On Friday - December 25^th, 2009 - Hour 25 continued our long standing tradition of celebrating the holiday season with readings that appeal to both our sense of wonder and our seasonal spirits.

As a character Santa Claus is right at home in the literature of the fantastic.

He travels round the world and visits the home of every child in a single night. Could he do that without faster than light travel? He can enter houses and rooms without bothering to use the doors or windows. That sounds like quantum mechanical tunneling on a macroscopic scale to me. So he's got science fiction covered.

Santa lives and works with elves, talks to the animals and has wingless reindeer who fly through the winter's night sky. I'd say he's got fantasy covered also.

And anyone who's been naughty knows that they'll get nothing from Santa come Christmas morning. So it looks like he's also got horror covered. {Though in a most gentle and kindly way.}

But where did he come from? Science Fiction fans like nothing better than an 'origin story'. We want to know how things started, not just where they are or where they're going. Which brings us to our first story, The Symbol and the Saint, a fable from the North countries telling us about the origin of that jolly man and his elvish helpers.

But even in the land of holiday joy things can sometimes go wrong. And if you think we have financial troubles, then imagine what it would be like if Santa Claus had an economic downturn as portrayed in The Hard Times in Elfland by Sidney Lanier.

And finally, what would the holiday season be without gift giving? We sometimes get overcome by the urge to give more and bigger presents and forget that it isn't what you give that's important, it's what's in your heart. And if we should be in danger of forgetting that then we need do nothing more than listen to the words of O. Henry in The Gift of the Magi to focus our attention on what really matters.

And so we bring you stories and poems bearing Christmas tidings and holiday spirits along with our wishes for you and yours that you might have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Christmas Greetings from the Moon

It was over forty years ago but I can close my eyes and remember it as if was happening today.

The crisp December air filled with holiday cheer and the promise of a New Year. The Moon cold and bright against black skies as it floated over snow covered houses and fields. The black and white images of a gray Moon covered with craters inviting us to come explore. And a Christmas greeting that let us know that humans had, for the first time, traveled beyond the confines of our Earth.

And though it has been far too long since we have ventured in person to other worlds, we can be sure that some day human voices will again beam down to us from places beyond Earth orbit. Until that time we leave you with these Christmas greetings from the astronauts of Apollo 8.

And from all of us at Hour 25, we wish you the very best for this holiday season. May all your dreams come true in the coming year.

Listen to this show

Click here to listen to the entire show. {55:55} Or

Click here for the show's intro music.{0:41}

Click here for the show's opening. {1:44}

Click here for Warren's reading of The Symbol and the Saint.{19:14}

Click here for Suzanne's reading of The Hard Times in Elfland by Sidney Lanier. {11:51}

Click here for Warren's reading of The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry.{15:33}

Click here for Warren's thoughts about Hour 25 and the Christmas Season. {2:16}

Click here for the show's closing.{2:35}

Click here for a Christmas greeting from the crew of Apollo 8.{2:01}

For more Hour 25 holiday readings you can listen to our Christmas shows from 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 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 to listen to 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.

Christmas flowers.

Links for more information relating to this week's show

Space News - Dawn - A Mission to the Asteroids

Updates and additional information about the mission of the Dawn spacecraft can be found at the project's Home Page at JPL or at this NASA Web Site.

Additional information about asteroids can be found at the NASA Near Earth Asteroid (NEO) Web Site.

Dawn is a part of the Discovery Program of deep space missions. Information about Dawn and other missions can be found at the Discovery Program Web Site.

Space News - Mars

Much information about the Phoenix mission to Mars can be found at this JPL Web Site or at this Web Site from the University of Arizona or this NASA Web Site. Additional information about various past NASA missions can be found here.

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. You can also get information about the MER mission by reading the News Updates posted by Dr. Steve Squyres, the project's Principal Investigator.

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.

The University of Arizona Web Site for the imaging system used to take the Huygens pictures of Titan has much information about how they were obtained and processed as well as a collection of processed and unprocessed images.

The Huygens probe carried a microphone and recorded the various sounds that it heard while descending to the surface of Titan. You can listen to those sounds at this Web Page sponsored by the Planetary Society.

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.

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 of the Solar System and has a wealth of information for its members and others.

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.

Loscon 2008 Listen to this show

On Friday - November 28^th, 2008 - Hour 25 continued a long standing tradition by recording a series of interviews with various Guests of Honor at Loscon, a science fiction convention that is held in Los Angeles over the Thanksgiving weekend.

However, as we mentioned in our previous show, the last year has been consumed by illness, deaths and overwork. As a result we were not able to get those interviews online until now. We're sorry about the delay, but better late than never. Consider this show to be one that's coming to you through a rift in time and space.

Our first guest on Hour 25 was the convention's Writer Guest of Honor John Scalzi.

John is one of the few people to have received a Hugo nomination for both for his professional and fan writing. He was awarded the John W. Campbell Award as best new writer in 2006 and a Hugo in 2008 for his fan writing. His first book, Old Man's War, was nominated for a Hugo in 2005 and has led to a series of sequels in which he examines the events and characters in that universe from various perspectives. It was a pleasure to have the opportunity to sit down and chat with him this evening.

To learn more about John, or just for a good read, be sure to drop by his web site and blog.

John Scalzi, picture Copyright © 2008 by Suzanne Gibson, all rights reserved.

Our other guest was Michael Siladi, the convention's Fan Guest of Honor. Michael has been active in fandom since the mid-70's and has been an organizer of various conventions in the Bay area including several Worldcons and Westercons as well as the long running Baycon conventions. He is now generously sharing his experience by teaching other people how to run conventions.

Here's a link for more information about the next BayCon.

And check here for information about the upcoming 2009 LosCon.

Michael Siladi, picture Copyright © Suzanne Gibson 2008, All rights reserved.

Listen to this show

Click here to listen to the entire show. {1:06:52} Or

Click here for the show's intro music.{0:41}

Click here for the show's opening. {6:50}

Click here for our interview with John Scalzi.{33:14}

Click here for our interview with Michael Siladi. {24:23}

Click here for the show's closing.{1:44}

Click here to listen to our current show.

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