echo2thecaverntoday

Relentless Onwards!

2006-06-15T04:51:00.000-07:00

by Mowog

That's a quote from the classic comic strip, "Pogo." And it pretty much describes the situation with Cyan, Uru, and the Myst community. It also means that any Myst blog that isn't updated regularly will become out of date pretty rapidly, since news -- significant news -- is happening all the time.

It's well known now that Uru Live will be launching again later this year, and this is thrilling news for the community. It's also made life at CCN a little more complex, in that the range of topics we cover has suddenly grown, and the importance of timely updates has increased somewhat. This is a challenge, because the CCN staff is a diverse collective that spans the globe. We're finding to our chagrin that communication under such circumstances is a real challenge, so please bear with us as we try to bring you the best and latest in Uru-related news and entertainment.

And then there's Mysterium... for this writer, fan conventions have never appealed. But Mysterium, particularly THIS Mysterium, was more than I could resist. Plans are coming together; several of us from The Cavern Today will be there, and the experience promises to be memorable. Many of us have developed genuine friendships thanks to The Cavern Today, but have never met face-to-face in real life. Although a few of us have posted pictures of ourselves at one time or another, it's going to be a very odd feeling to walk into a room filled with strangers and know them only by their voices! And it will be stranger yet to see people who are accustomed to socializing via Uru avvies bouncing off of each other in a crowded room... "Oops, pardon." "Excuse me."

It's funny how the common things are becoming oddly interesting as we make Mysterium plans. Again, I only know some of our staffers by their voices and avvies... but when I was chatting with SuperGram and discussing arrival times, meeting up at the Spokane airport, sharing a car rental, finding where all the restaurants are, etc., the reality started to sink in. Several of us are actually going to meet, and spend a couple or three days together! What a thought. It's fun to think that we'll be a closer team after this. In future Skype chats we'll actually remember faces, and the good times we had in Spokane. I can't wait...

Oh, we're talking about putting together a "live" reading of Journey of the Called sometime that weekend. That should be fun!

So that's it for now. See you later,

Mowog

Life Goes on... and Gets Better!

2006-04-27T07:10:00.000-07:00

by Mowog

Apologies for the long delay since the last post! A lot's been going on, both at Cyan and throughout the community.

The big story recently is that five liaisons have at last been elected by the community at the request of the DRC. Even though there were difficulties, the DRC seems very satisfied with the outcome of the elections, and has already held several meetings in-Cavern with liaisons and explorers. Even though the rule of the day is still "cautious optimism," this new era of open communication has been a breath of fresh air. Never before has the DRC made themselves so available, and for that we're thankful.

As for The Cavern Today, in April we bade farewell to our founder and producer Ruby O'Degee. Ruby has moved on to a rather different role as coordinator for The Cavern Players, and it will be a treat to continue working with her in that role. More than anything else, Ruby is a storyteller. The Cavern Players will give us the opportunity to concentrate on that storytelling, even branching away from the Uru theme occasionally. But TCP will continue to be there for The Cavern Today, providing future installments of Journey of the Called and other features. Stevecrox has been selected to take over Ruby's role, assisted by a group of other staffers. Welcome, Steve!

2006 should be a very interesting time for us at CCN. As mentioned, communication with the DRC has resumed, and Cyan is working very hard with a potential sponsor in a serious effort to bring back Uru Live in some form. When that happens, CCN will be there to report the news in whatever way we can. Whether it's news, a look back at Cyan gaming history, music, drama... CCN is committed to bringing our best to the Uru community. Stay tuned!

Shorah all,

Mowog

If they come... Cyan will build it!

2006-03-09T12:04:00.000-08:00

by Mowog

That may be a rather clumsy reference to Field of Dreams, but it's a very apt summary of the current state of Uru. The word has gone out from the DRC; and has been echoed in chats with Cyan insiders; that we're presently in a very critical phase of Uru.

There are two things we need to do:

1. Spend as much time on the new D'mala shard as we can.

2. Do all we can to see that others also make it down to the Cavern and Ages via D'mala.

There's a very good reason for this. Cyan would like, more than anything, to resume development on Uru Live. They've told us that a fully functional Uru Live was their dream, their "baby." They sunk all they had; and more; into development of Uru, intending for Uru Live to be the revolutionary new experience that would insure their future. And as we saw, Live died due to premature cancellation based on a perceived lack of interest.

So now Cyan is trying again. They have potential funding in place, but before they can fully devote their efforts to a new Uru, they need to know if the interest is there. The original cancellation was a rather complicated matter. Many purchasers of Uru never registered for Prologue because they hadn't yet finished the single-player game. Others hesitated because they wanted to wait until Prologue was fully debugged and ready for prime time. The whole affair was somewhat confused, and we may never know exactly what happened.

But it's different this time. We now have a clear opportunity -- an invitation, actually -- to show Cyan how much we want Uru Live. Let's treat the original cancellation as a "lesson learned," and embrace this chance to overwhelm Cyan with our enthusiasm! If you're already on D'mala, invite anyone else you know who's ever played Uru in any form to join the new shard. Publicize Uru, get the word out... and hopefully this will be the start of something amazing.

At this moment, perhaps more so than two years ago, numbers count. Cyan, and their potential backer, need to be assured that Uru is a worthy investment. Let's show them, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that Uru Live is worth it.

Hope to see you in the Cavern!

Mowog

Talking to Rand

2006-02-17T12:44:00.000-08:00

Shortly after we started The Cavern Today in August of last year, a few of us were chatting and brainstorming ideas for future podcasts. Somebody brought up the idea of interviewing various personalities from the Myst community, and we came up with a list of prospects, mostly shard admins etc., who had made some sort of impact in the community. And as our conversation wore on, one of the staffers dared to fantasize about someday interviewing someone from Cyan Worlds. In the rosy flush of our optimism, none of us dismissed that idea. It seemed possible somehow, though we had no idea how soon it would actually happen.

If you've been following our podcasts for a while, you'll remember the Ryan Miller interview from Podcast 5, and the GreyDragon feature from Podcast 8, "Cyantists" both. It was as a result of those interviews that we got a message from GreyDragon asking if Rand Miller could make an announcement to the community using our Podcast... probably in late January or early February.

