Click on any of the entry titles to get more information about all the awesome things written about!

Saturday, December 23, 2006

Podiobooks named Best of the Web

A little something I wrote for the Podcast Pickle News:

PodiobooksPodcasting continues to gain validity. Reader’s Digest Canada has listed Podiobooks.com in it’s Best of the Web for January.

Podiobooks was founded by Evo Terra, Tee Morris, and Chris Miller. Over the summer it reached one million episode downloads of over 80 book titles. They have also recently decided to do away with the subscription and membership-only portions of their website, thereby making it easier to listen to podiobooks.

Visit their site at http://www.podiobooks.com/.

Thursday, December 21, 2006

Badger Books- new audio fiction podcast hub

Just found this little tidbit from the Sonic Society blog. Jill from The Signal podcast has created a podcast directory site specifically for Firefly audio fiction content.

Badger Books currently has a directory of three podcasts, but I imagine it will fill up quickly, considering the endless Firefly-related audio out there in the 'verse.

Special features to the site include no registration, no promos within the episode, and the kicker- you can choose exactly how you want your content delivered in your feed. The idea is customized ease, and switching from the traditional rss of having the most recent episode first in your playlist.

I played around with it a bit, and I like the idea, though it does seem like a little more work than just a simple click-and-subscribe. If you're picky about what order your episodes are listed, then it's a good thing.

The site looks to be in its inception- I look forward to seeing how it grows!

Fly In True Audio Addict Style

I've done way too much flying this year. Since the Podcast Expo at the end of September, I've flown three times, two of them across the country, and still one more trip left to do this year. For someone who usually calls everyone she knows to say goodbye before getting on an airplane, because she's sure she will go down in a ball of flame, that's saying something.

However- this set up would make me want to fly more often- A LOT more often. United Airlines now has a "first suite" service, which includes an iPod connector AND XM satellite radio. *drool drool drool*
The seat also reclines 180 to transform into a bed. Gak.

Just try and get me off the plane.
Now, I just need a lottery win or two under my belt....

New find- Lightning Bug Radio Theatre

I love Google Alerts. If you haven't tried them, or even know what they are about- well do then. Every now and then something worth checking out comes by. Naturally I have mine set up for radio drama, audio cinema, etc.

Right now I'm checking out the first episode of The City Burns At Night, a mystery that takes place in 1947 Hollywood. Not too bad so far, the audio had a bit of static at the beginning, but if you can ignore that for a few minutes, it's a fun story. It was also performed in front of a live audience, and I always love to hear audience reaction.

They also have some film goodies up on their site too.

http://www.lightningbugfilms.com

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Radio Play Goes To Broadway

Wowza. Now this is cool. You might have recently heard The Dibble Show's Lord of the Things on yes, the Sonic Society. Well, right now the Dibble Show is doing a stint on Broadway! How cool is that?

It began December 9th, and will run through December 30th. You know, there is a possibility I may be in NY during that time- I might need to try and check this out!

Dibble's creator is none other than Jerry Robbins of Colonial Radio Theatre.

Congratulations!

If You Haven't Heard It Yet..

Sonic Society is playing DRE's version of A Santicon Carol in the podcast this week.

Also a reminder that there is a Society marathon on December 26th through CKDU- so stream it through your computer and hear the entire second season over again!

Monday, December 18, 2006

In defense of the podcast... and this blog

UPDATE: I just had to move this to the top again, there have been some good comments from readers!


From 12/5:

Well, I suppose it had to happen eventually. A- a- criticism. Of my beautiful audio world!

You all know by now I'm a bit of a podcasting fan. Well, perhaps freak is more like it. Doors open all over with endless possibility of what you can do with the podcast, from content, to even marketing your wares. Musicians do it all the time with their work, giving you a taste in the hopes you will buy their entire CD, or see them in concert. Why not the same in the audio drama world?

Well, it does happen, not just in podcasting, but in radio too. I have several Shadowlands CD's as well as an Afterhell CD because of hearing them on the radio.

What makes podcasting such an important medium is the ease. Both in creating, and in cost. The proof is in the podcasts out there, audio cinema is popping up all over the place! Anyone can create a podcast and get it up in a feed- no radio stations airtime needed. Hell podcasting even gave Sonic Society major exposure, and in turn brought exposure to all the great audio cinema groups out there.

We would all love to make a living off of doing these podcasts and shows, oh I know it. That is part of the reason why we work so hard at it, the number one reason being our love for what we do. I feel though that podcasting some or even all of your content can only help that along. I honestly think if you are not podcasting your content, you're missing out on a great marketing opportunity.

