CaptainsCast

CaptainsCast 023 - Allowances

2009-09-21T10:24:00.001-04:00

This episode of the CaptainsCast brings you up to date on what the heck we have been up to for so long. People to People, Robotics, Running, being Bengal’d, and our main topic – Allowances.

Fantasy Football Setup

2009-09-13T21:54:00.002-04:00

Here's my fantasy football setup for NFL sundays. iMac 24" with an Elagato EyeTV Hybrid for watching live games. The secondary monitor has twitter, my live fantasy football scores, and ESPN gamecast so I can monitor my players on my team.

CaptainsCast Supplemental - Welcome to the 80's, boys.

2009-08-16T20:59:00.002-04:00

Went to lunch today after Ben's soccer game. They had an old Ms. Pac man / Galaga combo upright. Major burn on the screen, but it was still fun to play. Click on the link above to see the boys playing Galaga and me trying to coach them.

CaptainsCast Supplemental - Race Day

2009-08-16T20:24:00.004-04:00

Click on the link for audio of my pre and post race comments from the race. Below are some photos I took on the iPhone, so quality isn't too grand. Thanks to everyone for their support. I'm just getting started.

My first 5K commences tomorrow

2009-08-15T21:48:00.005-04:00

Readers of my blog have seen me start, false start, and never complete my goal of running in a 5K. I have attempted the Couch to 5K program several times and always petered out before reaching my ultimate goal - to run in a 5K race. Well, I have stuck with it this time and am now two weeks past my 9 week program and still running. My first 5K is tomorrow morning @ 715AM. It is the Run Kings Island event. You get to run through the park. Most of it is parking lot, but you do see some of the park as you go. Am I nervous? Oh yea. But as others have stated to me, I've trained for this, I've run a 5K in training several times before. Therefore this should be a piece of cake, right? Still, it is a little overwhelming to do something you have never done before in your entire life. Keep in mind, I am not a health nut, so this is a major lifestyle change for me. Babs politely informed to get off the couch and do something about it. I did and I have a few things that keep me going and get me to this point. I had a friend and co-worker, Fitz, that died three years ago from esophageal cancer. He said if he can suffer through cancer, you guys can at least get in to shape. I also have a fraternity brother who has been fighting a nagging bit of cancer that has taken away his entire summer from him. If he had to deal with chemo every few weeks, I figure I could at least get my body in some sort of shape to run. Here I am guys. Ready to go. You are my inspiration for this. Give me the strength to do well tomorrow.

On a side note, I put together my playlist for the run. Here it is:

Let's Go - The Cars
Revolution - The Beatles
Feels So Good - Van Halen
You May Be Right - Billy Joel
Forrest Gump Suite - Alan Sivestri
Star Wars The Throne Room / End Title - John Williams
Theme from Superman - John Ottman
Rocky Going the Distance - Bill Conti

That's 36.4 minutes. I should be able to complete my run in that time. Wish me luck and more to come after the race.

CaptainsCast Supplemental - Scientist Achievement for the Scouts

2009-08-06T23:32:00.005-04:00

The boys were earning their scientist achievement in Scouting tonight. Mrs. CaptainsCast, a science teacher I might add, instructed the boys on various points of science. she mad it interesting and fun all at the same time. The boys did some fun little demonstrations as well as shooting off Diet Coke with Mentos. The night was capped off with the boys launching their own model rockets. Everyone seemed to enjoy it. As one of the boys said, "this is the best den meeting ever." More to come on Saturday as we head out to the United States Air Force Museum. Enjoy the short video. Click the headline to view it.

CaptainsCast 022 - I'm spaced out

2009-07-26T23:09:00.004-04:00

This week's episode of the CaptainsCast revolves around space. With the 40th anniversary of the first man to walk on the moon, it's a great time to cover it on the podcast. Ben & I talk about our trip to the Kennedy Space Center, Apollo 11 fun facts, space-related video games, and an interesting iPhone app for tracking satellites. Enjoy.

CaptainsCast 021 - That line is whack!

2009-07-20T22:58:00.003-04:00

This week on the CaptainsCast - Ben and I finish up our discussion of our trip to Disney World. We talk about EPCOT, Disney Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, being in the Star Wars weekends parade and more. Subscribe to the show via the RSS feed, iTunes, or just click on the title of the post to listen in your browser. We hope you enjoy.

CaptainsCast Supplemental - Happy 4th of July

2009-07-03T12:25:00.003-04:00

Just playing around with some video today. I figured I would ask the boys about 4th of July. Hunter's response is going to get me killed by my wife. I remember growing up and 4th of July meaning heading to Ft. Loramie for the huge parade as a youngster and seeing the guy dressed as Uncle Sam on stilts. What was up with that? That parade seemed to go on for what seemed like 4 hours. In later years we had a summer house on Indian Lake in Ohio. I remember mom making homemade ice cream. That seemed to take 4 hours too. I remember one time we took the boat out at night to watch the fireworks. Of course it is pitch black on the water, so you pick out landmarks on the shore to help you get back home. We always picked the blinking red & blue light on this house near ours. We followed it back, but it seemed to take forever. It ended up we went across the lake in the opposite direction two miles from our destination. Nowadays we don't have the lake, we have some of the ice cream, and we still have Uncle Sam on stilts. And according to Hunter, we have drinks like volcanoes. We plan on shooting some fireworks off, enjoying time with our friends and family, and most of all, enjoying our independence. Happy 4th of July everyone.

CaptainsCast ranks on Cleancasts

2009-07-02T08:55:00.002-04:00

CaptainsCast was the #5 podcast website for the month of June on Cleancasts.com. Thanks for visiting the site and heading over to Cleancasts.com as well. If you haven't been there, I heartily recommend it. There are a bunch of great podcasts there to listen to. Go ahead, give it a shot. You know you want to. Click the Cleancasts rank button over on the right hand side of the webpage to take you over there and check it out.

CaptainsCast 020 - Oh cheese, oh cheese, oh cheese

2009-06-29T23:43:00.003-04:00

Ben & I discuss our trip to Disney World. Tonight's episode covers the Magic Kingdom. We also squeeze in a quickie review of Transformers 2, and chat about Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, & Michael Jackson.

What a day for my childhood

2009-06-25T22:37:00.005-04:00

As a purveyor of pop culture from the 70's,80's, & 90's, this week has seen some of the more visible icons from my childhood disappear. Trying to explain to Ben about these people is difficult because he doesn't really have any idea how they contributed to the world and to my youth. I explained to him today that I still remember where I was when the news broke of Elvis Presley's death. I told him to remember this day as well, so he could explain it to his kids someday on his pop culture holocast.

First off was Ed McMahon. Before I knew the man's name, he was just known as 'Heeeeere's Johnny!!" to me. I used to share a bedroom with my brother Jon when I was a tyke. From what I recall, when I was in a crib up to 5 years old. When I was sent to bed, it was reasonably early, but Jon had two things in the room. One was a Soundesign hi-fi stereo playing Boston, ELO, Genesis, & hits of the 70's. The other was an orange Zenith black & white 11" television playing the Tonight Show on Dayton channel 22. I would stay up and watch Johnny and Ed quite a bit growing up in that room. I was also a crabby kid the next day for not going to bed early.
I also remember when the end of summer came, and it was time to go back to school. The Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon was on. I don't remember it for Jerry Lewis, but I remember Ed McMahon helping co-host.