Needless to say, this was huge. To Myst avids, Rand is The Man. He's not only the CEO of Cyan, he's the lead -um- "imaginater?" (Sorry, Disney's already used "Imagineer.") We've seen him in the games as Atrus and the original Achenar. His calm, resonant voice has introduced most of the adventures as we launched them for the first time. For we veterans, he was Cosmic Osmo.

So this past Wednesday afternoon, we opened Skype shortly before the appointed time, chatted with other staffers and waited... until the "phone" rang, and there he was.

We were immediately impressed by the fact that he seemed cheerful and eager to speak with us. Ryan and GreyDragon had stressed in their interviews that Cyan feels a deep appreciation for their fans, and Rand made us feel very comfortable and welcome. This isn't the place to relate what we talked about; I can only recommend that you listen for yourself by downloading the interview from our website at www.thecaverntoday.com. It's worth a listen!

On a related note, the staff of The Cavern Today would like to express our gratitude to our fans! If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't be part of this wonderful project!

Shorah,

Mowog

Stories For Then; and a Story for Now

2006-02-04T11:49:00.000-08:00

I was an avid reader as a kid. While my main interests seemed to focus on cars and airplanes, I was also very fond of adventure stories. I had no trouble at all placing myself in the situations described in those stories, and I always felt like I was right there with my heroes through thick and thin. After finishing a good book, I always felt a little bit heroic myself, larger than life somehow. I'd been places, and done things, and I had the memories to enjoy afterwards.

I hoped to inspire that same interest in our son, and for many years, the hour before bedtime became our book time. We'd visit the library regularly, looking for the most interesting picture and story books we could find; and in the process we became avid fans of some of the best illustrators and storytellers working today. Fortunately our son is now a lover of books, which is a good thing; he's nineteen years old, and is a freshman in college.

I still enjoy reading myself, still feeling that time spent with a good book is never wasted. But it seems like a lot of the innocent magic that I felt with books as a kid has passed somehow. I've been around, seen a lot; maybe seen too much; and I unavoidably see the stories I read today through the eyes of age and experience.

Anyway, I've said all that just to illustrate what I brought to the Myst games when they first appeared. I found them extraordinary then, and I still do. In the worlds of Myst, we're truly drawn into the stories. And not only are we part of those stories, we're essential to their outcome. The story can't even happen without us, as we bring our ingenuity to bear on the problems of the characters.

The same thrill I felt with those storybooks as a child is what drives me to take part in the Myst adventures today; but the added thrill of actually participating in those stories is priceless. Uru was meant to capture that element in all of us, and allow us to share our adventures together. What an utterly amazing concept... Cruel reality brought Uru to a very premature conclusion, but the enthusiasm shown by the fans, in particular the Until Uru fans, has shown that there are a great many of us out there with that same love for a good story well told, and with a real hunger to be immersed in that story, and to share it with kindred spirits.

There are subtle indications that something exciting might happen soon in the world of Uru. I'm keenly anticipating what may come next; above all, I hope that it's a good story, and I hope that I'll have friends to share it with!

Shorah,

Mowog

In Memory...

2006-02-02T11:37:00.000-08:00

Last week saw a very sad occasion, the death of one of the community, one who was liked and respected by all who knew him. On Sunday 29th January 2006, a memorial service was held on the Lost City of Atlantis Shard in honor of James Carpenter, known also as Aquila. Unfortunately due to the large number of people in the city I was unable to attend until after the first part was over, but the Ceremony was started with the Honor Guard standing in line beside the Great Tree in a "missing man formation", facing the Takota building. Aeronie began the ceremony with a short speech about James, about his humour and his generosity to the community despite his own needs, and asked the crowd to sit in silent vigil with her for two hours. The guests were then invited to say a few words about their feelings, which here I collect:

J'mee:

To most of us here, James (Aquila) is known through his friendship via e-mail and in the Cavern. It is in these terms that most of us think of him and honor his memory. But... I wish to recognize that he had other relationships: chiefest being is family. And my sincere and heartfelt condolences go out to all of them.

BAD:

I would just like to say a few observations about Aquila I have made this past week. I never got the chance to get to know him until he passed, and I feel that I missed out on something in URU. As I read the stories of his life, and heard the emotion of those telling the stories through their words, I understood why he was so important to this game and to the world. This showing of people was more than a love for this game or gatherings, it shows a love for a player, a person, a man who ran something for us, and never asked for anything back.

Loriendil:

I knew Aquila from the Lysts of course, and from emailing from time to time... but I knew him best from the time we spent here. We were so excited to set up the Lysters' hood and we had a blast playing in the hood -- remember playing hide and seek Aeronie? (Aeronie nods) He was a good man, selfless, with a kind heart. Thanks

Horizon:

Aquila was near single handedly responsible for keeping Myst fans together after the fall of RivenLyst. We could not have asked for a better Lyst Admin or friend. He will be greatly missed. Cheers, Aquila, wherever you are.

For myself, like BAD, I never know Aquila, and yet on reading the many heartfelt words spoken about him on the many forums, I felt deeply moved to sadness of his parting, and a wish that I had had the honor to have met with him in the forums or in the Cavern.

Eder t'shorah, Aquila.

Stellaflora

The Varied Ages of Myst

2006-01-30T17:05:00.000-08:00

The Myst community never ceases to impress me. It occurred to me the other day while chatting with one of our newest members via Skype that the age range between the youngest and oldest members of TCT is currently about fifty years. Dalken Starbyne is fifteen, and SuperGram is -- well -- a Gram, for goodness' sake. I've spent many enjoyable hours speaking with and working with Tyion, and he's the same age as our son. There really aren't many hobbies, technology-based hobbies in particular, where the age of the participant is immaterial. "The Called" have come from many countries, many cultures, they speak many languages. We span time zones, we span years... it's amazing!

Shorah,

Mowog

Backstage

2006-01-28T05:45:00.000-08:00

My wife and I are great fans of musical theatre, and are very fortunate indeed to have "The Muny," aka the Municipal Theatre Association of St Louis, near at hand. Here's a link to their website, which is well worth a look: http://www.muny.org. I mention this because I've always had a desire to see what happens backstage. As longtime Muny subscribers, we've seen many spectacular shows from our vantage point in the seats, only imagining the bustle of activity behind the curtain. I'm hoping we can finally take one of their backstage tours this year.

