Indie Apple Techs: Knowledge is Dangerous

An all-star panel of Apple techs discuss dealing with customers who have broken iThings.

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PANELISTS

• Joe Saponare works for PsiMac and is one third of the Cmd-Ctrl-pwr (Command Control Power) podcast along with Sam.
• Sam Valencia works for HCS and is also a third of the Cmd-Ctrl-pwr podcast.
• Stephen Hackett writes 512 Pixels and was previously a third of The Prompt (RIP OMG). Keep your eyes peeled for what the Prompters have going next. He has a self-published eBook called Bartending: Memoirs of an Apple Genius. It’s only $1.99, so just buy it.
• Peter Cohen writes for iMore and can be found at iCape Solutions every weekend. He’s a big fan of bacon done the right way.

The Key Holder (Part 2 of 2)

Christina Warren and Casey Liss return to discuss video game retail and all it entailed: sexual harassment, death threats, Pokémon cards, babysitting kids, "quick change", and the loss of camaraderie and caring over the last 15 years. Part 2 of 2

Pictured: NOT Casey Liss, but close. Adam from the FuncoLand training video.

An "extended cut" combination of both episodes will appear in the Master Feed (iTunes) as "Trouble in Pikachu City". Let us know if you like that sort of thing.

SPONSORS

• Transporter: personal cloud storage that lives in your house. Use offer code ESN10 to get 10% off any Transporter model at FileTransporter.com

PANELISTS

• Christina Warren is the Senior Tech Analyst at Mashable. She's also a big-time film nerd. Big. Time.
• Casey Liss writes software and is one-third of Accidental Tech Podcast (ATP if you're nasty).

SHOW NOTES

• Part 1, "The Summer of '99"
• Funcoland commercial "Back in Five Minutes" was the bane of many's existence because a) it encouraged dropping kids off, b) minors could not sell back items, c) no one got a check or cash equivalent for trade-ins, and d) no kids were ever allowed to have that much fun in the store. Where did they think they were, FuncoLand???
• Pokémon cards are the devil, and Redemption (which is still around!) fought the devil and all the "Satanic" other CCGs of the 90's.
• Not only is Redemption still around, but they have "Women Booster packs" and a 2008 expansion set called Rock of Ages.
• Casey inaugurates "Shrinkwrapping, shelving, helping customers on the floor, or ringing in customers?" as the new "F/M/K"
• Keymaster/Gatekeeper
• Consumerist is a great site filled with loads of customer service horror stories alongside some of the best-ever reporting on consumer advocacy issues.
• Quick change scams are mean, awful things to do.
• Superman 64 is still 100% awful.
• Intelligent Qube is a great, tragically forgotten puzzle game for the PlayStation worth saving life good scotch. Chu Chu Rocket too.
• Syphon Filter really wanted to be Metal Gear Solid.
• People often forget the N64 had a bunch of really great games like Wave Race 64 and Banjo Kazooie.
• Resident Evil 2 and Code: Veronica were an obsession for many. Both games would be sold back and re-bought in Moisés' store repeatedly.
• Earthbound, part of the Mother series in Japan, still has an enormous cult following (including creator Shigesato Itoi) that drove its being made available on the Wii U eShop and the digital release of the classic Nintendo Strategy Guide.
• A combo GameCube/PS1/PS2/XBox controller to USB adapter. An yes, this makes it possible to use a Wavebird or two.
• A two-port N64 controller to USB adapter.
• You can still find loads of original vintage-plug controllers, but USB "alike" variants are all over too.

The Summer of '99 (Part 1 of 2)

Christina Warren and Casey Liss join Moisés to relive their mutual past in video game retail. Back in the days of VMUs, GD-ROMs, Product Protection Plans, and pre-internet consoles, it was the Wild West. Part 1 of 2

Pictured: FuncoLand #23 in Mesquite, TX.

"The Society of the Shrinked Wrap" will return in Part 2, "The Key Holder" (Thank You For Calling! #10).

An "extended cut" combination of both episodes will appear in the Master Feed (iTunes) as "Trouble in Pikachu City". Let us know if you like that sort of thing.

