We are pleased to finally announce that Paul Fischer, of the Balticon Podcast, is winner of the Great Random Signal Name Our Roomba^TM Contest! His winning submission is...*drumroll*...3-Sweepio! Paul's prize is a plush robot by Futuregirl (Leah Riley). Thanks to everyone who sent in suggestions.

This episode is not only the first official Father's Day episode, but it also marks the podcast's fourth anniversary!

Song 1: When I Was Your Age - Beatnik Turtle featuring George Hrab (from The Song of the Day podcast, March 30, 2009)

• Ryn and I discuss our thoughts on being new parents: drool, boogers, and chewed food.
• Code Name: Commander Awesome!
• surprise tangent:  Frasier

Song 2: Mr. Fancy Pants - Jonathan Coulton (from Thing A Week Four)

• mint julep: the official drink of hot summer days (in the South, anyway)
• J. J. Abrams' Star Trek
• Vasquez Rocks
• Transformers ("robots from a planet made out of robots"): movie sequel is imminent and the first season of the classic animated series is out on DVD!
• Yes, CD Baby is still around (and still awesome)!

Song 3: Elephant - Artichoke (from 26 Animals)
[MySpace] [Emusic] [iTunes] [CD Baby]

It's the last day of 2008! It is also, somehow, the first day of 2009...weird. I never will get used to all this "time shifting." Ryn and I cover all manner of interesting topics, and play some songs by my favorite bands of 2008. Enjoy!

Song 1: All Night - Countdown Quartet (from Party With! The Countdown Quartet)
[MySpace] [Emuisc] [iTunes]

• Toxoplasmosis/Giant Microbes
• Trader Joe's 2008 Vintage Ale
• That shit is pajamas!
• We don't think our baby will be a Xenomorph!
• Clockwork Ball and Lemming Malloy

Song 2: Don't Act Like Prey - Lemming Malloy (from Avalauncer EP)
[MySpace] [Emuisc] [iTunes]

• Rocky IV, the best Cold War/Christmas movie of all time?
• Which movies will you always watch the rest of?
• Which is worse: Rocky V or Star Trek V? Discuss.
• Fringe VS Eleventh Hour (here's a hint, one sorta sucks and one does not)
• CANCELED: Pushing Daisies and Dirty Sexy Money
• MOVING: Scrubs
• DISAPPOINTING: Heroes
• We explain that we are old and don't want to watch TV on our computers.
• Dexter and the problem with High-Def

Song 3: Broken Heartbeats Sound Like Breakbeats - Los Campesinos! (from Hold On Now, Youngster)
[MySpace] [Emusic] [iTunes] [Podsafe Music Network]

• Goodreads.com
• Asimov and his short-sighted far future
• Sookie Stackhouse novels and True Blood
• Ryn's bizzare vampire-phobia seems to have passed.
• Read! Darwinia
• Reading! More Information Than You Require
• About To Read! Corrupted Sciene/Discarded Science
• Why Ryn doesn't like comics anymore.
• DC Comics Encyclopedia and On the Origin of Species: Illustrated Edition
• Star Wars prequels revisited
• Name our robot...LAST CALL!
• I Like Turtles

Song 4: I Like Turtles - Zombies! Organize!! (from Before It's Too Late)

Hello! We're back and we have lots of exciting news!

What's all this news you ask? Well, you are going to have to listen to the podcast to find out! :p

Speaking of podcasts, you really should be listening to:
Radio Free Hipster
Radio Isopod

All three bands featured in this show were part of this past summer's Unlimited Enthusiasm Expo tour.

Math The Band

Song 1: Let's Hear It For Capitalism!

Song 2: Everyone's Embarassing

(from Math The Band Banned The Math)



Uncle Monsterface

[MySpace] [iTunes]

Song 3: Lobster Building (from Letter Green (I Love You))

Song 4: The Gary Gygax Song (from This Is an Adventure!)



Harry and The Potters

[MySpace] [iTunes]

Song 5: The Human Hosepipe (from Voldemort Can't Stop The Rock!)

Song 6: Save Ginny Weasley (from Harry and The Potters)

As the summer comes to a close, Ryn and I talk vacation and books. This podcast begins in the mountains and ends at the beach...well, sort of.

Video 1: Why Do You Let Me Stay Here? - She & Him (from Volume One)
[MySpace] [Emusic] [iTunes]



Song 1: Human Hands - Bowerbirds (from Hymns For a Dark Horse)
[MySpace] [Emusic] [iTunes]

Buy Playing For Keeps by Mur Lafferty!!!

Also, Dragon*Con 2008 is right around the corner!

Song/Video 2: Valentine - Festival (from Come, Arrow, Come!)
[MySpace] [iTunes]

FESTIVAL - Valentine from Language of Stone on Vimeo.

Books, books, books! A full list is forthcoming...

Song 3: House of Cards - Lemming Malloy (from Avalauncher EP)
[MySpace] [iTunes]

...and more books!

Song 4: Playing For Keeps - Beatnik Turtle (from The Song of the Day podcast)

Buy Playing For Keeps by Mur Lafferty!!!

I'm beginning to suspect that my microphone is dying, and I apologize in advance if I sound like I'm recoring in a tin can. Ryn, on the other hand, sounds great! You'd think after three years I'd have this stuff down...

Also, the crickets...WTF?!

Song 1: Make My Day - Violet Vector and the Lovely Lovelies (from EP 1)
[MySpace] [iTunes]

We kick things of with an uplanned discussion of our favorite member of the Star Trek family: Deep Space Nine. We make special mention of the Season 6 episode "Far Beyond the Stars".

