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Index to our previous shows
Shows from December, 2003
November 28, 2003 - Live 'on-disc' from LosCon 2003
November 9, 2003 - Connie Willis
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
On Friday - November 28th, 2003 - we recorded Hour 25 at LosCon and then uploaded it later that weekend for those of you who couldn't get out to LA over the Thanksgiving holiday.
Your host for Hour 25 opened the show at LosCon 30 with a story about the 'snow' capped mountains of Venus and other bits of space news. Joining me on stage were the two little bears that I described during the opening.
This, and the following pictures from LosCon 30 are all Copyright ©2003 by Suzanne Gibson.
All rights reserved.
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Our first guest for the night was Michael Mason the convention's Chairman. We chatted for a few minutes about this year's LosCon and why he took on the responsibility of running it.
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Armin Shimerman, the Convention's Media Guest of Honor, then joined us on stage where we had a delightful time talking about how actors go about interpreting the words that other people have written. It is a tribute to his mastery of the acting craft that he was able to make the character of Quark come alive on DS9 - even though all of his face, except for his eyes, was hidden behind latex appliances.
We were then joined by special convention guest Wil Wheaton. After the now obligatory ribbing about the way his character was used in Star Trek: The Next Generation we got down to the serious, and more interesting, business of learning about how he made the transition from a child actor to an adult with the responsibilities of a wife and family. He still does some acting, but has found that his creative talents find their best release in writing.
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It was a special pleasure to chat with the convention's authorial Guest of Honor, Fred Saberhagen. I've been reading his stories since the 1960's and this was a wonderful chance to learn about the origins of the stories I have enjoyed for so many years and to gain some insights into how he works.
Artists have a reputation for looking and dressing more than a little eccentrically. But the Artist Guest of Honor at this year's LosCon, Teddy Harvia, looked and dressed like a... well... like someone who writes technical manuals for a large Communications Corporation. Oh wait, he does write technical manuals for a large Communications Corporation. But when he's not doing that he is active in fandom and is a Hugo award winning artist.
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And rounding out the night was the Fan Guest of Honor, Jack Chalker. Like many people Jack started out as a fan of Science Fiction and then later became a professional writer, but he stays quite active in fandom. His stories about the history and evolution of Science Fiction fandom were very interesting and reminded us all of just how much history there is in that literature we all enjoy so much.
It was a special pleasure to get to do Hour 25 in front of a live audience. Suzanne and I especially enjoyed the opportunity to meet our listeners and chat with them one on one. {Thanks for coming out to visit with us. You folks made the weekend really special.} I want to thank the folks at LASFS, especially Michael Mason, for inviting us to join them at LosCon. We had so much fun I'm already looking forward to next year's convention.
And don't forget, next year's LosCon will be at moving from the Burbank Hilton to the LAX Marriott. I'll be looking forward to seeing you there. {Click here to view the LosCon web site where you'll soon be able to find out more about next year's convention or here for the LASFS Web Site where you can find out more about the goings on at the oldest Science Fiction club in the world.}
I want to give a special thanks to Patrick Fahey who was our Production Assistant at this year's LosCon, as well as at ConJose and various other venues. Patrick is always there when we need a hand and dives in to do anything that needs doing to make our live shows a success. He's a good friend and co-worker. Thanks Patrick.
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Good Reads
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Not long ago I was chatting with some co-workers and when they found out that I host Hour 25, they asked me to recommend some good books. Knowing that these folks were interested in Hard SF I told them to get a copy of Vernor Vinge's book The Peace War. Though I warned them it might be a bit hard to find since it was first published almost twenty years ago.
I think the stars must be in some kind of special alignment, because a few days later TOR books re-released The Peace War in a new trade paperback edition. Now that's great timing!
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The Peace War is a great example of what hard SF can be. It has a fascinating central concept, believable characters and examines all of the implications that flow from the book's one central idea. In this case, what would happen if someone developed a device that could provide perfect defense from any attack for objects as small as a person or as large as a city. I won't spill the wonderful twists and turns of this novel, just suffice it to say the The Peace War shows that the "Law of Unintended Consequences" is the truest law known to man and that there is no invention that can't be used in a way that its creators didn't anticipate.
This book gets my highest recommendation.
