Welcome to the 21st edition of the Cast of the Week awards (Breaking out of Lockdown Edition). Got the sick of home blues? Get outside! But first, read on for a double dose of winners and important info.
You can find this week’s nominees can be found at https://ykyz.com/f/cotwxxi.
Junior Microcaster Prizes
We will be experimenting with a dedicated Junior Microcaster award and might do a summer program. This would be open to anyone 18 or younger. We hope to offer at least one prize per week in this category, and if we get enough participants, we might offer a Junior Microcaster of the summer award. This is a great way for a teen to launch a career in casting. Note that if you take a teenage caster under your wing, you are eligible for our Mentor program, and will get referral credit for anyone you bring on.
And now, on to the CotW XXI winners! But first, some shoutouts:
Shoutout to PracticalMagic for episode 73. It is OKAY to rest! and the reminder that during the pandemic, lowering expectations for what you get done may be the only way to stay sane.
Shoutout to Rebekah of the SmartMoney microcast for a solid review of pay-to-play games in episode 318. Paid to Play Apps – Worth It?
Shoutout to BorisTheBlade for touching a nerve with the title and content of his 175th microcast episode Fat is not beautiful, Adele’s weight loss and Social Justice Warrior fascists pt. 2.
Shoutout to Asi the Voluptuous Voyager for episode 191. Ramblings… and her thoughts about the goal of her cast and reaching out to others.
Shoutout to Mistress of the Microcast for fearlessly asking the question no one else dares to ask in her episode 260. What happened to the Bermuda Triangle?
A few microcasters had episode milestones recently. Shoutouts to Snippets With Sophia, Doctor Irish, and Smart Money for hitting the big 300. Whoot whoot!
And now, on to the winners! But first, a few honorable mentions:
Honorable mentions:
Poegosi The Poet for his intriguing and highly interacted with episode 195. Selling feet pics online strange ways to earn online.
Snippets With Sophia for episode 302. Food-Based Insults, an excellent overview of the many ways to label another nation based on their food preferences, from Limeys to Krouts to Butter Stinkers (who knew!)
ThatbeardedSwede for episode 262. Nordic Walking voice chat debates online! Apparently, this awkward looking activity works not just for the elderly but can be good for fitness if you swap out lightweight poles for ones that weigh as much as mid-sized chickens.
And now, and this time we really mean it, on to the winners:
Bleats of the week:
This award goes to the most listened to (non-microcast) bleat of the past week. Since two weeks have gone by, we have two winners.
Should they be allowed? by Muslim Things
and
Live now 🔴 Gaming chat at 5 pm Friday! by Maleficent Gaming
Quote of the week:
This award goes to my favorite quote taken from a microcast episode or bleat. The two winners this time are:
“It’s as if you asked me what colors I would want the walls of my apartment painted while there’s a gaping hole in the floors and also the kitchen is on fire”, by Just Thinking Aloud in episode 186. Right/Left Wing and Other Pipe Dreams.
And
“Covid. I blame Covid. The entire last three months I blame solely on Covid. I mean, don’t you?”, by jenagain in episode 87. Ready or Not, pt 1.
For our regular microcast awards, we have:
Fourth prize:
In episode 242. Street Corn by Black Girl Baker, we get a great explanation of how to debug dense cake as well as a mouth-watering description of how to make homemade Street corn.
Third prize:
In Greek mythology, the Titans were pre-Olympian gods. In episode 260. Story Time: The Titans, Astrocast By Diz tells their wild and disturbing story with a mix of drama and delightfully strange detail.
Second prize:
Addie, of Music and Peace, gets a silver star and second prize for episode 384. Give Addie A Sticker – Rough And Rowdy Controversy, for her excellent contextualization of Bob Dylan’s latest album. In this packed cast, Addie covers the questions of how to judge new work of an old artist, music in the time of pandemics, and, as the title suggests, stickers.
First prize:
A Brewtiful Mind takes top prize for episode 189. Could You Drink 101 Beers in a Week? In it, Micah tells the true tale of a former school track star who drank 101 beers in a week and ran 101 miles in that same week. Mixing self-indulgence, Covid relief (funds were raised), excess drinking, and the return to much-neglected exercise, this cast perfectly captures our current moment.
Tag: honorable mentions
Cast of the Week XX
Welcome to Cast of the Week 20, the double X!