Song 2: We Are All Accelerated Readers - Los Campesinos! (from Hold On Now, Yougster...)
[MySpace] [Emusic] [iTunes] [PMN]

Superhero Move Roundup!

The Marvel Universe:

• Iron Man
• The Incredible Hulk
• Thor (2010)
• Ant-Man (2010)
• Iron Man 2 (2010)
• Captain America (2011)
• The Avengers (2011)

The DC Universe:

• Batman: The Dark Knight
• Wonder Woman (2009)
• Justice League (2011)

and on DVD...

• Superman: Doomsday
• Justice League: The New Frontier
• Batman: Gotham Knight
• Wonder Woman (2009)

Song 3: Dear Mr. & Mrs. Troublemaker - All Girl Summer Fun Band (from 2)
[MySpace] [Emusic] [iTunes] [PMN]

And even more movies...

• Hellboy 2: The Golden Army
• WALL-E
• Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Song 4: The Crash, The Wagons, The Dying Horses - The Craft Economy (from All On C)

Not only is this episode 75 (it's divisible by 5, so you know it's important), but today is the 3rd anniversary, to the day, of the launch of www.randomsignal.com!

All music in this episode is from the album Clap Along with... by The Dynamite Brothers from Chapel Hill, NC.
[MySpace]

Song 1: Bus Stop

Ryn and I share our thoughts on Balticon 42, including...

Geek Fu Morning Show After Dark #13, LIVE!
The Takeover--Now with 100% more Ryn!
The Balticon Podcast

Song 2: My Lover

Ryn and I talk, once again, about one of our most favorite topics: television.

Song 3: One Way Blues

A bit more about TV, specifically, Joss Whedon's new series Dollhouse and J.J. Abrams' new series Fringe.

Introducing Indie Squid Kid, my new cephalopod-focused blog!

Want to get a beet (or maybe a turnip) in the mail? Well, all you have to do is drop me an email. I guarantee it will be, at the very least, Maryland-quality produce.

Song 4: Raw Dawggin' Again

Balticon 42 begins tomorrow! So here's a quick one before I go.

Song 1: The World The People Together (Come On) - The Dandy Warhols (from ...Earth To The Dandy Warhols...)
[MySpace] [iTunes] [PMN]

And now, some awesome words for your sexy ears...

The Takeover only at ZombInc.net (Zombies!! At work!!)

The Failed Cities Monologues by Matt Wallace and Variant Frequencies

Song 2: I'm Dungeons You're Dragons - The Alligators (from ???)
[MySpace] [PMN]

I'm providing a voice for Chris Lester's awsome new podcast novel Metamor City: Making The Cut

Go see Iron Man, it's really very good.

Song 3: Springtime Can Kill You - Jolie Holland (from Springtime Can Kill You)
[MySpace] [iTunes] [PMN]

My wife Ryn joins me once again as co-host. Check out her brand new blog The Suburban Herbivore!

All the music in this episode is from the album Our One Mistake by The Old Ceremony from Chapel Hill, NC.
[MySpace] [Emusic] [iTunes]

Song 1: Get To Love

The Great Bat Incident

Bats my be hella creepy when they get in your house, but they are actually fascinating creatures!
Read more about them on Wikipedia, The Source of All Knowledge.

If you have a wild animal problem, we highly recommend AAAnimalControl.com

Song 2: Believer

Comic book reviews

1. Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Joss Whedon's Season Eight

Publisher: Dark Horse Comcis
Writers: Joss Whedon, Brian K. Vaughan, and Drew Goddard
Principle artist: Georges Jeanty

2. Angel: After the Fall

Publisher: IDW Publishing
Writers: Joss Whedon and Bryan Lynch
Art: Franco Urru

Song 3: Papers In Order

What's this? A new episode of Random Signal already? Could this be some kind of wonderful dream and/or psychotic break?

Probably. My advice--roll with it...

Song 1: Wreck My Flow - The Dirtbombs (from We Have You Surrounded)
[MySpace] [Emuisc] [iTunes] [PMN]

Comic review - The Twelve

• Publisher: Marvel
• Writer: J. Michael Straczynski
• Artist: Chris Weston
• Wikipedia entry

Song 2: Pins In My Doll - The Dynamite Brothers (from Clap Along With...)
[Ask me and I bet I can hook you up!]

Comic review - Project Superpowers

• Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
• Plot: Jim Kruegar and Alex Ross
• Scripts: Jim Kruegar
• Cover Art: Alex Ross
• Interior Art: Doug Klauba and Stephen Sadowski
• Wikipedia entry

Watch Jon Stuart geek out about Man-Bat!



Song 3: Boogie Chillen - John Lee Hooker (from Face To Face, Volume 1)
[MySpace] [Emusic] [iTunes] [PMN]

Ryn joins me as co-host again to talk about her recent trip to South By Southwest Interactive and her new-found addiction to social networking.

All music in this episode is by one of my new favorite bands, Los Campesinos!

[MySpace] [Emusic] [iTunes] [PMN]

Their first full lengh CD, Hold On Now, Youngster is realesed in the US on April 1, 2008 (pre-order here), but you can get it now at Emusic.com.

Song 1: This is How You Spell "HAHAHA, We Destroyed the Hopes and Dreams of a Generation of Faux-Romantics"

Video 1: The International TweeXcore Underground (from The International TweeXcore Underground EP)



Ryn's SXSW report -- "There was a moustache going around."

