Thursday, July 28, 2005
New Q&A podcast now up
It's about twenty minutes long, featuring questions from Peter Murray, Mitchy, and Nathan.
3:41 PM
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Tuesday, July 26, 2005
First "Q&A" podcast airs Thursday, 28 July
DD is presently recording the first podcast answering some questions submitted by readers and fans via email. It should be posted around 1800 UT on Thursday, 28 July.
12:32 AM
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Saturday, July 16, 2005
Something useful: Podcast player at Podnova.com
For those of you who don't have podcast-receiving software (or are having trouble getting yours to work), Podnova has something handy: a Flash-based podcast player on the directory page for each podcast.
When you search for WizCast there, this page comes up and presents you with the player. Click on the podcast you're interested in hearing, and it starts to load.
We'll see if we can install something similar here.
When you search for WizCast there, this page comes up and presents you with the player. Click on the podcast you're interested in hearing, and it starts to load.
We'll see if we can install something similar here.
Better version of "Uptown Local" goes up
DD says: "I've resampled the audio of the original recording to a higher bitrate: there should be some improvement. Please ask people to leave a comment and let us know how it sounds. ...But in future, for readings, we'll use the Really Good Mike and sample pretty high to start with, using the big machine's sound card for recording. (This recording was made on the little Sony digital recorder.) The 'chat and Q&A' podcasts, because they'll be more informal, can stay at the lower bitrate and use the Sony.)"
Comments are now enabled (at least, until the comment-spammers find us...): so please take a moment to let us know how the sound quality seems to you. We'll be doing at least a couple more test recordings to implement our listeners' suggestions within the next couple of weeks.
Comments are now enabled (at least, until the comment-spammers find us...): so please take a moment to let us know how the sound quality seems to you. We'll be doing at least a couple more test recordings to implement our listeners' suggestions within the next couple of weeks.
Thursday, July 14, 2005
Sound quality problems
DD says: "I'm not wild about the sound quality on the upload of 'Uptown Local': it sounds like I'm in a bucket. I'll generate a higher-bitrate version in the morning."
In the meantime, the story is still available on the RSS feed as of now, though none of the podcast directories will be pinged until a version with better sound goes up.
In the meantime, the story is still available on the RSS feed as of now, though none of the podcast directories will be pinged until a version with better sound goes up.
"Uptown Local" reading goes up today
DD has finished editing her test recording of the Young Wizards short story "Uptown Local", and will be podcasting it later today. Check the RSS feed (or ask your podcasting client to do an update) in about four hours from this message's posting time.
Sunday, July 10, 2005
Second test podcast goes up
Within an hour or so of this message being posted, "Some Thoughts On Fan Fiction" will be available for download from the WizCast podcast link. The podcast contains a brief (ten minutes or so) discussion by DD of some of her thoughts about fanfiction in the YW universe and elsewhere. In case the "interior" link in the podcast doesn't work, check this blog link for the earlier article she's referencing.
The podcast/reading of "Uptown Local" will be posted in the next day or so as DD continues to alternately cajole and bitch-slap her recording equipment into behaving properly.
The podcast/reading of "Uptown Local" will be posted in the next day or so as DD continues to alternately cajole and bitch-slap her recording equipment into behaving properly.
Saturday, July 09, 2005
Questions to be handled in upcoming podcasts
We'll add them to this post as they come in.
From Mitchy:
"I've noticed two alien types that re-occur in your books: The multi-tentacled species called Sulamids (from various ST books and at least one Wizard book that I can recall) and walking, talking Christmas trees (the Lahit in "Doctor's Orders" and Filif from "Wizard's Holiday"). I was just curious as to how these guys came about. I'm assuming you're very fond of them as they keep cropping up and I don't blame you: they're pretty nifty cool :)"
From Peter Murray:
"1) Was Michael already within Ronan before his Ordeal? We were discussing in chat if he went from what happened in HW to Ronan, or if it's the non-sequential time thing again.
I don't know if this was a "think about it" one, or if that's the definitive answer :) :
2) Did Annie and her grandmother each know the other was a wizard?
New:
3) When was the Song of the Twelve first sung? It was more than ten thousand years ago, and it says maybe two million in DW somewhere."
From Mitchy:
"I've noticed two alien types that re-occur in your books: The multi-tentacled species called Sulamids (from various ST books and at least one Wizard book that I can recall) and walking, talking Christmas trees (the Lahit in "Doctor's Orders" and Filif from "Wizard's Holiday"). I was just curious as to how these guys came about. I'm assuming you're very fond of them as they keep cropping up and I don't blame you: they're pretty nifty cool :)"
From Peter Murray:
"1) Was Michael already within Ronan before his Ordeal? We were discussing in chat if he went from what happened in HW to Ronan, or if it's the non-sequential time thing again.
(DD) -- >PM -- Good question. I'll look into it.
(PM) I wondered if you were likely to answer in the Concordance.
(DD) --> PM -- Might make sense.
I don't know if this was a "think about it" one, or if that's the definitive answer :) :
2) Did Annie and her grandmother each know the other was a wizard?
(DD)--> PM -- Good question...I have No Idea.
New:
3) When was the Song of the Twelve first sung? It was more than ten thousand years ago, and it says maybe two million in DW somewhere."
Friday, July 08, 2005
First podcast is up
DD's reading of the afterword from the 20th-anniversary edition of So You Want to Be a Wizard is now located here:
http://wizcast.youngwizards.net/wizcast.rss
The reading of the short story "Uptown Local" will be added to the same site tomorrow.
The reading of the short story "Uptown Local" will be added to the same site tomorrow.
Test podcasts air today or tomorrow
Depending on editing time, DD's first couple of podcasts -- a pair of equipment tests -- will be available today or tomorrow. As an introduction, she'll be reading the afterword to the twentieth-anniversary edition of So You Want to Be a Wizard, and the accompanying YW short story, "Uptown Local". The two podcasts will run about twenty minutes each.
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
Something new at YoungWizards.net: Podcasting!
Starting in August 2005, Diane Duane will begin regular podcasts for readers of the best-selling Young Wizards series.
In each podcast, DD will answer questions from readers and fans, talk generally about the series, and -- starting in mid-August -- will read material from the new YW novel presently in progress, A Wizard of Mars. This material will not appear "in print" on either of the Young Wizards websites until late in 2005, well after the October release of Wizards at War.
Wizcast.youngwizards.net will be the home of the podcasted files. Information on how to find and download the podcasted audio files will be posted here as it becomes available. The podcasts will be made available through iTunes, and linked to in numerous other podcasting directories and venues.
The first podcast is presently scheduled for release on August 1, 2005. If you want to participate by asking a question or suggesting a topic you'd like to hear DD discuss, send your request to:
wizpodcast@googlemail.com
Questions will be posted here on the WizCast blog as they're received, and listeners will be emailed to let them know if their question's going to be handled during a given podcast.
In each podcast, DD will answer questions from readers and fans, talk generally about the series, and -- starting in mid-August -- will read material from the new YW novel presently in progress, A Wizard of Mars. This material will not appear "in print" on either of the Young Wizards websites until late in 2005, well after the October release of Wizards at War.
Wizcast.youngwizards.net will be the home of the podcasted files. Information on how to find and download the podcasted audio files will be posted here as it becomes available. The podcasts will be made available through iTunes, and linked to in numerous other podcasting directories and venues.
The first podcast is presently scheduled for release on August 1, 2005. If you want to participate by asking a question or suggesting a topic you'd like to hear DD discuss, send your request to:
Questions will be posted here on the WizCast blog as they're received, and listeners will be emailed to let them know if their question's going to be handled during a given podcast.