Quote from: naypalm on April 24, 2020, 07:15:05 AM
I hope everyone is doing well during this sickness crisis. Take care, light your candles, and may server protect us all.

All good here, I hope others are doing well too.

- Cimm/James

Quote from: CynEater on July 26, 2019, 05:25:02 AM
Thank you, Cimmerian,

You're very welcome! :-)

- Cimm/James

RantRadio: January 3, 1999 - January 3, 2019

At 9PM PT on January 3, 2019 the longest running Internet-only radio station, RantRadio, will go silent after 20 years of continuous broadcasting.

In late 1998 I ran across a then recently released piece of software called Shoutcast that allowed you to broadcast multiple mp3 audio streams across the Internet to the audio player Winamp. My mind immediately began racing with possibilities as I've always wanted to run a real world pirate radio station ever since watching the film Pump Up the Volume, but legalities and equipment costs always stood in the way. Now was my chance! I played around with the software over the 1998 holiday season during my time off and got it configured so I could speak into a microphone and also play music from a playlist when I wasn't talking.

On January 3, 1999 I threw the switch into the on position and never turned it off again. RantRadio was on the air! I convinced a couple of friends of mine to have shows on the station including Darcy (Drexoll) who started a show called WhatTheHell?!? I had my own show that followed his called State of the Station where I would sometimes play short audio clips of my friend Sean Kennedy ranting about various topics. After a couple of weeks Darcy and I discovered that doing a show together was much easier and more entertaining than doing them separately. The WhatTheHell?!? grew in popularity by a large amount after this point and we were regularly in the top ten stations on the Shoutcast listings, sometimes coming in the top spot.

The weekly Sunday night show WhatTheHell?!? evolved rapidly after that point as we brought in guests to tell stories, jokes, anecdotes and respond to the daily news. People came and went on the show until a panel of regular guests filled the room and we moved the show from my bedroom, to the livingroom and finally into its own dedicated studio in my apartment! People such as Sean Kennedy, Unkle Dak, Saryet, PVM, Enki, Medic and dozens of others became familiar to the listening audience as they tuned in every week to hear the insanity that would be broadcast from RantRadio.

Other shows were also applying to fill the free airtime throughout the week on RantRadio. Dozens of talented and entertaining DJs helped make RantRadio a go-to place for audio entertainment. Fans of the station and the shows would send in their own Rants for broadcast and submit amazing self made graphics celebrating the station and the people on it. RantRadio really felt like an gathering point and community of like minded people that could come together and have some laughs. The RantRadio discussion forums were filled with plans and ideas of radio shows and topics that they could explore.

After a couple of years the WhatTheHell?!? show aired its last episode and Sean Kennedy and myself moved on to a new show, The Sean Kennedy Radio Show. This new show had interviews, news and commentary on what was happening in the world and of course I can't forget the episode we aired the world premiere of the now legendary post-apocalyptic series Tales from the Afternow. Sean's radio show eventually morphed into a live TV show called the The Sean Kennedy TV Show, which was also broadcast using Shoutcast software. After 20 episodes of the TV show, Sean Kennedy returned to the audio realm of RantRadio to broadcast his long running show NewsReal where I was also a regular guest. NewsReal ran DAILY for a year and then for an additional FIVE years on a weekly basis until hitting the 500th episode where it ended.

It was around that time that a large number of audio and video platforms started emerging such as YouTube and music streaming services. The landscape of media was changing to an on demand style of consumption. You no longer had to tune in at a certain time on a certain day to listen or watch your favourite personalities, you could do it at your convenience. You no longer had to sit by hoping the next song would be your favourite band, you could pick any song from any album in their catalogue to listen to. Streaming tools were readily accessible, even on your phone you could now stream live out to the whole world with a click of a button. This was a good thing and a long time coming. Anybody could make their voice heard now and the era of linear broadcasting was over.

On the 20 year anniversary of RantRadio I thought it would be fitting to retire the audio station that started it all. It's bitter sweet day because it's always sad to say goodbye to something that's been with you for so long but I'm also honouring RantRadio at the same time for helping me on the path towards where I am today. I would rather it be my hand to turn off the switch, just as I turned it on 20 years ago, than have it decay and crash at some point and just never recover.

In the years since Sean's and my voice left the airwaves of RantRadio, we have turned to other media related pursuits. Sean has now penned a number of amazing books that you should definitely read. Seriously, they're amazing, go read them right now! I've moved into the world of filmmaking creating shorts, features, animation and documentaries. You can find a number of links for our projects to investigate at the end of this message.

I think I'll end this all with a quote from the movie that inspired it all but first I want to thank everyone who ever listened to us speak our minds on RantRadio or had the chance to speak their own minds on the station. Thank you so, so much. It meant the world to us. We will never forget you.

James / Cimmerian
RantRadio Station Manager


Pump Up The Volume (1990)

"But why did I bother coming out here tonight and why did you? I mean it's time, it begins with us not with politicians, the experts of the teachers, but with us, with you and with me, the ones who need it most. I believe with everything that's in me that the whole world is begging for healing, even the trees and the earth its self are crying out for it, you can hear it everywhere. It's the same kind of healing I desperately needed and finally feel has begun with you.