Song 2/Video 2: Death to Los Campesinos!



Need a new drug?
Socialthing!
Get Satisfaction
Good Reads

Song 3: My Year In Lists

A couple of sites that came up during listener feedback...

Andy Lee - www.findandy.com
The Clockwork Cabaret - www.clickcaster.com/clockworkcabaret


Song 4/Video 3: We Throw Parties, You Throw Knives (from Sticking Fingers Into Sockets EP)



Video 4: You! Me! Dancing!

Being an experiment in tandem podcasting. For more steampunk and dinosaurs, listen to The Voice of Free Planet X (aka Jared Axelrod).

Song 1: The Lives of Captured Scientists - The Craft Economy (from All On C)
[MySpace] [on Boingboing.net]

Steampunk!

As definied on Wikipedia

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen by Alan Moore
The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson
Perdido Street Station by China Mieville

On Flickr - The Guild of Justice-Minded Citizenry! (as seen on Boingboing.net)

Steampunk Spectacular podcast

The Clockwork Ball - Ringside, Durham, NC (Saturday, March 28)

Song 2: Airship Pirate - Abney Park (from Lost Horizons)
[MySpace] [iTunes]



Dinosaurs!

Paleo-blogs:
Tetrapod Zoology
Laelaps

On Flickr - Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries

Cladistics on Wikipedia

North Carolina State Museum of Natural Sciences

Song 3: Age of the Fern - George Hrab (from [sic])
[MySpace] [Emusic] [iTunes]

I've been called out by listener Brandt for "shenanigans" because this episode is coming one month and one day after my last show. But you know what, Brandt? I don't care because I got a new job! That's right, I am the newest project manager at Newfangled Web Factory in Carrboro, NC. To celebrate, all of today's music is by local bands.

Song 1: Dark Horse - Bowerbirds (from Hymns For a Dark Horse)
[MySpace] [Emusic]

Song 2: Terrier - The Moaners (from Dark Snack)
[MySpace] [Emusic] [iTunes]

Song 3: Say You Will - The Honored Guests (from Tastes Change)
[MySpace] [iTunes]

Song 4: Give It Away If You Can - Tad Dreis (from Play To Remember)
[MySpace] [Emusic] [iTunes]

Song 5: For All I Know - SNMNMNM (from Crawl Inside Your Head)
[MySpace] [Emusic] [iTunes]

It's Christmas! To celebrate, I bring you an extra-long episode filled with wine, women, and song. And chocolate cookies. All songs by Beatnik Turtle from The Song of The Day podcast.

00:00 The Christmas Train (Song of the Day for 12/10)

04:00 I welcome my two special guests: Jared Axelrod, host of podcasts The Voice of Free Planet X and Aliens You Will Meet, and JR Blackwell, host of Voices of Tomorrow.

08:58 JR is a runner-up in Violet Blue's list of the Top Ten Sexy Geeks of 2007!

11:44 How to tell if your waiter is Wolverine.

18:33 Christmas Is Coming To Your House (Song of the Day for 12/9)

21:06 We discuss "Comfort and Joy" the Justice League Christmas special. For the record, the Ultra-Humanite was voiced by Ian Buchanan, not Kelsey Grammer.



28:25 The Ultra-Humanite vs NPR

34:18 Fun with Mythology Pt. 1

A short reading from Classical Myths That Live Today (Silver, Burdett & Co., 1927) by Frances E. Sabin (who was a woman, incidentally).

Question for discussion: Is classical mythology a "girl's subject"?

38:45 Christmas Is a Vulture (Song of the Day for 12/12)

42:28 Fun with Mythology Pt. 2

Question for review: Was Juno justified in her jealous attitudes toward Jupiter?

50:00 Coed Naked Drunk Xmas Shopping (Song of the Day for 12/11)

52:16 Trader Joes's Candy Cane Joe-Joe's: "Oreos to the next, NEXT level."

55:00 Will Jared and JR ever discover the true meaning of Empire Day?

58:59 A Random Signal exclusive--JR Blackwell will launch her new podcast, Blackmail, early 2008!

01:01:10 For Lee at the I Motor Away podcast, "I Motor Away In a Manger" a drunken, a capella, improv (mostly), karaoke Christmas carol.

The lovely (and giggly) Ryn joins me once again to talk about what's new in the world of television.

Song 1: Let the Cool Goddess Rust Away - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (from Clap Your Hands Say Yeah)
[MySpace] [Emusic] [iTunes] [PMN]

Promo: 7th Son and Heaven on Podiobooks.com

Ryn and I run down the pros and cons of the Fall TV season.

Torchwood (Jason: Yes/Ryn: No)
Bionic Woman (Jason: No/Ryn: No)
Journeyman (Jason: No/Ryn: No)
Pushing Daisies (Jason: Very Yes/Ryn: Yes)



Dirty Sexy Money (Jason: Maybe/Ryn: Yes)
Damages (Jason: Yes/Ryn: Yes)
Moonlight (Jason: Very No/Ryn: Yes)
Big Bang Theory (Jason: Yes/Ryn: Yes)



Chuck (Jason: Maybe/Ryn: Maybe)
Reaper (Jason: Maybe/Ryn: Maybe)

Song 2: Fake French - Le Tigre (from Feminist Sweepstakes and the Wired Magazine CD)
[MySpace] [Emusic] [iTunes]



After we finish up our TV discussion, we review Guitar Hero III for the PS2.

