{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"The Merry Band of Pirates: Columbus Day Chapter 2: Deployment - To Boldly Go... In An Alien Bathroom - Ep. 3","description":"Welcome to Episode 3 of the Merry Band of Pirates and Unofficial Expeditionary Force podcast! Join us for a discussion of Chapter 2 of Columbus Day, &quot;Deployment,&quot; focusing on Joe Bishop's journey from Earth via the Thuranin space elevator and a Kristang troop transport (via a Thuranin Star Carrier) to Camp Alpha, and a deep exploration into the food, science fiction technology, and characters introduced during that galactic transit. &amp;nbsp; \ud83d\udea8 SPOILER WARNING: We will be discussing aspects and happenings of this chapter and future books in detail. If you are new to the series and wish to avoid spoilers, please listen to or read Columbus Day first, then come back and join us! &amp;nbsp; News: - Ground State Released: Book 19 in the Expeditionary Force series, Ground State, is officially out. - Columbus Day 10th Anniversary: Don't miss the 10th-anniversary event for Columbus Day, including a live stream on February 10th on the Podium YouTube Channel: https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@podium.entertainment &amp;nbsp; Today's discussion follows Joe Bishop's journey from a broken, post-Columbus Day Earth (including the long winter and economic collapse) to his deployment off-world. From the space elevator in Ecuador to transiting artificial wormholes on his way to Camp Alpha...we cover it all. Key Topics Covered: - First Introductions: Meeting Joe's good friend Jesse &quot;Cornpone&quot; Colter and the formal introduction to the UNEF (United Nations Expeditionary Force). - Sci-Fi Deep Dive: A detailed analysis of the Thuranin-built space elevator, including a comparison to real-world orbital mechanics, and Arthur C. Clarke's contributions to geostationary belts. - Alien Tech: Discussing Kristang medical scanners, nanomedicine, and the convenient and simple method for charging personal devices. - Galactic Travel: Breaking down the mechanics of faster-than-light travel using jump drives and the ancient artificial wormhole network. - Character Insights: Exploring Joe Bishop's young age and his &quot;grunt-level&quot; worries (like finding a good bathroom, a good cheeseburger, or a good place for charging his tablet), which provides the starting line of his path to future high-level command decisions in books to come. - New Segment: The debut of our food segment, &quot;In the Galley with Colonel Joe,&quot; featuring Joe's affinity for cheeseburgers and an impassioned rant by our own Mainer about canned brown bread. &amp;nbsp; Subscribe and Follow: Listen to Episode 2: https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@TheMerryBandofPirates Facebook: https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/720226687805258\/ Instagram: https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/mboppod \ud835\udd4f\/Twitter: https:\/\/x.com\/mboppod &amp;nbsp;Email: mboppod@gmail.com &amp;nbsp; ...And if you haven't done so, yet, download and listen to The Expeditionary Force series on Audible: https:\/\/www.audible.com (Not yet a sponsor!) ","author_name":"The Merry Band of Pirates (An Unofficial Expeditionary Force Podcast)","author_url":"https:\/\/sites.libsyn.com\/604550","html":"<iframe title=\"Libsyn Player\" style=\"border: none\" src=\"\/\/html5-player.libsyn.com\/embed\/episode\/id\/39983375\/height\/90\/theme\/custom\/thumbnail\/yes\/direction\/forward\/render-playlist\/no\/custom-color\/88AA3C\/\" height=\"90\" width=\"600\" scrolling=\"no\"  allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen><\/iframe>","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/assets.libsyn.com\/secure\/item\/39983375"}