That's a big reason I began this blog. To help spread the love. A fan (I suppose) of the blog wrote me and asked me why I had veered away from blogging about audio drama, and have been blogging about podcasts. This was a confusing accusation to me. As I went through my posts for November, 11 of them were about audio drama of some form, out of 19 posts for the month. Sure, they podcast. But how is that any different than if they were all on the radio? There would most certainly be less posts if I stuck to only one medium. Podcasting happens to be the most prominent right now.

Why not use it as an advantage, rather than thinking of it as a hindrance?

Friday, December 15, 2006

For All The Sonic Society Addicts

I just read some very important programming info over on the Sonic Society blog that you must know!

Now!
This very instant!

I'll give you a hint- it involves Boxing Day, which when Jack told me about it, in true American form I blurted out- "So that's what- New Years'?"

Gak- I'm such a goof.

A Christmas Carol as only Robotz can do it

A Christmas treat, brought to you by Dream Realm Enterprises! The Robotz of the Company bring us their interpretation of A Christmas Carol... and it's wonderful!
From the latest DRE newsletter:

DRE is proud to present the Robotz of the Company Players presentation of a holiday classic - A Santicon Carol. A familiar story retold for a future generation! It has action, adventure, intrigue and romance! Starring Jonithan Patrick Russell, Kyle Borcz, Sally Wiget, Shane Harris, Joe Thomas, Jim Barbour Ellie Hirschman, Dani Cutler, Jeff Niles, Captain John Tadrzak, Steve Anderson and Kae Woo! Featuring holiday music performed by Kevin MacCleod! This brand new holiday special is available right now FREE to download at DREGold!

Here's a direct link to download:
A Santicon Carol

Grab the family, some nog, and gather around the computer!

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Replay Night: Sonic Society Podcast

Somewhere in the Society universe a week disappeared, yet the podcast moved on. To get back on track, podcasters get a treat- a replay of Episode #39 from mid-October, featuring Afterhell.


Like they say on TV, if you haven't seen (heard) it- it's new to you!

Podcast Story Turns Into Screenplay

Matt Wallace, Parsec-Award winning author for the Variant Frequencies podcast, had some bragging to do on MySpace:

"I can safely announce that one of my stories, which originally appeared on the Variant Frequencies podcast, has been optioned by an Australian producer. What's more, I've signed on to adapt it into a feature-length screenplay myself for his production company."

[snip]

"This is a huge gig for me, creatively and professionally. It's hardly a million dollar studio deal, but it's certainly 300 times more than I've been paid for any of my other stuff. And it's a shot, however slim, to break into an industry I honestly never thought I'd have access to. I have no idea if the thing will ever sell, much less be made into an actual movie; I'm dealing with an independent producer here. But so far he's delivered on everything he said he would. If he can deliver the contacts, who knows? The one thing I do know about Australian filmmakers is that they're resourceful bastards."

Congratulations Matt!

Check out more of Matt's stories in the Failed Cities Monologues, which can be found on Podiobooks.com.

http://www.podiobooks.com/podiobooks/book.php?ID=110

Monday, December 11, 2006

Want to advertise on the cheap?


Want to let people know about your audio business, or your theatre company? Well, the podcast pickle can help! Get a 125x125 ad placed in their right side bar for a mere $25 for a month. You are guaranteed 25,000 clicks (meaning it will be in the rotation 25,000 times) in that month.

Since the pickle has been named one of the coolest sites in 2006 by Time magazine, I think it's worth trying it out for a month and seeing what happens! I know just in the forums alone, there are always about 50+ guest in there at any given time that I'm there. And I'm there a lot. (No, I'm not ashamed to admit that.)

And no, you don't have to have a podcast to have an ad... ;-)

I bought one for my podcast, and there was a slight surge in traffic to the site, so I got one for this blog too! For me however, it's my way of saying thanks to such a great site and directory.

Tell 'em Dani sent ya....

Gifts for the Audio Cinema Addict

It's not all about accessories.. you actually need something to listen to as well! I was hunting around a bit (which is called procrastinating over my list of 500 things I need to do), and I found some great gift ideas for the audio drama/cinema/story addict!


A visit to Colonial Radio Theatre's blog brought me many ideas. They now have 4 of their Christmas tales on CD, all neatly packaged in a beautiful cover. Grab the Charles Dicken's Christmas Set from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Blackstone Audio. Head to Colonial Radio's website for links and a glimpse at the cover.

http://www.colonialradio.com/

Next, give those you love a little taste of Hell for Christmas... (oh I totally loved typing that!) with Ollin Productions Afterhell CD's. Pop it in after the family listens to the Colonial Christmas plays and the kiddies go to bed. It is guaranteed to keep you toasty warm.

http://www.afterhell.com/purchase.html



I don't have a picture/logo, but there are plenty of great ideas, and many different genre's over at Crazy Dog Audio's site too. You can't go wrong with all the titles they offer:

http://www.crazydogaudiotheatre.com/cds.php

If you check the links of the collective, or even the podcast links on the sidebar, a lot of your favorites have their own gear that they sell too- so give THEM a little Christmas present by wearing their stuff proudly!