Song 3: Helicopter - Bloc Party (from Silent Alarm and featured in Guitar Hero III)
[MySpace] [Emusic] [iTunes] [PMN]



Song 4: Wasp Nest - The National (from Cherry Tree EP)
[MySpace] [Emusic] [iTunes] [PMN]

It's been a strange, busy summer, but we're back!

Song 1: Young Folks - Peter, Bjorn, and John (from Writer's Block)
[MySpace] [Emusic] [iTunes] [PMN]



Song 2: Rock n Roll - A. Rex (from Moving Backwards)
[MySpace] [iTunes] [PMN]

Song 3: Oh Christy - The Moaners (from Dark Snack)
[MySpace] [Emuisc] [iTunes]

Today is my 33rd birthday!

Song 1: Misfit Out of Time - SNMNMNM (from Exploderama)
[MySpace] [Emusic] [iTunes]

Working hard at Lulu.TV...

This Day In Alternate History
Zombies In the Workplace
Writer Stalking
George Hrab live at Balticon

Join The Order of the Digital Trebuchet, Christiana Ellis has!


Song 2: Our Haunt - Palomar (from All Things, Forests)
[MySpace] [Emusic] [iTunes]

I've finally got around to checking out a few things...

Ninja Warrior
Man vs Wild (see also, Man vs Child by Tee Morris and Paul Fischer )
The Geologic Podcast

Song 3: This Book is So Awesome - Harry and the Potters (from Harry and the Potters and the Power of Love)
[MySpace] [iTunes]

Ryn and I discuss theories about Harry Potter Book 7, such as:

Is Snape evil?
Who will live and who will die?
Is Harry a Horcrux?

Song 4: Voldemort Can't Stop the Rock - Harry and the Potters (from Voldemort Can't Stop the Rock!)
[MySpace] [iTunes]

Song 1: Eyes to Space - Eyes to Space (from From the Bureau of Robotic Affairs)
[MySpace] [Emusic]

Bonus website-only video track! Peelander-Z!!!



This Week In Alternate History - My new daily (well, weekdaily) video podcast that I do with Mur Lafferty.
Available only at Lulu.TV.

Movie review - Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

Song 2: Get Up Get Out - The Rosebuds (from Night of the Furies)
[MySpace] [Emusic] [iTunes]

Comic review - Gutsville by Simon Spurrier and Frazier Irving

Song 3: Ain't It Hard - Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings (from Dap Dippin' with the Dap-Kings)
[MySpace] [Emusic] [iTunes]

Thanks to Mark and Andrew for entering the Death Cab for Cutie contest. The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band (and/or The Magical Mystery Tour) was, of course, the correct answer.

Random Signal is two years old, and I nearly forgot!

Who are you to argue with Kilroy 2.0?

Song 1: My Generation (live) - The Who (from Monterey International Pop Festival courtesy of Razor & Tie)
[MySpace] [Emusic] [PMN]

Balticon was totally Airwolf! I got to meet/get drunk with a ton of awesome podcasters. Let's see if I can remember them all...

Mur Lafferty - Geek Fu Action Grip, I Should Be Writing, Pseudopod, Lulu Radio
Jim Van Verth - The Vintage Gamer
Matthew Wayne Selznick - Brave Men Run, DIY Endeavors, Five Minute Memoir, Writers Talking
J.C. Hutchins - 7th Son
Evo Terra - Podiobooks.com
Michael R. Mennenga - Farpoint Media
Jared Axelrod - The Voice of Free Planet X, Aliens You Will Meet
J.R. Blackwell - Voices of Tomorrow
Susan Z and Buscuit - Kulture Kast
George Hrab - The Geologic Podcast
Tee Morris - Podiobooks.com, The Survival Guide to Writing Fantasy
Steve Eley - Escape Pod
Paul Fischer and Martha Halloway - The Balticon Podcast, ADD Cast
Rick Stringer - Variant Frequencies
Matt Wallace - The Failed Cities Monologues
Rich Sigfrit - Outcast Multimedia
Earl Newton - Stranger Things
Phil Rossi - Crescent
Leann Mabry - Tag in the Seam
Command Line - The Command Line
Christiana Ellis - Nina Kimberly the Merciless,
Talking About Stuff, with Mike and Christiana, Hey, Want to Watch a Movie?
Jack Mangan - Spherical Tomi, Jack Mangan's Deadpan
Nobilis - Nobilis Erotica

Did I forget anyone? Probably...

Song 2: Ilyana - Phil Rossi and The Bad Habit
[MySpace] [PMN]

Song 3: Faithful - The Shillas
[MySpace] [PMN]

We have a new house! See?

Song 4: Cruel Spines - George Hrab (from Vitriol)
[MySpace] [Emusic] [iTunes] [PMN]

Wikipedia entry on the candiru (Vandellia cirrhosa)

Song 5: Octopus - Jonathan Coulton
[MySpace] [Emusic] [iTunes] [PMN]

Song 1: They are Night Zombies!! They are Neighbors!! They've Come Back from the Dead!! Ahhhh! - Sufjan Stevens (from Illinoise)
[Emusic] [iTunes]

Life's been kinda hectic these days. New house (soon), new job (sorta), Balticon 41.