All of this to say that there's a very similar quality to The Cavern Today. You, our fans, hear the finished podcasts, which are an assembly of voices, sound effects, music, and so on. There may be interviews, dramas, book reviews, poetry readings, you never know. Sometimes we don't know...

So just for fun, here's a backstage tour of The Cavern Today. As mentioned before, this whole thing started with Ruby O'Degee from Jacksonville, Florida. She has many talents, among them being storytelling, drama, and working with teens as an acting coach. As a major Uru fan, she'd been mulling over the podcast idea as another way of evolving the story in Uru, as well as showing her teen drama group just what happens when you gather together a group of enthusiastic amateurs from all over the world for the purpose of telling a story via the Internet.

A post from Ruby in the Ubisoft Uru forums was our first invitation to join the project, and since that day in August '05, the staff has now grown to include a multi-talented collection of enthusiasts from all over the globe.

Ruby is still the main organizer behind the project, and as such, is responsible for many of the themes we feature in our podcasts from month to month. She does most of the storyboarding, outlining what each 'cast will include, and ordering the segments in the sequence you'll hear them. In the private section of our forum, there are sections for upcoming podcasts, where these outlines are posted for comment by other staffers. Sometimes we volunteer to do features, other times we're requested to do them, but the overall mood is one of cooperation.

Some of us are better in some areas than in others; for example, The Cavern Players were formed so that some of us could concentrate on script writing, editing, acting, and assembly. But in the same way, we've tended to "cast" ourselves according to our talents, and assignments are handed out accordingly.

The solo features, such as book reviews, are recorded by the assigned staffer, and the files are then sent up to the Cavern server so they can be dropped into the podcast during final production. Occasionally, the assembler might edit the piece, add music, whatever. Our drama, Journey of the Called, is acted out by the players over Skype, while each actor records their track. These files, again, are uploaded for assembly later, at which time music and sound effects are added. Our interviews are a bit different, in that they are recorded live. We've used Skype while recording each track separately, and once (for GreyDragon) using Gizmo, with its built-in recording feature. For future interviews, we hope to make use of Skype with the PowerGramo plug in, which captures all voices in the conversation with very good clarity.

Musical contributions, such as those you've heard from Mateus and GingerDiva, are sent in as finished MP3s and added to the podcast during assembly.

A recent development of The Cavern Today has been the video studio, headed up by Veralun. For our Cavern Christmas Carol, we acted the scenes out in various Cavern locations while Veralun captured the action using Fraps. The resulting video was then combined with the audio side of the story to produce a very entertaining video using Uru as a backdrop, and our avatars as actors. I wonder if Cyan ever imagined this sort of thing happening?

Needless to say, with so many people each contributing their own bit to the podcast, there's a fair amount of prompting that goes on as our deadlines approach! Having to squeeze all of this in with Real Life makes it a challenge sometimes, and occasionally features have had to be dropped or put off until the next program when they couldn't be completed on time. Our forum gets pretty lively as release time approaches! But all in all, the Cavern staff usually takes it all in stride. We're very sorry to have lost some of our staffers for various reasons, but sometimes real life responsibilites take precedence.

In a way, the biggest part of the job commences after all of our segments are complete and uploaded, for then our producer has to take all of those contributions and put them together into a coherent whole, editing perhaps 45 minutes of audio into a broadcast-quality "radio show." Kudos go out to Ruby, Donahoo, and all others who have filled this role!

I guess one of the most amazing things is that none of us have ever met face to face, with very few exceptions. We did run a thread in our forum once, inviting staffers to post real-life pictures. Some of us responded, but others are still known only by their Uru avvies. I entertain the thought that one day we can indeed all meet face-to-face, but the logistics would be huge; we have staffers from all over the USA, England, The Netherlands, South Africa, Australia, Canada, and France. A few of us are hoping to travel to Spokane for this year's Mysterium, and hopefully some great audio and photos will result. But for the most part, we know each other only through our voices and avvies.

Anyway, we hope you enjoy our work! We certainly have fun producing it.

Shorah,

Mowog

For Aquila

2006-01-26T08:55:00.000-08:00

(Thanks to The Lysts and the DRC Site for text and picture)

(Katie writes:)

Dear fellow Myst Community members, It is with great sorrow that I share with you the word of Aquila's passing. I, like all of you I'm sure, was shocked at this sudden and unbelieveable news.

Aquila, James, was at home, feeling well all morning when he suddenly became very ill (nauseous). His sister Sharon went out with their mother to an appointment for an hour, and when they returned he had been gone for some time - enough time that he was never able to be revived.

They are waiting to hear from the coroner but the assumption is that it was his heart. I spoke at length with Sharon this morning, and she and her mother are doing as well as can be expected. Sharon, like her brother, is kind and gracious and I wish desperately that we could have "met" under much different circumstances.

There are no service arrangements yet, but I will post details of these when there is more to tell. I have also offered Sharon condolences from everyone in this community. James was brother to us all, the way he gave every day, encouraged, supported, and loved. I offered to share Sharon's email address in order for any Myst fans to send her their sympathies, tributes for him, or a donation via paypal (using her email address). She has agreed to this, and so for those who wish it, you may donate and/or correspond with Sharon via: Sharcarzimm at sbc global dot net.

Sharon has asked me to tell you all that if she does not reply to your messages right away, it is because she has a lot to do and a lot on her mind. I told her that everyone understands this very well and to take her time.

