Daniel

(credit: Tor Labs)

If you’re not a regular podcast listener, you might have missed the booming resurgence of audio dramas over the past few years. Once the purview of terrestrial radio—and all but dead in the United States—iTunes has given the narration-driven medium a brand-new outlet. Welcome to Night Vale, The Magnus Archives, Limetown, and Archive 81 are just a few of my personal favorites, now bringing science fiction, fantasy, and horror to our ears through the power of podcasts.

In some respects, Steal the Stars may not seem very unusual. The podcast works in the same sci-fi and fantasy genres that dominate the modernized medium: one part X-Files and one part office romance, set against a secretive government compound. Which isn’t surprising, given that Steal the Stars was created by Tor Labs—an offshoot of sci fi/fantasy-focused publisher Tor Books—in conjunction with production company Gideon Media.

But beneath the surface of its two-sentence iTunes summary, Steal the Stars has something unique going for it. The show brings back a style of radio drama that’s still uncommon, even among the wave of popular new series.

Lake Lucerne (German: Vierwaldstättersee, literally "Lake of the Four Forested Settlements") is a lake in central Switzerland and the fourth largest in the country.

I'm standing on top of the Fronalpstock, 1,921 metres (6,302 ft) above sea level, above the meadow of the Rütli, the traditional site of the founding of the Swiss Confederation. Happy National Day Switzerland!

Adobe Lightroom CC.

Nikon D800, Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED.

Photo Settings: 24mm, f/6, 1/160 second, ISO 100.

Mac users: download Macdrops the official InterfaceLIFT app for Mac OS X.

Ever since Cline's novel shot to the top of bestseller lists, fans have been waiting for the movie. It's the story of a kid growing up in the near future, dreaming of escape from his life in a massive, dystopian trailer park. He's only happy in the Oasis, a massive multiplayer VR world, where he indulges in his love for 1980s pop culture.

This trailer is a little uneven at first, but won me over when the 80s Rush song "Tom Sawyer" provided the perfect soundscape for an incredible VR-powered car chase.

Nota bene: This is the concluding part of the surprisingly interesting history of the IBM PC. You should probably read part one of the story if you haven't already.

In November 1979, Microsoft's frequent partner Seattle Computer Products released a standalone Intel 8086 motherboard for hardcore hobbyists and computer manufacturers looking to experiment with this new and very powerful CPU. The 8086 was closely related to the 8088 that IBM chose for the PC; the latter was a cost-reduced version of the former, an 8-bit/16-bit hybrid chip rather than a pure 16-bit like the 8086.