Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Christian Madera
Toward triggered generation of indistinguishable single photons from MoTe 2 quantum emitters
Abstract Single-photon sources operating at telecom wavelengths are fundamental components for long-distance optical quantum communication and information processing. Two-dimensional transition-metal dichalcogenides offer a promising platform for such sources, but their development has been hindered by limited spectral range and poor single-photon indistinguishability.
[2508.20743] Toward triggered generation of indistinguishable single-photons from MoTe$_2$ quantum emitters
[Submitted on 28 Aug 2025 ( v1 ), last revised 6 Oct 2026 (this version, v2)] Title:Toward triggered generation of indistinguishable single-photons from MoTe$_2$ quantum emitters View a PDF of the paper titled Toward triggered generation of indistinguishable single-photons from MoTe$_2$ quantum emitters, by Pawe{\l} Wyborski and Athanasios Paralikis and Pietro Metuh and Martin A. Jacobsen and Christian C.
As we mentioned before, we are honored to nominees for Best Podcast in the 2015 Geekie Awards. Well, the Awards are now open to a PUBLIC VOTE to determine who gets to take home a statue. If you would like to vote, just go to http://vote2015.thegeekieawards.com/ . No sign-in required or anything. It’s designed so that each voter can vote once per day per category, from now until Noon Pacific on August 31.
A Few Words About Our Writing Process
The internet is good for nothing if not oversharing, and writers love nothing more than talking about themselves and hoping that other people find it interesting. With that in mind, we will periodically supplement your listening pleasure with snippets about the creative process that gets THE ONCE AND FUTURE NERD gets from our brains to your ear holes.
In the epic conclusion of Chapter 1, “The Prince of Iorden,” the party descends deep into the seedy underbelly of Armstrungard in search of an infamous thief. But everyone involved may have taken on more than they bargained for. Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 20:58 — 24.0MB) The first part of our second chapter will be released on November 17. Be sure to subscribe!
John DeNardo, over at the Hugo Award winning blog, SF Signal, was awesome enough to link to us in a roundup of fun new stuff. Check out the post here: SF/F/H Link Post for 2013-10-07 SF Signal is a highly-regarded Sci-Fi and Fantasy fanzine, so you’re sure to find something cool while you’re there. Thanks for the shout out, John! Tags: News press
Hello and Welcome! We are pleased to present our three-part series premiere. We sincerely hope you enjoy THE ONCE AND FUTURE NERD: When three high school students from modern-day Pennsylvania find themselves trapped in a world of wizards, elves, and feudal intrigue, they must learn to survive in their new surroundings, and undertake an epic quest to save the world from the encroaching forces of chaos.
We’ve got a 5-star rating on the iTunes Store, so thanks to everyone who rated us! If you want to support the show and haven’t rated us yet on iTunes, please consider doing so! Tags: iTunes Listener Support News press
UPDATE: ENCORE PERFORMANCE ADDED. SEE BELOW. The multi-talented Anya Gibian, who plays Arlene and Regan (wait for “The Prince of Iorden,” Pt. 6), is going to be in a short play as part of the “Bad Theater Festival.” If you’re in the NY metro area and like live theater, you should definitely think about checking it out.
After a brief encounter with some of Armstrungard’s law enforcement community, our party of seven departs the city in a hurry. Their search for a locale in which to…let us say, “sequester themselves,” as the reverberations of Chapter 1’s events quiet down, brings them to the doorstep of an old acquaintance of Brennen’s. Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 18:25 — 21.1MB) The next part of this chapter will be released on December 1st.
The Once And Future Nerd
…Here’s what a mix of one of our episodes looks like, courtesy of the extremely talented Sandra Ramirez. (Click for full size) Tags: News post-production tech
Christian Contributed to an Actual Book You Can Buy
Hello listeners. Director here. Just wanted to take a brief moment to plug a book I contributed to – The De-Textbook, by the writers of Cracked.com. You can learn more about the book – and pre-order a copy! – here. I don’t get any money or anything based on how this book sells, but if you like TOAFN, you’ll probably like the stuff Cracked puts out.
In today’s bonus content – our first audio bonus content! – the producers talk with Anya Gibian (Arlene/Regan) about keeping track of multiple dialects. Short version: It’s wicked hard. Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 9:53 — 12.8MB) And don’t forget, Chapter 2 premieres next week!
