Light On Light Through

Welcome to Light On Light Through , Episode 71: New New Media and Religion , in which I briefly discuss how blogging, Twitter, and "new new media" - which enable consumers of information to become producers - enable more human beings to consider and communicate about what it is that makes us human, what we're doing here in this universe, in other words, the essence of religion. Links: Free Twitter...

Welcome to Light On Light Through , Episode 70:  A January 2010 TV Review Sampler.  I've been speaking and writing for several years - here on Light On Light Through , in my classes, on my blogs, in newspaper op-eds, and in my books - about the "new golden age of television" we are enjoying.   Indeed, I've been reviewing many of these great dramas - The Sopranos, Lost, Dexter - over on one of my o...

Welcome to Light On Light Through , Episode 69:  Leno, Conan, and New New Media .... in which I replay for you the entire 48-minute interview Fred W. Hofmann conducted with me on KCPS Radio, January 19, 2010, about the shake-up with Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien at NBC.  My thesis is that this has little to do with the talents of either late-night comedian, but rather is a result of the shift in audi...

Welcome to Light On Light Through , Episode 68:  Weep Not for Newspapers .... in which I explain why the decline of paper newspapers may be the best thing that ever happened to journalism and its goal of keeping citizens in a democracy well informed.   This is the latest installment in my continuing series, What's Newer than New New Media , which until now has consisted only of written blogs. Link...

Welcome to Light On Light Through , Episode 67:  How Does It Feel To Have A Book Published? .... in which I chronicle the publication of my latest nonfiction book, New New Media , on September 3, 2009, with descriptions of events and expectations in August 2009, through the day of publication, and continuing with adventures in September and October 2009.   Highlights include mentions of the book i...

Welcome to Light On Light Through , Episode 66:  Robert J. Sawyer Talks About FlashForward .... With less than a week to go until the premiere of FlashForward on ABC Television on September 24, 2009, 8 pm Eastern time - based on Rob Sawyer's novel of the very same name - I was delighted to catch Rob on the phone in Toronto for this sage, penetrating interview in which Rob reveals what it feels lik...

Welcome to Light On Light Through , Episode 65:  An Introduction to New New Media ... with the publication of my latest book, New New Media , just weeks away (Penguin Academics will be publishing the book on 4 September 2009),  I thought I would share with you the interview Dr. Howard Gluss did with me on his KFNX Radio show on June 12, 2009.  It provides a 20-minute introduction to the way that T...

Welcome to Light On Light Through , Episode 64:  Moon 40 ... in which I reflect on watching our species land on the Moon 40 years ago, regret that we have not gone much further, and offer some reasons why we must.  They are more than scientific and economic, though outer space will give us much data and access to vast resources of energy.  But the deepest reasons are closer to spiritual - we will...

Welcome to Light On Light Through , Episode 63:  Sonia Sotomayor vs. the First Amendment: An Interview with Avery and Lauren Doninger.  The First Amendment has almost never been under greater fire.   Broadcasters are being fined record amounts and the FCC and Congress are calling out for more.   Students are being taught the wrong lessons about freedom of expression in some of our schools, and cou...

Welcome to Light On Light Through , Episode 62:  Star Trek: Reborn, Reset, Resplendent ... in which I explain how the new May 2009 Star Trek movie succeeded in delighting lifelong fans (including me) as well as reinventing the Star Trek universe from the beginning (which I also immensely enjoyed) ... hint: think time-travel ... Helpful links: complete blog post: Star Trek: Reborn, Reset, Resplende...

Welcome to Light On Light Through , Episode 61:  Author and Critic: Perilous Symbiosis ... in which I examine the love/hate mutually catalytic relationship of authors (or creators) and critics.   I look especially at the dangers and benefits to aspiring authors of writing critical reviews of works by other authors... Helpful links: My Advice to Writers - including my Ask Lev podcast List of my boo...

Welcome to Light On Light Through , Episode 60:  Isaac Asimov's Foundation and Frank Herbert's Dune Trilogies as Sources of Philosophy ... in which I discuss how the fate of Hari Seldon's "psychohistorical" equations in the Foundation trilogy and Paul Muad'dib's ability to see the future in the Dune novels gives us vivid, compelling answers to the perennial philosophic problem of what can we know...

Welcome to Light On Light Through , Episode 59:  The Future of Media ... In the Fall of 2007, I sat down for an interview by Mark Molaro, for his popular Internet TV show, The Alcove .   His guests have included Arianna Huffington, Carl Bernstein, Campbell Brown, and other notables.  Mark and I talked for 20 minutes about the future of media, the impact of new media on everything from politics to...

