Contagious is OUT!

Heya all! Still working on getting enough free time to make the next 'cast episode. It will include updates on me, results of NaNoWriMo, and a review of the X Files Movie. But, until I can get that up, enjoy this!

Promo

I'll try recording a new episode tonight, and have it up by Wednesday morning. In the meantime, enjoy some promos for the first podiobook I ever heard. This is what got me thinking about starting this blog, the podcast, and writing fiction again. Included are the promos for all three books in the series.

7thsonnovel.com
jchutchins.net

Technical Difficulties Overcome, Almost

Okay, I sit down this morning to rerecord this cast, and now my mic isn't picking up sound. It's recording really quiet. So, I posted what I had, and added a promo for WriMo Radio at the end. I hope to have all these glitches worked out today, and have a real cast up for you by Tuesday.

In this 'cast: Software for podcasting, blogging, and NaNoWriMo. Update on NaNoWriMo. The 'cast is now searchable in iTunes, haven't heard anything from Zune Marketplace.

Show Links:
FeedBurner
Audacity
yWriter
Q10
Portable Apps

Technical Difficulties

Okay, so I did record the episode this morning. I was going back through it, editing, and about halfway through, the recorded audio is all messed up. It sounds like a very quick echo. I don't know what happened, but I'll finish the editing tonight, probably have to rerecord some parts, and have up as soon as I can. I'm working on it people, just hang in there

Busy Busy Busy

Okay, so i didn't get a 'cast recorded last night. Work was more than I expected. So, I'll record one tonight, and have it up tomorrow morning. To make up for the delay, I'll record a double episode tonight, and have both to you.

UPDATE: No 'cast this morning. I got caught up working on my NaNo novel, and didn't have time to record one. I'll try tonight again to record, and might have to do it while my daughter is still awake, so, it might be...interesting.

I was right

So I was right. All these projects, work, home, blog, podcast and NaNo is killing me.

Sorry about the delay on the podcast, this weekend was pure hell. Plus my internet was on the fritz. I've got a new modem, and i'net has been stable so far. I'll hopefully get an update recorded tomorrow night, and have it up by Wednesday morning. I'm going to move the weekly updates to Tuesdays. That should give me all weekend to record and update, and Monday to edit and upload. Other than that, know that I'm still here, still trying.

Go Vote!

Zune and iTunes

Update, the podcast has been added to the Zune marketplace and the iTunes store. Soon it will be included in their respective searches. Movin' on up, people!

Update: Podcast has been accepted to iTunes, and will be in search results in 1-2 days.

Debut Podcast

Yes, a day late, but, hey, it's here.

First, I apologize for the quality. I'll get better equipment eventually.
Second, I apologize for the content. This is really the first recording I've ever made of myself. Talking to a machine, hoping someone out there will hear me is kinda...weird.

This episode is an intro to who I am, what I'm doing, and the general outline of the podcast content and format.

Music is Electronaut, by VNV Nation.

'Cast Links:
nanowrimo.org

I'll be back soon

Hey everyone. Sorry about the lack of updates the past month. I've had some hard times lately, but working through them, slowly but surely. I've lost my center, I have nothing to keep me going, nothing to care about. So, I'm going to pick this back up, and hope it will become the fun project it was designed to be.

Some new updates on the format. I will continue to keep the blog running, as it has been, with podcast reviews of whatever I happen to be listening to at the time. But for the future it will include all types of podcasts, music, movies, and other entertainment media.

Alongside this blog, I will be starting my podcast soon. The podcast, eventually, will become the main format of theCDspace, and when that happens, the blog will become supplemental and supporting material, containing links to things talked about in the podcast, extra special features hinted at in the podcast, and additional material I may have forgotten when recording the 'cast.

Now, while the blog will continue as it was, with weekly updates, the podcast will begin in a different form than it will eventually be. Starting next Monday, if everything goes according to plan, the podcast will debut. Each episode will be about 15-20 minutes long, and new episodes will be released at least weekly, possibly every few days.