The Once And Future Nerd
Worlds Without End, a very highly-regarded genre fiction blog and aggregator, was cool enough to add us to their directory of podcasts. They’re great at what they do (and obviously have excellent taste in podcasts), so swing over their way and you’re sure to find something worth your time. Tags: News press
The party reaches the storied city of Armstrungard and, after stocking up on equipment, venture to enlist the aid of the legendary Elvish wizard Ba’a lo-Ky’yr. They gain a new ally in the process. Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 15:28 — 17.7MB) Our next episode will be released on November 3. Be sure not to miss the thrilling conclusion of Chapter 1!
Regan has some doubts about the dependability of their temporary host, Bowen Briarhelm. Meanwhile, the children get some hands-on training in the use of weapons, and a crash course in introductory magical theory from Nia. Billy grows concerned over the influence Regan may be having on Jen, but Jen still finds herself in some serious danger.
Our story now turns to General Traft, the half-Orc commander of the rebel army. Traft attempts to gain a tactical advantage by recruiting an unlikely ally to his cause. In the process, Traft discusses the nature of stories, and philosophizes on the justification of his rebellion. Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 14:15 — 20.6MB) Tune in on April 27, 2014 to hear about Brennen’s not-so-triumphant return to Castle Guernatal.
The Once And Future Nerd
Gary – our production sound engineer extraordinaire – is playing a show with his band at the Trash Bar in Brooklyn tomorrow night (November 22). 256 Grand Street, BK. $8 at the door, 21 and up. Their set starts at 10pm. Check them out if you’re in the area!
Hoping to make the best of the situation, Brennen sets to teaching the kids the basics of armed combat. Meanwhile, back at Castle Guernatal, Ardel Redmoor makes the first tentative moves of a nefarious scheme. Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 21:45 — 24.9MB) The next part of this chapter will be released on December 15th. If you are enjoying the show, we would greatly appreciate if you rated us on iTunes.
The party finally departs the Briarhelm farm for Castle Guernatal, following a few uncomfortable disputes about logistics, of course. But their progress is halted by a potentially deadly obstacle, or rather, obstacles. A few thousand of them. At Castle Guernatal, Arlene and Gwen have a breakthrough in their attempts to uncover Ardel’s scheming. Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 14:11 — 19.5MB) Our next episode will be released on February 16.
The Once And Future Nerd
This is a slightly revised and expanded version of a story which first appeared on a fantasy writing subreddit, as part of their January 2014 writing challenge. There are several excellent stories in that thread, so it’s definitely worth your time to take a look. The following events are located in our canon nearly ten years after the assassination of Prince Uther Guernatal, and seven years before Nia of Seahold met General Brennen of Greyfield.
Greetings dear viewers! It is our pleasure to inform you that we will be releasing the conclusion of Chapter 2 this Sunday (12/22) – ahead of our normal release schedule. That means that, as of this coming Sunday, you will have two complete chapters (just north of 3 hours!) of THE ONCE AND FUTURE NERD to listen to at any pace you choose! If you are behind on the show and want to catch up, or just want to refresh your memory of the story so far, this is great opportunity to do so.
In the thrilling conclusion of Chapter 3, Ardel Redmoor springs his nefarious trap and Arlene has one last chance to stop him. Will she act in time? Meanwhile, the party must defend against a surprise attack from the Redmoor soldiers they’ve made camp with. But the gravest consequences fall on Billy and Nelson. Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 17:37 — 26.4MB) Chapter 4 will premiere on March 16. If you’re enjoying the show, please leave us a rating on iTunes!
In the harrowing conclusion to Chapter 2, the party must beat the odds against the large number of mercenaries who have descended upon the Briarhelm farm. And Brennen is forced to deal with his friend’s act of betrayal – not to mention a rather irate Regan. Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 14:25 — 20.0MB) We will be taking a brief holiday hiatus at the end of this month. Our next episode – Part 1 of Chapter 3 – will premiere on January 19.
With the main road to Castle Guernatal blocked by a large Felghir encampment, the party must take the road less traveled. Without any way of predicting what dangers may lurk within, they journey into the labyrinthine caves below the foothills. At Castle Guernatal, as King Gunther’s court analyzes the latest information about the movements of the rebel General Traft, Arlene and Gwen deduce the next monstrous step in Ardel’s plot. But will they be able to stop him?