Farrah Fawcett. I was too young for the"poster", but I do remember Charlie's Angels. Most importantly back then, Charlie's Angels trading cards. Yes, that's right. Trading cards. They weren't easy to find, but every year we took a fishing trip to Rice Lake in Ontario, Canada. There was a little general store down the road from our fishing village that sold gumballs, toffee, and various trading cards. I'm sure they sold other things, but what did I care. Me and my cousins would buy as many packs as we could and try and comlete the puzzle on the back of the cards that showed the famous silhouette of the Angels from the tv show. You had Sabrina, Kate, but the best was Jill. It was sad to lose her today.

Michael Jackson. This is a shock. I don't think anybody expected this at all. Jackson was the epitome of 80's pop culture. Who didn't have a Members Only jacket trying to be like Michael? There was the moonwalk, and of course, Thriller.I played drums as an adolescent and took my love of that, & Michael's glove, and combined the two. I would play fake drums with a golf glove on. I don't know. I guess I was imitating Michael in the only way I could. I knew I couldn't sing or dance like him, but it was the closest thing I could do to be like the King of Pop. My mom even had a birthday cake made with Michael's glove and drum sticks on it.
Later in life, he had some rough times and very suspect actions. Hopefully the world will remember him for his contributions to the music world.

Vacation wrap-up

2009-06-24T11:44:00.003-04:00

I thoroughly enjoyed my time with my family on this vacation. We truly had a terrific time together. Right now I am sorting out pictures, video, and notes from the trip. Ben & I will be doing our vacation CaptainsCast show this week to talk about everything on vacation including our favorite parts of it. This may expand into multiple shows if we can't fit it into one. In the meantime we have our vacation photos up on flickr at this link - http://tinyurl.com/m87pqe

Vacation day 12

2009-06-21T23:41:00.000-04:00

The return.

Time to head back home. We could stay a few extra days if we wanted to, but it's just too hot in Florida. We hit the road at 8:39AM and made it back to Cincinnati at 10:00PM that night. I drove the whole way. I'm tired. Goodnight.

Vacation Day 11

2009-06-20T23:11:00.004-04:00

This was exciting. For Father's Day we planned a trip to head over to Kennedy Space Center. It has been 30 years since I was last there. The shuttle was still undergoing testing and would not launch for another two years at that point. We set off early that morning for KSC. It was about a 2 hour drive over there. I was a little surprised by all of the tolls we had. There were quite a few. $6 to get over that way. When we arrived we parked in the Wally Schirra section of the parking lot. They've named the sections after astronauts. Here's the real kicker. How much would you pay for two adults and two children to get into something like this? $50, $60, $75? Try $140!!! Ouch. I know the space program needs financial help, but wow. Getting in to the KSC is also like the security line at the airport. Metal detectors, bag searches, etc. In a post 9-11 age I guess that should be expected.

We started off on the bus tour, a 3 hour tour of some of the facilities across the center. We started at the Complex 39 observation gantry. It's a four story platform where you can see both pad 39A and 39B. The gantry is wired for sound, and for some reason, they were blasting the Wrath of Khan soundtrack. A little too dramatic. Although we didn't see a launch while on vacation, we did get to see the shuttle. Technically. We could see the tip of the external fuel tank several miles away.

We then saw the Saturn V complex. They walk you through a simulation of the Apollo 8 launch from here, including shaking glass in the windows. They have a Saturn V rocket on its side here. This is an amazing site to see. Just the size of this vehicle blows your mind.

We were then off to the International Space Station Facility. It was here that you could see actual components of the ISS being prepped and tested for future launches to the space station.

After that we were back at the main area where we ate ($$$$), hit the gift shop ($$$$$), and later got a drink for the ride back to mom & dad's ($$$$$$). all in all a great time and an awesome place to visit. I enjoyed my early Father's Day with my boys at the Kennedy Space Center. Ben & I will be talking about this particular trip to the KSC on a future episode of the CaptainsCast.

Vacation Day 10

2009-06-19T23:03:00.000-04:00

Sorry about the delay, but I walked away from the computer for a few days to relax and recharge. Here's a quick summary of the rest of vacation.

Today was spent lying around. After a week at the house of the mouse it was definitely time for a respite. We slept in, ate lunch, then hit the pool for a few hours. We then hit Chili's for dinner. At this point we could definitely tell the boys were tired of vacation. They were rotten at dinner. They haven't been this wild in ages. It was time to go home.

That was the extent of the day. We watched TV and I planned our trip for our early father's day festivities to Kennedy Space Center on Saturday.

CaptainsCast Supplemental #3 - Kim Possible Adventure

2009-06-19T15:39:00.003-04:00

I got the Flip to work one last time. Here's Ben working on the Kim Possible Adventure in EPCOT.

Click on the header above to view.

Vacation Day 9

2009-06-18T23:28:00.001-04:00

The final day of our trip to Disney. After getting packed this morning, we headed out to the Magic Kingdom for some marathon riding. We started out on the Astro Orbiter, Carousel of Progress, Buzz Lightyear, Tomorrowland Speedway, the Teacups, and finally, the merry go round. We then had a final lunch at the Liberty Tree Tavern. After lunch we headed over to the Animal Kingdom and saw Finding Nemo the musical. The storms started to fire up again, so we cut our day short. We headed back to the hotel, got into the car and headed to mom and dad's house in the Villages. We picked up a pizza for dinner, and vegged out for the evening.
I will never forget this family vacation at Disney. What a wonderful time. Ben & I will be podcasting about this when we get back to Ohio, but for now, we have a few more adventures on our vacation. Stay tuned.

Vacation Day 8b

2009-06-18T23:19:00.000-04:00

Time for our 15th wedding anniversary dinner. We went to the Hoop de Doo Revue to celebrate. We had dinner here 15 years ago on our honeymoon. It is basically a vaudeville dinner show. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and the boys really loved it. I think I overdid it on the chicken & ribs, but hey, it was a celebration.

Vacation Day 8a

2009-06-17T23:02:00.000-04:00

Time is wearing down on our vacation, and there is still plenty to do. We promised Ben we would head back to EPCOT and do the Kim Possible adventure. I have a bit of video of that coming up. We first started out at Test Track. The wait said it was only 30 minutes long. 2 HOURS LATER we finally rode the stupid thing. That was the only thing to sour my vacation other than my cold.
We then started the Kim Possible adventure. We hit our Kim Possible kiosk in Italy. The agents there gave us a Kimmunicator, which is a GPS equipped cell phone and much, much more. He explained that our mission would last about a half hour and that all the information we needed was on the Kimmunicator. The Kimmunicator is a really neat device that speaks your instructions to you while displaying animated characters on the device screen. You’re instructed to go find clues in certain locations. In our case our entire adventure took place in the Germany pavilion. Besides giving instructions, the Kimmunicator interacted with objects in the pavilion. For instance pressing a key on the device opened doors, moved objects, etc. This adventure was amazing.
We then hit Soarin' one last time before we had to head back and get ready for our anniversary dinner....

