Escape Artists
Escape Pod => Episode Comments => Topic started by: Russell Nash on August 01, 2008, 10:06:21 PM
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EP169: How I Mounted Goldie, Saved My Partner Lori, and Sniffed Out The People’s Justice (http://escapepod.org/2008/08/01/ep169-how-i-mounted-goldie-saved-my-partner-lori-and-sniffed-out-the-peoples-justice/)
By Jonathon Sullivan (http://www.sullydog.com/).
Read by Stephen Eley and Jennifer Bowie (of Screen Space (http://screenspace.org/)).
Q: What happened when you arrived at the address in question?
A: My Partner Lori opened my door and I jumped out. I arrested a suspect!
Q: Yes, Officer Bull. But I would like you to tell me exactly what happened, in detail, from the time you got out of the car.
A: Okay. My skulltop showed me which house, and I ran toward it. A man and three dogs ran out the door. One of them was a bitch with pretty haunches. She was in heat, and I really really really liked the way she smelled. I wanted to run after her, but I knew I should go after the man. So I did. Even though I liked the way she smelled!
Rated R. Contains profanity, violence, and canine sexuality.
Referenced Sites:
CrimeWAV Crime Fiction Podcast (http://crimewav.com/)
(http://escapepod.org/wp-images/podcast-mini4.gif)
Listen to this week’s Escape Pod! (http://media.rawvoice.com/escapepod/media.libsyn.com/media/escapepod/EP169_HowIMountedGoldie_fixed.mp3)
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The first episode title that was too long for the thread title.
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Wow, I think this title may be longer than last week's story ;)
I was really glad that this was a fun story, as I really needed one of those this week.
The world created in this story sounds like an interesting one, and while there was not a lot of world-building for the sake of world-building, there was enough presented in the course of the story to not leave me with a bunch of questions about how things are the way they are.
I really enjoyed the reading on this one. Although it was very tiring to listen to (I can only imagine trying to read a whole story that way), Steve's characterization of Bull was exactly what I would expect a hyper dog to sound like. If not for that one little glitch at the very end it would have been a perfect read.
Finally, I loved the flash piece at the end. Yes, I know it was not technically a flash piece, but I loved it when I read it on the boards, and it was fun to hear it on the show.
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This was very entertaining! I think the this is the first time I have laughed almost every time the protagonist used the F word. I usually find it tiring an unnecessary, but, for this story, it is a quite humorous device.
So is Sullydog just trying to live up to his name? He did a good job.
As for the reading:
Steve, you did a REALLY GOOD JOB! Goooood boy! ::rubs Steve's ears::
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I loved this. It's always nice to see a fictional police officer that doesn't see the law as being something you need to work around to get the bad guys. I can't think of anything I didn't like about this one.
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excellent story, definitely would download again! this is a buddy cop movie i want to see.
crimwav isn't bad either. i suggest starting with the fourth podcast: the cutman. the first story could put you off, i probably wouldn't have listened any further if i started with it.
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Great fun. A very accurate representation of what I think a canine mind would be like. Admittedly I got a bit irked after the 12,000th repetition of "I liked that!".. but that definitely strikes me as a doglike trait, so rather than being a bad thing, I think its just "realistic" as it were. And I must say, in regards to the reading, the mid-story petulant "No.." with the unspoken "well," before it was awesome. Kudos. :D
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Man, this needs to have it's own series, if not just for the main character alone. ;D
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Though I've never had a dog (or a cat), I must commend Steve's voice acting: he sounded exactly like I imagine a [technologically] uplifted canine would sound. Likewise, Jennifer Bowie did an exceptional job playing the part of an investigator who had to put up with said uplifted canine.
With regards to the story content itself, I commend Jonathon Sullivan's subtle, but effective world building. For instance and based on nothing more than contextual evidence, it seems as if uplifted dogs have legal rights comparable to those given to humans.
While some may decry the lack of technological specificity with regards to the skulltops or weapons packs, I would argue that anything beyond the brief mentions provided would have degraded the overall tone and style of the piece. After all, how many of us could explain how a modern computer works (or would want to if we were characters in an sf story)? Wait, scratch that, this is Escape Pod's audience...
What I most enjoyed about this story was that it reminded me just how good those involved with Escape Artists are. Personally, I'd like to see more from those who are usually behind the scenes.
As for the flash piece by Ragtime, I can say nothing but "Wow." I hope s/he takes Steve up on the offer to move to the top of the slush pile.
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This had to be about my favorite Escape Pod ever. I was out mowing and I was laughing so hard I about fell off the tractor. I have a good friend who's an ex-canine officer with whom I'm going to have to share this. I hope he gets as big a kick out of it as I did. Great stories while I'm out mowing...I like that!!
BTW, I had a big brother moment when I was registering to use the forums...my visual cue text ended in RPH and of course I *AM* an RPh (Registered Pharmacist). How'd you do that Steve?
Thanks for Escape Pod.
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That was great fun. I really enjoyed it. Steve’s and Jennifer Bowie’s narration was great, the story was fun and, as Void Munashii pointed out, the world-building was very good too.
As DarkKnightJRK said “Man, this needs to have it's own series, if not just for the main character alone.” I think I would like to hear another adventure with Lori and Officer Bull.
I’m an animal lover, dogs, cats and everything else, but I do think that some of my dogs would be very much like Officer Bull if they were uplifted, if not so obedient.
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I liked this story quite a bit. It was a nice change from EscapePod's more recent trend of dark/depressing stories, and I liked the anthropomorphic element. I didn't like the unnecessary and frequent use of vulgar language, though. I can accept when a couple such words show up in a story, but I don't like to see such language frequently cried out in a story just for the sake of crying it out.
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I liked this story quite a bit. It was a nice change from EscapePod's more recent trend of dark/depressing stories, and I liked the anthropomorphic element. I didn't like the unnecessary and frequent use of vulgar language, though. I can accept when a couple such words show up in a story, but I don't like to see such language frequently cried out in a story just for the sake of crying it out.
I would normally agree with you on this, but the vulgar language was an essential aspect of the characterization which would otherwise not have worked as well. Using the word *FUCK* so much was a way of showing Bull's dedication to his partner, his admiration for her and his loyalty. He tried to impress her and just like little children he does so by imitating her behavior. And he did not really understand or have the sensitivity to appropriate use of language or using language in the correct register in any case. Besides, isn't swearing a commonly used aspect of the police subculture anyway (certainly in movies and TV)? I personally cannot imagine cops speaking in any other way. Not knowing any policewomen/-men personally I have to base my judgement of their behavior on what I see on TV and there they certainly use *FUCK* a lot.
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it reminded me of the call of the wild (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Call_of_the_Wild) where Buck associated cursing with love because that's how his owner played with him.
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I liked this story quite a bit. It was a nice change from EscapePod's more recent trend of dark/depressing stories, and I liked the anthropomorphic element. I didn't like the unnecessary and frequent use of vulgar language, though. I can accept when a couple such words show up in a story, but I don't like to see such language frequently cried out in a story just for the sake of crying it out.
