<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0" xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" xmlns:googleplay="http://www.google.com/schemas/play-podcasts/1.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Tales under the cat tree]]></title><description><![CDATA[Humans telling tales for humans (and their pets!) Come explore the wonderful worlds created by words: from technology and the future, to fiction and other realms. An exploration of our present, future, and humanity through storytelling. ]]></description><link>https://tales.dups.ca</link><image><url>https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lraK!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe226918-1f52-459f-bff6-e9e9673a245e_600x600.png</url><title>Tales under the cat tree</title><link>https://tales.dups.ca</link></image><generator>Substack</generator><lastBuildDate>Tue, 15 Sep 2026 20:08:25 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://tales.dups.ca/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><copyright><![CDATA[Duleepa Wijayawardhana]]></copyright><language><![CDATA[en]]></language><webMaster><![CDATA[contact@dups.ca]]></webMaster><itunes:owner><itunes:email><![CDATA[contact@dups.ca]]></itunes:email><itunes:name><![CDATA[Duleepa Wijayawardhana]]></itunes:name></itunes:owner><itunes:author><![CDATA[Duleepa Wijayawardhana]]></itunes:author><googleplay:owner><![CDATA[contact@dups.ca]]></googleplay:owner><googleplay:email><![CDATA[contact@dups.ca]]></googleplay:email><googleplay:author><![CDATA[Duleepa Wijayawardhana]]></googleplay:author><itunes:block><![CDATA[Yes]]></itunes:block><item><title><![CDATA[Ep71: Are we back to the 1920s? A conversation on German politics in 2026]]></title><description><![CDATA[In western countries from USA to Germany, is politics going back to the 1920s? This is a conversation about Germany, right and left wing politics, and propaganda in 2026.]]></description><link>https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep71-1920s-and-german-politics-today</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep71-1920s-and-german-politics-today</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Duleepa Wijayawardhana]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 14 Sep 2026 05:01:17 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/215501697/4e1589e789532270b6084ee2b9b1e0f3.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Recently in Germany, the right-wing party Alternative f&#252;r Deutschland (AFD) won more votes than any other party in the province of Saxony-Anhalt. In many parts of the world headlines rang that Germany was returning to the days of the 1930s. That&#8217;s not really the case, but at the same time, it is the case that right-wing and other extreme ideologies are on the rise in western democracies from USA, to France, to Sweden, to Finland.</p><p>I sat down for a conversation with my friend, former professor, and collaborator, Dr. Erwin Warkentin, who is living in Berlin as Berlin goes for an election that might swing to the complete opposite of the AFD if polling is to be believed. His point was that we weren&#8217;t quite back to the 1930s, but much more perhaps to the 1920s.</p><p>How did we get here and where are we going if we use history as a teacher?</p><h2>Other relevant episodes:</h2><div class="digest-post-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;nodeId&quot;:&quot;6e3aa51c-ccbc-4ff5-b3de-17fd4691c482&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;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&#8217;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 &#8220;fake news&#8221;, it is just one form o&#8230;&quot;,&quot;cta&quot;:null,&quot;showBylines&quot;:true,&quot;showDescription&quot;:true,&quot;showImage&quot;:true,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;md&quot;,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Ep65: How porn and fake news helped defeat the Nazis - Part 1&quot;,&quot;publishedBylines&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:153166437,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Duleepa Wijayawardhana&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;Maker of stuff, writer of things, herder of cats. Been a CEO, CTO/CIO, built products. Love exploring writing, fiction and dreaming up new worlds, exploring our own both internal and external.&quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/0ce22d41-bef2-469a-8090-ad207a4ee9ab_800x800.jpeg&quot;,&quot;is_guest&quot;:false,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:null},{&quot;id&quot;:53838772,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Erwin Warkentin&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;What can I say? I'm a retired Prof. and live part-time in Germany and part-time in Canada. I like to talk about just about anything, but I would like to focus on my stories here.&quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pelQ!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50435753-8734-451c-9438-56e289d31da0_1362x1362.jpeg&quot;,&quot;is_guest&quot;:true,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:null,&quot;primaryPublicationSubscribeUrl&quot;:&quot;https://frankwiner.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;primaryPublicationUrl&quot;:&quot;https://frankwiner.substack.com&quot;,&quot;primaryPublicationName&quot;:&quot;Erwin Warkentin&quot;,&quot;primaryPublicationId&quot;:5093702}],&quot;post_date&quot;:&quot;2026-08-03T05:01:31.486Z&quot;,&quot;cover_image&quot;:&quot;https://substack-video.s3.amazonaws.com/video_upload/post/209543938/ef140e3d-1507-46e5-aafe-c750ca90ec82/transcoded-1785704816.png&quot;,&quot;cover_image_alt&quot;:null,&quot;canonical_url&quot;:&quot;https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep65-part-1-porn-fake-news-helped-defeat-nazis&quot;,&quot;section_name&quot;:null,&quot;video_upload_id&quot;:null,&quot;id&quot;:209543938,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;podcast&quot;,&quot;reaction_count&quot;:0,&quot;comment_count&quot;:0,&quot;publication_id&quot;:3681013,&quot;publication_name&quot;:&quot;Tales under the cat tree&quot;,&quot;publication_logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lraK!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe226918-1f52-459f-bff6-e9e9673a245e_600x600.png&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;youtube_url&quot;:null,&quot;show_links&quot;:null,&quot;feed_url&quot;:null}"></div><div class="digest-post-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;nodeId&quot;:&quot;1d2c78e5-8cbb-4852-b368-486b43513c4b&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;I like to say that stories are how we as humans try to program our minds. I know that in every age of humanity, we have defined the brain and its workings according to the technologies of that age. From steam tubes during the Industrial Revolution to clocks and gears. Today we imagine our brain as an organic computer.&quot;,&quot;cta&quot;:null,&quot;showBylines&quot;:true,&quot;showDescription&quot;:true,&quot;showImage&quot;:true,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;md&quot;,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Ep66: How propaganda helped create modern Germany - Part 2&quot;,&quot;publishedBylines&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:153166437,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Duleepa Wijayawardhana&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;Maker of stuff, writer of things, herder of cats. Been a CEO, CTO/CIO, built products. Love exploring writing, fiction and dreaming up new worlds, exploring our own both internal and external.&quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/0ce22d41-bef2-469a-8090-ad207a4ee9ab_800x800.jpeg&quot;,&quot;is_guest&quot;:false,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:null},{&quot;id&quot;:53838772,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Erwin Warkentin&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;What can I say? I'm a retired Prof. and live part-time in Germany and part-time in Canada. I like to talk about just about anything, but I would like to focus on my stories here.&quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pelQ!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50435753-8734-451c-9438-56e289d31da0_1362x1362.jpeg&quot;,&quot;is_guest&quot;:true,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:null,&quot;primaryPublicationSubscribeUrl&quot;:&quot;https://frankwiner.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;primaryPublicationUrl&quot;:&quot;https://frankwiner.substack.com&quot;,&quot;primaryPublicationName&quot;:&quot;Erwin Warkentin&quot;,&quot;primaryPublicationId&quot;:5093702}],&quot;post_date&quot;:&quot;2026-08-10T05:02:28.006Z&quot;,&quot;cover_image&quot;:&quot;https://substack-video.s3.amazonaws.com/video_upload/post/210448614/eafa6a77-2062-4819-a98a-e40d098a88a4/transcoded-1786272590.png&quot;,&quot;cover_image_alt&quot;:null,&quot;canonical_url&quot;:&quot;https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep66-how-propaganda-helped-create-germany&quot;,&quot;section_name&quot;:null,&quot;video_upload_id&quot;:null,&quot;id&quot;:210448614,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;podcast&quot;,&quot;reaction_count&quot;:0,&quot;comment_count&quot;:0,&quot;publication_id&quot;:3681013,&quot;publication_name&quot;:&quot;Tales under the cat tree&quot;,&quot;publication_logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lraK!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe226918-1f52-459f-bff6-e9e9673a245e_600x600.png&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;youtube_url&quot;:null,&quot;show_links&quot;:null,&quot;feed_url&quot;:null}"></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Ep70: Reliving student journalism in the 1990s]]></title><description><![CDATA[What happens when you put hundreds of student journalists in the middle of winter somewhere in Canada? We explore Canadian University Press and student journalism in the 90s with Alayne Armstrong.]]></description><link>https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep70-reliving-student-journalism-90s</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep70-reliving-student-journalism-90s</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Duleepa Wijayawardhana]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 08 Sep 2026 05:01:10 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/214252154/fd45e2a2a5ed0a78da1f7746722ce04a.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Back in the early 1990s we didn&#8217;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&#8217;t mean that you couldn&#8217;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.</p><p>Canada had something unique. Canada has the oldest student organization in North America and longest running student news service in the world with the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_University_Press">Canadian University Press or CUP</a>. The organization was setup in 1938 and continues to today.</p><p>When I wrote and edited at Memorial&#8217;s newspaper <em>The Muse</em>, 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.</p><p>But being part of CUP meant also learning from so many students across Canada. So it&#8217;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.</p><div class="image-gallery-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;gallery&quot;:{&quot;images&quot;:[{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/e55457ea-5821-43e2-a93a-968bce89718c_5184x3456.jpeg&quot;},{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/e861e555-a9e8-43d6-a85e-8f02b9630991_5184x3456.jpeg&quot;},{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/c11e644b-7e24-4ac1-98eb-30a37f4b52b1_5184x3456.jpeg&quot;}],&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Some photos from CUP, there's me and Alayne from CUP 57 National Conf in Regina, and the old Muse office form 1994&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;staticGalleryImage&quot;:{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/9fda5c8c-dff8-4410-8fe1-ae885eed8d40_1456x474.png&quot;}},&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}"></div><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Ep69: (Reprise) BioWare Stories Parts 1 & 2]]></title><description><![CDATA[This week I am back in Edmonton spending time with some of my BioWare friends. So let's reprise some BioWare Stories from floods to game launches.]]></description><link>https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep69-reprise-bioware-stories</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep69-reprise-bioware-stories</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Duleepa Wijayawardhana]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 31 Aug 2026 05:00:57 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/213413520/d706d53492f127c88ec78a9cf7589d95.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Today&#8217;s episode was originally broadcast in two parts but this time I have combined both into one omnibus episode.</p><p>Please see original show notes, including pictures here:<br></p><div class="digest-post-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;nodeId&quot;:&quot;a5c69e99-57b7-4157-8742-930b0a7417f3&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Today&#8217;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.&quot;,&quot;cta&quot;:null,&quot;showBylines&quot;:true,&quot;showDescription&quot;:true,&quot;showImage&quot;:true,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;sm&quot;,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Ep. 27: BioWare Stories Part 1 - Releasing the BioWare Community and Neverwinter Nights&quot;,&quot;publishedBylines&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:153166437,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Duleepa Wijayawardhana&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;Maker of stuff, writer of things, herder of cats. Been a CEO, CTO/CIO, built products. Love exploring writing, fiction and dreaming up new worlds, exploring our own both internal and external.&quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/0ce22d41-bef2-469a-8090-ad207a4ee9ab_800x800.jpeg&quot;,&quot;is_guest&quot;:false,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:null}],&quot;post_date&quot;:&quot;2025-11-03T06:02:07.102Z&quot;,&quot;cover_image&quot;:&quot;https://substack-video.s3.amazonaws.com/video_upload/post/177828666/d1644665-672e-4bb0-9b22-f62eed2f9bcb/transcoded-1762119072.png&quot;,&quot;cover_image_alt&quot;:null,&quot;canonical_url&quot;:&quot;https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep-27-bioware-stories-part-1&quot;,&quot;section_name&quot;:null,&quot;video_upload_id&quot;:null,&quot;id&quot;:177828666,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;podcast&quot;,&quot;reaction_count&quot;:2,&quot;comment_count&quot;:0,&quot;publication_id&quot;:3681013,&quot;publication_name&quot;:&quot;Tales under the cat tree&quot;,&quot;publication_logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lraK!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe226918-1f52-459f-bff6-e9e9673a245e_600x600.png&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;youtube_url&quot;:null,&quot;show_links&quot;:null,&quot;feed_url&quot;:null}"></div><div class="digest-post-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;nodeId&quot;:&quot;ffbb4d76-f62d-46db-a605-8835db3b25f7&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;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&quot;,&quot;cta&quot;:null,&quot;showBylines&quot;:true,&quot;showDescription&quot;:true,&quot;showImage&quot;:true,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;sm&quot;,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Ep. 28: BioWare Stories Part 2 - The flood and shipping Jade Empire&quot;,&quot;publishedBylines&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:153166437,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Duleepa Wijayawardhana&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;Maker of stuff, writer of things, herder of cats. Been a CEO, CTO/CIO, built products. Love exploring writing, fiction and dreaming up new worlds, exploring our own both internal and external.&quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/0ce22d41-bef2-469a-8090-ad207a4ee9ab_800x800.jpeg&quot;,&quot;is_guest&quot;:false,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:null}],&quot;post_date&quot;:&quot;2025-11-10T07:01:31.812Z&quot;,&quot;cover_image&quot;:&quot;https://substack-video.s3.amazonaws.com/video_upload/post/178371846/ed9d44e7-4e0a-475a-b6fc-5fd4d9f11c6d/transcoded-1762713791.png&quot;,&quot;cover_image_alt&quot;:null,&quot;canonical_url&quot;:&quot;https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep-28-bioware-stories-part-2&quot;,&quot;section_name&quot;:null,&quot;video_upload_id&quot;:null,&quot;id&quot;:178371846,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;podcast&quot;,&quot;reaction_count&quot;:1,&quot;comment_count&quot;:0,&quot;publication_id&quot;:3681013,&quot;publication_name&quot;:&quot;Tales under the cat tree&quot;,&quot;publication_logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lraK!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe226918-1f52-459f-bff6-e9e9673a245e_600x600.png&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;youtube_url&quot;:null,&quot;show_links&quot;:null,&quot;feed_url&quot;:null}"></div><p>And here are related BioWare episodes</p><div class="digest-post-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;nodeId&quot;:&quot;86a28ddc-ca05-4719-9963-753adae25d04&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;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&quot;,&quot;cta&quot;:null,&quot;showBylines&quot;:true,&quot;showDescription&quot;:true,&quot;showImage&quot;:true,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;sm&quot;,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Ep. 29: BioWare Stories Part 3 - Dragons, Mako, Mounts and more&quot;,&quot;publishedBylines&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:153166437,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Duleepa Wijayawardhana&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;Maker of stuff, writer of things, herder of cats. Been a CEO, CTO/CIO, built products. Love exploring writing, fiction and dreaming up new worlds, exploring our own both internal and external.&quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/0ce22d41-bef2-469a-8090-ad207a4ee9ab_800x800.jpeg&quot;,&quot;is_guest&quot;:false,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:null}],&quot;post_date&quot;:&quot;2025-11-17T13:32:04.970Z&quot;,&quot;cover_image&quot;:&quot;https://substack-video.s3.amazonaws.com/video_upload/post/179063324/87fc2323-95c8-4ee9-83a3-6b361bb06d0b/transcoded-1763385913.png&quot;,&quot;cover_image_alt&quot;:null,&quot;canonical_url&quot;:&quot;https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep-29-bioware-stories-part-3&quot;,&quot;section_name&quot;:null,&quot;video_upload_id&quot;:null,&quot;id&quot;:179063324,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;podcast&quot;,&quot;reaction_count&quot;:2,&quot;comment_count&quot;:0,&quot;publication_id&quot;:3681013,&quot;publication_name&quot;:&quot;Tales under the cat tree&quot;,&quot;publication_logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lraK!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe226918-1f52-459f-bff6-e9e9673a245e_600x600.png&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;youtube_url&quot;:null,&quot;show_links&quot;:null,&quot;feed_url&quot;:null}"></div><div class="digest-post-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;nodeId&quot;:&quot;8a7f5f0d-59fc-4598-82f7-49fde820e9d1&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;This is part 4 of my series on BioWare. In this episode, I&#8217;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&#8217;s Gate and Baldur&#8217;s Gate 2. We overlapped on games such as Neverwinter Nights, Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic and Jade Empire.&quot;,&quot;cta&quot;:null,&quot;showBylines&quot;:true,&quot;showDescription&quot;:true,&quot;showImage&quot;:true,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;sm&quot;,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Ep47: BioWare Stories Part 4 - Sound design with Dave Chan&quot;,&quot;publishedBylines&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:153166437,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Duleepa Wijayawardhana&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;Maker of stuff, writer of things, herder of cats. Been a CEO, CTO/CIO, built products. Love exploring writing, fiction and dreaming up new worlds, exploring our own both internal and external.&quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/0ce22d41-bef2-469a-8090-ad207a4ee9ab_800x800.jpeg&quot;,&quot;is_guest&quot;:false,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:null}],&quot;post_date&quot;:&quot;2026-03-30T17:21:48.109Z&quot;,&quot;cover_image&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Nydj!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fpodcast-episode_1000758149138.jpg&quot;,&quot;cover_image_alt&quot;:null,&quot;canonical_url&quot;:&quot;https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep47-bioware-stories-part-4&quot;,&quot;section_name&quot;:null,&quot;video_upload_id&quot;:null,&quot;id&quot;:192541461,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;newsletter&quot;,&quot;reaction_count&quot;:0,&quot;comment_count&quot;:0,&quot;publication_id&quot;:3681013,&quot;publication_name&quot;:&quot;Tales under the cat tree&quot;,&quot;publication_logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lraK!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe226918-1f52-459f-bff6-e9e9673a245e_600x600.png&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;youtube_url&quot;:null,&quot;show_links&quot;:null,&quot;feed_url&quot;:null}"></div><div class="digest-post-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;nodeId&quot;:&quot;590fe6e9-dcb5-47c4-9dac-151e5c0cd002&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;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 t&#8230;&quot;,&quot;cta&quot;:null,&quot;showBylines&quot;:true,&quot;showDescription&quot;:true,&quot;showImage&quot;:true,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;sm&quot;,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Ep48: Forging swords and knives with video game CEO Trent Oster&quot;,&quot;publishedBylines&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:153166437,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Duleepa Wijayawardhana&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;Maker of stuff, writer of things, herder of cats. Been a CEO, CTO/CIO, built products. Love exploring writing, fiction and dreaming up new worlds, exploring our own both internal and external.&quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/0ce22d41-bef2-469a-8090-ad207a4ee9ab_800x800.jpeg&quot;,&quot;is_guest&quot;:false,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:null}],&quot;post_date&quot;:&quot;2026-04-06T07:23:21.935Z&quot;,&quot;cover_image&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7Lx_!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fpodcast-episode_1000759481370.jpg&quot;,&quot;cover_image_alt&quot;:null,&quot;canonical_url&quot;:&quot;https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep48-forging-knives-with-trent-oster&quot;,&quot;section_name&quot;:null,&quot;video_upload_id&quot;:null,&quot;id&quot;:193247967,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;newsletter&quot;,&quot;reaction_count&quot;:0,&quot;comment_count&quot;:0,&quot;publication_id&quot;:3681013,&quot;publication_name&quot;:&quot;Tales under the cat tree&quot;,&quot;publication_logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lraK!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe226918-1f52-459f-bff6-e9e9673a245e_600x600.png&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;youtube_url&quot;:null,&quot;show_links&quot;:null,&quot;feed_url&quot;:null}"></div><div class="digest-post-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;nodeId&quot;:&quot;1f15d0d9-b65a-4793-9bb2-0a31dbce9259&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;cta&quot;:null,&quot;showBylines&quot;:true,&quot;showDescription&quot;:true,&quot;showImage&quot;:true,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;sm&quot;,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Ep56: Creating game worlds with designer Brent Knowles&quot;,&quot;publishedBylines&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:153166437,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Duleepa Wijayawardhana&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;Maker of stuff, writer of things, herder of cats. Been a CEO, CTO/CIO, built products. Love exploring writing, fiction and dreaming up new worlds, exploring our own both internal and external.&quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/0ce22d41-bef2-469a-8090-ad207a4ee9ab_800x800.jpeg&quot;,&quot;is_guest&quot;:false,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:null}],&quot;post_date&quot;:&quot;2026-06-01T15:15:04.062Z&quot;,&quot;cover_image&quot;:&quot;https://substack-video.s3.amazonaws.com/video_upload/post/199869115/aa66fccf-a644-4c5c-8125-2d66efdee14c/transcoded-1780150656.png&quot;,&quot;cover_image_alt&quot;:null,&quot;canonical_url&quot;:&quot;https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep56-game-designer-brent-knowles&quot;,&quot;section_name&quot;:null,&quot;video_upload_id&quot;:null,&quot;id&quot;:199869115,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;podcast&quot;,&quot;reaction_count&quot;:1,&quot;comment_count&quot;:0,&quot;publication_id&quot;:3681013,&quot;publication_name&quot;:&quot;Tales under the cat tree&quot;,&quot;publication_logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lraK!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe226918-1f52-459f-bff6-e9e9673a245e_600x600.png&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;youtube_url&quot;:null,&quot;show_links&quot;:null,&quot;feed_url&quot;:null}"></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://tales.dups.ca/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Become a subscriber so that I can tell you when the next in this series comes out!</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Ep68: Magical Realism with Shannon Patrick Sullivan]]></title><description><![CDATA[Mathematician by day, writer by night, come meet Shannon Patrick Sullivan as he contends with finishing his second novel.]]></description><link>https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep68-magical-realism-with-shannon-sullivan</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep68-magical-realism-with-shannon-sullivan</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Duleepa Wijayawardhana]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 24 Aug 2026 05:01:40 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/212437659/6953078d80d4f7261daec607e6152552.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Have you ever sat down with the idea of writing fifty thousand words? Every year there is the &#8220;NaNoWriMo&#8221;, the <a href="https://nanowrimo2.com/">National Novel Writing Month</a>. This is an event that happens every November where people attempt to churn out a draft of 50,000 words in a single month. </p><p>If you have ever tried, you will know how difficult that task actually is. Believe me, I have tried and continue to try!</p><p>I&#8217;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, <em><strong>The Dying Days,</strong></em> 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.</p><h4>Some links related to the interview</h4><p>You can find Shannon @ <a href="http://www.shannonsullivan.com/">www.shannonsullivan.com</a>.</p><p>The Patreon page for the podcast that Shannon co-writes with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toby_Hadoke">Toby Hadoke</a>, &#8220;Doctor Who: Too Much Information&#8221;, is <a href="https://www.patreon.com/tobyhadoke">https://www.patreon.com/tobyhadoke</a>.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!aYQ3!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2dd459e8-61dc-47b7-bdf2-8e85a46c61d5_438x648.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!aYQ3!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2dd459e8-61dc-47b7-bdf2-8e85a46c61d5_438x648.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!aYQ3!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2dd459e8-61dc-47b7-bdf2-8e85a46c61d5_438x648.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!aYQ3!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2dd459e8-61dc-47b7-bdf2-8e85a46c61d5_438x648.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!aYQ3!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2dd459e8-61dc-47b7-bdf2-8e85a46c61d5_438x648.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img 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stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://tales.dups.ca/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">More author interviews coming, subscribe so I can make sure you know!</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Ep67: Into The Great with Elliot Blake]]></title><description><![CDATA[Listen now | An alien invasion is the backdrop for a story of love, destiny, and choosing the life you want to live when the world around you seems beyond your control.]]></description><link>https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep67-into-the-great-with-elliot-blake</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep67-into-the-great-with-elliot-blake</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Duleepa Wijayawardhana]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 17 Aug 2026 05:01:54 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/211452366/6c7bcc704f059b3ef8542241de033aa5.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="https://elliotblake.com/">Elliot Blake</a> is the author of a new Science Fiction novel called <em><strong>Into The Great</strong></em> that comes out September 1, 2026. The synopsis reads as following:</p><blockquote><p>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.</p></blockquote><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!u30J!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc4e56846-8fda-4701-9850-5cfa7e856d84_2023x2697.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!u30J!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc4e56846-8fda-4701-9850-5cfa7e856d84_2023x2697.jpeg 424w, 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!u30J!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc4e56846-8fda-4701-9850-5cfa7e856d84_2023x2697.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!u30J!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc4e56846-8fda-4701-9850-5cfa7e856d84_2023x2697.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!u30J!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc4e56846-8fda-4701-9850-5cfa7e856d84_2023x2697.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!u30J!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc4e56846-8fda-4701-9850-5cfa7e856d84_2023x2697.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">The author Elliot Blake, courtesy of Elliot Blake.</figcaption></figure></div><p>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&#8217; series <em><strong>The Sisters Grimm</strong></em> and director of flagship Audible Original series <em><strong>Moriarty</strong></em>. We will talk about some of his past work including the Emmy-winning animated web series <em><strong>Tomb Raider: ReVisioned</strong></em>. </p><p>So it&#8217;s my great pleasure to have Elliot on the show for a fascinating conversation about the book, its origin story, Elliot&#8217;s origin story, and more. We even delve into topics surrounding AI.</p><p>You can order <em><strong>Into The Great </strong></em>directly from the publisher <a href="https://lilfac.com/shop/ws-/products/into-the-great">Li&#8217;l Factory</a>. </p><p>If you are in Finland, you can order <em><strong>Into The Great </strong></em>directly from <a href="https://www.suomalainen.com/products/into-the-great?srsltid=AfmBOoqw_8Vxq4mUykeP3-n6RuTCH18dFghiJdTkb-1kdyK6jMyIYJyA">Suomalainen Kirjakauppa</a>!</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://tales.dups.ca/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">If you subscribe to Tales under the cat tree you will receive more author interviews like this one!</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Ep66: How propaganda helped create modern Germany - Part 2]]></title><description><![CDATA[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 that has helped define modern Germany.]]></description><link>https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep66-how-propaganda-helped-create-germany</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep66-how-propaganda-helped-create-germany</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Duleepa Wijayawardhana]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 10 Aug 2026 05:02:28 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/210448614/a22b10c03664ac2bf0b0b3218dec2c2f.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I like to say that stories are how we as humans try to program our minds. I know that in every age of humanity, we have defined the brain and its workings according to the technologies of that age. From steam tubes during the Industrial Revolution to clocks and gears. Today we imagine our brain as an organic computer.</p><p>Let&#8217;s say you have a computer today, imagine that that computer runs a program. We know the computer isn&#8217;t self-aware, it knows only what the program tells it. You would think that we humans are much better at this. We are after all self-aware. We can certainly, or so we would like to think, distinguish between truth and lies.</p><p>And yet, every day, whether at work or in our personal lives, little stories of truths and lies change the way we perceive reality. These little stories, whether it&#8217;s a comment made by a co-worker, or a short snippet on the television, can slowly change the world around you. After a few generations as we pass down these stories, a tyrant can transform into an angel, and an innocent can become the murderer. Our own beliefs of our culture and what we believe to be true in the deepest corners of ourselves can be manipulated.</p><p>This episode continues are dive into World War II propaganda, and believe me it won&#8217;t be the last. Dr. Erwin Warkentin has written three detailed books on the subject and joins me to discuss how propaganda during the second world war aimed at bringing down the regime became part of the fabric of post-war Germany.</p><p>Please do take a listen to the first part in this two-part series, episode number 65. We delved into the use of various propaganda tactics of the Political Warfare Executive and the work of Sefton Delmer.</p><div class="digest-post-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;nodeId&quot;:&quot;a0c64a49-4dae-4ad8-9725-39f9db45ef19&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;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&#8217;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 &#8220;fake news&#8221;, it is just one form o&#8230;&quot;,&quot;cta&quot;:null,&quot;showBylines&quot;:true,&quot;showDescription&quot;:true,&quot;showImage&quot;:true,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;sm&quot;,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Ep65: How porn and fake news helped defeat the Nazis - Part 1&quot;,&quot;publishedBylines&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:153166437,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Duleepa Wijayawardhana&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;Maker of stuff, writer of things, herder of cats. Been a CEO, CTO/CIO, built products. Love exploring writing, fiction and dreaming up new worlds, exploring our own both internal and external.&quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/0ce22d41-bef2-469a-8090-ad207a4ee9ab_800x800.jpeg&quot;,&quot;is_guest&quot;:false,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:null},{&quot;id&quot;:53838772,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Erwin Warkentin&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;What can I say? I'm a retired Prof. and live part-time in Germany and part-time in Canada. I like to talk about just about anything, but I would like to focus on my stories here.&quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pelQ!