things app.
• Magnet – Window manager for Mac — Magnet app.
• Home - Dropbox — Dropbox.
• Zeplin — Zeplin app.
• Moleskine Sketchbook: Moleskine: Amazon.co.uk: Office Products — Moleskine sketchbook.
• STABILO point 88 Fineliner, Black, Wallet of 10: Amazon.co.uk: Office Products — Stabilo Point 88 pen.
• Post-it Super Sticky Notes, 3 x 3-Inches, Neon Orange, 5-Pads/Pack: Amazon.co.uk: Office Products — Orange Post-It notes. The only colour that matters.
• MiniSun A3 LED Modern Ultra-Slim Art Craft Design LightPad: Amazon.co.uk: Kitchen & Home — Minisun A3 Lightbox.
• Tim Bushe is fundraising for HFT — Tim Bushe's marvellous fundraising effort as Hedge Trimmer Man.
• Sainsbury's Steak, Mushroom & Red Wine Pie 235g | Sainsbury's — Rob's Pie. Which merited a 6 out of 10.
• Sainsbury's Mini Bramley Apple Topped Pork Pies, Taste the Difference x4 200g | Sainsbury's — Jon's pie, which he awarded a solid seven out of ten.

Links: