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October 2001


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Index to our previous shows

  • Shows from April, 2002
  • Shows from March, 2002
  • Shows from February, 2002
  • Shows from January, 2002
  • Shows from December, 2001
  • Shows from November, 2001
  • October 31, 2001 - Alex Lubertozzi {The Complete War of the Worlds} and a Reading of Larry Niven's Night on Mispec Moor
  • October 14, 2001 - Ursula K. LeGuin and Rick Tumlinson
  • October 7, 2001 - Howard V. Hendrix and Geoffrey Landis
  • Shows from September, 2001
  • Shows from August, 2001
  • Shows from July, 2001
  • Shows from June, 2001
  • Shows from May, 2001
  • Shows from April, 2001
  • Shows from March, 2001
  • Shows from February, 2001
  • Shows from January, 2001
  • Shows from November - December, 2000
  • Shows from September - October, 2000
  • Shows from July - August, 2000

  • Alex Lubertozzi and The Complete War of the Worlds and a Reading of Larry Niven's Night on Mispec Moor


    On Wednesday - October 31, 2001 - our guest was Alex Lubertozzi, one of the editors of the recently released book The Complete War of the Worlds. And since this was Halloween, we also had a story reading that was in keeping with the holiday.

    In 1898 H.G. Wells wrote The War of the Worlds, not as an adventure story but as a morality play to show the Victorians just what it would be like to be under the sway of an overwhelmingly powerful invading army. Perhaps the fact that this story actually had something to say explains why it has never been out of print since it first appeared on bookstore shelves. But then again, the fact that this is a story that taps into our primal fears of death and destruction might have something to do with its enduring popularity. And if you doubt the power of this story, just remember that in 1938 Orson Welles did a radio drama based on this story that had people running into the streets in panic over the Martians invading New Jersey.
    Cover for The Complete War of the Worlds - Copyright © 2001 by Sourcebooks Inc.
    Cover for The Complete War of the Worlds
    Copyright © 2001 by Sourcebooks Inc.

    The Complete War of the Worlds is the story of this book and its various incarnations in diverse media. It talks about the well known Orson Welles broadcast, as well as the lesser known broadcasts in South America, New York and other places. It even discusses the "Moon Hoax", which was a series of stories (obviously fake) that appeared in newspapers in the 19th century purporting to tell the story of the discovery of life and civilization on the Moon. The Complete War of the Worlds goes on to discuss other versions of The War of the Worlds, such as the 1950's movie by George Pal, the musical by Jeff Wayne, comics and computer games. It even includes a CD that features the complete Orson Welles broadcast and interviews with H.G. himself. Way cool.

    I've got to say that I enjoyed this book a great deal. It was a delight to read its stories and hear the H.G. Welles interviews. {And if you've never heard the 1938 Welles broadcast, then having that here makes this book a must have.} The book's coverage of the Orson Welles broadcast is very good and brings to life many stories and anecdotes that would otherwise have lain unseen in dusty newspaper archives.

    But I've also got to say that this book causes me something of a "Is the glass half full / half empty / just too damn big?" problem. Once this book moves away from covering the Orson Welles broadcast and related topics its coverage gets, frankly, a bit thin. There are many items that could have been covered but they just weren't there. And other subjects get coverage that is so sketchy that it does little more than note the existence of the item being discussed.

    For example; the George Pal film gets barely a single column of text and most of that deals with the writer's failure to understand a basic element of the film. Surely there was more that could have been said about this classic film. It easily deserves an entire book of its own. Other films, such as Spaced Invaders or The Night that Panicked America are not even mentioned. The first film is a comedy that has a real invasion from Mars caused by some "intellectually challenged" Martians hearing a rebroadcast of the Welles radio drama and deciding that they're late for the war. So they come to Earth to join the fighting. The second film is a fictionalized telling of the events surrounding the Welles broadcast. Also missing is information about the various film versions that never made it into production; such as the Cecil B. DeMille version, the film adaptation that the studios wanted Orson Welles to do or the version that Ray Harryhausen created some test footage for. And then there were the modest number of annoying mistakes that could have been fixed had the editors done more research or been more familiar with the science fiction genre. <sigh>

    But having said all of that, I must say that I enjoyed the book. As far as it goes it was a good book. I just wish it had gone into more depth and had had fewer of those aggravating little errors.