I would normally agree with you on this, but the vulgar language was an essential aspect of the characterization which would otherwise not have worked as well. Using the word *FUCK* so much was a way of showing Bull's dedication to his partner, his admiration for her and his loyalty. He tried to impress her and just like little children he does so by imitating her behavior. And he did not really understand or have the sensitivity to appropriate use of language or using language in the correct register in any case. Besides, isn't swearing a commonly used aspect of the police subculture anyway (certainly in movies and TV)? I personally cannot imagine cops speaking in any other way. Not knowing any policewomen/-men personally I have to base my judgement of their behavior on what I see on TV and there they certainly use *FUCK* a lot.
I'd add further that's also in keeping with what I've observed of actual canine behavior. I imagine if dogs could talk, this would be a not infrequent occurance :D
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excellent story, definitely would download again! this is a buddy cop movie i want to see.
crimwav isn't bad either. i suggest starting with the fourth podcast: the cutman. the first story could put you off, i probably wouldn't have listened any further if i started with it.
I got "Cut Man" in the Variant Frequencies feed. Good story, but I don't usually seek out crime fiction as a genre (Donald Westlake being the exception) so I probably won't subscribe to CrimeWAV.
Oh, and I still have about ten or fifteen minutes left to listen to yet, but I'm enjoying Sullivan's story quite a bit. I had no great opinion of "Imperial" but this one more than makes up for it.
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Oh, and speaking of Crimewav (excellent 'cast, by the way--made me finally clamp down and get into the Jack Palms series), I'll reiterate what Deflective said and heed the warning on the second episode--if you have a weak stomach, don't listen to it, just know that it...doesn't end well for just about anyone in this story. Well, except for the monkies. Espicially Big Man.
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This is the best EP I've heard in a while.
Hmm, I don't think I can add anything else!
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That was a great story, and I agree with those who thought Steve captured the what a speaking canine would sound like with his voice characterization. And the author did a great job of dealing with the implications of a world with sentient canines, and Reality TV run amok. With Wintermute, I have to add my vote for being happy to see a fictional police officer for whom the law is something to be respected, not undermined. (Now if we could only insert that mindset into the current Justice Department...)
Was the bit with the judge near the end an editing error, or was the judge (AI?!?) supposed to be conferring with another party off-line? I couldn't tell for sure.
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Best. Reading. Ever.
Great story too - one clearly written to be read aloud. Probably written specifically to be read aloud by Steve. And it worked. But right, I was going to talk about the story... beyond the obviously cool and funny dog POV, I really liked the plot itself. The vigilante group / reality TV show was a great idea, and great social commentary. And there were just enough twists with the police commissioner double crossing, and double crossing again. The action scenes were more exciting than they had any right to be, considering they were delivered in the form of a debriefing interview. And there was a lot to chew on, from animal rights of the "uplifted" dogs, to Law vs. Justice.
So Sully - Good dog. Smart dog. Good boy.
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I liked that! Excellent. Steve's reading was perfect. I think that's how my doggies would sound if they could talk - it would be cool for a while and then it would drive you nuts. Great stuff. Will listen again this week.
I could relate to the dog person / cat person stuff. I had cats for 14 years and now have a large dog and a giant dog.
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I agree with everyone that reading definitely is how I imagine an uplifted collie or lab would speak - Steve did an excellent job. However, after about 15 minutes in I was pretty worn out with it. And I can't imagine that even the dog would have kept it up for the entire debriefing. Perhaps a modulation of the excitement would have been better. Listening, I had some trouble distinguishing when an important or exciting event took place - the dog thought everything was 10/10.
The simple-mindedness, almost Forrest Gump like intelligence of the dog, got me to thinking about how it makes human-logic sense that we might specifically only uplift animals we know to be loyal, and that we'd make sure they were just a bit dumber than us. I know of David Brin's series, but I'm curious if there are any other stories/books of the same nature.
I wasn't sure (and it's no fault of the story) if (and if so why) only police dogs were uplifted - I'd suspect that some people would love the idea of an more intelligent companion.
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What a fun story! Excellently written and perfectly presented.
I usually think profanity is mis- and over-used in fiction. I think the world could do with far less of it. This is not a popular thing to say on the Internet, as it seems most people believe that "fuck" is a very versatile and satisfying word and feel they should practice using it. Nevertheless, perhaps because I'm a glutton for punishment, I'll say that most profanity could be replaced with grunts and nothing would be lost but unpleasant linguistic connotations. I hate when people who are more than capable of eloquently expressing themselves (as most published writers are) revert instead to callous babbling profanity.
I tell you this so you'll understand that it's a big deal for me to say that I enjoyed (some of) the profanity in this story. It was actually well-used, and even occasionally made me laugh. It's stories like these that keep me from automatically skipping stories that Steve has rated "R", even though I often wish I had.
One last comment, about the outtro. Ragtime, my hat's off to you man, that was beautiful. Thanks to Steve for sharing it, since (as my post count shows) I've only recently started reading the forums.
Also, I thought I'd point out that the promo for "Crimewav" did not make me want to go listen. In fact, it completely turned me off to the whole idea. It wasn't the content so much as the delivery. The promoter read his lines with a faux-homey flair that fell completely flat. I'm sure that at least some of my irritation was due to the contrast to Steves straight-up delivery. I thought, "If this is what they're serving, I'm not interested."
In fact, this is not the first time this has happened with a podcast promotion on Escape Pod. The content interests, but the delivery deters. Just thought you might like to know.
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people who are more than capable of eloquently expressing themselves (as most published writers are) ...
If fuck is good enough for them, it's good enough for me.
I have zero negative reaction to the curses a writer chooses to use in the vocabulary of the characters he or she develops. The language used by the characters is a very important to a writer.
I disagree with anyone who suggests that certain language was unnecessary, could be replaced by grunts, or could simply be stated more politely. It's part of the art of writing to choose the dialog that fits the characters.
I don't imagine I can argue anyone out of disliking curses in stories. But, all the complaints are really very superficial and exaggerated.
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In comedy you'll often find comedians relying on expletives to get laughs, and it often smacks of desperation. That's not to say it isn't always called for, but it's the grown up (or perhaps not) version of a ten year old saying 'boobie' so people will think he's funny.
That being said, profanity can have it's place and it's use can be funny. I thought it's use in this story was hilarious and perfectly appropriate. Much more would have been too much, but that just goes to the skill of both Sully-dog and Steve to get it exactly right.
The only problem was it didn't pass the mother-in-law test---if this story had played with my mother-in-law and my children in the car I'd never be allowed to listen to another EP again. A warning would have been nice. Still, the unexpectedness of it made it that little bit better.
In my earlier post I forgot to mention what a great job I thought Steve did with the reading. That must have taken a lot of energy, and to keep it up for that long was nothing short of heroic. Somebody deserves a Scooby snack!
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This story was a lot of fun. The dog kept looking at me wondering why we weren't heading back in. I kept just walking past our front walk.
Also, I thought I'd point out that the promo for "Crimewav" did not make me want to go listen. In fact, it completely turned me off to the whole idea. It wasn't the content so much as the delivery. The promoter read his lines with a faux-homey flair that fell completely flat.
That is Seth Harwood's way of doing all of his stuff and it's why I deleted everything of his after I heard Jack Wakes up and a couple of his shorts. It was just far too annoying and the writing wasn't good enough to make up for it.