Vacation Day 7

2009-06-16T22:40:00.000-04:00

Vacation is wearing me down. I have now caught a cold. I have had a nasty sore throat, sneezing, and coughing. Blergh. Today called for an easy day. We spent the day at the main pool. The boys loved the waterslides, cannons, and pirate ship fountains and play area. Baking my cold out in the sun really helped.
Later that day we headed over to Disney Hollywood Studios for dinner reservations and the Fantasmic!! show that evening. While there, we hit the Great Movie Ride. Ben freaked out when we hit the Alien section of the ride. Way to hold it together there, pal. After dinner we went on the studio backlot tour. Somehow I got stuck on the left side of the tram that always seems to get wet during the Catastrophe Canyon sequence. At this point the skies started to turn black. MAJOR storms were approaching. From what the radar showed on the iPhone, there was no show for us that night. We rushed back to the bus stop where we got hit with the rain. Flash floods, lightning, cats & dogs. That was it for our evening.
Oh yeah. the sunburn started to kick in at that point, too.

Vacation Day 6

2009-06-15T22:12:00.000-04:00

We have now hit all of the parks. Time to play cleanup and head back to do the stuff we didn't get to do the first time, or want to do again. We started the day with some much needed sleeping in. We then headed out to the Contemporary Resort for a late breakfast at Chef Mickey's. Chef Mickey's is a character breakfast where the different Disney characters come to the table and greet you. The boys loved it.
We then headed over to the Magic Kingdom for some fun. We hit Stitch's Great Escape. Hunter chickened out, so I headed to the gift shop with him. That's when a robot trash can came up to me and wished me a happy anniversary. Really. We then hit the Buzz Lightyear ride, and headed over to Frontierland. At this point, it was freaking hot. We then rode Pirates of the Carribean to cool off. Very helpful in the oppressive heat. After that was the Tiki Birds Under New Management. I liked the old version better. Then the rain hit, and hit hard. Torrential downpors that dropped the temperature 15 degrees. That was awesome.
Next was Big Thunder Mountain. Hunter was still in a mood, and would not ride, therefore, we got to use the rider switch with our fastpasses. That meant we all rode the ride twice sans Hunter.
That night was spent swimming at our local pool.

Vacation Day 5

2009-06-14T23:50:00.003-04:00

Animal Kingdom today. We stated the day with a tour of some wildlife at the park, then a safari trip. A pretty good ride today since so many animals were out. We then hit the Dinoland area, rode Triceratops Spin, Primeval Whirl, then sat in the hot sun at the Dino Dig playground that just seems to bake under the Florida sun. We then ate lunch at the Rainforest Cafe. After lunch we hit one more ride for the day by riding Expedition Everest - a roller coaster that reaches a peak, the track shifts, then you run backwards down this new route. Ben did not ride this, but Hunter did. A very brave child, but he had a blast.
We then went to EPCOT in the evening to tour the International Pavillion. I tried to drink beers from every world, but I just couldn't keep up with it. I ended up eating a lot though - nachos in Mexico, bratwurst & pretzels in Germany, & sushi in Japan. We then capped it off with the fireworks show, and then back to the hotel room for a late swim. Pretty darn good time.

Vacation Day 4

2009-06-13T23:38:00.001-04:00

A busy day as we hit Star Wars Weekend at Disney Studios on Saturday. You would not believe the crowds for this weekend. We stated off hitting Wicket's Warehouse - a Star Wars shop where I bought a couple of Star Wars Disney t-shirts. We then set off and hit Muppetvision 3D, then Star Tours. We then saw the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular. During the day, we were picked to be a part of the Star Wars parade. Ben got to wear a jedi robe and carry a lightsaber in the parade. I got to walk behind him with a bunch of other parents. Hunter, being the 5 year-old he is, refused to do it. It's funny how things work because his spot was filled by a child on a Make-A-Wish visit to Disney. Funny how things work, and even though Hunter didn't purposely do it, I'm still proud he gave up his spot for this sick boy. after the parade, we ate lunch at the Sci-Fi Dine In Theater. The entire place looks like a drive-in movie that plays old 50's sci-fi trailers and cartoons.
We then took a nap, and then hit the Magic Kingdom late for the Spectromagic parade and fireworks. A very full day.

Ben was picked to be onthe Star Wars parade today. I got to walk with him too

2009-06-13T16:02:00.001-04:00

Ben was picked to be onthe Star Wars parade today. I got to walk with him too
Originally uploaded by akirk45239

Andy

Vacation Day 3

2009-06-12T22:08:00.004-04:00

No video this time. My Flip camera crashed and won't function anymore. That sucks since I had plenty of video of today at EPCOT. The longest line I stood in all day was to get a Fastpass for Soarin'. We hit the following today: The Seas, the Land, Soarin', Journey Into Imagination, Mission:Space, & Spaceship Earth. We then swam back at the hotel, then hit Downtown Disney for shopping. Mostly to but Legos for the boys.

CaptainsCast Supplemental #2 - Magic Kingdom

2009-06-10T23:03:00.011-04:00

We started our Disney adventure today with a trip to the Magic Kingdom after getting checked into our room. We started off with Mickey's Philharmagic, It's a Small World, the Haunted Mansion, Tea Cups, Tomorrowland Speedway, Goofy's Barnstormer, the Disney train, Splash Mountain, & Big Thunder Mountain. And all that was done after 2pm. Friday is EPCOT. Stay tuned for more.

Click on the header to view the video or get it in iTunes.

CaptainsCast Supplemental - We're in Florida

2009-06-10T23:03:00.007-04:00

Hi all. After an overnight trip down I-75, we have arrived in Florida. We're visiting my parents today and driving into the house of mouse tomorrow to check in and commence the adventure. Here's a little video. Click on the header above to play it.

Out first stop. The boy have no idea who these guys are

2009-06-09T20:43:00.001-04:00

Out first stop. The boy have no idea who these guys are
Originally uploaded by akirk45239

Andy

CaptainsCast Vacation Coverage

2009-06-09T08:00:00.000-04:00

We're on vacation for the next 2 weeks. Standby for vacation coverage and our misadventures along the way. I will be posting photos directly to the site and hopefully video too. Follow the twitter updates on the right side of the page to check out our progress.

CaptainsCast 019 - Colloquially...

2009-06-07T21:26:00.004-04:00

Back again now that extracurricular activities are over. We talk Magic: the Gathering, Star Trek, Night at the Museum 2, and Up.

Today in the 80's

2009-06-04T09:20:00.002-04:00

1982

Poltergeist is released

They're here.

And I am out. I hate this movie. I hate the chairs stacked in the kitchen, the face peeling, the meat exploding, the tree attacking, the tv, and of course the freaking clown. Why did it have to be a freaking clown?

The hands which pull the flesh off the investigator's face in the bathroom mirror are Steven Spielberg's.

As an homage to his friend George Lucas, Spielberg populated the children's bedroom with Star Wars toys. He did the same in E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial.

