Man but do I love the classic stories, thanks a TON for running this one. My download had a single repeat in the audio but otherwise the listening was just fine.
As for the outro... I think there is something to be said for the comments on all the EscapeArtists podcasts - that is the fact that not only are they allowed and encouraged, they are addressed if needed. If it weren't for the comments, PodCastle would not know that they need to give warnings for their shows. If not for the comments, audio glitches might not be caught. If not for the comments, the folks at EA would not know what the audience liked and disliked, what to look for and who to get for readings.
Steve started something wonderful when he created EscapePod. I've been a subscriber to the RSS feed almost from the beginning, before the evolution of EscapeArtists. I have listened to every EP episode and almost every PC show. I laugh at Steve's "Geek dad" stories because my son is the same age as Steve's kid and I find someone I can commiserate with. To hear him say, in a voice I have almost never heard him use, "I don't give a f**k about the politics," shook me.
Because of my political beliefs I try hard to take entertainment for entertainment's sake. I like to listen to songs by the Dixie Chicks, laugh at jokes by Lewis Black and read and listen to stories by a slew of authors. When I do, I don't give two shakes of a rattlesnake's tail about their political stand. If they try to sneak it in to their works, I either try to understand their point of view or ignore it. If I didn't do that, I'd either have a heart of stone or be hiding under the server desk.
Where am I going with this? I don't know - I know that the comments that were posted for EP:175 hurt someone who I consider a friend, and that in turn hurts me. I think Steve's closing remarks today say it all - "until then, be good to people, and have fun."