[The Far Edge]

I’m writing to let you know what I’ve been up to for the past several months, and that my new podcast and Web site are now live! I’ve created a podcast and Web site with a focus on culture, art and fun here in California and beyond. It’s got a corny name—Andy’s Treasure Trove San Francisco—because each episode will introduce you to people, places, things and ideas that I treasure, and that I want to share with you and everyone you know via the great new medium of podcasting (more on that in a moment).

Andy’s Treasure Trove San Francisco features interviews with authors, filmmakers, musicians, performers, poets, painters and many others – both known and unknown but all fascinating people. It covers cultural events in San Francisco and elsewhere and takes you along on audio adventures to places famous and obscure. It has music, comedy, reviews, Astrology, even household hints. Plus, as they say, much much more! Listen to the first episode, available now online for free (as are most podcasts) for a taste of the eclectic and, yes, quirky range of content brought to you by Andy’s Treasure Trove San Francisco.

About Podcasts
For those who don’t know what a podcast is, it’s like a radio show, but instead of being available only at a specific time on a specific radio station, it’s available for free online in many places anytime and all the time. You can either listen to a podcast on your computer “directly” as it streams from a huge server out there somewhere in Internet Land, OR (better yet!) you can download/subscribe for later listening either at your computer, on your iPod or iPhone (hence the term podcast) or in your car (by burning a 25-cent CD with your computer using iTunes). You can take a podcast with you and listen to it while you’re commuting, doing your exercises or doing the dishes—whenever/wherever you like. For more information about podcasts, please visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcast

Instructions and Requests:
If you click on this link ( http://www.andystreasuretrove.com/ ) you will come to my new website, which is in its humble beginning stages with lots more to come very soon. From there you can click on the Podcasts heading and then either click on Episode #0 to listen (if you have a slow connection it could take a long time for it to start playing), or click on the “Subscribe” button. PLEASE subscribe—This will automatically download the current podcast episode to your computer via iTunes (Apple’s free music/movie/podcast directory and player for Windows and Mac) or with another program if you prefer. There’s a link on my site to download iTunes from Apple. Alternatively, Andy’s Treasure Trove can also be found in the iTunes “Store,” where free podcasts like mine share space with music and movies that cost money. The link to my podcast in the iTunes store is: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=284636740 You can subscribe from there too, especially if you have trouble subscribing from my Web site.

My next request is that you enjoy (!) the hour-long “sneak preview” Episode Zero of Andy’s Treasure Trove, which contains excerpts from upcoming “regular” episodes that, starting with Episode #1, will automatically appear in your computer if you have subscribed. I’m working on the next episodes now so if any of the 25 or so mini-segments in Episode Zero particularly appeal to you and you’re eager to hear the full interviews sooner rather than later, please let me know by replying to this email or by clicking on the “Email me” button on my website (again: http://www.andystreasuretrove.com/ ). Also, If you, someone you know, or something you know about would make an interesting and/or fun podcast segment or episode, please let me know. I will try to make them (or it) famous, or at least more widely-heard.

Perhaps my biggest request is that you forward this email to everyone you know. In the podcast world it’s very important to have a large audience (to attract sponsors and partners, and for many other reasons) so I’m asking that if you enjoy my podcast (or if you’ll take a leap of faith before you even listen!), please forward this message to everyone you know. You’ll have my sincere and undying gratitude.

Thanks very much, and I hope you enjoy my labor of love.