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50435753-8734-451c-9438-56e289d31da0_1362x1362.jpeg&quot;,&quot;is_guest&quot;:true,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:null,&quot;primaryPublicationSubscribeUrl&quot;:&quot;https://frankwiner.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;primaryPublicationUrl&quot;:&quot;https://frankwiner.substack.com&quot;,&quot;primaryPublicationName&quot;:&quot;Erwin Warkentin&quot;,&quot;primaryPublicationId&quot;:5093702}],&quot;post_date&quot;:&quot;2026-08-03T05:01:31.486Z&quot;,&quot;cover_image&quot;:&quot;https://substack-video.s3.amazonaws.com/video_upload/post/209543938/ef140e3d-1507-46e5-aafe-c750ca90ec82/transcoded-1785704816.png&quot;,&quot;cover_image_alt&quot;:null,&quot;canonical_url&quot;:&quot;https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep65-part-1-porn-fake-news-helped-defeat-nazis&quot;,&quot;section_name&quot;:null,&quot;video_upload_id&quot;:null,&quot;id&quot;:209543938,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;podcast&quot;,&quot;reaction_count&quot;:0,&quot;comment_count&quot;:0,&quot;publication_id&quot;:3681013,&quot;publication_name&quot;:&quot;Tales under the cat tree&quot;,&quot;publication_logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lraK!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe226918-1f52-459f-bff6-e9e9673a245e_600x600.png&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;youtube_url&quot;:null,&quot;show_links&quot;:null,&quot;feed_url&quot;:null}"></div><h4>Books by Erwin J. Warkentin that explore the subject</h4><div class="image-gallery-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;gallery&quot;:{&quot;images&quot;:[{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/68145ad8-c28e-4ab7-a90b-f6a213f1559a_734x1038.jpeg&quot;},{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/8ed11297-26fa-4b17-8800-52d85555bf8e_735x1029.jpeg&quot;},{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/62b8b6fd-bcb8-4c1d-9a08-dbed9c985c75_730x1030.jpeg&quot;}],&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;staticGalleryImage&quot;:{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/8d95c2f1-8831-4b57-81d2-165c41ed3f90_1456x474.png&quot;}},&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}"></div><p>Covers of Dr. Warkentin&#8217;s books on the PWE and Propaganda</p><p><strong><a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338674932_The_History_of_US_Information_Control_in_Post-War_Germany_The_Past_Imperfect">The History of U.S. Information Control in Post-War Germany: The Past Imperfect</a></strong><br>July 2017, Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing ISBN: 978-1443897495</p><p><strong><a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338674602_The_Political_Warfare_Executive_Syllabus_A_Crash_Course_in_Mass_Deception_Volume_I">The Political Warfare Executive Syllabus: A Crash Course in Mass Deception. Volume I</a><br></strong>June 2019, Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing ISBN: 978-1527533349</p><p><strong><a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338674745_The_Political_Warfare_Executive_Syllabus_Words_at_War_Volume_II">The Political Warfare Executive Syllabus: Words at War. Volume II</a></strong><br>July 2019m Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing ISBN: 978-1527533363\</p><h4>Images provided by Dr. Warkentin</h4><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!H7Il!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9964bc06-3b2c-4c2d-999f-65a431427926_960x1280.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!H7Il!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9964bc06-3b2c-4c2d-999f-65a431427926_960x1280.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!H7Il!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9964bc06-3b2c-4c2d-999f-65a431427926_960x1280.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!H7Il!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9964bc06-3b2c-4c2d-999f-65a431427926_960x1280.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!H7Il!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9964bc06-3b2c-4c2d-999f-65a431427926_960x1280.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!H7Il!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9964bc06-3b2c-4c2d-999f-65a431427926_960x1280.jpeg" width="960" height="1280" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/9964bc06-3b2c-4c2d-999f-65a431427926_960x1280.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1280,&quot;width&quot;:960,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:616336,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://tales.dups.ca/i/210448614?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9964bc06-3b2c-4c2d-999f-65a431427926_960x1280.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!H7Il!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9964bc06-3b2c-4c2d-999f-65a431427926_960x1280.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!H7Il!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9964bc06-3b2c-4c2d-999f-65a431427926_960x1280.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!H7Il!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9964bc06-3b2c-4c2d-999f-65a431427926_960x1280.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!H7Il!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9964bc06-3b2c-4c2d-999f-65a431427926_960x1280.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">These are transcripts of broadcasts. See the note at top &#8220;Sidelining represents Truth.&#8221; Courtesy of Dr. Erwin Warkentin</figcaption></figure></div><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Ol2P!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9fcc5ec7-0462-46dd-88fc-3cc290803593_960x1280.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Ol2P!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9fcc5ec7-0462-46dd-88fc-3cc290803593_960x1280.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Ol2P!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9fcc5ec7-0462-46dd-88fc-3cc290803593_960x1280.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Ol2P!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9fcc5ec7-0462-46dd-88fc-3cc290803593_960x1280.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Ol2P!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9fcc5ec7-0462-46dd-88fc-3cc290803593_960x1280.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Ol2P!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9fcc5ec7-0462-46dd-88fc-3cc290803593_960x1280.jpeg" width="960" height="1280" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/9fcc5ec7-0462-46dd-88fc-3cc290803593_960x1280.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1280,&quot;width&quot;:960,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:619284,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://tales.dups.ca/i/210448614?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9fcc5ec7-0462-46dd-88fc-3cc290803593_960x1280.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Ol2P!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9fcc5ec7-0462-46dd-88fc-3cc290803593_960x1280.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Ol2P!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9fcc5ec7-0462-46dd-88fc-3cc290803593_960x1280.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Ol2P!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9fcc5ec7-0462-46dd-88fc-3cc290803593_960x1280.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Ol2P!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9fcc5ec7-0462-46dd-88fc-3cc290803593_960x1280.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Note how little is true&#8230; Courtesy of Dr. Erwin Warkentin</figcaption></figure></div><div class="image-gallery-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;gallery&quot;:{&quot;images&quot;:[{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/579eb8c3-1a30-4d63-9095-24e8acd6dc22_1069x1600.jpeg&quot;},{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/88e13b5c-adb5-4365-96f1-182cf6eb8565_1122x1600.jpeg&quot;}],&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;These are decisions by the US Information Control Division on Artur Brauer. This may become a future episode!&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;staticGalleryImage&quot;:{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/d766610c-8f21-432c-93fa-2f95a9ea9ae5_1456x720.png&quot;}},&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}"></div><p>In the episode I talk about Moishe Kantorowitz, a Holocaust survivor. Take a listen to Episode 19 for more.</p><div class="digest-post-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;nodeId&quot;:&quot;56dc1a1e-da8a-4536-9d1f-738a9f173cb1&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;If you are looking for links to various sources, materials and sites cited in the show, please scroll to the end. The article that inspired this episode is Yair Rosenberg&#8217;s The Atlantic piece: The MAGA Influencers Rehabilitating Hitler.&quot;,&quot;cta&quot;:null,&quot;showBylines&quot;:true,&quot;showDescription&quot;:true,&quot;showImage&quot;:true,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;sm&quot;,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Ep. 19: Remembering Moishe&quot;,&quot;publishedBylines&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:153166437,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Duleepa Wijayawardhana&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;Maker of stuff, writer of things, herder of cats. Been a CEO, CTO/CIO, built products. Love exploring writing, fiction and dreaming up new worlds, exploring our own both internal and external.&quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/0ce22d41-bef2-469a-8090-ad207a4ee9ab_800x800.jpeg&quot;,&quot;is_guest&quot;:false,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:null}],&quot;post_date&quot;:&quot;2025-09-08T05:00:47.667Z&quot;,&quot;cover_image&quot;:&quot;https://substack-video.s3.amazonaws.com/video_upload/post/172931166/f5b52b5c-30b0-426b-8ca8-11e96563b73d/transcoded-1757131670.png&quot;,&quot;cover_image_alt&quot;:null,&quot;canonical_url&quot;:&quot;https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep-19-remembering-moishe&quot;,&quot;section_name&quot;:null,&quot;video_upload_id&quot;:null,&quot;id&quot;:172931166,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;podcast&quot;,&quot;reaction_count&quot;:1,&quot;comment_count&quot;:0,&quot;publication_id&quot;:3681013,&quot;publication_name&quot;:&quot;Tales under the cat tree&quot;,&quot;publication_logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lraK!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe226918-1f52-459f-bff6-e9e9673a245e_600x600.png&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;youtube_url&quot;:null,&quot;show_links&quot;:null,&quot;feed_url&quot;:null}"></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://tales.dups.ca/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Please become a free subsriber or pay and donate, but subscribing (even free) helps me grow!</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Ep65: How porn and fake news helped defeat the Nazis - Part 1]]></title><description><![CDATA[Today, Dr. Erwin Warkentin goes into how the Allies in World War II used porn and so-called "black propaganda" tactics to bring about the end of the Nazi regime.]]></description><link>https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep65-part-1-porn-fake-news-helped-defeat-nazis</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep65-part-1-porn-fake-news-helped-defeat-nazis</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Duleepa Wijayawardhana]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 03 Aug 2026 05:01:31 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/209543938/406574c41d5208e5749e45224608117f.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>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&#8217;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 &#8220;fake news&#8221;, it is just one form of propaganda.</p><p>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 II. Dr. Warkentin has done extensive research on the subject and has written three books on the subject.</p><p>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.</p><p>This episode is part one of two.</p><h4>Books by Erwin J. Warkentin that explore the subject</h4><div class="image-gallery-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;gallery&quot;:{&quot;images&quot;:[{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/880a1cb9-bd0a-417b-b837-cdaefef5d5b1_734x1038.jpeg&quot;},{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/f1d29f74-a9a5-4fd8-bc31-c4fa225dea02_735x1029.jpeg&quot;},{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/a43c39b6-46b7-4db6-afbf-1a2f859fa987_730x1030.jpeg&quot;}],&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Covers of Dr. Warkentin's books on the PWE and Propaganda&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;staticGalleryImage&quot;:{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/13f31841-c104-492d-b539-00f214457b69_1456x474.png&quot;}},&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}"></div><p><strong><a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338674932_The_History_of_US_Information_Control_in_Post-War_Germany_The_Past_Imperfect">The History of U.S. Information Control in Post-War Germany: The Past Imperfect</a></strong><br>July 2017, Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing ISBN: 978-1443897495</p><p><strong><a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338674602_The_Political_Warfare_Executive_Syllabus_A_Crash_Course_in_Mass_Deception_Volume_I">The Political Warfare Executive Syllabus: A Crash Course in Mass Deception. Volume I</a><br></strong>June 2019, Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing ISBN: 978-1527533349</p><p><strong><a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338674745_The_Political_Warfare_Executive_Syllabus_Words_at_War_Volume_II">The Political Warfare Executive Syllabus: Words at War. Volume II</a></strong><br>July 2019m Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing ISBN: 978-1527533363</p><h4>Images provided by Dr. Warkentin</h4><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FGyB!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb1815057-c0fa-4d8f-9ee8-ecf6b62ed776_1094x1600.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FGyB!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb1815057-c0fa-4d8f-9ee8-ecf6b62ed776_1094x1600.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FGyB!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb1815057-c0fa-4d8f-9ee8-ecf6b62ed776_1094x1600.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FGyB!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb1815057-c0fa-4d8f-9ee8-ecf6b62ed776_1094x1600.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FGyB!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb1815057-c0fa-4d8f-9ee8-ecf6b62ed776_1094x1600.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FGyB!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb1815057-c0fa-4d8f-9ee8-ecf6b62ed776_1094x1600.jpeg" width="1094" height="1600" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/b1815057-c0fa-4d8f-9ee8-ecf6b62ed776_1094x1600.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1600,&quot;width&quot;:1094,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:407387,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://tales.dups.ca/i/209543938?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb1815057-c0fa-4d8f-9ee8-ecf6b62ed776_1094x1600.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FGyB!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb1815057-c0fa-4d8f-9ee8-ecf6b62ed776_1094x1600.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FGyB!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb1815057-c0fa-4d8f-9ee8-ecf6b62ed776_1094x1600.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FGyB!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb1815057-c0fa-4d8f-9ee8-ecf6b62ed776_1094x1600.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FGyB!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb1815057-c0fa-4d8f-9ee8-ecf6b62ed776_1094x1600.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Directions from Dunstable to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woburn_Abbey">Woburn Abbey</a></figcaption></figure></div><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2Kk5!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5dbedc61-68aa-41e2-930f-d3119d28533f_1200x900.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2Kk5!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5dbedc61-68aa-41e2-930f-d3119d28533f_1200x900.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2Kk5!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5dbedc61-68aa-41e2-930f-d3119d28533f_1200x900.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2Kk5!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5dbedc61-68aa-41e2-930f-d3119d28533f_1200x900.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2Kk5!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5dbedc61-68aa-41e2-930f-d3119d28533f_1200x900.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2Kk5!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5dbedc61-68aa-41e2-930f-d3119d28533f_1200x900.jpeg" width="1200" height="900" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2Kk5!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5dbedc61-68aa-41e2-930f-d3119d28533f_1200x900.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2Kk5!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5dbedc61-68aa-41e2-930f-d3119d28533f_1200x900.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2Kk5!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5dbedc61-68aa-41e2-930f-d3119d28533f_1200x900.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2Kk5!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5dbedc61-68aa-41e2-930f-d3119d28533f_1200x900.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">A pass that e German soldier could carry. If caught, the soldier would be in deep trouble. On the backs of this might be porn.</figcaption></figure></div><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gBrb!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50b71401-84e1-42b7-8a92-f14ee574f861_960x1280.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gBrb!