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I usually think profanity is mis- and over-used in fiction. I think the world could do with far less of it. This is not a popular thing to say on the Internet, as it seems most people believe that "fuck" is a very versatile and satisfying word and feel they should practice using it. Nevertheless, perhaps because I'm a glutton for punishment, I'll say that most profanity could be replaced with grunts and nothing would be lost but unpleasant linguistic connotations. I hate when people who are more than capable of eloquently expressing themselves (as most published writers are) revert instead to callous babbling profanity.
I think that profanity is an important item in our linguistic toolbox (probably a hammer). I'll agree that it gets overused, but when strong emphasis is absolutely required, nothing does the job better. Generally, it should be used when a version using "polite words" would still not be polite (a certain chewing gum advert comes to mind).
But the point is that while a published author might be the most erudite and lettered person around, his characters probably aren't, and having Detroit beat cops talking like they'd just completed a PhD in Thesaurus Studies might lose a certain amount of verité.
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Wow, long time no comment. :)
I really liked this story.
Because of the unusual main character (though at first I thought we'd get another 'talking helmet' story, this one really made me laugh a lot, which I needed, because I listened to the last episode of Chasing the Bard before EP, the fact that it was the last of that story made me rather sad.)
I also liked the parallels that can be drawn between People's Court, and most 'news' stations in western civilization. (especially the vilification based on conjecture and lack of or false evidence, where the world is decidedly black and white)
Also kudos for Steve for reading the title of the story in character. :)
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I think that profanity is an important item in our linguistic toolbox (probably a hammer). I'll agree that it gets overused, but when strong emphasis is absolutely required, nothing does the job better. Generally, it should be used when a version using "polite words" would still not be polite (a certain chewing gum advert comes to mind).
I think I know the one ... "lint-licker" and "What the French, toast?", yes? :D My wife and I love that one.
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I agree with everyone that reading definitely is how I imagine an uplifted collie or lab would speak
Now that I disagree with. Since the canine officer's name was Officer Bull I figured it was a pitbull. Or a German Shepard at least. But a Lab or a Collie? A Lab would lick a perp to death and a Collie would speak with a Scottish Accent. Wouldn't he?
As for the FUCKS! I liked how Steve would read them so FUCK! kinda sounded like a bark. That was cool.
If you want to know where words like Fuck came from here is an essay I wrote on dirty words:
http://newsgarden.org/chatters/homepages/alllie/dirtywords.shtml (http://newsgarden.org/chatters/homepages/alllie/dirtywords.shtml)
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I originally stopped this story about half-way through. Something about the pace of the reading distracted me.
Then I drank two more cups of coffee in quick succession and my mind could comprehend the story line better.
Steve, I have to wonder if you modeled your reading style off the dog from Dexter's Lab: A Story?
http://www.tv.com/dexters-laboratory/dexters-lab-a-story/episode/24605/summary.html
http://www.imeem.com/people/qgwZzl/video/BmFSyb5a/dexters_lab_a_dog_story_tv_video/
On a serious note about the story it reminded me of a blend of RoboCop (Detroit Police?), Lassie, Cops and Law & Order. Amazing job!
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When the dog called his partner a "stocky bitch," I liked that. I laughed for a really long time. Although the "FUCK FUCK FUCK" bark probably primed me for it. Now I understand what that dog across the street is trying to tell me when I take out the trash cans.
This was a great entertaining, fun story. Good job, EP!
Sully Dog has become one of my favorite writers here.
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I agree with everyone that reading definitely is how I imagine an uplifted collie or lab would speak
Now that I disagree with. Since the canine officer's name was Officer Bull I figured it was a pitbull. Or a German Shepard at least. But a Lab or a Collie? A Lab would lick a perp to death and a Collie would speak with a Scottish Accent. Wouldn't he?
Yes. I pictured Officer Bull as a tough guy German Shepard, like the ones you see on police shows, running down and tearing the living crap out of perps.
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Yes. I pictured Officer Bull as a tough guy German Shepard, like the ones you see on police shows, running down and tearing the living crap out of perps.
German Shepherd is the first breed that comes to my mind when somebody says "police dog".
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Yes. I pictured Officer Bull as a tough guy German Shepard, like the ones you see on police shows, running down and tearing the living crap out of perps.
German Shepherd is the first breed that comes to my mind when somebody says "police dog".
Like this police dog:
http://www.ubersite.com/m/53894 (http://www.ubersite.com/m/53894)
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Also, I thought I'd point out that the promo for "Crimewav" did not make me want to go listen. In fact, it completely turned me off to the whole idea. It wasn't the content so much as the delivery. The promoter read his lines with a faux-homey flair that fell completely flat.
That is Seth Harwood's way of doing all of his stuff and it's why I deleted everything of his after I heard Jack Wakes up and a couple of his shorts. It was just far too annoying and the writing wasn't good enough to make up for it.
i didn't make it past the first six episodes of Jack wakes up. he neither reads or writes the stories in this podcast and it's been about 50-50 hit miss so far.
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I can describe this story in one word: Perfect.
It is everything an Escape Pod story should be. It is fun. It is engaging. It is well-read/performed. The subject was sci-fi, but the story wasn't about the sci-fi, but about the characters. And above all, it was a good story, told well.
Very seldom does an Escape Pod story leave me driving on the interstate giggling like a kid, but this one definitely did. "Terry Stringer," indeed.
Sullydog, I would so read a novel written in this universe. Think about it. Just...not all told from the POV of a dog, please. The optimism burnsssss usssssss.... :)
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Hilarious story. Thumbs up for Steve's voice, Jonathan's writing and Dr. Bowie's ability not to laugh at Steve. As you might guess from my user icon, I'm a neuroscientist too, as well as an Emory PhD grad, so I'm a bit biased for Jonathan's stories.
While listening to the story, I kept expecting the Creative Commons disclaimer to go something like: "That means you can let us off the leash in your neighborhood, but don't neuter us, and don't try to sell us to sketchy restaurants."
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WOOF WOOF
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people who are more than capable of eloquently expressing themselves (as most published writers are) ...
If fuck is good enough for them, it's good enough for me.
I have zero negative reaction to the curses a writer chooses to use in the vocabulary of the characters he or she develops. The language used by the characters is a very important to a writer.
In the book I just finished writing, the main character refers to her sex organ with the c-word almost exclusively. I personally would never use it, but it just sounded right for her to say it and think it. So I'm with you, arcsine -- if the author has a good reason for using the words, and it matches the character, then go for it.
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Given everything the author does, I'm impressed that he manages to pull of such a great story. I loved this story. I love stories about animals that are more than they are now -- ie, Simak's City and the two-fer "A Dog's Life" (I forget the author). And I think we all loved the ghost cat in that recent PodCastle.
When Steve said it would be a police procedural, I worried a bit because those are hit-or-miss for me; I don't watch CSI or L&O, but I like Criminal Minds and Without a Trace, so... *shrug* I guess it depends. But I think I was in the right frame of mind to really like this, having just sat down to start watching "Touching Evil" (US Version) again.