The reason I stressed Paypal with her is that I knew James well enough to be privy to some personal information, including that it was not always easy for his family financially. I would ask that anyone who is able to do so, please send what you can in order to help his mother and his sisters defray the costs and ease their burden at this difficult time. I know, if James were here, he would do the same for all of us. If you wish to learn their home address to send flowers or anything else, please contact me off-Lyst / off-Forum and I will send it to you privately. To those of you who are wondering if this is a hoax, I will say now, I wish to God it were just that. I miss my friend, and will mourn this loss for many years. But this is real, and James' heart, though large enough to hold this entire community within it, wasn't strong enough to sustain him past 44 years of age. James, we will all miss you dear friend and brother. May God keep you in his house for all the days to come. (Katie)

Shorah,

Mowog

Bot Lessons

2006-01-23T16:16:00.000-08:00

Whilst visiting possible locations for sets for an upcoming film, I came across the bots Madge Millicuddy and Mr Polt swimming in the sheltered pool of Ahnonay. It appears that Mr Polt has been using the Age for the past few days in order to teach Madge how to swim before filming starts, as her part calls for her to swim. In private he told me that progress is slow, though hopefully Madge will be ready in time or I'll be spending the next month editing out her water wings.

Shorah,
Stellaflora

This One's for the Noobs

2006-01-23T15:37:00.000-08:00

For those of you who've just tuned in, and are wondering what The Cavern Today is all about, read on. I'll admit the whole thing may seem a bit daft at first, but be patient!

Obviously, it all started with Myst, the ground-breaking computer adventure game that appeared in 1993. That game, and the series that followed, built a tightly-knit community of fans. But with the release of the multi-player Uru in late 2003, the term "community" took on a whole new meaning. For the first time, adventurers could explore together. With its realtime 3D, free motion, and multiplayer online feature, we could finally meet our fellow explorers face-to-face in the Cavern of D'ni, or collectively enjoy the beautiful Ages at our disposal. The Uru forums were alive with new friendships; even with new rivalries, as the multi-layered nature of the story began to develop. Uru promised a truly amazing, and constantly changing, experience. But unexpectedly the plug was pulled, apparently due to financial straits, and the interactive side of Uru -- Uru Live -- was shut down in February of 2004, before it had truly begun. But the story wasn't quite over yet. A few months later, after impassioned appeals from the fans for some kind; ANY kind; of online Uru, Cyan authorized the revival of Uru online. True, this new incarnation, known as Until Uru, was a limited version, running on fan-based servers. But the magic was still there, in sufficient quantity to keep the community alive and well throughout the remainder of 2004 and 2005. It was in August of 2005 that one of the fans, a certain Ruby O'Degee of Florida, posted a message in the Ubisoft Uru forums asking if anyone would be interested in teaming up with her to produce a regular podcast to provide entertainment and information to the Uru community. The ball began rolling very soon afterward, and steadily picked up momentum. As of this writing, we've produced eight podcasts, and are working on our ninth. We've already featured two interviews with Cyan staffers, hopefully with more to follow. Our forum boasts over ninety members, and our production staff currently runs around twenty-five. A subset of that staff has formed The Cavern Players, a troupe of actors and producers who are focusing on the dramatic and comedic segments that are proving quite popular with our listeners.

So stay tuned! 2006 promises to be a very exciting, and unusual, year for The Cavern Today. Join us for the adventure, and to our subscribers and fans: "THANK YOU!!"

Shorah,

Mowog

Swelling the Ranks

2006-01-23T05:36:00.000-08:00

Wow, word's getting around! We've recently added several new members to the Cavern Today staff, and we'd like to welcome everyone! Eleri, AllMyst, Dalken Starbyne, DatokerJ, Toraneko, Alhon... the list goes on. We look forward to adding these new voices and talents to our podcasts!

CCN is more of a collective talent pool than an organization. Many thanks to Ruby for riding herd on the rest of us and taking care of the tedious organizational duties, and for working so hard to coordinate a loosely-knit gaggle of talent into something you'd like to listen to each month!

Shorah,

Mowog

Being Official, and how it feels

2006-01-20T20:21:00.000-08:00

Ruby O'Degee sure knows how to surprise a person. Today she posted a message in the actors' area of our forum containing a full set of Cavern Actors' Guild cards she had created for all of us who have performed in Cavern bits to date. It sort of blew me away... I had to take my glasses off, rub my eyes, and chuckle for a while. It looked funny at work, but hey.

I proceeded to print my card, and it's now laminated and residing in my wallet. Silly, I know, but I guess it hit me like it did because I never in my life expected that my name (or nickname at least) would ever be associated with acting. You just don't imagine something like that when you've stuttered most of your life. But the funny thing here is that once I power up my microphone, it's like another person talking. It's a controlled situation, a performance; and for whatever reason, I'm fluent while performing. Folks with normal speech can only imagine how liberating that is!

I guess I feel sort of like our departed friend "Pepsi," who could run and explore in Uru while confined to a wheelchair in real life. I've always been very frustrated with my speaking voice, but now, thanks to The Cavern Today, I'm somehow able to not only speak... but to create characters and bring them to life. It's kind of neat to discover a new talent at age 49!

So that card in my wallet is something of a certificate of achievement, stating that I'm doing something with my voice that I can actually enjoy, and enjoy very much. And hopefully, our fans will enjoy it too!

Shorah b'shemtee,

Mowog

Great Shafts, Rabbit Holes, and So Forth

2006-01-19T18:08:00.000-08:00

An interesting outgrowth of The Cavern Today has been the formation of The Cavern Players. It all started with Journey of the Called, the Cavern's own radio drama. With each new episode, we realized that we were really enjoying the process. So The Cavern Players have taken it upon themselves to produce original (or at least derivative!) new works for the entertainment of the Myst community.

Our first production was the Cavern Christmas Carol, our holiday special that aired in late December. Based on the Dickens classic, the story was given a rather Mystian twist by Mowog and Ruby O'Degee. And as fun as the audio version was, Veralun's excellent Cavern cinematography brought the story to life in video as well.

Next on our slate is Alice In Wonderland, again with a slant toward Uru; but unlike our Christmas program, we're hoping to do a "straight" version as well, essentially an Alice audio book performed by our international cast of actors, complete with music and sound effects. We're hoping that the authentic Alice will reach beyond the Myst community, and will lead to other such efforts. The acting bug has bitten us!

As for Journey of the Called, the final episode in the first series is partially recorded, and will appear in a podcast in the near future.

We'd like to sincerely thank all of you who have either subscribed to our podcast (2,000 plus!), or who have downloaded it directly. It's a labor of love, and the enthusiasm of the fans is what makes it all worth it.