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50b71401-84e1-42b7-8a92-f14ee574f861_960x1280.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gBrb!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50b71401-84e1-42b7-8a92-f14ee574f861_960x1280.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gBrb!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50b71401-84e1-42b7-8a92-f14ee574f861_960x1280.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gBrb!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50b71401-84e1-42b7-8a92-f14ee574f861_960x1280.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gBrb!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50b71401-84e1-42b7-8a92-f14ee574f861_960x1280.jpeg" width="960" height="1280" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/50b71401-84e1-42b7-8a92-f14ee574f861_960x1280.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1280,&quot;width&quot;:960,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:619284,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://tales.dups.ca/i/209543938?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50b71401-84e1-42b7-8a92-f14ee574f861_960x1280.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gBrb!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50b71401-84e1-42b7-8a92-f14ee574f861_960x1280.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gBrb!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50b71401-84e1-42b7-8a92-f14ee574f861_960x1280.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gBrb!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50b71401-84e1-42b7-8a92-f14ee574f861_960x1280.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gBrb!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50b71401-84e1-42b7-8a92-f14ee574f861_960x1280.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Transcript, the lines on the side indicate truth. We&#8217;ll get into that and more in Part 2</figcaption></figure></div><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MxBv!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F23a21ba7-c5e6-44f3-b53f-07c8aba99eeb_883x633.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MxBv!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F23a21ba7-c5e6-44f3-b53f-07c8aba99eeb_883x633.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MxBv!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F23a21ba7-c5e6-44f3-b53f-07c8aba99eeb_883x633.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MxBv!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F23a21ba7-c5e6-44f3-b53f-07c8aba99eeb_883x633.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MxBv!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F23a21ba7-c5e6-44f3-b53f-07c8aba99eeb_883x633.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MxBv!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F23a21ba7-c5e6-44f3-b53f-07c8aba99eeb_883x633.jpeg" width="883" height="633" 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class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">What&#8217;s happening while the soldier might be at the front&#8230; in this case a Nazi local leader might be taking your wife!</figcaption></figure></div><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The things we leave behind]]></title><description><![CDATA[An autobiographical reflection on the day I found out my father had passed away]]></description><link>https://tales.dups.ca/p/the-things-we-leave-behind</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://tales.dups.ca/p/the-things-we-leave-behind</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Duleepa Wijayawardhana]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 27 Jul 2026 06:05:07 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PiCq!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F29011911-2201-4a84-94a6-b77a92086165_1000x589.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PiCq!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F29011911-2201-4a84-94a6-b77a92086165_1000x589.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PiCq!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F29011911-2201-4a84-94a6-b77a92086165_1000x589.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PiCq!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F29011911-2201-4a84-94a6-b77a92086165_1000x589.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PiCq!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F29011911-2201-4a84-94a6-b77a92086165_1000x589.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PiCq!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F29011911-2201-4a84-94a6-b77a92086165_1000x589.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PiCq!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F29011911-2201-4a84-94a6-b77a92086165_1000x589.jpeg" width="1000" height="589" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PiCq!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F29011911-2201-4a84-94a6-b77a92086165_1000x589.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PiCq!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F29011911-2201-4a84-94a6-b77a92086165_1000x589.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PiCq!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F29011911-2201-4a84-94a6-b77a92086165_1000x589.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PiCq!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F29011911-2201-4a84-94a6-b77a92086165_1000x589.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Dad, mum and my aunt, 1994, Sri Lanka. In this photo, my dad is 10 years older than I am now, roughly.</figcaption></figure></div><p>The message that my father had passed away arrived as a text from my brother in Sri Lanka while I was pitching to an investor in a board room somewhere in Toronto, Canada. My brother had called, but the phone was on vibrate and I ignored it. The echoing text arrived a short minute later. I don&#8217;t know why I reached into my pocket and glanced while I kept motioning at my slides, but I did. I remember I paused in mid-sentence and with the mind of a deer in headlights, I just continued.</p><p>As I was leaving shaking hands with the investor, for whatever reason, he asked, &#8220;Is everything okay&#8221;. Matter-of-factly, I answered, &#8220;My father just passed away, that was my brother on the phone.&#8221; I left.</p><p>I don&#8217;t know what he thought of me. I do know they didn&#8217;t invest in my startup. It is possible he thought I was callous, cold, or possibly in shock. I can&#8217;t remember if I had explained that I had just left Sri Lanka a mere fortnight past. I had seen my father at 81 after the brain surgery to remove the tumor that killed him anyway. He was in the same well-dressed pants and shirt, silver pen tucked asleep at the breast. My last vision was him waving, crying, holding on to my mother who had fretted over him. This was the last of the dozen good byes since they had moved to Sri Lanka and I to Canada.</p><p>The text had merely stated a pre-announced fate.</p><p>It was not home that I went when I arrived in Kingston, Ontario that afternoon by train from Toronto. Instead the taxi driver dropped me mid-afternoon on a weekday at the Pilot House pub. The waiter, James, poured me a Guinness. I sat at the corner table, opposite an empty chair, sipped the foam, played <em>Take Me Home, Country Roads</em> by John Denver, and shared a toast to my father.</p><p>At that point if you had asked me what he left behind I would have said my many memories. Maybe the numerous friends, patients, and relatives who toast his health now going well past a decade. I even went to visit the small area of the university dedicated to him after having been instrumental in its construction. His study where he saw patients at the farm on weekends with the tidy red ceramic floor remains, though it now doubles as a small buddhist shrine my mother uses daily. On a rare occasion I can see the shadows of his fingerprints in some of the books still dusty and unmoved.</p><p>Some years after, I thought back to my own life and I thought that what my father had left behind was probably reflected in the way I told my stories. I thought maybe my almost-obsessive need to connect with dear friends was something he had left in me. Maybe it was the way I laughed, the way I was always curious about history, or maybe it was in ABBA or BoneyM. &#8220;Duleepa-chuti-putha&#8221;, he would say while opening a cold Guinness at the apartment in Hong Kong, &#8220;play some Fernando, or Brown Girl In The Ring!&#8221; And that day when he passed and I had had that Guinness, I thought that simple act was something he had left behind.</p><p>Just a few years ago, I came across all the letters my father had written me. In them I thought I had found something he had left behind. They always started the same &#8220;My dear Chuti Putha&#8221;, my dear young son. In November 1993, he writes &#8220;It is raining heavily&#8221;, weather was a big theme. Politics, dogs, economics, and somehow getting me married off covers the rest. Always, in every letter, there was my mother, &#8220;Amma&#8221;, the &#8220;busybody&#8221;, without whom he would be &#8220;lost.&#8221;</p><p>Last year, my hair greyed and thinned. My cheeks took a slightly older shape. One morning, lathering my face to shave, there, staring out at me was none other than my father.</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://tales.dups.ca/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Become a free subscriber to get more stories!</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Ep64: What is your legacy?]]></title><description><![CDATA[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.]]></description><link>https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep64-what-is-your-legacy</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep64-what-is-your-legacy</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Duleepa Wijayawardhana]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 27 Jul 2026 05:02:13 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/208255452/7596193c666d62f8e60717ee56a81ed8.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This episode features a conversation between Dr. Erwin 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.</p><p>I also feature a piece of writing titled &#8220;The things we leave behind&#8221; which is about the day I found out my father passed away.</p><p>Thanks to Dr. Warkentin for the conversation which unfortunately cuts short: the dangers of recording in a car in Lapland!</p><div class="digest-post-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;nodeId&quot;:&quot;674d68f9-324b-4984-a45f-5e7256c483e7&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;The message that my father had passed away arrived as a text from my brother in Sri Lanka while I was pitching to an investor in a board room somewhere in Toronto, Canada. My brother had called, but the phone was on vibrate and I ignored it. The echoing&#8230;&quot;,&quot;cta&quot;:null,&quot;showBylines&quot;:true,&quot;showDescription&quot;:true,&quot;showImage&quot;:true,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;md&quot;,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;The things we leave behind&quot;,&quot;publishedBylines&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:153166437,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Duleepa Wijayawardhana&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;Maker of stuff, writer of things, herder of cats. Been a CEO, CTO/CIO, built products. Love exploring writing, fiction and dreaming up new worlds, exploring our own both internal and external.&quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/0ce22d41-bef2-469a-8090-ad207a4ee9ab_800x800.jpeg&quot;,&quot;is_guest&quot;:false,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:null}],&quot;post_date&quot;:&quot;2026-07-27T06:05:07.803Z&quot;,&quot;cover_image&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PiCq!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F29011911-2201-4a84-94a6-b77a92086165_1000x589.jpeg&quot;,&quot;cover_image_alt&quot;:null,&quot;canonical_url&quot;:&quot;https://tales.dups.ca/p/the-things-we-leave-behind&quot;,&quot;section_name&quot;:null,&quot;video_upload_id&quot;:null,&quot;id&quot;:208257316,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;newsletter&quot;,&quot;reaction_count&quot;:1,&quot;comment_count&quot;:0,&quot;publication_id&quot;:3681013,&quot;publication_name&quot;:&quot;Tales under the cat tree&quot;,&quot;publication_logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lraK!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe226918-1f52-459f-bff6-e9e9673a245e_600x600.png&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;youtube_url&quot;:null,&quot;show_links&quot;:null,&quot;feed_url&quot;:null}"></div><p></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://tales.dups.ca/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Subscribe so I can notify you of new episodes!</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Ep63: A conversation with musician Geoff Younghusband]]></title><description><![CDATA[Geoff Younghusband has been around the Canadian/Newfoundland music scenes for well over three decades now.]]></description><link>https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep63-a-conversation-with-musician</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep63-a-conversation-with-musician</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Duleepa Wijayawardhana]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 20 Jul 2026 05:01:38 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/207689828/ae930d8bd3c31c5503a30f6f35f59d34.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Geoff Younghusband has been around the Canadian/Newfoundland music scenes for well over three decades now. He&#8217;s played with some of the most well-known Newfoundland alternative bands including <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4_YEPH6xXE">Potbelly</a>, <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/how-do-you-like-your-action-1.4698927">Fur Packed Action</a>, and these days with <a href="https://www.facebook.com/jiggerrocks/">Jigger</a>. Even if you don&#8217;t know him from the bands, if you are in Europe, you might recognize the TV show that he&#8217;s done the sound editing for <em><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hudson_%26_Rex">Hudson and Rex</a>.</em></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!igBm!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2b479bda-3eb4-489b-973a-56221d2b9e20_1250x1875.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!igBm!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2b479bda-3eb4-489b-973a-56221d2b9e20_1250x1875.jpeg 424w, 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!igBm!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2b479bda-3eb4-489b-973a-56221d2b9e20_1250x1875.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!igBm!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2b479bda-3eb4-489b-973a-56221d2b9e20_1250x1875.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!igBm!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2b479bda-3eb4-489b-973a-56221d2b9e20_1250x1875.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!igBm!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2b479bda-3eb4-489b-973a-56221d2b9e20_1250x1875.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Geoff with Jigger. Photo by Ritchie Perez</figcaption></figure></div><p>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.</p><p>With permission we also have the following tracks:</p><ul><li><p>Employee of the Month, <em>Fur Packed Action</em></p></li><li><p>Silver Bullet, <em>Jigger</em></p></li><li><p>Gatekeeper, <em>Darshiva</em></p></li></ul><p>If you are interested in Geoff&#8217;s son Angus, you can check this track out and subscribe to his YouTube and heck check them out all on stage together at the end of the Summer in St. John&#8217;s, Newfoundland on August 28.</p><div id="youtube2-STkrBNQqKt4" class="youtube-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;videoId&quot;:&quot;STkrBNQqKt4&quot;,&quot;startTime&quot;:null,&quot;endTime&quot;:null}" data-component-name="Youtube2ToDOM"><div class="youtube-inner"><iframe src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/STkrBNQqKt4?rel=0&amp;autoplay=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;enablejsapi=0" frameborder="0" loading="lazy" gesture="media" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowautoplay="true" allowfullscreen="true" width="728" height="409"></iframe></div></div><p></p><p>Thank you to Geoff Younghusband (Jigger and Fur Packed Action) and Natalie Noseworthy (Darshiva) for their respective permissions.</p><p>Check out the other episodes on Newfoundland alternative music and more music!</p><div class="digest-post-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;nodeId&quot;:&quot;2600c8f5-9447-4a24-8e2e-0b8efc81dd1f&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;cta&quot;:null,&quot;showBylines&quot;:true,&quot;showDescription&quot;:true,&quot;showImage&quot;:true,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;sm&quot;,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Ep41: Punks on the air with Johnny Nolan&quot;,&quot;publishedBylines&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:153166437,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Duleepa Wijayawardhana&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;Maker of stuff, writer of things, herder of cats. 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Love exploring writing, fiction and dreaming up new worlds, exploring our own both internal and external.&quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/0ce22d41-bef2-469a-8090-ad207a4ee9ab_800x800.jpeg&quot;,&quot;is_guest&quot;:false,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:null}],&quot;post_date&quot;:&quot;2026-02-16T08:37:26.642Z&quot;,&quot;cover_image&quot;:&quot;https://i.scdn.co/image/ab6765630000ba8a594a27cd2482c5198aa62e9d&quot;,&quot;cover_image_alt&quot;:null,&quot;canonical_url&quot;:&quot;https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep41-punks-on-the-air-with-johnny&quot;,&quot;section_name&quot;:null,&quot;video_upload_id&quot;:null,&quot;id&quot;:187929839,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;newsletter&quot;,&quot;reaction_count&quot;:2,&quot;comment_count&quot;:0,&quot;publication_id&quot;:3681013,&quot;publication_name&quot;:&quot;Tales under the cat tree&quot;,&quot;publication_logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lraK!