Welcome to the 19th Cast of the Week awards!
You can find this week’s nominees can be found at https://ykyz.com/f/cotwxix.
First, a few words from u/Mattasher for some super important information.
Site news
We are currently redoing our new user experience on the site, to improve first impressions and provide a more intuitive way for people to get up to speed with how to use ykyz and what we have to offer. We are hoping to roll out that change within the next two weeks.
Now, back to u/ThatOneGirl to announce the winners this week. But first, a shoutout:
Shoutout to Brown Skin Pearls for surpassing her 200th episode this week!
Runners up:
157. Fill your cup first… by Voluptuous Voyager
In this episode, Asi the Voluptuous Voyager shares her thoughts on some recent advice being passed along social media that, “once this trying time is over, remember who checked in on you.” Asi ends with the great quote, “You want to come with your cup full, my cup runneth over. What comes out of the cup is for you, what is in the cup is for me.” It is a powerful reminder to take care of ourselves too, not just looking in on others.
121. Voice and 145. My Content is Apparently Against YouTube’s Policies by Just Thinking Aloud
Mark has two insightful episodes this week. In the first one, he questions the real reasons why so many people have a fear of speaking up in public settings. In the second one, he explains why he chooses to use his voice on the ykyz platform instead of other well-known ones. In the end, it all comes down to the core values of ykyz being freedom of speech and not censoring its users for having and sharing their views on matters – even if they are a less popular opinion.
Bleat of the week:
Introducing yourself by gender, race, or sexuality in a public forum is detestable. by The Mini Devlow Show
In the most popular bleat last week (to, ironically, c/unpopular), Devlow shares his opinions on the trend of introducing yourself by “labels” first. In just under a minute, he explains that in most cases it shouldn’t matter what groups you identify with just to share a thought or two with the world.
Second prize:
18. Do you believe in ghosts? by PracticalMagic
Practical Magic shares her and her husband’s experience while looking at a house they were interested in buying. Their personal opinions on haunted houses, mixed with an old wives’ tale that “a ghost in a house brings wealth,” have her wondering if others believe in ghosts. She invites everyone to share their personal ghost stories with her.
First prize:
272. The Desire to Experience a “high” by Doctor Irish
Doctor Irish gets straight to the point in this episode. He wants everyone to know that people can have behavioral addictions to almost anything. A person can become so addicted to “normal day” activities that they start to experience withdrawal symptoms when they try and curb the behavior that gives them the “high” they are after.
Tag: matt asher
Cast of the Week XVIII
CotW XVIII
You’ll find all the nominees for this week at https://ykyz.com/c/na?faveOf=cotwxviii
And now, here’s u/Mattasher with the winners:
But first, some Shoutouts to the people who made our week this week:
Shoutout to Elvira of Mistress of the Microcast and BG from Black Girl Baker for reaching their 200th episode.
Shoutout to everyone for helping us crack the top 100k on Alexa! If you haven’t already installed the Alexa toolbar from Amazon.com, please do so now as that helps make sure our website stats show up accurately.
On to the winners!
Runners up:
217. Chakras – The Cliff Note´s Version by Astrocast By Diz
Diz gives us a perfect 80 second introduction to the concept of Chakras, and why you want to keep them clear and flowing.
246. James Bond And Heineken Beer by SnippetsWithSophia
Sophia takes on product placement in movies, and, in particular, the peculiar decision to pair fiction’s most famous martini drinker (shaken, not stirred) with a bland beer. I also recommend Sophia’s insightful episode on food history that explores the origins of many common last names.
266. Gardening and Math by SmartMoney
This episode of practical advice for teaching your kids math and gardening contains the best one-liner of the week, which I won’t spoil, but have a listen for the sentence that begins with “If six slugs eat one leaf every hour, and there’s only one can of beer in the house…”
And now, on to the winners of CotW XVIII:
Bleat of the Week:
This week we’ve added an award for most engaging (non-microcast) Bleat of the week. It goes to Asexual Asa for Pissing a lot of people off here about all the popular TV shows she’s never watched.
Second prize:
135. WHO: Globalism > Safety by Just Thinking Aloud
In this understated yet razor-sharp episode, Marko presents some basic facts and quotes related to the current crisis and draws us to an inevitable conclusion about one of the principal causes of so much of our pain.