The characterization of the dog was excellent. The plot twist with Captain Mitchell wasn't terribly unexpected, but Mitchell was one of those pragmatic bad guys -- doing a bad thing but for a perceived good reason -- so it made sense for the character.
What I really liked was the difference between a dog and a Dog (for lack of a comparative term). Bull kept referring to non-capped dogs as "just a dog", but he himself was a Dog. It's almost the way many people think celebrities see themselves -- both James Blunt and I are white men, but he's James Blunt and I'm just me. But Bull has a sense of realism to his character -- he has a purpose; he's not a Dog just to be a Dog, but he's a Dog because it makes him a better police officer.
I wonder what breed Bull was. I'm guessing German Shepherd or Belgian Malinois because those are the most common used for K-9 partner dogs, but he could've been anything -- probably not a Mastiff, as they're slobbery and I think Bull would've made reference to that more than just the one time, but I am curious. I also wonder if Bull could talk, or if his barking was just that, and he was interfacing with the judicial computer voice via his skulltop directly -- so when he was yelling "Fuck fuck fuck!" it was really just loud, sharp barking. I like how the author made that ambiguous, so you could really take it however you wanted. At first blush, I thought it was speaking, but upon reflection... he was just barking.
Steve's reading was PERFECT. Absolutely, positively, in my opinion, the absolute best acting I've heard him do since I started listening to EP (and later PP and PC).
I'm afraid that EP170 will be a bit of a letdown after the greatness of this story.
Oh, and by the way, the repetition was great. It really was totally in character. And the title -- sex, companionship, purpose -- really is a microcosm of Bull's existence. Purpose is his baseline -- he would even apprehend Lori if she broke the law in a way he didn't see made sense. But if she's not breaking the law, she's his entire world (except the law) and he loves and respects her. But when sex is on the menu? Well... I'm not a scientist, but the author is, so if he says the pheromones are so overwhelming that Bull's desire to mount Goldie is forefront in his mind even as he's serving the law (his purpose) and Lori (his companion), then I believe it.
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In the book I just finished writing, the main character refers to her sex organ with the c-word almost exclusively.
It's her "charlie"? :P
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I love stories about animals that are more than they are now -- ie, Simak's City and the two-fer "A Dog's Life" (I forget the author).
I immediately thought of Simak's "City" when the story started. But once the violence, F-bombs, and talk of mounting started I knew we weren't in Clifford's pastoral future earth.
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This was a really great story. I found Steve's exhuberance while reading a bit difficult after a while, but I understand completely why he did it that way and think it was the right choice, even if a bit exhausting on the ear.
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This was a really great story. I found Steve's exhuberance while reading a bit difficult after a while, but I understand completely why he did it that way and think it was the right choice, even if a bit exhausting on the ear.
I also think Steve did a great job with Bull's need to use the bathroom, and also when he felt like a bad dog. That was such a great change in the tone; it really reflected the quicksilver nature of a dog's mood.
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I loved Steve's energy in this. I thought he did a great job portraying a dog. I had that figured out right away. I could picture my yellow lab telling me this story in the exact same way with vigorous tail wagging, head hanging and all.
I personally stay away from court TV as it aggravates me how silly people are. It almost shames me to know that I have had family on these shows. But at least they won their cases.
I don't know if it was an editing issue or not but... it almost sounded like "Bull" stopped to lick him self during the debriefing and the interviewer was so distracted that she had to start her sentence over. It made me laugh!
I thought the reading would have flowed better if Jennifer had been a little more consistent with her inflection. It seemed flat in some places, fine in others, and just out of place at times. It was somewhat distracting. At first I thought the interviewer was supposed to be a person, then a machine, than I didn't know what.
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I wonder with pieces like this if the two parts are able to listen to the other person's performance at all, or if it's a blind recording.
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I wonder with pieces like this if the two parts are able to listen to the other person's performance at all, or if it's a blind recording.
Well, I know that the co-reader and Steve both live in the same general area (greater Atlanta), so maybe they recorded in Steve's studio. Plus, I think during the flub at the end I heard Steve giving her direction.
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Also kudos for Steve for reading the title of the story in character. :)
The title itself works because you know that's how Bull would write it. 'Write' as in interfacing with a word processing program. Even the order makes sense. The mounting first (I guess Bull likes blondes), then his partner, then the case.
As to loyalty, Bull shows true loyalty by calling out Lori when she is willing to let The People's Justice have Duchamp. That's a good dog.
Also, it's interesting how the concept of 'pirate radio' usually associated with free expression and opposing the tyranny of the FCC is turned on its head with the 'hang 'em high' version of justice you get from The People's Justice.
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Best. Reading. Ever.
I second that. I LOVED love love loved this story! The excitement in Steves voice was awesome. The interviewers obvious amusement in parts, awesome. The STORY! AWESOME! Oh my goodness this one made me giddy. :) New favorite Escape pod story- Friction is now moved to second. Squeeeee! Great stuff!
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This is my favorite episode to date. I feel compelled to burn CDs and give them to my friends.
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This is my favorite episode to date. I feel compelled to burn CDs and give them to my friends.
Too bad the CC license won't allow correcting the glitch near the end. :(
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Too bad the CC license won't allow correcting the glitch near the end. :(
Not that it matters, but in that glitch did anyone else hear someone speaking a language other than English?
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Too bad the CC license won't allow correcting the glitch near the end. :(
Not that it matters,...
Hey, that's my line! :P
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Not that it matters, but in that glitch did anyone else hear someone speaking a language other than English?
I thought I heard an English-type accent..
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Great fun. A very accurate representation of what I think a canine mind would be like. Admittedly I got a bit irked after the 12,000th repetition of "I liked that!".. but that definitely strikes me as a doglike trait, so rather than being a bad thing, I think its just "realistic" as it were. And I must say, in regards to the reading, the mid-story petulant "No.." with the unspoken "well," before it was awesome. Kudos. :D
When I heard Stephen Ely saying, "I like that," I had a flash of deja vu. It took me a while to place what memory was being stired... but then I realized that one of the first Escape Pod stories had used the phrase, "We like that," with excess. It turns out that Escape Pod episode one, "Imperial", is also by Jonathon Sullivan. I agree that the phrase, "I like that," is a natural phrase in this story. However, I also think that there is also a display of some author tendency here.
On a slightly different note: I was delighted with this story, and thought that the reading was superb. Stephen Ely reads with a clarity and defined enunciation that I usually feel soothed... and in some cases relieved... when he is the reader.
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Good story, Great reading
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Had to comment out of order to say that this episode was amazing. Great job to all involved. I laughed often and loudly, despite being on an "absolute quiet" floor of the library, attempting to shelve books.
I now have to start a "Top EP Eps" list just to put this story on it. But I don't know whether the story would have been as interesting or fun if it hadn't been presented in such stunning audio format. I think I would have gotten sick of it very quickly if I were reading it in print instead of listening to it. But for Escape Pod, it was absolutely brilliant. Thank you to Sullydog for writing it and submitting it and Steve for sharing it with us.
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While I did enjoy the story I thought the reading made the Police Dog sound like Paris Hilton's Chihuahua. I thought the title was far too long and was more of a preface than a title.
