Podcastin' | The Friday(ish) Update

Welcome to this week’s edition of the Friday(ish) Update, in which I give a little insight into what I’ve been up to for the past seven days.

What have I been up to this week?

In these little posts, I generally focus on the work I’ve been doing each week in relation to my main channel videos. By the time I’ve updated you all on how writing and filming and editing is going, I often have little time left to mention anything we’ve been working on with my podcast, Induction.

So, let’s correct that in today’s edition of The Friday(ish) Update.

Last week, we invited Abigail Thorn of Philosophy Tube into our digital studio to record an episode of Induction. Given Abigail released the filmed version of her stage play The Prince a little while back and so I thought I’d use the chance to chat to her about Shakespeare. We talk a little bit about what draws her to Shakespeare as both a writer and performer as well as the role of Shakespeare as the tip of the “Western” cultural canon.

The episode won’t be out for a little while. Work on the main channel videos can be a little all-over-the-place organisationally. Despite our best efforts, the fact we’re constantly making creative choices means our future plans are continually being torn up and redrawn. But, we’ve managed to stay a lot further ahead with the podcast; which makes it a much less stressful process!

Nevertheless, it was really fun to chat to Abigail and I’m really enjoying trying something a little new. Hopefully, we’re getting better at making it with each episode!

And outside of work?

This weekend, my best friend came down to visit. We had planned to play some Warhammer: 40,000 Kill Team but, when he got here, it was incredibly sunny. As such, we decided to enjoy the nice weather with a few drinks on Plymouth’s waterfront.

I came away with a bit of a tan but have some filming to do this week so am trying my absolute best to avoid getting burnt for the next few days!

What have I been reading/watching/listening to?

I’ve recently returned to Drew Pendergast and Troy Vettese’s Half-Earth Socialism. I’m reading it for a podcast I’m going to be guesting on shortly but am glass to have the excess to do so as I had really enjoyed the excerpts I’d read previously.

The book aims to be a utopian eco-socialist manifesto. It asks the same question many of us are thinking about: how do we create a world which is ecologically sustainable and socially just.

I’m not always sure it achieves its goals as a manifesto. It can get a little lost in the theoretical weeds in a manner which would probably put off a more general audience. I also think it can be a bit grand in its style sometimes.

Nevertheless, I have been learning lots of new things. Did you know, for example, most (if not all) human diseases originated in animals. Prior to humans beginning to engage in animal farming, it’s likely that the only diseases one would catch would be through infection. Not something I knew before!

That brings us to the end of this week’s edition of the Friday(ish) Update. I hope you’ve found it mildly insightful.

Thanks as ever for your generous support and I’ll look forward to updating you more next week!!