Song 2: License and Registration - Death Cab For Cutie (from Transatlanticism)
[MySpace] [iTunes] [PMN]

Song 3: Jet Ski Accidents - The Blow (from Bonus Album)
[MySpace] [Emusic] [iTunes] [PMN]

Two new ways to find me online:

Twitter - HoboZero
Last.fm - RandomSignal

Song 4: Average Guy - Beatnik Turtle (from The Song of The Day podcast)
[MySpace] [iTunes]

Song 5: Secrets From the Future - MC Frontalot (from Secrets From the Future)
[MySpace] [Emusic] [iTunes]

One of the very first podcasts I ever listened to, Seth and Jessica's WHYME (Worst Music You Ever Heard) has ended. Thanks for all the great music!

Song 6: Jessica Deserves a Quiet Night - Seth - third son of albert
[MySpace]

Song 1: Grizzly Bear - All Girl Summer Fun Band (from 2)
[MySpace] [Emusic] [iTunes] [PMN]

Welcome to any new listeners who found this podcast via BoingBoing.net, Craphound.com (thanks Cory!), or 7th Son (thanks Hutch!).

Sites of interest:

Loren Coleman's Cryptomundo (cryptozoology and news of the weird)
*New species of hagfish discovered
*Largest colossal squid ever caught

Darren Naish's Tetrapod Zoology (vampire bats, narwhals, and feathered dinosaurs, oh my!)

Promo: The Surreal O'Rama Bizarre Lyrics Song Poem Contest
(deadline: March 10, 2007)

Song 2: It's Carrboro - Billy Sugarfix and Brian Risk
[MySpace] [YouTube]



Song 3: Disconnect the Dots - of Montreal (from Satanic Panic in the Attic)
[MySpace] [Emusic] [iTunes] [PMN]

On February 22, 2007, Cory Doctorow--science-fiction author, technology activist, and co-editor of BoingBoing.net--gave a talk at Duke University on privacy. Cory, who is totally Airwolf, allowed me to record the lecture, and I am pleased to present to you "MySpace to Homeland Security: Privacy and the Totalitarian Urge."

Song 1: So Begins Our Alabee - of Montreal (from The Sunlandic Twins)
[MySpace] [Emusic] [iTunes]

I'm going to see them in Chapel Hill early next month. Other recent shows I've been to:

Yo La Tengo (with The Rosebuds)
Squirrel Nut Zippers (with The Old Ceremony)

Also, we're thinking about going to Bonnaroo!

Song 2: Staring at the Sun - TV on the Radio (from Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes)
[MySpace] [Emusic] [iTunes]

A few comics of note: 52, Justice Society of America, Nextwave, Shazam!: The Monster Society of Evil, Fables, Shadowpact

Promo: 7th Son Trilogy

"7th Son" by J.C. Hutchins is amazing! Speaking of clones, check out Mur's Heaven/7th Son crossover. And speaking of Mur, I recently recorded another story for Pseudopod - Episode #21: Fetal Position.

Song 3: The Presidents - Jonathan Coulton (from Thing a Week)
[MySpace] [Emusic] [iTunes]

Finally, like Kilroy 2.0, these days I am evvvverywhere...

LiveJournal
Flickr
Facebook
Yelp
Upcoming
Tagworld

Song 1: Virgin Hovercraft - Billy Sugarfix

Happy 2007 and welcome back to Random Signal!

I hope everyone got lots of good loot for Christmas, I know I did...

Justice League: Heroes (for the PS2)
Star Wars: Battle Front II (also for the PS2)
Kingdom Come (Absolute Edition)
DC: The New Frontier (Absolute Edition)

Also, as promised, here's the link to Ryn's cousin's art gallery:
Art & Invention Gallery - Nashville, TN

Song 2: The Eggnog Song - The Morning Squirrels (from The War on Christmas by Lee Harris and Friends)

7th Grade Slug cartoons--behold my adolescent scribblings!

Song 3: Van Helsing Boombox - Man Man (from Six Demon Bag)
[MySpace] [iTunes]

Song 4: Gut Bucket - James Brown (R.I.P.)
[Emusic] [iTunes]

Disclaimer: No slugs were harmed in the making of this podcast.

After an unplanned hiatus, Random Signal is back with talk of weather, rock music and politics.

Song 1: Exploderama - SNMNMNM (from Exploderama EP)
[MySpace] [Emusic] [iTunes]

During my little break, I did guest spots on two of my favorite podcasts...

Pseudopod -- Episode 10: Turista

The Voice of Free Planet X -- Episode 32: Hoist That Rag

Song 2: Indian Summer - Beat Happening (from Jamboree, by way of the PMN and courtesy of K Records)
[MySpace] [Emusic] [iTunes]

Interview: Jonathan Coulton - special thanks to Mur Lafferty!

Song 3: Sibling Rivalry - Jonathan Coulton (from Thing a Week One)
[MySpace] [Emusic] [iTunes]

Song 4: My Defense! - SNMNMNM (from As Best As We Can)

My wife Ryn returns to Random Signal for an in-depth discussion of how much fraking TV we watch. It's also the weekend of our 4th wedding anniversary. But first...

Song 1: Jason Lee - All Girl Summer Fun Band (from 2)
[MySpace] [Emusic] [iTunes]

Ryn and I kick things off by discussing the new shows this season that we are currently watching. Such as...


Of course, we also talk about a few of our returning favorites...


Song 2: Shake Our Tree - The Rosebuds (from Birds Make Good Neighbors)
[MySpace] [Emusic] [iTunes]

Wait, it's not quite over...