First prize:
228. Some thoughts by Aspie and Proud
It’s rare to see an episode of purely personal expression win a prize here, as the best microcast episodes tend to mix researched information with interesting and entertaining takes, but this week I had no choice but to award the top billing to Elsa. In this emotionally resonant, well written, poetic episode, she expertly expresses the angst I suspect so many of us feel in this stressful time.
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 XVI
CotW XVI
You’ll find all the nominees for this week at https://ykyz.com/c/na?faveOf=cotwxvi
Here is u/Mattasher to announce the winners of Cast of the Week XVI (The Sweet Sixteen):
Before we get into the winners, we have some shoutouts this week.
Shoutout to Mark for hitting episode 100 with his Just Thinking Aloud microcast, to Poegosi The Poet for his 100th, Joanie Reviews Stuff’s 100th, Boris the Blade 100th, and to ThatbeardedSwede, Aspie and Proud, and Astrocast by Diz for posting episodes 200!
Shoutout to Lilith of the Maleficent Gaming microcast for experimenting with rapid-fire, YouTube-style editing in her episode 29. Exploiting employees for Borderlands 3 pt.2
Shoutout to Angelibean for giving the community a shoutout in the wonderfully titled episode 22. I’m a hater and I may need a nap
Shoutout to Rebekah of SmartMoney for the snack tips in episode 232. Give Me the Snacks and No One Gets Hurt, another well-titled episode this week.
Shoutout to Black Girl Baker for experimenting with sound recording in her 174.My version of ASMR. By the end, I was for sure craving some of those salty crunchy snacks Rebekah described.
And now, without further ado, the winners. But first, a couple of Runner’s up:
200. Wine from Sweden – YKYZ Podcast Microcast by ThatbeardedSwede
Who knew Sweden had not one, but several growing regions, and that it produced some award-winning whites?
31. Occupy by Brown Skin Pearls
Clare gives out practical advice for how to stop touching your face in this short but straightforward episode.
219. Danish Pastries by SnippetsWithSophia
Sophia takes us on a tour of Danishes around the world (spoiler alert, they’re not called Danishes everywhere) in this mouth-watering episode.
And now, on to the winners!
THIRD PRIZE:
116. Pilsners for Boris The Blade – A Brewtiful Mind by A Brewtiful Mind
In this packed episode, Micah takes us on a quick tour of the world of pilsners, from their home in the Czech Republic to their new world versions. For my own part, I’d highly recommend heading to Prague, finding a patio, and sipping a punch-bowl sized glass of the local favorite, Pilsner Urquell. You’ll never want to drink beer in a can again.
SECOND PRIZE:
26. Swear Words by Hilarious History
Hannah hits her stride with a SFW episode about NSFW language. In this episode we learn how Saxon words became vulgarities with the help of the Anglos. Hannah leaves us with the polite admonition, “Thank you for listening, and don’t get conquered”, which seems like the perfect advice for this moment we are in.
FIRST PRIZE:
200. Air Signs As Jazz Music by Astrocast By Diz
This was a tough one to pick. Not because we wondered who to give the top prize to, but had a hard time picking which episode from Diz deserved it most. In the end, we’re choosing her intriguing 200th cast, wherein Diz connects the astrological Air Signs with jazz, giving a surprisingly rich introduction to both in under 75 seconds. We also highly recommend you have a listen to her episode 203. Story Time: Bia. Come for the story of Prometheus, stay for the perfectly timed sound samples.
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 VIII
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u/Mattasher writes:
Before we get to the prizes, we have a number of shoutouts this week to those who made our week:
Shoutout to all those who joined the 100-club this week:
Clare with Brown Skin Pearls
Geraldine with fashionmusings
Janet with SnippetswithSophia
Joanie with CatGuruJoanie
Noah with Doctor Irish
Rebekah with SmartMoney
Shoutout to the two established users who booted up new microcasts this week. Joel kicked-off Wrestling with Football (about the new XFL league) and Noah crossed over into new territory with Imperfect Reviews.
Shoutout to @ndrewSeiner for finding his groove as the microcast equivalent of dropping a tab. Always be mindful of set and setting before tuning in!