During the scene where Robbie (Oliver Robins) is being strangled, the clown's arms became extremely tight and Robbins started to choke. When he screamed out, "I can't breathe!" Steven Spielberg and Tobe Hooper thought that the boy was ad-libbing and just instructed him to look at the camera. When Spielberg saw Robbins's face turning purple, he ran over and removed the clown's arms from Robbins's neck.

The sound effect for the beast that attacks the house at the end of the movie is the source for the current MGM lion roar.

The skeletons that emerge from the swimming pool while Diane searches for help are actual skeletons. JoBeth Williams didn't know this until after the scene was shot.

Both of the terrors that plague Robbie came from Steven Spielberg's own fears as a child, a fear of clowns and a tree outside his window.

Today in the 80's

2009-06-03T09:20:00.001-04:00

1983

Wargames is released

Is it a game, or is it real?

The studio had a Galaga and a Galaxian machine delivered to Matthew Broderick's home, where he practiced for two months to prepare for the arcade scene.

The computer used to break into NORAD was programmed to make the correct words appear on the screen, no matter which keys were pressed.

When David comes home the day after the NORAD computer break-in, the newscaster on the television is talking about a prophylactic recycling center.

NORAD HQ set was built in the Cascades, the "Oregon" airport was really Boeing Field, "Goose Island" is really Anderson Island in the southern part of Puget Sound (all in Washington). The last ferry off the island really is at 6:30, and you really are stuck there if you miss it.

The scene of the jeep trying to crash through the gate at NORAD and turning over was an actual accident. The jeep was supposed to continue through the gate. They added the scene of the characters running from the jeep and down the tunnel and used the botched jeep stunt.

The dual 8-inch floppy drive is an IMSAI FDC-2, the monitor is a 17-inch Electrohome, the keyboard is an IMSAI IKB-1, and the 1200 baud modem (on top of the monitor) is a Cermetek 212A relabeled with the name "IMSAI". The acoustic coupler prop was added for visual effect only.

The WOPR, as seen in the movie, was made of wood and painted with a metal-finish paint. As the crew filmed the displays of the WOPR, Special Effects Supervisor Michael L. Fink sat inside and entered information into an Apple II computer that drove the countdown display.

Today in the 80's

2009-06-02T15:10:00.001-04:00

1987

Mariners draft Ken Griffey Jr #1

Ever heard of this guy? The Cincinnati Kid may turn out to be something someday.

Today in the 80's

2009-06-01T10:26:00.002-04:00

1984

Star Trek III - The Search for Spock is released

Join the search.

Leonard Nimoy does the turbolift voice in the scene when Scotty says "Up your shaft", while exiting the Starship Execelsior. The end credits lists the voice under the alias Frank Force.

When the Enterprise enters space dock at the beginning of the movie, just before Uhura comments on the Excelsior's appearance ("Would you look at that!"), another docked ship can be seen, in shadow, at the upper left corner of the screen. This ship is one of the alternative models that was considered for use as the Excelsior. This alternate model also makes several appearances in "Star Trek: The Next Generation", usually as a wrecked ship or piece of space junk.

The shot of the Enterprise approaching Spacedock is later re-used in various episodes of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" with the Enterprise-D overlapping the original Enterprise (Another cost-saving method often used with Star Trek).

Today in the 90's

2009-05-28T08:51:00.002-04:00

1994

I got married. Nothing of national historical significance today. Just that I have been married to my spectacular, awesome, wonderful, uber-super wife for 15 years.

Happy Anniversary, Babs!

I Love You,

Andy

Today in the 70's

2009-05-27T08:00:00.000-04:00

1977

Smokey & the Bandit

Buford T. Justice was the name of a real Florida Highway Patrolman known to Burt Reynolds' father who was once Chief of Police of Jupiter, Florida.

The second highest grossing movie released in 1977 next to Star Wars (1977)

Near the end of the movie, one of the two Georgia State Patrol cars that block the entrance to the fairgrounds (the Oldsmobile) is equipped with an airbag (very rare for the '70s). The airbag did not deploy in that minor collision but did deploy when they purposely wrecked the car years later. That car is shown in an airbag safety film used in some traffic schools.

The dog chosen for Snowman's pet was picked by Burt Reynolds, chiefly because he refused to obey commands.

According to MapQuest, Atlanta to Texarkana is 665.2 miles, with an estimated travel time of 10 hours, 43 minutes (21:30 round trip). Atlanta to Boston is 1089 miles with an estimated travel time of 17 hours, 31 minutes. If driven the whole way, it would require an average speed of 121 miles an hour to do it in the 18 hours mandated by the "double or nothing" but the terms of the bet didn't specify how they were to get to Boston and certainly not how to return so they could have driven to the airport and bought round-trip tickets.

This movie made the Pontiac Trans Am a superstar. Trans Am sales jumped from 68,745 in 1977 to 93,341 in 1978. And just one year later that number swelled to 117,108 units sold.

Hal Needham asked Jerry Reed to write a theme song for the film. A couple of hours later, Reed presented "East Bound and Down" to Needham. With an acoustic guitar, Reed started to play it and Needham immediately stopped him. Thinking Needham didn't like it, Reed offered to re-write the song. To which Needham replied: "If you change one note, I'll kill you!" The song went on to become one of Reed's biggest hits.

When Hal Needham originally wrote the initial screenplay, he hired Jerry Reed to play the Bandit. But when Needham told Burt Reynolds about the film, Reynolds decided he wanted to do it and Reed was re-cast as the Snowman.

The Trans-Am used for the bridge jump was fitted with a Chevrolet engine, according to Hal Needham.

Today in the 80's

2009-05-26T08:00:00.000-04:00

1983

Congo Bongo

Congo Bongo was an arcade game released by Sega in 1983. The game has come to be seen as Sega's answer to the highly successful Donkey Kong game that was released two years prior. The player takes the role of a red-nosed safari hunter who tries to catch an ape named "Bongo". The hunter seeks Bongo to enact revenge for an apparent practical joke in which Bongo set fire to the hunter's tent, giving him a literal "hotfoot". The game was a commercial failure when it was released but was popular enough to be ported to nearly ever major platform of the day including Atari's consoles, MSX, Intellivision, ColecoVision, Commodore 64 and IBM PC.

Today in the 70's

2009-05-21T08:00:00.000-04:00

1977

Combat

The one that started it all. Combat is an early video game by Atari for the Atari 2600. It was released as one of the nine launch titles for the system in October 1977, and was included in the box with the system from its introduction until 1982. Combat was based on two earlier black-and-white coin-operated arcade games produced by Atari: Tank in 1974 and Anti-Aircraft II in 1975.

Today in the 80's

2009-05-20T09:34:00.004-04:00

1982

Chopper Command

Chopper Command is a video game by Activision. The game was successful due to its perceived superiority to Atari's home version of Defender; Chopper Command shares many similarities in gameplay to Defender.

Chopper Command involves the player controlling a military helicopter in a desert scenario protecting a convoy of tractor trailers that are in position on the ground. The goal is to destroy all enemy fighter jets and helicopters that attack the player's helicopter and the friendly trucks traveling below. The game ends when the player loses all of his or her lives, or when the player reaches 999,999 points. The game also utilizes a type of radar in order to detect enemy craft not visible on the main screen.

