(Very) Late Breaking News

Hi, ho.... your trusty S.A.A. Foreign Correspondent here with "news" that's already a couple of weeks old, I'm afraid, but I just clued in. It had been a little while since a new episode came out of Parsec Award-nominated Science Fiction series Children of the Gods came out... and that pause clearly lulled me from my vigilance - because I was surprised to learn that Chapter 5 - The Killing Fields came out almost 2 weeks ago!

Yes, I know... lecture me about managing my subscriptions better, but go get the new C.O.T.G. first!

Visit Shadow Falls

WOW. What a production. Intriguing premise too:

SHADOW FALLS tells the eerie tale of a remote Northeastern town that holds secrets some will kill to protect and others will die to expose. Settled 400 years ago by the survivors of a mysterious tragedy, the people of Shadow Falls have become pawns being used by two supernatural forces seeking to win a war older than time itself, a war which many believe could trigger the Battle of Armageddon, and wipe out humanity as we know it.

Those with alliances believe the time has come once again for the cycle to begin anew as two young women have vanished just as a pair of very mysterious strangers have come into town. This time, they believe this war will finally be decided once and for all and all their toil and sacrifices will be rewarded. What they don't know is that they're wrong.

Dead wrong.

Spun from the wicked mind of author and screenwriter Mark Yoshimoto Nemcoff, SHADOW FALLS is a fully-immersive and addictive mystery that will leave you gasping for breath and begging for mercy.

Just don't expect to find mercy here.



First episode was a really good character set up. The sound was right up there with Ollin Productions.. so you KNOW it sounds good. Take a listen, it's 25 minutes. Just enough to make you wonder what happens next, especially after the ritual at the end...

You have to love this podcasting thing. Audio drama can NEVER die now.

2006 Podcast Awards Update

UPDATE: Voting is now open until August 11th. Getchervoteon.


From July 25:
Well, voting has ended for the 2006 podcast awards, and they have been sifting through the mess of feeds and dead sites... in order to find their official nominees.

I say sifting because it's quite a tedious process... and alot of you podcasters should be ashamed!
From Podcasting News:

Podcasting guru Todd Cochrane (Geek News Central, Blubrry.com) has announced the nominee slate for the 2006 People's Choice Podcast Awards. Voting for the nominees will be open July 28th to August 11th.

Cochrane notes that the overall quality of the RSS feeds for podcasts that were nominated was surprisingly poor. "I have never been so utterly blown away by the sad state of affairs when it comes to podcasters' RSS feeds, and some of the crap we have been sorting through," notes Cochrane.

Here are problems that shocked Cochrane:

• 78% of the submissions had invalid feeds, according to FeedValidator.org.
• Of the remaining feeds, 96% had glaring errors.
• 42% did not have an RSS feed button on their home page.
• 26% did not have a link to the file in their show notes.
• 21% had less than 2 lines of show notes.
• Some feeds were huge, as big as 500K and 367 entries.
• Only 49% of the submissions provide a way to contact the podcaster.
• 200 of the submissions that called themselves podcasts had no podcast feeds.

"The more people that are doing shows, the lower the bar becomes in taking the time to make sure the most basic functions of a site is maintained," laments Cochrane.

SO, what is up with that? Sober up, take a shower, and get those feeds cleaned up people! You want to be worthy of an award? Trying looking worthy!

*puts the whip away*

On a side note, a little birdy told me about an audio drama group that made the short list- yay!

This is another reason I'm sad to not be able to get to the podcasting expo in Cali this year... darn it! I would love to be at the awards ceremony!

Oy, just a little behind... and a little lazy

You know the addict is scrambling when she can't even get the blog entry up about the podcast SHE puts together! How sad is that?

I blame the heat. I'm feeling so lazy... I'm not even doing my normal political ranting!
(Those who know me are going to now make sure I'm ok- because I'm ALWAYS up for political ranting!)

I'm even too lazy today to put pictures with the posts I'm doing! You can't get any lazier than that I think.

Anyway, the next podcast for Sonic Society has been up for two days now. But I'm sure this post is irrelevant because you've all downloaded it from all your podcatchers by now. ;-)

Dragon Song is a delightfully touching fantasy story by Texas Radio Theatre- if you've never heard it before, and you're looking for something a little out there, then this is the perfect "sleeper" surprise. (Not that it's surprising, because all their plays are really good, but I mean- oh forget it. I'm just digging my hole deeper with each key press.)