    Readings have long been a staple of Hour 25. So how could we let Halloween go by without including a reading with a 'seasonal' flavor?

    Tonight's reading is of Larry Niven's story Night on Mispec Moor. Now I know that most of you quite rightly associate Larry's writings with hard SF, not horror. But that doesn't mean he can't write a cracking good horror yarn when he sets his mind to it. But being one of the premiere writers of hard SF; when he writes horror it's with his own unique twist. In Night on Mispec Moor Larry tells a tale about a man trapped in a place where the fog lies thick and close to the ground and where the dead really return to life. And though this story is most certainly horror, it is also hard SF. Way cool and highly memorable.

    You can read Night on Mispec Moor, along with many of Larry's other stories, in the anthology, N-Space.Tonight's reading of Night on Mispec Moor is performed with the kind permission of Larry Niven and may not be further distributed without express written permission.



    Listen to this show

    webcasting
    • Click here to listen to the entire show. {1:21:20}
      or
    • Click here for the show's intro music.{0:41}
    • Click here for the show's opening and news. {16:12}
    • Click here for the Alex Lubertozzi interview.{34:40}
    • Click here for the introduction to the Larry Niven story Night on Mispec Moor.{1:51}
    • Click here for my reading of Night on Mispec Moor.{25:50}
    • Click here for the show's closing.{2:06}
      or
    • Click here for an index of all Shows on our site.

    Links for more information relating to this week's show

    H.G. Wells and The War of the Worlds
  • More information about The Complete War of the Worlds can be found at this web site.
  • You can learn more about H.G. Wells and his works at the H.G. Wells Society.
  • You can read the entire text of The War of the Worlds in HTML format at this web site. Please note that although the works of H.G. Wells are in the public domain in the United States and some other places, they are not universally in the public domain. Check here to learn the copyright status of his writings.
  • Click here for a study guide to The War of the Worlds that will give you some questions to think about as you read the novel.
  • In the novel The War of the Worlds the first landing by the Martians takes place at Woking, England. Go here to view a web site created to celebrate the 100th anniversary of that event.
  • The War of the Worlds has been continuously in print for more than 100 years and has been accompanied by numerous book covers and interior illustrations. This web site reproduces many of those illustrations and is a delightful place to visit.
  • The vision of Mars that drove The War of the Worlds was based on the scientific work of the astronomer Percival Lowell. He envisioned Mars as being a dying world whose inhabitants brought water to their civilization using a planet-wide system of canals. You can read an HTML version of Lowell's classic book Mars, including all its illustrations, at this web site.

    The Orson Welles War of the Worlds Radio Broadcast
  • The "Wars of the Worlds" web site contains an amazing amount of information about the various radio productions of The War of the Worlds and has links to much more information.
  • This web site has more information about the Orson Welles broadcast and includes reprints of many newspaper articles from the time documenting what happened.
  • The Martian Panic Sixty Years Later site has an interesting discussion about what happened during the Orson Welles broadcast and its lessons for today.
  • Woking isn't the only city to celebrate having been the target of an attack by the Martians. Check out this web site to see how the good people of Grovers Mill, New Jersey deal with their extraterrestrial association.

    Other War of the Worlds Links
  • A wealth of information about The War of the Worlds in all its various forms can be found at - no surprise here - The War of the Worlds web site.
  • Click here to read the script for the George Pal film adaptation of The War of the Worlds.
  • The War of the Worlds TV show was better at what it promised than at what it actually delivered. But some people liked it. You can learn more about that show here.
  • The Jeff Wayne musical based on The War of the Worlds is one cool piece of music and follows the original story better than any other adaptation. Click here to go to the official web site for that CD.
  • I rather enjoy playing the War of the Worlds game, even though I have the devil's own time winning no matter what side of the war I fight on. <sigh> You can learn more about that game here or here and get some 'cheat codes' here. {Now I should be able to win at this game!}
  • And if you enjoyed this show and would like to know when other interviews are uploaded to the Hour 25 web site, then send an email to me at wwjames@earthlink.net and I will add your name to the free Hour 25 Newsletter mailing list. That way you'll get a brief notice in your email every time a new show gets uploaded to the web.