Listen to this show
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- Click here to listen to the entire show. {1:53:24}
Or
- Click here for the show's intro music.{0:41}
- Click here for the show's opening. {13:13}
- Click here for our interview with Michael Mason. {7:34}
- Click here for our interview with Armin Shimerman. {18:25}
- Click here for our interview with Wil Wheaton. {18:16}
- Click here for our interview with Fred Saberhagen. {18:25}
- Click here for our interview with Teddy Harvia. {14:09}
- Click here for our interview with Jack Chalker. {20:51}
- Click here for the show's closing.{2:30}
- Click here to listen to our LosCon shows from 2002, 2001 and 2000.
- Click here for an index of all Shows on our site.
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Click here if you have a problem hearing the show and you're using Internet Explorer.
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
Links Relating to Our Guests
You can learn about past and future LosCons here and LASFS - the folks who put on LosCon - here.
You can learn more about Fred Saberhagen and his books by visiting his official web site or by visiting The TAJ the official fan site of Fred Saberhagen's Berserker Universe.
You can learn more about Teddy Harvia at his official web site.
Jack Chalker's official web site is a great place to find out more about him and his writing.
You can follow Wil Wheaton's writings at his web site.
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 Beagle 2 Mars Lander be sure to check out the Beagle 2 Official Web Site, the ESA Beagle 2 Web Page or this article about Beagle 2 from Astrobiology Magazine.
Images of the Beagle 2 landing site as seen from the Viking Orbiter and Mars Global Surveyor can be viewed here {Part 1} and here {Part 2}.
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.
For On-Going Updates on Space News
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.
Space News - The Columbia Accident - On-Going
The Columbia Accident Report
You can read the Report of the Columbia Accident Investigation on-line or download it by going here. {You will also find a link there in case you want to order a hard copy.}
The Smoking Gun
Ongoing testing by NASA seems to have found the "smoking gun" in the Columbia accident. {At least as far as the technical problems go. For information about NASA's management problems, see the news item below.} Tests found that a foam impact on the leading edge of the Shuttle's wing would blow a 16 inch hole in that structure as well as cracking and damaging other parts of the Shuttle's wing. For more information check out these stories from the Orlando Sentinel, Florida Today, Reuters, Spaceflight Now and The Houston Chronicle.
The Management Problem
Be sure to read this story from the Orlando Sentinel which discusses previous Shuttle missions where foam from the ET damaged the Shuttle's TPS and NASA's approach to dealing with this problem in the future.
During the Apollo 13 accident the words of Flight Director Gene Krantz, "Failure is not an option", set the tone for what NASA would do and went a long way toward getting the crew safely back to Earth. But during the flight of the Columbia things were quite different. Linda Ham, the head of the Mission Management Team, was not interested in getting better data about the result of the foam impact or coming up with a crash program to rescue the Columbia astronauts because, as she said, "I don't think there is much we can do". Read more about this shocking revelation at this report from the Washington Post and at this story from the Florida Today Web Site .
Be sure to check out this story from the Florida Today Web Site which details a long history of unresolved safety issues affecting the Shuttle.
Concerning Future Developments
For an interesting assessment of the Orbital Space Plane project, be sure to read this report by Jeffrey F. Bell. You might or might not agree with him, but his calculations certainly give you something to think about.
More information about the Orbital Space Plane (OSP) can be found here, another view about the OSP can be found here and another opinion about this project can be found here.
On-Going Coverage and Reference Sources
The Columbia Accident Investigation Board Web Site is a good source for information about the results of the on-going investigation into the loss of the Columbia.
NASA has a Web Site with information about the loss of the Columbia, the on-going investigation into this accident, the crew and other related subjects.
CAD Digest has a very good compilation of information about the Columbia accident.
Florida Today has a Web Site with updated coverage of the loss of the Columbia.
This NASA Web Page contains pictures of the crew of the Columbia along with other pictures from their mission. {Audio files from STS-107 can be found here and video files can be found here.}
You can find the Press Kit from the STS-107 mission here.
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.
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A Quick Update
Our next show will be the one we record at LosCon over Thanksgiving weekend.
Suzanne and I are busy getting ready for that show and, when not doing that or teaching college, I've been busily solving flight mechanics/trajectory design problems associated with NASA's Orbital Space Plane. {And when not doing that I've been busy coming up with ways for us to get back to the Moon.} But while you're waiting for the next show we wanted to bring a couple of things to your attention.