I think I need a nap...

Chillin' in the Icebox

Put this on the list of Radio Theatre groups I should have known about all ready.

I just finished listening to the last podcast of Icebox Theatre's live performance of "Minnie Billings: Come Home".

Wow. What a great story. I love listening to live performances, because I like to hear the audience reactions to the story. Then I get all grumpy because I am not actually THERE to hear it live.

*Pout* They are THAT good. :-)

Fan Mail

I'm really quite a loser. Bob emailed me 11 days ago. ELEVEN DAYS. And I'm just now getting to him. I totally suck. Anyway, he had tons of great things to say about HIS addiction, Darker Projects:

I've been really enjoying your blog since I found you about two months ago. You've turned me on to several podcasts and audio programs that I didn't know about before.

You should go back to Darker Projects (www.darkerprojects.com) and look around. Besides the original series "Alive Inside" (now up to four episodes), there are other original series such as "Night Terrors", a horror anthology, "The Falcon Banner", based on a novel by the same name, "Generation 1", a post-apocalyptic series about what happens when all the adults die, "The Byron Chronicles", a series about an immortal who, while pursuing his own mysterious agenda, deals with the unseen supernatural world. The fan-based series include two Star Trek-based series, "Section-31 Files" and "Pioneers", and a Doctor Who series. There are several new series in development. One, "Dark Matter", will be debuting soon. It is a scifi anthology series in a darker shade.

Go back there an take a longer look around. You'll find a lot to like. The production qualities, especially on "The Falcon Banner" are fully professional.

Then a couple days ago he sent me MORE to check out!

Sword Of Windsor

By the 22nd century, mankind had stretched forth its hand to command the stars. But then came the war with the Amsus. And the Terrain Empire was brought to ruin. Now humanity is nothing more than a defeated and conquered race. Yet even in these dark and oppressive times The hope for freedom still burns bright.

Written by Eric Busby.
Based on The Falcon Banner novels by Christopher Patrick Lydon.
Original music composed and performed by Kai Hartwig and Kevin MacLeod.

Now THAT is an addict for ya! Thank you for the tips Bob! :-)

"Shifting" Gears...

Hi-ho folks. Your trusty S.A.A. Foreign Correspondent here with the first of an occasional feature featuring some new shows from new groups... or at least new to me...

Here's one I found at Dramapod that's worth a look... Its called Second Shift... billed as a "comedic drama", it quickly starts rolling as a trip into fantasy as three Boston-area college students who work in a pizza parlor are pulled into a Fantasy-style adventure... and if I'm not yet sure why, I also don't mind not knowing yet. This one is very ambitious, there are a lot of characters and there's a lot going on - but it feels very much like those at the helm have a strong idea of where this is going, so I feel very comfortable settling in for the ride.

They seem to be getting the episodes out at a rate of one every two weeks or so, which I appreciate. This one looks to be setting up for a solid run, so get in on the ground floor, why dontcha?

Parsec Award Nominees

From SFF Audio:


With the plenitude of podcasts relating to Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror now available it was only a matter of time before the ceremonies had to begin. At the upcoming Dragon*Con 2006 (September 1-4, 2006), a new annual award will be started. Entitled "The Parsec Awards" these awards will honor podcasting excellence in a number of categories. It should be noted however that due to the rules governing eligibility five very worthy podcast are ineligible for consideration (being that their respective hosts were members of the Awards Committee during the nomination process):

Dragon Page Cover-To-Cover (Michael Mennenga)
Slice Of Sci-Fi (Michael Mennenga)
Michael And Evo's Wingin' It (Michael Mennenga)
I Should Be Writing (Mur Lafferty)
DragonHearth (Tracy Hickman)

Here is the complete short-list of eligible PARSEC AWARD nominees in the SFFaudio related categories:

Best Fiction (Short)
Absolution Insured, Variant Frequencies, Matt Wallace
Hero, Escape Pod, Scott Sigler
Legacies, Brief Glimpses of Somewhere Else, Daniel Emery
The Trouble with Death Traps, Escape Pod, Daisy James
Truth Is, The Seanachai, Patrick McLean

Best Fiction (Long)
7th Son: Descent, J.C. Hutchins
Brave Men Run, Matthew Wayne Selznick
How to Succeed in Evil, The Seanachai, Patrick McLean
Infection, Scott Sigler
Morevi: Chronicles of Rafe and Askana, Tee Morris and Lisa Lee
Nina Kimberly The Merciless, Christiana Ellis