    Larry Niven
  • The official Larry Niven web site has a great deal of information about Larry and his books. {Check out the really cool animated GIF on the splash page for the site.}
  • The are several interesting chronologies of Larry's Known Space stories. Marc Carlson has created perhaps the most extensive one and Rich Holmes has presented a modified version of it with additional information and commentary. Here's a chronology that incorporates events from the Man-Kzin War series of books.
  • Go here to see some CGI images of Larry's Ringworld.
  • You might also be interested in reading this interview with Larry from Locus On-Line.

    Science and Space News
  • Information about the Mars Odyssey mission can be found at the Project's Official web site.
  • Updates about the weather on Mars can be found at checking the The Daily Martian Weather Report .
  • A wonderous collection of information about various propossed manned missions to Mars can be found at the Romance to Reality web site.
  • For updates on the Galileo mission to Jupiter you can go to the Project's Official web site. Additional information about Galileo and its Probe that entered Jupiter's atmosphere can be found here and in this Scientific American on-line article .

    ISS News
  • The Florida Today web site has a very interesting report about the causes of the ISS budget problems and their impact on the space program. It makes very interesting reading.
  • Click here to view the press kits for various ISS missions.
  • Check out the NASA International Space Station web page or the Boeing web page to learn more about this project.
  • A great source of news about Russian space activities, including their work on the ISS, can be found at the Russian Space Web.
  • Do you wonder where the Space Station is right now? You can use your browser to view real time maps showing the location of the ISS by going to this link at the NASA Space Link web site or here at the Johnson Spacecraft Center. Please note that your browser must support Java to make use of this satellite tracking software.
  • You can find out when the ISS - or many other spacecraft - can be seen from your location by going to this NASA web page. Please note; your browser must support Java for this application to work.

    For On-Going Updates on Space News
  • The Space Today web site is a great place to find space news from all over the 'net.
  • The Spaceflight Now web site carries real time information about current space missions and presents a lot of space and astronomy news. This is the place I go to when I want up to the minute information about current space missions. Do I need to say more?
  • The NASA Watch web site is another great place for getting information about current space missions. Check there also for news about other 'goings on' within NASA. Highly recommended.

    Concerning Ways of Responding to the September 11 Terrorist Attacks
    First, be careful. Vultures have already established scams to bilk people of their money under the guise of helping those harmed by this terrorist attack. Make sure you are giving money to real causes and not scams. That said...
  • Govenor George Pataki of New York has announced the launch of an official state fund to help the victims of this attack. The New York State World Trade Center Relief Fund was accepting donations three ways: at P.O. Box 5028, Albany, N.Y., 12205; through the state web site or via phone at 1-800-801-8092.
  • Amazon.com has set up a web page for making donations to the American Red Cross.
  • Check with your local Red Cross for information about when and where you can donate blood or call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE (1-800-448-3543). It is needed. For more information call 1-800-HELP-NOW (1-800-4357-669). You can also go to the Red Cross web site to find more information. {If that Red Cross site is busy you can find much of its information at this site.
  • Check with the web sites for America's Second Harvest and the Salvation Army to find more ways you can help.
  • The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has an online list of organizations to contact to help the victims and their families.
  • The FBI has established a toll-free telephone number for anyone with information regarding the incidents on September 11 in New York City and the Washington, D.C.. Please call (866) 483-5137 if you have any information. Click here for an FBI form to use when providing information about these crimes.

    MP3Pro Links
  • To learn more about the new MP3Pro format you can check out this press release from Thomson multimedia and can download an MP3Pro encoder/decoder from their main web site.
  • You can download an encoder/decoder for MP3Pro audio files at the RCA web site.
  • You can learn more about the technology behind MP3 files by going to the web site for the Fraunhofer Institute where much of the work behind the MP3 file format originated.
  • Note: I have not had the chance to try the new MP3Pro encoder/decoder and so I can offer no opinions about how well the software works. But I will be paying close attention to it. Anything that will let us cut the storage requirements for the Hour 25 audio files in half sounds like a good thing to me. I'll let you know more as things get sorted out with this new audio format.