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe226918-1f52-459f-bff6-e9e9673a245e_600x600.png&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;youtube_url&quot;:null,&quot;show_links&quot;:null,&quot;feed_url&quot;:null}"></div><div class="digest-post-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;nodeId&quot;:&quot;1181382b-056c-4b15-bec4-2424214ea42f&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;cta&quot;:null,&quot;showBylines&quot;:true,&quot;showDescription&quot;:true,&quot;showImage&quot;:true,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;sm&quot;,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Ep49: Newfoundland Alternative music and CHMR with Johnny Nolan (Part 2)&quot;,&quot;publishedBylines&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:153166437,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Duleepa Wijayawardhana&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;Maker of stuff, writer of things, herder of cats. 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Love exploring writing, fiction and dreaming up new worlds, exploring our own both internal and external.&quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/0ce22d41-bef2-469a-8090-ad207a4ee9ab_800x800.jpeg&quot;,&quot;is_guest&quot;:false,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:null}],&quot;post_date&quot;:&quot;2026-04-13T05:01:45.486Z&quot;,&quot;cover_image&quot;:&quot;https://substack-video.s3.amazonaws.com/video_upload/post/194001825/add1e0a8-da6a-43fa-8f74-b4e3079e0390/transcoded-1776195650.png&quot;,&quot;cover_image_alt&quot;:null,&quot;canonical_url&quot;:&quot;https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep49-newfoundland-alternative-music&quot;,&quot;section_name&quot;:null,&quot;video_upload_id&quot;:null,&quot;id&quot;:194001825,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;podcast&quot;,&quot;reaction_count&quot;:2,&quot;comment_count&quot;:1,&quot;publication_id&quot;:3681013,&quot;publication_name&quot;:&quot;Tales under the cat tree&quot;,&quot;publication_logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lraK!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe226918-1f52-459f-bff6-e9e9673a245e_600x600.png&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;youtube_url&quot;:null,&quot;show_links&quot;:null,&quot;feed_url&quot;:null}"></div><div class="digest-post-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;nodeId&quot;:&quot;136b48c1-b108-4d4c-9994-7757361bdf5e&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;cta&quot;:null,&quot;showBylines&quot;:true,&quot;showDescription&quot;:true,&quot;showImage&quot;:true,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;sm&quot;,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Ep57: Alternative music creating alternative spaces&quot;,&quot;publishedBylines&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:153166437,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Duleepa Wijayawardhana&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;Maker of stuff, writer of things, herder of cats. Been a CEO, CTO/CIO, built products. Love exploring writing, fiction and dreaming up new worlds, exploring our own both internal and external.&quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/0ce22d41-bef2-469a-8090-ad207a4ee9ab_800x800.jpeg&quot;,&quot;is_guest&quot;:false,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:null},{&quot;id&quot;:118611494,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Johnny Da Fink&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;I&#8217;m an old punk with an affinity for rekkids. I love to review albums especially artists from the 60&#8217;s, 70&#8217;s, &amp; 80&#8217;s. Stay tuned to my channel to read my musings on albums in my collection.&quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/cd908925-928d-4ea3-8646-0aa837695014_1172x1176.png&quot;,&quot;is_guest&quot;:true,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:null,&quot;primaryPublicationSubscribeUrl&quot;:&quot;https://johnnydafink.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;primaryPublicationUrl&quot;:&quot;https://johnnydafink.substack.com&quot;,&quot;primaryPublicationName&quot;:&quot;Johnny Da Fink&quot;,&quot;primaryPublicationId&quot;:7444623}],&quot;post_date&quot;:&quot;2026-06-08T09:41:35.022Z&quot;,&quot;cover_image&quot;:&quot;https://substack-video.s3.amazonaws.com/video_upload/post/201044405/b8e2a266-356f-42fa-9ee6-b6fb9cfb3170/transcoded-1780858447.png&quot;,&quot;cover_image_alt&quot;:null,&quot;canonical_url&quot;:&quot;https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep57-alt-music-creating-alt-spaces&quot;,&quot;section_name&quot;:null,&quot;video_upload_id&quot;:null,&quot;id&quot;:201044405,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;podcast&quot;,&quot;reaction_count&quot;:3,&quot;comment_count&quot;:0,&quot;publication_id&quot;:3681013,&quot;publication_name&quot;:&quot;Tales under the cat tree&quot;,&quot;publication_logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lraK!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe226918-1f52-459f-bff6-e9e9673a245e_600x600.png&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;youtube_url&quot;:null,&quot;show_links&quot;:null,&quot;feed_url&quot;:null}"></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://tales.dups.ca/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">You can support Tales under the cat tree by becoming a FREE subscriber!</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p>This episode serves as a memory to <a href="https://voicemap.me/tour/st-john-s-newfoundland-and-labrador/friendly-st-john-s-a-walk-through-newfoundland-s-port-city/sites/fred-s-mural">Fred Gamberg</a> and to Johnny Fisher. The music and memories live on as long as we listen.</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Ep62: What does "home" mean to you?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Do you know where "home" is? Come on a journey with me through a story and a conversation with Dr. Erwin Warkentin as we explore the concept of "home."]]></description><link>https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep62-what-does-home-mean-to-you</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep62-what-does-home-mean-to-you</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Duleepa Wijayawardhana]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 13 Jul 2026 05:00:44 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/206692536/861f4bc1def5d89f47e9f13e8de3417b.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The word &#8220;home&#8221; brings up a variety of explanations and emotions in anyone. You could argue the whole of human history is really about a species attempting to find whatever its members specifically defined as &#8220;home&#8221; in their relative consciousness.</p><p>A few weeks ago, my former professor and friend Dr. Erwin Warkentin and I found ourselves on some long drives through Finnish Lapland. My conversation with Joe Teo for Canada Day sparked a conversation much of which I recorded. In that episode, Joe said home could be defined as where he was able to make the biggest impact. That led to Erwin and I discussing our specific concepts of what home means.</p><p>Today&#8217;s podcast features:</p><ul><li><p><strong>Going Home</strong>, an original short story by Duleepa Wijayawardhana</p></li><li><p>A conversation between Dr. Erwin Warkentin and Duleepa Wijayawardhana on the subject of &#8220;home&#8221; and the question &#8220;where are you from?&#8221;</p><p></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://tales.dups.ca/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Subscribe to Tales under the cat tree! It&#8217;s free and you would be supporting my work!</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p></p></li></ul><h4>Related Episodes</h4><div class="digest-post-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;nodeId&quot;:&quot;2633f937-277a-4c33-98ff-e654220f5b96&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;cta&quot;:null,&quot;showBylines&quot;:true,&quot;showDescription&quot;:true,&quot;showImage&quot;:true,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;sm&quot;,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Ep60: A special Canada Day broadcast&quot;,&quot;publishedBylines&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:153166437,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Duleepa Wijayawardhana&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;Maker of stuff, writer of things, herder of cats. 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Love exploring writing, fiction and dreaming up new worlds, exploring our own both internal and external.&quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/0ce22d41-bef2-469a-8090-ad207a4ee9ab_800x800.jpeg&quot;,&quot;is_guest&quot;:false,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:null}],&quot;post_date&quot;:&quot;2026-01-26T06:01:25.197Z&quot;,&quot;cover_image&quot;:&quot;https://substack-video.s3.amazonaws.com/video_upload/post/185742659/f2bb10de-658e-4e34-bca2-36b2da40af1d/transcoded-1769360672.png&quot;,&quot;cover_image_alt&quot;:null,&quot;canonical_url&quot;:&quot;https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep38-cultural-code-switching-a-conversation&quot;,&quot;section_name&quot;:null,&quot;video_upload_id&quot;:null,&quot;id&quot;:185742659,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;podcast&quot;,&quot;reaction_count&quot;:6,&quot;comment_count&quot;:3,&quot;publication_id&quot;:3681013,&quot;publication_name&quot;:&quot;Tales under the cat tree&quot;,&quot;publication_logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lraK!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe226918-1f52-459f-bff6-e9e9673a245e_600x600.png&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;youtube_url&quot;:null,&quot;show_links&quot;:null,&quot;feed_url&quot;:null}"></div><div class="digest-post-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;nodeId&quot;:&quot;4fc04470-1988-4d9e-98b3-063c6887176b&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;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 &#8220;brother from an&#8230;&quot;,&quot;cta&quot;:null,&quot;showBylines&quot;:true,&quot;showDescription&quot;:true,&quot;showImage&quot;:true,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;sm&quot;,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Ep. 31: 1980s Hong Kong through teenage eyes&quot;,&quot;publishedBylines&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:153166437,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Duleepa Wijayawardhana&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;Maker of stuff, writer of things, herder of cats. Been a CEO, CTO/CIO, built products. Love exploring writing, fiction and dreaming up new worlds, exploring our own both internal and external.&quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/0ce22d41-bef2-469a-8090-ad207a4ee9ab_800x800.jpeg&quot;,&quot;is_guest&quot;:false,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:null}],&quot;post_date&quot;:&quot;2025-12-01T06:01:39.706Z&quot;,&quot;cover_image&quot;:&quot;https://substack-video.s3.amazonaws.com/video_upload/post/180319629/c3759869-8b06-4ceb-8723-518203f07227/transcoded-1764523645.png&quot;,&quot;cover_image_alt&quot;:null,&quot;canonical_url&quot;:&quot;https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep-31-1980s-hk-through-teenage-eyes&quot;,&quot;section_name&quot;:null,&quot;video_upload_id&quot;:null,&quot;id&quot;:180319629,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;podcast&quot;,&quot;reaction_count&quot;:1,&quot;comment_count&quot;:8,&quot;publication_id&quot;:3681013,&quot;publication_name&quot;:&quot;Tales under the cat tree&quot;,&quot;publication_logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lraK!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe226918-1f52-459f-bff6-e9e9673a245e_600x600.png&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;youtube_url&quot;:null,&quot;show_links&quot;:null,&quot;feed_url&quot;:null}"></div><div class="digest-post-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;nodeId&quot;:&quot;72166039-d76d-4e05-be19-3b4b34d597e5&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;An updated version of Episode 6 included an interview with Riikka Loisamo, CEO of The Shortcut.&quot;,&quot;cta&quot;:null,&quot;showBylines&quot;:true,&quot;showDescription&quot;:true,&quot;showImage&quot;:true,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;sm&quot;,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Ep. 22: (Update) The Shortcut and Enlightened Migration&quot;,&quot;publishedBylines&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:153166437,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Duleepa Wijayawardhana&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;Maker of stuff, writer of things, herder of cats. Been a CEO, CTO/CIO, built products. Love exploring writing, fiction and dreaming up new worlds, exploring our own both internal and external.&quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/0ce22d41-bef2-469a-8090-ad207a4ee9ab_800x800.jpeg&quot;,&quot;is_guest&quot;:false,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:null}],&quot;post_date&quot;:&quot;2025-09-29T05:02:11.592Z&quot;,&quot;cover_image&quot;:&quot;https://substack-video.s3.amazonaws.com/video_upload/post/174756383/676a9b72-bf39-484e-b021-33c4db2abcb2/transcoded-1759066877.png&quot;,&quot;cover_image_alt&quot;:null,&quot;canonical_url&quot;:&quot;https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep-22-the-shortcut-and-migration-updated&quot;,&quot;section_name&quot;:null,&quot;video_upload_id&quot;:null,&quot;id&quot;:174756383,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;podcast&quot;,&quot;reaction_count&quot;:1,&quot;comment_count&quot;:0,&quot;publication_id&quot;:3681013,&quot;publication_name&quot;:&quot;Tales under the cat tree&quot;,&quot;publication_logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lraK!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe226918-1f52-459f-bff6-e9e9673a245e_600x600.png&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;youtube_url&quot;:null,&quot;show_links&quot;:null,&quot;feed_url&quot;:null}"></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Going Home]]></title><description><![CDATA[An original short story by Duleepa Wijayawardhana]]></description><link>https://tales.dups.ca/p/going-home</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://tales.dups.ca/p/going-home</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Duleepa Wijayawardhana]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 13 Jul 2026 04:51:09 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yJbr!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff7a011fa-359f-4ef7-821b-63a445be3855_3000x3000.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yJbr!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff7a011fa-359f-4ef7-821b-63a445be3855_3000x3000.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yJbr!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff7a011fa-359f-4ef7-821b-63a445be3855_3000x3000.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yJbr!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff7a011fa-359f-4ef7-821b-63a445be3855_3000x3000.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yJbr!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff7a011fa-359f-4ef7-821b-63a445be3855_3000x3000.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yJbr!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff7a011fa-359f-4ef7-821b-63a445be3855_3000x3000.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yJbr!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff7a011fa-359f-4ef7-821b-63a445be3855_3000x3000.jpeg" width="1456" height="1456" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yJbr!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff7a011fa-359f-4ef7-821b-63a445be3855_3000x3000.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yJbr!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff7a011fa-359f-4ef7-821b-63a445be3855_3000x3000.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yJbr!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff7a011fa-359f-4ef7-821b-63a445be3855_3000x3000.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yJbr!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff7a011fa-359f-4ef7-821b-63a445be3855_3000x3000.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><em><span>&#169; 2026 Duleepa Wijayawardhana</span><br><span>All rights reserved. This is an original piece of fiction.</span></em></p><p><em><a href="https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep62-what-does-home-mean-to-you"><span>Featured in Episode 62 of Tales under the cat tree</span></a><br>Note: No AI was used in the creation of this story.</em></p><p>When my father was a teenager he would often ride a rusted bike along the dirt laneways through the cleared jungle to the village school. Like every other school boy at the time, he wore his hair slicked back with cream with his white school uniform. His entire journey on muggy days was spent making sure the clay mud stayed away from the legs of his trousers. More than once though, he would set his face, ring his bell, and ride on past the school gates, past the backs of the students filing in, past the grumpy eyes of the balding headmaster. One day he said good bye to his mother, grabbed the jam sandwich in the bag she offered, and cycled off to school, past the school, down to the main road and didn&#8217;t stop pedaling until he reached the colonial port city.</p><p>By the time I was born, we had all moved to a suburban house, complete with fenced yard and a shiny new car. My father had worked on the docks, run the docks, and soon enough had become a marine engineer. My mother had found a home in his arms and soon I would be the one delivered to that home in the trembling arms of my father from the hospital.