Mike Hodel's Hour 25

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October 2004


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Careful little spider.  You don't want to get burned.
     

Index to our previous shows

  • October 31, 2004 - Halloween Readings
  • October 23, 2004 - Laurell Hamilton
  • Shows from September, 2004
  • Shows from August, 2004
  • Shows from June, 2004
  • Shows from May, 2004
  • Shows from April, 2004
  • Shows from March, 2004
  • Shows from February, 2004
  • Shows from January, 2004
  • Shows from December, 2003
  • Shows from November, 2003
  • Shows from October, 2003
  • Shows from September, 2003
  • Shows from August, 2003
  • Shows from July, 2003
  • Shows from June, 2003
  • Shows from May, 2003
  • Shows from February, 2003
  • Shows from January, 2003
  • Shows from December, 2002
  • Shows from November, 2002
  • Shows from October, 2002
  • Shows from September, 2002
  • Shows from August, 2002
  • Shows from July, 2002
  • Shows from June, 2002
  • Shows from May, 2002
  • Shows from April, 2002
  • Shows from March, 2002
  • Shows from February, 2002
  • Shows from January, 2002
  • Shows from December 2001
  • Shows from November, 2001
  • Shows from October, 2001
  • 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






  • Halloween Readings

    left web come on in right web

    Listen to this show


    On Sunday - October 31st, 2004 - we brought you readings of Halloween stories featuring ghosties, ghoulies and things that go bump in the night.


    Graveyard The Discomfited Demon
    One should always be careful while hanging out in a cemetery late at night. You never know who you might stumble into. And no matter who you are, there is always someone to be afraid of.

    Short and to the point our first story, which also happens to be the author's first venture into the field of weird fiction, shows the wry wit and cynical eye of Ambrose Bierce.



    divider

    The Doll's Ghost The eeriest of our story offerings, this is the tale of a doll doctor who falls in love with a beautiful doll he is repairing because she reminds him of his own beloved daughter.

    He is broken hearted at the thought of never seeing the doll again after she is repaired and sent back to her owner. But when the ghostly image of the doll appears before the frightened man, he is lead on a journey of discovery through the dark streets of London.


    Ghost Ship

    According to a popular saying, "A ship at harbor is safe, but that's not where ships were meant to stay". I guess that also goes for ships in turnip patches.

    But then again, in the small land-locked village of Fairfield the residents are used to strange happenings. Even a ghostly ship that sails into town on the winds of a storm doesn't cause much of a ruckus. At least not until the ship's captain starts sharing his special brand of rum with the other ghosts living in Fairfield.


    divider


    Back East there's a nip in the air, while in Southern California the winter rains have gotten an early start. Pumpkins are everywhere and the trees have changed color. We're hoping you're enjoying your Halloween as much as we're enjoying ours.

    Halloween Wishes

    Halloween mice


    The Stars Are Right....

    I expect that many of you will go into the voting booth next week with little enthusiasm for either candidate and thinking that your only choice is to vote for the lesser of the two evils.

    But there is another option....

    Cthulhu for President 2004

    Clicking on the picture above will take you to a web page with more information about the Cthulhu for President campaign. For more information about Cthulhu and his minions, you can visit the Chaosium Web Site.

    But in all seriousness. No matter who - or what - you prefer in the upcoming election, make sure you take part in this year's Presidential election. If you don't vote, then you're got no right to complain about how the election turns out.


    Listen to this show

    webcasting
    • Click here to listen to the entire show. {1:06:55}
      Or
    • Click here for the show's intro music.{0:41}
    • Click here for the show's opening. {2:34}
    • Click here for our reading of The Discomfited Demon by Ambrose Bierce. {4:19}
    • Click here for our reading of The Doll's Ghost by F. Marion Crawford. {32:22}
    • Click here for our reading of The Ghost Ship by Richard Middleton. {25:12}
    • Click here for the show's closing.{1:47}

    • For more readings and interviews you can listen to our Halloween shows from 2003, 2001 and 2000.
    • And to add some music to your holiday season you might want to listen to our previous show featuring holiday carols with a Lovecraftian twist.

