Social Blend enters its third ‘century’ with episode 201, where special guest Tom Cheredar aka Tched from Venture Beat joins in the show sitting in for Jay and Terr. We kick off the show with some light banter about Star Trek, along with some rumors of the upcoming sequel by J. J. Abrams.

We look at some interesting news from Australia, where it seems the Victorian Police used civilian vehicles as a “human shield array”. Bizarre tale, to say the least. Dominating the mainstream news and discussions on the web this week has been the debates surrounding Same-Sex Marriage – we review the politics from the week on the issue, and uncover the reality of the situation.

Later, we look at the mammoth opening for The Avengers, and look at the rumors surrounding DC‘s possible upcoming plans to establish a Justice League film franchise after Marvel had such major success this week. As always, we close out the show with our WTF stories of the week and the Countdown to the Gutsfuck of Humanity. All this and more on this week’s edition of Social Blend!

It’s hard to believe, but Social Blend is still here after 200 episodes. For our special bicentennial edition, we’re joined by special guest Brian Bickerton aka Tau_Zero. Our main focus of Social Blend 200 is a look back on the podcast – where and when and why it started, as we reflect on and discuss some of the highlights and accomplishments we’ve made since 2012.

While we do review many of the big events and stories we covered, and how we evolved from focusing on Social Media, we also reveal some of the behind-the-scenes info and tales as of yet unheard – as well as bringing forward some current opinions on previous issues that had been raised during difficult moments.

Aside from the look back on the podcast from 2008 to today, we also discuss the current state of social news in the form of Reddit and Digg. We look at the recent news of Obama endorsing gay marriage; and the newest outrage caused by the TSA involving a young diabetic teen who had her insulin pump ruined by the body scanners.

During the show, as part of our celebration, we play the full versions of our previous and current theme songs: "Dreamonic" by Corey Hodgetts; "Weight Of The World" by Gold Tooth; and "Not Ready For Love" by Emerald City. We also reveal where our WTF stories of the week came from and how it all started. All this and more on this week’s edition of Social Blend!

We are on the eve of the SB Bicentennial, and in Social Blend 199, we’ll be rustling your jimmies. We kick off the show looking at the recent developments and fallout from the Roadrunner Records downsizing, and examine a good piece about the issue over at MetalSucks.net. We then highlight today’s big story of a college student who was taken into custody & abandoned in a holding cell for 5 days without food or water.

Later, we report on the TSA‘s continual infuriating conduct, in which they engaged in an “enhanced patdown” of a 4 year old girl. We also continue our coverage of CISPA, as the bill passes the House and moves to the Senate. In tech related news, Australia has issued a parliamentary inquiry into why downloads and software cost so much more down under than elsewhere.

In entertainment, we come back to our discussions on The Avengers, which opens this week – and Prometheus, which opens in June. Before we close out, we talk a little Game Of Thrones, and also examine the news that Digg is looking into being acquired by the Washington Post or CNN. As always, we close out the show with our WTF stories of the week. All this and more on this week’s edition of Social Blend!

Social Blend 198 features special guests Nathan Jurgenson and PJ Rey from the fascinating Cyborgology web site, which looks at the societal impacts (and more) of our augmented reality. We examine social media and technology from the perspective of culture and society, and beyond – as we look at a growing view of our age from a slightly different angle.

In tech news, we explore the recent developments on the CISPA front, as the bill progresses towards the voting stage, while the White House publicly vows to veto the bill. On a related note, we look at the claim that 20th Century Copyright Law is analogous to 1920′s Prohibition; while Australian ISP iiNet wins a landmark legal case down under.

On the entertainment news front, we discuss recent viral-designed promotions for the upcoming Prometheus movie, and briefly talk about The Avengers. As always, we close out the show with our WTF stories of the week. All this and more on this week’s edition of Social Blend!

Episode 197 hits the web without a title, as we’re joined by Keith Wagner aka DarkNemesis618 who is sitting in for Jay this week. We kick off the show debating the merits of time travel, timelines, and alternate universes in the lore of Star Trek, but then pay our respects and tributes to the late Dick Clark, who sadly passed away on the day of this recording.

We follow up on our CISPA coverage this week, with a look into the interesting Calyx Institute Project, a push to create a new ISP with user privacy as its highest priority, being driven by crowdfunding. Megaupload is back in the news this week, as we discuss the posturing by the US Government in trying to restrict the legal defense.

We also take a glimpse at recent Anonymous tales, including one were a killer posted his actions on 4chan, and later had his house burned down by authorities to end his standoff. Later, we bid another farewell to the Space Shuttle program and discuss the fascinating photos of it buzzing the city on the way to its new location. We close out the show with our WTF stories of the week, and the Countdown to the Gutsfuck of Humanity. All this and more on this week’s edition of Social Blend!