</p><p>As I grew older, I ran our yard ragged, first laying tracks with my little feet, later stripping the grass riding my training bike as my father sat on the steps with whoops of encouragement. Every day he would kiss my mother, take his packed lunch, grin and wink at me before heading out the door. On weekends he would take me with him to the Automobile Association Club. Seated at a privileged spot at the Club bar he would clink pint glasses, tell bawdy stories, and wink at me as I played to the edge of the bar. In a time when driving home after some pints was not only ignored but encouraged, we would do so together with me keeping an eye out, a daring game somewhere between hide and seek and frogger.</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://tales.dups.ca/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Want to read more stories and support me? Subscribe for free!</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p></p><p>One day he kissed my mother, took his packed lunch, hugged me close and pressed a letter into my hand. His letter was short, written in an old cursive form. He promised he would write, he would make sure that I didn&#8217;t want for anything, and he would bring the world home. He promised he would come back home.</p><p>While he never stepped through the door again, every month checks arrived dutifully in ragged envelopes endorsed by stamps of strange sights in foreign scripts. Every birthday came a letter, complete with toys, curios, and later on, extra money for me. The letters told of his adventures, his friends, and life lessons for me. I dreamt of my father as if he were a character in a Saturday morning cartoon: battling pirates off the shores of Madagascar and riding manta rays in the South Pacific.</p><p>I graduated at the top of my university class and the letters noticed, the cursive more excited, spilling happiness from somewhere out there in the world. I always read the letters only after I had rescued them from under my mother&#8217;s spattered wine glasses. She passed away shortly after my graduation on a winter day sooner than anyone of us wanted but probably should have expected. For a brief few months the letters ceased as if observing a moment of silence. A large amount of money arrived with a letter from over the sea the week I married; enough for a downpayment that I didn&#8217;t need for a childhood home that still surrounded me. Teddy-bear-shaped letters arrived to herald the birth of my son and subsequent birthdays. And still afterwards the letters came, though now there was a flowing river from the mailbox to the basement where they were stacked, crisp and unopened.</p><p>The final letter was not borne by a mailman but the professional knock of a nurse at the door to our home. I read the letter, written in a stumbling cursive, out loud to my wife, halting in several places, as saliva caught in my drying mouth. My father had suffered a stroke while being treated for cancer. He had been shipped back for terminal hospice care. He wished to come home, he said, and be with his grandchild before he passed.</p><p>When my father came through the door he was lying on a motorized hospital bed. His smile through the breathing mask the same as when I ran around the yard. His eyes as deep brown as my son&#8217;s, a forehead creased and passed from generations. Soon his breathing stabilized in the living room where we had installed the bed. There was a rhythmic quality to the deflation of the airbag and the measured beats of the pacemaker. After the initial excitement, my son went back to his toys, oblivious to the nose, eyes, forehead he shared with my father. My father fell asleep at the centre of my home as I watched the blips of a heart I wished we didn&#8217;t share.</p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Ep61: A very Finnish Midsummer (updated)]]></title><description><![CDATA[Discover Finland and its midsummer traditions along with an original story in an updated version of A Finnish Midsummer that originally aired in July 2025.]]></description><link>https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep61-a-finnish-midsummer-updated</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep61-a-finnish-midsummer-updated</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Duleepa Wijayawardhana]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 06 Jul 2026 05:01:18 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/205289205/64799ab267c68227cd666848c0beb5c7.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This updated episode for A Finnish Midsummer includes the original short story &#8220;The cottage on the shores of Yli-Kitka&#8221; in both Finnish and English, and a description of celebrating midsummer in the Finnish Archipelago.</p><p>You can read the original story:</p><ul><li><p>English: <a href="https://tales.dups.ca/p/the-cottage-on-yli-kitka">https://tales.dups.ca/p/the-cottage-on-yli-kitka</a> </p></li></ul><div class="digest-post-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;nodeId&quot;:&quot;409283f3-ded0-4980-9210-6595ad97c58f&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;You can listen to this story in Episode 7: Very Finnish midsummer tales on the Tales under the cat tree podcast.&quot;,&quot;cta&quot;:null,&quot;showBylines&quot;:true,&quot;showDescription&quot;:true,&quot;showImage&quot;:true,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;sm&quot;,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;The cottage on the shores of Yli-Kitka&quot;,&quot;publishedBylines&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:153166437,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Duleepa Wijayawardhana&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;Maker of stuff, writer of things, herder of cats. Been a CEO, CTO/CIO, built products. Love exploring writing, fiction and dreaming up new worlds, exploring our own both internal and external.&quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/0ce22d41-bef2-469a-8090-ad207a4ee9ab_800x800.jpeg&quot;,&quot;is_guest&quot;:false,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:null}],&quot;post_date&quot;:&quot;2025-06-16T04:55:15.487Z&quot;,&quot;cover_image&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZYrB!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F79d3d6fb-e062-46cf-9ce3-03d5dfd38052_3840x2160.jpeg&quot;,&quot;cover_image_alt&quot;:null,&quot;canonical_url&quot;:&quot;https://tales.dups.ca/p/the-cottage-on-yli-kitka&quot;,&quot;section_name&quot;:null,&quot;video_upload_id&quot;:null,&quot;id&quot;:165567112,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;newsletter&quot;,&quot;reaction_count&quot;:1,&quot;comment_count&quot;:0,&quot;publication_id&quot;:3681013,&quot;publication_name&quot;:&quot;Tales under the cat tree&quot;,&quot;publication_logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lraK!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe226918-1f52-459f-bff6-e9e9673a245e_600x600.png&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;youtube_url&quot;:null,&quot;show_links&quot;:null,&quot;feed_url&quot;:null}"></div><ul><li><p>Finnish: <a href="https://tales.dups.ca/p/mokki-yli-kitkan-rannalla">https://tales.dups.ca/p/mokki-yli-kitkan-rannalla</a></p></li></ul><div class="digest-post-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;nodeId&quot;:&quot;bb7b757a-8891-4202-81ea-9b1a4d972b9e&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;You can listen to this story in Episode 7: Very Finnish midsummer tales on the Tales under the cat tree podcast. / Voit kuunnella t&#228;m&#228;n tarinan Tales under the cat tree -podcastin jaksossa 7: Very Finnish midsummer tales.&quot;,&quot;cta&quot;:null,&quot;showBylines&quot;:true,&quot;showDescription&quot;:true,&quot;showImage&quot;:true,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;sm&quot;,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;M&#246;kki Yli-Kitkan rannalla&quot;,&quot;publishedBylines&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:153166437,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Duleepa Wijayawardhana&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;Maker of stuff, writer of things, herder of cats. Been a CEO, CTO/CIO, built products. Love exploring writing, fiction and dreaming up new worlds, exploring our own both internal and external.&quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/0ce22d41-bef2-469a-8090-ad207a4ee9ab_800x800.jpeg&quot;,&quot;is_guest&quot;:false,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:null}],&quot;post_date&quot;:&quot;2025-06-16T04:50:26.593Z&quot;,&quot;cover_image&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!cZ2y!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9e36cb8f-b918-437e-a3c4-d62afadbc0e7_4032x3024.jpeg&quot;,&quot;cover_image_alt&quot;:null,&quot;canonical_url&quot;:&quot;https://tales.dups.ca/p/mokki-yli-kitkan-rannalla&quot;,&quot;section_name&quot;:null,&quot;video_upload_id&quot;:null,&quot;id&quot;:165567848,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;newsletter&quot;,&quot;reaction_count&quot;:1,&quot;comment_count&quot;:0,&quot;publication_id&quot;:3681013,&quot;publication_name&quot;:&quot;Tales under the cat tree&quot;,&quot;publication_logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lraK!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe226918-1f52-459f-bff6-e9e9673a245e_600x600.png&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;youtube_url&quot;:null,&quot;show_links&quot;:null,&quot;feed_url&quot;:null}"></div><p>The sound of the Kuikka: Kuikka: Kuikka / Black-Throated Loon / Arctic Diver by YleArkisto -- <a href="https://freesound.org/s/242110/">https://freesound.org/s/242110/</a> -- License: Attribution 4.0</p><p>Thanks to Suvi Salmilampi (translation) and Kaj Makela (translation and reading)</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Ep60: A special Canada Day broadcast]]></title><description><![CDATA[Welcome to a special Canada Day broadcast for Canada Day 2026]]></description><link>https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep60-a-special-canada-day-broadcast</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep60-a-special-canada-day-broadcast</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Duleepa Wijayawardhana]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 29 Jun 2026 05:01:55 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/203762638/783014b773c52bdc051b07252f47a0d8.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<iframe class="spotify-wrap podcast" data-attrs="{&quot;image&quot;:&quot;https://i.scdn.co/image/ab6765630000ba8a0661dbd60445d09059e13142&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Ep60: A special Canada Day for 2026&quot;,&quot;subtitle&quot;:&quot;Duleepa Wijayawardhana | Tech Leader &amp; Storyteller&quot;,&quot;description&quot;:&quot;Episode&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://open.spotify.com/episode/44XuoSOylf49bgUJXVXppD&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;noScroll&quot;:false}" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/44XuoSOylf49bgUJXVXppD" frameborder="0" gesture="media" allowfullscreen="true" allow="encrypted-media" data-component-name="Spotify2ToDOM"></iframe><p><em>Please note, the podcast will take a break and return July 13, 2026</em></p><p>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.</p><p>First, I want to celebrate a fellow Canadian and a fellow Newfoundlander. I&#8217;ve known <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephteols/">Joe Teo</a> 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 <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/sahandseifi/">Sahand Seifi</a>, who had just started a company in St. John&#8217;s called <a href="https://www.heyorca.com/">HeyOrca</a>. Over the years I&#8217;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.</p><p>This episode also contains the original audio created by my friend and then journalist <a href="https://towniebastard.blogspot.com/">Craig Welsh</a> 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.</p><p>I would like to thank the many Supermetrics colleagues who contributed to this episode: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/davepuype/">Dave</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/bartosz-schneider-133955102/">Bartosz</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/kamalmemon/">Kamal</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/dariusmatulionis/">Darius</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/volganian/">Toli</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/irina-pozniakova/">Irina</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/pavel-selitskas/">Pavel</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/anssirusi/">Anssi</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-dor/">Lee</a> and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jazibnaeem/">Jaz</a>. I&#8217;m sorry for those that I could not include.</p><p>The Canadian National Anthem, O Canada, is performed by <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/anthem-canada.html">Julie Nesrallah and Nathalie Paulin, accompanied by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Peter Oundjian</a>.</p><p>Instrumental versions of O Canada are <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Audio_files_of_national_anthems_of_Canada">public domain recordings</a>.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!q1pV!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff248a57d-472a-43d2-b1a8-bcf437388d99_5184x3456.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!q1pV!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff248a57d-472a-43d2-b1a8-bcf437388d99_5184x3456.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!q1pV!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff248a57d-472a-43d2-b1a8-bcf437388d99_5184x3456.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!q1pV!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff248a57d-472a-43d2-b1a8-bcf437388d99_5184x3456.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!q1pV!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff248a57d-472a-43d2-b1a8-bcf437388d99_5184x3456.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!q1pV!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff248a57d-472a-43d2-b1a8-bcf437388d99_5184x3456.jpeg" width="5184" height="3456" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!q1pV!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff248a57d-472a-43d2-b1a8-bcf437388d99_5184x3456.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!q1pV!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff248a57d-472a-43d2-b1a8-bcf437388d99_5184x3456.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!q1pV!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff248a57d-472a-43d2-b1a8-bcf437388d99_5184x3456.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!q1pV!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff248a57d-472a-43d2-b1a8-bcf437388d99_5184x3456.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Yup, that&#8217;s me in 2001! I think I had a Canada flag tie on!</figcaption></figure></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://tales.dups.ca/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><iframe class="spotify-wrap podcast" data-attrs="{&quot;image&quot;:&quot;https://i.scdn.co/image/ab6765630000ba8a0661dbd60445d09059e13142&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Ep60: A special Canada Day for 2026&quot;,&quot;subtitle&quot;:&quot;Duleepa Wijayawardhana | Tech Leader &amp; Storyteller&quot;,&quot;description&quot;:&quot;Episode&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://open.spotify.com/episode/44XuoSOylf49bgUJXVXppD&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;noScroll&quot;:false}" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/44XuoSOylf49bgUJXVXppD" frameborder="0" gesture="media" allowfullscreen="true" allow="encrypted-media" loading="lazy" data-component-name="Spotify2ToDOM"></iframe>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Ep59: A conversation about a changing Canada]]></title><description><![CDATA[Part 2 of my series on Canada: Let's have a conversation about the last half century of Canada and what we can learn as we look to its future.]]></description><link>https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep59-a-conversation-about-a-changing</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep59-a-conversation-about-a-changing</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Duleepa Wijayawardhana]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 22 Jun 2026 14:31:10 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/203006764/ea2c7e87628a9c13b719262539a3ab1a.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<iframe class="spotify-wrap podcast" data-attrs="{&quot;image&quot;:&quot;https://i.scdn.co/image/ab6765630000ba8a2a7ce4012402cd41e5d27fad&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Ep59: A conversation about a changing Canada&quot;,&quot;subtitle&quot;:&quot;Duleepa Wijayawardhana | Tech Leader &amp; Storyteller&quot;,&quot;description&quot;:&quot;Episode&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://open.spotify.com/episode/1HgIyI9WUbiFoKpTwBvlu2&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;noScroll&quot;:false}" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/1HgIyI9WUbiFoKpTwBvlu2" frameborder="0" gesture="media" allowfullscreen="true" allow="encrypted-media" data-component-name="Spotify2ToDOM"></iframe><p><em>This is part two of my series on Canada.</em></p><p><span>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&#8217;s cultural landscape, and what we can learn as we look to its future.</span></p><h3>Episode Highlights</h3><ul><li><p><strong><span>The Cultural Mosaic:</span></strong><span> Sylvia discusses growing up on the prairies and how she appreciates Canada&#8217;s shift towards diversity and tolerance over the last 50 years. She highlights the value of maintaining one&#8217;s heritage as a hyphenated Canadian, celebrating a cultural mosaic rather than a melting pot.</span></p></li><li><p><strong><span>Borders and Identity:</span></strong><span> 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.</span></p></li><li><p><strong><span>First Nations and Systemic Struggles:</span></strong><span> We delve into the difficult history and ongoing challenges faced by First Nations and M&#233;tis communities, including the enduring legacy of colonisation. Erwin suggests creating physical memorials, akin to Germany&#8217;s </span><em><span>Stolpersteine</span></em><span> (tripping stones), to ensure those lost through violence are never forgotten.