BYBS: The Drabblecast

Copyright (c) by Norm Sherman/drabblecast.org

Yes, another podcast site.  From the site description:

To hear the latest and greatest in Strange Stories, by Strange Authors, for Strange Listeners (such as yourself), visit the Drabblecast at www.drabblecast.org.

The description is actually pretty accurate - the stories are just plain weird.  Not really all sci-fi like Escape Pod or Clarksworld, not really horror like Pseudopod, and not really all fantasy like Podcastle or Beneath Ceaseless Skies.  The stories tend towards science fiction, fantasy and horror (especially Lovecraftian horror), but beyond that are not really linked to any particular genre.

Like some other fiction podcast sites, Drabblecast tends to have one narrator, Norm Sherman, but he is quite good, and he also tends to inject sound effects and music into the stories.  A good example of this is "Go Beep," a story about a mind-controlling TV segment by Aliya Whiteley: the "Go Beep" song is sung by Norm, but has a weird, other-worldly quality.

Also notable is that the podcast has "chapters" --- kind of like tracks on a CD --- so you can skip to the story or whatever you are interested in.  Finally, each episode seems to get a unique image.  For example, here is the one for "Go Beep:"

Copyright (c) by Lizanna Herd

All-in-all an excellent podcast. Check it out.

BYBS: Beneath Ceaseless Skies

©2008 - 2010 Firkin Press, unless otherwise noted, All rights reserved.
Image from the current issue of Beneath Ceaseless Skies.

Quoting their "About..." link

Beneath Ceaseless Skies (ISSN 1946-1046) is a SFWA-qualifying, pro-rate online magazine dedicated to publishing the best in literary adventure fantasy. 


Beneath Ceaseless Skies is an online is a combination of podcast and print short story site.  They do mostly fantasy stories, akin to Podcastle, except that they are not exclusively a podcast magazine.  Some of my favorite stories from the site include:

• Prashkina's Fire by Vylar Kaftan - a story about a priestess of a fallen god.
• Remembering Light by Marie Brennan - a story about an ongoing, entropic place called driftwood.
• The Tinyman and Caroline by Sarah L. Edwards - a story in the basic adventure fiction genre.

Another candidate to put on your iPod.

BYBS: This Week in Virology

I guess it says something about me that I listen to a podcast about viruses for fun.

You can find them on iTunes, by going to twiv.tv or by clicking on the image.

Some of the things that i find interesting about this podcast include:

• Insight into the world of virology.
• Interesting tibits of information about viruses.
• The friendly banter between the hosts.

Maybe listening to this show is equivalent of watching the weather channel for other people.  Perhaps the subject matter is interesting in and of itself.  Or could it be that I'm just trying to be one of the survivors of the next zombie producing plague?

I really don't know why I listen to this podcast, but I do.  For those who worry that it wont be interesting except to biologists and their ilk, I am not exactly well educated in that area, but I still manage to understand some of what they talk about.

So if you find yourself with a long commute, train ride, etc. here's another use for your time.

BYBS: Big Brain Book

Cover of the book, (c) Gary Lynch and Richard Granger 2008, published by PALGRAVE MCMILLAN 2009

This is a book about the evolution of the human brain.  The book has some pretty interesting ideas.  For example:

• What if there were no particular evolutionary pressure towards intelligence?
• What if the brain structures that are needed for intelligence were there all along?
• What if there were another, more intelligent species along side Homo Sapiens Sapiens that died out?

If you are interested, there is a good podcast from one of the authors that can be at the brain science podcast:

http://docartemis.com/brainsciencepodcast/2008/10/48-lynch/ 

I found the book to be difficult to grasp at times, so I created another blog that contains my take on what the authors were trying to say.  You can find it here:

http://bigbrainbook.blogspot.com/

Have a good weekend and happy reading.

Nigerian Scam Spam, Draft #3

Last draft for the NSS.  This one weighs in at around 200 words.