You can find this week’s nominees can be found at https://ykyz.com/f/cotwxx.
First, some shoutouts.
Shoutout to NerdyOldGuy for episode 267. What YKYZ Means To Gaming. We always appreciate the good vibes coming our way for our free speech ways. Our commitment to a censorship-free community continues to be rock solid.
Shoutout to Joanie Reviews Stuff for her episodes on Non-Online YKYZ Promotion Ideas!, Pt 1 and Pt 2.
And now, on to the winners! But first, an honorable mention:
280. The Mandalorian And Porringers by SnippetsWithSophia
While enjoying an episode of The Mandalorian, Sophia notices something intriguing. In a particular clip, the waitress asks if the guest would like a porringer of bone broth also. Doing what she does best, Sophia starts researching if this thing called a porringer is real or made up. Her detailed description, mixed with humor, makes learning about this new item all the more fun.
Bleat of the Week:
Polygamy; Yay, or Nay by Medievalscientist
Few Bleats this past week captured as much interest as this simple question, To marry, or To marry, marry, and marry? This simple question brought out many different views of the topic. Proving that sometimes even a simple question can spark deep discussions.
Second Prize:
171. My Pineapple Beer – 1st Taste by Voluptuous Voyager
Some say, “desperate times call for desperate measures.” While Asi of Voluptuous Voyager says, “desperate times call for DIY hooch.” During this pandemic-inspired lockdown on South African liquor stores, Asi explains that many South African people are resorting to making their own booze. In her first-ever attempt, Asi loosely follows a recipe for a pineapple beer.
Grand Prize:
365. Burn Out, Or Fade Away? What’s Your Dream? by Music and Peace
In this episode, Addie discusses the idea of whether it’s better for an artist to “burn up” or “to fade away.” The concept of “burning up” happens to a lot of artists that die at a young age right at the height of their fame. She ends the episode with just one important question. Is it better to live your life in a “blaze of glory” or to enjoy your time “in the sun” but also enjoy “the sunset” of life?
Cast of the Week XVII
CotW XVI
You’ll find all the nominees for this week at https://ykyz.com/c/na?faveOf=cotwxvii
And now I’m handing things over to u/Mattasher for the winners of Cast of the Week XVII:
Shoutouts
Some shoutouts this week to the people who made our week:
Shoutout to If You Were In My Shoes for her willingness to share a well-crafted and poignant personal dilemma, with episode 5. There’s no point anymore.
Shoutout to Joanie for getting a new mic and making a contest out of it. You sound great to us!
Shoutout MondragonMMA and A Brewtiful Mind for each hitting episode 100.
Shoutout to Demi Semi Quaver Note for the awesome recitation of Walt Whitman’s city of orgies, complete with spot-on sound effects. A reminder to please make sure any poetry you post to ykyz is in the public domain, as is the case with Whitman.
Shoutout to Primal Haze for the outstanding first episode, 3 Reasons Why Microcasting Is A Great Idea. We agree with all of them! A reminder, though, to all microcasters: It’s best to fade out your intro music as you begin speaking.
And, last but not least, Shoutout to all of you for continuing to help promote the site. We’re now ranked at about 120k on Alexa, just 20k away from our April goal.
Honorable mentions
217. Sweden food, Swedish meatballs by ThatBeardedSwede
Our favorite Swede shares the history of meatballs and his own family recipe ingredients. IKEA may have spread this tradition around the world, but when it comes to meatballs, IMO there’s nothing better than homemade.
25. Let’s Eat and eat some more by Angelibean
Angelibean shares her newfound quarantine skill, eating all the snacks. She’s definitely not the only one stress eating, though apparently, some ykyz’ers are going in the opposite direction and stress fasting. Who knew that was a thing?
250. Tomatoes Indoors by SmartMoney
Turns out, a lot of us have food on the brain during quarantine. Our final honorable mention goes to Becky of SmartMoney with this perfect explanation of how to grow tomatoes inside.
CotW XVII winners
And now, on to this week’s winners!
Third Prize:
226. Raised And Cake Donuts by SnippetswithSophia
In this mouth-watering episode, Sophia explains the difference between the main types of donuts we consume. Spoiler alert, if it looks like a unicorn or a Pokémon, it’s a cake donut.
