varostreamFrom the interactive masterpieces of video games to the turning points of history and the thrills of real-world exploration, our reality is defined by the stories we tell.Tales under the cat tree is a weekly exploration of the architecture of imagination. Hosted by tech leader and lifelong geek Duleepa Wijayawardhana, we dive into the mechanics of world-building. Whether that building happens in the code of software, on the tabletop of a roleplaying game, in the pages of literary fiction, or halfway up a mountain, every guest brings a new perspective.Join us for deep, eclectic conversations with creators, adventurers, and thinkers as we dissect the narratives that shape our culture and our future. Because ultimately, words create the worlds we live in.Read more and find full transcripts at https://tales.dups.ca
Episodes
Ep70: Reliving student journalism in the 1990s
What happens when you put hundreds of student journalists in a hotel in the middle of winter somewhere in Canada? We explore the Canadian University Press and student journalism in the 90s with Alayne Armstrong. Back in the early 1990s we didn't have Google. Most of our news came via mainstream media, whether that was television channels, radio, or newsprint. Cable news was starting to take off. However, that didn't mean that you couldn't have alternative voices. Most campuses in North America had a free student press, funded by newspaper advertising and usually run by the student union. Canada had something unique. Canada has the oldest student organization in North America and longest running student news service in the world with the Canadian University Press or CUP. The organization was setup in 1938 and continues to today. When I wrote and edited at Memorial's newspaper The Muse, we were members of CUP and the Atlantic region version, ARCUP. Student and alternative voices were and I believe, still are critical in society. We were not afraid to question the status quo, whatever that might be. We forced conversations whether you liked them or not, and we were a safe space for otherwise silent voices and ideas. But being part of CUP meant also learning from so many students across Canada. So it's my pleasure to welcome Alayne Armstrong, one of the presidents of CUP. She was president during my 1993-94 year otherwise known as CUP 56.
33:30Ep69: (Reprise) BioWare Stories Parts 1 & 2
This is a combined episode combining Episodes 27 and 28 Today’s episode was originally broadcast in two parts but this time I have combined both into one omnibus episode. Please see original show notes, including pictures here: https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep69-reprise-bioware-stories Direct Links and episodes below Ep. 27: BioWare Stories Part 1 - Releasing the BioWare Community and Neverwinter Nights Duleepa Wijayawardhana Ep. 28: BioWare Stories Part 2 - The flood and shipping Jade Empire Duleepa Wijayawardhana And here are related BioWare episodes Ep. 29: BioWare Stories Part 3 - Dragons, Mako, Mounts and more Duleepa Wijayawardhana Ep47: BioWare Stories Part 4 - Sound design with Dave Chan Duleepa Wijayawardhana Ep48: Forging swords and knives with video game CEO Trent Oster Duleepa Wijayawardhana Ep56: Creating game worlds with designer Brent Knowles Duleepa Wijayawardhana
52:03Ep68: Magical Realism with Shannon Patrick Sullivan
Mathematician by day, writer by night, come meet Shannon Patrick Sullivan as he contends with finishing his second novel. --- Have you ever sat down with the idea of writing fifty thousand words? Every year there is the “NaNoWriMo”, the National Novel Writing Month. This is an event that happens every November where people attempt to churn out a draft of 50,000 words in a single month. If you have ever tried, you will know how difficult that task actually is. Believe me, I have tried and continue to try! I’ve known Shannon Patrick Sullivan for any number of decades. We met during university and as you will hear in the interview, he wrote his first published novel, The Dying Days, in a scant 5 weeks. As of publishing this interview, he has completed the first draft of his second novel which comes in at a nice and hefty 250,000 words written in a single summer. Some links related to the interview You can find Shannon @ www.shannonsullivan.com. The Patreon page for the podcast that Shannon co-writes with Toby Hadoke, “Doctor Who: Too Much Information”, is https://www.patreon.com/tobyhadoke. More details here: https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep68-magical-realism-with-shannon-sullivan
29:24Ep67: Into The Great with Elliot Blake
Elliot Blake is the author of a new Science Fiction novel called Into The Great that comes out September 1, 2026. The synopsis reads as following: Sparks fly when Lilah, a thief from a struggling freespacer colony outside the borders of the Federated Solar Republic, meets Bax, an FSR security officer stationed at an official colony within those borders, during a time of heightened tensions for humanity as the silent, staring, seemingly invulnerable aliens dubbed The Aureum begin to meddle in human affairs. A story about choosing the life you want to live in a time of unprecedented, rapid change beyond your control. The author Elliot Blake, courtesy of Elliot Blake. Elliot has worked in the creative industry pretty much all of his adult life. He has been the executive producer of the Apple TV animated kids’ series The Sisters Grimm and director of flagship Audible Original series Moriarty. We will talk about some of his past work including the Emmy-winning animated web series Tomb Raider: ReVisioned. So it’s my great pleasure to have Elliot on the show for a fascinating conversation about the book, its origin story, Elliot’s origin story, and more. We even delve into topics surrounding AI. Get the purchase links and more at: https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep67-into-the-great-with-elliot-blake
35:12Ep66: How propaganda helped create modern Germany - Part 2
Part 2 of our dive into so-called "black propaganda" during World War II. Dr. Erwin Warkentin and I dive into how the propaganda used during and after the war has has helped define modern Germany. Show notes and more detail at: https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep66-how-propaganda-helped-create-germany
28:31Ep65: How porn and fake news helped defeat the Nazis - Part 1
Today, Dr. Erwin Warkentin goes into how the Allies in World War Two used porn and so-called "black propaganda" tactics to bring about the end of the Nazi regime. --- When you consider the effect of the stories we tell and the power of the human imagination, we rarely, if ever, talk about the power stories can have at times of war. We don't often talk about how stories can be an important asset in bringing about victory and then holding on to the peace. These days when we talk about "fake news", it is just one form of propaganda. On this episode I have my long-time collaborator, friend and former professor, Dr. Erwin Warkentin to talk about how the Allies employed different propaganda tactics against the Nazi regime of Germany during World War Two. Dr. Warkentin has done extensive research on the subject and has written three books on the subject. While we talk, you might want to visit my show notes. There are some of the original pictures of his research including documents from the time. This episode is part one of two. See images and more at https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep65-part-1-porn-fake-news-helped-defeat-nazis
40:04Ep64: What is your legacy?
Do you care if you are remembered? Do you think about your legacy and what you will leave behind? Dr. Erwin Warkentin and I discuss the meaning of legacy. This episode features a conversation between Dr. Warkentin and I on the meaning of legacy. We discuss how somethings you do or people do are like DNA and they go into the fabric of our very existence. We talk about our families and how people try to leave things in stone on buildings and even then, everything we do is purely ephemeral. I also feature a piece of writing titled "The things we leave behind" which is about the day I found out my father passed away. You can see my show notes and pictures: https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep64-what-is-your-legacy
29:30Ep63: A conversation with musician Geoff Younghusband
Geoff Younghusband has been around the Canadian/Newfoundland music scenes for well over three decades now. He's played with some of the most well-known Newfoundland alternative bands including Potbelly, Fur Packed Action, and these days with Jigger. Even if you don't know him from the bands, if you are in Europe, you might recognize the TV show that he's done the sound editing for Hudson and Rex. In this conversation with musician Johnny Nolan and I, Geoff relives some of the stories from his past and we discuss some of the lost greats of the Newfoundland music scene: Fred Gamberg and Johnny Fisher. With permission we also have the following tracks: Employee of the Month, Fur Packed Action Silver Bullet, Jigger Gatekeeper, Darshiva Check out more details at https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep63-a-conversation-with-musician
40:02Ep62: What does "home" mean to you?