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I thought the exuberant dog voice was going to get quite wearing as the story went on but it worked the other way: after a couple of minutes I found Bull quite easy to listen to. This is definitely my favourite Steve Eley reading so far. I do like stories that are performed as much as read.
Oh yeah, and the story was really good fun, and surprisingly serious.
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Wow, I can't believe you guys liked this one. I hate to be That Guy, but I really thought this was...
OK, I can't do it. I thought that if I were the one person who didn't like it then Steve would have to mention me in the episode feedback. But I actually thought this was one of the top ten EP episodes and probably Steve's best reading ever.
The story was fun and funny and disturbing all at the same time. The character of Bull was fascinating. He wasn't just a dog or even just an uplifted dog, he was an uplifted police dog. He was overly loyal and subservient, but did not hesitate to threaten to arrest his human partner. Whenever he described someone he would go from "he smelled nice. I like that" to "he was a male Caucasian, 6'1'', about 210 pounds with a green shirt, leather jacket, and blue jeans" without missing a beat. He had an innocent exuberance, but at the same time lived in a violent world and couldn't stop thinking about boning Goldie.
If I must have a complaint it would be that I thought the name Terry Stringer was a little over the top. I knew where the author was going and didn't need to be hit on the head like this. But there were enough layers to the story that this was a very minor distraction.
Since I am one of the first guys to complain when a story has an insufficient level of SF-ness for my tastes, I want to also state that this is the kind of SF story that I enjoy. It had several cool SFy ideas, it was pretty realistic, and it featured social commentary without being preachy. You could probably shoe horn it into a non-SF setting, but it would lose so much as to be a different story.
I got to thinking about how plausible believable the People's Justice idea was. I thought it was interesting and chilling that, sense it was popular and the police secretly liked it, no one was stopping it. Also they were good at concealing where they were shooting, and could broadcast it on the internet from anywhere. I wonder though if the police would be so complacent about The People's Justice encroaching into their power. Also I think at some point the Feds would get involved, and even if you couldn't find where they were shooting, their sponsors would probably be easy to track down. This isn't a complaint about the story. I completely accepted The People's Justice in the story, and Sully could probably explain all this if he had wanted to, but that would have bogged down the action. I just think it's an interesting thought experiment.
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Steve, I have to wonder if you modeled your reading style off the dog from Dexter's Lab: A Story?
http://www.tv.com/dexters-laboratory/dexters-lab-a-story/episode/24605/summary.html
http://www.imeem.com/people/qgwZzl/video/BmFSyb5a/dexters_lab_a_dog_story_tv_video/
You nailed it. That was exactly my inspiration for this character voice.
The phrase "It's the stick!" does not appear in the story, but if it did, I'd have been so ready.
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Well, I know that the co-reader and Steve both live in the same general area (greater Atlanta), so maybe they recorded in Steve's studio. Plus, I think during the flub at the end I heard Steve giving her direction.
Correct. Dr. Bowie's a friend of mine, and we read this one together.
Given this level of positive feedback, I'm somewhat tempted to make available the raw, unedited file, just because the outtakes include a lot of laughing and conversation and are a bit less boring than typical "alone in a room, clicking my clicker" raw recordings. It's an hour long, and most of it is...well, what you heard. I can't guarantee it'll enrich anyone's experience, but I was amused. And if you want to know how the sausage gets made, this is one example.
Would anyone be interested? I wouldn't put it on the podcast feed, just post a link here or something.
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Given this level of positive feedback, I'm somewhat tempted to make available the raw, unedited file, just because the outtakes include a lot of laughing and conversation and are a bit less boring than typical "alone in a room, clicking my clicker" raw recordings. It's an hour long, and most of it is...well, what you heard. I can't guarantee it'll enrich anyone's experience, but I was amused. And if you want to know how the sausage gets made, this is one example.
Would anyone be interested? I wouldn't put it on the podcast feed, just post a link here or something.
Maybe if it was just a "gag reel" sort of thing.
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I've finally caught up with EscapePod, and it was a neat bit of symmetry to bracket that long binge of great science fiction with 2 Johnathon Sullivan stories.
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Given this level of positive feedback, I'm somewhat tempted to make available the raw, unedited file, just because the outtakes include a lot of laughing and conversation and are a bit less boring than typical "alone in a room, clicking my clicker" raw recordings. It's an hour long, and most of it is...well, what you heard. I can't guarantee it'll enrich anyone's experience, but I was amused. And if you want to know how the sausage gets made, this is one example.
Would anyone be interested? I wouldn't put it on the podcast feed, just post a link here or something.
I'd be interested. I quite enjoy the "Behind the Scenes"-type podcasts (e.g. BTS@DP, most feeds at BS) and will admit that I didn't realize that dialogue is stitched together since everyone [usually] records seperately. Seriously, I had no idea.
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Would anyone be interested? I wouldn't put it on the podcast feed, just post a link here or something.
I'd like to hear it.
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Well, I know that the co-reader and Steve both live in the same general area (greater Atlanta), so maybe they recorded in Steve's studio. Plus, I think during the flub at the end I heard Steve giving her direction.
Correct. Dr. Bowie's a friend of mine, and we read this one together.
Given this level of positive feedback, I'm somewhat tempted to make available the raw, unedited file, just because the outtakes include a lot of laughing and conversation and are a bit less boring than typical "alone in a room, clicking my clicker" raw recordings. It's an hour long, and most of it is...well, what you heard. I can't guarantee it'll enrich anyone's experience, but I was amused. And if you want to know how the sausage gets made, this is one example.
Would anyone be interested? I wouldn't put it on the podcast feed, just post a link here or something.
I gather you use the clicker so you can hear start and stop points?
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I loved this story. As mentioned before, it was had the feeling of being light and amusing but disturbing at the same time.
I had an overwhelming urge to scratch my iPod’s ears midway through and say “good Pod”. ;D
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I loved this story. As mentioned before, it was had the feeling of being light and amusing but disturbing at the same time.
I had an overwhelming urge to scratch my iPod’s ears midway through and say “good Pod”. ;D
I can actually do that if I run it through my iCat. ;D
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I loved this story. As mentioned before, it was had the feeling of being light and amusing but disturbing at the same time.
I had an overwhelming urge to scratch my iPod’s ears midway through and say “good Pod”. ;D
You must have one of these (http://www.avthinginitsplace.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=55762). ;D
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I loved this story. As mentioned before, it was had the feeling of being light and amusing but disturbing at the same time.
I had an overwhelming urge to scratch my iPod’s ears midway through and say “good Pod”. ;D
You must have one of these (http://www.avthinginitsplace.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=55762). ;D
I have one of these:
(http://www.buymac.com.au/images/images/215x215fixed/1213.jpg)
I call her Snow Pea ... get it? :)
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I hate replying just to say "Me, too!!"
But, yeah, "Me, too!" I loved this story, for reasons that others have already stated much more succinctly than I ever could. 'Munths hadn't heard it as of the time he got on his plane this morning, and I'm hoping he had a chance to listen to it on the journey so we can commiserate on it's fantastic-ness when we talk later.
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I don't have time to read all the other comments like I usually do right now, but I just wanted to say - great story, great reading and OMFG STEVE! I knew you were cool, but I didn't realize how cool!
