Just to set the record straight: this story did -not- originally appear in Jim Baen's Universe, which I co-edit, nor did I buy it from myself. It first appeared in the Brithish magazine, Postscripts, last summer. I thought it was good enough to make the Hugo ballot if enough voters saw it, so I then submitted it to my co-editor, Eric Flint, as a reprint, and he bought it and ran it in late 2008, about 4 months after its initial appearance. (Anything of mine that appears in Jim Baen's Universe was bought by Eric, just as any story of his that appears there was bought by me. We are also free to reject each other's stories, though -- knock wood -- it hasn't happened yet.)
A few people have said, usually while moaning in agony, "...-another- Resnick robot story?" My response to that is that Steve Eley likes my robot stories, which gives an impression that that's all I write, Actually, I have written 7 robot stories out of more than 250 science fiction stories that I've sold...but three have appeared here very recently, two back-to-back, one just a few months ago. (They were sold in 1979, 2003 and 2008.)
There's another podcast where the editor likes my grim, downbeat stories, so of course a couple of listeners have accused me of being morbid and having no sense of humor...;but I have sold over 90 funny stories in this field, more than just about any writer in history except Bob Sheckley; they just haven't appeared -- and almost certainly won't appear -- on that particular podcast. Which is to say, if all you do is listen and not read, then your notion of what a writer does and doesn't write is certain to be skewed by the podcast editor's taste.
-- Mike Resnick