Wednesday, December 06, 2006

Gift ideas for the addict who likes water

Discovery Tri-Fold Wireless MP3 Shower Mirror

Bathe and shave to your favorite tunes with this wireless MP3 shower mirror.

  • Powerful FM transmitter projects a wireless signal from any iPod, MP3 player, CD player or TV within a range of 100 ft.
  • High quality water proof speakers
  • FM radio and LED clock
  • Lighted, fog-free mirror for shaving and grooming in the shower
  • Secures to shower walls with included suction cups or adhesive tape
The fogless mirror lets you listen to your favorite music while saving you time in the morning.


iHome iH21 Water-Resistant Streaming iPod Dock and Speakers

Consisting of a dock and matching speakers, the iH21 let's you beam your tracks to the basement, the kitchen, and even your bedroom. Plus, the speaker is water-resistant and remote control-friendly. (thanks, Gizmodo!)




H2O Audio for nano (2nd Gen)

  • Is NOT compatible with the iPod nano (1st Gen)

  • Submersible up to 10ft/3m (when paired with H2O Audio Waterproof Headphones)

  • Commander™ Scroll Wheel allows function of the iPod Click Wheel in the water or while wearing a glove

Only 17 shopping days until Christmas! ;-)

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

All good Dibbles must come to an end

I've enjoyed hearing this on The Sonic Society- it's been a hoot! Here's hoping for more Dibble in the future!

Meeting #46

Topics Covered:

-Emails and voicemails!
-Yep, we get that area code all straightened out
206-984-2383
-Colonial Radio Theatre brings us The Dibble Show, and Lord of the Things Part 3
-More of the round table discussion recorded over the summer by Jack Ward, Greg Taylor, and Jim Munroe.
-and as always, Dr. Floyd!

BBC Audiobooks Gets Perfectly Normal


Perfectly Normal Productions sent out a press release yesterday with some good news- they have struck a deal with BBC Audiobooks to begin providing "compelling, high quality audio entertainment for bite-size delivery direct to home computers, portable media players and mobile phones."

Why, that sounds a bit like podcasting, doesn't it?

From the Press Release:

"A Screen as Wide as your Imagination

"Podcasting should be so much more than a platform for stand up comedy and audio diarists", says Maggs. "And video on a handheld device will never rival the storytelling experience of a big screen. But we can fill the gap. In our hands mobile entertainment bypasses the optic nerve and hotwires the imagination, with a widescreen experience you can enjoy anywhere - in the car, the train, or on the sofa with your eyes shut."

BBC Audiobook’s Publishing Director Jan Paterson said: “More and more people listen in this easy to use format. Our deal with Perfectly Normal will provide listeners with audio like they've never heard before, specially made for commercial digital delivery.” PNP’s Richard Adams added: “There is a hungry audience wanting quality entertainment on the move and they're not going to believe their luck. This will break the mould of how people think about downloadable audio.”

PNP creates quality audio drama, with a focus on Science Fiction. Dirk Maggs is an acknowledged master of dramatised audio, winning numerous awards and commercial success for his “movies for the ears” including BBC Radio's Batman, Superman and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy."

It sounds like good news for the portable media medium, as well a good step for the audio drama world. I love win-win situations!

Thank you very much Clym, my fellow addict from across the Atlantic!

Monday, December 04, 2006

I'd be lost without you , podcast

Well, if you head to the link, you will get to read my adventures at Chicago's O'Hare airport over the weekend. Isn't it funny how after you tell folks you were layed-over for 18 hours in an airport, you find out from people how terrible the place is to begin with?

However, thanks to my trusty mp3 player, I had several podcasts lined up to help me get through my ordeal. It may be a small list, but I had several episodes of each to catch up on, so trust me, it adds up!

My life savers!

~ROFLcast (another awesome music cast!)
~Mike and Evo's Wingin' It! (geez I miss them- I need to get my ass up there for a show again!)
~AndyCast Podcast (this guy is FUN-NEE! Check him out, the Uninformed Biography is definitely a must-listen!)
~Democracy Now! (Well I had to get my news in. What was I going to do? Sit there and watch CNN on the airport monitors all day?)
~Decoder Ring Theatre (I am nearly caught up with Season Two of The Red Panda- yay me! And it rocks, I might add...)

