Ulla

This week's episode of Escape Pod features the short "Ulla" by Daniel Schwabauer, and it's totally awesome. It uses the trope of retelling a classic story from the villain's point of view to stunning effect, in part because it also employs a separate and quite unexpected narrative convention that I won't spoil for you. The reading is very well done, too (though I dunno about all the reverb).

Link to Escape Pod page on the story | Direct link to MP3

Steve's been doing the pre-show WARNINGs less often, too, which I think is an excellent trend. I seriously yank the buds right out of my ears and do a fifteen-count when he starts into one, so deep is my aversion to spoilers. (Though if he now only does them for stories with sex /cussing/bloodnguts in them, the very presence of a warning becomes a spoiler. Pfui.)

Google on fire?

One Broadway, which spent the late morning busily involved in flames, is where Google's Boston Tentacle (among, I imagine, lots of other businesses) is located. I just emailed best wishes to the one person I know there (I don't have his phone number or nuthn). News reports no fatalities but plenty of smoke-inhalation injuries... yuch.

Update He sez he is "a little smoky, but otherwise OK."