Xtreme Dungeon Mastery [35:29m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (868)

DISTANT SHORES: T.V. … or not T.V. …

I contemplate the death of my widescreen, HD plasma television … and how it portends the downfall of western civilization.

CREATIVE ENGINE: Perfect Pitch

Crafting the perfect pitch of your book is a lot more complicated than it looks … even for an old pro.

UNCHARTED TERRITORIES: Acting as if…

My wearying a lifeguard shirt at a water park leads to an incident with a lost little girl … and a contemplation regarding whether people are more ready to believe fantasy than the truth.

STATUS REPORT

CAPTAINS CABIN: XDM — Xtreme Dungeon Mastery

Wherein we talk about how XDM came to be. You can find out more about this project at xtremedungeonmastery.com. Be sure to visit schlockmercenary.com to learn about our illustrator Howard Tayler and his web comic series.

Episode 43 / May 21st, 2009

 

 Protest and Peace [37:41m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1169)

PORT OF CALL: Old South Church

Margaret Weis and I walk the “Freedom Trail” in Boston, Massachusetts and discover the roots of rebellion alive and well in the Out South Church.

NEWS AND MAIL

DISTANT SHORES No fan of Twilight …

Tracy explains the origins of the modern literary Vampire … and why he believes that Stephanie Meyer’s ‘Twilight’ series does a disservice to women.

UNCHARTED TERRITORIES Changing my name to Fannie Mae …

Here are the words to Tom Paxton’s ode to the current ‘bail out’:

Everybody and his uncle is in debt,
And the bankers and the brokers are upset.
Goldman Sachs’s, Merrill Lynch’s
Saw themselves as lead-pipe cinches,
Now they’ve landed in the biggest screw-up yet.
Lehman Brothers and Bear Stearns and all their kind
Have turned out to be the blind leading the blind.
They are clearly the nit-wittest
In survival of the fittest––
Let me modestly say what I have in mind

Chorus:

I am changing my name to Fannie Mae;
I am changing it to AIG.
On this bail-out I am betting;
Just a piece of what they’re getting,
Would be perfectly acceptable to me.
I am changing my name to Freddie Mac;
I am leaving for that great receiving line.
I’ll be waiting when they hand out
Seven hundred million grand out––
That’s when I’ll get mine.

Since the first amphibian crawled out of the slime,
We’ve been struggling in an unrelenting climb.
We were hardly up and walking
Before money started talking
And it said that failure was the only crime.
If you really screwed things up, then you were through;
Now––surprise!––there is a different point of view.
All that crazy rooty-tootin’
And that golden parachutin’
Means that someone’s making millions––just not you!

(to chorus)

CREATIVE ENGINE: Heraclitus and Schrödinger’s cat

An essay on how Quantum Theory explains the relationship between the writer and the reader.

STATUS REPORT

CAPTAINS CABIN: How Beautiful Upon the Mountains

Wherein we council how to publish peace.

Episode 42 / March 27th, 2009

 

 Dragonships Video Interview [04:18m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1980)

SPECIAL EDITION: Dragonships Video Interview

Last December, Margaret and I did an interview for Expanded Books on our upcoming Dragonships novel release. The first book, ‘Bones of the Dragon’ is available now. Here is some insight into this first novel.

Episode 41 / January 16th, 2009

 

 My Brother [11:26m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1148)

CAPTAIN’S CABIN: My Brother, Gerry Hickman

On December 20th, 2008, my beloved and only brother, Gerald Todd Hickman, passed away suddenly as a result of a bicycling accident.

Episode 40 / January 13th, 2009

 

 Garriott Flight Debrief Part 3 [44:15m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1799)

PORT OF CALL: Richard Garriott and the Return to the World

Legendary computer game designer Richard Garriott — known to many of us as ‘Lord British’ — joins us aboard the DragonHearth for a final time from Star City, Russia to conclude his first-hand account of his recently completed spaceflight aboard Soyuz TMA-13 to the International Space Station. In this final of three parts interview, we’ll discover how life after such an adventure has its own challenges … that the lessons that have been learned are sublime and unexpected … and how he has not yet had time to fully appreciate what the journey had brought to him.

You can read more about both Richard and his mission into space at his Richard in Space website.

Episode 39 / November 8th, 2008

 

 Garriott Flight Debrief Part 2 [53:26m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1386)

PORT OF CALL: Richard Garriott and the First Sci-Fi Movie Made in Space

Legendary computer game designer Richard Garriott — known to many of us as ‘Lord British’ — joins us aboard the DragonHearth from Star City, Russia to continue his first-hand account of his recently completed spaceflight aboard Soyuz TMA-13 to the International Space Station. In this second of three parts interview, we’ll hear about his feelings approaching the International Space Station … how the realities of life in space can be unexpected … and how he took a ’secret project’ created by Laura and I with him into orbitand used it to make the first science-fiction film ever actually filmed in space.