Second Prize:
42. “The talk” to save a life. by Doctor Irish
The good doctor gives straightforward advice for dealing with someone who might be suicidal. Never has an episode been so unfortunately timely, as one of the many, many un-considered side effects of extreme “social distancing” has been an all too predictable spike in depression and calls to suicide hotlines.
First Prize:
236. Animal Crossing Filipino textile outfits by fashionmusings
In this episode, Gem explores the intersection of fashion and gaming and describes how the Ayala museum is using in-game outfits to show off traditional Filipino textiles. In times when traveling abroad is virtually impossible, virtual fashion may be the very best thing to go viral right now.
Cast of the Week XV
CotW XIII
You’ll find all the nominees for this week at https://ykyz.com/c/na?faveOf=cotwxv
And now, without further ado, I’m handing things over to u/Mattasher for the winners of Cast of the Week XV (The Quiñcenero):
But first, some shoutouts.
Shoutout to Kayla (Violaceous Curiosity) for trying her hand (or voice) at the cold opener. Together we are exploring this new micro podcasting space.
Shoutout to MyNameIsQuest for the intriguing teaser episode The Spot. Everyone loves a good treasure hunt or vaunt opening tale, just don’t let us down like Geraldo.
Shoutout to our own Teresa (ThatOneGirl) who took over the Astrocast By Diz microcast to give Aries their due (and do’s).
Shoutout to Joanie for the bold and brave decision to review her own face in episode 93. Rambling About my Ugly Face
And now, on to the winners! But first, some honorable mentions:
35. But How are YOU doing? by jen.again
Good old Jen checks in with all of us in this friendly, nicely scripted episode.
153. Vinegar by Brown Skin Pearls
Clare examines the idea of using vinegar as a skincare product and concludes with a gentle reminder that when it comes to applying things to our body, we might want to leave the chemistry to the chemists, a reminder that seems particularly relevant right now.
148. Own Your Choices by Voluptuous Voyager
In this easy to listen to episode, Asi the Voluptuous Voyager introduces an expression that captures the distinction between where we land, and where we stay.
And now, the winners of CotW XV
Third Prize:
193. Paul Bunyan And Pancakes by SnippetsWithSophia
Sophia goes over one of my favorite characters from childhood, the tall tales of Paul Bunyan. Everything about this legendary lumberjack was supersized, including the story, Sophia tells about frying up pancakes in an acre-sized griddle. Grab a pick and pluck along with this giant microcast episode.
Second Prize:
108. Fast Facts: IPA’s – A Brewtiful Mind by A Brewtiful Mind
Micah opens with a teaser of an upcoming episode, then goes all fast and furious on us with facts about India Pale Ales. This 86 second episode would have to be rated with an IBU of 0, given the smooth delivery and how easily Micah makes the info go down.
Grand Prize:
10. My job isn’t real and the gaming industry is a joke by Maleficent Gaming
Our grand prize winner this week is from Lilith, who has just the right mix of personal experience and hard data in this episode about the gaming industry in her home country of Serbia. Lilith takes us into her narrow and misunderstood professional world, and leaves us with a broader understanding of how it fits into her countries overall economy.
Cast of the Week XIII
CotW XIII
You’ll find all the nominees for this week at https://ykyz.com/c/na?faveOf=cotwxiii
We’ll get right into the winners of Cast of the Week XIII.
But first, some shoutouts.
Shoutout to Elvira for crossing the 100 episode barrier with her Mistress of the Microcast series.
Shoutout to Joel for clocking in with 200 episodes of his NerdyOldGuy microcast.
Shoutout to Fredrik for the lovely episode 38. March Madness – Improvisation on Swedish Folk music (Guitar) (Original music by Fredrik). We always appreciate your original compositions.
Shoutout to the many users who jumped into March Madness with swaps and guest hosting. We listen to all of these, and you can find them collected in one place at https://ykyz.com/c/na?faveOf=marchmadness
And now, on to the winners. But first, some honorable mentions.
Honorable mentions
2. Mobile Gamers And Console Wars by Maleficent Gaming
Lilith got a big response for just her second microcast episode, an invitation to weigh in on the current state of mobile vs console gaming.
