Grumptastic Links: A Couple Podcasts for Disney Code Monkeys

So what is a code monkey to listen to when hard at work creating something that isn't distracting, but is conducive to the creative and analytical process? 

To further expand on the question, what do they listen to when they are an avid fan of Disney Theme Parks?

I know there are some people out there who listen to a heck of a lot more podcasts related to Disney than I do (<cough>George</cough>), but most of those that I listen to require a bit of engagement to get the most out of them.

That can prove difficult when you live your life as a code monkey.  It's a job that requires a lot of thinking and concentration when trying to solve difficult problems.

Well, as I was thinking about this post, I came to the conclusion that a couple Podcasts that I listen to really fit into the needs of such a person.

The Window To the Magic Podcast

The Window to the Magic Podcast is hosted by Paul Barrie, Jr. and Patrick Hurd (a fellow Okie and CMO candidate).  Paul has a very soothing voice that blends into the content he's presenting.  I have heard him referred to as the "Mr. Rogers" of Disney Podcasting.  Patrick has a similarly matched radio voice. 

As far as content, Window to the Magic is known for playing park audio that is recorded by Paul using his binaural microphones.  Listening to Window to the Magic while coding gives one the impression that you are sitting in the parks (usually Disneyland).

A new experiment for Window to the Magic is the WTTM 24.  Paul and a cohort both strapped on binaural mics and then wandered Disneyland and everything was recorded.  Then the audio was merged together and cut into episodes.  This version of the podcast must be listened to with headphones to get maximum effect.  In some cases, when the two walking microphones get separated, then audio two separate audio tracks are split to the left and right ears.

Paul also offers additional social interaction on the Twitter network where you can get information before the rest of the world.  Plus, you get to have interesting chats.  If you are lucky you get to hear Paul talk about Twitter and his twitter buddies on his recordings while wandering the parks.

Mouse Lounge Podcast

Gary Chambers puts together another code monkey friendly podcast called the Mouse Lounge Podcast.  Instead of mainly adhering to theme park audio, he seems to cover all kinds of audio.

For example, awhile back he had audio recordings from a special showcase Jodi Benson (the voice of Ariel) did at a museum honoring Disney Music.  You got to listen to her signing songs from her various works.

You never know what you are going to get when you listen to Mouse Lounge.

 

I love my Disney podcasts, but sometimes I never get any work done because I have to keep rewinding and re-listening to content to catch something I missed.  Sometimes, you want to be able to just let it play in the background and provide a very Disney-esque background sounds.

I'm sure there are people who may want to slap me from one side of the room to another for the way I use those two podcasts, but I hope that Gary, Paul and Patrick appreciate that their podcasts have an important role in my life.

Technorati Tags: Window to the Magic, Mouse Lounge, Podcasting

Devine Inspiration #10: TMIP to Donate Portion of Sales to Dream Team

Padawan Grumpwurst is back......

In case you didn't read the article Pat Whitson wrote on the Disneyworld Trivia website about 2008's Dream Team Auction, I am here to tell you that Tim Devine (owner of The Magic in Pixels) has decided to go one step further with his involvement with the Dream Team.

Tim has announced, via the Dream Team, that in addition to donating a fabulous photo of Cinderalla's Castle printed on canvas, he will also donate a portion of his sales from his table at MagicMeets 2008.

Tim knows first hand how the Disney Magic can bring a smile to the faces of ill children.  He was sitting next to me when I took this picture (left) of Collin on the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage at Disneyland back in June 2006.

After meeting Collin, Tim and his wife, Karen, has given multiple times to charities that are important to Collin's mom because they are charities that support Collin.

In addition, he has created a slideshow of Disney's Electric Parade for Collin (he loves it) and sent a few pictures and buttons (Collin has a huge collection of buttons from the parks on the shade of his wheelchair).

Collin has gotten countless amounts of magic and solace from those gifts from Tim.  Tim may not have seen these pictures Julie put on her blog of Collin enjoying his gifts, so I have included them here.

The team up between Fred Block's MagicMeets and Lou Mongello's Dream Team Charity Auction just seemed like a good opportunity for Tim to be able to continue to "give back" to those who are not as fortunate as his family.

How do I know this?  A Padawan knows his Jedi Master.

So, if you are one of the 550 people who are going to be invading MagicMeets in July and are even remotely interested in acquiring one of the Tim's fantastic prints, then make sure you stop by his table.  He's going to have a variety of 16x20 and 8x10 prints, plus Wallpaper CDs for sale. 