</span></p></li></ul><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://tales.dups.ca/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://tales.dups.ca/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><iframe class="spotify-wrap podcast" data-attrs="{&quot;image&quot;:&quot;https://i.scdn.co/image/ab6765630000ba8a2a7ce4012402cd41e5d27fad&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Ep59: A conversation about a changing Canada&quot;,&quot;subtitle&quot;:&quot;Duleepa Wijayawardhana | Tech Leader &amp; Storyteller&quot;,&quot;description&quot;:&quot;Episode&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://open.spotify.com/episode/1HgIyI9WUbiFoKpTwBvlu2&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;noScroll&quot;:false}" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/1HgIyI9WUbiFoKpTwBvlu2" frameborder="0" gesture="media" allowfullscreen="true" allow="encrypted-media" data-component-name="Spotify2ToDOM"></iframe>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Ep58: Do you know The Tragically Hip?]]></title><description><![CDATA[In part 1 of my tribute to Canada, we wander the corduroy roads and stand shoulder high with The Tragically Hip]]></description><link>https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep58-do-you-know-the-tragically-hip</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep58-do-you-know-the-tragically-hip</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Duleepa Wijayawardhana]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 15 Jun 2026 19:18:13 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/202020840/12cd9346acd9366094747bc2cbe97cb7.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<iframe class="spotify-wrap podcast" data-attrs="{&quot;image&quot;:&quot;https://i.scdn.co/image/ab6765630000ba8a1e070bfef7b5787650b1fa7e&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Ep58: Do you know The Tragically Hip?&quot;,&quot;subtitle&quot;:&quot;Duleepa Wijayawardhana | Tech Leader &amp; Storyteller&quot;,&quot;description&quot;:&quot;Episode&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://open.spotify.com/episode/7uPaqfq6NW9aFsolYP73U4&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;noScroll&quot;:false}" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/7uPaqfq6NW9aFsolYP73U4" frameborder="0" gesture="media" allowfullscreen="true" allow="encrypted-media" data-component-name="Spotify2ToDOM"></iframe><p><em>This is part 1 of four episodes celebrating Canada.</em></p><p>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.</p><p>Today&#8217;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 <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tragically_Hip">The Tragically Hip</a>.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><h3>Episode Highlights</h3><ul><li><p><strong>A Shared Canadian Experience</strong>: Eddie and I discuss how The Tragically Hip transcended provincial borders and musical genres to unite a massive, varied country.</p></li><li><p><strong>But he won&#8217;t travel alone</strong>: A multi-part essay covering my discovery of Canada and the Tragically Hip.<br></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://tales.dups.ca/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Want more tales of Canada? Subscribe my friend (everything is free)!</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p></p></li></ul><h3>Eddie&#8217;s Top Tragically Hip Tracks</h3><p>If you are new to the band, here are links to Eddie&#8217;s top picks:</p><ul><li><p><strong>50 Mission Cap: </strong></p><div id="youtube2-X0zWpWALWEI" class="youtube-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;videoId&quot;:&quot;X0zWpWALWEI&quot;,&quot;startTime&quot;:null,&quot;endTime&quot;:null}" data-component-name="Youtube2ToDOM"><div class="youtube-inner"><iframe src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/X0zWpWALWEI?rel=0&amp;autoplay=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;enablejsapi=0" frameborder="0" loading="lazy" gesture="media" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowautoplay="true" allowfullscreen="true" width="728" height="409"></iframe></div></div></li><li><p><strong>Fireworks: </strong></p><div id="youtube2-KC4tjdQiaTM" class="youtube-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;videoId&quot;:&quot;KC4tjdQiaTM&quot;,&quot;startTime&quot;:null,&quot;endTime&quot;:null}" data-component-name="Youtube2ToDOM"><div class="youtube-inner"><iframe src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/KC4tjdQiaTM?rel=0&amp;autoplay=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;enablejsapi=0" frameborder="0" loading="lazy" gesture="media" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowautoplay="true" allowfullscreen="true" width="728" height="409"></iframe></div></div></li><li><p><strong>Wheat Kings: </strong></p><div id="youtube2-il8sGYNdKbw" class="youtube-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;videoId&quot;:&quot;il8sGYNdKbw&quot;,&quot;startTime&quot;:null,&quot;endTime&quot;:null}" data-component-name="Youtube2ToDOM"><div class="youtube-inner"><iframe src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/il8sGYNdKbw?rel=0&amp;autoplay=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;enablejsapi=0" frameborder="0" loading="lazy" gesture="media" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowautoplay="true" allowfullscreen="true" width="728" height="409"></iframe></div></div></li><li><p><strong>Bobcaygeon: </strong></p><div id="youtube2-_qxGYnZCeTY" class="youtube-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;videoId&quot;:&quot;_qxGYnZCeTY&quot;,&quot;startTime&quot;:null,&quot;endTime&quot;:null}" data-component-name="Youtube2ToDOM"><div class="youtube-inner"><iframe src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/_qxGYnZCeTY?rel=0&amp;autoplay=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;enablejsapi=0" frameborder="0" loading="lazy" gesture="media" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowautoplay="true" allowfullscreen="true" width="728" height="409"></iframe></div></div></li></ul>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Ep57: Alternative music creating alternative spaces]]></title><description><![CDATA[We've covered punk, we've covered bars and gigs, now Johnny and I ask author Rhea Rollmann about the influence of alternative music on the alternative communities in St. John's Newfoundland, Canada]]></description><link>https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep57-alt-music-creating-alt-spaces</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep57-alt-music-creating-alt-spaces</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Duleepa Wijayawardhana]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 08 Jun 2026 09:41:35 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/201044405/82f8e2d8beb4249960d50880e7ce3308.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<iframe class="spotify-wrap podcast" data-attrs="{&quot;image&quot;:&quot;https://i.scdn.co/image/ab6765630000ba8af2e9ddcf545aec1c051f93ac&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Ep57: Alternative music creating alternative spaces&quot;,&quot;subtitle&quot;:&quot;Duleepa Wijayawardhana | Tech Leader &amp; Storyteller&quot;,&quot;description&quot;:&quot;Episode&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://open.spotify.com/episode/2T04sV0zj3bjrL7Lxs2PtT&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;noScroll&quot;:false}" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/2T04sV0zj3bjrL7Lxs2PtT" frameborder="0" gesture="media" allowfullscreen="true" allow="encrypted-media" data-component-name="Spotify2ToDOM"></iframe><p>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&#8217;s, Newfoundland and how music is important in creating safe spaces during the 1990s and even earlier.</p><ul><li><p><strong>The 1990s Analogue Culture:</strong> Yup this was before the time of Social Media and we had to rely on concerts, gigs, and the radio of all things!<br></p></li><li><p><strong>Safe Spaces and Organising:</strong> Rhea explains how the music scene provided vital safe spaces during a time when minorities, especially sexual minorities, may have faced repression in Newfoundland.<br></p></li><li><p><strong>Festivals as Catalysts:</strong> We chat about how events like the Peace Accord and modern festivals like <a href="https://www.lawnyavawnya.com/">Lawnya Vawnya</a> bring diverse groups together to exchange ideas.<br></p></li><li><p><strong>Saving CHMR:</strong> 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.<br></p></li></ul><h4>About Rhea</h4><p><a href="https://www.rhearolls.com/">Rhea Rollmann</a> (she/her) is an award-winning journalist, writer and audio producer based in St. John&#8217;s, NL, and is the author of <a href="https://www.rhearolls.com/books">A Queer History of Newfoundland (Engen Books, 2023)</a>.&#8203;</p><p>She&#8217;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.</p><h4>Special Thanks for their tracks with permission</h4><ul><li><p>Bob Earle and Draize Eye Test</p></li><li><p>Liz Pickard and the <a href="https://lizband.bandcamp.com/album/lizband_">Lizband</a> for One Song</p></li><li><p>Phil Winters and the band Bung for Ramirez.</p></li></ul><h4>Related Episodes</h4><div class="digest-post-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;nodeId&quot;:&quot;d4b2a83c-cbb4-4ba1-afae-38c039c02031&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;cta&quot;:null,&quot;showBylines&quot;:true,&quot;showDescription&quot;:true,&quot;showImage&quot;:true,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;sm&quot;,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Ep41: Punks on the air with Johnny Nolan&quot;,&quot;publishedBylines&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:153166437,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Duleepa Wijayawardhana&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;Maker of stuff, writer of things, herder of cats. 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Love exploring writing, fiction and dreaming up new worlds, exploring our own both internal and external.&quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/0ce22d41-bef2-469a-8090-ad207a4ee9ab_800x800.jpeg&quot;,&quot;is_guest&quot;:false,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:null}],&quot;post_date&quot;:&quot;2026-02-16T08:37:26.642Z&quot;,&quot;cover_image&quot;:&quot;https://i.scdn.co/image/ab6765630000ba8a594a27cd2482c5198aa62e9d&quot;,&quot;cover_image_alt&quot;:null,&quot;canonical_url&quot;:&quot;https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep41-punks-on-the-air-with-johnny&quot;,&quot;section_name&quot;:null,&quot;video_upload_id&quot;:null,&quot;id&quot;:187929839,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;newsletter&quot;,&quot;reaction_count&quot;:2,&quot;comment_count&quot;:0,&quot;publication_id&quot;:3681013,&quot;publication_name&quot;:&quot;Tales under the cat tree&quot;,&quot;publication_logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lraK!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe226918-1f52-459f-bff6-e9e9673a245e_600x600.png&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;youtube_url&quot;:null,&quot;show_links&quot;:null,&quot;feed_url&quot;:null}"></div><div class="digest-post-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;nodeId&quot;:&quot;c07058bd-c1ef-4c0d-ba2c-49eddce6250d&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;cta&quot;:null,&quot;showBylines&quot;:true,&quot;showDescription&quot;:true,&quot;showImage&quot;:true,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;sm&quot;,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Ep49: Newfoundland Alternative music and CHMR with Johnny Nolan (Part 2)&quot;,&quot;publishedBylines&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:153166437,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Duleepa Wijayawardhana&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;Maker of stuff, writer of things, herder of cats. 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Love exploring writing, fiction and dreaming up new worlds, exploring our own both internal and external.&quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/0ce22d41-bef2-469a-8090-ad207a4ee9ab_800x800.jpeg&quot;,&quot;is_guest&quot;:false,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:null}],&quot;post_date&quot;:&quot;2026-04-13T05:01:45.486Z&quot;,&quot;cover_image&quot;:&quot;https://substack-video.s3.amazonaws.com/video_upload/post/194001825/add1e0a8-da6a-43fa-8f74-b4e3079e0390/transcoded-1776195650.png&quot;,&quot;cover_image_alt&quot;:null,&quot;canonical_url&quot;:&quot;https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep49-newfoundland-alternative-music&quot;,&quot;section_name&quot;:null,&quot;video_upload_id&quot;:null,&quot;id&quot;:194001825,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;podcast&quot;,&quot;reaction_count&quot;:2,&quot;comment_count&quot;:1,&quot;publication_id&quot;:3681013,&quot;publication_name&quot;:&quot;Tales under the cat tree&quot;,&quot;publication_logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lraK!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe226918-1f52-459f-bff6-e9e9673a245e_600x600.png&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;youtube_url&quot;:null,&quot;show_links&quot;:null,&quot;feed_url&quot;:null}"></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://tales.dups.ca/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thank you for reading and listening, please support me by subscribing!</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Ep56: Creating game worlds with designer Brent Knowles]]></title><description><![CDATA[From the dark depths of the Underdark to the viking sagas inspired by Iceland, come explore the craft of game design and creating worlds with Brent Knowles.]]></description><link>https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep56-game-designer-brent-knowles</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep56-game-designer-brent-knowles</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Duleepa Wijayawardhana]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 01 Jun 2026 15:15:04 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/199869115/2c77cea38281e6e38b04be74c45ad14c.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<iframe class="spotify-wrap podcast" data-attrs="{&quot;image&quot;:&quot;https://i.scdn.co/image/ab6765630000ba8a7709be042115170d2861d3a7&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Ep56: Creating game worlds with designer Brent Knowles&quot;,&quot;subtitle&quot;:&quot;Duleepa Wijayawardhana | Tech Leader &amp; Storyteller&quot;,&quot;description&quot;:&quot;Episode&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://open.spotify.com/episode/4GwCuRAMclB4lFLCClejRb&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;noScroll&quot;:false}" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/4GwCuRAMclB4lFLCClejRb" frameborder="0" gesture="media" allowfullscreen="true" allow="encrypted-media" data-component-name="Spotify2ToDOM"></iframe><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!E5LB!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F46e7c7ae-b5ef-434a-a9a2-e8e86c685d7a_645x645.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!E5LB!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F46e7c7ae-b5ef-434a-a9a2-e8e86c685d7a_645x645.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!E5LB!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F46e7c7ae-b5ef-434a-a9a2-e8e86c685d7a_645x645.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!E5LB!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F46e7c7ae-b5ef-434a-a9a2-e8e86c685d7a_645x645.jpeg 1272w, 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class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Game designer Brent Knowles. &#169; Brent Knowles</figcaption></figure></div><p>Today on the podcast, I&#8217;m joined by my old friend and former BioWare colleague, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brent_Knowles">Brent Knowles</a>. We chat all about the art and magic of world-building, drawing from Brent&#8217;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 <em><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baldur%27s_Gate_II:_Shadows_of_Amn">Baldur&#8217;s Gate 2</a></em>, <em><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neverwinter_Nights">Neverwinter Nights</a></em>, and <em><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_Age">Dragon Age</a></em>. We also dive into his recent tabletop work, discussing his Norse-inspired D&amp;D campaign, <em><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/424627/raiders-of-the-serpent-sea-campaign-guide-pdf-version">Raiders of the Serpent Sea</a></em> , and how a family holiday to Iceland heavily influenced its design.</p><p><strong>Key Highlights &amp; Takeaways</strong></p><ul><li><p><strong>The BioWare Days:</strong> We look back at Brent&#8217;s time working on the <em>Neverwinter Nights</em> expansions , especially the creative freedom his team had whilst developing <em><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neverwinter_Nights:_Hordes_of_the_Underdark">Hordes of the Underdark</a></em>.</p></li><li><p><strong>A Mapmaker&#8217;s Origins:</strong> 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.</p></li><li><p><strong>Icelandic Inspiration:</strong> How the deep history, sagas, and natural landscapes of Iceland directly inspired his Viking-esque tabletop world. </p></li><li><p><strong>Embracing &#8220;Mistakes&#8221;:</strong> Why collaborating with artists and embracing their misinterpretations or mistakes often results in far cooler monsters and organic lore than originally planned.</p></li><li><p><strong>What Breaks Immersion:</strong> Brent discusses his biggest bugbears in game design, like when a video game&#8217;s narrative completely contradicts its gameplay mechanics &#8212;such as finding a +1 warhammer right next to characters who are complaining about being poor.</p></li><li><p><strong>Advice for Game Masters:</strong> Why it&#8217;s crucial for DMs to talk to their players to build a shared experience , ensuring it becomes <em>our</em> campaign rather than just the DM&#8217;s strict storyline.