What's your definition for "home"? Is it a place, a country, a feeling? Today's episode features an original short story titled "Going Home" and a conversation between the host, Duleepa Wijayawardhana and Dr. Erwin Warkentin, on the concept of their respective "homes". Read the original short story: More on this episode and related episodes: https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep62-what-does-home-mean-to-you
31:03Ep61: A Very Finnish Midsummer (Updated)
This updated episode for A Finnish Midsummer includes the original short story "The cottage on the shores of Yli-Kitka" in both Finnish and English, and a description of celebrating midsummer in the Finnish Archipelago. You can read the original story: English: https://tales.dups.ca/p/the-cottage-on-yli-kitka Finnish: https://tales.dups.ca/p/mokki-yli-kitkan-rannalla The sound of the Kuikka: Kuikka: Kuikka / Black-Throated Loon / Arctic Diver by YleArkisto -- https://freesound.org/s/242110/ -- License: Attribution 4.0 Thanks to Suvi Salmilampi (translation) and Kaj Makela (translation and reading)
18:53Ep60: A special Canada Day for 2026
Please note, the podcast will take a break and return July 13, 2026 Welcome to my Canada Day special episode. Canada Day 2026 is special for me because twenty-five years ago on 1 July 2001, surrounded by many dear friends, I became a proud Canadian. That story comes towards the end of the episode. First, I want to celebrate a fellow Canadian and a fellow Newfoundlander. I've known Joe Teo for more than a decade. A long time ago, my alma mater, Memorial University called me up and asked me whether I could meet with two young entrepreneurs, Joe Teo and Sahand Seifi, who had just started a company in St. John's called HeyOrca. Over the years I've watched Joe navigate life and entrepreneurship and I am incredibly proud to call him a friend. On the day I interviewed Joe, Joe had just received his Canadian citizenship and taken the oath. This episode also contains the original audio created by my friend and then journalist Craig Welsh for CBC featuring my Canadian citizenship ceremony. Hearing my friends voices from twenty-five years ago is surreal and touching. I hope I have done you all proud. I would like to thank the many Supermetrics colleagues who contributed to this episode: Dave, Bartosz, Kamal, Darius, Toli, Irina, Pavel, Anssi, Lee and Jaz. I'm sorry for those that I could not include. The Canadian National Anthem, O Canada, is performed by Julie Nesrallah and Nathalie Paulin, accompanied by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Peter Oundjian. Instrumental versions of O Canada are public domain recordings. For more show notes and pictures: https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep60-a-special-canada-day-broadcast
38:49Ep59: A conversation about a changing Canada
This is part two of my series on Canada. Today, we will explore what it means to be Canadian in 2026 by looking back at the last 50 years of Canada through the eyes of two of my best friends. On a beautifully sunny day in a small tea garden in Berlin, Germany, I met up with Sylvia and Erwin Warkentin, fellow Canadians observing our country from afar. Together, we discuss the changes they have witnessed over the last half-century, the evolution of Canada’s cultural landscape, and what we can learn as we look to its future. Episode Highlights The Cultural Mosaic: Sylvia discusses growing up on the prairies and how she appreciates Canada’s shift towards diversity and tolerance over the last 50 years. She highlights the value of maintaining one’s heritage as a hyphenated Canadian, celebrating a cultural mosaic rather than a melting pot. Borders and Identity: Erwin shares his unique upbringing in a Mennonite community in Manitoba, with the US border running right past his schoolyard. He notes how the once-fluid border has hardened since 9/11, but believes Canadians are now developing a stronger backbone to reaffirm their own values. First Nations and Systemic Struggles: We delve into the difficult history and ongoing challenges faced by First Nations and Métis communities, including the enduring legacy of colonisation. Erwin suggests creating physical memorials, akin to Germany’s Stolpersteine (tripping stones), to ensure those lost through violence are never forgotten.
20:45Ep58: Do you know The Tragically Hip?
This is part 1 of four episodes celebrating Canada. On July 1 is Canada Day, and this year in 2026, it will be my 25th anniversary as a Canadian citizen. It is the country I choose to call home. Canada has as many problems as any other country. As we speak, Alberta, a province I called home for near a decade, is preparing for a referendum on separating from the country. Today’s episode is about something that brings any group of people together: Music, and about a specific band that you have never heard of unless you are Canadian, or know a Canadian of the generations between 1980 and 2015. That band is The Tragically Hip. When it comes to The Hip, as we like to call them, I cannot think of a bigger fan than my friend Edgar (Eddie) Thomas from Newfoundland and Labrador. Over many drinks we have often philosophized and spoken about music and what it means to us. We talk a lot about the band, so who are/were they? The band members were Rob Baker, Gord Downie, Johnny Fay, Paul Langlois, and Gord Sinclair. Gord Downie, the lead singer was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer in 2015. At the end of the episode I have an essay that I wrote in 2017, shortly after Gord Downie had passed away from his cancer. The essay was written six months into my life here in Helsinki and after a short visit from Eddie. Episode Highlights A Shared Canadian Experience: Eddie and I discuss how The Tragically Hip transcended provincial borders and musical genres to unite a massive, varied country. But he won’t travel alone: A multi-part essay covering my discovery of Canada and the Tragically Hip. Eddie’s Top Tragically Hip Tracks If you are new to the band, here are links to Eddie’s top picks: 50 Mission Cap: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0zWpWALWEI Fireworks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KC4tjdQiaTM Wheat Kings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=il8sGYNdKbw Bobcaygeon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qxGYnZCeTY
23:47Ep57: Alternative music creating alternative spaces
Johnny Nolan returns as my co-host for another Newfoundland Alternative music deep dive, but this time we are honoured to be joined by author and journalist Rhea Rolman. We wanted to explore the influence of alternative music on alternative communities in St. John’s, Newfoundland and how music is important in creating safe spaces during the 1990s and even earlier. The 1990s Analogue Culture: Yup this was before the time of Social Media and we had to rely on concerts, gigs, and the radio of all things! Safe Spaces and Organising: Rhea explains how the music scene provided vital safe spaces during a time when minorities, especially sexual minorities, may have faced repression in Newfoundland. Festivals as Catalysts: We chat about how events like the Peace Accord and modern festivals like Lawnya Vawnya bring diverse groups together to exchange ideas. Saving CHMR: Rhea shares the story of the recent community fight to save the funding for the campus community radio station, preserving one of the last remaining creative spaces in the city. About Rhea Rhea Rollmann (she/her) is an award-winning journalist, writer and audio producer based in St. John’s, NL, and is the author of A Queer History of Newfoundland (Engen Books, 2023). She’s a founding editor of The Independent NL and her journalism has appeared in Briarpatch Magazine, CBC, Xtra Magazine, Chatelaine, PopMatters, Riddle Fence and more. Special Thanks for their tracks with permission Bob Earle and Draize Eye Test Liz Pickard and the Lizband for One Song Phil Winters and the band Bung for Ramirez.
41:38Ep56: Creating game worlds with designer Brent Knowles
Today on the podcast, I’m joined by my old friend and former BioWare colleague, Brent Knowles. We chat all about the art and magic of world-building, drawing from Brent’s several decades of experience as a game designer and writer. Brent shares his creative journey, from drawing fantasy maps on grocery shop paper bags as a child to working on iconic titles like Baldur’s Gate 2, Neverwinter Nights, and Dragon Age. We also dive into his recent tabletop work, discussing his Norse-inspired D&D campaign, Raiders of the Serpent Sea , and how a family holiday to Iceland heavily influenced its design. Key Highlights & Takeaways The BioWare Days: We look back at Brent’s time working on the Neverwinter Nights expansions , especially the creative freedom his team had whilst developing Hordes of the Underdark. A Mapmaker’s Origins: Brent explains how spending time at off-season logging camps with his grandfather sparked his imagination , leading him to draw maps of the woods and invent fantasy creatures. Icelandic Inspiration: How the deep history, sagas, and natural landscapes of Iceland directly inspired his Viking-esque tabletop world. Embracing “Mistakes”: Why collaborating with artists and embracing their misinterpretations or mistakes often results in far cooler monsters and organic lore than originally planned. What Breaks Immersion: Brent discusses his biggest bugbears in game design, like when a video game’s narrative completely contradicts its gameplay mechanics —such as finding a +1 warhammer right next to characters who are complaining about being poor. Advice for Game Masters: Why it’s crucial for DMs to talk to their players to build a shared experience , ensuring it becomes our campaign rather than just the DM’s strict storyline. Check out Raiders of the Serpent Sea: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/424627/raiders-of-the-serpent-sea-campaign-guide-pdf-version Check out more images at: https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep56-game-designer-brent-knowles
25:42Ep55: Manufacturing reality
