Next time, in about two weeks, we’ll talk to Cory Doctorow about DRM, Freedom, Surveilance, and Linux.

Enjoy!

It’s been a long time!  Before my life was swallowed by the podcast of my novel Predestination and Other Games of Chance, I recorded quite a bit for Reprobates Hour.  So now, to kick off part 2 of Season 3, Richard Carrier returns to talk about science in the ancient world.  We discuss the works and missteps of Rodney Stark and his theory of the scientific revolution, we talk about the amazing and usually forgotten scientific and technological discoveries and innovations in the ancient world, and have a lot of fun along the way.  In this first of three episodes, we talk about science in the Greek world.  Next week, we talk about the Roman world.  Hope you enjoy!

The Reprobates are back in town — spread the word!

It’s been pretty insane here at the Reprobates Lair, as my attention has gone to podcasting Antithesis and writing three more novels, as well as to the normal paid sort of work.  However, in bits and snatches over that time, there has been recording going on for Reprobates.  The show format is going to be a little different this year - a little more variety, a little punchier, but still with the intellectualism and irreverence that you’ve come to expect.

Some guests we’ve already recorded:

Richard Carrier, philosopher and historian of science (2 episodes)

John McCarthy, father of Artificial Intelligence  (1 episode)

D.N. Lynx Crowe, inventor (1 episode)

Cory Doctorow, editor of BoingBoing (1 episode)

Elizabeth Pisani, author of The Wisdom of Whores and former senior member of UNAIDS (1 episode)

Mary Mason, veteran sound engineer, on Building The Wall of Sound (1 episode)

I’m currently also working on wrangling interviews with economist Russ Roberts, the production team of The Man From Earth, and Joe Moe, the writer and producer of Red Velvet.  We’ve got a few more open slots, I’d like to do a full 12 episodes this season, so if you are someone (or know someone) who is funny, interesting, challenging, or heretical, email me and I’ll try to get them on the show.

Look for new episodes in January!

-Dan the Demented

Be sure to check out her website here, where you can listen to the excellent Heaven series, The Takeover audio drama series, and many other wonderful works of fiction and geeky essays.

And head on over to Amazon while we’re talking and pick up her new book, Playing For Keeps. Do it today, if you can. This is one talent that the world deserves to discover, and pushing her out into the limelight with her first novel here is a big step towards that discovery.

Find out what happens when you mix midori, beer, vodka, and tea with three very disreputable reprobates indeed!

Hera Flea returns with the most off-the-wall Reprobates News ever!

Click here to listen to Tee Morris’s first Billibub Baddings book, “The Case of the Singing Sword.”

Click here to listen to Philipa Ballantine’s “Chasing the Bard”

Click here to listen to Dan the Demented’s new novel “Antithesis”

An outtake from the Season 3 premier episode.

So, for your dis-edification, here’s Tee Morris, Phillipa Ballantine, and myself talking about Tee’s “cigar” and who gets to smoke it.

Meantime, check out the promo on the feed. This one is important. You see, there’s only a few days left to pick up Scott Sigler’s Infected.

If you haven’t heard the podcast, you’ve been missing out. I’ll be posting a proper review in a couple days when I have time, but for now suffice it to say that even if you don’t like horror, you’re probably going to enjoy this book. Check out the Amazon reviews and get your copy - and try to get it before the 14th of April so that your purchase will count towards the New York Times Bestseller list. If Scott can make the list, it’s going to mean good things for ALL podcast authors - Sigler, Harwood, Lafferty, Hutchins, Wallace, myself, and all the others who are creating excellent free content for all of you guys out there in podcastland.

If you don’t want to go to Amazon, hit B&N.com or go to a local brick-and-mortar store and look for the book with this disturbing cover:

Then, in between guests, Hera Flea regails us with tales of Amazon Women, feminism, Parisian fashion, public nudity, and the Vatican’s reaction to Seth Harwood.  Music for this segment from George Hrab and Jonathan Coulton.

Coming back from the Reprobates News, J.C. Hutchins, author of the 7th Son trilogy, joins us to talk about 7th Son, his new projects, and the Ministry of Propaganda. It’s an action packed hour of creative overdrive this week, don’t miss it!

Hera-Flea again brings us the Reprobates’ Newscast, aided with the smooth musical stylings of George Hrab and Jonathan Colton.

Promos Included:

The Going Linux Podcast

Two Smokin’ Hot Freethinkers

See Michael Shermer’s Google Talk on YouTube

The show is coming soon. This one’s gonna be a keeper.

-Dan the Demented

-Dan the Demented

Hera Flea is back with a special terror edition of the Reprobates news, not to be missed. Special music for the Reprobates News provided by Jonathan Coulton. His songs “Re: Your Brains” and “Furry Old Lobster” help her tell the story of zombie activists and self-posessed calamari. Not to be missed!

Should be a fun show!

