Episode 163 starts with an update from Tony Smith bringing us up to date on Star Ship Sofa. Next I post a review of the newest film in the Star Trek venue aptly titled Star Trek. Following that, still in the Star Trek theme, CrystalWizard brings some interesting trivia to the podcast.

The hour finishes with part two of Clifford D.Simak's the Street that wasn't there read by Crystalwizard. If you liked how she began this story then you are goin to love the last half hour. I really enjoy how CrystalWizard reads these complex stories. I am sure you will too.

And there you go...The hour goes just as fast as the description! Enjoy!

Beam Me Up episode 162 is again, just full of goodness ... wow, they are getting so good, maybe even I will start listening! First off, Tony Smith gives us an update on what is going on with Star Ship Sofa. Tony seems to be his own worst enemy when it comes having things just go completely wrong, but he managed to get the show out in good order, but it is comical to listen to the machinations he went through. In the flash/poetry department we have David Kopaska-Merkel's Hazard Pay For our longer piece Crystal Wizard, of Abandoned Towers, returns again to read part one of Clifford D. Simak's The Street that wasn't There. This is a thoroughly disturbing tale that is enhanced by CW's reading. From the blog, Mars had huge deep water lakes? Why is Star Trek still popular after all these years? and the BMU archive has been updated.

Episode 161 starts off with an update from Star Ship Sofa's Tony Smith on what you can expect from the newest offering of his great podcast. Our story selections this week are a short piece from Shaun A. Saunders titled What Else But War, which asks the question, how far should personal defense go? At the bottom of the hour I read Maquech by Silvia Moreno-Garcia a near future look at the impact of global warming not as a whole, but the bleakness it brings one man plus how the division of wealth becomes ever so much more oppressive. Silvia takes an unflinching look into what might be coming. Bring your sunscreen for this trip....you will need it.

This week goes by fast, but with plenty of entertainment to go around. Enjoy.

Episode 160 has been updated!!!! conversion caused a file to be dropped so the show ran short. Thanks CrystalWizard for the heads up.

Episode 160 of Beam Me Up is just chocker block full of fun this week. First off we have a review of "Hog Father" from the weirdness that is Disk World brought to you by Oddcube and the weirdness of Diskworld is only matched by the zaniness of Oddcube himself. I think you will find the segment very entertaining, as I did. CrystalWizard brings us up to speed concerning what is new over at Abandoned Towers. She also lets us know about a new "scavenger hunt" on the internet that will net you a signed copy of “Sha’Daa: Tales of the Apocalypse” which she also exerpts a few cuts that showcase just how entertaining the book it, and how you can win a copy or otherwise get your mitts on a copy. And if that was not enough CrystalWizard sent me her reading of Star Mother by Robert F. Young. And let me tell you, the radio show wasn't even over when I received comments on how good her reading was. It's t-10 and counting......all set zero out.....time for Beam Me Up

Episode 159 is going to really show off where BMU is going in my humble opinion! We have a musical selection as usual but then, a poem by David Kopaska-Merkel called "Eel Time" which really puts a spin on an "alien invasion" Crystal Wizard brings us an article titled "What is Science Fiction" and follows that up with a great update of what is available new this month at Abandoned Towers!

From the blog I review a new online comix called ManMachine by Royce Lee and finally Colin P. Davies' Chicken part two from his very talented collection of short stories called Tall Tales on the Iron Horse. Chicken as you recall takes place in the near future when the polar ice caps have melted inundating the coastal regions. Left behind to fare for themselves are the forgotten elements of society. Let to their own devices, there is little incentive to "functioning members of the human race" inventing bizarre and dangerous activities to offset the boredom brought on by almost complete isolation. Part 2 follows one group on a bizarre and deadly game of "Chicken"!

