Friday Flash Fiction: "Unanswered Questions"

This week's story was inspired in part by Breakin' It Down with Catherine Reitman and the Occupy Oakland clusterfuck.

You might not think those two things go together, but they are both Halloween-thematic: Ms. Reitman is the daughter of the guy who directed Ghostbusters, and what happened in Oakland is pretty damn scary.

ETA: DeeAnn points out that I may have also been influenced by Cowboy Bebop. She is, as usual, correct.

Read "Unanswered Questions" at 512 Words or Fewer

SnoutCast #88: Alternate Reality Games, Part 3 of 3

The conclusion of our extended conversation with ARG enthusiasts Matthew Schuler and Sean C. Stacey!


[ Download mp3 - 24 MB ]

01:46 - the exciting(?) conclusion(!)
02:16 - "that craiglist guy who pulled off that bank heist"
03:58 - Microsoft Legal vs. The Beast
07:10 - social engineering and live event challenges
09:02 - what would you like to see in future ARGs?
13:18 - Curtis' question about This Is Not A Game
17:56 - unsolvable(?) Perplex City puzzle cards
20:09 - plugs: Unfiction.com, ARGFest-o-Con, "I'm a WHATmaster?"
23:07 - more fun: PuzzleHuntCalendar.com, Haunted Fox Hollow, etc.
25:40 - The End

Got a comment or question? E-mail podcast@snout.org or post at snout.org/podcast!

Music: instrumentals from "Code Monkey" and "Re: Your Brains" by Jonathan Coulton

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Friday Flash Fiction: "A Minor Inconvenience"

The Twilight Zone has much to answer for. (See also: "People Are Alike All Over.")

Read "A Minor Inconvenience" at 512 Words or Fewer

SnoutCast #87: Alternate Reality Games, Part 2 of 3

More of our extended conversation with ARG enthusiasts Matthew Schuler and Sean C. Stacey!


[ Download mp3 - 27 MB ]

01:15 - community and puzzle density
03:49 - "distributed action," e.g., I Love Bees pay phones
06:56 - puzzle-solving vs. problem-solving
08:44 - what's next for ARGs?
12:35 - what is a "pseudo-ARG"?
17:31 - plot tropes and genre innovation
20:28 - the immersion question
22:35 - never forget Boston!
24:46 - also, wild turkeys? SRSLY
26:26 - Friday: DeeAnn's birthday!
28:03 - PuzzleHuntCalendar.com, etc.
29:16 - The End

Got a comment or question? E-mail podcast@snout.org or post at snout.org/podcast!

Music: instrumentals from "Code Monkey" and "Re: Your Brains" by Jonathan Coulton

[ Subscribe to SnoutCast / iTunes link ]

   

Friday Flash Fiction: "Erratic Chemistry"

Inspired in part by Breaking Bad, and my wife's frequent exhortations for detractors to fellate her metaphorical phallus (which you may have heard on the SnoutCast).

Also, I know this isn't really a genre piece, but hey, did I mention that I took four years of high school Latin? BONA TEMPORA.

Read "Erratic Chemistry" at 512 Words or Fewer

SnoutCast #86: Alternate Reality Games, Part 1 of 3

The first part of our extended conversation with ARG enthusiasts Matthew Schuler and Sean C. Stacey!


[ Download mp3 - 26 MB ]

00:59 - "real"
01:27 - Sean runs the Unfiction site
02:37 - Matthew helped organize ARGFest-o-Con 2009
03:45 - fun fact: Sean coined the term "Alternate Reality Game"
09:54 - puzzles, expectations, and appeal
12:40 - how does one find out about an ARG?
14:38 - commercial vs. indie ARGs
18:35 - "So what do you win?"
21:00 - finding the Perplex City cube
25:14 - thanks to Greg Filpus for suggesting this topic!
25:36 - Puzzled Pint and more on PuzzleHuntCalendar.com
26:17 - are you smarter than a 3rd grader?
27:31 - The End

Got a comment or question? E-mail podcast@snout.org or post at snout.org/podcast!

Music: instrumentals from "Code Monkey" and "Re: Your Brains" by Jonathan Coulton

[ Subscribe to SnoutCast / iTunes link ]

   

Friday Flash Fiction: "Scarlet and Mustard"

Because they're solving a Clue, like in The Game, get it?

Read "Scarlet and Mustard" at 512 Words or Fewer

SnoutCast #85: "Re: Microsoft Intern Game 2011 (Part 2)"

In which we finish up our conversation with MSIG-GC folks Greg Filpus, Kim Vlcek, Matt VanderKolk, and Nick Fang. They're always looking for playtesters and other volunteers! E-mail igleads@microsoft.com for more information.


[ Download mp3 - 31 MB ]

01:32 - the big question--answered?
05:36 - Matt's pre-Microsoft GC shenanigans
09:19 - the joy of chaos and "parties"
14:34 - timeline (NB: "last week" was the middle of September)
16:12 - Role Call™: Kim
17:49 - Role Call™: Matt
19:53 - Role Call™: Greg
20:33 - Role Call™: Nick
23:26 - Help Wanted! E-mail igleads@microsoft.com for more info
31:48 - The End

Got a comment or question? E-mail podcast@snout.org or post at snout.org/podcast!

Music: instrumentals from "Code Monkey" and "My Monkey" by Jonathan Coulton

[ Subscribe to SnoutCast / iTunes link ]