Everyone mix it up, it's not game over yet, it's just the beginning, but it's up to you. I'm calling for every kid to seize the air. Steal it, it belongs to you. Speak out, they can't stop you. Find your voice and use it. Keep this going. Pick a name, go on air. It's your life, take charge of it. Do it, try it, try anything. Spill your guts out and say shit and fuck a million times if you want to, but you decide. Fill the air, steal it. Keep the air alive"


Sean Kennedy:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Sean-Kennedy/e/B018KXKCEM/
Cyberpunk Is: https://www.facebook.com/zerodayrevolution/
Cyb3rpunk: https://www.minds.com/cyb3rpunk
Mermanaut: https://www.facebook.com/Mermanaut/

James O'Brien:

O'Brien Films: http://obrienfilms.com/
ZeroPage Homebrew: https://www.youtube.com/zeropagehomebrew
A Perfect 14: http://www.aperfect14.com/
Vegan Versus (soon): https://veganvs.com/

Thanks so much Aurovid! My feature documentary is now doing the rounds at the film festivals and I can concentrate on Afternow. :-) The Afternow live action short is now in pre-production and we're working on the screenplay for it. Keep on watching this (and other social media) spaces.

Quote from: Aurovid on October 19, 2018, 06:20:44 PM
Tales from the Afternow has held a special spot in my heart for many many many many years, I still hold on to hope!

Thanks K-16! The film has been doing really well at the festivals and we're winning awards, can't wait to put it out in VOD/Streaming in 2019 so everybody can see it!

Quote from: K-16 on September 04, 2018, 06:19:37 AM
And congratulations on completing the film!  At long last it's going into distribution and people can see a new side of the industry people have normally  ignored.  Again congratulations and looking forward to it!

It's a bunch of fun checking out brand new games for super old systems and seeing how far people can push the hardware. Hope to see you there!

Quote from: Loopster on December 03, 2018, 02:29:48 PM
Ooooh I'll have to check it out.

I've heard that rumour too!

Quote from: Loopster on December 04, 2018, 05:37:53 AM
Is it true that SKTFM has facial reconstructive surgery every few years and that nobody knows what he looks like?

Oh yeah, I love video games, especially retro ones! Thanks for watching the show, it's going really well so far.

A Perfect 14 is making its way into the festivals now! We have one announce and two more going to be announced soon. Can't wait for everyone to see it either in the theatre or at home, first stop is the world premiere in Miami!

http://aperfect14.com/screenings.php

Thanks so much for watching and subscribing!

You've definitely have never heard of these games because they're all new! Some are still in beta. The system, the Atari 2600, is the old part of all this.

What I do is focus on new homebrew games still being made for these old systems. Some of the hacks that these programmers are able to exploit are amazing. I love watching what they're able to pull out of ancient 40+ year old systems!

Hey all, long time no talk! Maybe there are still some lurkers who might see this. I'm now wrapping up post production on my feature documentary film, which has been taking my life up for the past four years and will be released soon, so some other projects are ramping up that you may be interested in taking a look at.

One project I've started working on is ZeroPage Homebrew which looks at NEW videogames on classic systems. In particular I have been focusing on the Atari 2600 and all the new homebrew games that have been released in the past few years. If you're intro retro video gaming or just want to check out what I've been up to, come join me LIVE streaming twice a week (Wed @ 7PM PT/10PM ET & Fri @ 2PM PT/5PM ET) on Twitch or check out the archives of the old shows on YouTube!

ZeroPage Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/zeropagehomebrew/
ZeroPage YouTube: https://goo.gl/aPKSYy
Facebook/Twitch/Instagram/Twitter: @zeropagehomebrew

Also, Drexoll/Darcy joins me on the show every second week! So come take a look and subscribe to all of it to keep updated!

Here's a good show to start you off so you can see if you like what we're dishing out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9Iw-rlirKg

Is WAS my birthday that day (3rd)! Thanks so much for the bday wishes. Yes, while I'm working on my big film project I'm trying to keep the plates spinning on RantMedia until I can dedicate more time to it. I have some fun video projects coming up for everyone once I'm done the big project so stay tuned!

For my birthday I had a (vegan) cronut filled with coconut Bavarian creme, unbelievably tasty!!

Well, ALMOST done 'A Perfect 14', so very close. Yes, I have many plans after the completion of the film and the gears will once again turn! Stay tuned!

Quote from: sparktest on August 11, 2017, 09:36:07 PM
Hey there TankMDG!  Lots of lurking going on as noted in other threads, but it looks like the gears of Rant are turning once again.  Cimm just completed his work on 'A Perfect 14' and is active on Youtube with State of the Station videos.

I probably check around for Rant content weekly, but have been bad about checking into the forums myself.

NEW VIDEO!! State of the Station Episode #004
Can You Hear Me? https://youtu.be/QnI54cOli4A

The reports of Afternow's death are greatly exaggerated. Hahah. But seriously, I've been working on a feature documentary for the past three years that have taken up 100% of my time and had to put Afternow on hold. Now that the film is wrapping up and is being released this year I will be able to complete my Afternow quests and get it all out to the masses. Keep watching this spot for updates in a few months!!

Quote from: Seilca on May 10, 2017, 08:26:16 PM
Is Afternow confirmed dead?

If you haven't read Sean's latest books you definitely need to, they're great!

Quote from: tankmdg on April 09, 2017, 08:35:49 PM
not one of the originals but been around longer then i would like to admit. sounds like I've missed new writings of Sean's