Song 3: You Can Never Hold Back Spring - Tom Waits (from the soon to be released 3 disc rarities collection, Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers, and Bastards, courtesy of the Podsafe Music Network)
[MySpace] [Emusic] [iTunes]

Len of Jawbone Radio has illustrated the official Jonathan Coulton coloring book! Buy it now at Lulu.com.

In other JoCo news, he has joined John Hodgman on his ongoing book tour (for the paperback edition of Areas of My Expertise), and they will be in North Carolina in October.

In other hobo news, all 700 Hobo Names have been illustrated! (Although rumor has it that the new edition of AoME has added 100 more.) Visit E-Hobo.com to see them all.

Song 1: I Crush Everything - Jonathan Coulton (from Where Tradition Meets Tomorrow)

Next, I talk about giant squids and Yosemite National Park.

Promo 1: Radio Clash

Hijack my podcast! I dare you!

Promo 2: I Motor Away

Song 2: Experts Made the Forcast (live at Cat's Cradle) - Eyes to Space (from emusic.com)

I can't stop playing Katamari Damacy! However, I did manage to break away long enough to set up my new recording gear. Please let me know what you think of the new sound!

The Tom Waits show was, as expected, amazing. Here's a scan of the setlist I jotted down during the show, in the dark. Yes I am a big nerd. The Eyeball Kid has complete coverage of all the shows on the Orphans tour.

Song 1: Another Man's Vine - Tom Waits (from Blood Money, courtesy of Epitaph)

Promo: The Voice of Free Planet X

I had a fantastic time in San Jose at BlogHer 2006. We met a ton of awesome people, including "sexpert" Susie Bright and Heather Powazek Champ, community director at Flickr and co-editor of JPG Magazine. Our interviews with both women can be found in Lulu Radio #9.

Song 2: Fragile - Tall Dwarfs (from Fifty Flavours of Glue)

The Military Moustaches of Stratego Trivia Challenge was a spectacular failure. Thank you for those loyal few who participated. The ranks with facial hair as depicted on my 1986 version of the board game are as follows:

And, as always, Random Signal is brought to you by Lady Bone Water -
"Strong enough for a man, but made with the bones of real ladies!"

Song 1: Alice - Tom Waits (from Alice, courtesy of Epitaph)

So far, July has been a totally Airwolf month. Here's why:

*I got Tom Waits tickets!!!!  (Looking to buy, sell or trade tickets at face value? Try the Tom Waits Fan Forums.)
*For my birthday I got a PS2 and Guitar Hero, the greatest game ever, and new podcasting gear.
*This weekend I'm flying out to San Jose to attend BlogHer as a Lulu representative.

Song 2: In Our Talons - Bowerbirds (from Danger at Sea)

Audio Clip: Neil Gorman's ology podcast - some good advice.

Song 3: Zombie Twist - The Deformities (courtesy of the Podsafe Music Network)

Movie review: Superman Returns

The anniversary month continues with an exta long one (~1 hr.), but fear not, it's full of kick-ass tunes and randomy geeky goodness. Also, it's Not Safe For Work or Children!

Song 1: Banner Year - Can Joann (from The Aiden Grace EP)

HeroesCon - June 30-July 2 - Charlotte, NC

The Lulu Comics Subversives will be out in force! This year's Con guests include such comics luminaries as:

Song 2: Heatseeker - Valient Thorr (from the soon to be released Legend of the World, courtesy of PSM)

Comic reviews:

1) The Five Fists of Science by Matt Fraction and Steven Sanders

2) Wormwood, Gentleman Corpse: The Taster (#0) by Ben Templesmith

Promo: The Vintage Gamer

Game review: Stratego (published by Milton Bradley)



Song 3: Woah! - Palomar (from Palomar 3.5 Demo EP)

Movie review: Top 10 Cool Things About X-Men: The Last Stand

Song 4: The Future Soon - Jonathan Coulton (from Where Tradition Meets Tomorrow)

Last but not least, Random Signal now has LiveJournal syndication!

Ok...I'm running short on time this morning, so let's make this quick...

Song 1: Over and Over Again (Lost & Found) - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (from Clap Your Hands Say Yeah)

Song 2: Am I Awake - They Might Be Giants (from Indestructible Object, courtesy of Barsuk Records via the Podsafe Music Network)

Song 3: One More Smoke - Reverend Glasseye (from Black River Falls)

Promo 1: One Minute How-To
Promo 2: Balticon Podcast

Other Links

Random Signal Spreadshirt store
RockButtons
Willrad
Achewood (Totally Airwolf!)
Diesel Sweeties
Eclectic Mix
All Star Batman & Robin, The Boy Wonder #4 by Frank Miller and Jim Lee
Lostpedia
The Epic of Gligamesh

Balticon is coming! Memorial Day Weekend (May 26-29)

Here's the complete list of podcasters (other than myself) who will be attending:


Promo: The Voice of Free Planet X

Song 1: Roadkill - Eyes to Space (from Eyes to Space EP)

Song 2: Celebrity Diet - Captured! By Robots (from The Ten Commandments/Get Fit With...)

Subaru Confessions - Cornered at Home Goods (sorry about all the highway noise!)

Promo: The Seanachai

Song 3: Thicker Skin - Can Joann (from Hurt People Hurt People)

The theme music for this episode is "Divebomber" by Ron Arnold.

This podcast was recorded over the course of 5 days while on my recent vacation to the Gulf coast of Florida. Cut off from every last one of the internets, all I had was my trusty iRiver - so the sound quality is a little worse than normal. Also, it's long. Clocking in a just over an hour, this show is twice the usual length. You've been warned! Also, my wife Ryn makes her Random Signal debut.