Best Audio Production
The Falcon Banner, Chris Snyder
The Future And You, Stephen Euin Cobb
The Seanachai, Patrick McLean
The Signal, Jill Arroway
Virgin Falls, Jeff Folchinsky

Best Audio Drama (Long)
Children of the Gods, Cmack
Dismay, Sean McMinn
The Falcon Banner, Chris Snyder
Mister Adventure, Rich Sigfrit
The Stargate Cafe, Planet Retcon

Best Audio Drama (Short)
Decoder Ring Theatre, Stephanie Bickford, Andrea Lyons and Gregg Taylor
Family Radio, Sound Stages
The Hoff, Planet Retcon
The Radio Adventures of Dr. Floyd, Grant Baciocco, Doug Price

Best Fan Podcast
Kick Ass Mystic Ninjas, Summer Brooks, Joe Murphy, David Moldawer
PotterCast, John Noe and crew
Requiem Of The Outcast, Rich Sigfrit and Earl Newton
The Scapecast, Kevin Bachelder, Lindy Rae and crew
The Signal, Jill Arroway, Les Howard and Kari Haley and crew

Best News Podcast
The Future And You, Stephen Euin Cobb
Geek4x4, John M. Campbell
Requiem of the Outcast, Rich Sigfrit, Earl Newton
Sci Fi News, Lynne Gryphon
The Warp Zone, Patrick Murphy & Chris Murphy with "Gaming Guru" Rusty

posted by Jesse


Really, are we surprised? :-)
Congrats to everyone!

Ha-HA! Podcasting mentioned in a comic strip

WooHOO! :-D

So I'm listening to The Signal #13 today...

Cool thing #1: And during the interview with B!x, he mentions that there is going to be another Serenity screening in September. Where? In Tempe, Arizona BABY! WooHOOOOOO!!

And- it's at the Valley Art Theatre. Holy CRAP! I remember when I was 10, a friend and I went and saw Rocky 2 there I think. It was a big deal, because it was the first time I was dropped off by my parents and on my own. Unfortunately, some dude sat next to us and started acting quite odd, so we ran out and went to the candy store next door and spent the remainder of our time there. Ironically, soon after that it became the local porn-movie house. THEN, it changed hands again, and I remember Friday nights were Rocky Horror nights, and when I was at ASU many a buck was spent there seeing art films (please keep in mind again this was AFTER the porn phase people... ).
*sigh* Good times.... Here's a better picture than at the link above.

Now they've revamped the place again... and you bet there will be plenty of browncoats there in September! Me included!


Cool thing #2: About 18 minutes or so into this latest podcast episode, you will hear from a certain Canadian browncoat: Halifax division. Just take a listen... and smile... cause OMFG I can't wait until next month!

Knowing what I know all ready about the great work these guys do, you don't have to convince me how much this is going to completely ROCK.

I'll keep everyone posted, shiny?

The Society Goes Crazy

Last but certainly not least on my audio cinema adventure this evening is the next Sonic Society podcast.

Going back again to November, we re-visit episode 13 with Crazy Dog theatre, and more of DRE's Robotz of the Company.

Which, I must say, begins part one of my two favorite ROTC episodes- because they have two of my favorite people in them! (I know, I know, my bias is showing. I should really cover that thing!)

Speaking of Crazy Dog, I got an email from fellow addict Brad Bowman, telling me about more Roger Gregg goodies over at ZBS Foundation.
Thank you for that tip, Brad!

So, have I given everyone enough goodies to look through?
Really, is there EVER enough?

Night, all!
Dani

What's happening in the Dark Building

(Newsletter goodness in my email box! WooHOO!)

Gone but not forgotten, we hope! Yes, DRE's releases were on hiatus for a number of weeks, but we've not really gone anywhere! We've been right here working behind the scenes, preparing a whole new season of releases, which now begin with an early preview of our exclusive talk with Sally Wiget In the Dark Building Lounge! Have a cool drink, relax and enjoy the relaxing sounds of the Lounge, and hear how Sally got her start in acting, why she chose to work with a group of crazies like DRE, and who her favourite characters have been!