In our previous episode we explored the idea of creating worlds for writing and especially table top roleplaying games such as Dungeons and Dragons. In that episode which is Episode 54 if you want to take a listen, I noted that because our entire lives are spent within the imagination of our own creations, there is a connection to manufacturing reality. This week, I invited back to the show my friend, former professor and long time collaborator on this podcast, Dr. Erwin Warkentin to discuss the topic of creating worlds and the intersection with propaganda. Dr. Warkentin has not only led media and communications at Memorial University in Canada, he has written and studied extensively on the subject of propaganda. Episode Highlights We explore the bizarre history of Enver Hoxha, the former First Secretary of the Communist Party in Albania (the picture in the episode is of Hoxha from Wikipedia) Hoxha completely isolated his country and forced his citizens to read his estimated 70 volumes of work just to build a specific world in their minds. We discuss the concept of “Ostalgie” and why some older generations still harbour nostalgia for the old East. Our everyday reality is heavily influenced by television programmes and pop culture, proven by the fact that Canadian PSAs had to remind citizens they don’t actually have American Miranda rights. We examine how celebrated historical narratives, like Canada’s Heritage Minutes, often act as pure fantasy by omitting dark truths, such as Nellie McClung’s ties to the eugenics movement. Dr. Warkentin shares a fascinating story about how post-WWII American forces completely dismantled and rebuilt the German media landscape to prevent dangerous monopolies. We wrap up by challenging the illusion of “social media,” questioning if platforms like TikTok are just one-way broadcasts feeding us untrustworthy narratives without us realising it. Contact me at contact@dups.ca and see more episode notes at: https://tales.dups.ca
32:35Ep54: Manufacturing worlds - an introduction
In this episode, we dive into an introduction on creating the fictional realities we love to get lost in. From the shores of Midkemia to the neon-lit streets of homegrown tabletop RPG campaigns, I explore how our imaginations construct and inhabit these spaces. Joining the discussion are my friends and fellow tabletop DMs, Andrés Díez de Castro and Nik Paro, who share the collaborative creative processes behind their own unique worlds. Highlights The Foundation of Worlds: Reflections on my early introduction to fantasy through Raymond E. Feist's Magician and then into other worlds. However, it's not just about fantasy and science fiction The Secret to Relatability: Andrés argues that the best world-building balances relatable cultural elements with fresh magical or technological twists so the setting doesn't feel too mundane or too alien. Finding the "Red Thread": Nik emphasises the importance of having a core narrative thread that ties a fantastical world together, warning that introducing too many contrasting elements can cause a setting to clash. Hyperphantasia vs. Aphantasia: Dups discusses the fascinating spectrum of human imagination. He contrasts his own hyperphantasia—experiencing imagination like a vivid 4K film—with aphantasia. Finding Inspiration: The group discusses their creative influences, from the intricate, storm-ravaged ecology of Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive to the consciousness-transferring, gritty sci-fi of Altered Carbon. Words Over Visuals: Dups shares a personal anecdote about discovering the world of Star Wars through a novelisation before ever seeing the film, illustrating the raw power of descriptive storytelling. Books & Media Mentioned in this Episode Magician by Raymond E. Feist The works of J.R.R. Tolkien, David Eddings, Ursula K. Le Guin, Isaac Asimov, and R.A. Salvatore Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive Altered Carbon Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Doctor Who Connect with the Show What is your favourite fictional world? Dups would love to hear from you. Email: contact@dups.ca Website & Archives: tales.dups.ca
17:56Ep53: (Update) The Curious Case of the Diseappearing Internet
"If tomorrow your digital world disappeared through no fault of your own, would anyone know who you are?" We explore the fragile nature of memory and the misconception that our digital lives are permanent. From the ancient ruins of Sri Lanka to the disappearing "master servers" of early video games, this episode examines how the "ordinary person" remains at risk of being erased from history. The Missing Ordinary: Why history prioritises the powerful and why modern data hasn’t solved the "ruins" problem. The Shrinking Internet: A look at the 25% of the original web that has already vanished and the immense technical challenge of archiving 145 petabytes of data. Digital Fragility: The loss of personal history due to dead formats, forgotten passwords, and the shift from ownership to "cloud" reliance. The Gatekeepers: How corporate whims, server costs, and shifting online sources (like Wikipedia) can effectively rewrite the past. The Chain Letter: A reflection on the host’s story and the potential for our "sophisticated" era to become as silent as the "primitive" ancestors we study. This episode features an original short story "The Chain Letter"
13:27Ep52: An anniversary, escaping an arranged marriage, and poker
Welcome to our One-Year Anniversary! In this special milestone episode of Tales Under the Cat Tree, we look back at a remarkable year of profound global change and incredible conversations. From history and pop culture to role-playing games and war photography, we’ve explored it all. We reflect on what it means to embrace being an eclectic "audio magazine" in an algorithm-driven world. Thank you for being one of the 4000+ unique listeners to the podcast over this past year! In this episode: A Year in Review: Reflecting on the diverse voices, topics, and human exploration we've shared since May 2025. Escaping an arranged marriage: Originally published some 20 years ago in Canada Hold'em: An original short story.
16:29Ep51: Are Video Games Art? Part 2: Nuance, Effort and West vs. East
Continuing the previous conversation, Dups and Dr. Erwin Warkentin explore the subjective experience of art, the impact of technological tools on creation, and global storytelling differences. Key Topics: Nuance and Subtlety: Finding hidden details in art, comparing Beethoven's "false cadences" and Rembrandt's framing to the environmental storytelling in games like Myst and The Last of Us. The Definition of Art: The idea that art only exists in the moment it is experienced and interpreted by the audience. Effort vs. Value: A discussion on whether the physical effort of creation defines art, comparing modern game development to the assembly-line nature of Renaissance painting studios. Technology Driving Art: How the tools of the time dictate the art produced, comparing historical paint pigments (Lapis Lazuli, Prussian Blue) to the adoption of CD-ROMs and 3D graphics. Western vs. Eastern Narratives: Contrasting goal-oriented Western RPGs with journey-oriented Japanese RPGs (JRPGs). A Global Medium: The conclusion that video games represent the first truly globally shared art form, utilizing technology and narratives from across the world.
34:08Ep50: Are Video Games Art? Part 1 - Brecht and the Ancient Greeks
Dups and Dr. Warkentin discuss whether video games qualify as classical art. They examine the philosophy of play and compare traditional theater structures to modern game design. Key Topics: The Philosophy of Play: A look at Schiller’s concept of the "drive to play" (Spieltrieb) and how playing games connects logical and emotional thinking. Aristotle vs. Brecht in Gaming: Comparing linear, fixed narratives (Aristotelian) like The Last of Us to interactive, choice-driven narratives (Brechtian) like Baldur's Gate 3. Player as Co-Author: How a player's individual gameplay style and decision-making process become part of the artwork itself. Digital Ephemerality: The challenge of preserving video games as technology becomes obsolete, and the role of archivists in saving early games.
21:59Ep49: Newfoundland Alternative music and CHMR with Johnny Nolan (Part 2)
This is the second part of our series on 80s and 90s alternative music from St. John's, Newfoundland with my friend Johnny Nolan. Today we feature music from Schizoid, Malpractice and The Reaction. A special note: On April 1, 2026, and this is not an April Fool's Joke. The student's union at Memorial University voted to shut down CHMR. In a day and age where voices are being muzzled around the world and avenues of expression being more and more controlled, I am saddened that a place that brought artists and journalists to Canada and the world will no longer exist. I don't however think the battle is over. Please reach out to CHMR and MUNSU before June 1. If you disagree with CHMR being shut down, let your voice be heard. I am not in St. John's these days, make sure you don't lose a valuable asset to the community. Once something like this is gone, you can never really recover it. Does radio need to change with the times? Of course it does, but don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. Featured music: Death Deliverer by Schizoid, Album Total Mayhem, courtesy of TeePee Records $1.44 day by Malpractice, courtesy of John Nolan and Malpractice On The Beach by The Reaction, courtesy of Mike Fisher and The Reaction rYbmbewbPSXkUZJ7S1uk
29:47Ep48: Forging swords and knives with video game CEO Trent Oster