The podcast, through November, will be about my experiences, trials, and sucesses in NaNoWriMo. After November, the podcast will likely move into talking about my further experiences as an amateur writer, more reviews, and possibly some surprises.

I'm going to ask anyone who sees this to post a comment, and make a commitment to subscribe to the blog and 'cast. I'm going to need all the support I can get to keep these things up and running, the blog, the 'cast, and getting through NaNoWriMo. Knowing that there are at least a few people out there waiting for updates will help push me to provide them. Otherwise, it's just me, talking to the aether, and that's not very fun.

Anyway, next week Ancestor, Persepolis, and Shadowmagic.

And again, I disappear

I'm still here people! It's been hell at work, and I've got 4 freelance programming jobs I've been working on in my spare time. So I haven't had much time to listen to anything. I will soon have a new day job, hopefully, which will pay more, and I will cut back on the freelance jobs, and have more time to listen, and provide reviews.

On other news, I think I've got a basic plot for my NANOWRIMO novel. Something I've wanted to write for a while now, but never thought it would be worth it. If i can work out the details, it will be my NANOWRIMO project.

One last update, I might be moving the blog to another hosting. I've got Wordpress set up there, and if I like it, I might move everything over there. I'll keep you updated on that.

More Than Just Podcasts

So I'd like to take a moment and say that this blog is more than reviews of podcast novels. From time to time, I'll review a short story podcast like Escape Pod (next week maybe), and even some non-fiction podcasts. This will at least give me time to catch up on my listening, and be able to provide better reviews.

That said, the past week and a half or so, I've been listening to Mur Lafferty's podcast "I Should Be Writing". I started at the beginning of the 'cast, at which time she had not yet published her novel, or even finished it for that matter. (A side note, "Playing for Keeps" did wonderfully on the amazon charts, being released this past Monday.) In Mur's own words, ISBW is a "podcast for wannabe writer, by a wannabe writer." In the 'cast, Mur lays it down, and tells it like it is. Almost harsh at times, she removes excuses, provides helpful tips, and tells the listener to just start writing. There are no secrets, no magic potion that "great" writers have found (aside from maybe coffee?). All it takes to write, is to write. The episodes are rather short, on the order of 15-20 minutes, but it's long enough for Mur to cover one small topic in the process of getting started in writing. Instead of feeling like a writing seminar or workshop, it's got the feeling of sitting down over a warm beverage, and just talking about writing with a soon-to-be new friend. Casual, easy to listen to, and as such hits you smack in the face with the truth, "Just do it."

In my listening, I'm moving forward into the processes, and Mur's experiences, with trying to get published. The rejections, the rewrites, the re-rewrites, etc. and I might give updates on how the 'cast progresses. Each episode, Mur also gives updates on her own personal writing projects and progress. The 'cast has been running since late 2005, so it might take me a while to catch up, but it has been fun listening to the contrast between her talk about her hard work then, and hear her podcast novel, "Playing for Keeps", just recently published.

Moving on to my own projects, at some point, about 4 years ago, I fancied myself a Sci-Fi writer. I had written about 6 short stories, none of which were published, before finding my time for writing had run off somewhere to hide for a while. In listening to ISBW, I have regained my desire to write, and will be searching for the runaway time. I'll keep everyone updated here on what projects I'm working on, and how far along they might be.

You also may have noticed the new picture on the right. Yes, I have joined NANOWRIMO. The National Novel Writing Month, which is a frenzied outpouring of words in the month of November. The goal is 50,000 words from November 1 to November 31. No edits or rewrites, just writing as much and as fast as possible. I don't have any ideas for it yet, but will be working on it, outlining it, and possibly give some character interviews here and on the NANOWRIMO forums. If interested, my UN is CDspace, and my profile page is here.

I suppose that's all for now. Next week, nothing planned, but I'll find something to talk about.