Like many Activision titles, a player who achieved a particularly high score could receive a video game sew-on patch relevant to that particular game.

Today in the 80's

2009-05-19T08:00:00.000-04:00

1982

Burgertime

The game's original title, Hamburger, was changed to BurgerTime before its introduction to the United States. The player is chef Peter Pepper, who must walk over hamburger ingredients located across a maze of platforms while avoiding pursuing characters.
While making burgers, Peter Pepper must deal with three enemies: Mr. Hot Dog, Mr. Pickle, and Mr. Egg. Enemies can be dodged, killed, or temporarily stunned. Killing occurs when an ingredient is dropped atop an enemy, or when support for an ingredient is completely removed and the enemy falls with the piece. In the latter case, the piece will fall much farther than normal, depending on how many enemies are on it. Scoring depends heavily on killing enemies. The more enemies killed with a single sequence of falling ingredients, the higher the score. Therefore, to obtain the best score the player must endanger Peter Pepper by allowing more than one enemy to move onto the ingredient the player is on, just before the player drops it.
Peter Pepper has pepper shots to shake on nearby enemies to stun and render them harmless for a few seconds. Extra shots are obtained by collecting bonus foods, such as coffee, an ice cream cone, or French Fries, which appear in the center of the maze when a certain number of ingredients have dropped.

Where's the podcast?

2009-05-18T09:36:00.003-04:00

People have been wondering why the updates have stopped with the podcast. The simple answer to it is we've got too much on our plate right now. Work, school, scouting, soccer, housekeeping, yard work, you name it. Every time we try to sit down to do an episode, something gets in the way. Hopefully now that soccer just finished yesterday, we can get back on track. I do not want to provide Ben with too many distractions from school right now. He seems to be struggling a bit, and has had a few surprising disciplinary issues we are dealing with as well. Kind of funny now. We'll talk about it on the show soon.

In the meantime please keep checking out the site for daily history updates from the 60's, 70's, 80's, & 90's. We'll also be re-vamping the show a bit as well as a logo change. Stay tuned.

Today in the 80's

2009-05-18T09:32:00.003-04:00

1980

Mt. St. Helens erupts

Remember this? As far as living in Ohio it didn't seem to have much of an impact here. The one thing I do remember is being able to buy baggies of the ash in the Dayton airport that they would clean off of the planes.

Today in the 70's

2009-05-14T08:00:00.000-04:00

1973 - Skylab is launched

Skylab was the United States' first space station, and the second space station visited by a human crew. It was also the only space station NASA launched alone. The 100-ton space station was in Earth's orbit from 1973 to 1979, and it was visited by crews three times in 1973 and 1974.

Today in the 80's

2009-05-13T08:00:00.000-04:00

1983 - Movies

Blue Thunder is released

When you're 13 years old, nothing is cooler than the Blue Thunder helicopter. Roy Scheider stars in this movie about a cop, a helicopter, and a conspiracy. Here's some movie trivia.

The television control room shown early in the film is the same control room set seen extensively in The China Syndrome (1979).

The helicopter used to portray Blue Thunder was a French-made Gazelle helicopter with bolt-on parts to change its appearance. Most notably the chin cannon assembly was too heavy, necessitating a weight attached to the tail to keep the nose from dipping forward in flight.

The control stick in the F-16 cockpit is identical to the one from the Viper starfighter cockpit in "Battlestar Galactica" (1978).

Although the city is Los Angeles and the action centers around the police department, the LAPD is never mentioned. The force is called the "Metropolitan Police," and their badges are silver, of a more generic style, instead of the distinctive LAPD bronze-colored badges depicting old Los Angeles City Hall. However, City Hall does figure prominently in several fly-bys.

Actual chicken was used during the "chicken rain" sequence. Four huge vats of actual barbecue chicken were lifted by crane and released over the police car and three other cars. When the scene was over, homeless people quickly appeared to help the film crew "clean up" the scene (in exchange for the chicken, of course). No rubber chicken was used, according to director, John Badham, because rubber chicken costs 4-10 times the cost of real chicken.

Today in the 70's

2009-05-12T09:27:00.003-04:00

1978 - Breakout

Breakout was originally an arcade game relased in 1976. It was then ported to the Atari 2600 in 1978. In the game, a layer of bricks lines the top third of the screen. A ball travels across the screen, bouncing off the top and side walls of the screen. When a brick is hit, the ball bounces away and the brick is destroyed. The player loses a turn when the ball touches the bottom of the screen. To prevent this from happening, the player has a movable paddle to bounce the ball upward, keeping it in play.

Today in the 80's

2009-05-11T09:34:00.001-04:00

1984 - Movies

The Natural is released

The best there was. That was the tagline for this all-time baseball classic.

The Bat that batboy Bobby Savoy gives Roy is called the "Savoy Special". Savoy Special was a brand of beer in the 1930s and was made by the United States Brewing Co.

Hobbs breaking the scoreboard clock with a home run was inspired by Bama Rowell of the Boston Braves doubling off the Ebbets Field scoreboard clock on May 30, 1946, showering Dixie Walker with glass. Though he'd been promised a free watch by Bulova for hitting the company's scoreboard sign, Rowell had to wait until 1987 to receive it.

Today in the 80's

2009-05-07T08:00:00.000-04:00

IBM releases PC DOS 1.1

PC-DOS is a freeware DOS operating system for the IBM Personal Computer, sold throughout the 1980s and 1990s. The original 1981 arrangement between IBM and Microsoft was that Microsoft would provide the base product and that both firms would work on developing different parts of it into a more powerful and robust system, and then share the resultant code. MS-DOS and PC-DOS were to be marketed separately: IBM selling to itself for the IBM PC, and Microsoft selling to the open market. However, at no time did IBM acquire the ownership of the source code of the operating system for its own PCs.

So, IBM improved the product, shared it with Microsoft, yet only sold it to itself while Microsoft sold it to everyone else? Bill gates was a freaking genius.

Today in the 90's

2009-05-06T08:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday Chunnel!

The channel tunnel, aka Chunnel, was opened on this day in 1994. The Chunnel is a 31.4 mile tunnel underneath the English Channel linking France and England.

Today in the 60's

2009-05-05T08:00:00.001-04:00

Alan Shephard is the first American in space

The Mercury spacecraft, named Freedom 7, performed a suborbital flight. It was piloted by astronaut Alan Shepard, who became the first American in space as a result of this mission. The flight lasted less than 16 minutes and attained an altitude of just over 187 km.

Shepard did not orbit the earth, but simply went up and down, which requires a less powerful rocket and simpler guidance. He did, however, become the first astronaut to safely return to Earth inside his vehicle.

Today in the 80's

2009-05-04T08:00:00.000-04:00

Activision Boxing

Released in 1980, Boxing shows a top-down view of two boxers, one white and one black. When close enough, a boxer can hit his opponent with a punch. This causes his opponent to reel back slightly. Long punches score one point, while closer punches score two. There are no knockdowns or rounds. A match is completed either when one player lands 100 punches (a "knockout") or two minutes have elapsed (a "decision"). In the case of a decision, the player with the most landed punches is the winner. Ties are possible.

Glass-bottom observation deck?? No thanks!!!

