Alexander Schmid Podcast

In this lecture, we (a) review the shared perspective of St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Bonaventure, (b) outline how Solomon can be above all natures in perfection, if even perfectly made men (Adam and Christ) be included in that category, and (c) we speculate on the notion of resurrection in the context of Virgil's "Aeneid" Bk. VI (6). --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/alexander-schmid9/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alexander-schmid9/support

In this conversation with Dr. Richard Bartle, Mr. Wes Schantz and I discuss the creation of virtual worlds, the difference between playing and designing a game, and whether the goal of developing a better world, rather than simply bettering the world, is possible. Richard Allan Bartle, Ph.D., co-wrote the first virtual world, MUD ("Multi-User Dungeon"), in 1978, thus being at the forefront of the online gaming industry from its very inception. A former university lecturer in Artificial Intelligence, he is an influential writer on all aspects of virtual world design and development. As an independent consultant, he has worked with almost every major online gaming company in the U.K. and the U.S. over the past 20 years. Richard lives with his wife, Gail, and their two children, Jennifer and Madeleine, in a village just outside Colchester, England. He works in virtual worlds. (From: https://www.amazon.com/Designing-Virtual-Worlds-Richard-Bartle/dp/0131018167/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1549

In this episode of Conversations at the Leaky Cauldron, Ms. Sarah Miller, Mr. Wesley Schantz and I conclude the fourth installment of the Harry Potter series. Specifically, we consider (a) Voldemort's merits as an evil antagonist, (b) what the nature of good and evil are in relation to games and choice, and (c) how Christian imagery and symbolism map onto the conflicts in the Harry Potter Universe. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/alexander-schmid9/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alexander-schmid9/support

In this lecture, we (a) observe the recklessness of both Polyphemos and Odysseus, (b) meet Aiolos and his strange family and receive from him a strange gift, and (c) meet the lawless and savage Laistrygones. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/alexander-schmid9/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alexander-schmid9/support

In this lecture, we (a) introduce the basic theme (shared perspective) and speakers (St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Bonaventure) of the sphere, (b) speak to Dante's increasing clarity of sight/judgment, and (c) consider why these teachers extol the virtues of the lives of others and not their own. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/alexander-schmid9/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alexander-schmid9/support

In this episode of Side Quests, Mr. Wes Schantz and I discussed (a) the huge materia in the underwater reactor, (b) the space-flight in Rocket Town, and (c) what precisely the function and essence of an Role-Playing Game is. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/alexander-schmid9/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alexander-schmid9/support

On this episode of Recurrent Events, Mr. Wes Schantz and I consider the recent (18 Jan. 2019) UTLA (Union of Teacher's of Los Angeles) teacher walk-out. We specifically wonder, (a) what were the specific demands of the teachers, and what problem were they trying to solve, (b) were their demands borne simply of love for children or also of envy or resentment (at their low pay), and (c) what is at the heart of inequalities in education? Articles and Resources Mentioned: 1) https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2019/01/28/teachers-strike-charter-schools-union-power-not-students-column/2694201002/ 2) https://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-sac-skelton-lausd-teachers-strike-20190128-story.html 3) https://enewspaper.latimes.com/infinity/article_share.aspx?guid=ac29fd2e-c5ec-4c04-86a8-c1eabf6808b9 4) https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/profiles/districtprofile/overview/XL?cti=PgTab_OT&chort=1&sub=MAT&sj=XL&fs=Grade&st=MN&year=2017R3&sg=Gender%3A+Male+vs.+Female&sgv=Difference&t

As we continue on our epic journey through the fantasy worlds of our youth, Ms. Sarah Miller, Mr. Wes Schantz, and I consider some of the finer points of Harry's most recent adventures: (1) What is the source of evil in the wizarding world and the primary world itself? (2) What is the meaning of the newly minted summoning charm and the idea of "summoning" evil or good into the world? And (3) what exactly is the relationship between muggles and wizarding folk? --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/alexander-schmid9/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alexander-schmid9/support

In this return-episode of The Great Men podcast, Mr. Oscar Ortiz and I are joined by Mr. David Oldham to discuss Plutarch's "The Life of Caesar". Below are just a few of the topics we discussed: The Life of Julius Caesar Caesar as a boy Captured by pirates Gave speeches Hunted them down and crucified them Caesar as a Student Said to have been as gifted as any at rhetoric but that he chose the sword over letters; how does greatness differ for a man of action vs. a man of the intellect (Cicero or Aristotle) Caesar crying at the achievements of Alexander Caesar as public man and giver of gifts to the public Caesar as conqueror of Gaul Vercingetorix paraded about Caesar’s dais before sat at his feet Caesar as Emperor The Death of Caesar The Revenge of Caesar His remaining works and deification --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/alexander-schmid9/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alexander-schmid9/support