    • Click here for our current show.
    • Click here for links to all of our previous Shows that you can listen to on the Hour 25 Web Site.
    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.


    divider


    Links for more information relating to this week's show

    Halloween Clipart and More
    Below are some of the sources I have found for Halloween clipart, fonts and other related items.
  • The Halloween Cavern of Clipart
  • Halloween Clipart and images
  • Anne's Halloween Gifs
  • Scary Stuff for downloading
  • Halloween Caverns Of Blood
  • Free Halloween Backgrounds and Graphics
  • Haunted Wisconsin - Clipart & Fonts

    Space Related Organizations
    If you are interested in learning more about current space activities there are many local and national organizations you might want to know about. Joining these organizations and taking part in their activities is a good way to stay abreast of things going on in space as well as a way to show your support for those activities. Listed below are some of those organizations.
  • The Organization for the Advancement of Space Industrialization and Settlement has long been place for persons living in the Los Angeles area to gather and discuss the promise of space. Be sure to check out their Web Site for information about their meetings and other activities.
  • The Orange County Space Society is another Los Angeles area organization that provides a focal point for persons who are interested in space developments to get together and share their ideas. They have created a number of displays explaining the history and importance of space exploration that have appeared at various public events. Be sure to check their Web Site for information about their meetings and other events.
  • The National Space Society has a long history of being an advocate for a vigorous space program and provides much information to its members through their magazine and Web Site.
  • The Space Frontier Foundation is a strong advocate for a non-governmental space program and serves as a focal point for much activity in that arena. Their annual conference in Los Angeles during the Fall is a great way to find out what is happening in the non-government space arena.
  • The Space Access Society is focused on reducing the cost of going into space by promoting non-governmental launch vehicle programs. Their annual conference in the spring is a major source of information on non-traditional launch vehicle activities.
  • The Planetary Society is focused on the exploration and has a wealth of information for its members and others.

    Space News - Mars
  • For more information about the Mars Exploration Rovers be sure to check out the MER Web Site at JPL or this Mars Rover site at Cornell University.
  • To learn more about the Mars Express mission you can go to this ESA Mars Express Web Site, this Mars Express Web Page from JPL, this NSSDC Mars Express Web Page, or this Web Page from Mars News.Com.
  • For more information about the Exploration of Mars be sure to go to the JPL Mars Exploration Site, the Center for Mars Exploration at NASA Ames, or the Mars Missions Web Site at the Planetary Society.
  • Information about the data returned by previous Mars missions can be found at this Mars Web Page at the NSSDC.
  • Information about the Phoenix Mission to Mars can be found at this Press Release from the University of Arizona. You can view a 3D picture of the Mars Phoenix spacecraft here.
  • For more Mars news be sure to check out the Mars News.Com Web Site.
  • Percival Lowell did much to shape our ideas about Mars in the early years of the 20th Century. You can learn more about his work by reading this on-line copy of his 1895 book Mars.

    Space News - The Cassini Mission to Saturn
  • Much information about the Cassini mission can be found at the Project's Official Web Site at JPL.
  • JPL is constantly releasing pictures from Cassini. You can find them by going to this JPL Web Page.
  • Additional information about the Cassini mission can be found at this ESA Web Site.

    For On-Going Updates on Space News
  • Links relating to the loss of Space Shuttle Columbia can be found here.
  • The Reusable Launch & Space Vehicle News Web Site Web Page that is part of the Hobby Space Web Site is a really good place to watch for news about, well... Reusable Launch Vehicles and related subjects. I check it out just about every day and often find news there that doesn't show up anywhere else. Give it a look. {And while you're there be sure to check out some of the site's other pages. Wow! Is there a lot of information there.}
  • 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.

    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.

  • 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




    Laurell K. Hamilton     Listen to this show

    On Saturday - October 23rd, 2004 - our guest was author Laurell K. Hamilton chatting with us about horror writing, things that go bump in the night as well as her newest Anita Blake book Incubus Dreams.

    What if vampires, werewolves, zombies and all those other creatures of our imagination were real and living in today's world? How would we deal with them? How would the existence of the undead affect our inheritance laws? Would lycanthropy be a crime or an unfortunate medical condition?

    That is the world that Anita Blake lives in and it is one that Laurell revisits whenever she wants to give us a good scare. In Incubus Dreams Anita Blake has to deal with a vampire serial killer who is preying on strippers. In solving this crime Anita will have to balance her obligations to the living against her relationships with the vampires as well as come to terms with the demands of her sexually driven powers, the ardeur.