From ancient times to today, gods and humans have hammered red-hot metal into shapes of weapons and crafts of beauty. In Ancient Greek mythology, Hephaestus and in fantasy, beings such as Sauron forge the ultimate weapons in the insane heat at the heart of volcanoes. Without human blacksmiths, who were the technologists of their day, we would not have the tooling and the world-building that have brought us to today. However, in our present day we take machined metalworking for granted. We don't think twice about stainless steel knives in our kitchens. What were once luxury goods can now be bought for pennies in thrift stores. Today I am talking with Trent Oster. Trent and I worked together at BioWare, where he was a founding member, as well as Project Director and Producer when I was helping with Neverwinter Nights. These days, he is the CEO of Beamdog. Aside from its own intellectual property such as Mythforce, Beamdog has been instrumental in bringing Dungeons & Dragons games such as Baldur's Gate, Planescape: Torment, and even Neverwinter Nights back as enhanced editions that run on modern computers. But today, Trent and I will not be talking about video games. Many of us in the tech industry have hobbies which we take to extremes of all kinds. Mine include writing and photography, but Trent's is on a scale of power hammers, steel, and red-hot chemistry. This is a dense discussion on smithing, knifemaking, and the wonders of metallurgy. In the show notes, I've added pictures of the knives he has produced that we talk about. I've also included a video of Trent's power hammer, the machine that he affectionately calls "Thumpy". Visit the show notes at for pictures and video Tales under the cat treel: Episode 48
29:30Ep47: BioWare Stories Part 4 - Sound design with Dave Chan
This is part 4 of my series on BioWare. In this episode, I'm lucky to have Dave Chan talking about sound design and more. Dave started working at BioWare before me on games such as MDK2, Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate 2. We overlapped on games such as Neverwinter Nights, Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic and Jade Empire. Dave has had a long career in video games, for a full list please check out his profile on Moby Games. Episode Highlights From IT to Audio Director: Dave shares how a chance encounter with BioWare co-founder Greg Zeschuk at a computer store led him from IT to doing placeholder sound effects for MDK2. Dave eventually became a full-time audio designer. Scrappy Studio Days: Listen in for a hilarious late-night outtake from MDK2 involving a monkey, a blow-dryer, and K-Y Jelly. Dave also reflects about the sheer passion of BioWare fans . Behind the Sounds: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic: Dave reveals that none of the sound effects were actually taken directly from the films; they were all meticulously reproduced in-house or by contractors like Paul Gorman. Lost Outtakes: Dave laments losing unreleased, hilarious outtakes of the iconic character Minsc (and his giant miniature space hamster, Boo) from Baldur’s Gate. Lost in Translation: A funny anecdote about how the French localization of Baldur’s Gate combat sounds ended up sounding a bit too much like a porn film. The Philosophy of Sound: Dave explains his approach to audio, such as crafting the desolate, isolated atmosphere for The Long Dark. He also breaks down why user interface (UI) sounds are actually the hardest to design: they must be noticeable, unique, and critically, not annoying after thousands of clicks. Mentions & Links Greg Zeschuk: BioWare co-CEO and founder. Trent Oster: Beamdog CEO and next week’s guest! Ben Burtt: Legendary film sound designer who crafted iconic Star Wars audio. Episode 27: BioWare Stories Part 1 - Craig Miller Episode 28: BioWare Stories Part 2 - Craig Miller Episode 29: BioWare Stories Part 3 - Georg Zoeller and Emmanuel Lusinchi
20:50Ep46: Sharpeville, Apartheid, Canada - a conversation about racism
March 21 is designated by the United Nations as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. In South Africa, it is Human Rights Day. On March 21, 1960 police opened fire into a crowd of protestors at Sharpeville in South Africa. This event would start the process of the African National Congress (ANC) and the Pan-African Congress (PAC) being outlawed, Nelson Mandela being jailed, and the start of direct resistance against the South African Apartheid regime. The events of Sharpeville happened to be part of my master's thesis when I was studying under Dr. Christopher Youé at Memorial University. As a person of colour, and often a minority wherever I have chosen to live, race and racism is a topic that fascinates me, but also scares me to bring up. Today on the podcast, I have my good friend and former professor, Dr. Erwin Warkentin, on the show for exactly that conversation. We are two very different people from opposite sides of the world with very different backgrounds. So have a listen to our conversation about race, racism, Apartheid, and indeed, the Sharpeville Massacre. Further Reading Read and learn more about the Sharpeville Massacre A YouTube playlist of music from the movement against Apartheid Anti-Apartheid Legacy: Centre of Memory and Learning One of my favourite anti-Apartheid songs is Asimbonanga by the late great Johnny Clegg and Savuka. Here's a famous video of Nelson Mandela joining Savuka on stage. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGS7SpI7obY
31:04Ep45: The St. Patrick’s Day Drunk Dial Contest
Between 2003 and 2009 my friends and I used to host something called the St. Patrick’s Day Drunk Dial Contest. What was the St. Patrick’s Day Drunk Dial you ask? At its heart, it was a simple attempt to connect friends from university in Newfoundland and who were now spread throughout Canada and the world. St. Patrick’s Day, which is the national day of Ireland, is also celebrated around the world wherever Irish immigrants settled. In Newfoundland, it’s a rare public holiday as winter blows its last. It was a day friends would gather at the pub. When I left Newfoundland and the shamrocks went up in all the bars no matter where I was living, I longed to hear the voices of my friends. Initially I had asked friends to phone me when they were out, night or day, on St. Patrick’s Day. Later someone gave my phone number out to strangers and the calls I received got weirder and even more fun. Each year the tradition grew until in 2009 when we decided to go big with an advert on Time Square and more. So this is the story of the St. Patrick’s Day Drunk Dial Contest along with the calls of many of the winners. I hope you have have great St. Patrick’s Day, no matter your nationality, but especially to all my friends in Ireland and those of Irish descent. Show Notes and Highlights Interview with Niall Brown including the fallout from the Global TV news spot. Watch the Global TV news spot from Montreal, 2009 The Times Square ad and pictures of the 2008 Montreal St. Patrick’s Day parade. God Save the Queen, Instrumental by the Band of the Grenadier Guards, 1952 from the Wikimedia Commons
21:43Ep44: Mountaineering Misadventures with Keli and Mike
Why do humans purposefully subject themselves to freezing winds, exhausting altitudes, and perilous drops? In the first of our mountaineering series, host Dups opens with an autobiographical story from Indian Ridge in the Canadian Rockies. Then, Dups is joined by two long-time friends and climbing partners, Mike Mannion and Keli Ryan, to discuss the philosophy, humour, and hazards of modern mountain trekking. From the ethical dilemmas of summiting Mount Everest to being circled by vultures on Kilimanjaro, this episode explores the irresistible pull of the peaks. Show Highlights Indian Ridge: Dups shares a personal story of a solo summit attempt in the Canadian Rockies. The Philosophy of Climbing and the lure of Everest: Mike Mannion breaks down how his love for hiking and indoor climbing evolved into global mountaineering. Mike and Dups discuss the ethical issues of putting people at risk for a tourist summit. Kilimanjaro, the Barafu scale, and freezing on Elbrus: Keli Ryan shares her memories of tackling Kilimanjaro. Keli recounts the reality of altitude sickness, and other stories from Kilimanjaro. She contrasts that with the cold of Elbrus and lessons for life About the Guests Mike Mannion: A seasoned trekker who has climbed alongside Dups in the Rockies, Mount Kinabalu in Borneo, and Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. Keli Ryan: A long-time friend of Dups who joined the team for the ascent of Kilimanjaro and tackled the freezing, technical climb of Mount Elbrus in Russia. Mentions & Resources Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies by Alan Kane
20:41Ep43: The lens of history with photojournalist Greg Locke
We walk through life as one among a multitude, but what happens when you are tasked with standing in the eye of historical storms? In this episode, we explore what it truly means to bear witness to the darkest and sometimes, most profound, moments of the human experience. Award-winning photojournalist Greg Locke joins the show to share his incredible journey spanning forty years of covering crime, business, politics, and war. From the surreal, celebratory chaos of the Berlin Wall coming down , to the savage heartbreak of the Bosnian War, Greg takes us behind the lens of the stories that shaped our modern world. He opens up about the moral weight of photographing grief , the absurdity of navigating lawless borders , and why we cannot simply turn away and ask, "Who cares?" In This Episode, We Discuss: The Accidental Photojournalist: How serendipity and a restless desire to explore the world launched Greg's forty-year career. The Party at the End of the World: Arriving in Berlin the exact night the gates opened in 1989, and capturing the chaotic, history-making street parties. Greg's "Lost Years" in the Balkans: Navigating the brutal civil war in Sarajevo. The Philosophy of Bearing Witness: Why we must document human misery so the world doesn't forget. Close Calls and Absurd Realities: Surviving a terrifying encounter at a burning checkpoint in Sarajevo , and how Greg bribed a guard to get into Zaire. The Exodus: The story behind one of Greg's most powerful photographs About Our Guest: Greg Locke is a veteran photojournalist with four decades of experience covering international affairs, conflict, and politics. His work has been featured in major publications including the Globe and Mail, Toronto Sun, Reuters, and Time Magazine and won numerous awards. He has spent extensive time documenting crises around the world from Africa to the Americas, and was the first photographer to be awarded the CAJ/CIDA fellowship for journalism in the area of foreign affairs and international development by the Canadian Association of Journalists and the Canadian International Development Agency. Learn more about Greg Locke at https://greglocke.com
20:17Ep42: Software Development Teams Must Evolve or Die!