146. Kabbalah Numerology by Astrocast By Diz explains how to turn your name into a number as part of the ancient Hebrew practice of Kabbalah. Also, check out the fun and opinionated 155.Storytime: Zeus by Astrocast By Diz
60. Free Speech – Not Just Another Value by Just Thinking Aloud
At a time when patience for free speech is at the lowest point, it’s been in my lifetime, and censorship seems to championed even by the media itself, Mark succinctly explains the connection between free speech and honestly confronting reality.
And now, on to the winners!
Second place
87. Rosetta Stone with Alba of the Culture Mix by Life in Ancient Egypt
Alba steps into Marwan’s sandals and picks up his staff to lead us out of Egypt and into the British Museum, current home of the Rosetta stone, for a tour-guide quality description of this famously fractured artifact.
Grand prize
168. Takeover – Voluptuous Voyager – Swedish Death Cleaning by ThatBeardedSwede
This week, one caster perfectly captured the vibe of the show she swapped with. Asi, of Voluptuous voyager fame, gave us a wonderful slice of Swedish life in her guest appearance in episode 168 of ThatbeardedSwede’s microcast. Focusing on the practice of Death Cleaning (döstädning), or getting one’s affairs in order before it’s game over in this simulated we all share, Asi nails the feeling and focus of her host’s microcast. We also highly recommend Asi’s other Swedish take over episode on The Ice Hotel.
Cast of the Week XII
CotW XII
You’ll find all the nominees for this week at https://ykyz.com/c/na?faveOf=cotwxii
Here are the winners of Cast of the Week XII.
But first, some shoutouts:
Shoutout to our newest members of the 100 club: Andrew Steiner of Steinerland and Brian Thornsburg of Ranting and Raving. Put on your monogrammed green jackets, light up a cigar, and welcome to our exclusive club.
Shoutout to Sophia for spicing up our first week of March Madness with several episodes about the strange human custom of intentionally consuming things that burn our mouths.
Shoutout to Joel for finding a way to make a cast even more micro with his Bleat March Madness – The Micromicrocast. Unfortunately, I had to listen twice to realize the feeling of micro-deja-vu was well earned.
Shoutout to Kayla aka Violaceous Curiosity for jumping hard into March Madness with some well-done swaps.
Before we get to the winners, here are the honorable mentions for this past week.
15. Pumped Up Kicks by BeyondRhythm
He gives us the background on Foster for the People’s wonderfully cheerful song about teen angst with an imaginary(?) body count. Props to Cyannade for ending this episode the best possible way, with that maddeningly catchy whistling.
38. Earn online with the right chair by Poegosi The Poet
Microcasts call for micro topics, and Poegosi gets that right in this lovely little episode about finding just the right chair to keep you comfy, but not so comfy that you drift off. For my own part, I recommend adding a recliner to your office to give yourself a dedicated napping chair.
And now, on to the winners:
Runner-up:
124. To my wife by Aspie and Proud.
Elsa penned, then pronounced and posted this perfectly lovely ode to her partner. Well done and well within the spirit of March Madness experimentation.
Grand prize:
159. Use Headphones for this exercise by Doctor Irish
The good doctor picks up the top prize with this audio experiment, complete with show notes in an informative reply. We also strongly recommend listening to episode 160. Try this -Ambient Sound- Story Time an Audio Experience. Which uses background noises to great effect.
You may have noticed that we only gave out two prizes this week, yet we promised three during this month. In a moment of mixing things up ourselves, we’ve decided to give at least one prize next week to a swap cast, and offer a bounty to both the swapper and the swappe for double-dipping fun. Stay tuned to ykyz and don’t forget to get weird this March while you still can, it’s back to gray jackets and Cisco’s hold music next month.
Cast of the Week XI
CotW XI
You’ll find all the nominees for this week at https://ykyz.com/c/na?faveOf=cotwx
Before we get to this week’s winners, we have some shoutouts to microcasters who made our week great.
Shoutout all seven microcasters who entered the 100 episode club this week. I’m talking about you Black Girl Baker, Dancing Bartender, Aspie and Proud, Astrocast by Diz, Plant Based Podcast, Voluptuous Voyager, and last but not least, xXxDisturbedOnexXx
We’re sending a second Shoutout to the Voluptuous Voyager for her episode 97. Be the bigger person? which is not only good but experiments with a delayed intro. While certainly not an approach that works all the time or for all microcasts, it worked well here and we encourage you to try out new things, especially this month (did we mention it was March Madness on ykyz?)