This week’s Reprobates also features HeraFlea reading the Reprobates News, and promos for or mentions of the following podcasts:

Evolution 101

Apologia

The Reason Driven Podcast

Scott Sigler’s “Nocturnal”

The best net radio show I ever recorded, definitely my personal favorite, was a lengthy in-studio interview for the Polyschizmatic Reprobates Hour, which was recorded quite a while ago, though it aired much later. You can listen to this online here (it’s free): Episode 4 (Season 1). This is a great example of why I like in-studio recordings and absolutely loathe phone-in shows. Not only is the quality and editing far superior, and not only was it more comfortable to record, but with face-to-face interaction the show is more lively and entertaining. Likewise, because I was right there with him it was much easier to understand and react to my interviewer (rather than misunderstanding each other, getting confused or unclear, talking past each other or over each other, or exchanging a monotonous series of canned questions and lengthy monologues). The difference shows here.

I also love this episode because Dan the Demented is an awesome interviewer. His questions and comments, and his particular interests, took the show in very interesting directions that allowed me to actually expand on my philosophy in ways that go well beyond everything I’ve published. You will understand my worldview, and many elements of my take on philosophy, far better from listening to this show. The ostensive topic was how my naturalism differs as a worldview from that of other naturalist philosophers, and in answering that I go through all five Aristotelian divisions of philosophy, but I don’t just summarize my book (thanks mostly to Dan). I got to talk a lot more about aesthetic philosophy, for example, something too few seem interested in (a curious fact that also comes up in the interview). I am usually asked to talk about the same boring old topics, like the resurrection or historicity of Jesus, or summarizing Sense and Goodness without God over and over again. This show was a lot more fun.

Dan’s philosophy is to get atheist authors to talk about things they aren’t usually asked to discuss, but which they know quite a lot about, which makes his show more interesting than most. I’m certain my fans will love my interview with him. Even my enemies might enjoy it. It’s only an hour, and we recorded another hour’s worth, but Dan hasn’t figured out how to edit that other material yet. We might record a bit more to fill it out and generate another show (as promised at the end of episode 4). We’re also going to do a show next year on, ironically, Rodney Stark’s awful treatment of ancient science. I’ll blog about these when they air.

Be sure to check out soon-to-be Dr. Carrier’s articles on infidels.org and his blog at richardcarrier.blogspot.com

Thanks for the blurb, Richard!

Remember to send feedback on this or any of our previous shows to “feedback at reprobateshour.com” where “at” is a @.

Meantime, check the feed on Thursday for a special short edition of the Reprobates to tide you over!

It’s an interview with the host of Polyamory Weekly, Cunning Minx, about the phenomenon and philosophy and practicality of fluid relationships and ethical non-monogamy. It’s racy, it’s funny, and it’s only a little less interesting than an asteroid strike! Tune in, and join us for the rest of Season Two, too!

In other news, the Podcast Alley feed is up: <a href=”http://www.podcastalley.com/”> My Podcast Alley feed!</a> {pca-bf8edfad61c03674848394d84d4d5627}

We had Scott into the studio and plied him with scotch until he gave up his secrets for guerilla marketing, bootstrapping a writing career in a time of failing business models, his own tussles with Amazon.com, how skepticism influences his artistic ethics and writing style, and the latest information on the Infection/Infested movie and the continued campaign to Save Perry’s Balls!

Scott will kick off our new season in August - watch this space for more!

Even so, Dr. McCarthy is very professional and gave a great interview in spite of having a largely mentally stumbling interviewer.  Many thanks to him, and we’ll be bringing you the new episodes soon!

In this episode we (in the first 20 minutes) introduce ourselves and talk about our personal journeys through the valley of faith to the mountains of reason (or, at least, our struggles to climb them).

From 20:12 to 22:57 , Heraflea (daughter of Heratick) gives us the Reprobates News.

From 21:00 to 29:00, we discuss the etymology of our name. Gene Cook, the Infideguy, Rational Response Squad all get a mention as we talk about the mission of our show.

From 29:00 to 38:00, we talk about the pernicious effect of Walt Disney and the history of Romantic Love as a concept, and the incompleteness of skeptical apostasy from religion.

35:00 to 52:00, we talk about the process of apostasy and the fallout in the personal lives of apostates.

53:00 to 54:35, we talk about upcoming guests and plans for future shows.

54:36 to end, Juila Ecklar’s “Hands of God” from her CD “Divine Intervention”

The Reprobates, at long last, have a website. And new episodes coming. Confirmed guests in the near future include Scott Sigler and John McCarthy. We’re going to shoot for a less ambitious release schedule in the hopes that we can actually keep up with it. We have another twenty minutes of Richard Carrier, about 30 minutes of Cunning Minx, and some other odds and ends in the archives that’ll be coming out soon to tide you over. In the meantime, enjoy the earlier episodes in their new, glorious, bona-fide podcast form!