Until next time,

Mowog

Stay Tuned...

2006-01-19T11:26:00.000-08:00

Many apologies for the lack of recent updates! Back when we first started The Cavern Today, this blog was our main source of collaboration. Then our forum went online back in the fall, and we all went scampering over to our shiny new forum. In all our excitement, we sort of forgot about the blog.

Anyway, we just noticed all the dust on the blog, and we'll be paying a little more attention to it after this. Plans are for me (Mowog) to do the words, and Stellaflora will provide the pictures.

Thanks for visiting! And don't forget our website and forum at http://www.thecaverntoday.com.

UU's The Ladies Garden Club

2005-10-11T18:44:00.000-07:00

Sometimes there is nothing like a night out with the ladies of the Ladies Garden Club, even if I did fall to my demise running over the swinging bridge, but not before I got a chance to stop and smell the cool dampness of an evening in the cavern. Come to think of it, even with the city and ppl we've got - we have a lot to be thankful for :).

The CCN ShortWave

2005-10-11T10:35:00.000-07:00

Want to listen to the CCN ShortWave, then go here: http://www.thecaverntoday.com. Message Machine earns new name and purpose. Regular mini-casts will be released every few days. The mini-casts will include CSA's (cavern service announcements), promos for the program, how to's and other information important to the UU community, including long format interviews.

Octoberfest Covered by the CCN "Message Machine"

2005-10-05T02:52:00.000-07:00

The Germans celebrated Octoberfest this past Saturday in the cavern via the German shard. I could only be there for awhile, but it was much fun while I was there. For some reason the ferry dock is well situated for holding larger parties. Lag was a problem, but there were very few crashes or freezes. There is some talk about holding larger events in this area in the future. Below you will find some photos of the fun that was had.

Podcast2 was distributed last Saturday, a few hours late, but once it made it to the feeds, it was donwloaded often. Several hundred copies have been picked up. This time the audio was much better, but there were issues for the staff, including how to best cut the final production. It was decided an original version would be cut and run, and uncut interviews would be run through the message machine. This would give listeners an opportunity to listen to the full cut, if they wanted to hear everything the speaker had to talk about. I have yet to check the statistics today, but as of yesterday several hundred downloads of the uncut interviews were also downloaded.

On a lighter note the bot, Mrs. Millicuddy was hired back and promoted to editorial and technical administrative assistant. She will directly with Mr. Crox to manage the vast amounts of emails he receives concerning the casts. She is thrilled to be back, promises to abide by the few rules posted CCN (no smoking for one), and will do her best to keep all listeners aprised of the changes at CCN.

PODCAST2...PODCAST2...PODCAST2...PODCAST2...PODCAST2............

2005-09-26T17:58:00.000-07:00

ONE BIG LINE UP FOR PODCAST2 - Be sure to subsribe, 'its going to be a really big show,' with host Tyion and Mowog filling in for the vacationing Veralun, with special guests, Reverend Vader from the Myst Worlds Forum for the Producer's Cut Interview, and with a special feature column on Mysterium 2005, Deg, and coming back for an encore, Mateus singing Dance Floor (steps to JW's Lake Water Boogie posted on website) and Episode 2 of the Journey of the Called serial, and the JOTC players , Tyion, Mowog, Jean and Zam reciting for the King's Poetry Slam, and News and Weather with L'yssa and reporters Old Man and Drakmyth who are bringing you the latest about MYST V, the MYSTV Celebration, and the D'ni Olympics. Go to the website at www.thecaverntoday.com and find out how to subscribe or bookmark the page and come back on September 30 at 8:pm or later to download your 2 part edition of PODCAST2.

King's Poetry Slam on Podcast2 -9-30-05

2005-09-20T03:34:00.000-07:00

A King's Poetry Slam will entertain listeners during Podcast2. All four stars of the popular serial Journey of the Called, Tyion, Moiety Jean, Zam and Mowog will be reading from the Podium Book in the hood's classroom. The poetry will be set to music by Ghavin, Administrator for the Meeting Place, and Cavern Communications Network Programming Drector. No explorer should miss this one. To get your cast, go to www.thecaverntoday.com and bookmark the download page, or make it easy on yourself and subscribe through the free itunes or ipodder services.

Myst V Party to be Discussed on Podcast 2.

2005-09-17T15:31:00.000-07:00

The Cavern Today will devote a special segment to coverage of the Myst V celebration held in the cavern today. After some technical snafus that sometime plague the UU commmunity -- what they try to do is so extraordinary --the show went on. For a complete wrap up, be sure to catch the podcast distributed on September 30, 2005.

Below you will find a couple of photos to accompany that story. For more information about how to get the podcast, go to www.thecaverntoday.com.

Planning Podcast2, Finding for Audio Clarity

2005-09-17T03:15:00.000-07:00

The first podcast was successful for many reasons, but audio clarity was an issue. There is a full out effort on the part of the editors and talent to make podcast2 something easy to listen to: and as content cool as the first one was. It isn't easy, because when you start looking for perfection, perfection looking gets addictive. You sometimes find yourself never satisfied.

For you listeners, the producers are determined to get the podcast out by deadline no matter what. If its 15 minutes or 45 minutes long, it will go to the feed.

Following find some photos of our recent planning session, and our sneak peek at the planning for another great adventure: the Myst V party, today at 3pmEDT in downtown Ae'gura. Take the tapestry shard/tapestry teamspeak. Put on your dancing shoes for the newest craze, the Lake Water Boogie Line Dance. Find the steps posted everwhere, and hanging on the wall in the foyer of the Cavern Communications Office here: http://www.thecaverntoday.com. Also Music by Mateus and other folks and fun and more fun. See you there. The Cavern Today will be covering the event Live on Skype. Come by and let us know what you think of UU these days, or Myst V, but make it spoiler free. The skype call can be made to

Tyion's Serial, Journey of the Called Included with First Podcast

2005-09-09T05:01:00.000-07:00

Technical difficulties and logistics notwithstanding, the much anticipated serial drama, Journey of the Called, an old fashioned and riveting radio program will make it into the first podcast lineup.

At the last minute an edited version was turned into the technical producer for inclusion. What next an academy award type nomination for best radio serial? Could be, just give these actors and writers a chance to perfect their craft.