Co-creators Zach and Christian were interviewed by Michael DeAngelo for his interactive Fantasy blog Tellest. The blog is an excellent resource for genre writers, and interviewing with Mike was a very fun experience. You can read the interview here, so head on over to learn more about our writing process! Tags: press
Greetings Dear Viewers! Wanted to let you know about some awesome live theater events that a few of our incredibly talented cast members are going to be performing in in the near future. First up, Lily Drexler (Gwen) will be starring in DARK WATER by David Stallings, directed by Heather Cohn and presented by MTWorks. Here’s a synopsis: The swampland of Louisiana is hit with the most massive oil spill known to history.
Please note: This episode contains a retelling of a traumatic sexual experience. It is not especially graphic, but if you would rather not hear it, skip from 13:32 to 15:38. As the party sorts through the carnage from last night’s skirmish with the mercenaries, Ardel’s political maneuvering forces Arlene to confront a horrible secret from her past. Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 19:12 — 25.4MB) This week returns us to our regular programming schedule.
Hoping to unlock the mystery of Brennen’s dreams? We’ve added this page to the Plot section, to keep all available information on these enigmatic dreams in one place. Will you solve the mystery?
Article on Mythic Scribes
“So please, go out and write some mythology. Write some mythology that thinks hard about the vulnerable and marginalized, instead of fetishizing the power structures that marginalized them in the first place. You have freaking dragons at your disposal. Go make the world better with them.” Christian wrote an article for the well-curated and consistently thoughtful Fantasy blog Mythic Scribes. In it, he talks about “black & white” vs. “grey” Fantasy and some of the ethical issues involved with each.
September 21st marked one year since we began releasing episodes! So we sat down with most of our current cast to talk about where we’ve been and where we’re going. Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 45:06 — 42.7MB) Special thanks to Silver A./AG Audio for helping us out with the audio work on this one. You can check out more of their work here: https://soundcloud.com/ag-audio Hit the break to see the maps we reference in our conversation (one of them is hilariously bad).
The Once And Future Nerd
Greetings dear viewers! In addition to all the other awesome stuff that our cast members have been up to lately, we wanted to let you know that the amazingly talented Julie Reed (who plays Jen, among other parts) will be performing the role of Hadass in a Heights Players production of YENTL by Leah Napolin and Isaac Bashevis Singer. There are performances the next two weekends, and you can get all the important details here. We hear great things about the play, as well as this production of it.
Teaser Trailer for Paul’s New Short Film
Paul (our Nelson) wrote and directed a short film and its first teaser trailer is out! About a young man preparing for a meeting with a stranger that will cost him his life or his soul, “You Can’t Die Here” explores the complexity of race, class, and inequality in the tragic deaths of unarmed Black American men. Given Paul’s track record, we’re sure┬áthis film will be outstanding. Check out the trailer and be sure to visit the film’s website for future updates.
Congrats to our Raffle Winners
Big shout-outs to D.E. Medus of Meduspod, and longtime fan Nathan O., who have won our holiday promotion raffle. They’ll be getting an autographed production script, and some free TOAFN merchandise, respectively. (Oh yeah, that’s another thing. We’re going to start selling merchandise soon! Stay tuned for more details.) Thank you to everyone who helped spread the word – we’ve seen subscriptions spike since the promotion so your friends and families clearly have excellent taste in podcasts.
Our Director/Co-Creator Christian is today’s Fantasy Writer of the Day on the r/Fantasy subreddit, and is doing an AMA all day. So head over there if you have a question for him!
We are extremely proud to announced that, among extremely worthy competition, we have become finalists in every category of the AudioVerse Awards for which we were eligible: Best Ongoing Original Comedy of the Year Best Ongoing Original Long-form Production of the Year Best Actress in an Original Ensemble Role – Lily Drexler as Gwen Best Actress in an Original Ensemble Role – Anya Gibian as Regan Best Actress in an Original Ensemble Role – Anya Gibian as Arlene Best Actress in an Original...
The Sonic Society, an extremely well-regarded and respected showcase of modern audiodrama has featured us on their latest episode, and we’re eternally grateful.