Subject: Please take a moment to save a soul

I am writing to you today on behalf of some people who made a few mistakes.  While one mistake certainly deserves consequences, nothing is worth an eternity of suffering, but that's what they are looking at.  But you can give some of them a second chance.

As you have no doubt guessed, this is Lucifer, God's fallen angel writing to you.  I recruited these people in my struggle with God only to realize that my rebellion is doomed to failure.  While I deserve any punishment that God decides on, I think that my followers should get another chance.

That's where you come in.

I can transfer ownership of these souls to mortals, who can then judge the soul and free those that are worthy.  I have to trust that you will be honorable in this regard, but I think that a second chance is better than what they have with me: no chance at all.

In order to transfer control over to you, please send an email with the words "I hereby deliver my soul unto thee" in the subject line.  The address is prince_of_darkness@668.com.  Yeah, I know, some stupid DNS squatter got there before I did.

Please help these people,

Lucifer
Angel Most Fallen

Nigerian Scam Spam, draft #2

This is draft #2 of my Nigerian Scan Spam contest entry hosted by the Drabblecast.  In this draft I'm trying to get the word count down to below 300


Subject: take a moment and save a soul

Please remember that I'm asking you to help a few damned souls - I am not asking you to help me or in any way endorse me, my cause or what I stand for.

Sorry for that but I feel I should be up front with you: this is the Devil, the Prince of Darkness, Lucifer etc.  Whatever you think of me, you're probably right, but the people I've duped into following me don't all deserve eternal torment.

That's what I'm writing to you about: the legions of the damned - some of them can be saved.


I've been recruiting people to my cause since the dawn of man because I thought I had a chance against God.  I don't.  Now all my followers will pay for this mistake.  When I lose the Apocalypse, all of them, both good and bad, repentant and defiant alike, will be damned to eternal torment.  But if I'm going to lose no matter what, then I think they deserve another chance.
That's where you come in.

You see, I can transfer ownership of some of these souls to a mortal, who can then free them.  I can't force you to follow through when you take ownership, but that's part of the idea: you will judge the ones that should be freed and the ones that should stay damned.

In order to make this work, I just need you to send an email with "I hereby deliver my soul unto thee" in the subject line to prince_of_darkness@668.com.  Yeah, I know, some damn Asian domain squatter got to 666.com before I did.


Please help these people.  You're their only hope.


Sincerely,


Lucifer
Angel most fallen

Nigerian Scam Spam Entry

This is the first draft of my humble entry into the Drabblecast's infamous annual Nigerian Scan Spam contest for 2010.  The idea is to create a typical "scam" email along the lines of the ones that proport to be from some general or other high official in a country torn by political strife.  The message is supposed to try and get money or whatnot from the victim by asking for a bank account number or credit card number.  I thought this would be an interesting twist on the concept...

Subject: please help someone else!

Please remember that I'm asking you to help a few damned souls - I am not asking you to help me or in any way endorse me, my cause or what I stand for.

Sorry for that but I feel I should be up front with you: this is the Devil, the Prince of Darkness, Lucifer etc.  Whatever you think of me, you're probably right, but the people I've duped into following me don't all deserve eternal torment.

That's what I'm writing to you about: the legions of the damned - some of them can be saved.

You see, all along I thought I stood a chance against God, but recently I have come to realize that I have no chance.  I never had a chance and I never will be able to overcome the almighty.  No matter how many damned souls I have in my legion.

Once I realized that, I discovered, much to my dismay, that I actually felt bad for some of the poor fools who have signed over their souls to me in my quest to unseat the Alpha and the Omega.  I went from merely feeling bad to trying to come up with a solution.  The thing is, if I go off to war and lose, all my followers are damned for all eternity - but why do that when I know that I'm going to lose?


That's where you come in.


You see, I can transfer ownership of some of these souls to a mortal, who can then free them.  I will have to trust you to free them by the way, but I figure they are better off with any chance than no chance.  At any rate, once you have possession of these souls, choose the ones that you deem worthy and free them.  Or free all of them.  The choice is yours.