A small update, I've got the internet at home now, although it's not exactly reliable. So, totally unrelated to the blog, my Zune card at the top will be updating now. It's been stuck for about a month. Also, due to my frelance programming work, I've got myself a 22" LCD monitor. I'll be getting another LCD monitor, and then a high quality headset/microphone. At that point, I'll begin looking into making this an actual podcast. Also at that point, project Cast-A-Line will begin taking shape. So things are rolling people. Slowly, but at least moving.

I Should Be Writing
NANOWRIMO
Escape Pod

I'm Back!

Okay, so the move is complete, and I have internet at home all hooked up now. I'm still in the process of unpacking, but the majority of it is done. Now I think I can have the time, or make the time, to start this blog back up. I know it's been longer than I said it would be, and I apologize for that, but I'm here again now. I'll post some pictures of the new apartment later, I'm really loving it. And the neighbors at the new place are the coolest people I've met in a long time.

But enough about me, let's get the the podcasts! Currently, I'm listening to "Playing for Keeps", by Mur Lafferty, and I'm still listening to "Ancestor" by Scott Sigler. Those are all I've had time for lately, and both have already been reviewed here before.

The other night I got myself up to date on Stranger Things. Right now, they're taking a short hiatus, as they gear up for even bigger events. Before we get to those, first my thoughts on this 'cast. After the first few episodes I thought the directing and acting could use some work. Perhaps the ST crew thought so too, because each episode just kept getting better. both in terms of the acting and directing, but also the stories they were presenting. Aside from the premier and the most recent episode, "Latchkeepers", they've been pretty short. (Aside, "Latchkeepers" is actually a long episode, but it was broken up into three parts, about 10 minutes each. It seemed rather strange to do that {no pun intended} but the breaks were chosen well, and kept my interest until the next episode. The entire presentation was release as one afterwards, for those who want the entire cake at once.) Despite their brevity, each one leave me with the feeling of "Hmm, that was interesting.... I've never thought about it that way." As with most good stories, Stranger Things likes to give a seemingly predictable story, and then throw in a twist at the end which can sometimes take the brain for a ride. All in all, this is definately a podcast worth checking out.

Now, originally Stranger Things was an internet only 'cast, albeit the first video podcast shot and released in HD. They have gained popularity lately, and have a deal in progress with Illusion On-Demand. Yes, Stranger Things will be on TV. The internet podcast will still be around, but being on TV will increase their audience dramatically. This increased audience will hopefully catch the attention of advertisers, which will lead to more money for the show. This in turn leads to a bigger budget, and a bigger budget means better production, and ultimately, better episodes. The hiatus I mentioned above is needed for them to organize the start on TV, but they will be back up and running again soon. Another possibility is a DVD of Season One. All of which is big news, and Stranger things had over 1500 subscribers before they even premiered. Once these things start going down, who knows how big they could get.

That's all for today, and again, I'm sorry for taking so long to get back to this. Below are some links to the 'casts mentioned. I'm also going to keep the links from the most recent post in the sidebar, for a quick overview of what was covered last.

Next time, a non-fiction podcast, "I Should Be Writing", by Mur Lafferty, updates on my own projects, and some plans for the future.

Playing for Keeps
Ancestor
Stranger Things
Illusion On-Demand

I'll Be Back Soon

Okay, so quick update on the status of this blog. First, over the past week I've been in the process of moving. It's amazing how much stuff fits in a two bedroom apartment. The next week will be spent unpacking and setting up the new place. The computers are already set up, of course, but at the moment I have no internet connection at home. That will be set up soon.

Second, I've gotten a few freelance programming jobs. It's been fun, give me a little spending money, but takes up alot of time. Don't get me wrong, I've enjoyed it, but it's still been a major factor to my lack of free time. Lack of free time limits how much I can listen to these podiobooks I'm supposed to be reviewing.

Third, I've been in the search for a new, better paying, hopefully less stressful job. Several opportunities have arisen, and look promising.