  • Click here for information about the audio files used for Hour 25 and for information about configuring your browser and downloading audio players.

    Please note web pages from external sites will open in a separate browser window and that Hour 25 Productions are not responsible for the content of any external Web Sites.

  • Return to the Index for this month's shows


    Ursula K. LeGuin

    Ursula K.LeGuin
    Ursula K LeGuin -Picture copyright © Marion Wood Kolisch, 2000.

    On Sunday - October 14, 2001 - our guest was author Ursula K. LeGuin talking about her new book The Other Wind and sharing her insights into the art and craft of writing.

    It is always a delight when Ursula LeGuin has a new book out, not just because I know her books will be wonderful but because that means she'll most likely be coming to Los Angeles and I'll have another chance to spend some time chatting with her. It is always a privilege and a pleasure to spend time talking with Ursula. Her warmth and openness while we talk about writing makes our conversations something that I will always treasure.

    With her new book, The Other Wind, Ursula returns again to her Earthsea series. In this book the characters we have seen before are older and perhaps wiser. Which is a good thing, for now they face new and greater challenges.

    Alder is a man with a problem. His dead wife haunts his nightly dreams wanting to return to him. She has even gone so far as to have kissed him across the low stone wall that separates the land of the living from the dead. Longing for his wife Alder feels the dead calling to him. But if he gives in to them, he fears they will have free reign to invade the land of the living.

    To deal with this Alder much go in search of sage advice and help, which he gets from several sources, including; Tehanu and Irian, a dragon that can assume the form of a woman. Together they must find a way to mend the world. But at what cost to Alder?


    Cover for The Other Wind - Copyright © 2001 by Harcourt Inc.
    Cover for The Other Wind - Copyright © 2001 by Harcourt Inc.
    This book, like all of Ursula's books, is most highly recommended.


    Click here for more information about the Space Frontier Foundation


    Also joining us tonight by phone is Rick Tumlinson, the President of the Space Frontier Foundation. We'll be chatting with him about their conference, In Search of 2001, which will be held this coming weekend in Los Angeles. I've checked out their list of attendees and they're got a great line-up of talks scheduled. We'll be there next weekend gathering interviews that will be aired on Hour 25 over the coming months. We hope to see you there.
    Click here for more information about the Space Frontier Foundation's Conference

    Well, it's too late now for you to have gone In Search of 2001 at this year's Space Frontier Foundation Annual Conference, but it isn't to early to start thinking about next year's gathering. Click on the above pictures for more information about the SFF and their other meetings.

    Listen to this show

    webcasting
    • Click here to listen to the entire show. {1:18:23}
      or
    • Click here for the show's intro music.{0:41}
    • Click here for the show's opening and news. {10:42}
    • Click here for the transition to Rick.{0:43}
    • Click here for the Rick Tumlinson interview.{13:30}
    • Click here for the transition to Ursula.{0:39}
    • Click here for the Ursula K. LeGuin interview.{50:02}
    • Click here for the show's closing.{2:06}
      or
    • Click here for our interview with Ursula from last year in which we talked about her book The Telling.
    • Click here for an index of all Shows on our site.

    Links for more information relating to this week's show

    Ursula K. LeGuin
  • You can find out more about Ursula K. LeGuin and her books at her official web site.
  • Everyone has to deal with rejection in their life, but authors have more chances for this than most people. Just about every author has gotten their share of rejection letters and Ursula is no exception. She has even included one on her web site. Anyone who wants to be a writer should read it and reflect on the fact that sometimes the people who decide whether or not to buy your book don't really know what they're talking about. As she says, "hang in there".
  • Additional information about Ursula can be found at this fan operated web site, this site or this site.
  • Click here for a bibliography of Ursula's work.
  • And if you enjoyed this interview with Ursula K LeGuin and would like to know when other interviews are uploaded to the Hour 25 web site, then send an email to me at wwjames@earthlink.net and I will add your name to the free Hour 25 Newsletter mailing list. That way you'll get a brief notice in your email every time a new show gets uploaded to the web.

