Episode 42... Early?

Yup. I'm going out of the country for the next few days, and am not confident that I will have internet access (in fact I'm sure I won't) tomorrow morning. So I'm going to go ahead and post Episode 42 now. I know some people do their podcast updates on Sunday, so if you missed episode 41, make sure to go back and get it. I thought it was a nifty one.

Thanks.

mk

They're talking about us...

This has been quite a few days! Ever since BoingBoing.net, the popular web portal, linked to Episode 40 - An Open Letter to US Air, our site has been slammed with traffic! It's very exciting. To give you some perspective, in the last 24 hours, Episode 40 has been downloaded more times than EVERY episode combined are downloaded in a single month! Crazy!


Not only that, but for the first time ever, we made iTunes' top 100! See! There we are at number 30 around 11:30 last night! Forgive me if I sound like I'm bragging. This made us very giddy!


But not only that, it seems that your own "Catalogue of Ships" is starting to effect change in the world. People are actually discussing us here and here. And most interestingly, some honest to goodness airline workers are discussing what to do about the situation (though it does devolve into something about Britney Spears towards the end...)

So to answer a few things that have come up on these discussion boards:

1. We are NOT affiliated with NPR.
We have a deep fondness for NPR, but technically speaking, our work has never even appeared on NPR. The absolutely AWESOME alt.NPR podcast, Love and Radio has rebroadcast some of our work, but that hasn't happened since they were picked up by alt.NPR. The Third Coast Festival which posted a nice interview with us and put us on their radio show is not directly affiliated with NPR to the best of my knowledge. I only point this out so as not to sully the good name of NPR. We are completely independent producers.

2. We are NOT This American Life
I am so glad that because of BoingBoing.net people are discovering Catalogue of Ships, but I should warn you: we are NOT This American Life. Don't look to us for your TAL fix. Sometimes we are very wierd and experimental. Sometimes the sound intentionally outweighs the language. And yes, sometimes we sound like This American Life. Sorry. I know it can be confusing. But if you click around our archive long enough, you will probably find some stuff you like.

3. We are an ENTERTAINMENT podcast
That's why it sounds "over produced", and that is why the speaker is "overly dramatic." It is also important to keep in mind that the primary, if not the ONLY goal of the podcast is to entertain. We podcast this story because we thought it would be interesting to listen to.

4.David was not born with a Silver Spoon in his mouth
You'll have to look for another explanation for his "lisp," Mr. EyeintheSky. And though he would like to be many things, a "Hollywood Actor" is not one of them.

and on a related note

5. It does not take very much money to produce a podcast

6. It's all true. All of it.
Aside from my horrible typo yesterday (I said Radisson (a fine hotel chain with excellent rates and very soft towels to the best of my knowledge) instead of Ramada), everything that has ever been in any Catalogue of Ships episode is true. It all actually happened (except for the two "poetry" episodes, I guess) and Episode 40 is no exception.

Tell US Airways how you feel about them.

If you are reading this, it is likely because you have listened to Episode 40 - An Open Letter to US Airways, and you most likely agree with me that if this story is true, it is among the worst customer service stories you have ever heard (though if you want another good one, be sure to check out Episode 21 - Trading Spaces).

Well, it's all true. Even the part about the customer service guys chasing a woman through the airport to try to steal her cell phone. Yes, USAir, or US Airways, or America West or whatever the heck they call themselves these days actually aggressively attack their customers when they cannot help them.

So help us help them. They need some serious feedback regarding their customer relations. Let them know how you feel by contacting them here, and recommending Catalogue of Ships to them.

And if you are really motivated, please let RAMADA (not Radisson! Sorry Radisson!) know they should listen to the podcast.


Thanks for the support!