    Laurell K. Hamilton, photo by Roy Zipstein      Incubus Dreams



    Back East there's a nip in the air, while in Southern California the winter rains have gotten an early start. Pumpkins are everywhere and the trees have changed color. We're hoping you're looking forward to Halloween as much as we are.

    Halloween Mirror      Getting Ready for Halloween



    Meanwhile, those of us in America are waiting for this year's election to be over. I expect that many of you will go into the voting booth with little enthusiasm for either candidate and thinking that your only choice is to vote for the lesser of the two evils.

    But there is another option....

    Cthulhu for President 2004

    Clicking on the picture above will take you to a web page with more information about the Cthulhu for President campaign. For more information about Cthulhu and his minions, you can visit the Chaosium Web Site.




    Dateline: Mars


    NASA is releasing all of the images from the two Mars Exploration Rovers almost as soon as they arrive at JPL. The raw images for the Spirit rover can be found at this Web Page and raw images for Opportunity can be found here. The images that have been released to the press, along with animations and explanatory text, can be found here. You can find larger versions of the images shown below at that last NASA Web Site.

    Opportunity

    Endurance Crater from the inside. Image credit NASA/JPL.
    Image Credit: NASA/JPL
    This image shows Burns Cliff and other features found within Endurance Crater. The large rock on the right side of the image is called Wopmay and is of special interest to the scientists because it has surface textures that are very different from those found on other Martian rocks. Some scientists speculate that this rock's cracked and rounded surface was molded by the action of water in the Martian past.

    The way out of Endurance Crater. Image credit NASA/JPL.
    Image Credit: NASA/JPL
    Having spent the last several months exploring the interior of Endurance Crater it is now time for the rover to move on to other exploration objectives. This picture shows you the path that Opportunity will take as the rover team attempts to drive it out of the crater.




    Spirit

    Spirit rover and tracks as seen from orbit.  Image credit NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems.
    Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems

    The above image was taken from orbit and shows the Lander as well as Spirit and its tracks.

    The above image is a cropped and downsampled version of the original image, which can be viewed here. Additional images and other information can be found at the Home Page for Malin Space Science Systems.

    Rover tracks as seen from the ground.  Image credit NASA/JPL.
    Image Credit: NASA/JPL
    And for the sake of comparison, here we have those same rover tracks as seen by Spirit.

    From a View from a hill.  Image credit NASA/JPL.
    Image Credit: NASA/JPL

    Here we have a picture, nicknamed the "Cahokia panorama", taken from up in the Columbia Hills looking down into the floor of Gusev Crater with the crater walls forming the distant hills.

    The image above is just a small part of the original image and has been seriously cropped and downsampled to make it small enough for use on a web page. The original full resolution image is stunning beyond words. You can find the original image, along with some background information, on this JPL Web Page. Or you can go directly to a 274Kb version of the image. But if you have high speed access then go directly to the 50.1MB (!!) version. Trust me, the wait will be worth it.

    A layered rock.  Image credit NASA/JPL.
    Image Credit: NASA/JPL

    This layered rock is causing quite a bit of excitement within the scientific community since this type of layering is often found in rocks that were created from materials laid down by water. This may be more evidence for a watery history on Mars.

    The shadow of Spirit. Image credit NASA/JPL.
    Image Credit: NASA/JPL

    The Landers that delivered the two Mars Exploration Rovers to the Red Planet did not have any kind of imaging system thus making it impossible to get any pictures of the rovers from the Martian surface. But Spirit did manage to take this pseudo-self-portrait by photographing its own shadow.




    Listen to this show

    webcasting
    • Click here to listen to the entire show. {1:16:53}
      Or
    • Click here for the show's intro music.{0:41}
    • Click here for the show's opening. {22:44}
    • Click here for our interview with Laurell K. Hamilton. {51:51}
    • Click here for the show's closing.{1:37}

    • Click here to listen to previous interviews we did with Laurell in October 2000 and May 2002
    • Click here for our current show.
    • Click here for links to all of our previous Shows that you can listen to on the Hour 25 Web Site.
    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.





