Voices in the Machine

I have just had the pleasure of listening to the first two episodes of the new Caledon-centric podcast, Voices in the Machine, available through an RSS feed at http://voicesinthemachine.blogspot.com/, or through iTunes (which is how I obtained my copies; Apple is Evil, but Evil can be sooooo addictive), or through http://archive.org . The regular cast chatting (via Skype?) from varied places on the globe are: Gabrielle Riel, Edward Pearse, Fuschia Begonia, and Nix Sands. Poor Lord Argylle must be at something of a disadvantage, time-zone-wise, but he more than holds up his end of the conversation.

The first episode featured introductions from the cast, including how each made his or her way into Second Life and Caledon; an interview with Her Lyonesse, Kamilah Hauptmann; and a discussion of the Openspace sim controversy, which erupted just before the first episode was taped. (Taped? That's an anachronism of some sort. Converted to zeroes and ones? There must be a better word for this.) The second, shorter episode was devoted to further discussion of the Openspace issue, following the announcement by The Lab That Dare Not Speak Its Name that the price increase would stick, albeit with a delay of six months, and substantial limits would be placed on the use of Openspace sims.

The format is inviting: four friends, sitting around a virtual living room, having a chat about common interests. It's like listening in to a conversation about Caledon in one of the nation's locals. As someone who cannot be in-world nearly enough to keep up with things, and who loves to hear about others' views on all things steampunk-y, this kind of podcast is right down my alley. (Calling Sir ZenMondo: I've been waiting for the next episode of "Zen and the Art of Steampunk" for a while...) My only regret is not listening earlier. I eagerly await the next installment.

(Suggestion: a Crossfire-style episode. "Issue One! Is the Guv exploiting catgirls? Mr. Sands, your thoughts?...Wrong!" Okay, maybe not.)