I can, however, give a quick review of the podiobook "Playing for Keeps", by Mur Lafferty. I've only gotten to the third episode, but it quickly grabbed my interest. As a summary, Seventh City is the home of the Academy, a school for superheroes. The city is full of people with superpowers, which some use for good, some for 'evil', and some, the 'Third-Wavers', have powers that aren't exactly useful for either side. Now, just from that, it almost sounds like this a cheesy rip-off of X-Men. But, even after the first chapter, the protagonist, Keepsie, and her cynical view on the Academy, the superheroes and supervillains, and her 'unique' power make this a podiobook worth following. The listener is drawn into life with Keepsie and her friends. From the pointof view of those rejected from the Academy, the line between hero and villain becomes blurred, as does the role of the Third-Wave power wielding citizens of Seventh City. Like I said, I'm only into the third episode, but I'm greatly looking forward to where this book is going.

Finally a quick plug for Mur. Playing for Keeps is coming out in print on August 25. Mur and her fans are calling to everyone to purchase the book on Amazon.com on that day. Since it's coming out from a small publisher, it isn't going to get much press or attention. If everyone goes to Amazon.com, and gets the book on release day, we can push it up the charts and then everyone can see it, buy it, and Mur and the book will be noticed by those outside the podiobook world. Check out www.playingforkeepsnovel.com for more info, and to subscribe and download this great podiobook.

Finally, thanks to anyone who has read this blog at all, and especially to those who are watching to see when I come back. Previous plans have not been canceled, just postponed. Hoefully, within 2 weeks or less, I'll be back to weekly postings reviewing great podiobooks, and the surprises mentioned before will come. I promise.

I'm sorry, I have to take a break...for now

Alas, just when it seems to be working, it all comes crashing down. I've gotten some more hits on here, had some fun surprises planned, and got started on the actual review posts. It all seemed to be going so well, and then I picked up a project, not realizing how much time it would take up. Then I'm moving, and don't have the internet for a few weeks. Then more turmoil in my personal life, and I haven't had time to listen to the podcasts I'd said I'd review this week. For now, I'm going to put this blog on the back burner. No it won't disappear, it just won't be like last week. It will probably go back to how it was before that, just reviewing when I can, and what I can. By the end of the month, I should have the internet back at the new place, and the project will be finished, and I'll pick back up on the format podcast reviewing. Until then, keep me in your list, I'll still put up quick reviews of whatever I find the time to listen to. I apologize for taking so long to get this up and running, but it was a spur of the moment project, and not entirely thought out.

GOAL: have a plan for this blog by the end of the month, and stick to it. (Re)start the Monday posts

Again, I'm sorry if you were looking forward to this blog getting started, but just a few weeks, and I'll be ready to keep this blog running reliably.

Darkness, embryos, and a big bug?

Sorry for the delay in getting this post up, work gets in the way sometimes. In this episode, JC Hutchins' Obsidian, Scott Sigler's Ancestor, and Scott Sigler's Bloodcast, Season 1. Links to all these at the end of the post.

An update on Cast-A-Line, all is going well. There is so much more interest that I could have hoped. It will still be a little while before this really begins to take shape. The project was really about finding out if there was any interest in this in the first place. Since it seems there is tremendous interest, I have to start thinking about the next step. While I won't say what the project is, I will say it is the first step towards making this a real podcast, and will hopefully get the word out more, and drive traffic this way. The next step is figuring out how I want to record a podcast, getting the headset for it, and finding time to do this. I'm in the middle of a move right now, so it probably will be about a month before anything tangible shows up.

Yesterday I heard the first of JC Hutchins' "Voices from the Darkness" Obsidian episodes. If you recall, Obsidian is an anthology of stories from a variety of authors, including listeners. The listeners were invited to record their own voicemails, "cloverfield style", and let JC know what it is/was like to live through the chaos after the nationwide blackout. These voicemails, MP3s, and videos were put into the "Voices from the Darkness" episodes. Let me just say, that was creepy. And amazing, but creepy. I heard the first one on the bus yesterday, and listening to those calls, I started looking at the others on the bus, wondering if they were going to start looting or rioting, and if I was going to have to make one of those calls myself (which I can't, the deadline for Obsidian submissions was yesterday, I think).