For obvious reasons, I had hoped to have this uploaded on May 1. Oh well, such is life.

Places visited:

Estero, Florida
Sanibel and Captiva Islands
Lover's Key State Park

Songs played:

1. Unwind - The Rosebuds (from The Rosebuds Unwind)
2. Alcohol - David Karsten Daniels (from Angels)
3. Kaw Kaw Kaw - Seth - third son of Albert (of the WHYME podcast)
4. Radiation - The Epoxies (from Stop The Future, via the PMN, courtesy of Fat Wreck Chords)
5. Knives and Snakes and Mesquite - Bowerbirds (from Danger at Sea)
6. Four Fingered Fisherman - Modest Mouse (from Sad Sappy Sucker, via the PMN, courtesy of K Records)
7. First of May - Jonathan Coulton (from Smoking Monkey)

Podcast promo'd - Nuketown Radio Active

Books read:

-me
Transmetropolitan, Vol. 6: Gouge Away by Warren Ellis
Transmetropolitan, Vol. 0: Tales of Human Waste by Warren Ellis
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
Towing Jehovah by James Morrow (still reading this one!)

-Ryn
The Moor by Laurie R. King
Enslaved By Ducks by Bob Tarte
The Bookman's Promise by John Dunning
The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

Vacation photos on Flickr! (Yes, mostly birds and shells.)

Nick Cave is on the Podsafe Music Network!
(Shout-out to Mikel OD of Most People are DJs for bringing it to my attention.)

Song 1: Bring It On - Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
(from Nocturama, by way of the PMN, courtesy of Epitaph Records)

Rambly reviews of comics I should have read long ago...

Transmetropolitan by Warren Ellis
New X-Men by Grant Morrison
Ulitmates Vol. 1 by Mark Millar

Song 2: The Waydown - Modest Mouse
(from The Fruit That Ate Itself, by way of the PMN, courtesy of K Records)

I'm going to be a guest at Balticon! (Baltimore, MD - May 26-29)

The winners of the 2006 Lulu Blooker Prize has been announced! Visit the Blooker website for all the details and to hear my interviews with all three winning authors.

Board game review: Survive! (aka Escape from Atlantis)

Check out The Vintage Gamer if you like great reviews of older games.

Song 1: Upon This Tidal Wave of Young Blood - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

Lost is so frickin' awesome, I ramble on about it for ten minutes!
See Entertainment Weekly for a detailed look at The Map.

Song 2: I'd Feel Better - The Rosebuds (from The Rosebuds Unwind)

Song 3: Bur Oak - Bowerbirds (from Danger at Sea)

The audio problem with the second half of this show has now been fixed! Thanks for bearing with me.

Hey, look...shownotes!

I'm now podcasting professionally! Check out my other podcast - The Lulu Podcast

Song 1: Derrida - Veronique Diabolique (from their Carte Postale EP)

Voice Mail from Ryan(?) in Michigan
- hear John Hodgman's revision of Star Wars: Episode 1 on This American Life, ep. 232, The Real Story (Feb. 14, 2003)

Tonight's beer - Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barlywine Style Ale

Song 2: Concerning Lessons Learned From the Aliens - The Prayers and Tears of Arthur Digby Sellers
(from their 2005 CD The Mother of Love Emulates the Shapes of Cynthia)

Stellarcon 2006 podcasting panel (which I crashed):
*Micheal Stackpole - The Secrets
*Mur Lafferty - Geek Fu Action Grip and I Should Be Writing
*Patrick McLean - The Seanachai (he also crashed the panel)
*Tee Morris - Podiobooks.com

TANGENT
Evo Terra of The DragonPage is trying to replace Airwolf with the obviously inferior phrase "Snakes on a Plane." The Urban Dictionary makes it clear, Snakes on a Plane does not mean the same thing as Airwolf. It means, roughly, "shit happens." Email the DragonPage and tell Evo how wrong he is, and proudly display your own airwolfness with an Airwolf Emoticon T-shirt (Random Signal shirts comming soon!).
/TANGENT

Game review - Arkham Horror by Fantasy Flight Games

Song 3: Jefferson, Thomas - Artichoke (from 26 Scientists, Volume One: Anning-Malthus)

Dag, sorry about the late show notes!

I hope everyone had (or is still having, as the case may be) a good holiday break.

Thanks again to Tee Morris for the totally Airwolf promo!

Song 1: Anxiety - The Lee Harris 3

Bear Nog: A Cautionary Tale - A true story from my childhood growing up in Yosemite National Park.

Song 2: He Wants Everything - Jimmy Jamz and Xtopher (again, courtesy of Lee Harris)

Two movie reviews:
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe
King Kong

Song 3: Feliz Navidad - The Ukulele Hipster Kings

(ps, "I want every Bionicle!")

I've finally got a promo!

It was made for me by Tee Morris of The DragonPage (and co-author of Podcasting For Dummies), and it is totally Airwolf!

Please feel free to distribute the hell out of it.

Song 1: Lie - Tall Dwarfs

A close look at the sinister secrets of Bally's 1976 Captain Fantastic (and The Brown Dirt Cowboy) pinball machine. (Coincidentally, the very same one mentioned in The Seanachai, episode 45: Lather, Rinse, Repeat.)

Song 2: Lady Luck - Can Joann

Dave's Long Box is my new favorite blog. Anyone even remotely interested in comics should check it out. It is totally Airwolf!