Climb with us onto that topmost rail and step out into nothingness........ its time for Beam Me Up

Episode 158 brings in a couple of new additions...the first is something BMU hasn't tried in the past....Science Fiction Poetry! Our poetry offering is from David Kopaska-Merkel called Doing Double Time. Its a compilation of shorter pieces linked together. I am hoping we can get one a week as a good counter-point to the regular stories. Second we have a story By Colin P. Davies from his collection 'Tall Tales on the Iron Horse" called Chicken that asked the question, in the near future when the polar regions melt, where will the forgotten people of society live and what will life be like?

From the blog, could other life-forms be trying to talk to use with light? What makes Star Trek so relevant so many years after it stopped broadcasting? What type of stars are best for life? and the primate missing link has been found.

Episode 157 of Beam Me Up starts off year #4 in fine fashion! First we have a brand new story from Shaun Saunders called "Looking for the Future that Was" where we meet an intrepid time traveler wishing to see the marvels of the future first hand only to get more than he bargained for. We welcome CrystalWizard to not only the writing department but also as an inventive contributor for music, mixes and news for the blog! From the blog, Tim send in an article about strangeness in Montauk New York, and Shaun has an article that makes a case for there being more than meets the eyes when it comes to VooDoo medicine! 157 finishes up with the conclusion to Mr. Murphy's nightmarish love story "The Limb Knitter". Again it should be no surprise that I really really like this story. I hope it gets a lot of interest in the coming months and garners all the accolades that it deserves....yes its that good.

It sure looks like year #4 is going to be a banner year for BMU! Enjoy!

Episode 156 ends our 3rd year of Beam Me Up. What better way to usher in year 4 than to read Steven Francis Murphy's "The Limb Knitter" One of the most unusual "love story" Listeners should be forewarned that some of the images are a bit strong.

We start off with a comical "invasion" story by Crystal Wizard titled "Nemesis".

Tony Smith of Star Ship Sofa fame brings us up to date on what is on tap in the latest episode of his great podcast

From the blog, Shaun Saunders has a special deal on his new collection of short stories for BMU listeners, is it possible that the dinosaurs weren't offed by a rock?, Antipodean's newest episode is out, and how 2 interns stole thousands of dollars worth of Moon rocks.

Good solid episode this week. Enjoy

Paul

Episode 155 of Beam Me Up is just podcast full of entertainment. Our first story, at the top of the hour, is "Diddy Loves Dan - In the Toxic Waste" - by A.K. Sykora, which tells the tale of love between a machine and a man....I think. It is a lot of fun. Our second story is by the one and only Ben Bova called "The Next Logical Step". This is truly a classic tale written for Analog magazine from the early sixties chosen by the great man himself, John W. Campbell. The story stands up remarkably well given its age. Well before "War Game" Bova gave us a tale of a no win computer simulation on the outcome of war. Ron Huber gives us a resounding read as always.

In Between, Crystalwizard sends us an update on what to expect on Abandoned Towers website, and believe me, exciting is no where near descriptive enough for some of the new features that are coming to Abandoned Towers.

The Nebula awards have been announced and I review Richard Morgan's Altered Carbon, which is a thrill seeker's mother load of excitement.

I think anyone will be able to find something worth listening in this episode! Enjoy!

Episode 154 sets a record of sorts. First episode where every show element was submitted. For stories, Shaun Saunders' The Colors Twelve asks the question, what if all the conspiracies are true?!

Crystalwizard from Abandoned Towers web site submits the story "Best Laid Plans" a fast paced short where nothing goes right for our protagonist, or is it, making the best of a bad situation. You judge.

Tony Smith talks to us about The Star Ship Sofa podcast. This group has got to be the hardest working group in podcast show business! and finally - sadly, the science fiction community loses another luminary.

Episode 153 brings another award nominated story - Exhalation by Ted Chiang, which I think you will soon find out, if you haven't read the story yet, is low key tale of one being's search for the roots of life and find instead something that rocks the very foundation of his world view. If that isn't a treat enough, Tony Smith of Star Ship Sofa sent over Ray Sizemore's reading! I know you are going to love the story and Ray's reading is top notch as well. I want to thank Tony, Ray and the rest of the Star Ship Sofa crew for their great help.