Nine months ago, I asked if engineers were really adopting AI in larger companies. Today, that question is irrelevant. We have moved past chatbots and “vibe coding” into the era of agentic engineering. In this sequel to Episode 2, I explore how my own identity as a developer is being restructured—from writing syntax to managing autonomous fleets of agents that plan, code, and test on their own. I’m also joined by Tony Nysten and Mirva Laatunen from OpenOcean to discuss why this shift is dismantling traditional organizational silos and changing what it means to be a “software team.” (00:00) Intro: A sequel to Episode 2 (00:37) The death of the traditional developer identity (02:00) What is “Agentic Engineering”? (03:15) Why the “Product Trio” (PM, Design, Eng) is broken (06:41) Dismantling silos and the new organizational blueprint (09:50) 5 steps to survival: From flat orgs to “vibe” hiring (13:32) Interview: Tony Nysten & Mirva Laatunen (OpenOcean) (16:00) The unit economics of AI vs. human labor (18:20) How VC roles are being disrupted by AI agents (23:04) Outro Key Takeaways The New Developer Identity: Coding is now less about syntax and more about reviewing plans and obsessing over outcomes. If you entered this industry just to write code, the problem has shifted. Agentic Workflows: We aren’t just using ChatGPT/Gemini; we are managing agents that argue with each other to plan, code, and test independently. Organizational Panic: Traditional structures like microservices and agile teams were built for human limitations. Agents expose the bureaucracy in these old systems. Hiring for “Vibe”: As technical barriers lower, the most valuable engineers are those with high creativity, business understanding, and communication skills—not just LeetCode proficiency. Links & Resources Original Article: Why are we building software development teams like it’s 2020? Reference: Episode 2: How deeply are engineers adopting AI in larger software teams? Reference: Episode 16: MySQL, MariaDB, and AI – A conversation with Kaj Arnö Talk: Brandon Sanderson: The hidden cost of AI Firm: OpenOcean VC Cast Host and Producer: Duleepa “Dups” Wijayawardhana Guests: Tony Nysten & Mirva Laatunen
24:07Ep41: Punks on air with Johnny Nolan
Grab a kettle of tea and dive into the isolated, vibrant, and "too radical" world of the St. John’s punk scene. In this episode, Dups and old-time punk musician Johnny Nolan reunite to spin tracks and tell stories from a time when you couldn’t throw a stone in downtown St. John’s without hitting a live gig. Inside the Episode Island Isolation: How being stuck on a rock in the Atlantic forced a tight-knit community to pick up instruments and create their own "cultural smorgasbord". The Venues: A look back at the all-ages shows at the LSPU Hall and the legendary Peace A-chord festival—which was eventually shut down for being a bit too loud for municipal politics. CHMR Roots: Dups and Johnny reminisce about their days behind the mic at St. John's alternative campus radio station. Featured Tracklist "Newfie Rastaman" by Da Slyme A "fabulous" track from the band that started it all and released Canada's first double punk album. "No Protest" by Hardliner A "peace punk" anti-military anthem about a young Newfoundlander with no alternatives. "Evil Drunks" by Dog Meat BBQ A fun song that serves as the ultimate reminder of university drinking days. All songs played by permission of the artist. You can reach Johnny @ https://substack.com/@johnnydafink
26:06Ep40: The Sin of "I" - A Conversation with Erwin Warkentin
In this episode, Duleepa Wijayawardhana | Tech Leader & Storyteller turns the tables on his former professor, Dr. Erwin Warkentin. What starts as a literary critique of a "raw" first-draft short story evolves into a profound conversation about memory, aging, and the terror of the first-person perspective. Erwin shares a story about a teenage boy, a school dance in -30°C Winnipeg weather, and a memorial scholarship that triggers a realization that his world is shrinking. But the central tension of the episode isn't the plot—it's the pronoun. Why did Erwin write a deeply personal story in the third person? They discuss the "Sin of I," the Mennonite concept of Hochmut (pride), and whether hiding behind "He" protects the writer or cheats the reader Note: The short story discussed in this episode is not included in the text or audio. As discussed, the idea of the story—and how narrative voice changes it—is more important than the draft itself. Key Topics Discussed: The "Sin" of Autobiography: How Erwin’s Mennonite upbringing and the concept of Hochmut make writing "I" feel like an act of arrogance. The Shrinking World: Exploring the theme of aging, where the cast of characters in one's life slowly disappears, leaving only memories behind. The "Sauerkraut" Method: Erwin’s unique way of explaining burying a draft "in the ground" for months to let it ferment before revisiting it. Literary Forms: A look at the epistolary novel (letter form) and the influence of Goethe’s The Sorrows of Young Werther on personal correspondence. Winnipeg Nostalgia: A trip down memory lane featuring CKRC radio, "Hunky Bill’s" pierogi makers, and the mystery of dating girls hidden under layers of nylon and fur. Memorable Quotes: "You can build me a rocket to take me to Mars or anywhere else in this universe, but without literature, would I want to make the trip?" — Dr. Erwin Warkentin (quoting a former student) "I realized that of the people that I was close to growing up, I am literally the only one left. Mentioned in this Episode: Die Leiden des jungen Werthers (The Sorrows of Young Werther) by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe "If" by Bread (Song) Hunky Bill (Winnipeg Icon) About the Guest: Dr. Erwin Warkentin is a former professor of German and Communication Studies at Memorial University, currently living in Berlin. He is a writer, a scholar of German literature, and—for this episode—a brave soul willing to have his first draft critiqued on air.
25:19Ep39: Making concrete green with Kurre Stålberg
Every day we wake up and go about our business. Life changes—mostly imperceptibly, incrementally, crawling season after season. We accept new streets, new buses, and new buildings as normal. What once was a field of flowers is now a parking lot, to paraphrase the famous song by Joni Mitchell, and before long, you might never know a field existed. However, something happens when you visit a place over a very long period—like dots on a slow-moving ticker tape, you see the change as flashes. A decades-long timelapse. This is the case for me with my visits to the country of my birth, Sri Lanka. Every few years for 45 years, I have experienced the inexorable change wrought by globalization, industrialization, and urbanization. I can stand on a road in a metropolis and remember the field. I can saunter down my parents’ once-sleepy 1970s suburban laneway to bask in the shadow of a 20-story high-rise. In Canada, I visited the Athabasca Glacier for the first time in July 2002. The glacier reaches the Icefields Parkway in Jasper National Park, one of the tongues of the Columbia Icefield. My last visit was 20 years later, in July 2022; the glacier had retreated so far that you had to walk 20 minutes from where I had seen it in 2002. When it comes to our environment, in my lifetime I have observed three truths. Firstly, humans change their environment. We are a species of terraformers. We have been doing this since we gathered in groups however many epochs ago. To ask us not to explore, to socialize, to make our environment better for our own survival is akin to asking us as a species to concede defeat. Secondly, our environment has changed at our hands so massively, how can we not expect the knock-on effects to have an impact—like that butterfly causing a hurricane? Thirdly, nature is far more resilient than the would-be terraformers. In 2019, I stood at the center of Chernobyl: nature had grown back; trees were exulting in the lack of humans. It is not the world we should be frightened for; it is ourselves. We make it sound as if by becoming a green society we are doing it for the planet. The truth is always: we are doing it to save our children, nature will survive and come back as weird and even more wonderful without us. Unfortunately, the first truth has shown me that if we are to address the second and third truths, the biggest movers need to be our governments and industry. We can all do our part, for sure, but the biggest gains lie in more sustainable ways to change how we build out our environment, produce energy, and of course, travel, so that we can indeed circle the globe and be one human family. The human story is one of technological advance, from the wheel to flight. We’ve made our world smaller, our minds bigger, and our hearts wider. It is with that optimism that I know we can, and must, solve our challenges. It is why I am very happy when I see startups like the one my friend and former Supermetrics colleague, Kurre Stålberg, is a part of: Carbonaide. In This Episode In this conversation, Kurre takes us inside the industrial world of concrete curing—a sector responsible for a staggering 8% of global CO2 emissions. We discuss how Carbonaide is trapping carbon dioxide into concrete making the concrete “harder, faster, cheaper, and greener”. We also dive into the reality of the “wild west” carbon credit markets, where only a fraction of sold credits are actually delivered , and Kurre shares his unique experience as a software engineer using an “army” of AI agents to build industrial platforms almost single-handedly. Topics Covered: * The 8% Problem: Why cement production is so carbon-intensive. * The Solution: How Carbonaide primes concrete to “vacuum” up CO2, curing blocks in hours instead of days. * The Carbon Market Reality: The difference between buying “futures” and buying actual sequestered carbon. * AI as a Force Multiplier: How Kurre shifted from “developer” to “project manager” of AI agents to scale his output. Links & Resources: * Carbonaide: https://carbonaide.com * Recommended Listening: If you want to listen to an amazing story about one of the biggest concrete jungles ever, I can recommend 99% Invisible’s episode “A River Runs Through Los Angeles” This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tales.dups.ca 49u2Ca2s0jcIuaNxwdPK
20:21Ep38: Cultural code switching - A conversation with Sylvia and Erwin Warkentin
