So what the good goddamn is going on here? Only one of the most exciting convention events to come down the pike in a while. Notacon Radio, your source for original, intense shows all throughout the Notacon Art and Technology Conference, being held in Cleveland, Ohio. The goal is simple: set up a way for people to broadcast their thoughts, ideas, talents and creations through a local "radio station" that will be running all the time, from all sorts of places, from Friday Morning until we do a "Weekend At Bernie's" with Froggy's corpse during the closing ceremonies on Sunday. How is this happening? We do this by setting up a laptop, some nice microphones and stands, and then sending that crap out over either wireless internet or out to the world at large (it always depends on how the Notacon Network is doing that day). In 2005, we had it available both to the hotel and to the world at large, with an IRC channel thrown into the mix for additional bling. It went great. In 2006, we went even wider with over 24 generated hours of content and well over a dozen contributors; there was some rumor we even went over the FM band, but that's easily denied. Who's going to be on the air? Everybody who is at Notacon can get a show on the air or appear on another show. We want people to be into this, feel like they're a part of it. Don't be intimidated by the weight of what seems a big important project; it can be a learning experience and your first time with a big audience. We encourage everyone to take a shot. Last year, we had an amazing range of folks, well over a dozen, take the reins. Surely you can't have the entire thing be live. A lot of that depends on the response of attendees. We have hours of the schedule for pre-recorded material. That is, even if you don't attend the con, you can get on the air. We will be seeking out original material from people who are unable to attend, and ask them to record shows for us to string together for the "dead time" when people are asleep. This time will shift as necessary to accomodate live folks, but even we're not that gung-ho that we don't realize there will be slight times when nobody at the con will be available to run things. We'll go autopilot and pick up in the morning. What can or can't my show be about? We only have one rule: NO MUSIC SHOWS. We're not interested in dropping two hours on a laptop jockey humping his Winamp playlist with scant commentary and minimal mixing. Sorry, you've been replaced by an iPod Shuffle. Everything else pretty much goes, however. How do I get a show? Notacon Radio's Station Managers are Jason Scott and Slick0. We'll be herding the cats, watching the skies, and trying to keep the world in line. To this end, we'll be the ones to talk to about technical issues, questions, and show proposals. Right now, Slick0 is the point man for show proposals. Shows can be any length, but we prefer hour increments, so go for 1 or 2 hours as needed. If interest is light (read: we're fucked) then your shows will be expanded as you are comfortable, so we fill the space. Conversely, if interest is heavy (read: there's a line) then we're going to shorten things so everyone gets a shot. If needed, we'll just pair you bastards up so you'll be the next Opie and Anthony. Or the next Howard and Robin. You can do Rock Paper Scissors over who gets to be the Robin. This all sounds too good to be true. Where's the bad part? This isn't so much a bad part but basic reality: we're going to need contact information to give you a show. We're going to be leaving lots of expensive equipment in your hands and we want a way to reach you and know who you are. We're going to probably have a conversation with you before we hand over the reins. If something is busted or stolen and it was on your watch, we're going to have a chat with you about it, and work something out. Basically, it's like you have responsibility or something. You'll love it. I have an enormous amount of geeky questions regarding setup, mixing, broadcast, recording, copyright, pipes, knib-knobs and kadoodles Please write us. You'll find out how we're putting this stuff on, and we'll answer all your questions. Jason's e-mail is jason at textfiles dot com. Slick0's is Slick0 at slick0.net. Write today.