I had plenty more I wanted to get to, including the non-podcast production of Colonial Radio's Captain Blood. ( I can feel Jerry's eyebrow raising now...) But hey- Christmas break is upon me, and I venture BACK to Boston with the whole family! More listening time!

Again, hit the link below and get an idea of my (non) adventure!

I'm reviewing and I don't even know it!

Podiobooks.com Podiobooker Podcast
Oh ok... I knew it. WhatI didn't know however was when the podcast was actually going to be live again- and my news is IT IS!

Click on the logo to get to the latest podcast. Each episode they play previews of new podbooks that have recently been added, give you all the latest news, and hey- reviews! Yay!

Then subscribe or bookmark the blog, because you will always be kept up to date on the latest from the podbook universe. It's a great resource, and it will be up in my links very soon (yes, it should have all ready been there, I know. I'm a loser.)

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Darker Projects: Five-minute Fears

Shhh... be vewy, vewy quiet... I'm hunting audio drama! I looked over at my awesome list of audio cinema greats that have been featured on The Sonic Society over the past year and a half, and decided to see what the cheesy folks over at Schlock Audio Theatre were up to. What do I see on their home page?

The Darker Projects logo! It turns out that Charles Pratt, one of the partners/writers of Schlock's awesome B-audio has a dark side... and I found yet another awesome series brought to us by Darker Projects- Five Minute Fears.

Five minutes? Well, I think I have that! I listened to one of them, the second story in the series, Tow Truck. Excellent! The whole series is like a quick hit of "eek!" to give you a little boost. I recommend listening in the middle of the afternoon. You know the time, when you get the sleepies and just want to fall on your desk and take a nap.

Another cool audio cinema cross-over: Tow Truck starts two voice-actors I know from Dream Realm Enterprises, Jim Barbour and Elie Hirschman.

Head on over and face your fears today.

Monday, November 27, 2006

Another amazing podcasting feat!

Cross-posting an article I did last night over on the Pickle:

Mignon FogartyMignon Fogarty had plenty to be thankful for this holiday weekend. On Tuesday, November 21st, Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing podcast passed over one million downloads.
Grammar Girl is a short, 5-minute podcast that gives a different tip each episode on how to improve your writing. It began in late July of this year.

After producing another successful podcast, Absolute Science, for over a year, Mignon noticed she enjoyed a shorter time format for certain podcasts. The idea for Grammar Girl came while editing a document containing a grammatical error she had noticed being made on a regular basis.

One million downloads in four months? The idea obviously was a good one. I asked Mignon what she thought about hitting such a feat:

“I’m still a little bit stunned by the success of the show, but it starts to feel real when I open my inbox every morning and it’s full of messages from listeners. I get wonderful, creative messages ranging from poems about people’s favorite (or most hated) words to photographs of funny misprinted signs, and of course I also get a deluge of e-mails when a typo or misplaced commas slips by into my transcripts.”

She added, “It’s also really rewarding to know that I’m helping people in other countries learn English, and helping teachers get their students excited about grammar.”

Grammar Girl has been featured as Podcast of the Day on the Podcast Pickle directory, in the “What’s Hot” section at iTunes, and earlier this month the Wall Street Journal wrote a story about the podcast for their weekend edition.

Subscribe to the podcast using this feed: http://www.qdnow.com/grammar.xml

Guest Pickler This Week

Too much fun- I was chosen to pick all the podcasts of the day on the Podcast Pickle site. Yeah, I'm only getting around to telling everyone NOW. Cut me some slack, I've got company in town for Thanksgiving... hehe.

I explain my reasons for the choices in this thread in the Pickle forum.

This is who I chose on Monday.

This was my choice on Tuesday.

Head over and see my choice today!

UPDATE: The rest of the week!

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Wow...

I've really been neglecting this place. I'm so sorry! I promise, next week I'll give this place some love... once I get the company out of the house, and the holiday behind me!

You are all of course invited over for turkey....


XOXO

~Dani

Colonial Radio Theatre's Goofy Side

This week's Sonic Society is really filled to the brim- go and check it out! I'm just happy that you all get to hear Colonial Radio in a podcast- because they are quite awesome.

But that Jerry... he's a stubborn one. ;-)

Thursday, November 16, 2006

We- are- fam-ilee

OK all you podcasters- here is one very cool thing. If you're not taking advantage of all the things Podcast Pickle has to offer over there, then you are just NOT a serious podcaster. ;-)

Icebox Theatre on The Sonic Society

Good podcast this week in the Society. Next week they mix it up a bit more, but for this week Icebox Theatre takes over, and of course more of that crazy Dr. Floyd!