Then, prepare yourselves for more excitement in the weeks and months ahead as DRE brings you all-new releases! Including: A whole new season of madcap adventures aboard the Titan 1! Yes, Robotz of the Company's 3rd Season get's underway this October with new misadventures, new characters, and a new purpose?!! All will be revealed this fall, so stay tuned! Plus, we've got more Celena's Dreams for you, with amazing trips into the old west, a visit to a haunted house, and we'll even throw a little romance in for good measure!

That isn't enough for you?! Okay then, we can also promise a new trip inside the TARDIS, as our Doctor Who Fan Series returns with the exciting four part adventure "War Torn" written by Kyle Borcz and Julio Angel Ortiz. And if you want more, we have Kyle Borcz' amazing new suspense/thriller Soleil coming your way! And, as if that weren't enough, we're gonna throw in a whole new season of off-the-wall fun on the crashed ship the SS Squig! Yes, Squiglies (the Robotz of the Company spin-off) get's its own series this winter, coming exclusively from DREGold! So, don't miss any of the action! Seriously, don't do it! We know where you live!

...and on the Decoder Ring front

They've been busy north of the border working on the next season of Red Panda- and posting video teasers!

Take a look-see, and while you're there take a listen to the first couple episodes in this season of Black Jack Justice!

Cat Schlocking

Really, who the heck comes up with these subject lines? She-erm, whoever it is should be fired!

I noticed I have not visited Schlock Audio for some time, and thought I would give them a visit. I'm glad I did! Three- oh yeah THREE- hits from Columbia Audio:

Temporarily Dead - by Charles E. Pratt Jr.

The Schlock Writer has gotten truly evil and horrific with this serious piece about a man who buys a cryo-tube to beat his diagnosis of death. Produced under the CAT continuing series of ECLIPSE, Charles taps into the dark side of his existence to determine what it would be like if you were only TEMPORARILY DEAD.

The Strange Fate of Matthew Hornblower - by Paul Mannering

This wonderful horror tale swims up to bite you when a guy meets a girl in a bar and she sings her love to what end? Listen and find the true story of THE STRANGE FATE OF MATTHEW HORNBLOWER.

(I'm listening to this one now... and giggling at the love-songs in the background when Matt meets the lady...teeheee.... OOH! Now Matt is missing! Yikes!)

Sherlock Holmes - Scandal in Bohemia - adapted by Jonna Wiseman

Jonna Wiseman, a true Sherlock Holmes fan, wonderfully adapts and directs, a LIVE PRODUCTION of the classic Holmes tale where Sherlock is bested by..."The Woman". Listen and enjoy!!!


I can't wait to hear the dark side of Charles...
Download all these goodies and enjoy! Schlock rocks! :-D

Tuesday pod porn

Dim the lights, put on your cheesy-funk-porn music soundtrack*, take your..... credit card in hand, and enjoy!



First up we have something that looks like it would take longer to hook up than the time of your actual shower. However, it can also be used pool-side, beach-side, or water-leak-in-office-side, so my prayers have been answered! WoooooT!

Check out the AquaDock HERE!




Next, we have something that was bound to become reality eventually. Unfortunately, since I always forget my watch, or when I do wear one continually bang it into walls, I'd never use it, or would break it within a week.

iwatch-ing you!


Now, I'll leave you alone with your goodies...

~Dani

*What? Doesn't everyone have one?
(chinka-chinka bow-BOW!)

Yes, I've been neglectful!

Ever have one of those weekends where you notice your office smells a little musty, and you investigate only to find that your carpet is very, very damp? Then you think "oh crap!" As you notice it's wet around all your computer wires, and you move everything out, to then realize that in some places "very, very damp", actually means soaked?

Yes folks, the addict had a bit of a water leak going on lately, and unlike the US government, I'm not afraid to reveal my source- the r/o system under my kitchen sink!

Anyway, all is dried out now, and the wet sock smell has been replaced by vanilla, and I've certainly given you WAY too much information, so I will leave you with this expensive piece of audio porn! More tomorrow (or later today, since it's just after midnight)- I promise!

Target your podcast to the final frontier

Rummaging around in internetland and found this little article on CNET:

Macworld is the No. 1 most-visited content site by people who download audio podcasts, according to media research group Nielsen/NetRatings, while StarTrek.com is the most visited content site among video podcast downloaders.

The report (click for PDF) is based on an ongoing survey conducted from 2005 to the present, according to a spokeswoman for the company. The survey asks actively online U.S. adults to answer questions about their behavior "within the last 30 days."

