Sunday, September 7, 2008. Twenty years ago today, the New York Times featured an article about a new computer chat service called Aline. I talk about that long-gone service and also about another computer chat protocol invented twenty years ago and still going strong, IRC.  I also discuss how the revolution in online communications has affected the world of science fiction fandom.

If you happen to be a Doctor Who fan and would be interested in seeing that last fanzine, I have it available as a PDF.  Just email me.  For more fan fiction online, you can check out the site fanfiction.net, a clearinghouse of creative efforts from fans of more TV shows and movies than you can possibly imagine.  I do have one story there myself, in the Babylon 5 section, and a fragment in the Crusade section.

Our theme music is composed and performed by Marc Rose.

For December 15, 2007. Twenty years ago on this day, digging began on the tunnel beneath the English Channel.  I describe a little about the Channel Tunnel (also known as Eurotunnel or the Chunnel), a concept drawing of which is seen here.  I also talk about why I find large engineering and construction projects like the Chunnel so fascinating.

Our theme music is composed and performed by Marc Rose.

Thursday, August 28, 2008. Twenty years ago today, a mid-air collision during an airshow at Ramstein Air Base in West Germany killed three pilots and 67 people on the ground.  I talk about how this event, possibly the worst airshow disaster in history, took place, and about the emotional reaction I had to it.

Witnesses and survivors of the Ramstein airshow disaster can be found in a number of places on the Internet -- a principal one is at the site www.flugtag88.com.  The translation of lyrics for the song 'Ramstein,' along with many other Rammstein songs, can be found at the fan site Herzeleid.com.  Our theme music is composed and performed by Marc Rose.

Friday, August 22, 2008. The feature article in Sports Illustrated twenty years ago today (the cover of the magazine is pictured here) was all about a history-making trade of a history-making player, Wayne Gretzky.  I talk about the trade, Gretzky's career, and how his being traded to the Los Angeles Kings influenced the development of the National Hockey League in the years after.

Our theme music is composed and performed by Marc Rose.

Thursday, August 21, 2008.  Twenty years ago today, farm labor leader Cesar Chavez ended a water-only fast after 36 days.  I take a look at Chavez, his fast, and his legacy, as well as several issues that were part of his life's work -- the plight of farm workers and the ongoing controversy over immigration.

Our theme music is composed and performed by Marc Rose.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008. Twenty years ago today, a cease-fire began which ended the Iran-Iraq War.  I take a look at some of the effects of a war that lasted nearly eight years, but is still having a direct effect on us, twenty years after it ended.

Our theme music is composed and performed by Marc Rose.

Monday, August 18, 2008. Twenty years ago today, the drug minoxidil was approved by the FDA as a treatment for male pattern baldness.  It is still sold today, most often under the brand name Rogaine.  I talk about minoxidil and male pattern baldness -- an issue which is every bit as important to those who have to deal with it today as it was twenty years ago.

Our theme music is composed and performed by Marc Rose.

For November 11, 2007.  It was twenty years ago that the major label debut of rap artist Ice-T, 'Rhyme Pays,' was released.  There's no explicit lyrics in this podcast, but I do talk about the record and its influence on the genre.  I also offer some thoughts on the nature of soul, art, and pop culture.

Our theme music is composed and performed by Marc Rose.

For October 23, 2007. Twenty years ago on this day, the nomination of Robert Bork to the Supreme Court was rejected by the U.S. Senate. I talk about the Bork nomination, how I listened to the hearings, and offer my interpretation of some of the catchphrases that fly around whenever there's a Supreme Court nomination on the table.

This is the first of a number of "backlog" episodes which I'll be posting along with current date ones. 

Our theme music is composed and performed by Marc Rose.

Sunday, June 8, 2008. Twenty years ago today, a young man named James Frey was arrested for drunk driving.  This would have been an event of little import except for the fact that Frey wrote about it fifteen years later, in a book that purported to be a memoir but turned out to have little to do with reality.  I take a look at the story of 'A Million Little Pieces,' and also compare the sort of memoirs which were on the bestseller list twenty years ago and today.

The full version of James Frey's June 8, 1998 mugshot, and much of the information about the lies in 'A Million Little Pieces,' can be found at The Smoking Gun website.  Our theme music is composed and performed by Marc Rose.