Shoutout as well to all of you who have offered to help out generally with promoting ykyz, we’ll be counting on your efforts to take ykyz up to 11.
Honorable mentions
Before we get to the prize winners, here are the honorable mentions for this week.
30. Steelman-ing by Just Thinking Aloud
Mark provides us with a concise, well thought out description of this important technique in arguing, which involves making the strongest possible case for your opponent before you begin to attack it.
145. You Should Never do this. The Stigmas in Health by Doctor Irish
In this episode, the good doctor gives us an important reminder to distinguish between the patient and the condition, and not stigmatize people by identifying them with their disease. I’d also highly recommend listening to the Doc’s episode 20. 600 Dollars on microtransactions on his Imperfect Reviews microcast, a warning tale for anyone who lets the little ones access an app store, intentionally or otherwise.
80. I Was A Communist by SteinerLand
Andrew tells us his first two words when growing up on the Kibbutz, an institution which is on the ropes in large part because people move away from them in search of Andrew’s third word.
Winners:
Just for March Madness, we’re adding a third prize level.
Third place:
12. Paranoid Android by BeyondRhythm
This well-crafted episode by Cyannade tells the story behind one of my favorite Radiohead songs. Rich in detail, and bookended by a couple of nicely appropriate sonic touches, BeyondRythm picks up our inaugural third place with an entry that’s well worth the 90 second listen.
Runner up:
22. Disneyland is Too Expensive by The Broken Down Starship
James clearly touched a nerve with his discussion of the high cost of Disneyland. Mixing news, official explanations, and a personal take, this excellent episode expertly lays out a lament shared by all too many parents.
Grand prize:
145. Chili Bricks – Just Add Water by SnippetsWithSophia
With her signature mix of perfectly recorded episodes, quirky history, and heaping spoonfuls of information, Sophia once again puts the spice in our bowls and takes home top prize in this week’s microcast cook-off. Who knew the freeze-dried bags of beef stroganoff campers carry today can trace their lineage back over a hundred years to bricks of dried beef, fat, salt, and chilis. Either way, it beats lembas bread.
Thanks to everyone who took part in CotW XI, talk to you soon on ykyz!
Cast of the Week V
CotW V winners
You can find all of the nominees for this period at: https://ykyz.com/c/na?faveOf=cotwV
u/Mattasher writes:
Before we get to the winners, some shoutouts to people who made our week this week:
Shoutout to Violacious Curiosity for kick-starting my current favorite channel WhichIsWorse. Takes me back to the many hours I spent playing this exact game with friends. Now who’s going to start a channel for that more adult, three option game, let’s just call it MFK? 🙂
Shoutout to Mia for the cool stickers and offer to help others with their custom art.
Shoutout to the Microcasting sub-reddit, founded by our favorite Swede Fredrik.
Shoutout to Joel for the awesome video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aO_G_t-jSbE&feature=youtu.be
And now, on to the winners. But first, a handful of honorable mentions.
E34- Romantic Movies by Asexual Asa
Asa rolls her eyes and expresses her discontent with the literary shortcuts taken by so many romantic movies.
Ep9 African pride by Asi Voluptuous Voyager
In this fascinating episode, Asi tells us about the African tradition of fattening rooms for female fiancées. Who knew?
Ep.54 – The People You Meet off Craigslist by Life Bites Podcast
In this tightly narrated episode, Conner takes us through the various steps that make up the single serving transaction of buying something from someone on Craigslist.
EP56 Fcat or Fiction – Crossing One’s Path by CatGuruJoanie
How did black cats become the stuff of nightmares? Joanie gives us a brief history lesson, complete with spooky music. This one might have taken the top spot if it had more details about how black cats came to be associated with witches and bad luck.
And now, on to the winners.
Second Place:
Ep93 Where’s The Drummer? by Music and Peace
Another well researched, info packed, interesting episode from Addie. In this episode, we learn how The Beatles pioneered the drummer as a properly spotlighted member of the band by putting Ringo up on a raised platform, a tradition that continues until today, and, I might add, has been taken up to 11 by modern drummers like Tommy Lee.
Grand Prize:
EP76 The Era of VHS by The Broken Down Starship
This pure nostalgia play about the days of VHS rental touched a nerve with many of us. Packed with details, James brings you right back into the days that inspired Clerks. Careful though. As James puts it himself, Nostalgia is a heck of drug.