Radio Caravan

Hello there. I’ve talked about this a lot with Devin, and I’ve come to the conclusion that Retrieval Detachment will discontinue its run. It was fun to do the shows, but not as much fun as I thought it would be. We’ve decided that it would be better to focus our rather limited time on creative endeavors rather than rhetorical endeavors.

I want to thank everyone who listened to the show during its run, which was a surprisingly large number of you, thanks to the kind words from Steve Eley. I’m sorry if I disappointed you, but there are some other great sci-fi discussion podcasts out there, covering similar material in a similar way.

Thanks again, and we’ll see you around. Until then, have fun.

Retrieval Detachment will be on hiatus until January, as we work out details to retool the show slightly. This time off will, I hope, allow us to increase the quality of the shows as well as satisfy my own compulsive drive for NPR-esque perfection. When the show returns, the scope will be a little wider, the talk a little smarter (or at least containing fewer ‘ums’), and the schedule twice monthly.

We are looking for essays about science fiction concepts: time-travel, alternate dimensions, strong female characters in sci-fi, the use of setting in sci-fi, Ten Things You Need To Know About Alien Encounters… nearly anything goes. Humorous or serious, we’ll give it all a fair shake. We want to present as articles on the show, not unlike This American Life. We’re not a paying market (yet), but if you happen to have such an essay, feel free to contact us by e-mailing us, and well work something out. We’re hoping to offset the Devin/Matthew banter with an essay each episode.

I hope you stick with us during the break; your RSS client won’t need to make any changes. We’ll be back before you know it. Of all the times to take a break, the middle of the holidays isn’t too bad, since you’ll have plenty to keep you busy, almost forgetting that nagging tug of emptyness in your heart for not having a new Retrieval Detachment to listen to. Or maybe that’s the extra thick slice of roast beast.

Download this week’s show directly by clicking this link.

Ah, much better. And on time. In fact, this is probably the quickest turnaround for any All Out Blitz episode: 50 minutes (80 if you include my half-hour car ride home). Not bad at all. I upped the bitrate to 64kbps, and the sample rate to 32KHz. It’s 29MB instead of the normal 21.5MB, but I think you’re worth it. I also installed Akismet to block comment spam, so you’re all free to comment on AOB’s main website!

The episode is also one of our better ones as of late, and not just because we sound fabulous: Allen Iverson and Kevin Garnett are stirring things up, college football teams are always entertaining when they look for coaches, and the New Orleans Saints have some legitimate things to cheer about. Plus, you’ve got David Stern, Steinbrenner, the Red Sox, and the ten worst places to see a sports event in the United States.

Download this week’s show directly by clicking this link.

I apologize for the sound quality. And the lateness. And a lot of the bad jokes. I’m doing a lot of apologizing for this episode. Perhaps it’s best if you just skip it and go to the next one.

Download this week’s show directly by clicking this link.

Special guest this week - Richard Van Cleave, AOB Fantasy Baseball League winner for 2006! This show suffers from the same fate as this week’s Retrieval Detachment: iffy sound due to more people than microphones, and learning the new MacBook software (mine was so very old). I suspect things will improve soon, though. It’s looking good for the future!