Subscribe now to with your favorite feeder service or go to www.thecaverntoday.com for more information about how to download the entire podcast.

The Cavern Today is Official!

2005-09-07T08:17:00.000-07:00

Our Brand new website is up and running. Bookmark. It is where you will go to get news, information about the casts and the download, if you are not a subscriber.
The address is http://www.thecaverntoday.com/. You can also access our forum from the home page. If you want to make suggestions or add your comments you will need to join, but anyone is welcome to take a looksee.

Getting Ready to "Catch" your "Feed"

2005-09-01T03:32:00.000-07:00

We will try to post this primer a couple of times before next Saturday’s first distribution of the podcast, The Cavern Today produced by the international across shard group Cavern Communications Network.

As listeners can imagine CCN is getting excited to see all the work and inspiration becoming a reality. Now we need to let you know how you can "catch" your cast. The first way and best way is to subscribe to a provider like Ipodder or Itunes. Ipodder is a favorite feeder, because it is free and independent. A feeder is geek/web talk for the distribution service. The feeder does not create the podcast or even store it in most cases. The feeder merely sends out the podcast to subscribers who sign up for the feeder service and would like specific radio type programs, called podcasts to be delivered to their desktops while they do something else. It runs in the background, and should not interfere with other activities. When you want to listen to the program, you just click on the program that is already listed in your Ipodder index. That simple.
Ipodder’s instructions for set up are here. http://ipodder.sourceforge.net/index.php

The service is free, but the providers will ask for a donation. Use it awhile and see if you think it is giving you what you need. I find it refreshing they are interested in the future of this technology. The lemon is their logo to designate fresh and cutting edge.

Welcome to the Golden Age of Podcasting

The other service to try is Itunes. Itunes is a free service also. You will not need an Ipod to play your podcast. You can play it on your desktop. It may be too commercial for some of you, but CCN thinks it's just a wonderful easy-to-service that is very portable. You can use an Ipod, or another MP3 player to play the casts, or you can even burn them to cds directly using the Itunes player. The following are highlights of what Itunes says about podcasting.

Radio Is Finally Free

Podcasting is radio your way. Defy programming schedules and listen to whatever you want, whenever you want. Podcasts are radio-style shows — some from major media, others from passionate individuals [or teams like the Cavern Communications Network] delivered over the Internet to your computer. Unlike streaming audio, which requires you to listen in real time, podcasting lets you control how and when you hear [The Cavern Today or other CCN productions].

Cast of Thousands

Until now, searching for podcasts was like scanning for radio stations in a strange city — except you’d be browsing thousands of podcasts in a teeming metropolis called the Internet. And if you wanted to subscribe to a podcast [like the The Cavern Today program] well, you needed additional software to keep everything up to date. There had to be an easier way. Enter iTunes built-in podcast support. Here is the address to click on: http://www.apple.com/itunes/.
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And there are other feeders, dozens most likely that were developed to compete with these two biggie subscriber services. The CCN crew supports this technology, because it is easy to use and deserves our appreciation for what it accomplishes. It will keep cavern explorers updated about cavern information and entertained too.

SO YOU STILL DON’T WANT TO SUBSCRIBE TO ANYTHING?

A few explorers are skeptics or cannot access the feeders for one reason or the other. In that case you can download the cast. This first cast will be almost an hour long, but our producers have decided to separate in at least two parts for a less impact download. In a few days we will be able to give you the download address. Finally, if you still want to preview what you’d be subscribing to get eventually, you can listen to the podcast streamed over teamspeak on September 10th at 3pmEDT and encored on September 18th at 3pm EDT.

Podcast1 Being Assembed, Podcast2 Being Plotted, Podcast3 Being Planned

2005-08-31T04:44:00.000-07:00

News and Weather anchor L'yssa edits reporting material from first podcast

The Cavern Today's first podcast has gone to the editing room. The initial assembly has begun and will be ready in plenty of time for the 1st distribution. The crew is already working on the second podcast. The second podcast will include information about the D'ni Olympics, an interview with Reverend Vader from the Myst Worlds Forum and a Kings Poetry slam. CCN has sent out personal invitations to forum and guild leaders to send in information about their groups.

Podcast3 is coming right behind Podcast2, and in between a special sports cast being produced for the D'ni Olympics. LIVE on location and recorded in the studio, this sports cast is going be a wonderful way for explorers to get the latest information on winners and not-winners. It is bound to be humorous.

New Forum for The Cavern Today and CCN Up and Running

2005-08-29T03:57:00.000-07:00

If you are following the madcap adventures of the Cavern Communications Network and their project The Cavern Today, you can now find our forum at
http://www.onewebstudios.com/caverntoday/index.php?. There you can either lurk around and read the public comments or you can join the forum and participate in the shaping of the cast by making your own comments.

The first podcast is presently being assembled. The expected distribution date is still 9-10-05, and the second podcast is expected to be distributed on the 30th of September. Our new website will be up soon and you will be able to get more information about how to subscribe.

From the editor: This is an unique opportunity to take "game playing" to a whole new level of experience. While the CCN crew hopes to provide some fun and informative entertainment for their fellow explorers, the crew is learning much about podcasting and broadcasting in general.
The added problem and wonder of Until URU makes for a greater learning experience.

Sound editing being taught to us by LCC from the H'URU project shard, SteveCrox from the website "Cheese," Donohoo who makes sound effects and Pali64 who provides webcam.
And to the promotion and scheduling part of the cast, essjay and SuperGram bring their valuable experience from life on the surface and in the cavern.
Reporters L'yssa, Gadren, Ja'de and Mowog bring their voice, sound conversion and writing talent.
Veralun and Tyion bring their casual, fun loving personalities and great voices, and Tyion brings his writing and dramatic talents too.
Miles who has already provided us with our logo, signature, promo and website administrates the forum with SteveCrox, our producer's help.
And SteveCrox who mixes and converts, hands over a whole section of his website to the project, who critically reviews and comes up with new ideas, and who has honest ear, and will be there at the last minute to cut and follow through the distribution.
Oh and there is Old Man who will also bring his voice talent to commercial recording and D'Lanor who is expected to help us out technically. This is an all volunteer staff, no one get paid a penny, but everyone works like they were earning something other than D'ni money.
Also the support given to us by Ireen and Ivanova, who are just out there us encouraging for no reason than to be kind and helpful.