Have you noticed that you sometimes sound different or use different words when you talk to your parents? Or maybe you slip into specific expressions with people from the town you left behind so long ago? When I was in Newfoundland a few months ago, Sylvia Warkentin introduced me to the term “Cultural code-switching.” This was a term I hadn’t heard before, but it turns out it’s something I’ve been doing my whole life. The definition of cultural code-switching is the act of consciously or unconsciously adjusting behaviour, language, and mannerisms to align with the norms of a different cultural context. To me, this makes sense. I’ve often described myself as a chameleon but I had never put a name to the mechanism. In this episode, we go beyond the definition. We explore whether we code-switch to survive, to take advantage, or simply to show respect. Do we change because we want to, or because we have to? Coincidentally, Sylvia and her husband Erwin were about to depart Newfoundland, where they had been living for decades, to return to Germany. And even more coincidentally, I would be seeing them there shortly after. So, this conversation takes place across two distinct sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Part 1 starts in Torbay, Newfoundland, on the eastern edge of Canada. While watching a winter storm roll in over the craggy coastline, we discuss the theory of the “Third Culture” and the complicated relationship we have with the concept of “home”. Part 2 picks up a month later in Berlin, Germany. After an unseasonably cold winter day, we sat down to see if the theory held up against reality. We discuss how the switches flipped the moment Sylvia landed—from the silence of a German grocery line to the “fighting dirty” required to navigate a new culture. Join us as we explore how we are all, in the end, just an amalgam of everything we experience. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tales.dups.ca
23:02Ep37: Forbidden Lands and Svavelvinter with Erik Granström
On this episode, I feature the works of Erik Granström, a Swedish author and roleplaying game writer. We delve into fantasy, fantasy writing and the worlds he has created and their relation to our reality. Also featured is music by Svavelvinter which features the vocals of Christian Älvestam. You can listen to the music on Apple Music and Spotify: The roleplaying games we chat about include * Dragonbane * The Forbidden Lands * Svavelvinter You can find lyrics to Vanderland, the song featured in the podcast at Erik’s blog. You can find out more about Erik at Erik’s blog as well. Thank you for listening! Subscribe for more roleplaying, fiction, and stories! Related episodes This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tales.dups.ca
25:4336. On humanity's greatest art form with Seamus Heffernan
Sometimes the process of stringing words together starts to click and you find that you have written a story: Dragons fly off the pages burning hobbits, characters say the darndest things, and you wonder why you accidentally killed the lead. Sometimes, when it clicks really well, like it did for my friend and author, Seamus Heffernan, you end up with a novel. In his case, it resulted in the crime novel Napalm Hearts and its sequel Ten Grand. So today, I’m delighted to have Seamus with me to talk about writing and the creative process. Here is what I wrote about his first novel: In Napalm Hearts, a bored, recently divorced detective, Thaddeus Grayle, takes on the case of the missing wife of London socialite and political hopeful Andrew Claymore. Since I want to make sure I don’t give away anything of the story, I want to focus on Seamus’ ability to bring alive a wide cast of characters set in modern-day London. Jumping from a name on paper to your imagination, this cast comes alive with very simple swishes and flicks of written strokes, a style reminiscent of a gleeful swashbuckler. There’s Charlie, Thaddeus’ temp and secretary, the photographer and associate Ruddick, the bartenders, the bad dudes, the daughter, the ex-wife, the affair, the clientele. Clocking in at 158 pages, that’s frankly a rather tall order for character exposition. The style is accessible, modern, using conversation as the storytelling medium. It is fast, quick, but dangerous if you cannot give each character a voice that resonates in your head as being the individual from which it originates. It’s an ability that I admire in authors like Nick Hornby and it’s an important part of bringing the characters of Napalm Hearts alive; not to mention some very slick and well-imagined prose to sink your teeth into. As a screenwriter, Seamus’ work has earned him entry to the 2022 Stowe Story Lab and the 2022 Willamette Writers FilmLabTV. His short fiction has appeared in The Raspberry and Louden Singletree, and his story “With Special Guests” was a 2018 Screencraft semi-finalist. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tales.dups.ca
31:2235. The Couch Murder on Long's Hill
There’s been a mystery I’ve been trying to solve for thirty years. What happened on New Year’s Eve 1994 at the house on Long’s Hill? Did a couch actually catch fire and hit a house? Were the police called? Did the story make it onto Canadian national radio, and what happened to that couch anyway? Over the years, the story of the Long’s Hill couch slide has become legend amongst my friends and even amongst those who don’t know us. It’s a story that has grown and changed in the telling. So, I went to some of the original people, including people who had heard the story from others at the time. Thank you very much to Marc Dyke, Aaron McKim, Andrew Smith, and Mike Mannion. I hope no one is doing literal couch surfing this New Year and that you all have a brilliant year ahead. I will be back on January 12 on a regular Monday schedule with the podcast. It’s been fun doing a couple of offbeat episodes. In the coming year, I’m looking forward to treating you to some amazing interviews, some great new stories—both fiction and non-fiction—and to delving deeper into the stories that make us human. Until then, be safe and give your pets a cuddle. If you enjoyed this or any other episode, please help me grow my listenership by subscribing or sharing.The image was generated by Gemini. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tales.dups.ca
13:2834. Holiday Traditions from Canada to Finland
Whether you are hiding frozen cherries in couch cushions or singing at the top of your lungs there’s so many ways we make ourselves comfortable. I love this time of year even if it means long nights and cold temperatures here in the northern latitudes. Regardless of how religious you are I love the idea that there’s a season where we acknowledge the value of the people in our life with gifts and food. Give the gift that keeps on giving and share this episode. It would mean a lot to me! On today’s episode we have the following folks:Friends from St. John’s, Newfoundland: Marc and Angie, Andrew Smith, Andrew Draskoy, Aaron, Rohith, and Colette Friends from HeyOrca: Jesse, Steph, JP, Steve, Peter, Joe, and Farhan Friends from OpenOcean: Tony, Toby, Raoul, Ralf, Patrik, and Mirva This entire episode is the brainchild of my fabulous partner Suvi. To all my friends and family: I wish you a very Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays, no matter where you are and what you celebrate. Thank you for being with me on 34 episodes of Tales under the cat tree. I didn’t think I would make it all the way to a special Christmas episode. I hope you have enjoyed the episodes I have done. If you have, please take the time to subscribe, or better yet, please share the episode so I can grow my listenership. I will return with a special New Year’s day episode and will be back to whatever is “normal” for this podcast on January 12. Today’s episode featured the following pieces of music either in the public domain or under the Creative Commons license. No changes have been made to the compositions or performances beyond mixing in the podcast. * "Christmas Prelude" performed by the Concert Band of the United States Air Force Band of Mid-America — License: Public Domain * "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear" (for jazz piano) performed by the Diplomats of the United States Air Force Band — License: Public Domain * El Noi de la Mare, a Catalan folk song on guitar. — License: Creative Commons * Heinrich Lichner: Fantasia of Silent Night, Holy Night — License: Creative Commons 2.0 * Christmas music for Orchestra and choir MaxNegro — License: Creative Commons All other music composed and performed by Duleepa Wijayawardhana. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tales.dups.ca
25:2633. The Royal Anarcho-Geographic Society of Newfoundland
When sun rays crown thy pine clad hills, And summer spreads her hand, When silvern voices tune thy rills, We love thee, smiling land. When spreads thy cloak of shimmering white, At winter’s stern command, Thro’ shortened day, and starlit night, We love thee, frozen land. When blinding storm gusts fret thy shore, And wild waves lash thy strand, Thro’ spindrift swirl, and tempest roar, We love thee windswept land. As loved our fathers, so we love, Where once they stood, we stand; Their prayer we raise to Heaven above, God guard thee, Newfoundland Those are the verses to “Ode to Newfoundland,” composed by Sir Cavendish Boyle, without the refrains as would be commonly sung. It was the national anthem of the Dominion of Newfoundland and these days is the official provincial anthem of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Newfoundland is the world’s 16th largest island; it is located far to the east in Canada and makes up one part of the now Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Newfoundland was the first British colony in the Americas, and it is also where the Vikings, with Leif Erikson, landed when they first came to North America. You can visit the archeological dig at L’Anse aux Meadows on the west coast of the island. The reason for its historical prominence in European times came from the large stocks of cod fish that inhabited the Grand Banks off the coast, though the island had long been home to the now-extinct Beothuk peoples prior to any European settlement. It is a rugged and windswept island with amazing vistas when the weather allows. And that is often the problem. Had I been one day early in my most recent December trip to the island, I would not have made it, as gale-force winds had cancelled flights. This can happen in December. I arrived to an island of snow and ice, a little unusual in early December, but then these days and on this island, you never know what Mother Nature will throw at you. So it was that I found myself on a hike with my good friends Dr. Aaron McKim and Andrew Draskoy in the White Hills near St. John’s with Aaron’s two huskies. Our group has been doing “winter” hikes for decades. We used to call them Arctic Picnics, and our group we had dubbed the “Royal Anarcho-Geographic Society of Newfoundland” or RAGSN. The members of RAGSN number a multitude and these days live around the world. But today it was just Aaron, Andrew, and me on a short winter hike. The ground was icy but the day bright and a little windy, as you might hear from the audio. Listen to the episode for some great stories and history about Newfoundland and Labrador, hiking, and more. If you like this podcast episode and want to listen to more, please take the time to subscribe! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tales.dups.ca