Podcast: http://sonic.libsyn.com

Show notes:

Want your audio drama shows hosted for free?

More lazy cross-over posting from SFFAudio (but it's just THAT good!):


The Soul Patrol In November of 2003 David Koenigsberg, creator of the Soul Patrol offered to host MP3 files from other audio drama, radio drama and audio theater creators on his website. Sadly, back then no one took him up on the offer. So he has made the offer again, he has his own server, commercial DSL line and plenty of capacity/bandwidth. David writes "I'll post any show for free on my website, The- Cosmic-Forces. net."


There are conditions... head over to the link and get the scoop!
(Thanks for catching this one, Jesse!)

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Did you know about the Prometheus podcast?

Update: Why, there is a review up about the Taken Liberty Podiobook. Take a look HERE.

From November 11:
Well- I didn't realize! What an awful podcasting Audio Addict I am! :-( It goes back to 2005 too. Therefore, I shall plug the crap out of it.

Get all your Arbiter goodness, as well as the podiobook Taken Liberty. I've recently finished listening to Taken Liberty (it's available on Podiobooks.com too), and I must say, wow. Just, wow. There will be a SFF Audio review forthcoming... so I don't want to say any more than that. ;-) You can go to the Prometheus home page, and see more of what it's about.

And if that wasn't enough- a new series began last week, SuperHuman Times:

What happens when superhuman beings must try to live "normal" lives among the humans they once protected? Or threatened? They become the focus of SuperHuman Times.
Created by Lance Woods, SuperHuman Times gets its title from a national magazine covering this superhuman-filled, present-day Earth where the heroes have done their jobs too well. The most powerful villain has been mysteriously driven from the planet, enabling the heroes to concentrate on rounding up most of the lesser villains. That's made it easier for human authorities to deal with regular criminals — without superhuman help. How do the remaining former "heroes" and "villains" find a place in human society. How do humans live alongside them? Can they?

Grab the feed:
http://www.prometheus.libsyn.com/rss

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Podcaster gets corporate sponsorship

Very cool thing... a podcaster gets a corporate sponsor!
And critics say podcasts are just a passing fad... BAH!

I wrote about it for Pickle News:

A couple shiny things

Episode #5 of Firefly: Old Wounds went out yesterday evening, and it just gets better and better. I can't believe there is only one episode left- whatever shall we do? Torches and pitchforks and travel to Halifax to demand more?

Yes... I think that will do nicely...

Get your fix here.

Also- do NOT forget that on this week's episode of 7th Son... my future husband is a guest reader of "The Story So Far" :-D
I just heard it- and OOHHHHHHHHHH
ok, I listened to it 6 times.. actually I haven't listened to the chapter yet....

Uh, was there a chapter?

(Nathan- call me!)

Saturday, November 11, 2006

For the music addict

Dubbed "The Official Band of Canadian Podcasting" by the Canadian Podcast Buffet, Ajay interviews one of the members of Uncle Seth, Jay Moonah.

Really cool discussion about Indy vs Traditional, and some GREAT thoughts about podcasting and whether it will be the death of radio or not.

I first heard Uncle Seth through this song, and we play them quite often on kqcx, but don't let their podcast PSA fool you into thinking this is their genre. ;-)

Pink Cookies, anyone?

Friday, November 10, 2006

Choose Your Favorite Audio Play

Jack has put a new poll up on the Sonic Society homepage. He selected several plays that have been featured on episodes of the show.

Go and choose your favorite! Or Favourite!
Just pick the one you like!

Busy weekend in Prescott!

Cool stuff! Coyote Radio's annual Day of the Dead Dinner fundraiser is tomorrow night! I have yet to get on up there to meet this awesome troop, since my April Fool's plans actually ended up being quite the fool's joke on me. Won't be able to get there this time either, but there were cool things I found that I want to share with you!

First, if you want more information on the Day of the Dead Dinner, go here.

Also, there is a great talk about voice-acting and sound effects by Angie Johnson-Schmit and Tiffany Boehle of Coyote Radio Theater on the Prescott Arts Beat Podcast. I just subscribed and am downloading as I type- I can't wait to hear it!

(UPDATE: I'm now listening to part 2.. and I can officially say it's great now- because it really is! Listen! Now! )
(UPDATE #2: Just finished part 3. Oh all you Canadians.... if you want to know what a few Arizonans think of your funny-factor... teeheeeee.....
Great interview Andrew!)

Have fun this weekend Prescottians! (yeah I just made that up).

