A science fiction blog featuring science fiction book reviews and with frequent ramblings on fantasy, computers and the web.
In episode 175 of the SF Signal Podcast, Patrick Hester asks his motley crew of mis-fit panelists to discuss: Which conventions are you looking forward to this year?
In episode 173 of the SF Signal Podcast, Patrick Hester asks his motley crew of mis-fit panelists to discuss: Who is on your 2013 Hugo Nomination Ballot?
This is a long podcast! Fair Warning! Tons of show notes after the jump.
In episode 172 of the SF Signal Podcast, Patrick Hester chats Paul and Storm who write music that makes people laugh and feel good. They are the co-founders of Wootstock, they co-produce the JoCo Cruise Crazy, a Caribbean cruise/concert festival for fans of internet musician Jonathan Coulton, and now have a new show called ‘Learning Town’ which debuted on Tuesday, January 15th on YouTube’s Geek & Sundry channel.
About LearningTown:
“LearningTown” follows a fictional Paul and Storm as they try to keep an old-style kid’s show (in the spirit of Captain Kangaroo, Mister Rogers, etc.) going after its original host dies. They hire a producer (“Cookie Tuesdays”) away from a rival show to help them; and they also enlist the help of a superfan (“Teddy”) to handle the puppets. But the challenge is steep, not only because they have no idea what they’re doing, but because they have radically different ideas about how to run the show, and there are lots of other characters who help and/or hinder their cause along the way. Oh…and puppets sometimes catch fire. There will be ten episodes in Season 1, each between 7-9 minutes each in length. There may also be some shorter bonus videos. New episodes will be released every Tuesday starting on January 15, 2013.
In episode 171 of the SF Signal Podcast, Patrick Hester asks his motley crew of misfit panelists to discuss: Which SF&F Books, Movies, TV Shows and Comics Are We Looking Forward To In 2013?
In episode 170 of the SF Signal Podcast, Patrick Hester recaps your favorite SF&F:
In episode 169 of the SF Signal Podcast, Patrick Hester chats with Christopher J. Garcia, winner of the 2011 Hugo Award for Best Fanzine (along with James Bacon) for The Drink Tank.
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In episode 168 of the SF Signal Podcast, Patrick Hester chats with the NY Times Bestselling Author of the Dresden Files and Codex Alera books, Jim Butcher.
In episode 167 of the SF Signal Podcast, Patrick Hester and his rag-tag band of panelists, discuss:
2012 YEAR IN REVIEW
In episode 166 of the SF Signal Podcast, Patrick Hester and his rag-tag band of panelists, discuss:
Gifts for the Science Fiction and Fantasy person in your life. Or, heck, just tell your own family to listen for ideas of what to buy for you…
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In episode 165 of the SF Signal Podcast, Patrick Hester chats at WorldCon with Douglas Hulick, author of Among Thieves.
About Douglas Hulick: Douglas Hulick was born in Fargo, ND, but spent much of his life moving about the Midwest. Somehow, he kept ending up in the vicinity of Chicago, IL, which helps explain his abiding love of deep-dish pizza, Ferris Bueller, and Goose Island beer. Somewhere along the way, a copy of A Dictionary of the Underworld by Eric Partridge fell into Douglas’s hands. Having sold a few fantasy short stories, Douglas thought a book that defined historical thieves cant (criminal jargon) and described some of the practices of that world might come in handy at some point. Little did he know. Among Thieves, his first novel, grew out of this unlikely seed over the course of a decade. It was acquired by Roc/Penguin U.S.A. on Douglas’s 44th birthday in 2009. Douglas lives with his wife and two sons in Minnesota. When not writing or chasing after his kids, he likes to practice and teach 17th century Italian rapier combat (in the tradition of Ridolfo Capoferro), cook, read, and hang out in coffee shops.
In episode 164 of the SF Signal Podcast, Patrick Hester and his rag-tag band of panelists, discuss:
Books we’re thankful for – and why.
In episode 163 of the SF Signal Podcast, Patrick Hester and his rag-tag band of panelists, discuss:
Star Wars, Disney, Marvel, Timothy Zahn, The Thrawn Trilogy, Star Wars: Episode 7, the Star Wars Extended Universe, Star Trek, Pathfinder Tales, Tie-In novels, George Lucas, Stargate, The X-Men, the 501st Legion, Lucasfilm, Disneyland, Family Guy, Robot Chicken, Pixar, Disney Princesses, Disneyland’s overhaul / rebranding of the iconic Submarine Ride as the new “Gungan Undersea Extravaganza’, Marvel Comics, Joe Quesada, Terry Brooks, The Sword of Shannara, Triumph over Tragedy, Attack of the Show, Newsroom, Pirates 101, Baldurs Gate, The Jar-Jar Binks Live Action Generic Non-Traditional Holiday Special with guests Tinkerbell, Wolverine and The Incredibles, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Ship Breaker, The City’s Son, and Reboots…
In episode 162 of the SF Signal Podcast, Patrick Hester recorded a live panel at MileHiCon 44 in Denver Colorado on Saturday, October 20th, 2012. Panelists were: Connie Willis, John E. Stith, Nathan Lowell and Cherie Priest, who was also the Guest of Honor for MHC 44.
In episode 161 of the SF Signal Podcast, Patrick Hester chats at WorldCon with Adam Christopher, who admits to loving American pancakes and Twinkies…
About Adam: Adam Christopher is the author of Empire State and Seven Wonders from Angry Robot, and the forthcoming Shadow’s Call from Tor Books. Born in Auckland, New Zealand, Adam grew up watching Pertwee-era Doctor Who and listening to The Beatles, which isn’t a bad start for a child of the 80s. In 2006, Adam moved to the North West of England. When not writing Adam can be found drinking tea and obsessing over superhero comics and The Cure.
In episode 156 of the SF Signal Podcast, Patrick Hester gathers a group of SFSignal folks to discuss: Hard SF books for the beginner.
Hard SF has a reputation for being inaccessible to the beginning or casual reader. What Hard SF Book(s) have you read that you would recommend to someone trying to jump in with both feet?
We also digress into how The 13th Warrior is THE GREATEST MOVIE YOU HAVE PROBABLY NEVER SEEN – SERIOUSLY PEOPLE, WATCH THIS MOVIE! DON’T LISTEN TO JAY GARMON!
In episode 158 of the SF Signal Podcast, Patrick Hester chats at WorldCon with prolific author Laura Resnick.
In episode 157 of the SF Signal Podcast, Patrick Hester chats at WorldCon with Electric Velocipede Editor John Klima.
In episode 156 of the SF Signal Podcast, Patrick Hester gathers a group of SF Signal folks to discuss: Are optimistic SF stories gone forever?
We’ve discussed this before, but, I still wonder – with so much dystopian and apocalyptic future sf out there, is the idea of a positive future gone forever? Is this just a trend? Will we see the cycle come back around to positive futures again? Soon?