    Science and Space News
  • Information about the Space Frontier Foundation can be found at their web site and information about their upcoming conference can be found on this web page.
  • Pictures of Io taken by the Galileo spacecraft, including those from the most recent encounter, can be seen at this JPL web site or at this University of Arizona web site.
  • For updates on the Galileo mission to Jupiter you can go to the Project's Official web site. Additional information about Galileo and its Probe that entered Jupiter's atmosphere can be found here and in this Scientific American on-line article .
  • Information about the Mars Odyssey mission can be found at the Project's Official web site.
  • Updates about the weather on Mars can be found at checking the The Daily Martian Weather Report .
  • You can view a movie of the Martian dust storm, as observed by the Thermal Emission Spectrometer on the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft, at this web page. You can also learn more about the current Martian dust storm by checking out this NASA press release or this other NASA press release. You can view images and movies of this storm, as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope, at this set of web pages at the Space Telescope Science Institute.
  • Information about asteroids can be found at the Minor Planet Center web site.

    ISS News
  • The Florida Today web site has a very interesting report about the causes of the ISS budget problems and their impact on the space program. It makes very interesting reading.
  • Click here to view the press kits for various ISS missions.
  • Check out the NASA International Space Station web page or the Boeing web page to learn more about this project.
  • A great source of news about Russian space activities, including their work on the ISS, can be found at the Russian Space Web.
  • Do you wonder where the Space Station is right now? You can use your browser to view real time maps showing the location of the ISS by going to this link at the NASA Space Link web site or here at the Johnson Spacecraft Center. Please note that your browser must support Java to make use of this satellite tracking software.
  • You can find out when the ISS - or many other spacecraft - can be seen from your location by going to this NASA web page. Please note; your browser must support Java for this application to work.

    For On-Going Updates on Space News
  • The Space Today web site is a great place to find space news from all over the 'net.
  • The Spaceflight Now web site carries real time information about current space missions and presents a lot of space and astronomy news. This is the place I go to when I want up to the minute information about current space missions. Do I need to say more?
  • The NASA Watch web site is another great place for getting information about current space missions. Check there also for news about other 'goings on' within NASA. Highly recommended.

    Concerning Ways of Responding to the September 11 Terrorist Attacks
    First, be careful. Vultures have already established scams to bilk people of their money under the guise of helping those harmed by this terrorist attack. Make sure you are giving money to real causes and not scams. That said...
  • Govenor George Pataki of New York has announced the launch of an official state fund to help the victims of this attack. The New York State World Trade Center Relief Fund was accepting donations three ways: at P.O. Box 5028, Albany, N.Y., 12205; through the state web site or via phone at 1-800-801-8092.
  • Amazon.com has set up a web page for making donations to the American Red Cross.
  • Check with your local Red Cross for information about when and where you can donate blood or call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE (1-800-448-3543). It is needed. For more information call 1-800-HELP-NOW (1-800-4357-669). You can also go to the Red Cross web site to find more information. {If that Red Cross site is busy you can find much of its information at this site.
  • Check with the web sites for America's Second Harvest and the Salvation Army to find more ways you can help.
  • The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has an online list of organizations to contact to help the victims and their families.
  • The FBI has established a toll-free telephone number for anyone with information regarding the incidents on September 11 in New York City and the Washington, D.C.. Please call (866) 483-5137 if you have any information. Click here for an FBI form to use when providing information about these crimes.

    MP3Pro Links
  • To learn more about the new MP3Pro format you can check out this press release from Thomson multimedia and can download an MP3Pro encoder/decoder from their main web site.
  • You can download an encoder/decoder for MP3Pro audio files at the RCA web site.
  • You can learn more about the technology behind MP3 files by going to the web site for the Fraunhofer Institute where much of the work behind the MP3 file format originated.
  • Note: I have not had the chance to try the new MP3Pro encoder/decoder and so I can offer no opinions about how well the software works. But I will be paying close attention to it. Anything that will let us cut the storage requirements for the Hour 25 audio files in half sounds like a good thing to me. I'll let you know more as things get sorted out with this new audio format.

  • Click here for information about the audio files used for Hour 25 and for information about configuring your browser and downloading audio players.