2009-05-01T10:14:00.002-04:00

Chicago's Sears Tower will be opening a glass-bottomed observation deck in June. These enclosures will extend 4.3 feet out from the building giving people a 103 story view straight down with just an inch and a half of glass in between. The attraction will be called 'The Ledge'.

Today in the 70's

2009-04-30T08:00:00.000-04:00

The Fall of Saigon - 1975

The Fall of Saigon was the capture of Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, by the North Vietnamese army. The event marked the end of the Vietnam War and the start of a transition period leading to the formal reunification of Vietnam under communist rule.

Today in the 90's

2009-04-29T08:00:00.000-04:00

1992

The Los Angeles riots also known as the Rodney King uprising or the Rodney King riots

Riots begin in Los Angeles, California, following the acquittal of police officers charged with excessive force in the beating of Rodney King. Over the next three days 53 people are killed and hundreds of buildings are destroyed.

Today in the 70's

2009-04-28T08:00:00.000-04:00

Atari Basketball

Before Dr. J vs. Larry Bird, before Bulls vs. Blazers, there was Atari Basketball. A very simple & goofy game, yet still entertaining and competitive.

In the 1980 comedy film Airplane!, flight controllers are seen playing this game rather than watching the monitor.

Today in the 80's

2009-04-27T08:00:00.000-04:00

The computer mouse is released

XEROX PARC introduces the Xerox Star computer. Unlike other computers at the time, there is something unique about this one. It includes a graphical user interface (GUI). To operate this GUI, the computer also comes with something called a mouse.

The name mouse, originated at the Stanford Research Institute, derives from the resemblance of early models (which had a cord attached to the rear part of the device, suggesting the idea of a tail) to the common mouse.

The mouse remained relatively obscure until the appearance of the Apple Macintosh; in 1984 a prominent PC columnist commented the release of this new computer with a mouse: “There is no evidence that people want to use these things.”

Logitech just built its billionth mouse in November 2008.

Today in the 80's

2009-04-23T08:00:00.000-04:00

This is a repost from my former site, the Captain's Blog.

Coke announces it is changing its secret formula. New Coke debuts.

In one of the business worlds biggest WTFs?, the Coca Cola company attempted to change the formula of Coke with "New Coke." Follow-up taste tests revealed that most consumers preferred the taste of New Coke to both Coke and Pepsi. I call bullshit.
Management was unprepared, however, for the nostalgic sentiments the drink aroused in the American public. The new Coca-Cola formula caused a public backlash. Protests caused the company to return to the old formula under the name Coca-Cola Classic on July 10, 1985. New Coke stayed around a while and was renamed Coke II in 1992.

Happy Earth Day

2009-04-22T08:00:00.000-04:00

Today is Earth Day. Take care of your planet. You need it, and it needs you. Save a little water. Save some electricity. Go for a walk. Ride a bike. Don't gun your engine. Oh yeah. Don't make a giant styrofoam sculpture commemorating Earth Day and leave it for others to clean up. That's what happened in April 1989 on the East green of Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. I was there.

This is amazing piloting

2009-04-21T21:19:00.002-04:00

This video from CNN shows an experimental plane experiencing an engine failure over Winter Haven, Florida. Contrary to popular belief, airplanes do not fall out of the sky. They glide. This pilot and his passenger did an excellent job of assessing the situation,and landing the plane safely.

As an on again, off again student pilot myself, I have constantly been drilled on what to do if an engine fails and I have to glide to a landing.

Great work, pilot!!

Space Lego Awesomeness

2009-04-21T08:46:00.002-04:00

This photo is from the Big Toronto Toy Show. It is a display of custom and original Space Lego sets from the 70's and early 80's. Go check out the other photos plus a video over at plaidstallions.

Today in the 70's

2009-04-21T08:00:00.000-04:00

Video Games (I think)

BASIC Programming

10 PRINT "I can't believe they made this!!!"
20 GOTO 10
RUN

BASIC Programming was released for the Atari 2600 way back in 1979. One of only a few non-gaming cartridges, this program allowed people to create simple programs using its own unique programming language, which was fairly the same as BASIC, but still differed in many different ways. The extremely small RAM memory size of the Atari 2600, 128 bytes, severely restricted the possibilities of this cartridge.

BASIC Programming required two Atari keyboard controllers, and came with special overlays to show how to type the different commands and letters.

Today in the 90's

2009-04-20T08:00:00.000-04:00

Columbine High School Massacre

Ten years ago today the worst thing you can imagine happened. Two students, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, embarked on a massacre, killing 12 students and a teacher, as well as wounding 23 others, before committing suicide.

The massacre provoked debate regarding gun control laws, the availability of firearms in the United States, and gun violence involving youths. Much discussion also centered on the nature of high school cliques, subcultures and bullying, as well as the role of violent movies and video games in American society.

As a parent, and a spouse of a teacher I think about my wife and my children's safety constantly. This is one of those terrible situations you hope never comes true. Give your loved ones a hug today and remember the victims from 10 years ago at Columbine.

Today in the 70's

2009-04-16T08:00:00.000-04:00

I'm going to add some history from the 70's and 90's as well to the blog. Just so I can keep a variety of things flowing and keep it interesting. that way if I keep at this for a while, I won't run out of material. This is also supplemental material to go into the podcast on the weekends.

Apollo 16 launches

Apollo 16 was the 10th manned mission to go to the moon. It was also the 5th mission to land on the moon. What makes this event special is that it included a lunar rover with it. This was the 2nd lunar mission to use a lunar rover. The astronauts which included commander John Young, set a land speed record with the rover getting it up to a top speed of 11mph. The astronauts did cause some problems to the rover. They accidentally broke off the rear fender causing moon dust to be thrown all over them and the batteries when the drove. All of the dust covering the batteries caused the rover to overheat.

Today in the 80's

2009-04-15T08:00:00.000-04:00

Barnstorming (1982)

In this game for the Atari 2600 you piloted a biplane through a series of barns in the shortest time possible while dodging windmills, weather vanes, and geese. Bumping into anything slows down the plane for a couple of seconds, increasing the overall time.

Originally, a player with a time or better of 33.3 seconds on game 1, 51.0 seconds on game 2, or 54.0 seconds on game 3 could send Activision a picture of their screen and receive membership in the Activision Flying Aces and receive a Flying Aces patch.

Today in the 80's

2009-04-14T07:01:00.002-04:00

Did you know on this date in 1986 the largest hailstones ever recorded at the time fell? They were 2.2 pounds each and fell on theGopalganj district of Bangladesh, killing 92. Yikes.

Today in the 80's

2009-04-13T08:00:00.000-04:00

Video Games

The ColecoVision

The ColecoVision is Coleco Industries' second generation home video game console and was released August 1982. The ColecoVision offered arcade-quality graphics and gaming style, the ability to play Atari 2600 video games, and the means to expand the system's basic hardware. Released with a catalog of twelve launch titles, with an additional ten games announced for 1982, approximately 125 titles in total were published as cartridges for the system between 1982 and 1984.

Coleco licensed Nintendo's Donkey Kong as the official pack-in cartridge for all ColecoVision consoles, and this version of the game was well received as a near-perfect arcade port, helping to boost the console's popularity. By Christmas of 1982, Coleco had sold 500,000 units, largely on the strength of its bundled game.