In order to make this work, I just need you to send an email with "I hereby deliver my soul unto thee" in the subject line to prince_of_darkness@668.com.  Yeah, I know, some damn Asian domain squatter got to 666.com before I did.


Please help these people.  You're their only hope.


Sincerely,


Lucifer
Angel most fallen

BYBS: PodCastle

PodCastle: Fantasy short stories in podcast form

I had decided up front that I was not going to like the latest story from PodCastle, "The Small Door," but I ended up changing my mind.

The story is about "...weirdos, children (the two are not mutually exclusive), and a very small door."  In particular it is about the investigations of two young girls into what a rather strange neighbor is doing with a bunch of small animals.  It was written by Holly Phillips and performed (read) by Tina Connolly.

At first brush I was thinking "I hate self-conscious young girl crap which is obviously what this story is about."  The story sucked me in though and I found myself feeling a mixture of dread and curiosity as to the outcome.

One thing that I found very interesting were the emotions it inspired.  I normally expect a story to make me envision the scene and the characters, but this one reminded me that they can make you feel as well.  The suspense comes from not being sure what the characters were going to find.  The complications because one of the characters is prevented from doing something fun because of her sister.  The different way that I "looked" at things after the outcome.

This is all stuff that I knew a story could do, but it has been a while since one made me feel that way.

I can't go into more details without giving away the story (or at least that's my story), but PodCastle is wonderful site with lots of very good stories.  What's more they have some very good performers reading them.  Tina Connolly reads this one and does an excellent job*.

PodCastle's definition of a "fantasy story" is pretty broad so if you find that one story is not to your liking, listen to a couple of others before writing them off.

Till next time, avoid gnomes...and small doors.

* = for those of you that think the reader makes any difference, think of how many times you've been happy with your first try at a greeting for your answering machine or voicemail.

BYBS: Viral Gene Therapy

After viral gene therapy, a monkey born without the ability to see red and green can now detect them.
Science News, October 10, 2009

Now that we are heading into the flu season I thought it was appropriate to talk about how wonderful viruses are.

Maybe they're not, but I thought it would be nice to talk about how wonderful some viruses are.  Specifically, using the power of the little buggers to help monkeys and, one hopes, people with various problems. 

One area I find particularly fascinating is the area of viral gene therapy.  The idea is to use a virus as way of sending genes to cells of an animal after they are mature.  While some genes are only important for the structure and growth of an organisms, other genes affect the way that an organism functions after it is grown.  In the case described in the Science News article, the genes enable the eyes of a grown monkey to detect frequencies of light that they could not previously see. 

This particular study has all kinds of implications. The article is mostly about how neurologists were surprised that a full grown monkey's visual system could accommodate the new colors. The thing I find really cool is the almost offhand way that using a virus is being used in this experiment.

During my lifetime, I have seen the concept of using viruses for this sort of thing go from the realm of theory to the point where it barely raises an eyebrow. 

Then there is the whole meddling with the human genome business, but I think I can stretch that out into a whole other posting.

At any rate, I like this sort of news.  I find the ability of humanity to turn something that is often times an agent of destruction (think disease causing viruses) into an agent of help.

BYBS: Coloring Books for the Soul

While talking to a friend (a man can hope can't he?) about stories I mentioned how I would make up alternate endings or fill in character motivations. He asked if that was a big part of the story and I remarked in a rare moment of clarity that, for me, that sort of thing is the story.

If a song is sad I tell myself why. If I find a character in a movie interesting, I might envision a few extra scenes for them. And, of course, we've all had that moment where we come up with some fiction for why people behave in real life.

Another aspect of art is that the importance or motivation that we place on some things are completely out of proportion to what the artist may have intended. There's the interview with the singer who, it turns out, does not actually write their own songs. The star who does not behave at all the way that we think they should based on their performance in a movie.

Like a Rorschach test, the meaning we place on art is more indicative of the reader/viewer/listener than it may be of the art itself.

