The Functional Nerds Podcast

How do you celebrate an epic 350th episode? Doesn’t matter – cuz you’re in Functional Nerd town and this is how WE do it! It’s time to go EPIC with Patrick and John doing what they do best – talking about STUFF. EPICALLY. Because 350! That’s right! You know who else has gone the distance? The band Chicago – so we talk about their documentary Now More Than Ever: The History of Chicago. We also talk EPICALLY about Altered Carbon on Netflix, Battlestar Galactica on Prime, about each streaming service’s apps, user interfaces and experiences, fan backlash about STUFF like The Last Jedi, streaming licenses, The Expanse books by James SA Corey as well as the audiobooks narrated by Jefferson Mays, and seasons 2 and 3 (upcoming) of the TV show, The Wheel of Time audiobooks, Marvel’s Black Panther, starred reviews, skimming, and much more.

Links:

* John Anealio on Twitter

* Patrick Hester on Twitter

* The Functional Nerds Patreon Page

* Patrick’s Book: Into the Fire (available everywhere)

© 2018 Patrick Hester and John Anealio

This podcast contains original music by John Anealio.

In episode 349 of the Functional Nerds Podcast, Patrick Hester and John Anealio welcome back Gail Carriger – author of the new book Romancing the Werewolf, and cohost of the newly minted 20 Minute Delay podcast.

About Gail: Gail Carriger writes comedies of manners mixed with paranormal romance (and the sexy San Andreas Shifter series as G L Carriger). Her books include the Parasol Protectorate, Custard Protocol, and Supernatural Society series for adults, and the Finishing School series for young adults. She is published in many languages and has over a dozen NYT bestsellers. She was once an archaeologist and is fond of shoes, octopuses, and tea.

About Romancing the Werewolf: Biffy, newly minted Alpha of the London Pack, is not having a good Christmas. His Beta abandoned him, his werewolves object to his curtain choices, and someone keeps leaving babies on his doorstep.

Professor Randolph Lyall returns home to London after twenty years abroad, afraid of what he might find. With his pack in chaos and his Alpha in crisis, it will take all his Beta efficiency to set everything to rights. Perhaps, in the process, he may even determine how to mend his own heart.

New York Times bestselling author Gail Carriger presents a charming love story set in her popular steampunk Parasolverse. Featuring the long-awaited reunion between everyone’s favorite quietly capable Beta and the werewolf Alpha dandy who let him slip away.

This sweet romance is full of unexpected babysitting, holiday decorations, and no small amount of pining. Look for surprise appearances from popular side characters and the occasional strategic application of italics.

About 20 Minute Delay: What is it? A podcast! Gail and Piper are travel addicts by choice, compelled to travel even more for their jobs. In this fast paced romp through the detailed intricacies of travel the duo plan to cover everything from travel “kits” to comparisons of which terminals are best at a given airport or train station on a given day for particular amount of time.

This week’s picks:

* Gail Carriger: Killjoys – Syfy

* John: The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living

* Patrick: Phoenix Rising: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris

Links:

* Gail Carriger on Twitter

* Gail’s best blog post on the subject of packing for and attending conventions

* John Anealio on Twitter

* Patrick Hester on Twitter

* The Functional Nerds Patreon Page

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In episode 348 of the Functional Nerds Podcast, Patrick Hester and John Anealio welcome Patrick Lohier – co-author of False Idols – an upcoming new release from SerialBox.com! Patrick Lohier’s stories, book reviews, and essays have appeared in African American Review, the Georgia Review, Callaloo, the Globe & Mail, Boing Boing and other publications. He is an alumnus of the Caldera Artists Residency program, in Sisters, Oregon, and lives in Toronto with his wife and two kids. You can find Patrick online at www.patricklohier.com.

About False Idols: FBI Linguist Layla el-Deeb is deep undercover posing as an heiress in the Middle East. She must infiltrate the highest echelons of society in order to trace priceless relics from their millionaire owners back to illegal digs and the terrorist groups profiting from their sale.