Another anthology I've started listening to is Scott Sigler's Bloodcast, Season 1. Now, let's make a note here, Season 2 has been tentatively scheduled for 09, and Season 1 is dated back in 04-05. Maybe Sigler just got busy, what with book deals, movie talks, a trilogy to finish, etc. (way to go Sigler, on a roll, don't stop now). I can't go into a summary of all the stories in this series, but I can say, the stories all seem to start out innocently enough. But soon, they get their first, seemingly unbelievable, twist. Further on, the twist, which you couldn't believe was true, was too outrageous to be true, turns out to be just that, true. From there, in true Sigler style, the action ensues. Then, before it can really hit you that it all really did just happen, he throws another twist at you to wrap things up nice and neat. Sigler is an awesome writer, with some incredible ideas. I'd like to recommend at least Episode 4 of Bloodcast, and you'll hear why in the next episode.

Over the past week, while waiting for the next episode of Infected to come out (note to Sigler, I'm still waiting), I've started listening to Ancestor, again by the Future Dark Overlord Scott Sigler. (Is there too much Sigler this week, I don't know. If I start chanting for Pope Siglericus XXX, take cover, hide your children, and ... paint lambs blood on your door frame)

Ancestor, at it's core, is about the quest for growing human transplantable organs in animals. Some companies are trying to grow these organs in existing animals, pigs, monkeys. The risk with that is the possibility of a transgenetic virus. A virus that existed in the animal, and with the introduction of human DNA, mutated to a form that could infect humans...humans with no natural defense. Result, epidemic and death. This is how the book starts out, and the outbreak is contained and destroyed quickly. The CIA begins trying to shut down other companies doing the same sort of research. One company, however, is trying to build a new animal, combining DNA from mammals all over the world in an attempt to build the great-granddaddy of all mammals, with human organ traits. They succeed, and the new animal, aptly named the Ancestor, is born.

This book is peppered with Sigler's great ideas, the suspense we've grown to love from him, and, of course, his horrific style. Between the genetics company, the CIA tying to stop them, and trying to keep knowledge from the general public, this book has enough sci-fi, politics, black-ops, and intrigue to keep most readers happy. I should note here, that even Sigler adds a warning that this podiobook might not be suitable for youngsters, with all the violence, language, and blood. My only vice with this book, from what I've heard so far (I'm only a quarter of the way through it), is that it almost seems predictable. Almost. But I trust Sigler to come to these points with his usual twists and turns, throwing anything I think might happen out the window on the lawn.
Update on Ancestor, The Truth

Click the links below to check out these podiobooks.
Obsidian
Bloodcast, Season 1
"Pick-of-the-Week" Ancestor

Next week, Stranger Things, TD-0013, and, hopefully, a new Infected episode.

LHC Activation

First the link
LHC Countdown

Now, the LHC is the Large Hadron Collider. This is the largest particle accelerator to date. They will be speeding particles up to energies only dreamed of before...and then smash them together. No one knows what will happen. This device will be used to simulate (we think) the conditions just after the big bang. Some are afraid it will create another big bang, mini-black hole, or something totally unknown but very destructive. Again, we don't know what will happen when they turn this thing on.

Assuming we are all still here by the beginning of next week, I'll give my preliminary review of Scott Sigler's Ancestor.

Normal post days will now be Monday. This should give commuters time to download any new and interesting podiobooks mentioned in the post, and listen to during their weekday commute. For others, it will give time to research the book, read other reviews, and get things set up for a weekend listen. See you on Monday!

PS: Quick update on Cast-A-Line, I've put out feelers for this project, and gotten a good response so far. I've got a few more emails to send before I decide to even go ahead with this project, but if I do, it should be an awesome next couple of months!

CDspace Now on Technorati

For this to work, Technorati needs me to post this link, so here it is
Technorati Profile

More updates

More on the subject of what this blog is becoming.

