One the great things about, well, being me, is that my friends are just as great and as fascinating as I am, so when I haven't seen one in a while, they're usually full of amazing stories and interesting conversations.

Case in point, one Miss Holly Johnson, currently interning at Longwood Gardens. She's studying pest management, teaching the right kinds of pest to take care of the wrong kind of pests for us.  Which is why she knows things like why petting a velvet ant is never good idea and that it's good to have a dragonfly on your defense.  She was visiting in order to model for J.R., and her stories were so fascinating, I just turned on the mic and let her go.

The Voice of Free Planet X theme was written and performed by Russell Collins of www.clockworkaudio.net

J.R. Blackwell and I lay around in bed and talk about the spiritual underpinnings of AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER, the general inappropriateness of Elmo on SEASAME STREET, the exposition-easing vocal work of Clancy Brown, the confidence of stupid people on the internet, the style and charm of MY LIFE AS A TEENAGE ROBOT, why Zula, Katara and Toff are ground-breaking characters, and the number people J.R punched while college.

A pretty standard evening, really.

The Voice of Free Planet X theme was written and performed by Russell Collins of www.clockworkaudio.net

"Hey, Bea. It's Dante. No, I can just barely hear you. No, No...it's not Hell. It's Purgatory... PURGATORY!!! Yeah, I didn't think there'd be service out here either...."

The Voice of Free Planet X theme was written and performed by Russell Collins of www.clockworkaudio.net

They called the ship a Widowmaker, a relic of a time when the black of space was scarred by the war and the machines that made it possible. There were no windows save at the top and few doors; little was done to make the metal monstrosity look like anything other than the heavily armed coffin it was. It towered over the edge of the city, and Fire Chief Jaime Olmos felt cold and clammy every time he had to drive beneath its shadow. He had argued with the city about taking it down and scrapping it. But no one saw the tower of metal-encased kindling on insufficient struts, a danger to the community around it. They only saw a tourist offering, a landmark...

This episode was read and scored by Russell Collins of www.clockworkaudio.net, who also wrote and performed the Voice of Free Planet X theme.

I talk to Steve Wilson, mastermind behind both Farpoint Convention and Prometheus Radio Theatre. We talk of how to properly write space opera, the magic of the right convention guest, and the importance of social conflict.

You can find out more about Farpoint Convention at www.farpointcon.com.

You can subscribe to Prometheus Radio Theatre at prometheus.libsyn.com

This episode was recorded with a microphone from Giant Squid Audio Lab.

The Voice of Free Planet X theme was written and performed by Russell Collins of www.clockworkaudio.net

I moderate a panel on webcomics at Farpoint Convention with Dan Warner and Glenn Hauman manages to wander all the concerns of online media in general, the reasoning behind selling out, and what awaits you if you try to self-publish. Also, inexplicably, Warren Ellis.

You can find out more about Daniel Warner at danielwarner.net.

Glen Hauman’s ComicMix site is located at comicmix.com

This episode was recorded with a microphone from Giant Squid Audio Lab.

The Voice of Free Planet X theme was written and performed by Russell Collins of www.clockworkaudio.net

Doing a daily podcast has (unsurprisingly) left me a little behind on my sleep. So while I catch up in order to prepare for Farpoint, here's some music from a few bands that have been wearing out my mp3 player recently:

"Am I Awake" was performed by They Might Be Giants and was made available curtsey of the of the Podsafe Music Network. You can find out more about them at theymightbegiants.com/.

"Seaweed" was performed by Saul Williams and was made available curtsey of the of the Podsafe Music Network. You can find out more about him and his new album "The Inevitable Rise and Fall of Niggy Tardust" at niggytardust.com/.

"Wasps Nest" was performed by The National and was made available curtsey of the of the Podsafe Music Network. You can find out more about them at theymightbegiants.com/.

The Voice of Free Planet X theme was written and performed by Russel Collins of www.clockworkaudio.net

By Jeremiah Tolbert.
Read by Jared Axelrod (of The Voice of Free Planet X).
First appeared in All-Star Zeppelin Adventure Stories (ed. David Moles & Jay Lake).

We are somewhere among the tallest mountains of the world. When we arrived, I was locked away in a cargo hold, so I don’t know exactly where. Our home is a small, drafty castle and a separate laboratory. Dr. Octavio had the locals construct the lab before he tested the new death ray on their village. There’s very little left there. In my little bit of spare time, I try to bury the bodies and collect anything useful to the doctor’s experiment.

My primary duties consist of keeping the castle’s furnace running and clearing the never-ending snow from the path between the two buildings. Sometimes, it falls too fast for my slow treads and shovel attachment to keep up with and I find myself half-buried in the snow. It is horrible on my gears when this happens, but I use heavyweight oil now and it helps.

It is one of the few benefits of my metal frame that I appreciate. Life in this contraption is like being wrapped in swaddling clothes. I wonder if I would feel anything if my casing caught on fire? I need to ask the doctor when he isn’t in one of his moods.

Rated PG. Parental guidance suggested for violence and ennui.

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Referenced Sites:
Jared Axelrod’s Commissions

WARNING: This episode is not particularly safe for work. Sex is discussed as something that exists, and naughty bits are mentioned by name. Just so you know.

To get you geared up for Valentine’s Day, I speak with Kali Morgan and Justine Shuey of Passional Boutique. We talk about the successful classes they’ve held in the past, the experiences they’ve had working with various age groups, and the experience that is “Show & Tell Sunday?

You can find out more about the Passional Boutique and Sexploratorium, visit www.passional.net/ and www.passionaltoys.com.

This episode was recorded with a microphone from Giant Squid Audio Lab.

The Voice of Free Planet X theme was written and performed by Russell Collins of www.clockworkaudio.net

The Shark is a Battlefield series of interviews comes to its conclusion with Nick Popio, LARP runner, player and designer (triple threat).  We talk about the identity-splitting nature of role-playing games, the basis of wish-fulfillment, and the inter-personal interaction that this form of gaming engenders.

Plus, business jargon!

This episode was recorded with a microphone from Giant Squid Audio Lab.

The Voice of Free Planet X theme was written and performed by Russell Collins of www.clockworkaudio.net