SPONSORS

• Hover: get 10% your purchase when signing up at Hover.com using offer code GLENGARRY
• Drobo: mass storage for the masses. Use offer code MOISES for $50 off Drobo 5D or 5N
• Igloo: an intranet you'll actually like and use. Visit the link to learn more and support the show. It's free for up to 10 users!

PANELISTS

• Christina Warren is the Senior Tech Analyst at Mashable. She's also a big-time film nerd. Big. Time.
• Casey Liss writes software and is one-third of Accidental Tech Podcast (ATP if you're nasty).

SHOW NOTES

• Moisés sings an acapella, truncated version of his new take on a Bionic theme song at the end of Bionic 94.
• Even for novelty value, the Virtual Boy, CD-i, and Jaguar aren't worth it. Well, maybe the Jaguar edition of Aliens vs. Predator.
• Babbage's, Electronics Boutique, and FuncoLand used to exist, I swear. Now there is only Zuul (Gamestop).
• Charles Babbage
• Babbage's has no Wikipedia page, so here's a great Ars Technica piece about the chain.
• Want to know FuncoLand? Learn the G.A.M.E.S. process before proceeding (part 1 and part 2). Moisés remembers this hilarious ripoff of Tron or Captain N: The Game Master or (probably) both vivdly...from his nightmares.
• This guy is an example of the sort of EB employee Moisés used to hate and still does. The Christina-type were always awesome. ThisGuy-type were the worst, even though he points out some of the FuncoLand-patented sales tactics and procedures.
• The Funcoland uniform was those green polo shirts and khakis you see in the video. If you came to work in jeans three times, you could actually be fired.
• This is "FuncoLand #23", where Moisés worked for most of his high school years. It has since become "GameStop #543".
• If you didn't experience the Dreamcast, you haven't lived. It won't die.
• The Neo Geo Pocket Color was a great idea, horrendously mis-marketed and had very little worthwhile software.
• Fingerboards were the bomb diggity, bro! Check these STUNTZ MOVEZ. and practice your movez anywhere!
• Seriously, Power Stone (and Power Stone 2) and Ecco: Tides of Time and Chu Chu Rocket and Crazy Taxi and Shenmue and...lots of Dreamcast games are really great, but forgotten.
• A fun story about Dreamcast launch, which involves a creepy guy in a van.
• Final Fantasy VIII had a Collectible Card Game (CCG) called Triple Triad built into the game, and yes, they actually made physical cards. There is a Flash adaptation of the game!
• Superman 64 was bad. Very, very bad.
• Star Wars: Episode One RACER was an awful game.

Best of Intentions (Part 1 of 2)

Following an online firestorm (see Bleeding Cool and The Outhousers) surrounding Mississippi-based Non-Profit Organization Comics 4 Kids, Moisés speaks with founder Michael Whitehead about its origins, his choices, and digging oneself into a deeper hole. Part 1 of 2

In the next episode, we hear from the podcasters behind Comics Therapy, both of whom directly engaged Michael over appearances of impropriety, bullying language, and the reasons, in his words, that eventually "Mark Waid called [him] an asshole".

SPONSORS

• Hover: get 10% your purchase when signing up at Hover.com using offer code TRANSFERYOU
• Transporter: personal cloud storage that lives in your house. Use offer code ESN10 to get 10% off any Transporter model at FileTransporter.com

GUESTS

• Michael Whitehead has worked in sales most of his professional career, including a long stint with Palm Harbor Homes. He has also worked in the relatively new field of credit repair. He is now actively seeking the means of transitioning the work he has done as Comics 4 Kids from NPO to For-Profit status. The Comics 4 Kids Twitter feed has been made private since this recording. To his credit, he agreed to this interview without asking the name of the show, my name, or much of anything.
• Andrea Shockling is half of the podcast Comics Therapy, to which Michael directed his followers to leave negative iTunes reviews in retaliation for what he perceived as an attack and direct accusation of fraud. Michael has since publicly apologized to Andrea and her co-host Aaron, but we will hear more about that and other developments in "Part 2".

SHOW NOTES

• Articles at Bleeding Cool and The Outhousers (odd name) about the controversy, for reference.
• Amanda Palmer's TED Talk.
• The massively successful Reading Rainbow Kickstarter.
• Giant Size co-host John Gholson called in on Comics Therapy episode 43.