This is our other child and his name is Studz McCorgi. =)
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2139/2544854342_e6b2b72fb6.jpg?v=0)
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This is our other child and his name is Studz McCorgi. =)
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2139/2544854342_e6b2b72fb6.jpg?v=0)
Ein?
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This is our other child and his name is Studz McCorgi. =)
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2139/2544854342_e6b2b72fb6.jpg?v=0)
Ein?
I hope they didn't name him that -- it's an awful lot to live up to...
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Hilarious story and great read! One of my favs
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You nailed it. That was exactly my inspiration for this character voice.
The phrase "It's the stick!" does not appear in the story, but if it did, I'd have been so ready.
Hence the reason I'm glad for two things - caffeine and short EP episodes. I don't know if I could take that pace for more than 45 minutes at a time. Despite my wife's best efforts, I'm definitely NOT a dog person!
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Okay, for those who wanted it, the here's the raw session recording (http://media.rawvoice.com/escapepod/media.libsyn.com/media/escapepod/HowIMountedGoldie_raw.mp3).
Koda, your Pembroke puppy picture melted me. Here's one of Yuna:
(http://eley.smugmug.com/photos/120888910_nusic-M.jpg)
More pictures of her at Smugmug (http://eley.smugmug.com/photos/swfpopup.mg?AlbumID=2312662&AlbumKey=wadQQ).
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You nailed it. That was exactly my inspiration for this character voice.
The phrase "It's the stick!" does not appear in the story, but if it did, I'd have been so ready.
Heh, after I posted that I also found this:
EXCERPTS FROM A DOG'S DIARY (Submitted by Claire)
- 8:00 am - OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE!
- 9:30 am - OH BOY! A CAR RIDE! MY FAVORITE!
- 9:40 am - OH BOY! A WALK! MY FAVORITE!
- 10:30 am - OH BOY! A CAR RIDE! MY FAVORITE!
- 11:30 am - OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE!
- 12:00 noon - OH BOY! THE KIDS! MY FAVORITE!
- 1:00 PM - OH BOY! THE YARD! MY FAVORITE!
- 1:30 PM - ooooooo. bath. bummer.
- 4:00 PM - OH BOY! THE KIDS! MY FAVORITE!
- 5:00 PM - OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE!
- 5:30 PM - OH BOY! MOM! MY FAVORITE!
EXCERPTS FROM A CAT'S DIARY
- DAY 752 - My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while I am forced to eat dry cereal. The only thing that keeps me going is the hope of escape, and the mild satisfaction I get from ruining the occasional piece of furniture. Tomorrow I may eat another houseplant.
- DAY 761 - Today my attempt to kill my captors by weaving around their feet while they were walking almost succeeded, must try this at the top of the stairs. In an attempt to disgust and repulse these vile oppressors, I once again induced myself to vomit on their favorite chair.. must try this on their bed.
- DAY 765 - Decapitated a mouse and brought them the headless body, in attempt to make them aware of what I am capable of, and to try to strike fear into their hearts. They only cooed and condescended about what a good little cat I was...Hmmm. Not working according to plan.
- DAY 768 - I am finally aware of how sadistic they are. For no good reason I was chosen for the water torture. This time however it included a burning foamy chemical called "shampoo." What sick minds could invent such a liquid? My only consolation is the piece of thumb still stuck between my teeth.
- DAY 771 - There was some sort of gathering of their accomplices. I was placed in solitary throughout the event. However, I could hear the noise and smell the foul odor of the glass tubes they call "beer.." More importantly I overheard that my confinement was due to MY power of "allergies" Must learn what this is and how to use it to my advantage.
- DAY 774 - I am convinced the other captives are flunkies and maybe snitches. The dog is routinely released and seems more than happy to return. He is obviously a half-wit. The bird on the other hand has got to be an informant, and speaks with them regularly. I am certain he reports my every move. Due to his current placement in the metal room his safety is assured. But I can wait; it is only a matter of time......
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What a delightful story and a wonderful reading. Great fun.
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Okay, for those who wanted it, the here's the raw session recording (http://media.rawvoice.com/escapepod/media.libsyn.com/media/escapepod/HowIMountedGoldie_raw.mp3).
Koda, your Pembroke puppy picture melted me. Here's one of Yuna:
*snip*
More pictures of her at Smugmug (http://eley.smugmug.com/photos/swfpopup.mg?AlbumID=2312662&AlbumKey=wadQQ).
Heh, Yuna. Nice one. I still wish I could get back the 40 hours I devoted to that game.
Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of my dog. She's so deathly afraid of cameras that she bolts whenever she sees one.
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Being of the role playing sort, I kept thinking of how my dogboy Ace would regard, well, the dogboy enthusiasm. Ace is a Coyote dogboy, of the Rifts variety.
Or
I enjoyed the story, and couldn't help comparing my current, bouncy husky with the ever so serious mutt, who wandered into, and out of, my life (to die, of old age, we presume) eons ago.
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Okay, for those who wanted it, the here's the raw session recording (http://media.rawvoice.com/escapepod/media.libsyn.com/media/escapepod/HowIMountedGoldie_raw.mp3).
That was awesome to listen to. Not only was a lot of the stuff edited out quite interesting, it also gives me a better appreciation of just how much work you put into each of these episodes. The final product is always so good, it's easy to slip into the idea that you are just running through these stories in one continuous take (which I think certain other shows do, and the difference shows)
Thanks for the peek behind the curtain.
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I LOVED this one!!! Steve - you kill me. This is by far the most excellent character voice d'Steve ever. I am still smiling days later...
Woof!
--Archelon
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This story was so fun. The reading was perfect. I think this is one of those rare pieces for me that works better in an audio format.
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*big, BIG grin* I LOOOOVED this one! I am a big dog person, and the reading was PERFECT! Amazingly fun story!
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I am not a dog person. I am a cat person. It gives me great pleasure to picture the interviewer as a capped cat. I got that image about 2/3 of the way through, and am keeping it.
GIGO
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This has been one of the most entertaining stories I have listened to in a long time. Steve was spot on and I laughed out loud several times at Bull's mannerisms.
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This was a great story, I loved it. For some reason, I seem to be a sucker for the "story told from the PoV of an AI enhanced agent" thing. I'm thinking of this story and "How Lonesome a Life Without Nerve Gas" and "Conversations With And About My Toothbrush". See? I still remember their names. When the skull caps come out, I want one.
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This was FANTASTIC.
I'm out of town right now, but Shwankie's been bugging me all week to listen to it. I finally found time this morning.
Steve totally nailed the excited but not too bright (although brilliant) dog voice, and Sullydog did an outstanding job writing it.
As a side note, I'm bummed to find out he's in Detroit, as I've been a fan for some time but just moved away recently.
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Steave!!! You where born to narate this story!!!
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This is our other child and his name is Studz McCorgi. =)
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2139/2544854342_e6b2b72fb6.jpg?v=0)
Ein?
I hope they didn't name him that -- it's an awful lot to live up to...
Nope. Studz. And he is... so when we decide we want another corgi (we have decided we will own them forever) and he is such a character we already have puppy "dibs" and my brothers want to name theirs Ein.