I can't believe their patience and desire to make it work out. Ruby continues to watch in shock and awe.

Mateus Headlines Live Podcast Production

2005-08-27T15:07:00.000-07:00

Mateus Peforms "Shoot" for cast.

Tyion and Gadren discuss his report on Myst V

Crew Fills Up Sharper's Office - Forced to Move to Larger Venue

2005-08-27T14:41:00.000-07:00

The Cavern Today's First Live Recording Session

2005-08-27T14:23:00.000-07:00

Photo 1, Ruby discusses script with Team

Pali, Gadren and Tyion dance to Mat's music

The first live recording of the podcast is officially over. From now on we will probably not meet together in the same way to do segments. It will be much easier to hear, but not as interesting to do. We will probably record through other technologies than teamspeak.

The day went as follows (from Ruby O perspective):
I logged on and talked for awhile with host Veralun, because he has been out of the cavern for at least a week and we needed to catch up. While we talked I played celtic music to put me in the right mood for the day. I was already tired and I wanted a calm atmosphere.

After entering the cavern I noticed that the shard took me to the wrong destination. I was in a relto that was no longer functioning. I logged out and took the event shard, this time to the right destination, but my linking books were not working properly. Pages were missing. Veralun who accompanied me to the cavern decided to help people get to Doug Sharper's office. There we started to hold the recording session, however, the power started to fail when more than 12 persons came into the building located somewhere in the city of Ae'gura.

We took a few photos and played some of the pre-recorded music. Mateus did his musical performance. We dance and enjoyed our time together, and then departed for the pub to record the remaining minutes of the cast.

All in all it went well. Everyone did a great job of working with the technology that we have. The time differences notwithstanding. Even Pali made it and cammed the entire cast. We will have a good first podcast and it will get better every time we do this. The format will need to be filled in, and everyone on the team will know just what to fill in.

The main thing: we got it done, and it will go out soon. The Cavern Today is coming about!

Moved to Event Shard _ Ruby still scrubbed on regular shard

2005-08-27T10:26:00.000-07:00

oh dearie

TCT LIVE Recording Session Today

2005-08-27T03:24:00.000-07:00

Today, live recording session, 2PM EDT. shard.urutapestry.com (regular tapestry shard). Doug Sharper's Office. If you are a crew member or guest please pm Ruby O when you arrive in the cavern. She will invite you to her relto. The linking book will be open for you to come to Sharper's old office.

New Forum for Crew's Use. Link & Password available through email. Contact Ruby O'Degee, SteveCrox or Miles.

GP to Interview and Mateus to Sing on Podcast

2005-08-26T16:20:00.000-07:00

Special Guests to appear at live recording session of The Cavern Today. Greypiffle from Florida, aka GP, if the hurricane doesn't hinder his appearance, and Mateus, from the UK to perform his music and vocals.

Editor's Note: we are crossing fingers here in Florida, USA. Go away Hurricane Katrina. Power outages not desired. Go, Get oughta here.

Coming Soon New Website and Forum for Comments

2005-08-26T12:20:00.000-07:00

Go now to temporary download. Introduction to The Cavern Today, Hosted by Tyion and Music courtesy of LCC from the H'URU project shard. Temporary Download.

WebCam to Cover Closed Live Recording Sessions

2005-08-26T04:35:00.000-07:00

Pali64 from Switzerland will webcam our closed live recording sessions. This will make it possible for the whole community to peek into what we are doing without spoiling their hearing of the podcast, fully edited, for the first time. The address to use the webcam is http://www.scidata.ch/webcam/ActiveX1.html and http://www.scidata.ch/webcam/Java1.html. Thank you Pali 64 for this coverage.

Podcast Publishes First Live Taping Production Schedule

2005-08-25T08:12:00.000-07:00

Schedule for Live Taping - Guest Line Up for the

Podcast I.09-10-2005.

Time 2:pmEDT 8-27-05 on the Tapestry Shard. Doug Sharper's Office by Invitation.

Webcam May be available to watch production being recorded, Check back for times to view.

Pre-Recorded Introduction Music and Information
Host's Live UU Chat - Veralun and Tyion
Interview with Guest Greypiffle (GP)
News and Weather with L'yssa
Myst V Update and Myst News from Field Reporter Gadren
Cavern News from Field Reporter Ja'de
Surface Report from Field Reporter Mowog
Live Musician and Vocal Performance by Mateus
Dramatic Presentation, Tyion's Journey of the Called, Performed by UU Explorers.
Panel Interview - Tyion and Veralun, Wrapping Up the 1st UU Anniversary Celebration with guest panelists SuperGram, Ireen and Donohoo.
Pre-Recorded Post Script, Production Credit and Information.

Segments shown above may be recorded in any order. Adjustments to be made on the fly.

There is still time to turn your advertisements into CCN for inclusion in the final edited version of the podcast. The email address is occupant5219@hotmail.com. The deadline for submission is 9-3-05. Thank you for your continued support of The Cavern Today.

For a sneak peek at what is coming or to find out how to participate or receive feeds of the podcast, listen to the special presentation recording here. Click on snippet.

The Cavern Today - Who Are We?

2005-08-24T12:04:00.000-07:00

Good Morning, Noon and Evening, Around the World and Across the Shards It is The Cavern Today, brought to you by Cavern Communications Network, a UU fan presentation, with accompanying blog for photos and email go to Echo2TheCavernToday. Your comments and suggestions are always welcome, however you do ask that you keep them G-rated, because this a family entertainment. Your hosts Tyion and Veralun.