First Pickle Tales Submissions Available

OK, I'm late. Voting ended at noon yesterday. Whoops. Sorry about that, but I'm only now just listening to the stories so I haven't voted either! I would still suggest subscribing to the feed, or listening through the Pickle Tales Podcast page, because these are really some great stories! Here's a list:

Current Contestants:

"The Pawn" by Mark Butler
"Vagabond" by Phil Rossi, of Filling the Page
"Rat Combat" by Dan of Long and Prosper
"Lincoln, As I Recall" by Laurence Simon of 100 word stories
"Sell Me A Story" by Tony Mast of the Fanboy Smackdown Podcast
"Going Under and Losing His Underwear" by Curt Brandao of the Digital Slob Podcast


Coming November 13th, Round 1B (November 13th):
"Greensleeves" by Sonny Swinheart, of J-Talk
"Distinctive" by Michael Spence, of Brother Osric's Scriptorium
"The Practical Joke" by Robert "The Keeme" Keeme of the Keemecast
"The Book" by Manata of Squirrelbait
"Simple Ivan" by Dennis, Kimberly and Zephyr Goza of the Activated Storytellers
"The Helpful Dead" by William L. Ross of Smart Bomb Radio

Thursday, November 09, 2006

Too plug or not to plug?


I feel a little weird doing this, cause really I'm not plugging MY show per-se, but all the awesome shows and people who called in on election day to tell me their voting stories. It was really pretty cool, and I linked to EVERYONE! You can also hear my story of how I took Tee Morris on a guilt trip he'll never forget- because I hold grudges! ;-)

Anyway, for those who haven't seen it/heard it, this is my little show. :-)

Willamette goes Lovecraft-y!

And the award for the lamest subject line on a blog goes to-
(and that is why I'm the blogger, NOT the writer.)

There's a new free download over at the WRW website:

The OUTSIDER by HP Lovecraft has been adapted by Joe Medina and Voiced by Sam A. Mowry. The chilling tale of the supernatural by the master of the form. Mowry and Medina, of Willamette Radio Workshop and Afterhell, have co produced a spoken word audio theater mix that brings out the essence of Lovecraft while adding the production values of their award winning Audio Dramas. We hope you enjoy our story, originally broadcast on KBOO 90.7 fm in Portland, Oregon and now shared for free down load from the Willamette Radio Workshop's website.

When Willamette and Ollin collaborate, you know you've got audio gold. :-)

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Planet Retcon Enters the Society

Welcome to the newest members of the Sonic Society, Planet Retcon, bringing you their audio sit-com, The Stargate Cafe.

We also hear an awesome segment from Dream Realm Enterprises about Audio Cinema production, and some chick known as the Podcast Princess tries to explain the basics of podcast-listening.

(Note to Jerry Robbins: you should listen to it! I was thinking of you when I put it together! LOL!) ;-)

And as always, they continue with their Dr. Floyd antics! Another great show, if I do say so myself...

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Another Awesome SFF Review


Though this time my ego cannot take credit for it.... ;-)

(Sorry for being so brief-- preparing for my LIVE election coverage this evening- EEK!)

Go check out the review!

Tuesday, October 31, 2006

The 7th Son Phenomenon Continues...

Cross-posting from SFF Audio:

7th Son Book TwoI just received word from author J.C. Hutchins that coming up on the November 14th chapter of 7th Son Book 2: Deceit, there will be a voice to make every Browncoat on the planet go weak in the knees (and that includes male Browncoats!). Actor Nathan Fillion! For the five or so people who may not know yet, Nathan Fillion is best known for his role as Captain Malcolm Reynolds in the short-lived Firefly television series, and Serenity movie.

"It's an absolute honor to have Nathan on the podcast," Hutchins said. "Folks best know him as a well-grounded hero in a science-fiction epic. 7th Son -- a reality-driven sci-fi thriller -- is a good fit for his cameo. The current listenership of 7th Son will love his 'previously on' reading ... but this provides a terrific reason for new listeners to hop aboard."

Well, you know that this Browncoat AND 7th Son fan will be all ears...
and well, godDAMN! ;-)

You can grab the feed for the 7th Son Novel with this link:

http://www.jchutchins.net/7thSonPodcast.xml

Gather around the campfire...

King Bonk's Campfire Cast, which is a great story-telling podcast by one of the most mysterious (and when I say mysterious I mean sort of sexy) voices I've heard, has done a great reading of Poe's "Tell Tale Heart", just in time for Hallow's Eve.

You'll like it so much you'll want to subscribe and hear more of his work! (The King's that is... not Poe. I'm sure everyone here knows Poe.) ;-)

Wow, with all this great stuff to listen to, how can one really choose???
Kids? Trick-or-treating? Candy? Bah- I've got listening to do!

Halloween Fun in Texas!

BROADCASTING TONIGHT!

The Texas Radio Theatre is broadcasting and streaming tonight
on KNTU 88.1 Denton.