Among those surveyed, 51.6 percent said they paid bills online, and 24.6 percent participated in online job hunting. E-mailing is still the most popular online activity at 92.7 percent, with news reading (71.5) and weather checking (63.9) in second and third place, respectively. Compared to those statistics, downloading podcasts is still a relatively unpopular activity.

Well- no one asked any of US, now did they?

Audio downloaders also seem to be interested in sneakers. According to the report, the No. 1 e-commerce site among audio downloaders was Niketown.com, not a music-downloading site as one might expect. (The site is Nike's official online store, not a Web site affiliated with the Nike+iPod playlists.) In fact, iTunes came in third. Apple's Web site was second.

All righty- everyone put on your Nike's, grab your Mac, and meet me in the holodeck, cause we've got emailing to do!
(but bring that iPod along just in case)

Cutler out.

Back to the Arbiter

This week's Sonic Society podcast goes back to their airing of Prometheus Theatre's Arbiter Chronicles, along with the 12th episode of DRE's Robotz!

The interview with Prometheus made me giggle just like it did the first time... naked radio... teeheeee.....


Enjoy! I hope everyone is enjoying catching up on what they missed in season one, before the podcasting began!

Have you been to Vix?

Well I am there now! Your host, Victor Gates, is quite hospitable and always has cold beer!

OK, I don't know if he has cold beer, but I do know he has a GREAT opening theme, and wonderful interviews with those who have brought (and are bringing) innovative audio to your addictive ears. It's the first podcast after a year hiatus, and I'm wishing I had known about this a year ago!

The sound of this podcast is awesome! Amazing quality!

I'm listening to his latest episode now, which talks about the old (well if you consider 1984 old) NPR show Bradbury 13, and have subscribed to the podcast so I can hear the rest!

Great show Vic!

What's up in the Afterhell?

I was just paroozing around and thought I would see how my friends at Ollin Productions were doing this summer.

And I found news!! Yippeeeeee!!!! Their first Afterhell production CD, Dark Descent, is now being offered in various places digitally:

BuyMusic@buy.com
Melo.pl (a Polish-language site)
AOL MusicNow
Tradebit
Apple iTunes

If you've not heard the Afterhell series before, and are into graphic horror and excellent storylines, well go and give it a listen! It will give your imagination it's money's worth, I promise!

You just watch- there's a Mark Time with your name on it next year!

Congrats on going digital guys! May you have several thousand downloads. :-)

Git yer old time radio fix here!

You know, Google Alerts are pretty cool. I've got several out there, and the best part about them is you can choose how often they get emailed to you, so you are not over-spammed.

So, one of this addicts alerts is of course, Radio drama and old time radio... and lookie at the cool links I found!

Pirate TV theatre

Zoot Radio

Vintage Radio (though unfortunately you need to pay for a subscription- and that includes the podcast. Weird- and there's too much out there for THAT to be successful.)

Enjoy! As always happy listening!

Have I raved about this one yet?

UPDATE: Noooooooooo!!!! I've caught up! Dammit! I just finished chapter 24- and I all ready have the shakes because now I have to wait like EVERYONE else for chapters! It's like a drug, I tell you... I just- just- couldn't STOP! If you haven't started listening yet- well at this point you are just silly. I mean, JC has become a legend! Hmm.. I'm sure I have something around here to listen to in-between episodes...

From 6/25:
Because I should have- LONG ago! I have no clue why I waited so long to start listening to JC Hutchin's riveting novel, "7th Son", but I started listening three days ago. I'm only up to chapter 4... but it's got my attention, and this will probably be all I listen to until I catch up!

The prologue was enough to hook me- how often to do you hear of a 4 year old killing the President? Then I am totally loving the King-style of how he's setting up each clones character- and- and-

Oh you just have to listen. However, apparently I'm the last person to start listening, so you may all scold me now for my negligence.

Top 10 mp3 Players Under $100

A good little guide for the penny-conscious from CNET.

What An Addict Notices

Okay, this post has absolutely no value at all, other than to show you a picture. I found this while looking through Gizmodo, and it was really about the Pong Clock he has over the monitor. He was very disappointed in its size (which, really, I would be too!).

However, you all know exactly what I noticed!
I bow to an addiction greater than my own.

FM radio being shut out by...