There will be a launch party for Gary Tigerman's new book The Orion Protocol on Tuesday night November 25th at 7PM at Brentano's, Century City. This will feature a signing along with readings from the book by Gary Tigerman along with Richard Dreyfuss, James Cromwell, Ed Begley Jr., Julie Cobb and Harley Jane Kozak. It sounds like it will be a lot of fun. If you live in the LA area, you might want to drop by and check it out. For more information check out Gary Tigerman's web site.
Michael Cassutt has a new novel out from TOR books called Tango Midnight. I just finished reading it and it's really good. This book is about a medical emergency on-board the International Space Station and is a well written thriller packed with an authentic and accurate space flight background. It is most highly recommended. We'll be having Michael on the show as a guest soon, but I couldn't wait to recommend this book to you. You might also want to listen to our previous interview with Michael during which we discussed his book Red Moon, which is also most highly recommended.
And finally... We're going to be recording our next show out at LosCon on Friday November 28th at 9PM. {It will be just after the Ice Cream social.} We'd love to have you drop and by and see us. We always enjoy getting the chance to meet our listeners and chat with them. And if you've never come to a Science Fiction convention, then be sure to attend this one. LosCon is a "book-centric" convention and is always a lot of fun. It gives you a chance to meet other people who share your interests and meet authors and other interesting folks. There's lots to see and do and the conversation there is always stimulating. It proves the adage that "Science Fiction is the literature for persons who enjoy recreational thinking". For more information about LosCon be sure to check out their web site.
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On Sunday - November 9th, 2003 - our guest on Hour 25 was acclaimed author Connie Willis.
We were able to sit down with Connie at the WorldCon in San Jose in the Fall of 2002, but with the hectic pace of life in the last year we have not had the chance to play that interview for you. So we're now going to rectify that situation tonight.
In this interview Connie talks not so much about her specific books, but about the process of writing. What I refer to as, "What she's doing when she does what she does so well". This interview was a lot of fun and gives real insight into how a talented writer works. I think you're really going to enjoy this interview, because I had a lot of fun doing it.
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Copyright ©2002 by Suzanne Gibson
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Hal Clement - A Celebration of a Life
As I noted on our last show, Hal Clement died quietly in his sleep a few days before Halloween. And now, a couple of weeks later, I still can't believe that he is gone.
Hal Clement was one of the giants of our field. With the power of his imagination he showed us just what science fiction could do to expand our world view and to teach us how the world works.
He was, in the 'real world' a teacher. And oh how lucky his students were to have had such a teacher. One who would show them the joys of physics and chemistry and how to delight in the discovery of the wonderfully intricate ways the world is put together. I sometimes wondered if his students knew just how lucky they were to have had their world view shaped by such a person.
And yet, his family of students was much larger than just those schoolboys who attended the Milton Academy. It included all those persons who grew up reading his fiction. Persons like myself.
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I can remember so many of his stories and where I was when I first read them. And I remember who I was before I read those stories and, more importantly, who I became after his imagination and insight had worked their magic on me. With each story I grew and changed and was better for the experience.
I know I wasn't the only person to have felt this way. Otherwise Hal Clement would not have been acclaimed as a Grand Master by SFWA or held in such high regard by so many other writers and readers.
But more than that, he was a warm and friendly person who always had time to chat with anyone who wanted to engage him in conversation.
Hal Clement was one of the persons who shaped me into the person I am today. And for that I thank him from the bottom of my heart. But now, with his passing, the world has become a smaller place. I will miss him greatly.
Click here to listen to our recent interview with him.
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The easiest way to sample the writing of Hal Clement is by reading the three volume series The Essential Hal Clement. These books show the range of his imagination and are a delight to read. They are most highly recommended. You can find more about these books by reading my notes concerning them from our last interview with Hal.
You can get these books by going directly to the NEFSA Press web site. They are not set up for on-line ordering <sigh>, but provide you with ways to order by fax or snail mail.
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Listen to this show
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- Click here to listen to the entire show. {58:25}
Or
- Click here for the show's intro music.{0:41}
- Click here for the show's opening. {12:00}
- Click here for our interview with Connie Willis. {43:46}
- Click here for the show's closing.{1:58}
- Click here to listen to an earlier interview we did with Connie Willis.
- Click here for an index of all Shows on our site.
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Click here if you have a problem hearing the show and you're using Internet Explorer.
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.