BYBS: Brain Science Podcast

Brain Science Podcast at http://docartemis.com/brainsciencepodcast

So I was, as usual, trying to find a topic to blog about. It being Monday morning at 6am, and therefore just a wee bit past Sunday (though the whole BYBS thing is as much of an excuse to get me to do something as anything else, but that's another story) and I was debating whether to blog about a kick-butt Podcastle episode or a kick-butt episode of Brain Science Podcast.

I finally settled on Brain Science Podcast, specifically episode number 59: Interview with Guy Caldwell. This is mostly because Dr. Caldwell brings a certain enthusiasm to what others might consider to be a boring topic: worms.

In particular, he talks about a worm called caenorhabditis elegans, or C. elegans as this critter goes by at cocktail parties. C. elegans has a number of distinctions which make it useful to scientists like the fact that the complete cell lineage for the critter has been determined.

Can you imagine the people who had to do that job?!

Cell number 2,643...check...2644...check...2645...check.

I would gasp with disbelief at the mind-numbing nature of that job if it were not for a) the unbelievably boring nature of many jobs that people do and b) I'm not sure that this critter actually has that many cells.

Anyhow, one of the cool things this guy managed to do with C. elegans is to paste some jellyfish genes that give off light into the neurons of the worm so that one could, for example, see if some combination of conditions was causing said neurons to die off. That, in turn, came in handy for helping to tease out some aspects of Parkinson's disease.

Put another way, you could take a look at a worm and ask a simple question like: "Hey is the thing glowing? No? Then all the dopamine producing neurons are dead." This is much simpler than getting a worm analyst to talk to the thing.

It's stuff like this that wins the "aint it cool?" category for extreme cleverness, but then there's the whole issue of Dr. Caldwell's enthusiasm for the subject. I mean it sounds like he actually enjoys this work.

As someone who at times feels like a burn-out, chewed up, dehydrated husk of a human being, listening to someone with that sort of vigor brings back fond memories. He speaks with admiration for the guys who sat there and catalog cell lineages. He talks about how his research could be used to create therapies for Parkinson's disease.

That's the kind of energy and optimism, the looking forward to tomorrow that I find inspiring.

BYBS: Oatmeal, Raisins and Black Tea

Over here at the office for extreme cleverness and ideas for when you have nothing else to blog about, I've been researching a new substance that has the potential to bring about world peace and freedom in our time. Many people have asked me how this works.

The answer is simple: it doesn't.

So much for the bad news. The good news is that the byproduct, oatmeal with raisins using black tea instead of hot water, is surprisingly tasty. What's more, it gets both carbohydrates and caffeine into one compact meal.

While this may seem like a trivial posting, you have to remember the source. Furthermore, when facing yet another day in which my full potential will be utilized in a manner which makes me realize that I don't have that much potential, and that will simultaneously bring home the notion that we all have something to contribute except for those like myself who can best help out by not contributing, the concept of a caffeine loaded breakfast is just the thing to get the wheels turning.

BYBS: Microbe World

Last week (OK, it was actually the week before that, but still), I listened to a fascinating podcast called "Tiny Conspiracies" by Dr. Bonnie Bassler about how some microbes can talk to each other. I found this very cool because a) the little buggers aren't supposed to be able to do that and b) I could understand anything she said at all.

As a veteran of listening to people who are not coherent, it is always a pleasure to experience a presentation given by someone who does a good job. Many people have complained to me about my postings, saying that they go off on tangents and have no point. To these people I say: "I'm supposed to have a point?"

But back to small critters talking to each other. It was previously thought that microbes led sad, lonely lives concerned with things like growing, dividing, and causing plague. During the past 20 years or thereabouts, it has been discovered that bacteria and their ilk also do things like engage in vibrant conversations, write books and attend poetry readings...and then cause plague.

So perhaps I embellished that a bit. Perhaps a lot. But it appears that microbes do not live the isolated lives that we once imagined. In "Tiny Conspiracies" Dr. Bassler talks about how some microbes can do things like gauge the size of their population and then change their behavior accordingly.