From the blog, Hope for Dollhouse, springs afresh? maybe, Plus - how to clean up space junk? Sails?! and a giant asteroid inpact may NOT be the end of everything as we thought before.

All in all a good afternoon's entertainment. Enjoy!

Episode 152 should be called Mike Resnick all the time. Why? Because today's episode of Beam Me Up is dedicated to reading Mike's Hugo nominated Article of Faith. I know others have read it, but I am hoping that my treatment will give you the listener some value added. Plus I like this story a lot and would have read it regardless!

I do have a couple of things from the blog....Things are looking pretty grim over at Fox TV as far as Sarah Connors is concerned, not really brighter for Dollhouse. Plus did you know Fringe had a secret code? So it would seem!

So that is pretty much the lay of the land today, I honestly hope you enjoy Mike's Article of Faith.

Episode 151 this week, I finish reading Mike Cassutt's Nebula nominated Skull Valley. But at the start of the program I have another song by John Anealio from his site http://scifisongs.blogspot.com/ called "A Lonely October Night". All of John's songs are influenced by science fiction and this one is no different. For more of John's excellent music visit his site Sci Fi Songs.

I notice quite a lot of tv science fiction has a time travel thread running through it. The Sci Fi channel had a Star Gate SG-1 movie that played with the idea of the world being changed by a small act in the past. and of course The Sarah Connors Chronicles is all about time travel and the weirdness that is the plot line as the show progresses. Also from the blog, new inductees to the SFHoF, a drug free way to treat PTSS and news that Jordan's "The Wheel of Time" series may go past 12 volumes.

And Finally the conclusion of Michael Cassutt's Skull Valley that has a very unexpected turn of events.

Episode 150 turns out to be a pretty well filled out episode. This week I play a cut from the Thru You internet project from artist Kutiman that may have started with a simple enough idea - finding music that you could play along with on the internet. What he ended up with was what may well be a future genre in the music industry. Because what has happened is a completely different sound and then again the same sound but made differently. I play the cut "Just a woman" which is a fairly standard pop / balard but it is the way the song was produced that is truly revolutionary. Two stories this week. First off, a fantasy dinner with Tesla and Mark Twain, discussing the woes of the world and from Michael Cassutt part one of his Nebula Nominated story Skull Valley. From the blog I read about a novel approach to preventing a world killing asteroid from hitting Earth again!

Beam Me Up episode 149 is fast and furious this week as I read the conclusion to Nebula nominated The Ray Gun: A Love Story by James Alan Gardner. From last week we remember that the ray gun of the title has come into the possession of our protagonist. However it is not clear just who or what has found whom. But far from gaining power and respect, the boy finds himself more and more isolated bent on prepairing for some future event that has, as yet, not become clear. But he is still learning life lessons in the time honored painful way. In part 2, Jack, no longer a boy comes face to face with just how dangerous the weapon truly is, and events seem to take on a surreal, preordained feel. Through it all, Jack finally realizes what must be done with the gun. But even so, Jack begins to wonder if he is truly in control of his destiny.....

From the blog, space-bat, The short list for the Arthur C. Clarke award, the Hugo award short list, comments on the conclusion of Battlestar Galactica and Sci-fi to now be sy-fy? Whaaaaaaaaaaaaat?

Episode 148 of Beam Me Up starts a new story this week. James Alan Gardner has graciously allowed us to read his The Ray Gun: A Love Story which has made it to the final Nebula award nomination selection. We will get part 1 read of the novelette. The story revolves around the unforeseen repercussions of exposure to an incomprehensible alien device. But first we have some weirdness as we are joined at the start of the program by an unknown fan who sat in silent judgment of the program (I swear! 3d glasses and a billy jack hat - never said a word! lol) Roy again joins me with a review of The Sword Masters by Selina Rosen published by the Dragon Press which he reports is a 5 of 5 can't put it down reader.