    Please note web pages from external sites will open in a separate browser window and that Hour 25 Productions are not responsible for the content of any external Web Sites.

  • Return to the Index for this month's shows


    Howard V. Hendrix and Geoffrey Landis

    On Sunday - October 7, 2001 - our guests were authors Howard Hendrix and Geoffrey Landis talking about their books, the art and craft of writing and the science behind science fiction.

    These fellows have very dissimilar backgrounds. Howard is a Doctor of Literature, Geoffrey has a PhD in Physics. Howard has focused on novels, whereas Geoff has, until recently, focused on short stories and novellas. But both are really good writers of science fiction, with high standards for their word craft and scientific speculation. Showing once again, that there isn't a single path to be followed on the road to becoming an exceptional writer.

    Howard Hendrix - Click on this image to go to his web site.
    Howard Hendrix Picture Copyright © 2001 by Suzanne Gibson

    Howard Hendrix's background combines that of a college professor - his PhD thesis had the intimidating title The Ecstasy of Catastrophe: A Study of the Apocalyptic Tradition from Langland to Milton - with the wide ranging jobs that many writers seem to have held. Until recently he was a full time professor who wrote part-time, now he says he's a full time writer who's a part-time professor. I hope his students don't mind the loss of his attentions, because the rest of us have gained a great science fiction writer.

    His stories are imaginative and explore many of the tropes used in science fiction while finding fresh takes on them. His publisher likes to say that he writes "hard SF", but his friends say that he writes "Howard Hendrix Fiction". Well whatever you call it, it's good. Give him a read, I think you'll like his stuff.


    Geoff Landis, on the other hand, is a scientist at NASA's John Glenn Research Center, where he works on spacecraft going to Mars and other places. He has written many technical papers about spacecraft and more than a few papers on model rockets and scientific subjects for the popular press.

    And on top of all that, Geoff has been publishing short fiction for more than 16 years. He has won Hugos and Nebulas as well as various other awards for his stories. His first novel Mars Crossing is hard SF in the best traditions of the field. His stories always feature fascinating scientific speculations along with interesting characters and plots. You should certainly give his stories a read, you won't be disappointed.

    Geoff Landis - Click on this image to go to his web site.
    Geoffrey Landis picture Copyright © 2001 by Suzanne Gibson


    Empty Cities of the Full Moon - cover Copyright © 2001 by Ace Books
    Copyright © 2001 by Ace Books


    Impact Parameter - cover Copyright © 2001 by Golden Gryphon Books.
    Copyright © 2001 by Golden Gryphon Books

    Listen to this week's show

    webcasting
    • Click here to listen to the entire show. {1:20:23}
      or
    • Click here for the show's intro music.{0:41}
    • Click here for the show's opening and news. {16:20}
    • Click here for the Howard Hendrix interview.{29:30}
    • Click here for the transition between the interviews.{0:32}
    • Click here for the Geoffrey Landis interview.{30:24}
    • Click here for the show's closing.{1:56}
      or
    • Click here for an index of all Shows on our site.

    Links for more information relating to this week's show

    Howard V. Hendrix
  • You can find out more about Howard and his books at his official web page.
  • Click here for a bibliography of Howard's work.
  • You can read a transcript of an on-line conversation with Howard from Chicon here.
  • And if you enjoyed this interview with Howard Hendrix then keep checking back at the Hour 25 web site because we've got another, much longer, interview with him that we'll be airing in the near future. If you send an email to me at wwjames@earthlink.net I can add your name to the Hour 25 Newsletter mailing list and you'll know exactly what shows have been uploaded just as soon as they go up.

    Geoffrey Landis
  • You can find out more about Geoffrey and his books at his official web page.
  • Click here for a bibliography of Geoff's work.
  • You can read an interview with Geoff by Aimee Kratts here.
  • Click here to go to the web site for Golden Gryphon Press to find out more about Geoff's new book Impact Parameter.

