In addition to the collection of articles, it is a pleasure to announce a couple of bonus items exclusive to JSS. One is an interview with Douglas Kahn, pre-eminent historian and theorist of the media arts with a particular interest in the study of sound in the avant-garde and experimental arts and music. By good fortune, Kahn’s latest book Earth Sound Earth Signal: Energies and Earth Magnitude in the Arts was published in late 2013 when contributions for the current special issue were under construction. Working independently, both projects – Earth Sound Earth Signal and JSS8 – historicize and critically examine sounds of space and this seemed like an excellent reason to strike up a dialogue and learn more about Kahn’s latest book. During the course of the interview multiple points of convergence, intersections, and shared research interests transpired and led to a lively discussion.