Song 3: Black Friday - Music for Viola

(More Christmas music from Lee Harris and The Lee Show can be found at Soundclick and The Podsafe Music Network.)

The talky parts were recorded early in the morning on an iRiver, so the sound quality is all over the place. Sorry about that.

Only one song today: Leaves Do Fall - The Rosebuds

The rest of my interview with 365 Tomorrows' Jared Axelrod. In this part we talk about his podcast, The Voice of Free Planet X, and I play a clip from Episode 4: Welcome To The Hotel Kraken. We also wax a bit philosophical about podcasting in general.

Links from the interview:
Magnatune
Skepticality
The Signal
Geek Fu Action Grip
The Seanachai

Recorded at 7:30 am, a feat made possible by wonderful, glorious, life-giving coffee.

Song 1: Albacore - Palomar

What I've been up to in my first three months at Lulu:

The 2006 Lulu Blooker Prize - the world's first literary prize for books based on blogs and other websites.
SAM, World's Ugliest Dog 2006 Calendar (Warning: this dog is seriously ugly!)

Recent books I have read/am reading:

Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman
Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer
Country: The Twisted Roots of Rock 'N' Roll by Nick Tosches

Special thanks to Jared Axelrod, of The Voice of Free Planet X podcast for the bump. He is also a contributor to 365 Tomorrows sci-fi flash fiction blog.

Song 2: Blue Bird - The Rosebuds (also check them out on MySpace and Merge Records)

It's finally starting to feel like Fall around here, which means, of course, that pretty soon I won't have to worry about mowing my lawn for a few months!

The Duke University Podcasting Symposium went well, at least the small part of it that I was involved in did. I had a great time, and I hope they invite me again next year!

I am starting to worry that this show is too eclectic to ever find a big audience.
Too much geek? Not enough? I wonder...

Oh well, let's talk about giant squids instead! And beer.

In particular, the World Beer Festival in Durham, NC (this weekend) and the newly legal (in NC at least) high gravity beers. Hoorah for beer!

Spoiler Alert!!!
Beware my rambling look at Lost season two if you're not caught up with the show.

And of course, there's a song...

"Malthus, Thomas Robert (1809-1882)" by Artichoke

Tonight I attended the reception for the Duke University Podcasting Symposium.

I'll be on the Triangle Podcasters panel tomorrow afternoon along with:

Mur Lafferty - Geek Fu Action Grip
Brian Russel - Audio Activism
Dave Warner - Dave's Lounge
Anne Bramley - EatFeed

Michael Geoghegan of Reel Reviews (and Grape Radio) was also there, as was Dave Slusher of Evil Genius Chronicles.
I'm afraid Mur and I might have bored Dave to death. Sorry Dave!

For those of you who can't make the Symposium, it will be webcast live.

I'm finally on iTunes! The best part is I never got around to submitting my feed. Yet there it is.
(Maybe if I wait a little while longer, I'll magically have a logo.)

Just one song tonight...

Down at Columbia and Cameron - The Physics of Meaning

My thoughts this week are on Derek from Skepticality, but I can't seem to articulate much of anything tonight. Here's to a speedy recovery.

"Rorschach" by Tall Dwarfs seems to express what I'm feeling better than anything I can think to say...

It's late, so just links tonight...

Lulu.com and The Lulu Podcast

"One Minute Mile" by Eyes to Space from the compilation New Frontiers

The Signal Podcast

"Earth is the Best" by The Phenomenauts

365 Tomorrows flash fiction blog

Podcasters galore at Dragon*Con!

-Mur from Geek Fu Action Grip
-Steve Eley from Escape Pod
-Michael & Evo from The DragonPage and Slice of Sci-Fi
-Michael Stackpole from The Secrets Podcast
-Derek and Swoopy(?) from Skepticality
-and, of course, me!

I'm going to be on a podcasting panel at Dragon*Con with Mur from Geek Fu Action Grip and Steve Eley from Escape Pod! It's even possible that Michael Stackpole from The Secrets podcast, and Michael and Evo from The Dragon Page will be there too.

I go on for a bit about celebrities I've seen while at work. (Unfortunately I haven't yet been able to locate my promotional Forest of Love perfume, but I know it's around here somewhere!)

-"Doing Your Dishes" - Tad Dreis

Shout out to Seth from WHYME

-"Back Spasm" - Seth - third son of Albert

I failed miserably to get Audacity to play nicely with the two voice mails I wanted to include. If anyone out there has any advice, I'm all ears.

Shouts out to Neil Gorman from Comicology and Kenneth Newquist from Nuketown Radio Active

-"Baby It's Over" - Tall Dwarfs (They will be performing in Chapel Hill, NC at Local 506 on August 4!)

The universe seems to have been conspiring against me these past couple of weeks, but I'm back up and running - both physically and technologically.

Here's the rundown:

-"Einstein, Albert (1879-1955)" - Artichoke

-Last week I returned as Mur's special guest on Geek Fu Action Grip #31!

-Books and comics:
Harry Potter 6
Runaways by Brian K. Vaughan
Batman : Year One by Frank Miller
Batman: The Long Halloween by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale

-"Mission" - The Phenomenauts

I have an argument with myself over the relative mertis of earthquakes and hurricanes, talk about my job, and float the idea of a Geek Bar Guide.
---
The Duck-Rabbit Brewery

My first podcast in which I attempt to introduce myself, describe the kinds of things this show will be about, and explain how it is I got this far in life without any real understanding of these "computer" devices.

Thanks Mur!