CCN Podcast Production Team

(a UU Fan Presentation)

Tyion. Washington. USA.Writer & Host

Veralun.The Netherlands. Host

L'Yssa.Texas. USA. Desk Reporter & Art Design

Gadren.Kansas.USA. Field Reporter

Ja'de.Massachusetts.USA. Field Reporter

Mowog.Missouri.USA Field Reporter

Old Man. Canada.Reporter

SuperGram.New York. USA.Casting & Scheduling Director

Miles. South Africa. Technical Consultant. Art & Set Design

D'Lanor. The Netherlands. Technical Consultant

Pali64.Switzerland.Webcam Simulcast Director

essjay. Illinois.USA. Promotions Director

Donohoo.South Carolina.USA.Sound Designer

H'URU's LCC. Ohio. USA.Digital Musician & Sound Editor

SteveCrox. UK. Writer, Editorial & Technical Producer

RubyO.Florida. USA. Writer & Editorial Producer

For more information about how you to can take part in cavern life, click here http://plasma.cyanworlds.com/

The Cavern Today on Schedule for First Live Taping

2005-08-24T04:48:00.000-07:00

It will be our first milestone this Saturday, the 27th, 2005. We will be doing some live taping in the cavern. A check out of the elevator went smoothly. Guests will come up to the “green room” – then have some cocoa and meet with SuperGram for a brief orientation. After that she will send them linking through the “fish tank” to Doug Sharper’s old office space high up in the city of Ae’gura someplace. Perfect location for a tower. A sound and transmission checks still needs to be made.

Where to Get Your 1st Podcast Special Introduction

2005-08-21T06:19:00.000-07:00

The Cavern Today Special Introduction Presentation is now available for pickup at our temporary storage page. Just scroll down the page (cheese) and find the title. Then download it to your desktop.

How to Get Your Ad Aired

2005-08-21T05:32:00.000-07:00

If you are a group leader, guild member, shard administrator, event organizer from the Until URU community you are welcome to send in information about your group to The Cavern Today program. The email address is occupant5219@comcast.net. The ads will run from 10-30 seconds, therefore, the information will need to be concise. The program reserves the right to edit the information you send to compy with these guidelines.

Disclaimer: TCT will air ads it has produced through this process on a first-come, first serve basis. If your ad is still applicable to a future program it will be run again, time permitting. The program takes no responsibility for changes you might want to make to the ad after you mail in the information. Unless you know the exact date and time of your event in advance, you may not want us to air that information, in case you need to revise your schedule later. The program is G-rated, family entertainment, and the commercials will also be G-rated family entertainment. Of course, like everything else about UU, one of the reasons it continues to be the best "game" on the planet.

A typical example of an ad might read: The Guild of the Perplexed, who holds their meetings on Thursday night at 12:00 pm EDT on the Explorer Shard is looking for members who share their interest in trying to find out what life is really all about. If you are interested in checking out one of their meetings or becoming a member of the guild, please contact totallypreplexed, KI#12345560, Explorer Shard or go to the Eventual forum and look under thread, New Groups - for more information.

Or: The Guild of the Perplexed is having a costume party on three shards, Explorer, Wannabe Explorers, and NeverWereExplorers Shards throughout the month of October. Please go to the NeverWere Forum for more information.

Of course, it is not necessary for you to write your information out in this manner. It is necessary for you to include all pertinent details about your advertisement. You must also provide a contact email and KI#(s) so that producers can get a hold of a responsible party for any reason pertaining to the ad run dates, or content. There is no charge for advertising on the program.

I think you get the picture. Since we are across shards - an all groups - guilds podcast, we would like to see UU widely represented on the program. If your event is a major event for the UU community, it may be included in the local news segment, or if we find out that your guild or group is doing something particularly interesting, we could ask you for more information about what you are up to. If you are ever asked to come in for an interview, you will get the questions in advance. Sometimes guests like to answer without rehearsing. In that case you don't have to read the questions first. It is up to you.

Once we get our website up and running, we will be putting up a form for easy submission of information, but until then its email. The address is occupant5219@hotmail.com The first deadline for ad is 8/25/05 which is only a few days away. We look forward to hearing from you.

Shorah
Ruby O

Audio Welcome to the The Cavern Today

2005-08-20T06:44:00.000-07:00

Promo taping in our newly "leased" offices in the City

2005-08-19T19:00:00.000-07:00

Deadlines and Timelines loom, Host Tyion checks his KI watch.

Host Tyion about to try out the new "news" desk.

Impromptu Staff Meeting to discuss Promotions

Promotions Director - essjay, Editorial Producer - RubyO and Host, Tyion

Free Group Advertising and Music Contests

2005-08-19T12:31:00.000-07:00

The Cavern Today is a Podcast dedicated to anything and everything Until URU - - the continuing adventure of the entire UU community. If you are a shard administrator - a group, forum, or guild leader, you may want to take advantage of a free advertising opportunity.

Send in your "ad" to occupado@comcast.net for an upcoming event, membership drive, or any relevant item that will enhance your text forum announcement.

Be sure to include the name of your group, your avatar name and KI#. And an address where you can be reached for additional information or clarification. Verification of information will be a must before the ad is pre-recorded by our hosts or reporters. Tell us how long you want the ad to run. Ads may run on more than one program, if the ad is still timely and space allows. All Items are being considered on a first come - first serve basis, and must include all the information mentioned here. Some ads will be edited for time. (10 seconds to 30 seconds). The number of ads per show will also be limited. If your event is also newsworthy, the ad could possibly turn into a news item to be read during the regular news segment.

The ad will run with the information you turn in, so it may be best to include general information if dates are an issue. Our purpose at CCN is to promote UU life in the cavern and every attempt will be made to create a quality audio announcement for your group, but (disclaimer) we will not be held responsible for changing the ad before air date. If time is an issue, it may be better to make your ad less specific when it comes to time.

The Cavern Today is holding two contests for music pieces. Digital musicians are being asked to provide MP3, editable theme music for the show The Cavern Today (a MYST V music cd will be the 1st prize along with much continuing credit)...

and music is also needed for the special serial program being written and presented by one of our hosts, Tyion. If you are interested, please write us at occupado@comcast.net for more information. You will need to sign a public release to allow us to use the music under the condition that you receive continuing credit for your work. No money will paid to you for the piece. The music may be edited for technical and other reasons.

The Cavern Today with our New Logo by Miles

2005-08-17T05:31:00.000-07:00

The Cavern Today Promo and Linking Cover

2005-08-16T19:11:00.000-07:00