Duh. ;-)

In a recent survey by Bridge ratings, listeners were asked if certain types of digital media affected their terrestrial radio listening. Well.....

Those surveyed were asked if their usage of satellite radio, Internet radio, recorded music in general, P2P file sharing, podcasting and MP3 players was affecting listenership to terrestrial radio. Overall, the competing mediums are taking a bite out of regular radio, with an overall decline in the total amount of listening. Many respondents did say that other mediums cause them to listen to the radio more often, especially podcasting (58 percent), P2P file sharing (51 percent) and MP3 players (42 percent). However, radio is losing out mainly to Internet radio, with 55 percent saying it cause them to listen to less traditional radio.

I found it sort of odd that listening to podcasts caused some to listen to the radio MORE often. I'm not sure what would be the case of that, other than perhaps listening to mainstream music?

And THEN- I found the result details:

• Listeners to Adult Hits radio stations spend more time with traditional radio than they do with any of the digital options listed.
• However, Preference 1 listeners (or those that consider Rock radio to be their favorite) who also have satellite radio subscriptions spend less hours per week with their terrestrial favorite than they do with their satellite radio, MP3 player or listening to music on the Internet. Cumulatively, this negatively impacts rock radio listening more than any other format listed.
• Listeners who consider their Urban formatted station their favorite tend to spend more time with their MP3 players in a typical week than they do with their favorite terrestrial Urban station.

It seems almost foreign to me now to actually listen to the radio, other than to find a station for my FM transmitter.

And the winner is....

Hi-ho, your shiny new S.A.A. Foreign Correspondent here with his first post since our Audio Addict got fed up with my constant "tips" and put me on the payroll.

This one comes from Jerry Stearns who, in addition to his duties with Great Northern Audio, is also the co-ordinator of the Mark Time and Ogle Awards. Presented by the American Society for Science Fiction Audio, these awards recognize excellence in Audio Science Fiction, Fantasy or Horror. The awards will be presented at Convergence on July 7th in Bloomington, MN... but the winners have been announced and here they are!

Tenth Annual Mark Time Awards and Ogle Awards
(Winners for the 2005 production year)

MARK TIME AWARDS for Science Fiction Audio

GOLD
Anne Manx on Amazonia
Radio Repertory Company of America
Angelo Panetta, producer. Written by Larry Weiner

SILVER
Steve the Second
CBC Radio A&E
Joe Mahoney, producer. Written by Matt Watts.

HONORABLE MENTION
Strawberry Automatic
(link)
Richard Sellers, producer. Written by T. Ray Gordon

OGLE AWARDS for Fantasy/Horror Audio

GOLD - TIE!!
The Confessions of Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde
Willamette Radio Workshop
Sam A. Mowry, producer. Written by William S. Gregory
&
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
The Colonial Radio Theatre On The Air
Jerry Robbins, producer/writer

SILVER
A Long Vacation
Birke Duncan, producer. Written by Garrett Vance & Birke Duncan

Congratulations to all the Winners! Some folks on the list whose work I have yet to hear, which is always exciting... I'm sure no one is surprised to see Willamette Radio Workshop and Colonial Radio Theatre on that list. Great work as always!

The Addict Blog Is A Year Old!

Wow! I'm so totally going to party today. I was sifting through some things, and realized that I have had this blog for a year. A year- TODAY.

It was just one summer ago that I began this journey, with an entirely different goal in mind (hence the url "societyfans"). I never dreamed it would morph into the deluge of audio-goodness it has become!

All this audio stuff even got me to get going on my own podcast, as well as doing a little voice work for the gang over at DRE too. What a year! (All right, it was just credits at the end of a show, but STILL.)

It's only the beginning too... because really when you have something like this, and you are a blog-o-holic-audio-addict like I am, it really only can get better, I think.

And- I actually have FANS! People who I am fans of, are my fans! That just makes me feel all tingly. It's so totally cool to get all the emails I do, the comments, and the tips, and the love. :-)

Don't stop, my ego demands it.

My ego also demands presents! I want presents, acknowledgement, and fawning. This is what I want. Everyone who has not yet signed my frappr map- won't you kindly go and do so? (I'm batting my eyes here people.)

All you regular readers- tell a friend, and link to me! I want to be seething with traffic here! Yes, this is shameless self-promotion, but dammit I am a one-year-old.

Just wait until I hit my terrible twos. ;-)

Party on, Addicts.