I vote for Studz II or Yoda. But then again I named my Dalmatian "Pink". =)
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That was one of the most enjoyable eps yet. Definitely in the Top Ten. Please do make the out-takes available.
It was humorous, but it also had some serious overtones. Assuming they could be made to talk, would evidence obtained from a dog ever become admissable in court? How about evidence from Koko the gorilla (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koko_%28gorilla%29)? Or maybe from a dolphin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cetacean_intelligence)? It might never happen, given that evidence from human child witnesses is still such a tricky issue.
I would so like to hear a sequel, from a cat POV. Possibly something in the Hard-boiled private eye genre, but read in a voice like Stephen Wright's or Roseanne Barr's. "Yeah, whatever."
OTOH, a cat detective might be more like Mycroft Holmes. Smarter than Sherlock, but too damned lazy to leave the Club.
Heh, after I posted that I also found this:
EXCERPTS FROM A DOG'S DIARY (Submitted by Claire)
[snip]
EXCERPTS FROM A CAT'S DIARY
[snip]
Shoot. I was going to post that. :(
Instead I'll offer this: "Dogs have owners. Cats have staff."
As far as the origin of Yuna's name goes, I confess that I had to look that one up, and in the process discovered that David Bowie does not actually have heterochromatic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heterochromatic) eyes.
[added later]
Ah. I see that Sullydog also wrote Niels Bohr and the Sleeping Dane. That one is at least in my top five EP favourites, possibly #1.
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I loved this story!
Steve's reading was great...although at first I was wondering what the freak was going on. Once I realized Steve was a dog, then I was able to settle in and enjoy. I expected the over-exuberance of the dog to get old and irritating at some point, but it didn't.
The repetition of the dog's simplemindedness reminded me of that bud light commercial that ran a lot last year, where bud light now comes with the ability to talk to animals, and the guy talks to his dog, and all it does is yell for sausages. Good stuff.
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Well read. Very creative
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I would so like to hear a sequel, from a cat POV.
Anyone looking for more stories about enhanced animals could do a lot worse than check out We3 (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1401204953/escapepod-20) (which I think I've plugged in this forum before). As long as you don't mind your stories in graphic novel form, and quite gory, and very short, and almost unbearably poignant.
(Moderators, please magic the link.)√
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One of the few episodes I've been able to listen to twice in the span of a week. This was an excellent story, kudos on the writing and the reading!
As for the cat comment - I somehow had a mental image that the interviewer was a cat from these two points in the story:
1) Where Bull points out that he doesn't like her, and that she "doesn't even smell right"
2) Humans can't be skull capped - the speed at which she was processing data and entering it into the system sort of implied (at least to me) that she was possibly enhanced as well. However, with this theory I am discounting advanced vocal recognition from computers.
/shrug
Anyone looking for more stories about enhanced animals could do a lot worse than check out We3 (http://www.amazon.com/We3-Grant-Morrison/dp/1401204953/) (which I think I've plugged in this forum before). As long as you don't mind your stories in graphic novel form, and quite gory, and very short, and almost unbearably poignant.
(Moderators, please magic the link.)
An excellent suggestion Roney. I just picked this up a month or so ago.
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One of the few episodes I've been able to listen to twice in the span of a week. This was an excellent story, kudos on the writing and the reading!
As for the cat comment - I somehow had a mental image that the interviewer was a cat from these two points in the story:
1) Where Bull points out that he doesn't like her, and that she "doesn't even smell right"
2) Humans can't be skull capped - the speed at which she was processing data and entering it into the system sort of implied (at least to me) that she was possibly enhanced as well. However, with this theory I am discounting advanced vocal recognition from computers.
My understanding was that the interviewer was an AI, possibly housed in an humanoid body. That explains why she doesn't smell right (she looks human but doesn't smell like one). She also mentions her "memory banks" (or some similar phrase) at some point.
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Heh, Yuna. Nice one. I still wish I could get back the 40 hours I devoted to that game.
Which? FFX or FFX2? Because X2 got really tiresome really fast, but X is still my second-favorite FF after VII.
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This story was fun. It must have made an ample impression on me, as I usually fall asleep at the mere mention of a cop story. Officer Bull was an awesome character, even though Lori was the real star.
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Ruh-roh, Raggy: they're ralking about REX!
That was a GREAT tale; very fun and very engaging!
Yours,
Sylvan (Dave)
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Ruh-roh, Raggy: they're ralking about REX!
NO! Now I'm hearing the story in my head with Steve doing a Scooby voice!
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I'm so far behind in my EP episodes that I find that people have already said most of what I want to say.
That was a fun episode, fun-excited-bouncy Steve Eley for the win!
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This was my first time listening to a podcast with Steve Eley providing narration. I'm sorry to say that within seconds of beginning, I decided that his voice acting was ridiculous, very distracting, and that I would enjoy the story much better if I just imagined that his character was a dog.
You can imagine my surprise and delight when the penny dropped! ;D
I have since listened to many more podcasts and am being blown away by the consistent high quality of narration. But this one in particular is one of my favourites, for both the voice acting and the actual story.
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This was my first time listening to a podcast with Steve Eley providing narration.
Haven't been listening to Escape Pod long, have you? ;)
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Loved it
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Escape Pod Sci-Fi Literature Entertainment Everything needs more wonder-dogs
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Loved it ! it prompted me to put a tinfoil hat on my bluetick coonhound, Pepper, and tie a walkie talkie around her neck.
She wasn't as thrilled.
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Loved it ! it prompted me to put a tinfoil hat on my bluetick coonhound, Pepper, and tie a walkie talkie around her neck.
She wasn't as thrilled.
A belly rub and a dog biscuit and all is forgiven.
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Escape Pod Sci-Fi Literature Entertainment Everything needs more wonder-dogs
I'm thinking this needs a movie. Or maybe a series on the scifi network. Or at least an afterschool special.
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Escape Pod Sci-Fi Literature Entertainment Everything needs more wonder-dogs
I'm thinking this needs a movie. Or maybe a series on the scifi network. Or at least an afterschool special.
An afterschool special with barklike repetitions of "fuck" at about thirty second intervals? I'm all about it! Tell me when it comes on.
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I've been listening to Escape Pod since episode 20, but this is the first episode I've really felt compelled to respond to. I wish I wasn't behind on listening (I took a month hiatus from EP to listen to some Audible books), because so many others had the same feelings about this as I do and I don't want to sound like a "me too" commenter. But I'll take a chance on Steve getting a swelled head and say this: I think this was possibly the best reading of any story EP has presented so far. Outstanding vocal acting by Steve. Quite often I will find and read the printed version if I like a story, but this is one story that I would never be able to enjoy reading silently. Steve, you OWN the voice of Bull, and I would REALLY, REALLY LIKE IT if we could hear more about Bull and Lori.
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This story was genius! The voice acting really sold the story. I totally bought the portrayal of the main character, and the phrase "skull-top" was such a funny, if dark, projection. This is the story that kept me fighting with iTunes (which at the time never wanted to let escapepod update) to maintain my subscription. This is also the lead out story in my "Favorite Audio Dramas" Cd I'm making to get several of my friends hooked.