Hour 25 Public Taping
If you'd like to watch Hour 25 being taped before a live audience, then come out to LosCon in Los Angeles over the Thanksgiving weekend. We'll be recording the show at LosCon that Friday evening and we'd love to have you join us. For more information about this year's LosCon, check out their web site. We'll see you there. {And if you can't be there, we'll be uploading that show later that same night.}
Links for more information relating to this week's show
Connie Willis
A short introduction to Connie Willis can be found at this web site.
More information about Connie can be found in the Boskone 36 Program or in this article about her.
You can read comments about Connie's books made by various people at this web site.
There are a number of interviews with Connie to be found out on the 'net. Here's one and here's another one.
Hal Clement
You can see what other people had to say in memory of Hal Clement - and add your own remembrances - at this memorial page put up by SFWA. You can also read this obituary from the Boston Globe or this obituary from Locus Magazine.
To learn more about Hal Clement you should visit his Official Web Site.
There is some interesting stuff about Hal Clement, along with links to a number of web pages relating to him, at the Hal Clement Page at the Testerman Sci-Fi Site.
There is an interesting interview with Hal Clement at the Space.com Site.
Author, and Hour 25 guest, Robert J. Sawyer has written a very nice Tribute to Hal Clement. {Click here to listen to Robert Sawyer's interview on Hour 25.}
Space News
To learn more about the discoveries being made by the Voyager spacecraft be sure to check out the project's official web site.
Space News - The Columbia Accident - On-Going
The Columbia Accident Report
You can read the Report of the Columbia Accident Investigation on-line or download it by going here. {You will also find a link there in case you want to order a hard copy.}
The Smoking Gun
Ongoing testing by NASA seems to have found the "smoking gun" in the Columbia accident. {At least as far as the technical problems go. For information about NASA's management problems, see the news item below.} Tests found that a foam impact on the leading edge of the Shuttle's wing would blow a 16 inch hole in that structure as well as cracking and damaging other parts of the Shuttle's wing. For more information check out these stories from the Orlando Sentinel, Florida Today, Reuters, Spaceflight Now and The Houston Chronicle.
The Management Problem
Be sure to read this story from the Orlando Sentinel which discusses previous Shuttle missions where foam from the ET damaged the Shuttle's TPS and NASA's approach to dealing with this problem in the future.
During the Apollo 13 accident the words of Flight Director Gene Krantz, "Failure is not an option", set the tone for what NASA would do and went a long way toward getting the crew safely back to Earth. But during the flight of the Columbia things were quite different. Linda Ham, the head of the Mission Management Team, was not interested in getting better data about the result of the foam impact or coming up with a crash program to rescue the Columbia astronauts because, as she said, "I don't think there is much we can do". Read more about this shocking revelation at this report from the Washington Post and at this story from the Florida Today Web Site .
Be sure to check out this story from the Florida Today Web Site which details a long history of unresolved safety issues affecting the Shuttle.
Concerning Future Developments
For an interesting assessment of the Orbital Space Plane project, be sure to read this report by Jeffrey F. Bell. You might or might not agree with him, but his calculations certainly give you something to think about.
More information about the Orbital Space Plane (OSP) can be found here, another view about the OSP can be found here and another opinion about this project can be found here.
On-Going Coverage and Reference Sources
The Columbia Accident Investigation Board Web Site is a good source for information about the results of the on-going investigation into the loss of the Columbia.
NASA has a Web Site with information about the loss of the Columbia, the on-going investigation into this accident, the crew and other related subjects.
CAD Digest has a very good compilation of information about the Columbia accident.
Florida Today has a Web Site with updated coverage of the loss of the Columbia.
This NASA Web Page contains pictures of the crew of the Columbia along with other pictures from their mission. {Audio files from STS-107 can be found here and video files can be found here.}
You can find the Press Kit from the STS-107 mission here.
Space News - Mars - On-Going
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 Beagle 2 Mars Lander be sure to check out the Beagle 2 Official Web Site, the ESA Beagle 2 Web Page or this article about Beagle 2 from Astrobiology Magazine.
Images of the Beagle 2 landing site as seen from the Viking Orbiter and Mars Global Surveyor can be viewed here {Part 1} and here {Part 2}.
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.
For On-Going Updates on Space News
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.
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Unless otherwise noted the entire content of this web site is
Copyright © Warren W. James, 2000-2003. All rights reserved.
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