First, I will start reviewing podcasts/podiobooks here, as text posts, along with some plugs for favorite authors, "picks of the week", and recommendations.

What I'm thinking is going to happen, is this blog reviewing podcasts might turn into a podcast itself. This hasn't been decided upon yet (I hate the sound of my own voice), but it is an idea on the table. I'm not even sure I'd have enough material for a podcast.

Further, I've started the ball rolling on some ideas and possible surprises (call it Project Cast-A-Line), so add me as a homepage and stay tuned. I don't want to say any more about it yet, but these ideas could be what launches this blog into the mainstream, and possibly the starting episodes of the podcast.

If anyone has recommendation on podcasting software, and audio editing tools, drop me a line. Note, I don't have the money to spend on software, so free and open source software is best.

Update on Blog Status

Well, this blog was originally started as a random rant blog, about everything going on in my life. But since then, I've started moving towards more podcast reviews, starting with J.C. Hutchins 7th Son Trilogy and Scott Sigler's Infected. I'm going to turn this into a podcast review blog, and perhaps make my own podcast form it in the future. I've got plenty of podcasts to listen to, and provide opinions on in the upcoming weeks, and I'll try to keep updates to Friday or Saturday nights.

That said, let's move on to the good stuff. I just finished the 7th Son Trilogy, and must say it was quite a ride. After the trilogy concluded, Hutchins gave the green light to other authors, both print and podiobooks, as well as listeners to participate in Obsidian, an anthology of shorts, as well as voice mails and videos sent in by listeners about their "experience" in the 7th Son fictional universe, shortly after the attack on America's power grid.




Still in progress is Scott Sigler's Infected, which has slowed down a bit due to Sigler's Super-Secret Mission of Death, a writing project he is trying to finish before the deadline. Infected is already out in print, if you don't want to wait.

On the table right now, I'm trying to find time to listen to Infected, Obsidian, Ancestor, A Different Point of View, Stranger Things, Prophecy of Swords, The Rookie, Singularity, and Wormwood. So lots of updates in the coming weeks, and if everything works out, perhaps a few surprises.

JC Hutchins kicks puppies

As promised, although late, here are the conversations I've had with 7th Son author JC Hutchins, and Infected author Scott Sigler. The last one really made it all worth it. On a side note, this blog seems to be turning away from the original programming and project blog I had originally thought it would be. I think I'll have to rethink what I'm posting about, whether to go back to the original idea, or move towards a podcast review blog. If there are any opinions, podcast suggestions, or rants about this, feel free to let me know.

Me to JC:

I just put up a post about 7th Son, along with a banner and link on my blog. The address is http://thecdspace.blogspot.com. Great work JC, I'm looking forward to what else you have in store.

JC to Me:

Hey Jason!

Wow, man -- thanks so much for the kind comments about 7th Son ... and for posting that excellent banner on your site! I'm touched by your generosity. Please let me know how I can return the favor!

Best wishes,

--J.C. Hutchins

Me:

Just getting to hear from you is return enough! 7th Son is a great series, I've started book 3, and the intrigue and excitement keep on rolling. And then getting to hear from you, personally, not just some agent or staff person, is incredible. That is probably what makes 7th Son, and you, a great author, It's not just the writing that you enjoy, but also the fans, and you take the time to let us know that.

If you really feel you want to do something for the free advertising on my blog, I could only ask for two things. 1) Keep writing! 2) A link to my blog on that list of banner links.

On a side note, my girlfriend is saying I've developed the Kilroy 2.0 laugh. She hasn't listened to the books, except what I've made her listen to, like the 12 days of clonemas (hilarious!). She'll be waiting for the print versions to come out next year. I've been listening to both 7th Son and Infected, and have given her synopses of both books. She's in favor of Sigler's book. Hopefully when she reads 7th Son, she'll shift her opinions, but for now, the Hutchins-Sigler feud continues.

Anyway, I don't want to take up too much of your time. My only request, keep writing, turn out more quality like 7th Son, and you've already got a faithful listener/reader. Keep up the great work JC!

