Shed Dogs

208. The Midnight Ride of KJ Dog

Some topics are so deep, so wide, and so fundamental to who we are as a species that broaching them invites chaos. But if your Dogs won’t talk about it, who will, we ask you? Here in Episode 208, we take on such a topic: the fine art of soccer diving: archer’s bows, delayed collapses, endless rolling, astonishing recoveries, and why the refs never seem to catch on. We also get to hear from theatre insider KJ about Burning Mom’s triumphant run and about a rediscovered stash of 1975 London cassette letters to home. We also have PJ’s reminiscences about a Honda CR500 dirt bike that still raises heart rates, and from RJ a full tour of the new foosball‑friendly Mench Café. There’s yet another million dollar idea awaiting an enterprising listener, some Listener Mail, a great PSA on sun damage to skin, and even more… Dive right in with us!Links: Shed Dogs; diving; The Falling Soldier; Burning Mom; West Side Story; Honda CR500; a Saab two-stroke sports car; the Mench Café; basal cell carcinoma.Theme music is Escaping like Indiana Jones by Komiku, by permission. Diving photo by Alasdair Middleton - https://www.flickr.com/photos/alza06/3392306237/

207. Truck memories

Maybe it was talking about Canada’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, or possibly giggling about potential Pope names. Maybe it was going back to the halcyon days of KJ’s time on Stargate or his trip to see his Texan cousins as they visited Vancouver Island. Maybe it was the warm flush of joy that getting Listener Mail always brings. We don’t really know just what it was, but KJ’s revelation that his (t)rusty 1964 International TravelAll has finally, after 47 years in his service, crossed the toll-free bridge to the Great Garage in the Sky brought back a lot of memories and feelings that the Shed isn’t often witness to. Mostly pretty great memories and feelings, I’ll add. Share them with us. We know of at least one faithful listener who had a similar road trip with a very faithful Toyota. Listen in and think about cars, or even Dogs.Links: Shed Dogs; anachronism; how to make corn fritters; Canada’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation; Both Sides Now by Joni Mitchell; KJ’s appearance on Dial the Gate; Dr. Warner at work; the Double Decker Hamburger Hut on Vancouver Island; the 1964 International Travelall; KJ’s truck spotted by a blogger; disaster preparation kits; digitizing LPs.Theme music is Escaping like Indiana Jones by Komiku, by permission.

206. The Seven Pillars of Wisdom

Hear about several examples of—plus a fun encounter with—AI based scams! Avoid being taken advantage of and tremble at the future of AI! Mourn and celebrate the passing of KJ’s much-venerated 1964 International Travel-all! Listen to several leftover chunks of last episode’s What We Did on Our Summer Vacation! Enjoy some Snappers and even more! It’s all here, so don’t even hesitate; just dive right in and enjoy! Links: Shed Dogs; buy a pizza vending machine!; buy a French fries vending machine!; the Smarter Every Day video on US manufacturing; the Seven Pillars of Wisdom book; the remarkable Juliane Koepcke; International Travelall; Toyota Tacoma; the BS Remover; the pig butchering scam; emergency scams aided by AI (possible paywall); LLM note taker; Tesla ghosts; Nelson’s HMS Victory; the Mary Rose; the White Hart Hotel in St. Albans.Theme music is Escaping like Indiana Jones by Komiku, with permission.

205. The Ladies of Kent

Faithful listeners may recall RJ preparing to head for Spain to represent his country in table soccer and PJ preparing to go to France for an epic cycling trip. Non-listeners (are there any?) will likely have heard about these exciting exploits at the grocery or the gym, going about their daily business. In either case, here in episode 205 we share our experiences and impressions along with our achievements as we report on What We Did On Our Summer Vacations. We’re hoping new friends made at these events will hear about themselves at the same time you do!Links: Shed Dogs; Lisbon; azulejo; Port wine; Porto; Barcelona; Old Barcino (Roman ruins in Barcelona); Antoni Gaudí; Sagrada Familia; the Temple Augustus columns; the Facebook page for the ITSF World Cup of Foosball 2025 in Zaragoza, Spain; Todd Loffredo; the three key aging inflection points.Theme music is Escaping like Indiana Jones by Komiku, with permission.

204. Wicked Dogs

Here in Episode 204 we once again find AI, and its increasing use as a substitute for human interaction, entering our chat. We feel the need to assure you: we are real, even if cover art isn’t. If you talk to us, it’s an actual interaction with organic beings. This episode sees said beings discussing KJ’s goings-on with career and family, another round of Snappers, the amusing nature of artists’ conceptual renderings of proposed architectural drawings and the aforementioned AI conversation. Plus, RJ reviews Wicked: Part I in anticipation of Part II. It’s all refreshingly and reassuringly human. Any odd inflections or awkward speech rhythms are clearly the result of human software problems, believe us.Links: Shed Dogs; programmers’ views on vibe coding; large language models (LLMs, such as ChatGPT); commode; Pope Leo; Beyond Mulder & Scully, in which KJ is featured; a discussion about risks of staying near the kitchen & other areas on a cruise; West Side Story; Wicked: Part I.Theme music is Escaping like Indiana Jones by Komiku, with permission.