If you so choose, you may also place 16x20 prints in advance by e-mailing sales@themagicinpixels.com and Tim will work out the details with you.

At the end of the Auction, Tim will,on-the-spot, donate of a percentage of his sales from that day.

So, if you've been thinking of purchasing a print, MagicMeets may be your best opportunity to not only acquire a lovely adornment for your wall, but also give a little to charity.

Below I have pasted the original announcement from Pat Whitson:

---

Tim Devine, photographer and owner of TheMagicInPixels.com, has announced that he will donate a portion of his sales at Fred Block's 2008 MagicMeets to the DisneyWorldTrivia.com Dream Team Project. 

"As a father of a very healthy two year old, I know first hand the magic and thrill of a Disney vacation, as seen through my son's eyes and mine," says Tim. "I have also seen how the Disney magic can bring a smile to the faces of ill children as well and that really inspires me to want to do what I can to help. I just think it's the right thing to do to try to give that magic to someone else who may not be as fortunate."

The Magic In Pixels will have a large selection of matted 8 x 10" prints, 16 x 20" prints, and photo CDs. Additionally, orders for 16 x 20" prints may be placed in advance through TheMagicInPixels.com or at the table at MagicMeets. He will donate on-the-spot a percentage of the sales that are made at his table by the end of the Auction that day.

This is a wonderful opportunity for MagicMeets attendees to purchase some beautiful art for their homes that will also help a worthy cause!

The Dream Team Project thanks Tim Devine for his generous contribution! 

Technorati Tags: Tim Devine, The Magic in Pixels, Dream Team Auction, MagicMeets, Devine Inspiration

DreamTeam Auction 2008: Quilt Progress

The quilt is underway! 

The progress has been impressive even with life getting in the way (have you seen the news about the flu epidemic). 

This post is the next installment in the documentation of the project I hope will make a big splash in the Disney community (and raise a little money too).  Grumpy is starting to worry about my ability to part ways with this beautiful work of art and labor of love.  I am truly passionate about quilting and Disney.  It's awesome when great things can be combined in this manner.

This post is truly a teaser though.  Can you guess how these two blocks can mesh into a single project?

Technorati Tags: Dream Team Auction, Magic Meets, Quilting

Grumptastic Distractions: The Grump Was There

Hey Lou, Jeff, George and Eric, I hear there was some speculation as to whether or not I was at a certain location in Disneyland's Toontown.

I was indeed there

Technorati Tags: Grumptastic Distractions, Disney Photos

Print Sale at The Magic in Pixels

Being the Padawan Learner affords me a lot of benefits as a rookie photographer.  As a form of payment to Tim, I'd like to inform all the wonderful patrons of Grumpy's Hollow that The Magic in Pixels is running a sale on all 16x20 prints.

For a limited time, all 16x20 mounted prints are on sale. 

You'll find the 16x20 prints reduced by 20% of their everyday prices.  These prints are all mounted on a hard backing and shipped to you flat and ready to be framed and displayed.

If you don't see a 16x20 print you like in his store, go over to the gallery of 8x10 prints.  Almost all of the 8x10 prints can be printed and delivered as a 16x20.  So just e-mail Tim at sales(at)themagicinpixels(dot)com if one of the 8x10 prints interests you.

So head on over to THE MAGIC IN PIXELS WEBSTORE, and see if anything strikes your fancy.

Technorati Tags: Announcements, The Magic in Pixels

Musical Treasures You May Have Missed: Bob Jackson

I'm sure you are aware that there are things that go on at the parks that you may always miss or skip by because you think they wouldn't interest you.  But, did you know that there is a extravaganza only Disney could host contained within the borders of the Port Orleans Resort?  Yes, a moderate resort!

Yes folks, it's another post about music at "The Hollow".  I have decided that I'd like to start a series of posts about musical entertainment in the parks that may be overlooked, walked past, or just not known about.

My inaugural post is about Bob Jackson (aka Yehaa Bob). 

Yehaa Bob is a more than an entertaining pianist.  He is a one-man show of the vaudeville variety.  But, in the name of full disclosure, I have still managed to not see his show in person.

So, what makes me feel comfortable writing about a musical presentation that I have never participated in?

That's easy:  Window to the Magic!

This is the podcast put out by Paul Barrie and Patrick Hurd (Don't forget to vote for Patrick as CMO).

Paul introduced me to Bob Jackson during his recap episodes of MouseFest 2006 through the use of his fantastic Binaural Recordings.