23:35Ep. 32: The fragility of kingdoms and companies
I met a traveller from an antique land Who said: “Two vast and trunkless legs of stone Stand in the desert . . . Near them, on the sand, Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown, And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, Tell that its sculptor well those passions read Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things, The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed: And on the pedestal these words appear: ‘My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!’ Nothing beside remains. Round the decay Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare The lone and level sands stretch far away.” This is the poem Ozymandias by the great Percy Bysshe Shelley. In this episode of Tales Under the Cat Tree, I want to explore the human egos that build our cities, kingdoms, and companies. I read “Ozymandias” when I was eleven years old. The image of the broken civilizations that thought themselves eternal and invincible has stuck with me ever since. We humans think our worlds can never die, that our present continues to the future with ever-increasing greatness, and that we, as individuals, are fully in control. The reality is far different. So first, I will share an original short story that was inspired by “Ozymandias” called “Look Upon Our Works and Despair,” followed by a piece on “How to Become the Company MVP.” You might ask: is there really a connection between all these? Well, I will leave you to ponder that thought. This episode was again done while on the go. This time from St. John’s, Newfoundland. Thank you to Marc and Angie for putting up with my shenanigans. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tales.dups.ca
18:06Ep. 31: 1980s Hong Kong through teenage eyes
Recently, I was cleaning an attic full of memories, cards, and letters. Amongst the items were letters that my friends, and even one teacher, had written to me right after I finished my A-Level exams at South Island School in Hong Kong in 1992. One of those letters was from Tushar Salukhe, with whom I went to school. Tushar and my other “brother from another mother,” Sung, have been my lifelong friends, and of the two, Tushar has known me the longest. It was he who coined the nickname “Dups” that I go by. Subscribe for free for new episodes and support my work! Since I was visiting London, where Tush lives, I thought it would be good to have a conversation about the 1980s Hong Kong that we witnessed growing up there. If there was ever a “golden era” for Hong Kong, I am sure it would have been the 1980s. Wealth and affluence abounded; the economy was growing, boasting one of the busiest airports in the world and serving as a center of global trade. This was pre-handover Hong Kong, a bustling, vibrant mix of the West and the East. What follows is my conversation with Dr. Tushar Salukhe about growing up in Hong Kong, succeeded by an essay that I wrote right after our 25th high school anniversary in Hong Kong in 2017. I’ve included some old photos I dug up here. Come and wander the crowded streets of one of the most amazing cities at the height of its power and glory in the 1980s, through the eyes of two teenagers. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tales.dups.ca
41:20Ep. 30: The magic of story editing
I’ve talked about my fabulous writing group, “The Chapter Chasers,” in previous episodes. Many of the stories I feature or am submitting to various journals and competitions have been workshopped by the group. Our group is incredibly international, spanning the continents of North America, Europe and Asia, and with it is a diversity you would not be able to build had you tried intentionally. This writing group began in Gail Anderson’s Flash Fiction course at Oxford and continues 18 months later. Today, I am happy to have Lisa Mathew on the podcast with me to talk about the editing process. If you’ve been listening to the last few episodes about BioWare, you might have noticed I keep mentioning all the people who it takes to put a creative work in front of you. In fact, this very podcast goes through multiple edits, different listens, and opinions before you ever get to hear it. The same is true when it comes to fiction. Your story is often only as good as the editor or editors who contribute to it. Today, I will read a short story in its final form. In the show notes, I have a link to the story along with the edits that Lisa provided. You can immediately see the difference. But first, let me read you the story in the final edited form. The story is called “Climbing.” You can see screens of the edits that Lisa made. More about flash fiction: Please support this podcast by subscribing! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tales.dups.ca
29:06Ep. 29: BioWare Stories Part 3 - Dragons, Mako, Mounts and more
This episode is part 3 of my short series on BioWare. In this episode we interview Georg Zoeller and Emmanuel Lusinchi who were designers and more on Neverwinter Nights (Hordes of the Underdark), Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Jade Empire, and Star Wars: The Old Republic for BioWare. Both Georg and Emmanuel went on to work together at Ubisoft and Meta. Like Craig Miller and I, they’ve been working together in various companies for over 20 years. This episode is full of stories about why dragons were not originally a part of DragonAge, how The Old Republic ended up with speeder bike mounts, how the Asari came to be in Mass Effect and more. Georg and Emmanuel also touch on the massive changes in the games industry these days and even Larian and BG3. We also delve into our strange paths into BioWare and the gaming industry. For those that love BioWare games, or games in general, this is a great oral history by two industry veterans. Please do listen to Parts 1 and 2 and do subscribe to get more BioWare interviews in the future! I would like to always thank everyone we ever worked with at BioWare. Here are some photos that Georg rescued! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tales.dups.ca
52:04Ep. 28: BioWare Stories Part 2 - The flood and shipping Jade Empire
This is part two of my interview with my colleague Craig Miller about our days at BioWare together. I strongly suggest you listen to Part 1 before listening to Part 2. While this episode still delves into more office shenanigans, if you are interested in the games themselves, tune in for Part 3 next week when I interview ex-designers Georg Zoeller and Emmanuel Lusinchi. Everyone who worked at BioWare had a part to play in getting the game out. However, people like me were peripheral, most of the time, to what went into the games. For sure, we would all playtest the games back then, and I’m sure bugs and ideas went in because of that. For example, one of the writers, Dan Whiteside, did put some of one part of a Dungeons and Dragons campaign that I had been involved in. Thank you for listening, do subscribe so you can listen to more interesting episodes. When you are involved in such a game studio, no matter who you are, I am sure a small part of you ends up in the game. Next week, for example, you will note that Georg had some part to play in the workings of the Mako, the vehicle in Mass Effect. I am lucky in that I do have one very small piece of me in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. LucasArts was very careful about what was considered “Star Wars-y” back in 2003. It’s open knowledge that BioWare chose The Old Republic era so that the writers could have more creative freedom. When the game was coming out, the QA team submitted the lists of Random Names that would come up when you created your main character. To see if they could get by the LucasArts censors they submitted a bunch of BioWare employees’ names. The only name that apparently went by the censors without any changes was “Dups”. Yes, if you hit the random name generator in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, even now on an iPad, you will eventually get to “Dups” as a first name. I genuinely did not know they had done this. Stanley Woo and Chris Priestly told me this well after the game had come out. So there you go, somewhere, in the randomly generated characters, it is possible that someone played a Star Wars character thinking that “Dups” might be a name from the original “Star Wars” universe. Kind of crazy. In-game Easter eggs featuring BioWare employees can be found as far back as Baldur’s Gate 1 when you can read the tombstones of the Nashkel Cemetery. There are inscriptions such as “Ray - Who said, “This damn game will be... the death of me!”“ referring to Dr. Ray Muzyka one of the CEOs and many others referring to those who worked on the game. Okay, I think it’s now time to finish the interview with Craig. Please note, these stories likely mean more to those who worked at BioWare between 2001 and 2007 than perhaps to many gamers. At the same time, I hope you enjoy the joy of this oral history as we watched the people at BioWare release some of the most acclaimed games in history. Last week, we were still at our old office on Whyte Avenue in Edmonton from where Baldur’s Gate, Neverwinter Nights and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic were born. We then moved offices as we were building Jade Empire, Mass Effect and what became Dragon Age. Before you listen to this episode please listen to: Other links from this episode In the episode we talk about singing the Infogrammes theme song. Infogrames was the publisher for Neverwinter Nights, later Infogrames rebranded to Atari. At the time that we were being published by Infogrames, they released the cheesiest corporate song of all time. We had a blast making fun of this song internally. I’ve linked to Youtube with the original song. Seriously, I’m convinced Infogrames had to change their name after they put this out. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tales.dups.ca
25:29Ep. 27: BioWare Stories Part 1 - Releasing the BioWare Community and Neverwinter Nights