JC Hutchins Interview

UPDATE: I just found this really cool tidbit from, where else, SFF Audio: J.C. Hutchins' podiobook 7th Son, Book One: Descent is doing a clever crossover with Scott Sigler's lastest podcast novel Infection. This is the first time in the podcast history where two fiction podcasts have shared scenes! I'd guess that a mutual cross-pollination of listeners is the general idea but J.C. informs me there'll be some rewards for some careful listeners of both shows...

More details HERE. Now I've got a whole new podiobook I need to look into...


From Yesterday:
I first mentioned 7th Son about a week ago. I'm up to chapter 12. So when I saw on the Sci-Phi show there was an interview with the man behind this brilliant work of fiction, I put the rest of my life on hold to listen to it.

I mean, how can you NOT want to hear a book where the opening line is that the president is assassinated by a 4-year-old?

The BEST chapter so far, (well they are ALL good, but OMFG) was 9. All I will say is it was the most original way to take down a Vice President that I've EVER imagined... and I like to think I have a pretty wicked imagination... hehehe.

Listen to this great interview, and if THAT doesn't get you subscribed to this book, then I give up. You're just not the addict I think you are. :-P

Soul Patrol... oh yeah....

We go back again to November on this week's Sonic Society podcast with two Soul Patrol reruns! You know, I love listening to them, but I want NEW stuff.

When's that new season beginning again?


And we can't forget my buddies at DRE! It's been fun listening to their Robotz series again, I just hope we can get through them before the next season begins!

Wow, the wind is howling outside... I just love the monsoon... how am I supposed to sleep?

New Original Pendant Production!

Another whispering through my earbuds by Gregg at Decoder Ring- geez I'm going to have to give him a job! ;-)

"Umket Industries Presents: The Dixie Stenberg and Brassy Battalion Adventure Theater" is an original, ongoing, monthly sci-fi serial adventure.

The Dixie Stenberg and Brassy Battalion Adventure Theater grew out of a shared love for the classic radio theatre shows of the 40s and 50s. Specifically the aerial adventure drama, with shows like Captain Midnight, Hop Harrigan, Adventures by Morse and Speed Gibson. They showcased not only the dramatic range of the writers of the period and the actors and actresses
involved, but also a somewhat larger canvas than most other radio serials of the period.

Episode 1 - The Visitor from Washington
(Jul 4, 2006)
(14mins 34secs)
Dixie arrives at a hidden, private hangar in Southern California. She's a test pilot for AeroQuest Dynamics, and this day is not going to go as planned. Who is the visitor from Washington, and just what does he want with Dixie?

iTunes Updating Category List

I'm just going to post this email I received from iTunes in its entirety, just in case some of the podcasters might not have received it:

Greetings from the iTunes Podcasting Team:

Today we launched a revised set of categories for podcasts listed in the iTunes Music Store. We're sending you this email to let you know how to change your podcast feed to accommodate these changes. The revised categories and subcategories are listed at the bottom of this message. Please take the time to change your podcast feed as soon as possible. Please note that we will support the use of the old category names for the next few months, so there is no immediate deadline for making these changes. We will send another message before discontinuing support for the old category names.

When we read your RSS feed, we capture and store up to 3 category+subcategory pairs, and we use all of them to populate the browse lists that you see when you click the "Browse" link in the Music Store. However, the first category+subcategory pair listed in your feed is the most important, since it is the one listed as the Category field on your podcast page, and it is the only one used to map your podcast into the category feature pages.

Most of the old categories and subcategories are now automatically mapped to corresponding ones within the new system. For example, if your podcast was listed under "Arts & Entertainment > Photography", it will now appear under "Arts > Visual Arts." However, 3 categories have been removed and do not have a similar replacement: "International", "Talk Radio", and "Public Radio". Those categories overlapped with others in the old system, making some podcasts difficult to find. If one of these categories is listed as the first subject in your podcast feed, that category information will be ignored and the second category will be used to determine eligibility and placement in that feature page.

Changes to your categories may take 1-2 weeks from the time you edit your feed, so please review and add new category data as soon as possible to ensure your podcast is listed appropriately. New categories and subcategories that did not exist in the old browse structure will appear as podcasts are mapped to them.

For specific instructions on adding categories to your page, refer to the iTunes:category section of the technical spec. Note that the spec will be updated soon with new category data, but the format is the same:

http://www.apple.com/itunes/podcasts/techspecs.html#_Toc526931682

The new categories and subcategories are listed below. Note that some of the new categories may not yet appear in the Music Store because they are not yet populated by podcasts.


