Powered by RND
PodcastsArtsPodcast Awesome

Podcast Awesome

Font Awesome
Podcast Awesome
Latest episode

Available Episodes

5 of 60
  • Set Us Up the Meme: The Strange Tale of All Your Base
    Where did the “All Your Base Are Belong to Us” meme come from — and why did it break the early internet?In this nostalgic deep dive, Matt explores the wackadoodle origin of one of the internet’s most gloriously awkward memes. Before “going viral” was even a phrase, this phrase from the 1992 Sega Genesis game Zero Wing somehow made its way from mistranslation to mass internet hysteria — with techno remixes, Flash videos, Photoshopped street signs, and even a nod from AOC herself.Yes, this was real. And it was spectacular.Whether you're an old-school web nerd or just want to understand why your coworker keeps saying “Set up us the bomb,” this one's for you.🔹 What We Cover in This Episode:🕹️ A breakdown of Zero Wing’s hilariously mistranslated intro🎶 The techno remix and Flash video that made the meme explode🧠 Why “All Your Base” became the blueprint for internet weird📡 How meme culture has evolved from delightful chaos to... whatever’s happening now🧑‍🚀 AOC’s legendary tweet that brought it all full circle⏱️ Timestamps:0:00 – Intro + Barry White podcast voice 1:31 – What is the Ballmer Peak of memes? 3:00 – The original Zero Wing translation trainwreck4:32 – “Set up us the bomb”: the remix and Flash frenzy6:15 – AOC, memes in politics, and nostalgia rebooted8:00 – Final thoughts on the beauty of shared digital nonsense🔗 Links & Resources:🕹️ Original Zero Wing meme history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_your_base_are_belong_to_us#:~:text=%22All%20your%20base%20are%20belong,the%201989%20Japanese%20arcade%20game.👾 The remix that started it all: Invasion of the GABA Robots: https://archive.org/details/invasion_of_the_gabber_rob🧠 AOC’s legendary tweet: https://x.com/aoc/status/1086483485668319233🛠️ Credits:🎙️ Hosted, produced, and edited by Matt Johnson🎵 Theme music by Ronnie Martin🎧 Music interstitials by Zach Malm🎛️ Audio mastering by Chris Enns at Lemon Productions📣 Like the show?Subscribe so you never miss an episode!Rate + review to help more nerds discover us.Or just shout “ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US” in public. (We’ll know what it means.)Stay up to date on all the Font Awesomeness!
    --------  
    9:11
  • A Short History of Lorem Ipsum (and a Rant)
    “Layouts are sexy but, you know, words still matter.” In this solo rant-style episode of Podcast Awesome, Matt takes a silly, unhinged dive into the world of Lorem Ipsum — the gibberish placeholder text that’s haunted designers and writers alike since the 1500s. From Cicero’s scrambled Latin to zombie-themed mockups, we trace the wild history and the weird world of filler text.So ... why do we still treat real content as an afterthought? And what happens when a layout only works with nonsense words?You’ll laugh. You’ll cringe. You’ll maybe rethink that next wireframe.🧠 What We Cover in This Episode:🤬 The grammar quirks that make writers lose their minds (yes, we see you, Oxford comma debate)🏛️ The bizarre origin of Lorem Ipsum (hi Cicero!)🥓 Bacon Ipsum, Hipster Ipsum, Cat Ipsum😤 A friendly/spicy rant on why Lorem Ipsum might kill your content strategy👻 Live sites with placeholder text ⏱️ Timestamps:00:00 – Welcome to the Fake Latin Fight Club 01:00 – Oxford Commas, Passive Voice, and Writers with Rage 03:00 – Sarcastic Quotation Marks and Melty “Cheese” 04:00 – What Even Is Lorem Ipsum, Anyway? 05:30 – From Ancient Rome to Adobe Default Settings 06:45 – The Rise of Bacon, Hipster, and Zombie Ipsum 08:00 – THE RANT: “If Your Layout Only Works With Nonsense…” 09:30 – Final Thoughts: Fonts Are Cool. Content Is King.🔗 Links & Resources:Generate your own Bacon Ipsum 🥓Cat Ipsum for feline-forward mockups 🐱Zombie Ipsum, because... why not 🧟Theme by Ronnie Martin 🎹8-bit interstitial music by Zach MoomAudio mastering by Chris Enns at Lemon Productions 🍋🎙️ Subscribe + Listen:📱 Apple Podcasts | 🎧 Spotify | 💻 YouTube | 🌐 podcastawesome.comStay up to date on all the Font Awesomeness!
    --------  
    10:31
  • From Stickers to State Law: The Accessibility Icon Story
    Design meets activism. Philosophy meets iconography. Wheelchairs meet graffiti.In this philosophy-packed episode of Podcast Awesome, Matt chats with professor, artist, and co-founder of the Accessible Icon Project, Brian Glenny. Together with colleague Sara Hendron, they took a bold journey to make a tweak to the accessibility symbol — which led to a humble street art sticker to statewide legislation.Brian’s story unpacks how a wheelchair icon went from stiff and static to dynamic and full of agency — and how that tweak sparked a global conversation about representation, identity, and inclusion.Along the way, we hit:🧠 The neuroscience of symbol recognition🎨 Graffiti roots and punk rock influence📜 Ethics and accessibility in visual design♿ The making of a movement: from sticker campaign to state law🤯 How even tiny geometry tweaks carry political powerIf you’ve ever wondered how symbols shape culture — or why an icon isn’t “just an icon” — this one’s for you.And knowing? Yep. That’s half the battle.🔗 Links & Credits🚧🎨🏙️Brian's Wiki Page👀 Learn more about Sara Hendren🎵 Theme by Ronnie Martin 🎹 Interstitial music by Zach Malm 🎛️ Audio mastering by Chris Enns (Lemon Productions) 🎥 Video support by Isaac Chase⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣀⣀⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⢁⣛⣷⠖⡐⡐⠐⠀⠂⣠⣷⣾⣆⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣸⣸⣀⣀⠀⠈⠀⠌⢀⠂⣻⣿⣿⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣴⠊⠉⠀⠀⠀⠈⠙⣢⠀⠀⠀⠀⠙⢻⡟⡟⠃⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠻⢭⡭⠭⠭⠭⠭⠭⡼⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡏⡇⠇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡿⠀⢀⠤⠤⢄⠀⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠃⡇⠆⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡇⠀⡇⠀⠀⠀⠇⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣷⠀⠱⣄⡀⡠⠁⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡃⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣧⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣼⡆⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣸⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢯⣭⣈⣉⣍⣉⡭⠜⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡇⠇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠃⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀#PodcastAwesome #AccessibleIconProject #BrianGlenny #DesignActivism #InclusiveDesign #IconographyMatters #DisabilityRepresentation #GraffitiArt #DesignEthics #Semiotics #ContentIsCulture #DesignPhilosophyStay up to date on all the Font Awesomeness!