For example, once a population has reached a critical limit, the colony can form a membrane around themselves for added protection. Another, rather more sinister example is that a colony of bacteria might wait to release a toxin until their population is large enough that it will have a better chance of overcoming their host.

This sort of info gets the "ain't it cool!" award from me partially because of the clever way Dr. Bassler describes some of their tests --- she used bits of DNA that would cause the microbes to light up when they were "talking" --- but also for the potential applications. If one were to interfere with this signaling mechanism, for example, it may be possible to cause some nasty pathogen to skip the whole "cause plague" bit.

So waltz on over to Microbe World and give Tiny Conspiracies a listen.

BYBS: Escape Artists

Escape Pod and its siblings, Podcastle and Pseudopod are podcast sites that deal in various fiction short stories.

A podcast is like a radio show or a book on tape in a form that you can download and play on your computer, an MP3 player or an iPod (hence the name). Much to my surprise, I've never blogged about podcasts before, but that just means that I now have all my BYBS entries written for the next 6 weeks.

Escape Pod deals in podcasts about science fiction, while Pseudopod deals in horror stories and Podcastle has essentially everything else. I've tried listening to fiction podcasts before and, though there have been exceptions, I've come to believe very strongly in what Theodore Sturgeon meant when he said "90% of everything is crap."

I was therefore more than a little surprised when I stumbled onto these guys. The stories are very interesting and original, and most are read by good performers. Incidentally, if you don't think that voice talent should make a difference, go over to librivox.org to hear some person suck the soul out of Charles Dickens.

I don't want to babble on about all the good stories I've heard there (read: topic for weeks of BYBS entries), but here are a few:

• Episode 212: Skinhorse Goes to Mars by Mike Boris - a Mars overrun by zombies holds the key to a terraforming experiment gone horribly wrong.
• Episode 210: The Hastillan Weed by Ian Creasey - you know about all the nasty plants that have been imported to other climates and wrought havoc? Ever wonder what a plant from another planet might do?
• Episode 209: On the Eyeball Floor by Norm Sherman - a story about love and jealousy in a not quite human way

And that's just from the science fiction podcast! Get yourself an iPod and check em out.

BYBS/W: Solar Power

Solar energy power generation systems. Image courtesy of Sandia National Laboratories.

One of the things that I really enjoy in life is when people come together to solve a problem. It demonstrates humanity's ability to cooperate, and when directed towards what I consider to be an intelligent and noble goal, it makes me feel good to be alive.

One problem that we face is the need for clean, cheap, renewable energy. Pictured here is a system that focuses sunlight to run a highly efficient electrical power generator.

Most of the technologies involved with a system like this are not new. The Stirling engine, for example, was invented in 1816. The notion of using mirrors to focus the energy of the sun has probably been around since there were mirrors. Using a computer to keep the dish pointed at the sun is probably the most recent creation.

This particular system may not be "the answer" or even a significant part of it. Some other approach could do the job better or cheaper or cleaner.

The thing that makes this remarkable to me is that it took a lot of thoughtful work to put all these elements together towards a common, relatively noble goal.

This link will take you to the full story on the system. It was created by the folks at Sandia Ntional Laboratories, Stirling Energy Systems and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

BYBS: Shared Emotion

There is an interesting that I perceive in all human beings to, in some situations, to experience or feel the same way.

People like to go to movies and laugh at the same joke or feel scared at the same scene or sad at the same point. Regardless of what you think of laugh tracks or music that underscores the emotional significance of a particular situation, such things are prevalent on TV shows.

In my particular case the previous week (hey, better late then never), I was reading a poem that talked about a particular feeling of dread when faced with a certain realization. For some reason, feeling that the author understood my reaction was profoundly comforting: the knowledge that I was not alone in experiencing this made me feel reassured.

It is an odd thing that I should take comfort in the company of others this way. The author was no there, I could not interact with them to be reassured, but this feeling of shared experience was there none the less.

BYBS: Stuck in a Rut

27-74Sertrack by Kibuyu

There are some people who might think that being stuck in a rut is a bad thing. Then again, there are some people who would start measuring the thing to see if their furniture would fit. I, on the other hand, would have already moved in.