He re-introduced me to Bob with this week's show:  WindowToTheMagic Show #138.

I could just imagine the amount of fun I'll one day have sitting in Bob's audience.  It has got to be the only place, besides The Adventurer's Club (Hoopla) where you can be amongst a roomful of adults hopped up on too much Pixie Dust acting like the kids that they were forced to ignore in order to be responsible members of society.

Paul's recording lets you get the full flavor of this Musical Treasure because it's not the same as a CD recording of Bob's show.  You are getting all the sounds, heckling, pixie-dust induced comments and what-not that his binaural microphones pick up. 

If you are looking for a really entertaining podcast that will introduce you to Yehaa Bob then check out WTTM #138.  If you want to have a weekly taste of theme park audioscaping gold, then subscribe to the WTTM podcast.  Paul just recently recorded his 1 millionth download!  Help him get to 2 million.

I'm hoping that I'll get to finally hear Bob Jackson, in person, during my trip this June.  If I do, you know that there will be a great write up in my wordy tomes known as my trip reports.

Technorati Tags: Window to the Magic, YeHaa Bob, Bob Jackson, Musical Treasures

Grumptastic Links: WDW Disney Fun for your iPhone

I was pointed to this cool applet for the iPhone via the chat stream in Twitter.  TiggerRay brought this to DizPodDir's attention and thereby my attention.

Granted, I don't have an iPhone, but I know several people in the Disney Community that do and may not know about this.

Here is the link:

Walt Disney World Theme Park Maps

Speaking of Twitter, for those of you on Twitter, my screename is Grumpwurst (in case you want to follow me).  Also, for a pretty good listing of other Disney Twitterers you can go to Josh's Disney Frontier Blog.

Technorati Tags: Grumptastic Links

Devine Inspiration #9: MagicMeets 2008 Auction Submission Unveiled

Tim has just unveiled the picture he is going to send to Pat Whitson for the Dream Team Auction at MagicMeets 2008.

Tim wanted me to let everyone know that this will picture will be presented as a 16x20 printed on canvas.  Yes, you read that correctly, this will be on canvas which means it'll be perfect for that special place on the wall you like to display your Disney Pride!

*** NOTE *** The watermark will not be in the item being auctioned off.

Now it's time for my views on the subject at hand.

I get to see a lot of Tim's work.  In some rare cases, I get to be there when the actual picture is taken.

Those of you who have ever perused Tim's store will know that he has quite an array of pictures with Cinderella's Castle as the subject.  They are all of high quality and beautiful.  In fact, I showcased his Dream Lights photo in my last installment of the Devine Inspiration series.

But, out of all his Cinderella Castle shots, I have to say that this is my favorite.  It may be because it has a striking resemblance to the Thomas Kinkaide giclee print we purchased.  I am also partial to a high quality daytime shot of the castle.

This photo has a non-traditional Point-of-View.  Typically you see photos taken from straight on or from the vicinity of the Rose Garden.  I haven't seen too many photos taken from this angle and that makes it different.  It really reminds you that there is a water element to the castle and with the exception of the "Year of a Million Dreams" flags on the draw bridge, you can almost feel like this wasn't even taken in a Theme Park.

As I was telling Tim on the phone this evening.  I love fireworks just as much as the next guy, and the photo he submitted last year was awesome, but this one just beats last year's submission by a mile.

I would be surprised if this item doesn't need several pages of paper to hold all the bids that are submitted.  Whoever puts in the winning bid for this photo will, in my humble opinion, walk away with something that they'll want to show off with pride.

To Recap:

• A 16x20 Print
• On Canvas!
• Will look grumptastic hanging on your wall

Need I say more?

Technorati Tags: Devine Inspiration, MagicMeets

In case you live under a rock....

I called it.......

Magic Meets 2008 sold all 550 tickets in 38 hours.  That is almost 14.5 tickets per hour! 

The MouseFest crew may need to be prepared for another feeding frenzy once their tickets go on sale.......

Technorati Tags: MagicMeets, Announcements

Get them while you can

Magic Meets tickets are now on sale!  There are over 2x the number of registered parties who are interested in going than are tickets to sell to them.

So, rush over to the MagicMeets website and get your tickets.  They sold out in less than 10 days last year, but many of us in the comm unity are predicting they'll sell out quicker. 

I'm predicting a sell-out between 24-48 hours.

BTW, Enchanted Rose and myself have our tickets printed already.

Technorati Tags: Magic Meets, Announcements