JC to Me:

Supercool, Jason! I've added your blog to the list at the "More Evangelism" page:

http://jchutchins.net/site/conspire/more-evangelism/

Thanks again for the kindness, and for spreading the word! Take it easy, and keep in touch!

--J.C. Hutchins

Me to Sigler:

I just thought I'd let you know about a post I recently put up on my blog. I sing the praises of Hutchins and 7th Son, and give you a PS. I know, not very nice, so I put up a post about you and Infected. I hope the new post can make up for it, and ask the General's mercy.

Anyway, great work on Infected. Keep us updated on the movie process. Infected would make a great flick, if directed well. I'm starting to listen to The Rookie, and am eagerly awaiting the next two books in the Infected series.

Scott Sigler to Me:

JC Hutchins kicks puppies. Nice job promoting him, are you happy with yourself?

-Scott-

Twitter

I'm now on twitter. Call it a mini-blog, for random intraday updates. Later today, I'll post some emails from JC Hutchins and Scott Sigler. They are a fun pair.

Don't Forget the Sigler

Alas, JC Hutchins and Scott Sigler seem to be having a feud. The last few posts have made clear I'm a fan of JC Hutchins and his 7th Son trilogy. But I'm also listening to the podiobook Infected by Scott Sigler. I couldn't leave Sigler out of the postings, so here is a post just for him (you're still mentioned Hutchins, don't worry).

Infected is a novel about an outbreak of an never before seen, voracious disease. But unlike other outbreak novels, this disease if different. It starts innocently enough as an itch and a rash, but then becomes something more. I've never heard of a concept like this in any other sci-fi works, and I don't want to give anything away, but this novel has blown my socks off, and I'm only half-way through. Like 7th Son, Infected is the beginning of a trilogy, and I can't wait to see what Sigler has in store for the other two books.

I've heard Infected is in the very early stages of becoming a movie, which would be awesome! It will be years yet, but hopefully worth the wait. I just hope they pick a good crew. Feel free to comment on ideas on who he director and actors should be. Maybe we can influence General Siglerismo to hear the little people.

PS: I should have pointed this out before, but both 7th Son and Infected are intended for mature audiences only. 7th Son has swearing, lots of action, and some suggestive themes, and Infected has, in the words of Sigler himself, "lots, and lots of violence." Yes, gore. Just thought you should be warned.

John Alpha 08!

My John Alpha for President bumper stickers. Sent by JC Hutchins himself! The notes read
"Hey Jason! Thanks for supporting John Alpha! Best J.C. Hutchins"
"Hey buddy! Thanks for all the support! J.C. Hutchins"

Sweet!

Diversions

I just wanted to make a quick post about an audiobook I've been listening to. It's called 7th Son, by J. C. Hutchins, and is actually a trilogy. So far, I'm halfway through the second book, and it's been amazing so far. It can be found on podiobooks.com, and jchutchins.net. It's sci-fi, and full of action, plot twists, ethics, philosophy. 7th Son has gained a large, almost cult-like following. My advice, check out this book, now. Click below to go to the 7th Son homepage



I'll have what is turning out to be the regular Friday post later today. Find 7th Son before then, or else!

PS Also check out another great author, Scott Sigler. Search for him at podiobooks.com, or go to scottsigler.com.

ActiveMeter

Just added an ActiveMeter counter on the right. I'm just curious how many people visit here...and I'm just vain.

Current Projects

As promised, here is a discussion on my current projects. These are listed in order of importance to others. If they were ordered by importance to me, it would probably be exactly opposite.

Anyway, first on the list isn't really a current project, but only because I finished it this week. So it's still fresh enough to count as current. The project itself was rather boring, data analysis. Finding relations among futures market data, grouping those relations, doing some simple calculations, and doing several histograms on the resulting data. What made it interesting was that I decided to write this program in Python. I must say, I think Python is my new favorite programming language. It's simple, has no braces to keep trace of, and is powerful enough to do just about anything any other language can to. I think Python is my new language of choice.