But Layla’s troubled past and growing feelings for an art dealer’s son begin to complicate her judgment, and when she uncovers a terrorist plot that threatens American and Egyptian lives she must decide where her loyalties truly lie.

False Idols is written by Lisa Klink, Diana Renn and Patrick Lohier.

This week’s picks:

* Patrick Lohier: Annihilation: A Novel by Jeff VanderMeer

* John: Google Pixel 2

* Patrick: The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter

Links:

* Patrick Lohier on Twitter

* John Anealio on Twitter

* Patrick Hester on Twitter

* The Functional Nerds Patreon Page

* Patrick’s New Book: Into the Fire (available everywhere)

© 2018 Patrick Hester and John Anealio

This podcast contains original music by John Anealio and a promo for 20 Minute Delay – the new podcast from Gail Carriger and Piper J. Drake.

In episode 347 of the Functional Nerds Podcast, Patrick Hester and John Anealio welcome long-time podcast friend and author Django Wexler – whose new novel The Infernal Battalion – Book Five of The Shadow Campaigns – is out and concludes the series! What do we talk about?

Well folks – THIS IS THE SPOILER EPISODE for Star Wars: The Last Jedi. If you haven’t seen the movie yet – you may want to skip this one until after you’ve seen it. You have been warned…

The Infernal Battalion: The Beast, the ancient demon imprisoned beneath the fortress-city of Elysium for a thousand years, has been loosed on the world. It absorbs mind after mind, spreading like a plague through the north. The fell army it has raised threatens the heart of Vordan, and it is under the command of the Beast’s greatest prize: legendary general Janus bet Vhalnich.

As Queen Raesinia Orboan and soldiers Marcus D’Ivoire and Winter Ihernglass grapple with the aftermath of a hard-fought military campaign, they soon discover a betrayal they never could have foreseen. The news arrives like a thunderbolt: Janus has declared himself the rightful Emperor of Vordan. Chaos grips the city as officers and regiments are forced to declare for queen or emperor.

Raesinia must struggle to keep her country under control and risks becoming everything she fought against. Marcus must take the field against his old commander, a man who has seemed an unbeatable strategist. And as Winter recovers from her injuries and mourns her losses, she knows the demon she carries inside her might be the only thing standing between the Beast and the destruction of everything in its path….

About Django Wexler: Django Wexler graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh with degrees in creative writing and computer science, and worked for the university in artificial intelligence research. Eventually he migrated to Microsoft in Seattle, where he now lives with two cats and a teetering mountain of books. When not writing, he wrangles computers, paints tiny soldiers, and plays games of all sorts.

This week’s picks:

* Django: Netflix: Dark

* Pick 2: Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames

* John: Travelers Season 2

* Patrick: Persepolis Rising by James S.A. Corey

Links:

* Django Wexler on Twitter

* John Anealio on Twitter

* Patrick Hester on Twitter

* The Functional Nerds Patreon Page

* Patrick’s New Book: Into the Fire (available everywhere)

© 2018 Patrick Hester and John Anealio

This podcast contains original music by John Anealio and a promo f...

In episode 346 of the Functional Nerds Podcast, Patrick Hester and John Anealio welcome J.F. Dubeau – author of The Life Engineered, A God in the Shed and Arch-Android – the sequel to The Life Engineered.

The Life Engineered is one of the first three books inducted into the Sword & Laser Collection on Inkshares. In the year 3594, humanity is little more than a memory—a legend of the distant past, a rumor that might one day reappear. Capeks, a race of artificial creatures originally created by humans, have inherited the galaxy and have formed a utopian civilization built upon individual purposes serving the whole. They busy themselves tirelessly toward preparing the way for humanity’s return.

As a newly created Capek, Dagir is expected to find her place in this intricate society. Weighed down by the legacy of her creation and built for rescue and repair, she finds her abilities tested immediately after her birth. The destruction of a large, sentient Capek building facility—her creator—signals the end of peace and marks the first instance of murder among Capeks. For the first time in their history, conflicting philosophies clash, setting off a civil war that could lay waste to the stars themselves.