CaptainsCast 018 - Stuffed bunnies multiplying like rabbits

2009-04-12T13:26:00.003-04:00

Happy Easter. We have finally returned. After an extended break to handle our busy daily lives', we are back at it. Come listen as we tell of our past months' adventures including scouting, science fair, Teddy Roosevelt, and our mini-vacation to Florida.

CaptainsCast joins Cleancasts.com

2009-04-06T09:53:00.002-04:00

I'm proud to announce that the CaptainsCast podcast has joined Cleancasts.com - a network of clean podcasts with a rating of G or PG. I encourage you to follow the Cleancasts link on the sidebar or in this post to check out the other great podcasts in the network. You'll also help the CaptainsCast ranking by clicking on it as well. Thanks to Cleancasts.com for asking us to be a part of this.

Baseballius is here

2009-04-06T09:31:00.004-04:00

Today is a day of renewal. A rite of spring, and definitely a holiday in my book. Today is the opening day of baseball season. I know, there was a game lat night. I'll get to that later in this post. My friend Jim enjoys this day so much that he has invented a holiday around it. Baseballius. The official definition is this - the celebration of the opening of the Major League Baseball season. Below is a post he did on his blog three years ago when he invented the holiday.

The date will vary from year to year at the discretion of the MLB Commissioner. However, the primary day will be the first Monday of the season. In recent years, the first game has taken place on Sunday night. That will simply be known as Baseballius Eve. That evening it is the responsibility of every parent to read Casey at the Bat to their children before they go to bed. The story will provide visions of strikeouts and Home Runs dancing in their head.

When the children have finally fallen asleep and long after the final out of the game, the parents hide their children’s ball gloves around the house. It’s okay to let the kids know that the parents hide the gloves. But if you want to add to the mystery of the day, tell your kids that it is the San Diego Chicken who hides all the gifts for the children who have been good. The gloves will be filled with small toys, packs of baseball cards, & Cracker Jacks.

The morning will be filled with shouts of “Play Ball!” as the kids search the house for their glove. “Play Ball” is the traditional greeting for Baseballius. “Happy Opening Day” and “Merry Baseballius” are acceptable as well. And don’t be afraid to give a “Season’s Greetings” as long as you are referring to the baseball season.

As the kids sort through their cards and watch repeat episodes of SportsCenter the parents prepare for the first game. It would always be preferred to go to an Opening Day game but for most, spending the day in front of the TV will suffice. Either way everyone must wear their favorite players’ jersey or at least the team colors.

The Baseballius meal consists of hot dogs, peanuts, soft pretzels, popcorn and cotton candy with root beer for the kids and 20 oz. draft beers for the adults. Depending on the mood, and where the dogs are, it’s okay to drop the peanut shells and, really, all the garbage on the floor just like at a ballpark. Just remember that ketchup and mustard are tough stains to get out of carpet.

At the start of the game it is important for everyone to remove their hat and show respect for the National Anthem. It is not really necessary to sing along but it is a tradition to bet whether or not the person singing will hit the high note on “…the land of the freeeeeee!”

The first pitch is the high point of the day. If your team is on the field and the first pitch is a strike your team will have a winning season. If you’re at the plate and your first batter gets a hit, your team will have a winning season. If the first pitch hits the batter and breaks a bone then both teams are headed for the cellar.

Unfortunately, the results of the games on Opening Day really don’t mean much. For all of the teams it is just 1/162nd of the season and a single game won’t likely determine a team’s fate. The same can be said for all of the fans. Baseballius is just the beginning of a holiday season that lasts seven months – Christmas is jealous. But the pleasure and happiness of the beginning of another baseball season can’t be matched.

I hope everyone enjoys this day of Baseballius. Root for your team, get to a game, and of course, PLAY BALL!!!!!

Where are we?

2009-03-15T22:32:00.002-04:00

Ben and I are behind in getting a new episode out. His science fair project is taking more time than we thought. It looks great, though. If you've been listening to the show, you know Ben and I are involved in Cub Scouts. Webelos to be exact. Well, our den leader has decided to resign and take care of some personal commitments. That leaves the assistant to take over. That would be me. I'm trying to catch up with it. My first meeting is Tuesday and I have to get the boys ready for the Blue & Gold Banquet this weekend. We then need to finish a camp kitchen we have been building. Then we move into the spring camping season with more than plenty to do. Oh yeah, we also have soccer.

I promise we will get up and running with a new episode very soon.

It never ends

2009-03-14T10:32:00.003-04:00

I woke up this morning to this photo above. Then I received emails from fellow employees who can't access our inventory database system as well. Not a good start to my Saturday. Tech support is on the west coast. Oh yeah, Monday through Friday only. I had planned to go to the school carnival, work the school carnival, go to a birthday party, go to church, work on Bens' science fair project, and record a new episode of the podcast.

Not a good start at all.

Here'a blast from the past

2009-03-06T16:28:00.003-05:00

Not only is it Star Wars on videotape. It's Star Wars on Betamax videotape.

CaptainsCast 017 - Boulderax, I think I suffer from that.

2009-03-03T20:50:00.007-05:00

We're late this week. Or early next week. Whichever way you want to see it. Ben & I talk about Monster by Mail, Aquanat, Founder's Day, Duke Ellington, 80's history, Asteroids, & Power Miners. Obviously it's a lot packed into 45 minutes. Oh yeah - Hunter makes a return to the microphone as well.

CaptainsCast 016 - That's a mouthful

2009-02-22T18:19:00.004-05:00

We're back after missing a week. Ben introduces you to his kids news segment about Sam the koala bear. We also take a majority of the show to talk about ToyFair 2009 and all of the great new toys coming out this year from Hasbro, Lego, Nerf, etc.

We also welcome you to come join us in Ben's science fair project - "Is Wii bowling accurate to real bowling?" If you can bowl three games of actual bowling, and have access to bowling three games of Wii bowling, we need you. Please email us at Captaincast@gmail.com and we will send you the form. we'll also give you a mention on the show for the help you gave us in the research.

No CaptainsCast this week

2009-02-15T14:20:00.003-05:00

We just didn't get it together this week, so we decided to postpone a week. We should be able to bring you plenty next week as the New York Toy Fair concludes, the Dayton 500 has run, and we had some bowling adventures. Se ya next week.

Lego coolness

2009-02-11T09:51:00.003-05:00

I used to watch Star Blazers on channel 19 back in the late 70's/early 80's. It was a japanese cartoon with a space/sci-fi theme. Someone has built a custom Battleship Yamato from the show in Lego form. Check out the link.

http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=363163

CaptainsCast 015 - Recorder Karate

2009-02-08T20:04:00.005-05:00

This week on the CaptainsCast Ben & I talk about all that's happened in our lives this past week, the creator of Playmobil, new frogs, Ben learning to play the recorder, Halo Wars, Coleco tabletop games, and more.

CaptainsCast 014 - Schlitten Fuhren

2009-02-01T18:54:00.003-05:00

Ben & I discuss our performance in the pinewood derby. We also talk about the "weather event" of the past week, "sled-riding or sledding", more 80's history, "The Rocker", and some 80's video games.

