Author Topic: PodCastle Metacast #1 -- We Have a Feed  (Read 16938 times)

Rachel Swirsky

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on: March 12, 2008, 07:10:17 AM
PodCastle's first post -- Metacast #1 -- is up over at our website, http://www.podcastle.org

Now that we have an audio file to put out on the feed, we can finally give you a proper podcast feed you can subscribe to, as well as submit our RSS feed to iTunes. (If you don’t know what this means, sit tight and we’ll have some handy tips for you.)

The feed URL, for those of you who want to subscribe immediately, is:

http://feeds.escapeartists.net/PodCastle_Main

We expect to be listed in the iTunes directory shortly, but if you want to start following us in your own iTunes right now, just head over to our website and click the Itunes button.

Right now, we have our first post up on that feed -- a "metacast" from me, including some information about the PodCastle format and teasers for our upcoming episodes. You can listen to it here.

Here's a teaser from the metacast:

We here at PodCastle feel that one of fantasy’s strengths is how many different kinds of fantasy stories there are, from traditional high fantasy, to mythic fantasy and folktales, to dark fantasy and urban fantasy, to dream-like surrealism and the more literary magical realism. At PodCastle, we plan to provide fantasy fiction that excites all these yearnings: from the desire to enjoy vicarious sword-swinging adventures to the use of the fantastic to explore the human mind and experience.

Over the course of our first three months, I’ve put together a kind of tour of fantasy, hitting many of the genre’s highlights. We begin with fantasy staples like personified death, fairy worlds, and dragons that menace villagers and haunt dreams. Then we move into myths and folktales, both new and old. From there we’ll emerge into magical versions of our own world, first epically historical and then quieter, simpler stories of mundane lives laced with a hint – just a hint – of magic. Finally, we’ll move through the other side of realism into mad, surreal visions, like our own world distorted by fun house mirrors.



eytanz

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Reply #1 on: March 12, 2008, 10:20:04 AM
Oh, yay! This was a nice little surprise in the morning. Podcastle sounds like it's going to be truely wonderful.

One minor nitpick: Pseudopod beat you to the multiple hosts thing. Unless... Oh! Are Alasdair and Ben really the same person, suffering from a multiple personality disorder?
« Last Edit: March 12, 2008, 02:16:14 PM by eytanz »



Alasdair5000

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Reply #2 on: March 12, 2008, 01:27:18 PM
You know the truth.

Now things must get...

messy.



CammoBlammo

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Reply #3 on: March 13, 2008, 03:23:19 AM
Oh, yay! This was a nice little surprise in the morning. Podcastle sounds like it's going to be truely wonderful.

One minor nitpick: Pseudopod beat you to the multiple hosts thing. Unless... Oh! Are Alasdair and Ben really the same person, suffering from a multiple personality disorder?

Haven't you seen Alasdair's avatar? They're conjoined.
« Last Edit: March 13, 2008, 03:33:11 AM by CammoBlammo »



Ocicat

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Reply #4 on: March 13, 2008, 10:15:44 PM
Yay for the feed being up!  The plans sound good, too.  I like the idea of the first bunch of stories being a slow "tour' through the genre.

As to the rotating hosts, while I do like EP's single host format, where you feel you get to know the personality behind the podcast... whatever works for you guys is probably best.  And the idea of having the occasional author come on to host sounds like fun.  Is the idea to have authors host their own stories, or come on to host the work of others?



Rachel Swirsky

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Reply #5 on: March 13, 2008, 11:13:38 PM
Quote
Is the idea to have authors host their own stories, or come on to host the work of others?

Definitely the latter.

Right now we have K. Tempest Bradford introducing a story by Hilary Moon Murphy in our third week, Erin Cashier (one-time Escape Pod slush reader) introducing a story by Jim C. Hines, and Deborah Coates introducing a story by Stephen V. Ramey.



Kaa

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Reply #6 on: March 14, 2008, 08:01:21 PM
Yay!

Although I am a tad disappointed that you changed the "pattern" for the feed, so I had to learn about this from Pseudopod and subscribe rather than having "guessed correctly" from the feeds for the other two. :)

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The Word Whore

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Reply #7 on: March 14, 2008, 09:39:26 PM
Yay!!! I'm very excited!!!

Though, I kind of have to say, more than a little disappointed in the sound quality  :-[
Surprised no one else has mentioned.....

Cheers,
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Roney

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Reply #8 on: March 17, 2008, 09:04:45 PM
Woo-hoo!  A Metacast -- my favourite kind of episode!

Seriously though, thanks for the teaser.  Consider me teased.  :) And only two weeks to go now...



SFEley

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Reply #9 on: March 18, 2008, 08:06:27 PM
Though, I kind of have to say, more than a little disappointed in the sound quality  :-[
Surprised no one else has mentioned.....

Sound quality is my responsibility.  I did the audio engineering on the metacast, and will be doing it for the first few PodCastle episodes.  If you have issues with the sound, please let me know what you thought of it.  We're always working to improve.

(As an aside, that bed music from the metacast isn't going to be the music used in PodCastle episodes.  We decided to save our real music as a surprise.)


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SFEley

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Reply #10 on: March 18, 2008, 08:07:39 PM
Although I am a tad disappointed that you changed the "pattern" for the feed, so I had to learn about this from Pseudopod and subscribe rather than having "guessed correctly" from the feeds for the other two. :)

Sorry.  The simple "PodCastle" URI was already taken at Feedburner.


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BigDrahma

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Reply #11 on: March 19, 2008, 07:53:39 PM
Though, I kind of have to say, more than a little disappointed in the sound quality  :-[
Surprised no one else has mentioned.....

Sound quality is my responsibility.  I did the audio engineering on the metacast, and will be doing it for the first few PodCastle episodes.  If you have issues with the sound, please let me know what you thought of it.  We're always working to improve.

(As an aside, that bed music from the metacast isn't going to be the music used in PodCastle episodes.  We decided to save our real music as a surprise.)

It just sounds like she was 15 feet from her microphone.  Bad, nasty reverb.  And some hard esses.  I don't think you could have helped that.  If it doesn't improve, it'll be hard to listen to on the bus.



DKT

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Reply #12 on: March 20, 2008, 04:21:04 PM
I'm really excited about the plans you guys have for this podcast, and even moreso now that I've listened to the Metacast.  It's clear that all who're involved have put a lot of time, effort, and thought into this. 

I'm happy April 1st is only 11 days away!!!


Loz

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Reply #13 on: March 25, 2008, 06:44:55 AM
Woohoo, subscribed on iTunes and waiting for April the 1st!



Thaurismunths

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Reply #14 on: March 25, 2008, 09:13:12 PM
Finally listened to the metacast.
I'm very excited for the debut of this podcast, most of all for the diversity. I'm looking forward to visiting the whole spectrum of fantasy. Having multiple hosts is also a very keen idea. Escape Pod wouldn't be Escape Pod with out Steve doing the intros, but tis' great to see Escape Artists not getting stuck in a rut.

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Reply #15 on: April 01, 2008, 03:45:18 PM
Subscribed just this morning and picked up the first episode.  Listened to the metacast during breakfast and will listen to the story at lunch.

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