Some days I have a hard time coming up with something to write for BYBS. I am pretty sure that taking a moment in my week and writing about something positive is a good idea, but my muse, a tired, cranky soul who would really prefer helping the likes of H.P. Lovecraft or Stephen King, does not always cooperate.

For times like this, I find that the force of habit, inertia, the will of the ball, call it what you will, can step in. Unlike a muse, which needs time, attention and cultivation, the blundering force of habit is not about to put up with the aloof antics that sometimes block me.

"But the posting won't be any good." I will protest.

"That's never stopped you before!"

Can't argue with that.

So what the hey --- here is to that which has helped me keep doing what I need to be doing.

BYBS: Chicken Breasts

Checken Breast by Mrydd

In keeping with the rather simplistic nature of my BYBS postings I thought I'd talk about chicken breasts.

As I've mentioned in the past, I'm on a diet; and this means I'm miserable. Scratch that. What I was trying to say is that, in addition to being miserable, I try to get the maximum nutrients with the minimum number of calories. This being the case, I have a running interest in high protein foods.

According to one source I've read, egg whites are one of the most readily absorbed sources of protein. The problem I have with them is that, in order to get a measly 40g of protein a day, I would have to eat around a dozen egg whites.

From time to time people have accused me of being lazy. I think they say this because it's true. In particular, the idea of boiling 84 eggs every week and then separating the whites from the yolks does not appeal to me.

Chicken, on the other hand, has about 3 times as much protein per gram as do egg whites. A modest 135g of roasted chicken breast (without the skin) contains that 40g of protein. It also comes in the convenient chicken-sized package instead of the somewhat smaller portions that eggs use. I therefore found myself in the supermarket eyeing chicken breasts.

At this point I ran into problem #2: I'm cheap. A glance at a whole chicken showed that pre-packaged breasts are over twice as expensive as buying chicken whole. For quite some time(tm) I've been buying whole chicken.

Given the stuff that I've blown money on in the past, I'm surprised that I lasted as long as I did. When I finally resorted to buying chicken breasts, I was, to put it mildly, pleasantly surprised.

I will usually roast a whole chicken for 3 hours, quite a bit longer than the minimum time of around 2. I'm that scared of food poisoning. By comparison, being completely paranoid and cooking the precut stuff for twice as long as required takes an hour.

Whereas it usually takes me a while to cut all the meat off a chicken, a chicken breast just needs to be cut up into cubes. I'm thinking of cutting them up ahead of time, they're easier to work with before roasting.

Being the sort of person who replied to the joke: "Does anal-retentive have a hyphen in it?" with "Which edition of the dictionary are we talking about?" using chicken breasts also means that I don't have to worry as much about how much fat I'm getting along with the chicken. I'm the guy who blogged about the USDA food database, remember?

So the moral of the story is: chicken breasts, good; JJ Abrams, meh (just curious to see if anyone read this).

BYBS: An Uplifting Moment

Turimetta Sunrise by Christopher Chan

I had an uplifting moment last week. As I was walking through a parking lot to get to my car, the sun was shining brightly and it just felt good to be alive. Nearby plants were vibrant with life, the breeze was cool, the sun comforting and it just seemed like everything was right.

Even the blazing heat of my car (you know, when the sun is beating down on your dashboard and the inside feels like an oven) felt nice.

For me, these moments are rather few and far between. I don't really know why I felt that way just then, only that it was wonderful while it lasted.

BYBS: Cookouts

Counselor Cookout and Putt-Putt Party by ASCAA

For someone that doesn't get out enough(tm), it's been good to go to a few BBQ/cookout/what have you style events. I get to see a bunch of people in a reasonably positive setting and eat some stuff that tastes good (even if it's not that good for me).

I'm not the most social person in the world. I don't even live next to the most social person in the world. I doubt I even live on the same block. I therefore have to keep trying when it comes to this sort of thing so for me, stuff like this is another opportunity to keep at it.

And sometimes I even have fun.