    The Tourist Guy
    This isn't, strictly speaking, related to science fiction, but it does involve the 'net and digitally manipulated pictures, so what the heck...
  • A few days after the September 11 terrorist attack on America a picture appeared on the 'net purporting to be from a camera found in the rubble of the World Trade Center. It didn't take long for folks to prove that the picture of "the tourist guy" was a fake. But now additional pictures have shown up with that fellow in the damndest places. Click here to see the original "tourist guy" picture and to find out where else he's been spotted. Even in the midst of tragedy we still have a sense of humor. I guess that means there's hope for us all. {Click here for more information about the original image and for a discussion of all the reasons why it has to be a fake.}

    Science and Space News
  • Pictures of Io taken by the Galileo spacecraft, including those from the most recent encounter, can be seen at this JPL web site or at this University of Arizona web site.
  • More information about the Galileo mission to Jupiter can be found at the Project's web site. Here is some additional information about Galileo's Probe that entered Jupiter's atmosphere. Scientific American has published a great on-line article about Galileo.
  • Be sure to visit the web site for the Jodrell Bank Observatory. There's lots of information there, including the opportunity to take 'distance learning' courses about radio astronomy, SETI and many other subjects.
  • To learn more about how science is funded in the UK, you can go to the web site for the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC).

    ISS News
  • The Florida Today web site has a very interesting report about the causes of the ISS budget problems and their impact on the space program. It makes very interesting reading.
  • Click here to view the press kits for various ISS missions.
  • Check out the NASA International Space Station web page or the Boeing web page to learn more about this project.
  • A great source of news about Russian space activities, including their work on the ISS, can be found at the Russian Space Web.
  • Do you wonder where the Space Station is right now? You can use your browser to view real time maps showing the location of the ISS by going to this link at the NASA Space Link web site or here at the Johnson Spacecraft Center. Please note that your browser must support Java to make use of this satellite tracking software.
  • You can find out when the ISS - or many other spacecraft - can be seen from your location by going to this NASA web page. Please note; your browser must support Java for this application to work.

    For On-Going Updates on Space News
  • The Space Today web site is a great place to find space news from all over the 'net.
  • The Spaceflight Now web site carries real time information about current space missions and presents a lot of space and astronomy news. This is the place I go to when I want up to the minute information about current space missions. Do I need to say more?
  • The NASA Watch web site is another great place for getting information about current space missions. Check there also for news about other 'goings on' within NASA. Highly recommended.

    Concerning Ways of Responding to the September 11 Terrorist Attacks
    First, be careful. Vultures have already established scams to bilk people of their money under the guise of helping those harmed by this terrorist attack. Make sure you are giving money to real causes and not scams. That said...
  • Govenor George Pataki of New York has announced the launch of an official state fund to help the victims of this attack. The New York State World Trade Center Relief Fund was accepting donations three ways: at P.O. Box 5028, Albany, N.Y., 12205; through the state web site or via phone at 1-800-801-8092.
  • Amazon.com has set up a web page for making donations to the American Red Cross.
  • Check with your local Red Cross for information about when and where you can donate blood or call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE (1-800-448-3543). It is needed. For more information call 1-800-HELP-NOW (1-800-4357-669). You can also go to the Red Cross web site to find more information. {If that Red Cross site is busy you can find much of its information at this site.
  • Check with the web sites for America's Second Harvest and the Salvation Army to find more ways you can help.
  • The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has an online list of organizations to contact to help the victims and their families.
  • The FBI has established a toll-free telephone number for anyone with information regarding the incidents on September 11 in New York City and the Washington, D.C.. Please call (866) 483-5137 if you have any information. Click here for an FBI form to use when providing information about these crimes.

    MP3Pro Links
  • To learn more about the new MP3Pro format you can check out this press release from Thomson multimedia and can download an MP3Pro encoder/decoder from their main web site.
  • You can download an encoder/decoder for MP3Pro audio files at the RCA web site.
  • You can learn more about the technology behind MP3 files by going to the web site for the Fraunhofer Institute where much of the work behind the MP3 file format originated.
  • Note: I have not had the chance to try the new MP3Pro encoder/decoder and so I can offer no opinions about how well the software works. But I will be paying close attention to it. Anything that will let us cut the storage requirements for the Hour 25 audio files in half sounds like a good thing to me. I'll let you know more as things get sorted out with this new audio format.

  • Click here for information about the audio files used for Hour 25 and for information about configuring your browser and downloading audio players.

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