You can read more about both Richard and his mission into space at his Richard in Space website.

Episode 38 / November 7th, 2008

 

 Garriott Flight Debrief Part 1 [49:31m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1454)

PORT OF CALL: Richard Garriott, Private Space Explorer
Legendary computer game designer Richard Garriott — known to many of us as ‘Lord British’ — joins us once again aboard the DragonHearth from Star City, Russia this time to tell us his first-hand account of his recently completed spaceflight aboard Soyuz TMA-13 to the International Space Station. In this first of three parts interview, we’ll learn of his experiences leading up to his launch … what it it like to take a Soyuz into space … and the costs beyond the monetary that such an adventure exacts on one’s life.

You can read more about both Richard and his mission into space at his Richard in Space website.

Episode 37 / November 6th, 2008

 

 Richard Prelaunch [46:39m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1728)

PORT OF CALL: Richard Garriott, Spaceflight Participant
Legendary computer game designer Richard Garriott — known to many of us as ‘Lord British’ — joins us once again aboard the DragonHearth from Star City, Russia to update us on his final training and events leading up to his upcoming October 12th spaceflight aboard Soyuz TMA-13 to the International Space Station. Richard, a tireless crusader for the exploration of space, is a founding board member of the X-prize Foundation, is on the board of directors of Space Adventures, and takes all of us to other worlds in his new Tabula Rasa computer game.

In this interview we’ll learn about some of the final ceremonial duties that are part of his graduation from the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, the experiments he will be conducting and about the infamous ’spinning chair’.

For those of you who are hearty, you may stay up with me and watch the launch over the internet. You may wish to try NASA Select TV online to watch the launch. According to the NASA Select TV website, Sunday, October 12th, the video feed of Expedition 18/Spaceflight Participant Launching Morning Activities begins at 1:15 a.m. EDT with coverage beginning at 2:am EDT. The launch itself is currently scheduled for 3:01 a.m. EDT. There is a scheduled replay of the morning’s launch at 10:00 a.m. later that morning. Docking of the Soyuz to the ISS has coverage beginning at 4:00 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, October 14th. The docking itself is scheduled for 4:38 a.m. EDT. At 5:30 a.m. begins coverage of the Spaceflight Participant hatch opening and Welcoming Ceremony. Both of these events will be rebroadcast at 9:00 a.m. EDT. As the return schedule may have changed, look for updates on the hatch closing and farewells as well as the reentry coverage.

You can read more about both Richard and his mission into space at his Richard in Space website.

Episode 36 / September 26th, 2008

 

 Dragonhearth EP 035 [39:48m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1646)

PORT OF CALL: The Timpanogos Storytelling Festival

Laura takes us to the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival held in Provo Canyon and at the Sierra Amphitheater in Orem, Utah. She introduces us to the incredible storytellers: Victoria Bernett, Antonio Rocha, Kevin Kling, Motoko,  and Rex Ellis.

Carmen Agra Deedy is our dear, exceptional friend. If you would like a sample of her extraordinary talents, watch the online video of her address at the Library of Congress.

DISTANT SHORES: On Being Extras in the Movies

We’re in a MOVIE! You can check out the website and previews for the movie and, who knows, you might actually get to SEE it one day.CREATIVE ENGINE: Secret Projects

Thoughts on why sometimes silence is the best course of action.

STATUS REPORT

Laura and Tracy’s DNA going up to the International Space Station as part of Operation Immortality. Upcoming appearances at the Lucca Comics and Game Convention in Lucca, Italy and the “Life, the Universe and Everything” Symposium at Brigham Young University in February.

UNCHARTED TERRITORIES: The Dairy District Derby

You can keep your Belmont Stakes and Kentucky Derby … here’s what horse racing is all about!

CAPTAIN’S CABIN: The Course Ahead

Settling in on course for the fall … and a look at our future transmissions.

Episode 35 / September 16th, 2008

 

 Gencon 2008 (Part 2) [00:23:21m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1806)

Recorded live at the 2008 Gencon Gaming Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana…

DISTANT SHORES: Reading from the upcoming ‘Drakis’ book ‘Song of the Dragon’

Laura and Tracy invite members of the audience up to assist them in a reading from their upcoming novel, ‘Song of the Dragon’.

CAPTAIN’S CABIN: Final Thoughts

Thoughts on what is coming next … especially Laura and Tracy’s DNA going up to the International Space Station as part of Operation Immortality.

Episode 34 / August 18th, 2008