The Worthiest Knight, Pt. 4
In the thrilling conclusion to Chapter 5, the brutal Sir Frieshelm catches up with our party. A shame, really, as Jen was nearly ready to process her recent acts of violence, and Nia was on the verge of a breakthrough with her dreams. Will Brennen and Regan make it to the monastery in time to save the day? Will they need to, or have the children become more capable than anyone imagined?
Greetings, Dear Viewers! We’re very excited to announce that our Patreon page is now live. Patreon is a crowd-funding service, similar to Kickstarter or IndieGoGo, but allows supporters of a project to pledge small amounts of money on a continuing basis, rather than just a large sum all at once. If you’re enjoying the show, we hope you’ll consider supporting us financially.
The Once And Future Nerd
After the foiled ambush on the party by Redmoor soldiers, Brennen fears (correctly) that High King Gunther Guernatal is in danger. So, he makes haste back to Castle Guernatal with Regan in tow, hoping to re-establish the Guernatal dynasty before it’s too late. Little does he know that Ardel Redmoor has already made his treacherous move for the Throne. The rest of the party heads back to Armstrungard to hide out, but Billy and Nelson are deeply troubled by the events of the recent battle.
Exciting news! Author, critic, and designer¬†Rebecca A. Demarest posted an excellent review of our show on her website this morning. She calls the series “delightful,” with “fully developed characters that translate well through audio.” She’s “hooked and there’s no going back.” Read the full review over at Rebecca’s website. Rebecca is a talented writer and promising voice in her own respect, so her praise counts for a lot.
Thank You All for getting us to 10,000 Downloads
As of today, we have accumulated 10,000 total downloads. To celebrate this milestone, and to thank all of you dear viewers for your support and listenership, we’re re-releasing the entirety of Chapter 1, “The Prince of Iorden,” but this time as a single file with no interruptions and with credits and titles only once.
Audio Bonus Content #6 - Interview with Dan Dobranksy
For today’s bonus content, Zach and Christian talk with Dan Dobransky (Ardel, Traft, others) about villains and their role in a story. You can check out more of Dan’s work in the webseries CLAN on Vimeo (http://vimeo.com/113923451), and see him do sketch and improv at the Magnet Theater in New York (http://www.magnettheater.com). Chapter 8, “Evil Untold,” will premiere on Feb. 1.
Christian on the Audio Drama Production Podcast
Christian spoke to the Audio Drama Production Podcast (excellent show, just what it says on the tin) about writing Audiodrama and what we can learn from TV. Check it out here.
The Once And Future Nerd
This Thursday, Friday, and Saturday (1/22, 1/23, 1/24), Anya (Regan, Arlene) is going to be performing in an episodic short play competition at The Flea Theater in TriBeCa. Anya will be in two of the five plays performed, one of which – FEUD OF BLOOD: ULTIMATE BLOOD FEUD EDITION – is written by TOAFN producers Jess and Christian. The three audience favorites get to come back for another episode, so Anya, Jess, and Christian would really appreciate your support.
As we mentioned before, we are finalists in several categories of the AudioVerse Awards. Thank you to everyone who voted in the semifinal round, we hope you’ll consider giving us your vote again. Head to http://audioverseawards.net/site if you’d like to vote!
This week’s bonus content is written by Ian Harkins. For today’s bonus content, we are pleased to present an exclusive interview with wood sprite Ian Harkins, narrator of The Once and Future Nerd. In it, director Christian Madera learns many interesting things about sprite actors, and not a few disturbing things about himself. Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 9:28 — 14.9MB) The Once and Future Nerd is independently produced.
Please vote for the Audioverse Awards!
Exciting news (and a request)! THE ONCE AND FUTURE NERD and its cast & crew have been nominated for several Audioverse awards – given for excellence in free audiodrama – across several categories. And you, – yes, YOU! – can help us become finalists, while simultaneously supporting an excellent showcase for independent audiodrama. Just visit this page to learn how you can vote: http://www.audioverseawards.net/site/ Voting is free.
The Once And Future Nerd
UPDATE: All issues seem to be resolved at present. Please contact us if you have any further difficulties. We’re aware that some of you may be having issues downloading episodes from our Chapter 1 through some mobile podcast aggregators. This issue should be resolved in the very near future. In the meantime, downloads seem to be working fine through our website, and RSS Feed.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Christian
Contact Christian, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack