Welcome to Kicking the Seat!

Ian Simmons launched Kicking the Seat in 2009, one week after seeing Nora Ephron’s Julie & Julia. His wife proposed blogging as a healthier outlet for his anger than red-faced, twenty-minute tirades (Ian is no longer allowed to drive home from the movies).

The Kicking the Seat Podcast followed three years later and, despite its “undiscovered gem” status, Ian thoroughly enjoys hosting film critic discussions, creating themed shows, and interviewing such luminaries as Gaspar Noé, Rachel Brosnahan, Amy Seimetz, and Richard Dreyfuss.

Ian is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association. He also has a family, a day job, and conflicted feelings about referring to himself in the third person.

What Is Minecraft Alpha 000 Verified May 2026

Minecraft was first released in May 2009 by Markus "Notch" Persson, a Swedish game developer. Initially, the game was in a very early stage of development, with Notch releasing frequent updates to the game's alpha and beta versions. As the game gained popularity, Notch continued to work on Minecraft, eventually forming Mojang Studios with his friends Carl Manneh and Jakob Porser.