Best Regards--

The iTunes Podcasting Team

=====

Categories are listed below, with their subcategories listed beneath them:

Arts
* Design
* Fashion & Beauty
* Food
* Literature
* Performing Arts
* Visual Arts
Business
* Business News
* Careers
* Investing
* Management & Marketing
* Shopping
Comedy
Education
* Educational Technology
* Higher Ed
* K-12
* Language Courses
* Training
Games & Hobbies
* Automotive
* Aviation
* Hobbies
* Other Games
* Video Games
Government & Organizations
* Local
* National
* Non-Profit
* Regional
Health
* Alternative Health
* Fitness & Nutrition
* Self-Help
* Sexuality
Kids & Family
Music
News & Politics
Religion & Spirituality
* Buddhism
* Christianity
* Hinduism
* Islam
* Judaism
* Other
* Spirituality
Science & Medicine
* Medicine
* Natural Sciences
* Social Sciences
Society & Culture
* History
* Personal Journals
* Philosophy
* Places & Travel
Sports & Recreation
* Amateur
* College & High School
* Outdoor
* Professional
Technology
* Gadgets
* IT News
* Podcasting
* Software How-To
TV & Film


I noticed that if you use Libsyn for your podcast hosting, you can easily make changes by going under the "settings" tab after you log in. :-) Wouldn't want anyone's feed to get lost in the changes!

OMG! 2006 Podcast Awards!

Now, how did I NOT know about this? Nominations are now open for the 2006 podcast awards!

Eligibility:

• 2005 Winner of People's Choice Award. "This Week in Tech" and Best Produced "Daily Source Code" are not eligible to win in any category.
• Podcasting actively on or before 1 May 2006 this will be verified by reviewing the podcasters website.
• Created a Minimum of 8 Podcasts before 1 July 2006
• A valid RSS 2.0 feed with enclosures, failure to have a valid RSS' feed will automatically disqualify the podcaster.

You can nominate NOW- and once every 24 hours until July 15th!!! Get cracking people!!!!

Thanks for the tip, Gregg!! :-D

Pod Porn

Want to be able to listen to your iPod in style? Want that luscious warm analogue sound combined with the ease of use of digital technology?

We present the Fatman iTube Valve Dock.

This unit features a docking station that is compatible with all iPods (except Shuffle).

You can control the iPod functions via the remote control – allowing you to sit back and relax whilst enjoying your favourite music and movies (yes, you can watch the movies and images on your TV too !)

In addition to this we have developed a matching valve amplifier. This provides the classic audio characteristics of valves, improving the listening experience and adding value to your iPod system.

The amplifier can also take alternative sound sources to allow for more audio options as well as a video output to connect video enabled iPods to your TV!

Hmm... selling blank CD's

Brought to my attention by faithful Addict Brad:


Residents sell blank CDs
The anonymous surrealist art/performance group The Residents is selling a double-CD package, titled River Of Crime, for $14.99. The two disks inside are blank. The recordings, inspired by old-timey radio serials, and other multimedia material will be released online every other week throughout the summer for download by those who have the digital subscription code inside the CD-R package. Once the whole collection of "Crimecasts" are downloaded, the owner is meant to complete the package by burning the disks. From the project description:

THE RESIDENTS’ RIVER OF CRIME is a character driven podcast series of 20 shows, based on the time honored concept of TRUE CRIME. Rooted in 1940’s style radio drama, THE RIVER OF CRIME not only updates the original form with modern production values, but also heavily leans on a distinctive soundtrack as one of its primary dramatic devices. A modern day DRAGNET, the series follows the reminisces of its unseen narrator as he discloses a lifelong obsession with wickedness and vice. But, as opposed to the ironic and terse Joe Friday, a classic crime solver, THE RIVER OF CRIME’S narrator is a crime collector.

After an early fascination with the electric chair, the series’ protagonist soon finds himself completely absorbed by the idea of crime and criminals, and each episode unfolds as a personal recollection, a memory of some unlawful event that has affected his life. Within the series these events are recreated as drama, interviews and narration, interrupted and supported by a strong musical score.

Link to River of Crime at Residents.com, Link to River of Crime access site, Link to CNN story (Thanks, Dave Gill!)