An aside about 'Stichpunk' ...

So we did the whole Steampunk thing on WNPR today.
It went really well. But several of our listeners raised an interesting point - just what the heck is it with all this "-punk" stuff lately?
Steampunk, well, I mean that's okay. They've been around since the 1980s, after all. As far as these memes go, that's like ancient, man.
And Steampunk's pretty well established in both literature and art. So that's cool. Cyberpunk? Same deal, I'll let it slide. They actually predated the whole Steampunk thing and kind of inspired the name. Good job, cyberpunk dudes.
But Stitchpunk? Really?
And I didn't even know Dieselpunk existed, but apparently it totally does.
I guess my big question is this -- Should we be taking all this stuff seriously? Will anyone actually point to 2009 as the year "Stitchpunk" came into vogue? Or is this stuff all going to be forgotten in a few months?
9 is sorta under performing, after all ...
Sound off in the comments.

Radio: Steampunk!

I'm still surprised at how quickly my boss jumped at this idea.
We'll be covering everything Steampunk tomorrow, so be sure to tune in.

Radio: Living off the Grid & ZOMBIES!

Mark Perry and Doug Fine joined us on the show today.
We had some good discussions about what it takes to unplug electronics and live off the grid. Sure, it's a scary prospect, but not as complicated as you might think.
Heck, you can even have Internet!
At any rate, Mark's a really well spoken guy (who happens to be a genius with all things electric) and he had some great stories to tell about his homemade geodesic dome and his on-again, off-again 80 foot windmill. Long story short - it falls over. A lot.
Doug's a regular NPR contributor and is probably most famous for living out on the Funky Butte Ranch in New Mexico. He's a farmer and raises goats, chickens, ducks and mellow fisher cats, among other things. Okay I lied about the fisher cats, but if one environmentalist could raise them, I'd probably be him. He's that awesome.

Be sure to tune in tomorrow. We're christening it zombie day! Hooray!

We'll (hopefully) have two experts on Haitian Vodou joining us by phone.
And yeah, we'll be talking undead, but it's not all fun and games! This is going to be serious. Let's get to the truth about zombies. Does the puffer fish poison really work? Or is all that Wade Davis mumbo jumbo a whole lotta hoodoo? We'll find out!

Radio: Big Discussion on Handwriting Today

And I'm still not entirely sure what to think.
I mean yeah, having good penmanship is important, but I don't think the fact that we type more and more and write less and less will herald the four horsemen from the fiery depths of hell.
Or maybe it will, I dunno. It's a shame we don't have the nuns with rulers anymore. They could probably fight them off.
Anyway, let's face reality. Handwriting's not going anywhere any time soon. Kitty Burns Florey made some excellent points about that and Leigh Zeitz, who happens to run a blog all about this kind of stuff, summed up my feelings when he said it really all comes down to personal preference.
You like ink bleeding onto a crumbled piece of paper? Cool. Prefer the manic flow of ideas clipping along at 70wpm? Well, that's cool too, bud.
Personally, I'll stick with my computer.
Oh, and by the way, doesn't anyone call it "typing," anymore? What's with all this "keyboarding" business?

Radio: A New Adventure

I like to keep this blog anonymous.
I don't link it on my Facebook page, and my Twitter account is devoid of any connection with other user names I may brandish around on these here Internets. Heck, my real name isn't even P.T. Hill, but I'm assuming you've figured that out by now. It does change monthly, after all.
Anyway, there is an explanation for why I haven't been online much in the past couple of weeks -- I've started a new radio show.
So yes, I'm linking to it. And, yes, you probably can figure out a few things about who or what exactly I am. Heck, you can even show up to my house and scream at me for stealing that Lost photo several months back. You know, the one that scored my site virtually all of its hits.
But I'm hoping you won't. I'm hoping you'll tune into the show. I think you'll enjoy it. It's certainly different than anything else I've ever heard on NPR. And I'm pretty confident that's a good thing.
Oh, and it also helps that I'm working with some of the most brilliant people in Connecticut's media.
The last couple weeks have been a blast. I'm learning a ton and I'm really enjoying the ride. Do I feel a bit like a kid tossed in the adult end of the swimming pool?
Well, yeah, you could say that.
But you know what? I couldn't be happier.