This week brings us to the tension filled conclusion of Ted Kosmatka's Divining Light. As you remember our protagonist has decided to fill his free time by re-creating the Feynman double slit experiment in quantum mechanics. However the recreation has generated unexpected results. Expanding the test exposes everyone involved to a heretofore unexpected dangers and questioning the very roots of reality itself. Believe me, you will not be disappointed by the way Kosmatka winds this one up. For a music interlude, Courtney sends in a funny little ditty from a group called Voltaire called Banned on Vulcan that rants about the Star Trek universe and how they make the science up as they go. It's very funny though the language is a bit "salty". From the blog, some very interesting Hubble space telescope trivia and a VERY close encounter with an asteroid. A good solid hour, I think you will enjoy.

Episode 146 of Beam Me Up this week is what I know most of you are here for! Yep me chattering on semi sentiently about some mundane piece of nonsense right? Why is it so quiet? Ok, I get the hint! So this week I try to take a big chunk out of Ted Kosmatka's Divining Light. But I have to say that I do put in a short appearance. Philip Jose Farmer has gone sailing on his endless river, the Nebula final nominations are now listed with some surprises and I review Joseph Devons's new book Probability Angels. So short on chattering and long on story this week. Enjoy

Two new stories this week on episode 145 of Beam Me up. The first is a rather caustic tale of a man who goes to "Heaven" and gets everything he wants and then some. Shaun Saunders puts his own spin on a classic theme and makes it his own. Our second story is part one of Ted Kosmatka's Divining Light. Ted takes the the Heisenberg uncertainty principle and the observer effect, to a reality twisting place that asks the simple question, what if all observers are not created equal. Ted takes many of the classic themes, and plant them solidly in a tension filled science fiction story. For more about Ted and his work you can visit his page at http://www.tedkosmatka.com/index.htm . Between these two fine works I review Jack McDevitt's newest collection of short stories Cryptic. I can say right here though that if you only have one Jack McDevitt book in your collection it should be Cryptic - It's that good.

So, not much of me rambling (control your disappointment now) just 58 minutes of good stuff...really....would I lie to you...don't answer that..

Lets try something a bit different this week episode 144. I want to let authors know that they can send in stories for reading. Don't panic, I am not going to change the type of fiction that BMU runs, however it's always been me reading something and then asking. The only author that regularly submits to BMU is Shaun Saunders. Now Shaun isn't going anywhere (are ya buddy?! lol) I just wonder if there is something out there I am missing. So if you have a story unpublished or otherwise and want me to consider it for airing, think about sending it to to me at beammeup@gwi.net. Oh and you can write for the guidelines that I use now for considering stories for reading. So, the real break is that the last time Roy was sitting in he told me about this short story that he read by a 12 year old. I said send it along and I will take a look. Well it wasn't science fiction, but then neither was 9 Sundays in a Row, but in it's favor was the fact that it was real short. So I will read it on today's program. That's Ashley Thomas' The yellow Ribbon. Plus I finish Michael Burstein's Paying it Forward. You thought you had this story figured out last week? Not a chance. Michael has not set all the knots yet, so there are a couple more twists and I guarantee that when he brings it home there won't be a dry eye in the place!

And from the blog - is a real robot brain that works like a human brain closer than we think?, we get a look at the Arthur C. Clarke award long list, US and Russian satellites collide, and where is all the cool tech that the movies said we would have by now?

I think you will enjoy this week's program. Take a listen

Episode 143! Slow news week, but then thats good, because I can run a larger portion of our newest story from Michael Burstein called Paying it forward. This is a science fiction story about science fiction. Now before you run screaming, Michael has woven a masterful tale that manages to meld mortality, immortality, science fiction and the multiverse into a seamless whole. Its sad and in the end uplifting and hopeful. This story is well worth it Hugo nomination a while back. I really enjoyed Paying It Forward and I am sure you will as well.