Catch "Hecate Hill" an original audio play by Bill Fountain at 7pm
Central Time.

It's about a group of cyclists, trapped in a cabin, surrounded by an
army of skunk-apes ready to take over the World.

Find out more at hecatehill (dot) com
and
kntu (dot) unt (dot) edu

Also catch a new episode of the WHISPER "Some Things are Better Left
UNDEAD" streamed on KNTU's website. Not sure where exactly on the
website. Check the above website for details.

---
(I looked around but couldn't find anything about the streaming of the Whisper... maybe someone else will have better luck?? Let me know and I'll update!)

Monday, October 30, 2006

More Radio Show Goodies for Halloween!

WSCA-LP Audio Theatre is heard every Tuesday from 6:05 to 7:30 pm


HAPPY HALLOWEEN
From The Colonial Radio
Theatre On The Air and
Jerry Robbins...


The All New Dibble Show

"HALLOWEEN SHOW"

Dibble and the gang spend Halloween night in
the haunted mansion on Mayhem Hill.


Note: THIS SHOW IS HILARIOUS!

For more information about programming
available from The Colonial Radio Theatre
On The Air, check out the link below...
You'll be glad you did!

http://www.colonialradio.com/

Starting at 6:05 Eastern- which HEY is only two hours' difference now!! Yay!

Willamette/Ollin Halloween FUN

You know, the hubby was in Portland just a couple weeks ago for business, and if it were this week instead- I would have SO been up in Oregon too!!! Here's why:

The Willamette Radio Workshop will be doing triple-duty for Halloween -- and we'll be there! This Tuesday, Oct 31 at 10:30am PST, KBOO-FM 90.7 in Portland, OR will start the festivities on "Stage & Studio" with Dmae Roberts, featuring two short offerings from WRW: * THROUGH THE TURNSTILE, a post-apocalyptic tale of dark irony and reluctant human contact by Carole Dane * H.P. Lovecraft's THE OUTSIDER, adapted by yours truly for the Willamette Radio Workshop, produced and performed by its director Sam A. Mowry.

(Yours truly would be Joe Medina of Ollin Productions/Afterhell)

Go to http://www.kboo.fm/listen to stream the broadcast live. And if you happen to be in town that night, come join us at the McMenamins Kennedy School at 5:30pm and 7pm. Come see the Mercury Theater's rendition of DRACULA performed live! Watch the show and bring the kids to trick or treat indoors, all for free. Ollin Productions will be there with audiodrama CD's for sale.
Come freely. Go safely. And leave some of the happiness you bring!


How fun does THAT sound?? What other Halloween fun is going on in the audio drama world? I must investigate!

Storytelling Competition Underway!

UPDATE: There is still time to get a submission entered, so I thought I would bring this to the top again!

From October 20:
*I just wrote this for Pickle News, and thought I would copy it over here for all you audio drama enthusiasts. Looks like a good opportunity, whether you all ready are an experienced audio storyteller, or wanting an excuse to try out your voice!


Christiana Ellis, author of the Parsec-nominated podcast audiobook, Nina Kimberly the Merciless, has created a storytelling competition for anyone who has a microphone and can create an audio file, Pickle Tales.

Contestants write and produce five-minute audio skits based on the theme created for each round.

Says Ms. Ellis, “I was looking for a new project that could really demonstrate the power of the podcast medium. Podcasting is reviving the oral tradition of storytelling. With nothing but a computer and a microphone, anyone can create their own content and put it out there for the world to see. With Pickle Tales, I wanted to showcase some of the amazing talent that can be found in places you might not expect.”

The ultimate winner will receive $250 and a month of free banner advertising on the Podcast Pickle directory site.

Storytellers have until midnight on October 31st to submit their entries.

One-touch iPod recording


Final_irecord_1 Streaming Audio is offering an easier way to get content on your iPod, PSP or USB mass-storage device. The iRecord is about double the size of an iPod and features analog TV and Audio inputs and a USB output. Just hook it up to a DVD player, VCR, TV or any other analog video or audio source and you can record the content directly onto your playback device. The iRecord uses H.264/AVC for video encoding and AAC for audio encoding. Music only recording is supported by MP3 audio compression. It's available now for $200.

[Via iLounge]

Saturday, October 28, 2006

New DRE story now available!

Ooohhh... I just finished listening to episode one of Dream Realm Enterprises' latest series, "The Realm Weaver". Excellent story about a man imprisoned wrongly, and the voice he thinks perhaps is saving his sanity....

Imagine if you can, being thrown away into the deepest, darkest place, in your deepest, darkest imaginings. Left there alone with only darkness, and your own thoughts for company.

