The TwiÂlight Zone aired between 1959 and 1964, and it became one of AmerÂiÂca’s iconÂic teleÂviÂsion shows. Although the proÂgram endÂed long ago, the show lives on today … on the radio. AirÂing on 200 staÂtions across the US, TwiÂlight Zone Radio draÂmaÂtizes Rod SerÂling’s clasÂsic scripts for today’s radio audiÂences. And it does it with help of actor StaÂcy Keach, the show’s host, and celebriÂties (Jason AlexanÂder, Ed BegÂley Jr., etc.) playÂing lead roles in the draÂmas. You can catch the show on the radio (find your local radio staÂtion here). Or, right now, you can downÂload three free episodes of past shows. Each runs about 40 minÂutes, and, if you find yourÂself hunÂgerÂing for more, you can always purÂchase indiÂvidÂual episodes from the TwiÂlight Zone Radio archive for $1.95.
Back in the late 1930s, Orson Welles launched The MerÂcury TheÂatre on the Air, a radio proÂgram dedÂiÂcatÂed to bringÂing draÂmatÂic, theÂatriÂcal proÂducÂtions to the AmerÂiÂcan airÂwaves. The show had a fairÂly short run. It lastÂed from 1938 to 1941. But it made its mark. DurÂing these few years, The MerÂcury TheÂatre aired The War of the Worlds, an episode narÂratÂed by Welles himÂself that led many AmerÂiÂcans to believe their counÂtry was under MarÂtÂian attack. The legÂendary proÂducÂtion was based on H.G. Wells’ earÂly sci-fi novÂel, also called The War of the Worlds, and you can lisÂten to the clasÂsic radio proÂducÂtion here, or above.
The MerÂcury TheÂatre also adaptÂed a series of othÂer major novÂels, includÂing DracÂuÂla, TreaÂsure Island, and The Count of Monte Cristo. And then there’s DickÂens. In 1938 and 1939, The MerÂcury TheÂatre proÂduced two verÂsions of Charles DickÂens’ A ChristÂmas CarÂol. In the 1938 verÂsion (get mp3), Welles played the role of Scrooge. The 1939 verÂsion (mp3) feaÂtures Lionel BarÂryÂmore (yup, the grandunÂcle of Drew BarÂryÂmore) playÂing the same role. You can lisÂten to these shows and othÂers at this web site dedÂiÂcatÂed to The MerÂcury TheÂatre on the Air.
Richard Dawkins, the promiÂnent Oxford UniÂverÂsiÂty biolÂoÂgist, has folÂlowed up The God DeluÂsion (2006) with The GreatÂest Show on Earth (SepÂtemÂber, 2009). After havÂing made the case for atheÂism, Dawkins now looks to debunk “IntelÂliÂgent Design” and lay out the sheer volÂume of eviÂdence supÂportÂing evoÂluÂtion. Above, Dawkins reads pasÂsages from his book and then talks about evoÂluÂtion and why, relÂaÂtive to othÂer sciÂenÂtifÂic theÂoÂries, it tends to meet so much oppoÂsiÂtion. The video comes from the Guardian where you can also find a review of Dawkins’ new book.
Note: you should be able to downÂload Dawkins’ book for free (in audio forÂmat) through Audible.com’s standÂing offer. Details here.
Sci-fi author Neil Gaiman has the right idea. After makÂing his well-known novÂel AmerÂiÂcan Gods freely availÂable online last year, he has gone the extra mile again in releasÂing his new novÂel, The GraveÂYard Book. In brief, he has just kicked off a nine day book tour, and each day he’s readÂing a chapÂter that you can latÂer watch on the web. You can watch all of the videos above. And find more readÂings here:
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Sir Arthur C. Clarke, the futurÂist and sciÂence ficÂtion writer most well known for his novÂel 2001: A Space Odyssey, has passed away. (You can read his obit here.) Below, we have postÂed a video recordÂed last DecemÂber for his 90th birthÂday. TouchÂing in many ways, the video offers a good reminder of how much our world changed durÂing his 90 years.