    Links for more information relating to this week's show

    Laurell K. Hamilton
  • Click here to go visit Laurell's Web Site, the site for her at Penguin/Putnam Books or Ballantine Books.
  • Some other sites about Laurell and her work include; Revamped, The Worlds of Laurell K. Hamilton, Gentry Investigations and The Anita Blake Compendium.
  • Here are some other interviews with Laurell that you can find on-line; iVillage and Crescent Blues.

    Space and Other News
  • You can get more information about the Genesis mission, as well as status reports on the on-going accident investigation, at this NASA Web Site.
  • Gordon Cooper may no longer be with us, but his memory and accomplishments will live on in our exploration of space. Click here to read his NASA biography and here to read a memorial for him posted by NASA.
  • Not as well known as any of the astronauts, Max Faget was nonetheless one of the most important figures in the American space program. Click here for an article written by Jim Oberg that will show you why this was true.

    Burt Rutan and the X-Prize
  • Burt Rutan and his company Scaled Composites, have won the X-Prize. Be sure to check out their Web Site to find more information about Spaceship One and the first non-government astronauts.
  • Information about the X-Prize can be found at their Web Site.
  • Additional information about the prospects for suborbital space travel can be found at the Web Site for the Suborbital Institute.

    Space Related Organizations
    If you are interested in learning more about current space activities there are many local and national organizations you might want to know about. Joining these organizations and taking part in their activities is a good way to stay abreast of things going on in space as well as a way to show your support for those activities. Listed below are some of those organizations.
  • The Organization for the Advancement of Space Industrialization and Settlement has long been place for persons living in the Los Angeles area to gather and discuss the promise of space. Be sure to check out their Web Site for information about their meetings and other activities.
  • The Orange County Space Society is another Los Angeles area organization that provides a focal point for persons who are interested in space developments to get together and share their ideas. They have created a number of displays explaining the history and importance of space exploration that have appeared at various public events. Be sure to check their Web Site for information about their meetings and other events.
  • The National Space Society has a long history of being an advocate for a vigorous space program and provides much information to its members through their magazine and Web Site.
  • The Space Frontier Foundation is a strong advocate for a non-governmental space program and serves as a focal point for much activity in that arena. Their annual conference in Los Angeles during the Fall is a great way to find out what is happening in the non-government space arena.
  • The Space Access Society is focused on reducing the cost of going into space by promoting non-governmental launch vehicle programs. Their annual conference in the spring is a major source of information on non-traditional launch vehicle activities.
  • The Planetary Society is focused on the exploration and has a wealth of information for its members and others.

    Space News - Mars
  • For more information about the Mars Exploration Rovers be sure to check out the MER Web Site at JPL or this Mars Rover site at Cornell University.
  • To learn more about the Mars Express mission you can go to this ESA Mars Express Web Site, this Mars Express Web Page from JPL, this NSSDC Mars Express Web Page, or this Web Page from Mars News.Com.
  • For more information about the Exploration of Mars be sure to go to the JPL Mars Exploration Site, the Center for Mars Exploration at NASA Ames, or the Mars Missions Web Site at the Planetary Society.
  • Information about the data returned by previous Mars missions can be found at this Mars Web Page at the NSSDC.
  • Information about the Phoenix Mission to Mars can be found at this Press Release from the University of Arizona. You can view a 3D picture of the Mars Phoenix spacecraft here.
  • For more Mars news be sure to check out the Mars News.Com Web Site.
  • Percival Lowell did much to shape our ideas about Mars in the early years of the 20th Century. You can learn more about his work by reading this on-line copy of his 1895 book Mars.

    Space News - The Cassini Mission to Saturn
  • Much information about the Cassini mission can be found at the Project's Official Web Site at JPL.
  • JPL is constantly releasing pictures from Cassini. You can find them by going to this JPL Web Page.
  • Additional information about the Cassini mission can be found at this ESA Web Site.

    For On-Going Updates on Space News
  • Links relating to the loss of Space Shuttle Columbia can be found here.
  • The Reusable Launch & Space Vehicle News Web Site Web Page that is part of the Hobby Space Web Site is a really good place to watch for news about, well... Reusable Launch Vehicles and related subjects. I check it out just about every day and often find news there that doesn't show up anywhere else. Give it a look. {And while you're there be sure to check out some of the site's other pages. Wow! Is there a lot of information there.}
  • 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.

    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.

  • 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




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