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Okay, for those who wanted it, the here's the raw session recording (http://media.rawvoice.com/escapepod/media.libsyn.com/media/escapepod/HowIMountedGoldie_raw.mp3).
Heh. Just finished listening to that version the other day. It doesn't get old.
Oh, btw, it wasn't a typo:
subornation
English
Noun
1. The act of suborning
2. The procuring of someone to do a criminal act, especially to commit perjury
Retrieved from http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/subornation
I gather you use the clicker so you can hear start and stop points?
Better than than. You can see them. It produces a distinctive pair of spikes in the waveform when you scroll through a track in an audio editor, even when you're zoomed out.
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I gather you use the clicker so you can hear start and stop points?
Better than than. You can see them. It produces a distinctive pair of spikes in the waveform when you scroll through a track in an audio editor, even when you're zoomed out.
Indeed. I see them a lot when recording people who pop their Ps.
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Indeed. I see them a lot when recording people who pop their Ps.
A simple device fabricated from a sheer nylon stocking and a piece of wire garment hanger can put paid to that particular problem.
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Great story. Great story. I loved it, my two golden retrievers loved it (though they immediately demanded cerebrally implanted supercomputer-the older one said he'll give me a quantum dot processor if I give him thumbs; still working on it). Kudos and a milk-bone to the author.
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The posts about EP's Hugo designation have been moved here (http://forum.escapeartists.net/index.php?topic=2030.0).
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Good story, great reading. This is why I listen to EP.
McToad
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Someone know if I can find this story transcripts somewhere? :D
Finally! I found it!
Edit:
http://www.sullydog.com/sullysites/fiction/shaggyfull.htm :)
If everyone has any other transcript of escapepod stories... I'd be really grateful if he could send it to me!
My mail is:
londeau (at) gmail.com
PodCastle and PseudoPod stories are really appreciated too!!!
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Very short notice ... but if anyone is in Second Life in 30 minutes we're listening to this story in the Science Fiction Saturday meeting this week (2pm PST).
Edit: had about 15 people turn up to listen to this story and everyone loved it!
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Heh, Yuna. Nice one. I still wish I could get back the 40 hours I devoted to that game.
Which? FFX or FFX2? Because X2 got really tiresome really fast, but X is still my second-favorite FF after VII.
FFX was one of my favorites, some good twists and turns, an experience building system that required preplanning and wasn't just the usual "collect experience points, repeat". Fun characters, customizable equipment by combining equipment with weapons. I made my own accessory in that game that allowed the spellcaster woman (I forget her name) to cast Flare twice in a single turn with x2 multiplier, all for the MP cost of 4!
Ah, those were the days. Anyway, on to the actual story!
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Loved it!
Steve does a GREAT dog voice. He sounds very similar to Dug in Pixar's UP. Or I should say that Dug sounds like him, since this story pre-dated the release of that movie. "I don't know you, but I love you!" If I hadn't had that association, I probably would've pictured Bull as a German Shepherd, but I pictured him as Dug. Seriously, if they ever make an UP sequel and the original Dug voice actor gets sick, they should give you a call.
I'm definitely a dog person, so there wasn't much chance I'd dislike this story. The title would've sucked, coming from anyone but a dog. But it shows his enthusiasm, his priorities, gives a hint that he's a cop, gives a quick synopsis, and sets up the tone of the story all in one. Likewise the constant profanity would've been annoying from anyone but this character. His partner wanted him to use the word, so he does, all the time, regardless of its appropriateness like a kid showing off his shiny new knowledge. I loved the loyalty and the enthusiasm he showed about everything.
The comment at the end about the Marx story was great. Did Ragtime ever submit a story to EP? I hope he does, that one itself was pretty much a kickass flash story as-is.
I thought the name Terry Stringer could have been more subtle, but that's really my only quibble, and so minor that it's only worth mentioning to show that that's really all I could find to complain about.
And, since someone set the precedence of posting a dog picture, I'm going to have to go dig out one of my three pups. Back soon...
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Can anyone tell me how to post an image? I tried clicking on the "Insert Image" and it gave me a couple HTML tags. But what do I do with the tags--put a web address of the picture between them?
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Can anyone tell me how to post an image? I tried clicking on the "Insert Image" and it gave me a couple HTML tags. But what do I do with the tags--put a web address of the picture between them?
Yes.
Sorry if this steals your thunder, but I found an image to use as an example. You can quote this post to see the format.
(http://scribesexpress.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/up_dug.jpg)
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I'm so glad I'm not the only person who thought of Dug in relation to this story.
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(http://www.diabolicalplots.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/pups.jpg)
There we go! Thanks, Swamp.
Those're my three pups. Left to right: Mikko, Timmy, and Aria. The first two are poodles, the third a papillon (though I'm pretty sure she has Mogwai somewhere in her bloodline). :)
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Heh, Yuna. Nice one. I still wish I could get back the 40 hours I devoted to that game.
Which? FFX or FFX2? Because X2 got really tiresome really fast, but X is still my second-favorite FF after VII.
FFX was one of my favorites, some good twists and turns, an experience building system that required preplanning and wasn't just the usual "collect experience points, repeat". Fun characters, customizable equipment by combining equipment with weapons. I made my own accessory in that game that allowed the spellcaster woman (I forget her name) to cast Flare twice in a single turn with x2 multiplier, all for the MP cost of 4!
Ah, those were the days. Anyway, on to the actual story!
I forgot to finish my video game rant! After all my gushing about FFX, FFX2 was a travesty. Yuna was a great character in FFX, introspective but still able to see the world around her and smile, hopeful even though she believed herself to be going to her doom. Then FFX2 comes along and they turn her into a cheerleader. FFX is to FFX2 as Evanescence is to The Spice Girls. Ok I'm really done this time.
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Being a hopeless knit-addict, I'm a ravelry member. Well, the other day, I decided to take a peek at their version of "Dear Abby," called "Ask Auntie BubboPants" (No, I'm not making this up. BubboPants. Really.) In one of her replies, the advice columnist assumes the voice of an enthusiastic dog with a penchant for exclamation marks named Chester. Instantly, I flashed back to this story, and wondered if Auntie BubboPants was an Escape Pod junkie like myself. Or, maybe she just watched Up (which I also think borrowed heavily from this story).
This story is one that I know I'll be re-loading to my ipod regularly.
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I've got to say, Sully Dog. . .this one was so amazing. Thank you!
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I'm surprised that I still have two things to add after 7 pages of comments.
I associated the character's name with Bull Shannon who was portrayed by Richard Moll on the old sitcom Night Court. As such, I pictured Bull somewhere between a great dane and Dug. With the unsubtlety of the Terry Stringer name, I would be surprised if all the names didn't have some other association or link.
The recurring use of "fuck" was believable not only for the dog's enthusiasm, but also fit quite nicely with law enforcement. If you hold an opinion that police conversations are more like Andy Griffith than South park, go make some more friends in law enforcement. Their perspective and language is endless entertainment.
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Heh. Thanks for resurrecting this one, Fenrix. I totally need to give this story another listen soon. One of my favorite Escape Pods.
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Heh. Thanks for resurrecting this one, Fenrix. I totally need to give this story another listen soon. One of my favorite Escape Pods.
Fuck yeah!