    --------  
    37:11
  • Nerd Show and Tell: Meet Travis Chase
    In this very special episode of The Nerd Show and Tell, we finally cornered the elusive co-founder of Font Awesome — Travis Chase! 🧢✨ From dialing into the web back in the modem days, to co-founding a company that powers millions of websites, Travis shares his unique journey from almost-accountant to accidental icon-company-boss. Or something. You’ll hear tales of telephony code, Star Wars devotion, and how building a company that doesn’t burn people out might be the most radical idea of all.He’s part artist 🎨, part developer 💻, full-on space western nerd — and yes, he’s that guy you want on your trivia team.🧠 What We Cover in This Episode🖼️ How an “uncreative” art student became a designer-turned-developer📞 Building answering machines from scratch — with homemade programming languages!👨‍👦 Juggling startups, Y Combinator, and parenting like a boss🎯 The philosophy behind not grinding yourself to dust🌟 Going full lightspeed into Star Wars Unlimited (Vegas tourney? Yep.)🧙‍♂️ Favorite icons, D&D vibes, and space westerns galore☕ How coffee and coding dreams brewed into a global icon toolkit⏱️ Timestamps00:00 – Intro: We Finally Wrangled Travis 01:00 – Side Hustles, Modems, and Making the Web Happen 03:00 – From Art School to Programming Wizardry 06:00 – Answering Machine Nerdvana (Travis’ Favorite Dev Story!) 09:00 – College Friends → Startup Squad 12:00 – That Time They Got Into YC  15:00 – Building Font Awesome the Fun Way 18:00 – Culture that Actually Cares About People 21:00 – What Travis is Nerding Out About (👀 Star Wars Unlimited!) 24:00 – AI, Card Games, and Cross-Pollinating Passions 25:00 – Favorite Icons + Wishlist Packs (Laser swords, anyone?) 27:00 – A Chill Goodbye and More Nerd Show and Tell to Come🔗 Links & Resources🌐 Font Awesome — Icons that just work™🪐 Star Wars: Unlimited TCG — The game Travis is totally (and deeply) nerding out about🏢 37signals & Rework — Inspiration for FA's work/life philosophy🎵 Podcast Theme by Ronnie Martin🎛️ Audio mastering by Chris Enns @ Lemon ProductionsStay up to date on all the Font Awesomeness!
    --------  
    25:48
  • 🎬 From Script to Sizzle: How We Cooked Up the Font Awesome 7 Promo Video 🎬
    SummaryWhat does it take to shoot a high-energy, humor-packed, visually delicious Font Awesome marketing video? A 12-hour day, a diner full of chaos, and a guy in a hot dog suit. In this episode, Matt chats with Jory and Isaac, two key players behind the Font Awesome 7 video, about the hilarious mishaps, creative choices, and ridiculous amounts of pancakes that went into bringing the video to life.They cover everything from why FA videos always feature food-themed settings to the art of keeping a cast of recurring characters (aka the Font Awesome Cinematic Universe). And yes, Easter eggs abound — including a cameo from FA co-founder Dave Gandy, cheers-ing a Stormtrooper, blue milk in hand. Plus, Isaac documented the whole process, creating FA’s first behind-the-scenes mini-documentary.Key Takeaways🔥 FA videos don’t follow the “no comedy in tech” rule — and that’s exactly why they work.🎬 From coffee shops to candy stores to diners, FA videos always have a warm, real-world setting (because a lab full of beakers? Snooze).🤝 The same cast keeps coming back — because the FA Cinematic Universe is a thing now.📹 The behind-the-scenes doc captures the chaos of shooting in one day —including an entire subplot about pancakes raining from the sky.🌭 A guy in a hot dog suit wore it all day. No, really. All day.👀 Hidden Easter eggs in the video include an inside joke about “changing the recipe” and a blue milk cheers from FA’s co-founder.Timestamps🎤 0:00:09 - Welcome to Podcast Awesome! Matt sets the stage for this episode, talking about the Font Awesome 7 video shoot, the team behind it, and why humor is baked into FA’s DNA.🎞️ 0:04:06 - The evolution of FA videos: From Kickstarter promos to a full-blown recurring cast — how FA has built a Cinematic Universe of its own.🍪 0:10:45 - The FA video playbook: Coffee shops, candy stores, and diners—why FA videos always happen in warm, real-world food settings instead of cold tech labs.🎭 0:18:05 - Bringing the band back together: How the same actors, crew, and production team keep the FA vibe consistent (and keep the jokes landing).📹 0:26:11 - Lights, camera, pancakes! Improv moments, VFX wizardry, and an actor in a hot dog suit — who refused to take it off all day.🎬 0:32:16 - The behind-the-scenes doc: For the first time ever, FA captured a full BTS look at a marketing shoot — outtakes, problem-solving, and late-day delirium included.🐣 0:35:31 - Easter eggs and inside jokes: Dave Gandy’s blue milk toast, a deep-cut Star Wars reference, and a menu full of hidden Font Awesome-specific gems.Links & Credits🎥 Watch the Font Awesome 7 video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmYXJGEyBXI🎬 Check out the Behind-the-Scenes Mini Doc: https://youtu.be/dlgLRcjkzMs?si=VMNAoRPF4di7-HmS🎵 Theme song by Ronnie Martin 🎛 Audio mastering by Chris Enns at Lemon Productions 🎤 Podcast production by Matt Johnson 🎥 Video production and behind-the-scenes doc by Isaac ChaseGot thoughts on the episode? Hit us up on social and let us know what your favorite moment was!Now go make something awesome. 🚀🎨Stay up to date on all the Font Awesomeness!
    --------  
    41:06