One final Shoutout to SmartMoney for launching up my new favorite channel c/dumbcriminals
And now, on to the winners.
But first, some runner’s up:
92. Chapped by Brown Skin Pearls
Perfect for this time of year, Clare goes through the basics of chapped lips and how to handle them.
52. Biscuit Lashes by Black Girl Baker
Somehow the transition from talking about grating butter to a discussion about fake lashes just… works.
104. Adulting…Easier Than a Spreadsheet by SmartMoney
Becky gives us some basic advice on how to manage money without having to plot out every cent we spend. If you have 68 seconds to spare, I recommend spending it listening to this helpful episode.
104. DO NOT NAME YOUR CAT THESE NAMES – very serious by CatGuruJoanie
This very serious episode introduces us to the many bad cat names Joanie has encountered over the years, and Gary, which is definitely the best name, not the worst.
WINNERS:
Runner up
89. The Blank Page by Life Bites Podcast
Conner’s meditation on staring on a blank page takes the runner-up spot this week. This tightly crafted episode introduces us to the enemy and leads us on to victory over the creative void.
Grand prize
93. MM’s And The U.S. Presidents by SnippetsWithSophia
This week’s grand prize winner is Sophia’s well-paced, well scripted, well-researched episode on the one box of M&Ms that recipients will want to keep around for a long time. This delightful episode alone might have been enough to bag the top prize, but Sophia complimented it with several other well researched and interesting episodes about food and the halls of power. You can find them all here:
Cast of the Week VII
CotW VII
u/Mattasher writes:
Before we get to the prizes, we have a number of shoutouts this week to those who made our week:
Shoutout to jen.again for kick-starting my new favorite channel, c/ihateitwhen. Jen’s complaint about tissue boxes may be the most gloriously relatable first world problem I’ve ever heard.
Shoutout to Black Girl Baker who’s finding a great groove with her one-two punch of baking and “tea”.
Shoutout to CatGuruJoanie who has been experimenting with YouTube-style quick edits of her audio. Though not right for everyone, this technique is working well for Joanie’s cast.
Shoutout to ThatBeardedSwede for keeping casting alive on Reddit with a dedicated channel to microcasting.
Before getting to the main event, we hereby recognize a few runners up this week:
76. Thoughts on fake pockets? by fashionmusings
Gem clearly hit a chord with this discussion of fake pockets, an endless source of complaints for my own daughter.
79. Baby Steps by Life Bites Podcast
In this thoughtful meditation on moving forward, Conner reminds us that “You can go for miles, just taking baby steps”
69. Chicken McNuggets vs Vegan Nuggets by SnippetsWithSophia
Sophia’s episode about everyone’s favorite finger snack as a kid makes us wonder how much actual chicken is in McNuggets.
And now, on to the winners!
Runner up
54. What is Chinese Astrology? by Astrocast By Diz
In this timely episode, Diz explains the Chinese system of years and animals, including the nifty trick of asking someone’s zodiac animal as a sly (but not foxy, that one’s missing) way to figure out their age.
Grand Prize
86. Attachment by CatGuruJoanie
Joanie, with a hit tip to Violaceous C, brings the receipts for what many a cat owner has long suspected. Namely, their cats actually do love them, they’re just chill in how they show it. With well researched and tightly delivered episodes, we’re quickly becoming “Securely attached” to Joanie’s excellent microcast.
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.
Cast of the Week IV
CotW IV winners!
You can find all of the nominees for this period at: https://ykyz.com/c/na?faveOf=cotwiv
u/mattasher writes:
And now, without further ado, here are the winners of CotW IV.
But first, some shoutouts:
Shoutout to Doctor Irish, our Rookie of the Week. The good Doctor blasted through his first level requirements with dozens of high-quality episodes and great community engagement. We were prepared to offer a Rookie Referral bonus to whoever got the doc to pay us a house call, but it turns out he found our job ad directly.
Shoutout to the Dancing Bartender, who was lost at sea for over a week. Good to see him back and contributing more tales of tall ships and life at the corners of the map labeled “Here be monsters”.