William GibÂson, who launched the cyberÂpunk genre with the 1984 clasÂsic NeuÂroÂmancer, hasÂn’t lost any steam. PatÂtern RecogÂniÂtion, pubÂlished a good 20+ years latÂer, won wide praise in 2005. Now, he’s come out with Spook CounÂtry, and it’s curÂrentÂly #66 on the AmaÂzon bestÂseller list. Below, you can catch GibÂson readÂing from his new work in SecÂond Life. What can be more fitting?Also, you may want to check out BoingÂBoÂing’s “nerdgasÂmic” interÂview with GibÂson (iTunes — Feed — MP3 Stream), plus Cory DocÂtorÂrow’s revÂerÂenÂtial review of the new work. And finalÂly, if you need more, you can watch GibÂson give a book talk at Cody’s in BerkeÂley CA, courÂtesy of Fora.Tv.For your daiÂly dose of digÂiÂtal culÂture, subÂscribe to our feed.
Today, by popÂuÂlar demand, we’re runÂning an updatÂed verÂsion of one of our more popÂuÂlar posts to date. Enjoy…
At hasÂtened speeds durÂing the past year, we have seen book lovers recordÂing homeÂgrown audioÂbooks and postÂing them on sites like LibÂrivox (see our colÂlecÂtion of free audioÂbooks here). For obviÂous copyÂright reaÂsons, these audio texts largeÂly come from the pubÂlic domain, and, yes, they’re someÂtimes of uneven qualÂiÂty. Some good, some okay. Among the recent releasÂes, you’d expect to find great clasÂsiÂcal works — the major plays by ShakeÂspeare, the essenÂtial treaÂtisÂes by PlaÂto and othÂer philosoÂphers, etc. — and you do get some of those. HowÂevÂer, far more often you get texts by more modÂern writÂers who wrote withÂin the thriller, sci fi and advenÂture genÂres. Here, I’m talkÂing about WashÂingÂton IrvÂing, Robert Louis StevenÂson, Edgar Allen Poe, Arthur Conan Doyle, and H.G. Wells. (Find these podÂcasts here.)
It seems rather fitÂting that Wells, the father of sciÂence ficÂtion, would be among the first to have his writÂings digÂiÂtalÂly recordÂed and disÂtribÂuted. NowaÂdays, you can downÂload, sync and lisÂten to his major works – The New AccelÂerÂaÂtor (mp3), The InvisÂiÂble Man (iTunes — feed), The Time Machine (iTunes — feed), and The War of the Worlds (iTunes). But what’s betÂter than all of this, at least in our minds, is this vinÂtage gem …
Here you can downÂload the verÂsion of The War of the Worlds that Orson Welles famousÂly adaptÂed and aired on nationÂal radio in OctoÂber 1938. PreÂsentÂed so that it soundÂed like an actuÂal news broadÂcast, the Orson Welles verÂsion was misÂtakÂen for truth by many lisÂtenÂers who caught the proÂgram midÂstream (more info here), and, soon enough, they found themÂselves fleeÂing an unfoldÂing MarÂtÂian invaÂsion, runÂning down into their baseÂments with guns cocked and ready to fire. You can catch the mp3 verÂsion of the famous Welles recordÂing here (and also alterÂnaÂtiveÂly here). Have fun with this broadÂcast. It’s a clasÂsic.
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The TwiÂlight Zone aired between 1959 and 1964, and it became one of AmerÂiÂca’s iconÂic teleÂviÂsion shows. Although the proÂgram endÂed long ago, the show lives on today … on the radio. AirÂing on 200 staÂtions across the US, TwiÂlight Zone Radio draÂmaÂtizes Rod SerÂling’s clasÂsic scripts for today’s radio audiÂences. And it does it with help of actor StaÂcy Keach, the show’s host, and celebriÂties (Jason AlexanÂder, Ed BegÂley Jr., etc.) playÂing lead roles in the draÂmas. You can catch the show on the radio (find your local radio staÂtion here). Or, right now, you can downÂload three free episodes of past shows. Each runs about 40 minÂutes, and, if you find yourÂself hunÂgerÂing for more, you can always purÂchase indiÂvidÂual episodes from the TwiÂlight Zone Radio archive for $1.95.