And imagine if you heard someone crying. Could it be that you are not truly alone? Could it be your imagination playing tricks on you? Or could it be something beyond your darkest nightmares?


Direct download here.

The introduction alone will completely grab you... ;-)

Friday, October 27, 2006

The iPod Turns 5. Whoopie.


Some silliness from Gizmodo:

Hey, today's the iPod's fifth birthday, born October 23, 2001. We'd sing Happy Birthday, but copyright law prevents us from doing so unless we pay the owner of that song. So instead of crooning that hackneyed ditty, we're going to spread the haterage about the iPod.

The iPod gets so much adoring and worshipful press—we ink-stained (pixel-stained?) wretches are fawning over it 24/7—so we figured it was high time somebody took it down a notch or two. As my Gizmodo colleagues hide in the closet, they've shoved me out into the limelight to take the heat, offering my Top 10 Reasons Why I Hate You, iPod. So get your flamethrowers ready. Here goes:

There's no FM: we have some great FM stations around these parts, one jazz station in particular that I listen to all the time in the car. I can't do that with the iPod. How much more would it cost to put FM in that thing, maybe two bucks? Get over it, put the damn receiver and there and be done with it.

More haterage, after the jump.

Scratches: Yes, the new aluminum iPod nano is allegedly scratch-resistant, but it's retro, looking kinda like the old mini. We don't like going backwards. Our first-gen iPod nano looked like a skating rink on day two, and we were coddling it in microfiber most of the time. What, does it have a wax coating? What good is a beautiful design that gets all scratched up if you touch it? Meh.

Battery life: We still haven't forgotten about the first-generation iPod whose battery wore out quicker than a prematurely-ejaculating teen. Plus, it was nigh on impossible to replace there for a while. Now, the batteries still won't last long enough, even in the newest models. There are cheap Taiwan knockoffs that last twice as long. Fix that.

DRM: Digital rights management is shit, no matter how you slice it. Sure, Apple's DRM, called FairPlay, gives you a little more leeway, but we'd rather not have anyone telling us what we can do with music we've purchased. Makes us want to steal it.

iTunes is janky: iTunes is weird, and although we have no trouble using it, we're getting tired of teaching our grandparents all of its intricacies. We thought this was Apple, where everyone could use it and it would be easy. iTunes is not easy enough, and doesn't follow Windows conventions closely enough.

No Bluetooth: How hard can it be to put Bluetooth in the iPod? Then we could get rid of all those wires with their auto-tangle feature, seemingly wrapping around themselves while you're not looking, requiring an untangling session a few times a day. Bring on the Bluetooth.

Thief magnet: This is not really the iPod's fault, but the damn things are so popular, if you're wearing white earphones, you might as well have just painted a big target on your back. At least release some official black Apple iPod earbuds, or various colors...? Maybe that'll throw the muggers off for a little while.

My kid wants a new one every six months: Steve Jobs himself talked about how iPods must often be replaced. Sure, any consumer electronics device that's cutting edge will be obsolete quickly, but at least you can make them less appealing to my kid, whose nagging me for a new one on a regular basis.

No widescreen: You're making the mistake of the Microsoft Zune, sticking with that old-fashioned 4x3 aspect ratio. We want wide screen; that's the way of the future. While you're at it, give us better than 640x480 video on iTunes.

No WiFi: speaking of Zune, you could've put WiFi on the iPod a long time ago, and not crippled it seven ways to Sunday, too, as Microsoft is about to do. Another missed opportunity.

Oh well, happy birthday anyway, iPod.

Read it again, Sam

Shamelessly swiped from SFF Audio! ;-) I had to post it over here because it features one of the most unique voices I've heard in audio cinema. (And yes, unique is a complement!)

Podcast - The Time Traveler ShowThe Time Traveler Show podcast #9 is out, this one's a "Halloween Special." The featured tale is a short story by the legendary Jack Vance. Entitled When The Five Moons Rise it is read by Sam A Mowry of The Willamette Radio Workshop. When The Five Moons Rise first was first published in the March 1954 issue of "Cosmos Science Fiction and Fantasy Magazine."

Oh and stay tuned to the end of the podcast to hear a special H.G.Wells & Orson Welles duo radio interview from 1940!

The Time Traveler Show #9 When The Five Moons Rise by Jack VanceWhen The Five Moons Rise
By Jack Vance; Read by Sam A. Mowry
1 MP3 File - [UNABRIDGED]
Podcaster: October 2006
Podcast: TheTimeTravelerShow.com

To read the complete show notes for podcast #9 click HERE.

Subscribe to the podcast to listen for free:

http://www.timetravelershow.com/shows/feed.xml