As the layers of Capek history peel away to reveal more of their origin, truths see the light for the first time in centuries. The revelations that result may tear humanity’s children apart—and destroy the galaxy in the process.

About J.F. Dubeau: By profession, he is a graphic designer. He’s always been somewhat good with images and visual communications and has been making his living using those skills for nearly two decades. He is also a story teller. For as long as he can remember, he’s been trying to tell stories. Comics, role playing games, even through illustrations, his focus has always been on narratives, characters, plots and tales. A few years ago he started writing long form fiction and novels…

This week’s picks:

* J.F.: Galilee by Clive Barker

* John: Arcanum Unbounded by Brandon Sanderson

* Patrick: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Links:

* J.F. Dubeau on Twitter

* John Anealio on Twitter

* Patrick Hester on Twitter

* The Functional Nerds Patreon Page

* Patrick’s New Book: Into the Fire (available everywhere)

© 2018 Patrick Hester and John Anealio

This podcast contains original music by John Anealio.

In the 345th episode of the Functional Nerds Podcast, Patrick and John spend some time talking about Year End Picks for TV shows and bands/albums, then we have a spoilery talk about Star Wars: The Last Jedi wherein we try really hard not to spoil much and are as vague as we can manage, but you should still beware if you haven’t seen the movie yet…

Year End Picks:

TV Shows:

* John #1: Travelers

* Patrick #1: Bosch

* John #2: Star Wars Rebels

* Patrick #2: Rick & Morty

* John #3: Stranger Things

* Patrick #3: The Tick

Honorable Mentions in TV Shows:

* Patrick:

* Mozart in the Jungle

* Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life

* John:

* Voltron

Music/Bands/Albums:

* Patrick #1: Rival Sons

* John #1: Tokyo Motor Fist

* Patrick #2: Halestorm

* John #2: Sons of Apollo: Psychotic Symphony

* Patrick #3: Inglorious

* John #3: The Night Flight Orchestra: Amber Galactic

Links:

* John Anealio on Twitter

* Patrick Hester on Twitter

* The Functional Nerds Patreon Page

* Patrick’s New Book: Into the Fire (available everywhere)

© 2017 Patrick Hester and John Anealio

This podcast contains original music by John Anealio.

In the 344th episode of the Functional Nerds Podcast, Patrick and John persevere through a tryptophan-induced haze in order to talk about several things, including Thanksgiving, Zencastr, umms, uhhs and ya knows, show prep, interviews, recording and editing, public speaking, content marketing, deliberate practice, the proper way to cook yams, teaching, New Yorkers (and east coasters), The Punisher, Netflix, PlayStation, Star Wars, The Dirt: Confessions of the World’s Most Notorious Rock Band and much more…

Links:

* John Anealio on Twitter

* Patrick Hester on Twitter

* The Functional Nerds Patreon Page

* Patrick’s New Book: Into the Fire (available everywhere)

© 2017 Patrick Hester and John Anealio

This podcast contains original music by John Anealio.

In episode 343 of the Functional Nerds Podcast, Patrick Hester and John Anealio welcome fantasy author Tracy Townsend, whose debut novel – The Nine – is available from PYR.

About Tracy: Tracy Townsend holds a Master’s degree in Writing & Rhetoric from DePaul University and a Bachelor’s degree in creative writing from DePauw University, a source of regular consternation when proofreading her credentials. She has served as chair of the English Department at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, an elite public boarding school, where she currently teaches creative writing and science fiction & fantasy literature. She has been a martial arts instructor, a stage combat and accent coach, and a short-order cook for houses full of tired gamers. Now she lives in Bolingbrook, Illinois with two bumptious hounds, two remarkable children, and one very patient husband. Her short story, “Late Arrivals,” was published by Luna Station Quarterly in March 2016.