More Arts podcasts

About Podcast Awesome

On Podcast Awesome we talk to members of the Font Awesome team about icons, design, tech, business, and of course, nerdery. 🎙️ Podcast Awesome is your all-access pass into the creative engine behind Font Awesome — the web’s favorite icon toolkit. Join host Matt Johnson and the Font Awesome crew (and friends) for deep dives into icon design, front-end engineering, software development, healthy business culture, and a whole lot of lovingly-rendered nerdery.From technical explorations of our open-source tooling, chats with web builders, icon designers, and content creators, with the occasional gleeful rants about early internet meme culture, we bring you stories and strategies from the trenches of building modern web software — with a healthy dose of 80s references and tech dad jokes.🎧 Perfect for:Icon design and content-first thinkingCreative process and collaborative designWork-life balance in techRemote team culture and async collaborationInternet history, meme archaeology, and other nerd ephemera🧠 Come for the design wisdom, stay for the deep meme cuts and beautifully crafted icons.
Podcast website

Listen to Podcast Awesome, The Psychology Of Money: Timeless Lessons On Wealth, Greed, And Happiness, Book Summary, Podcast and many other podcasts from around the world with the radio.net app

Get the free radio.net app

  • Stations and podcasts to bookmark
  • Stream via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth
  • Supports Carplay & Android Auto
  • Many other app features
Social
v7.19.0 | © 2007-2025 radio.de GmbH
Generated: 7/1/2025 - 9:55:17 AM