But first I managed to get tangled into a discussion concerning human rights for robots. Discussion and comments center around what it takes to qualify for the same rights as those afforded to people now. That topic managed to take up the bulk of the first half of the program. Mix in some new data on dark energy / dark matter, and an innovative way for robots to learn that mimics biological life. Stuff to get ya thinking in both halves of the hour. That's a good thing!

Episode 142! You know the saying - "The best laid plans..."? Well I had planned so well for stories that I had every intention playing the end of the month, then along comes the prelim Nebula list and I read Jim Kelly's "Don't Stop" and out the window went my plans. Kelly's story could be a ghost or haunting and that would be enough, or it could be a person torture by loss and doubt and that would too or even a fine tale of the workings of the mind of a runner, yet again plenty to chew on. But not when it's Kelly, he reads them all together into a story that is both thoughtful, insightful and moving. All to the cadence of shoes and asphalt. This is truly a story for the masses. Not JUST a ghost story and not JUST a look inside the tortured mind of the main character and finally not JUST a story about running. One thing that is true is that this story probally IS a Nebula winner.

At the start of the show however, Roy joins me again to share his thoughts on The Last Days of Krypton. As back story of the history of Kal-El and how his farther Jor-El saves him. We have a good time talking about what makes the book work and who would be most interested in it.

So, not much blather from your host, which is a good thing! I think you will enjoy this episode if your a Superman fan or a JP Kelly fan, there is likely something here for everyone. Enjoy

Hey, Beam Me Up episode 141 is a double stuff! First off the mark is a funny tale that posits, what if all life in the universe is non-biological? Or at least not carbon based like Earth-life. How would they react to "thinking meat"? Ron reads Terry Bisson's "Their Made out of Meat!" For my part, I read the conclusion to Paolo's The People of Sand and Slag" which really is probably the most disconcerting part of the enviro-nightmare tale. And again I can't thank Mr. Bacigalupi enough for letting us read this great story. In between the two fine tales is the blog! Dave posts an article that indicates Mercury and Mars were made of leftover material, did dark matter create the universe?, Is KFC frackin serious?, Models of fighting robots that are ummm well built?, and robot B9 loses someone very close to it. That and more silliness. Enjoy!

Episode 140 of Beam Me Up! That's a nice number, don't ya think? Ahhh well, this week I read part 2 of The People of Sand & Slag by Paolo Bacigalupi. It goes without saying but I will say it anyway that this story has some adult situations that might be disturbing to some listeners.
But first, from the blog, The science fiction world loses two, shakeups are still going on in Nebula world, Philip K. Dick award finalists are released, not without some drama, The 1908 Tunguska explosion is revisited with some surprising findings, we speculate on the remaining cast of the live action Cowboy Bebop, and I review the final book in Elizabeth Moon's Vatta Wars series Victory Conditions. All in all I think you will find it an
hour well spent.

Its the second show of the year! yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! Too much? Yeah, thought so. Well sport fans our story this week is part one of The People of Sand and Slag by Paulo Bacigalupi. I had the chance to catch this story a while ago and really liked it. It is one of the more frightening looks at a future Earth when the corporations take over, environmentalists awol, the environment is one straight out of Dante and the people living there are body modded freaks that revel in a place that would kill us in seconds. Its extreme, disturbing and all done with frightening glee ... some images might be a bit strong for some listeners.

From the blog: Award season is already winding up with a draft of the Nebula awards, some unusual tie ins with 2012, Ender's Game movie may still be a go, a video on why the thrown rock may well be the super weapon of the future?, another video this time Neal Tyson talks about what its like being sucked down a black hole, Dave of Quasar Dragons sends in some info on Celestia, a really good piece of planetarium software, why you should hunt down and watch the short film by Shane Acker called 9 and more.

I think you will enjoy episode 139 have at it!

Due to storage constraints, older story readings have
been moved to the archive area. If you can not find a
story here, please select Beam Me Up archive area

Thanks
Paul