</p></li></ul><div class="image-gallery-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;gallery&quot;:{&quot;images&quot;:[{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/0c9f972a-9773-4cfd-8a34-c198cf2f54c9_3096x2327.jpeg&quot;},{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/a6e0ba3d-1ebb-4eca-886c-b5dec3602a11_1725x1350.jpeg&quot;},{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/517145ac-0583-432f-a87c-428a8c6cbb3f_638x825.jpeg&quot;},{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/f0a0f67d-aa09-4a68-beb5-4dd76f465eb3_1800x1391.png&quot;}],&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;From initial design to a professionally drawn world map in Raiders of the Serpent Sea. Courtesy of Brent Knowles&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;staticGalleryImage&quot;:{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/fe4beda2-869b-4ecd-b355-f84854201e05_1456x1456.png&quot;}},&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}"></div><p></p><h3>Related Episodes:</h3><div class="digest-post-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;nodeId&quot;:&quot;56971c30-3772-4005-a025-5511f70196f1&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;cta&quot;:null,&quot;showBylines&quot;:true,&quot;showDescription&quot;:true,&quot;showImage&quot;:true,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;sm&quot;,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Ep54: Manufacturing worlds - an introduction&quot;,&quot;publishedBylines&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:153166437,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Duleepa Wijayawardhana&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;Maker of stuff, writer of things, herder of cats. Been a CEO, CTO/CIO, built products. 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I like to talk about just about anything, but I would like to focus on my stories here.&quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pelQ!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50435753-8734-451c-9438-56e289d31da0_1362x1362.jpeg&quot;,&quot;is_guest&quot;:true,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:null,&quot;primaryPublicationSubscribeUrl&quot;:&quot;https://frankwiner.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;primaryPublicationUrl&quot;:&quot;https://frankwiner.substack.com&quot;,&quot;primaryPublicationName&quot;:&quot;Erwin Warkentin&quot;,&quot;primaryPublicationId&quot;:5093702}],&quot;post_date&quot;:&quot;2026-05-25T11:25:11.134Z&quot;,&quot;cover_image&quot;:&quot;https://substack-video.s3.amazonaws.com/video_upload/post/199095017/90e0d6b9-ff06-4112-90e3-106015d8c22e/transcoded-1779646975.png&quot;,&quot;cover_image_alt&quot;:null,&quot;canonical_url&quot;:&quot;https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep55-manufacturing-reality&quot;,&quot;section_name&quot;:null,&quot;video_upload_id&quot;:null,&quot;id&quot;:199095017,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;podcast&quot;,&quot;reaction_count&quot;:0,&quot;comment_count&quot;:0,&quot;publication_id&quot;:3681013,&quot;publication_name&quot;:&quot;Tales under the cat tree&quot;,&quot;publication_logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lraK!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe226918-1f52-459f-bff6-e9e9673a245e_600x600.png&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;youtube_url&quot;:null,&quot;show_links&quot;:null,&quot;feed_url&quot;:null}"></div><div class="digest-post-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;nodeId&quot;:&quot;250bed1f-1ad9-494a-8321-4eb6f393d003&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;On this episode, I feature the works of Erik Granstr&#246;m, 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.&quot;,&quot;cta&quot;:null,&quot;showBylines&quot;:true,&quot;showDescription&quot;:true,&quot;showImage&quot;:true,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;sm&quot;,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Ep37: Forbidden Lands and Svavelvinter with Erik Granstr&#246;m&quot;,&quot;publishedBylines&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:153166437,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Duleepa Wijayawardhana&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;Maker of stuff, writer of things, herder of cats. Been a CEO, CTO/CIO, built products. Love exploring writing, fiction and dreaming up new worlds, exploring our own both internal and external.&quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/0ce22d41-bef2-469a-8090-ad207a4ee9ab_800x800.jpeg&quot;,&quot;is_guest&quot;:false,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:null}],&quot;post_date&quot;:&quot;2026-01-19T06:01:08.476Z&quot;,&quot;cover_image&quot;:&quot;https://substack-video.s3.amazonaws.com/video_upload/post/184966733/2f5a4c43-d9bd-4014-a1db-335732297297/transcoded-1768753325.png&quot;,&quot;cover_image_alt&quot;:null,&quot;canonical_url&quot;:&quot;https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep37-forbidden-lands-and-svavelvinter&quot;,&quot;section_name&quot;:null,&quot;video_upload_id&quot;:null,&quot;id&quot;:184966733,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;podcast&quot;,&quot;reaction_count&quot;:5,&quot;comment_count&quot;:0,&quot;publication_id&quot;:3681013,&quot;publication_name&quot;:&quot;Tales under the cat tree&quot;,&quot;publication_logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lraK!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe226918-1f52-459f-bff6-e9e9673a245e_600x600.png&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;youtube_url&quot;:null,&quot;show_links&quot;:null,&quot;feed_url&quot;:null}"></div><p></p><iframe class="spotify-wrap podcast" data-attrs="{&quot;image&quot;:&quot;https://i.scdn.co/image/ab6765630000ba8a7709be042115170d2861d3a7&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Ep56: Creating game worlds with designer Brent Knowles&quot;,&quot;subtitle&quot;:&quot;Duleepa Wijayawardhana | Tech Leader &amp; Storyteller&quot;,&quot;description&quot;:&quot;Episode&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://open.spotify.com/episode/4GwCuRAMclB4lFLCClejRb&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;noScroll&quot;:false}" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/4GwCuRAMclB4lFLCClejRb" frameborder="0" gesture="media" allowfullscreen="true" allow="encrypted-media" loading="lazy" data-component-name="Spotify2ToDOM"></iframe><p><br></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://tales.dups.ca/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Subscribe to Tales under the cat tree for more worlds and more fantasy!</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Ep55: Manufacturing reality]]></title><description><![CDATA[What's the connection between creating a fantasy world for Dungeons and Dragons and Albania? Are you living in a fantastical world of someone else's creation? What's the connection with Nazi Germany?]]></description><link>https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep55-manufacturing-reality</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep55-manufacturing-reality</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Duleepa Wijayawardhana]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 25 May 2026 11:25:11 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/199095017/662590f25e1df34d54434fb6dcccf4cb.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<iframe class="spotify-wrap podcast" data-attrs="{&quot;image&quot;:&quot;https://i.scdn.co/image/ab6765630000ba8ab4dec2ddd67afc47b382c211&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Ep55: Manufacturing reality&quot;,&quot;subtitle&quot;:&quot;Duleepa Wijayawardhana | Tech Leader &amp; Storyteller&quot;,&quot;description&quot;:&quot;Episode&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://open.spotify.com/episode/7vWYvGXRWUlsjpxrubBvf4&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;noScroll&quot;:false}" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/7vWYvGXRWUlsjpxrubBvf4" frameborder="0" gesture="media" allowfullscreen="true" allow="encrypted-media" data-component-name="Spotify2ToDOM"></iframe><p>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 <a href="https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep54-manufacturing-worlds-an-introduction">Episode 54 if you want to take a listen</a>, I noted that because our entire lives are spent within the imagination of our own creations, there is a connection to manufacturing reality.</p><p>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.</p><h3>Episode Highlights</h3><ul><li><p>We explore the bizarre history of <a href="https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enver_Hoxha">Enver Hoxha</a>, the former First Secretary of the Communist Party in Albania (the picture in the episode is of Hoxha from Wikipedia)</p></li><li><p>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.</p></li><li><p>We discuss the concept of &#8220;Ostalgie&#8221; and why some older generations still harbour nostalgia for the old East.</p></li><li><p>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&#8217;t actually have American Miranda rights.</p></li><li><p>We examine how celebrated historical narratives, like Canada&#8217;s Heritage Minutes, often act as pure fantasy by omitting dark truths, such as Nellie McClung&#8217;s ties to the eugenics movement.</p></li><li><p>Dr. Warkentin shares a fascinating story about how post-WWII American forces completely dismantled and rebuilt the German media landscape to prevent dangerous monopolies.</p></li><li><p>We wrap up by challenging the illusion of &#8220;social media,&#8221; questioning if platforms like TikTok are just one-way broadcasts feeding us untrustworthy narratives without us realising it.</p></li></ul><iframe class="spotify-wrap podcast" data-attrs="{&quot;image&quot;:&quot;https://i.scdn.co/image/ab6765630000ba8ab4dec2ddd67afc47b382c211&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Ep55: Manufacturing reality&quot;,&quot;subtitle&quot;:&quot;Duleepa Wijayawardhana | Tech Leader &amp; Storyteller&quot;,&quot;description&quot;:&quot;Episode&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://open.spotify.com/episode/7vWYvGXRWUlsjpxrubBvf4&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;noScroll&quot;:false}" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/7vWYvGXRWUlsjpxrubBvf4" frameborder="0" gesture="media" allowfullscreen="true" allow="encrypted-media" data-component-name="Spotify2ToDOM"></iframe><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://tales.dups.ca/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Please become a subscriber and support this podcast! It would mean the world to me!</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p></p><p>For those not Canadian and curious about our &#8220;Heritage Minutes&#8221; here&#8217;s tghe Nellie McClung one we talk about:</p><div id="youtube2-SdbG6EIHrbs" class="youtube-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;videoId&quot;:&quot;SdbG6EIHrbs&quot;,&quot;startTime&quot;:null,&quot;endTime&quot;:null}" data-component-name="Youtube2ToDOM"><div class="youtube-inner"><iframe src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/SdbG6EIHrbs?rel=0&amp;autoplay=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;enablejsapi=0" frameborder="0" loading="lazy" gesture="media" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowautoplay="true" allowfullscreen="true" width="728" height="409"></iframe></div></div><h3>Related Episodes</h3><div class="digest-post-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;nodeId&quot;:&quot;4dd27c89-67a5-4448-b7d4-64df805125c4&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;cta&quot;:null,&quot;showBylines&quot;:true,&quot;showDescription&quot;:true,&quot;showImage&quot;:true,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;sm&quot;,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Ep54: Manufacturing worlds - an introduction&quot;,&quot;publishedBylines&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:153166437,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Duleepa Wijayawardhana&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;Maker of stuff, writer of things, herder of cats. Been a CEO, CTO/CIO, built products. Love exploring writing, fiction and dreaming up new worlds, exploring our own both internal and external.&quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/0ce22d41-bef2-469a-8090-ad207a4ee9ab_800x800.jpeg&quot;,&quot;is_guest&quot;:false,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:null}],&quot;post_date&quot;:&quot;2026-05-18T17:20:03.681Z&quot;,&quot;cover_image&quot;:&quot;https://substack-video.s3.amazonaws.com/video_upload/post/198169998/224308bb-84ce-4e99-9198-cab164040f82/transcoded-1779048947.png&quot;,&quot;cover_image_alt&quot;:null,&quot;canonical_url&quot;:&quot;https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep54-manufacturing-worlds-an-introduction&quot;,&quot;section_name&quot;:null,&quot;video_upload_id&quot;:null,&quot;id&quot;:198169998,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;podcast&quot;,&quot;reaction_count&quot;:0,&quot;comment_count&quot;:0,&quot;publication_id&quot;:3681013,&quot;publication_name&quot;:&quot;Tales under the cat tree&quot;,&quot;publication_logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lraK!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe226918-1f52-459f-bff6-e9e9673a245e_600x600.png&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;youtube_url&quot;:null,&quot;show_links&quot;:null,&quot;feed_url&quot;:null}"></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Ep54: Manufacturing worlds - an introduction]]></title><description><![CDATA[Today we walk the shores of Midkemia, fflick our wands in Hogwarts and clash with lightsabers on Tatooine. Welcome to an introduction on building worlds.]]></description><link>https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep54-manufacturing-worlds-an-introduction</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep54-manufacturing-worlds-an-introduction</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Duleepa Wijayawardhana]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 18 May 2026 17:20:03 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/198169998/29d90c7badcf86b2f3f0647dcb4d2f14.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<iframe class="spotify-wrap podcast" data-attrs="{&quot;image&quot;:&quot;https://i.scdn.co/image/ab6765630000ba8ac87022b0ce2779d97c0d05d2&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Ep54: Manufacturing worlds - an introduction&quot;,&quot;subtitle&quot;:&quot;Duleepa Wijayawardhana | Tech Leader &amp; Storyteller&quot;,&quot;description&quot;:&quot;Episode&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://open.spotify.com/episode/3LPrVW8tUI8hcZ6cqFNkS4&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;noScroll&quot;:false}" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/3LPrVW8tUI8hcZ6cqFNkS4" frameborder="0" gesture="media" allowfullscreen="true" allow="encrypted-media" data-component-name="Spotify2ToDOM"></iframe><p>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, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/andresdiezdecastro/">Andr&#233;s D&#237;ez de Castro</a> and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikparo/">Nik Paro</a>, who share the collaborative creative processes behind their own unique worlds.</p><h3>Highlights</h3><ul><li><p><strong>The Foundation of Worlds:</strong> Reflections on my early introduction to fantasy through Raymond E. Feist&#8217;s <em><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magician_(Feist_novel)">Magician</a></em> and then into other worlds. However, it&#8217;s not just about fantasy and science fiction<br></p></li><li><p><strong>The Secret to Relatability:</strong> Andr&#233;s argues that the best world-building balances relatable cultural elements with fresh magical or technological twists so the setting doesn&#8217;t feel too mundane or too alien.<br></p></li><li><p><strong>Finding the &#8220;Red Thread&#8221;:</strong> 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.<br></p></li><li><p><strong>Hyperphantasia vs. Aphantasia:</strong> Dups discusses the fascinating spectrum of human imagination. He contrasts his own hyperphantasia&#8212;experiencing imagination like a vivid 4K film&#8212;with aphantasia.<br></p></li><li><p><strong>Finding Inspiration:</strong> The group discusses their creative influences, from the intricate, storm-ravaged ecology of Brandon Sanderson&#8217;s <em><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stormlight_Archive">Stormlight Archive</a></em> to the consciousness-transferring, gritty sci-fi of <em><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altered_Carbon_(TV_series)">Altered Carbon</a></em>.<br></p></li><li><p><strong>Words Over Visuals:</strong> Dups shares a personal anecdote about discovering the world of <em>Star Wars</em> through a novelisation before ever seeing the film, illustrating the raw power of descriptive storytelling.</p><p></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://tales.dups.ca/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Subscribe so you can get the latest episodes, stories and articles from Tales under the cat tree!</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p></p></li></ul><div><hr></div><h3>Books &amp; Media Mentioned in this Episode</h3><ul><li><p><em>Magician</em> by Raymond E. Feist</p></li><li><p>The works of J.R.R. Tolkien, David Eddings, Ursula K. Le Guin, Isaac Asimov, and R.A. Salvatore</p></li><li><p>Brandon Sanderson&#8217;s <em>Stormlight Archive</em></p></li><li><p><em>Altered Carbon</em></p></li><li><p><em>Star Wars</em>, <em>Indiana Jones</em>, and <em>Doctor Who</em><br></p></li></ul><div><hr></div><h3>Connect with the Show</h3><p>What is your favourite fictional world? Dups would love to hear from you.</p><ul><li><p><strong>Email:</strong> <a href="mailto:contact@dups.ca">contact@dups.ca</a></p></li><li><p><strong>Website &amp; Archives:</strong> tales.dups.ca</p></li></ul><div><hr></div><h3>Related Episodes</h3><div class="digest-post-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;nodeId&quot;:&quot;dcda87d7-4c51-47a9-b65b-743ce48df94b&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;On this episode, I feature the works of Erik Granstr&#246;m, a Swedish author and roleplaying game writer. 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