This week's CaptainsCast is delayed

2009-01-31T16:41:00.002-05:00

We will be recording the latest episode of the CaptainsCast tomorrow instead of the usual Saturday afternoon time slot. Be sure to check back tomorrow for the latest from us.

Snow days in Cincinnati

2009-01-27T12:00:00.002-05:00

The family is off school today due to the snow. More coming tonight and tomorrow, however I still have to go to work. Here's a couple of photos.

CaptainsCast 013 - I can fit in a Cessna

2009-01-24T17:05:00.003-05:00

Ben & I are back with another weekly update including the inauguration, another pet disaster, vacations, and our most anticiapted video games of 2009. This week in history totally awesome edition is also back.

CaptainsCast 012 - That's offensive

2009-01-17T20:40:00.002-05:00

After a 2 week hiatus due to illness, we are back. It's a bit late, but this is our New Year's resolutions show. We talk about our resolutions, Ben's teeth, and our most anticipated movies of 2009. We hope you like it, and don't forget to tell your friends.

CaptainsCast 011 - Chowder is also a soup

2009-01-03T14:39:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year everybody. Ben & I are back after a long Christmas vacation. In this episode we have a near disaster with another pet. I finish off my top 5 toys from my childhood. We give you our best of 2008 lists for movies, television, video games, technology, and events. Enjoy!!!!

CaptainsCast delayed

2008-12-21T09:45:00.002-05:00

Hello listeners. CaptainsCast is going to be delayed until Tuesday of this week. The family has a million things to do this weekend to prepare for Christmas as well as visiting with family, so we'll present you with the 'Christmas Vacation' episode later this week.

CaptainsCast 010 - Digimon!!?!?!??? What's that about?!?!?

2008-12-12T15:08:00.008-05:00

It's a Saturday afternoon special this week. We are behind in recording this week, but we're back. Breakfast with Santa, scout craftsmanship, Ben's book report, and my problem with letting go of pieces of my Star Wars collection.

We also cover Ben's current favorite toys of all-time. We then cover Dad's #15-#6 favorite toys of my childhood.

Please leave us a review over on iTunes. We'd love to hear from you.

CaptainsCast 009 - Walt Disney was born...not built in 1901

2008-12-04T15:58:00.007-05:00

The holidays are in full bloom. Ben and I will give you the usual dose of weekly updates. We talk a bit about St. Nicholas, MY Christmas list, and we'll also give you our top five Christmas movies/specials of all time. I can't wait to see what Ben has on his list.

The BIG TIME.....

2008-12-02T17:27:00.004-05:00

Sort of. I checked iTunes this morning before work. If you go to the iTunes store, click podcasts, click Kids & Family in the Categories section, click 'Audio Podcasts' near the top of the page, then arrow right to the 4th page of the 'New and Notable' section, you will find the CaptainsCast. We're somebody now.

Ripped from the headlines

2008-12-01T15:35:00.004-05:00

I've given up on the Bengals. Ben says he likes the Broncos. Either way, I couldn't help but post this photo taken from the Cincinnati Enquirer's website.

CaptainsCast 008 - It's not a Glade candle

2008-11-26T10:59:00.006-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving from the CaptainsCast. This week Ben will enlighten me with facts about the first Thanksgiving. I'm amazed at what I didn't know. We'll also talk about what we are thankful for, preparing our household for the holidays, and start to delve into Christmas lists. There's also a review from us on the new Disney animated feature, Bolt!. We hope you enjoy it.

Also, if you have an iTunes account, we would love if you could go over to iTunes, search for Captainscast, and submit a review.

Thanks and enjoy your holiday!!

CaptainsCast 007 - As things change, sometimes they still stay the same

2008-11-20T21:24:00.005-05:00

This week on the CaptainsCast we talk about our weekly update, movies in This Week in History, the new Star Trek trailer, and hot toys of the present season, and hot toys from when I was Ben's age.

CaptainsCast 006 - So what's the A stand for?

2008-11-13T23:01:00.002-05:00

Let's talk about Ben's grades, shall we? Ben got his 1st quarter report card for 4th grade. We'll also talk about a humorous catastrophe with the dog. Ben says we should talk about Veteran's Day this week. Don't forget another This Week in History lesson from the 80's as well. We watch the Clone Wars movie & I talk just a wee bit about World of Warcraft and role-playing games.

The new Enterprise

2008-11-12T23:56:00.004-05:00

Since this is the CAPTAINScast, it would only be prudent to show the new USS Enterprise from the upcoming JJ Abrams "re-boot" of Star Trek. I am very impressed.

CaptainsCast 005 - Obama-Rama

2008-11-06T23:37:00.003-05:00

This week on the CaptainsCast, Ben & I talk about my 20 year high school reunion, the election and voting, Lou Piniella, Ronald Reagan, & the Beach Boys, as well as Gears of War, the Xbox360, and my inept use of the Wii.

CaptainsCast 004 - And the music would go wooooo!!!

2008-10-30T23:04:00.000-04:00

Happy Halloween. This week on the CaptainsCast Ben and I talk about our Halloween week, carving pumpkins, selling popcorn, and what scares me and what doesn't scare Ben. We also discuss some Halloween history, and scary video games from the 80's. Well, maybe not so scary.

CaptainsCast 003 - Superman is in at 3.5

2008-10-30T01:20:00.000-04:00

This week on the CaptainsCast Ben & I discuss our weekend away from home, the 89 year old football lady, voting, This Week in History Totally Awesome Edition, Iron Man, and Ben's top 5 super heroes.

CaptainsCast 002 - Whittle Victories

2008-10-30T01:05:00.000-04:00

This week on the CaptainsCast, Ben & I discuss our trip to Peterloon, soccer heroics, and physical fitness. We also talk about BB guns, starting fires, and whittling. There's another This Week in History Totally Awesome Edition lesson from the 80's, and our favorite 16-bit games from the nineties.

CaptainsCast 001 - Our first episode ever

2008-10-30T01:00:00.000-04:00

The inaugural episode of the CaptainsCast. Join Ben and I as we discuss the genration gap differences between an 80's geekdad and his son. Click on the title to listen.

Take 1...crash

2008-10-08T22:15:00.002-04:00

Our first recording of the CaptainsCast was a failure. We had great material, great dialogue, and a great recording. Until the power went out for 2 seconds. As you can guess in my excitement to record all of the segments of the show, I never saved. Therefore, we lost all of the work we put into the show. At least it was a great dress rehearsal. We now have a better understanding of what we need to do for the next attempt.

Coming Soon

2008-09-29T22:07:00.000-04:00

Soon this will be the landing site for the CaptainsCast - a podcast produced by me and my son. There are 29 years that separate us, and there is definitely a lacking (is that a word?) when it comes to us understanding each other. Some of the topics we will cover will include history, current events, pop culture, video games, you name it.
I have another blog, the Captain's Blog, where I do a Today in History segment every weekday about the 80's. I plan to include that in our father-son podcast just to teach my boy about how things were when I grew up in the 80's. It should be fun. Check back soon. I'm sure we'll have it up and running in no time.

The Captain.