Today’s episode is part one of two where I talk to my good friend and colleague Craig Miller about BioWare. Craig and I have now worked together for almost 25 years since we first met at BioWare. If you play video games then you probably know BioWare. The game studio was responsible for bringing some of the most renowned Dungeons & Dragons computer games to life including Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2 and Neverwinter Nights, the most beloved Star Wars game story of all time in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, the space opera trilogy of Mass Effect and of course the high fantasy epics of Dragon Age. The Mass Effect franchise alone has sold over 30 million copies. Over the years the staff who have worked at the studio have entertained millions in producing some of the most critically acclaimed story-based computer and console roleplaying games in history. If this podcast glorifies the idea of words creating worlds, then BioWare and all its people are masters of that phrase. But it takes more than game developers to bring a game out the door; there’s a supporting cast of hundreds and I was lucky to be one of them for some years between 2001 and 2007. A few years ago BioWare celebrated 25 years and produced an amazing book with artwork, stories and photos. But you can’t tell all the stories, especially all the crazy and geeky ones in a single book. So I thought it would be great to sit down with some former BioWarians like Craig to talk about those old days. This interview is quite geeky; it goes into what Craig and I were doing there helping to build, launch and run the BioWare Community. In many ways, this is a love letter to all the people we worked with. I’m sure most gamers that recall games such as Neverwinter Nights and Jade Empire don’t know all the stories behind how a small crew managed to keep those games alive or get those games out the door. I hope you enjoy our stories. Some photos and videos And finally see the crazy habit trail we talk about… c. 2002-2003. There are many people we didn’t name in this podcast: We can’t there’s too many, just open up the credits on any BioWare game and every person there is a hero! However, thank you to Drs. Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk for bringing us all together once upon a time. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tales.dups.ca
33:32Ep. 26: Sigiriya (5th Century AD)
Sigiriya is a UNESCO World Heritage site from the 5th Century. Find out about King Kasyapa and this magnificent palace on top of a rock. Thanks to the following: * My colleague Viktor Djupsjöbacka * My brother Harsha Wijayawardhana * ElevenLabs for creating a voice clone of my father Other links: * About Sigiriya on Wikipedia * About the Mahavamsa from which I quote * And finally, enjoy some music! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tales.dups.ca
26:22Ep. 25: Fighting the realities we create
Today’s episode is all about empathy and the realities we create and then live in. Listen to a voice-acted story that I wrote called “Watching the wheels” and come with me on questioning how we perceive ourselves so that we can better understand how others perceive us. Maybe we can live a less conflict driven and unhappy life along the way! Thanks in this episode to: * The Chapter Chasers writing group who gave me lots of feedback * Dr. Erwin Warkentin for his constructive criticism * The wonderful office of Supermetrics Singapore and all the beautiful people that inhabit it, as much was recorded there while on the go and especially my colleague Viktor Djupsjöbacka for his patience. The AI work on this piece was through ElevenLabs This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tales.dups.ca
16:23Ep. 24: The Bride Price and criticism
In Episode 24, we wander around Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea in the early 1980s and drop into an unusual wedding in the highlands where modernity meets tradition. I invite Dr. Erwin Warkentin, retired professor and (not-retired) literary critic onto the show to both read my autobiographic story and discuss. The above picture is a pictograph from Papua New Guinea that hangs on my my brother’s wall in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Another memory from that time period. You can listen to more conversations with Dr. Erwin Warkentin in: Thanks for listening, subscribe so you will know when I publish the text of this story! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tales.dups.ca
33:46Ep. 23: Role-playing games will change your life!
This is a two-part episode about roleplaying games and Dungeons and Dragons. This episode is a backgrounder on roleplaying games and how they could possibly change your life. And certainly, how they have changed mine. Today’s episode features my friends Andres, Nik, Olli, Niall and Liisa. Over six years we have adventured through many worlds and told many stories. This episode is as much about them as it is about role-playing in general. Thank you! A future episode will feature more of the stories, characters and worlds. Links from today’s episode: * All about Dungeons and Dragons: I suggest this primer video for those interested. * Critical Role * Daggerheart * Dragonlance Chronicles by Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman * R. A. Salvatore’s original Icewind Dale Trilogy that introduces Drizzt Do’Urden to the world * Raymond E. Feist’s Magician This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tales.dups.ca
22:23Ep. 22: (Update) The Shortcut and Enlightened Migration
An updated version of Episode 6 included an interview with Riikka Loisamo, CEO of The Shortcut. The interview is followed by my own immigrant story and some singing! Links: * Visit The Shortcut in Finland for more about their programs and how to get involved. * Learn more about the attitude change campaign run by The Shortcut and their partners. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tales.dups.ca
23:08Ep. 21: The "Cheater" Episode
When I was growing up in the 1980s in Hong Kong, we only had four television channels. Of these, two were in English—ATV and TVB. My father refused to buy a VHS player, his reasoning being that I would spend too much time watching TV. To this day, I think it was because he was burned by VHS beating Betamax. As with every kid in my generation, I was glued to the TV at certain times of the day. There were Saturday morning cartoons, Sesame Street every weekday afternoon, and the famous syndicated Disney hour on Sunday evenings. Without modern conveniences like YouTube, if you missed an episode during a long and arduous season of 25 episodes, your only hope was to watch it on videotape or wait for reruns. There was also the infamous “cheater” episode that many shows of that era created. Picture this: It’s episode 18 of a Golden Girls season in the 1980s. Dorothy, Rose, Blanche, and Sophia are sitting around the kitchen table. Sophia brings up some ridiculous premise about her flight from Sicily, and therein ensues an episode made of clips from previous episodes. This is a “cheater” episode—no new footage, cheaper production costs, and some ridiculous framing device for the clips. As I grew older, I noted that almost all the TV shows used this gimmick at some point in the season. There were comedy shows that I watched with my parents, like The Golden Girls and The Cosby Show, while others were more aimed at me, like MacGyver, The A-Team, Riptide, and Hardcastle and McCormick, to name a few. Television in Hong Kong in the 80s was a mix of American and British. I don’t remember if television shows from Canada, Australia, or the UK used this storytelling mechanism. I do recall watching Neighbours, for example. This came on every afternoon, and I remember watching youngsters Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan very clearly before their music careers. Canadians would be surprised to learn that The Beachcombers would air on lazy Sunday afternoons, usually after televised lawn bowling, and someone will have to write in and tell me whether that show had such episodes. I sincerely doubt that many Hong Kong people could make head or tail of what was happening in Molly’s Reach. It’s probably unsurprising that what I remember most about The Beachcombers growing up is a comedy skit show in Hong Kong making fun of it. So for this “cheater” episode for Tales Under the Cat Tree, I will use the framing device of what it has taken to put out a weekly podcast of roughly 20 minutes by myself. After all, this was something I had never done before. Initially, my plan was 20 episodes in total, so, with this episode, I am considering this my first season, done and dusted. In listening to this you may get some ideas if you are considering having a podcast yourself. At the end I will talk about what’s next! Recording a Podcast Microphone Arm: Rode PSA 1+ microphone arm Microphone: Shure MV6 USB-C microphone. A very good microphone I could not use: a Rode NT 1 Condenser mic. Mentioned: Coming Up with a Theme Song Audio effects: Artlist. Mentioned: Interviewing for a Podcast Interviews: Riverside.FM. Audio editing: Audacity Audio AI: AuphonicWireless Mics: Rode Wireless Micro Mentioned Use of AI in Tales Under the Cat Tree Other editing tools: Adobe Podcast. Transcription: MacWhisper whisper.cpp The Future of Tales Under the Cat Tree At the end of 21 episodes, which is about the same number as a season of 80s television, I need to look forward to Season 2. I didn’t know what I wanted out of this podcast, and it shows. I’ve experimented with themes, structures, publishing times, and formats. The criticism I’ve received reflects the same: you don’t know what to expect, and I don’t have a format to stick to. Going forward each week, I will pair bigger topics with a compelling piece of fiction or autobiography. I sincerely believe that stories provide a lens into capturing and understanding any topic—whether history, technology, or business—by connecting personal narratives to the wider picture. This means more episodes such as Episode 10, where I wrote a story called “To the lands of milk and honey” to illustrate management styles, or Episode 15, “From Russia Without Love,” which had a story about Stalinist purges by Dr. Erwin Warkentin followed by an interview. This means more original writing and biography, paired with interviews and topics around an episode theme. Thank you to everyone who has helped me thus far, you are too numerous to name. I hope you will join me or stay with me on this journey. In fact, I hope you will contribute. Everyone has or knows someone with a story. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tales.dups.ca
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