Next on the list is a Java applet. This one, at it's core, is an image building and overlay applet. The user has several choices of background image and color, or can upload their own background, and can add text or images to the base image. This can then be saved on the server, for some admin to look up and process in whatever way has been deemed worthy. It will be used as a T-Shirt designer for several websites, but I believe it can have many other applications. Auto-detailing previews, greeting card design, perhaps a preview of furniture in your home before you buy it online. I'm sure there are other uses for this. At it's current state, the user can select a background from a list, select from a list of clipart what images to add to the background. Until a few days ago, it wasn't displaying the added images or text on the background, but I finally figured out why it wasn't working. So this project will soon be finished.

So the first project was for my day job, DRC, the second project was for my own company, JTS (is it weird that I work for/own companies only referenced by acronymic letters?). Finally, we get to the fun stuff. These aren't really full projects, with some ultimate goal, but merely projects for my own education and fun in whatever free time I have. I have been looking for freelancing software projects online lately. Several of them are for website and database systems. The ones I've been interested in deal with MySQL and AJAX.

So, I wen't out and got myself a book on MySQL. MySQL Crash Course, by Ben Forta. For the clinet server applictoin I wrote for JTS, I learned intereaction with SQL Server 2005 Express via C#.NET. MySQL is very similar, but, from my experience so far, much easier to interact with. Learning MySQL will not only be applicable to freelance projects I'm trying to get, but also in a grander project down the road .

Also, I've had an interest in AJAX, but haven't started looking into learning it yet, probably after I'm comfortable with MySQL. Also on this list of to-learns is MS SilverLight. Although, I will probably wait to see how much of a hold it take in the internet market before investing any time into it.

Last, but certainly not least, is XNA. The most recent version, XNA 3.0 CTP beta, just came out, and has development options for the Zune games. The CTP doesn't yet support development on 64 bit systems (like my home machine), but when the full release comes out later this year, be sure I'll have it, and will be Zune Gaming in no time.

As a final note, the hint dropped earlier was about my dream in programming. Games. My own games. I've begun tailoring my fun projects towards areas that will ultimately be useful in developing a game eventually. I'm not sure what type of game I'm going to try to produce, or even when I'll start, but it will be online, MMO, and probably fully 3d.

Anyway, that's all for now. Stay tuned for more info on personal projects outside of programming.

Here I am!

So I've gone and done it. I'm a blogger. I never thought I'd be doing something like this. I've always been so quiet and shy, now here I am, post to the world.

Anyway, this will probably be rants about work, life, more work, etc. I'll put on here what I'm up to, both at work, and in my personal explorations.

As for me professionally, I work fulltime as a software developer for a small futures market analysis and consultation firm (sorry guys, no free advertising). I am also joint owner of a networking and software company. Most of the rants will probably be about that. My own company, JTS Technologies, is really up in the air right now, so there is plenty to rant about.

Personally, I'm 26, live in New Mexico (it's okay to drink the water, I'm still in the USA), have a girlfriend of 3 years, a wonderfully cute 2 year old daughter, and two cats. At my day job I have two computers, one with dual monitors. At home I have 4 computers and a server tower (specs follow) a PS2 and a Zune.

Home Computers:
1) 2.2 Ghz dual core Pentium, dual boot windows vista and Xubuntu 8.04, 750 GB hard drive (500 to windows, 250 to ubuntu) dual widescreen lcd monitors
2) water cooled XP pro 1.7 GHz dual 19" CRT
3) crash machine, bare bones, don't remember how fast, been through so many linux flavors
4) XP pro, Hewlett Packard, don't know any more than that, was my GF's old computer, I haven't looked at what I can do with it yet
5) server tower, 15 SCSI hard drives, 4 media bay fans, don't know how fast, I think it's running Windows Server 2000.

I guess that's all for now. Next post will probably b about the software projects I'm currently working on for my day job, for JTS Tech., as a freelancer, and, if there's any time left, my own projects and experiments.