In this lecture, we hear Odysseus recount his tale of meeting (a) the Kikones of Ismaros, (b) the devastating Lotus Eaters, and (c) the man-eating Cyclops, Polyphemos! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/alexander-schmid9/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alexander-schmid9/support

In this episode, Mr. Wesley Schantz and I talk about Robert Frost's "Mowing". Specifically, we consider (a) what the American form of poetry is, (b) the purpose of poetic/imagistic self-expression, and (c) who wields the "scythe of time" along the "cutting edge" at present. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/alexander-schmid9/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alexander-schmid9/support

Side Quests 038: Final Fantasy VII 23 with Mr. Wesley Schantz and Mr. Alexander Schmid Fort Condor Selfish request: fight fund Take all risk But they are desperate; their wives sent away Fun strategy mini game; too broke, and then too broke to buy all Mideel Fight Weapon after no progress on Cloud Real bonding moment; don’t need Cloud to beat bosses Beta and region are killing it Hitting stride Fall into the Lifestream Cid shows real leadership Tifa assumes role of “piecing Cloud back together”; or rather guide to his process Though she herself runs from accusations in the darkness Cloud realizes that he was not the SOLDIER, but he was a Shinra normal trooper. Zach was defeated by Sephiroth and Cloud took Sephiroth from behind, but then through him off the ledge and into the mako of a mako reactor while impaired on Sephiroth’s disbelieving blade; also holding Jenova’s head Cloud also apparently did not fit in and was not close to Tifa and actually liked her and blamed himself for her injury as a child(impuls

In this lecture, we first (a) recapitulate the beginning of Dante's argument on how a "sweet seed [could] go bitter," and a brief exposition of Aristotle's cosmology; (b) we then consider what the "various" effects and causes of man are, and (c) consider thus the mechanism by which siblings differ from each other and their parents, and why some people feel ill-suited to this world. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/alexander-schmid9/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alexander-schmid9/support

In this lecture, we discuss (a) Demodokos' third and final song on Scheria, (b) Odysseus and Euryalos make amends and Odysseus is given gifts, and (c) Odysseus reveals his identity and begins telling of his journey from Troy to Scheria, starting with plundering the Kikones at Ismaros! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/alexander-schmid9/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alexander-schmid9/support

In this lecture, I introduce (a) Venus and the Venusians, those whose love transcended their lust; (b) we consider the connection between the "obscured" or "darkened" first three spheres of Heaven, and (c) we learn Aristotle's "trickle-down Theo-nomics" theory of how the primal good is transmitted through the heavens and down to earth. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/alexander-schmid9/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alexander-schmid9/support

On this episode of Side Quests, Wes Schantz and I have the pleasure to host Mikhail Koulikov, who is an anime scholar, research librarian, and facilitator of anime-focused projects. He maintains the site www.animemangastudies.com, and he was kind enough to talk to us today about: (a) what first drew him to anime and what anime has to offer that other genres do not; (b) what makes anime worthy of academic rigor; and (c) major scholarly trends and current and classic shows to watch out for. And more. E-mail: mik@animemangastudies.com Twitter: @animestudies --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/alexander-schmid9/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alexander-schmid9/support

In this lecture, we observe (a) hospitality gone wrong on Scheria and the confrontation between Odysseus, Laodamas, and Euryalos; (b) the strength and sagacity of Odysseus, and (c) we conclude with a consideration of Demodokos' song about the (cheating) affair between Ares and Aphrodite, and how the gods resolve conflicts! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/alexander-schmid9/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alexander-schmid9/support

In this lecture, we lay out (a) Dante's reasoning behind the Incarnation, (b) Dante's argument for why humans ought to be charitable towards each other (as an ultimate ideal), and (c) how the first three spheres of Paradise emphasize the theme that "one's initial sensory perceptions are often wrong"/ "Nothing is as it seems [at first]". --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/alexander-schmid9/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alexander-schmid9/support

In this conversation, Ms. Sarah Miller and Mr. Wesley Schantz and I consider "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" Chs. 24-26. Specifically, we reflect on: (a) Rita Skeeter's yellow journalism and the difference between truth and propaganda, (b) Hagrid's hybrid nature and the lead-up to the second task (c) and finally, the second task and what it means for Harry to lose one level of the competition by actually winning at a "higher level"--or winning the game outside the game. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/alexander-schmid9/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alexander-schmid9/support

In this episode of Side Quests, Mr. Wesley Schantz and I have the opportunity to talk to @AndrewTurnwall who writes as The Ink-Stained Mage  at https://thewellredmage.com/author/theinkstainedmage/. Though usually we talk Final Fantasy VII, in this conversation we ask Andy about (a) Dungeons and Dragons and what it is, (b) what draws one into the game and who creates its mythology (developer or players?), and (c) why the time spent in preparation and playing is good for the soul. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/alexander-schmid9/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alexander-schmid9/support