Ten days ago my PC decided to die, it’s basically stopped sending a signal to my monitor which means I can’t see anything at all.  For all I know it may not even be powering up properly.  Thankfully I have a laptop which is not yet eighteen months old, but ALL of my iTunes is on my PC as I don’t want to overload my laptop with 2500 songs and about 5000 podcasts.  I have not been able to update my iPod since then, this is very, very bad as I am now out of date with Escape Pod, StarshipSofa, Pseudopod, Scott Sigler’s podcast, Fighting Talk and the list could go on for a fair while.  Yes I could download them onto my Laptop and sync my iPod to that but then I lose all the content that I have on my trusty old iPod Classic.  I can charge it without syncing so I thought “stuff it, I’ve got thousands of podcast episodes to get through so I should use this hiatus in my ability to sync to cut into some of these podcasts that I havent listened to yet”  So I have been.  Well, kind of anyway.  I’ve only really started listening to one that I havent before.  Adventures In SciFi Publishing is really, really bloody good! 

The two presenters Shaun and Sam are very funny and clearly know what they are talking about.  There is discussion of how the publishing world works as well as interviews with authors which are very insightful.  There is such an easy feel to this podcast that has made it very easy to listen to.  Like StarshipSofa you get A real enthusiasm from the people involved and an insight into the SciFi community as a whole.

For me Podcasts like this are gold-dust as they give me A look into a world that I am not part yet.  Listening to StarshipSofa and Adventures In SciFi Publishing have introduced me to names in the genre that I need to know about.  I had never known of Issac Asimov or Phillip K. Dick and the rest of these SciFi legends that I am ashamed to say that I’ve not really read, Although Asimov ‘sFoundation was amazing.  I’ve also got waiting to be read Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep? and 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke.  I know that I don’t have to read these grandmasters of the genre but I feel that I must.  When I listen to people talking about how these authors influenced their lives I feel like I’ve been left out somehow.  I know people say that they are out dated and so on, but so is Romeo And Juliet. 

back to the dead PC though.  THankfully none of my writing that I am working on is on my PC, well what there is there is backed upped on to my laptop so its only the loss of my ability to sync iTunes that is lost, until payday and then I can get it fixed!!! 😀