Welcome to Light On Light Through , Episode 58:  A Conversation with Paul J. Feiner, Town Supervisor of Greenburgh, NY, about Blogging, Obama, and Caroline Kennedy .  Paul Feiner has been Town Supervisor - a two-year elected office - since 1991.  He has a weekly radio show, The Greenburgh Report , on WVOX Radio in New Rochelle, NY.  He also maintains a blog, and has trail blazed new media in our W...

Welcome to Light On Light Through , Episode 57:  I'm A Progressive Libertarian ... in which I explain how one can insist that the government respect the Bill of Rights, and stay out of our business whenever possible, but also act to promote our welfare by supporting rights of women, gays, and minorities, and spend money to reduce poverty, provide health care, and explore space.  I'm in favor of no...

Welcome to Light On Light Through , Episode 56:  24 Season 6 Plus Redemption ...a special, super-jumbo compilation episode, in which you'll hear my reviews of every episode of 24 Season 6   ... including my impersonation of Secretary Heller, somewhere in the middle of the reviews ... originally presented on my Levinson news clips podcast a few minutes after each broadcast of 24 back in 2007 ... pl...

Welcome to Light On Light Through , Episode 55, a very special episode about cyberbullying and a remedy - the music of the Truth on Earth band.   It's been in the news, especially recently - the 13-year old girl who took her life after being set up on MySpace by a 49-year woman, who pretended to be a boy in love with the girl and broke her heart.  The Truth on Earth band, consisting of three teena...

Welcome to Light On Light Through , Episode 54 LOST 4 and 13 ...another special, jumbo compilation episode, in which you'll hear all of my reviews of the second part of Season 4 of Lost ... originally presented on my Levinson news clips podcast a few minutes or hours after each Thursday's broadcast of Lost ... reviews of the final five episodes of Season 4:  9-13.... These five episodes, in my opi...

Welcome to Light On Light Through , Episode 53 LOST 4 and 8 ...a special, jumbo compilation episode, in which you'll hear all of my reviews of the first part of Season 4 of Lost ... originally presented on my Levinson news clips podcast on the Friday after each Thursday's broadcast of Lost ... 9 reviews of the first 8 episodes (because I did two reviews of the first episode, I liked it so much), p...

Welcome to Episode 52 of Light On Light Through ... "Science Fiction in the New Golden Age of Television" ... It started in the mid-late 1990s with HBO's original series, especially "The Sopranos" in 1999.  This revolution in television - frank, gritty, real, intellectually sophisticated - soon spread to other cable and old-fashioned network television.   In the past few years, science fiction has...

Welcome to Light On Light Through Episode 51, "Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton," in which I examine the strengths and differences of these two extraordinary candidates ... Obama may be the greatest orator of our time ... his election as the first African-American President would make history, as would Hillary Clinton's as the first woman in the White House President ... how do Obama and Clinton c...

Welcome to Light On Light Through Episode 50 - my interview with Dr. Stanley Schmidt, long-time editor of Analog Magazine of Science Fiction and Fact , the leading science fiction magazine in the universe, as far as we know ... Stan talks candidly about what he looks for in a story submitted for publication ... how quickly he knows that a story works ... what he sees in the futures of science fict...

Welcome to Episode 49 of Light On Light Through in which I converse with digital artist Ken Hudson aka Kenny Hubble of and about Second Life.  At ten million accounts and growing, the vibrant virtual community of Second Life is becoming a way of life for many.  Ken interviewed me in his Media Ecology Second Life series a few weeks ago, and I'm still enjoying it.  Ken and I talk about life in Secon...

Welcome to Light On Light Through Episode 48, an Interview with Rich Sommer, who plays Harry Crane on AMC's Mad Men .  Among the highlights - the "joys" of wearing real 1960s clothing ... what are they really smoking on the show? ... what does Rich think happened with Harry between episodes 12 and 13 of the show? ... how does Rich explain Harry's uncanny resemblance to Isaac Asimov (see photos bel...

Welcome to a very special Episode - #47 - of L i g h t On L i g h t Through ... our first year anniversary party!  Lots of surprises, special guests (see guest list, below), a contest in which you can win a copy of my novel, The Plot to Save Socrates ... never-before-revealed facts such as how I came up with the name Light On Light Through - what it means - and much more... Plus flashes  ...  Mad...