February 5, 2024: Six Degrees Of Star Wars Explores The Force Of Connection

Sam Marchiony is a film fan on a mission – to figure out just how influential Star Wars was, is, and will be. To that end, Sam has created a podcast called Six Degrees of Star Wars, which takes a look at the actors, directors, and other people involved in the creation of one of the most famous franchises in movie history. During our interview, we discussed the impact this space opera has had on fans, as well as just how interconnected Hollywood truly is.

1) What inspired you to start your podcast? Are you a Star Wars fan, or someone who is newer to the franchise?

I have been a Star Wars fan for about 8 years. As my family's resident film and TV buff, I have often had to explain to them where they know actors from. Star Wars was one of the most frequent movie franchises I could be sure everyone in the family would know. What pushed me over the edge into starting the podcast proper was . . . [more]

February 4, 2024: Pondering The Nature Of Flextangles

I have a lot of ideas. Many of them are half-baked, so I keep them around, hoping the extra cooking time will prove beneficial. Sometimes that works; other times, I just end up with a boatload of still-half-baked ideas (often manifesting as perpetually open tabs).

One idea I've had open in a tab for the better part of 2023 (and, obviously, now going into 2024) is using a flextangle at the gaming table. "What's a flextangle," you might ask, "and how do I use it in gaming?"

The first question is fairly easy to answer. A flextangle is a papercraft item where you have a donut-like angular "tube" that rotates on itself, presenting four images. Hmm . . . having typed that, I realize "easy to answer" may have been a stretch. Anyway, a video is worth a thousand words, so check out YouTube for a bunch of examples.

"Okay! So, how do I use them at the gaming table?" Yeahhhh . . . . . . [more]

February 3, 2024: He Didn't See His Shadow!

-- Michelle Richardson