This week’s picks:

* Tracy: Thor: Ragnarok

* John: Future Man

* Patrick: Mindhunter

Links:

* Tracy Townsend on Twitter

* John Anealio on Twitter

* Patrick Hester on Twitter

* The Functional Nerds Patreon Page

* Patrick’s New Book: Into the Fire (available everywhere)

© 2017 Patrick Hester and John Anealio

This podcast contains original music by John Anealio.

In episode 342 of the Functional Nerds Podcast, Patrick Hester and John Anealio welcome New York Times Bestselling Author and award winning game designer Richard Baker. His latest novel – a military SF called Valiant Dust – is available from Tor Books.

About Richard: A former United States Navy officer and a well-known game designer, Richard Baker is the author of fourteen novels, including the New York Times best seller Condemnation (Wizards of the Coast, 2003) and the highly acclaimed The Last Mythal trilogy (Wizards of the Coast, 2004–2006). He is a lifelong devotee of science fiction and fantasy, a history enthusiast (particularly military history), and an avid fan of games of all kinds.

This week’s picks:

* Richard: The Sand Pebbles – Steve McQueen

* John: Movies Anywhere

* Patrick: All Things Must Pass: The Rise and Fall of Tower Records

Links:

* Richard Baker on Facebook

* John Anealio on Twitter

* Patrick Hester on Twitter

* The Functional Nerds Patreon Page

* Patrick’s New Book: Into the Fire (available everywhere)

© 2017 Patrick Hester and John Anealio

This podcast contains original music by John Anealio.

In episode 341 of the Functional Nerds Podcast, Patrick Hester and John Anealio welcome E. C. Myers and Andrea Phillips – two of the authors behind ReMade Season 2 – now on SerialBox.com.

About ReMade: Every minute, 108 people die. In one of those minutes this fall, twenty-three of those deaths will be teenagers. Now they are humanity’s last hope for survival. Awakened in a post-apocalyptic world and hunted by mechanical horrors, these teens search for answers amidst the ruins of civilization. Fate, love, and loyalty face off in this adrenaline -pumping adventure.

About E. C. Myers: E(ugene).C. Myers is the author of four young adult novels: Fair Coin, Quantum Coin, The Silence of Six, and Against All Silence. His science fiction and fantasy short stories have been published in a number of magazines and anthologies such as Kaleidoscope: Diverse YA Science Fiction and Fantasy Stories, Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine, and Space and Time magazine.

He attended the Clarion West Writers Workshop in 2005 and is a member of the professional writing group Altered Fluid. He currently lives with his wife, son, two doofy cats, and a deaf Australian Shepherd in Pennsylvania. In his increasingly scarce free time, he blogs Star Trek Re-watch reviews with Torie Atkinson at TheViewscreen.com, is an assistant editor at Nightmare Magazine, critiques manuscripts, reads constantly, lurks on the internet, plays video games, and pursues other extracurricular activities that prevent him from getting sleep.

About Andrea Phillips: Andrea Phillips is an award-winning transmedia writer, game designer and author. She has worked on projects such as iOS fitness games Zombies, Run! and The Walk, The Maester’s Path for HBO’s Game of Thrones, human rights game America 2049, and the independent commercial ARG Perplex City. Her projects have variously won the Prix Jeunesse Interactivity Prize, a Broadband Digital award, a Canadian Screen Award, a BIMA, the Origins Vanguard Innovation Award, and others. Her book A Creator’s Guide to Transmedia Storytelling is used to teach digital storytelling at universities around the world.

Her independent work includes the Kickstarted serial The Daring Adventures of Captain Lucy Smokeheart and The McKinnon Account, a short story that unfolds in your email inbox. Her debut novel Revision is out on May 5 from Fireside Fiction Co. and her short fiction has been published in Escape Pod and the Jews vs. Aliens anthology.

This week’s picks:

* E.C.: Retronauts – America’s favorite classic gaming podcast, probably

* Andrea: Goblin: The Lonely and Great God (Korean TV Show)

* John: StrangerThings Season 2

* Patrick: StrangerThings Season 2

Links:

* E. C. Myers on Twitter

* Andrea Phillips on Twitter

* John Anealio on Twitter

* Patrick Hester on Twitter