Shoutout to CatGuruJoanie for our new favorite intro/outro. You make us purr with delight, and meow like little kittens.
And now on to the CotW winners.
But first, a suggestion. If you are having trouble remembering the best episodes of the last week to nominate, we recommend using the “favorite” feature to Heart your top episodes each week. That makes it easy to review what you liked best, just go to https://ykyz.com/f/YourUsername to look back over your faves.
And now on to the CotW winners.
But first, here are the runner’s up:
EP44 protest dressing by fashionmusings
A follow up to last week’s winning entry about fashion police, this one might have taken a top prize again if she’d included some nice juicy examples of specific protest wear.
Ep.5 What is an American? by Alba of The Culture Mix
This brief but thoughtful episode asks the question in its title and gives a few ways to look at it.
Ep 14 Horoscopes vs Astrology by Astrocast By Diz
Diz gets us up to speed with a detailed definition of Astrology and Horoscopes in this content rich, well recorded microcast episode.
And now, on to the CotW winners:
Second prize:
In “Song Reco”, Music and Peace tells the tale behind one of the most famous folk/blues songs of all time. Packed with detail but not overwhelming, Addie’s recommendation takes us back to song’s origins in the 30’s, then forward to the 60s when it became a monster hit for The Animals. Don’t spend your lives in sin and misery, tune in to Addie’s Music and Peace microcast instead.
Grand prize:
There wasn’t much debate about which episode deserved the top spot this past week. Our favorite Millennial Jonathan nailed it with his creative, high effort, perfectly executed episode titled “Grocery”. In just 90 seconds, Jonathan takes us on an epic coffee run that goes from home to the grocery to the annoying self-checkout lane, complete with sound effects and mega stuff Oreos. His checkout total for coffee plus extras may have hurt his wallet, but he’s going to be just fine after taking home this week’s Grand prize.
Thanks for another great week of episodes at ykyz!
Cast of the Week III
CotW III winners
Before we get to the winners, some general notes:
• All microcasters, paid or unpaid, are eligible, except for Prospectors (see https://ykyz.com/blog/index.php/microcaster-levels/)
• To be considered for a prize, you must have proper episode titles and have set your email and avatar. Unfortunately this week we had to exclude some wonderful nominations on that basis.
• When choosing winners, we first narrow down the field by removing casts with poor audio quality or a topic that has connection to your microcast theme.
You will find all of the nominees for this period at: https://ykyz.com/f/cotwiii
Because this was an extra long period, we’ve added more winners and runner’s up than usual. We had lots of great nominations, but a handful of them really shined.
Here’s u/mattasher with descriptions of this week’s winners. We begin with the runner’s up:
EP. 32 Skincare Emergencies by Brown Skin Pearls. This tightly crafted, interesting episode introduces us to new uses for feminine wash.
Ep. 45 Side Hustle by IAmMillennial. Jonathan perfectly captures the moment many of us find ourselves in, where trends in tech and economics have led so many of us to become gig workers of one kind or another.
EP53 VR Gaming by NerdyOldGuy. Joel drew half-a-dozen responses for his personal take on virtual reality gaming and motion sickness.
Finally, a shoutout to ykyz’s own Teresa (ThatOneGirl) for her excellent four-part series A Place called Ohio).
And now, on to the winners! Because this was a longer period, we’ve picked two second prize winners.
Second prize
EP59 The right of public access by ThatbeardedSwede. Here’s another lovely slice of life episode from or favorite Swede. This episode discusses the tradition and laws related to public access on private property, including the right to pick berries and mushrooms. We also highly recommend ThatbeardedSwedes’ other nominated episodes on Fika and The Stockholm Syndrome.
Ep13.Spicy Food by staplezz1301. This episode mixes the author’s personal relationship to spice with a view of spiciness as a metaphor for Mexico in general. As staplezz1301’s asks, “What’s life without a little bit of spice”.
Grand prize
EP06 a ruler by fashionmusings. This well researched, high effort episode focuses on a fascinating intersection of fashion, politics, and history. Who knew there used to be cops wandering around South Korea armed with scissors to give hippy scofflaws an on-the-spot trim?
Congratulations to fashionmusings and all the other winners and runners up. Keep your eye out for great episodes for next week’s contest!