Podcastle, Episode 903 for Tuesday the 5th of August 2025.

On the Shoulders of Giant by Charles Chin, read and produced by Eric Valdez.

Rated PG. Good morning, good day, good afternoon and good evening and welcome to Podcastle, the flying castle of fantasy fiction.

I'm your host, Matt Dovey, and it is my privilege to present for your enjoyment, a podcast original and a stunningly original story

at that.

On the shoulders of giants by Charles Chin, as narrated by our own Eric Valdez.

Charles Chin was born in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

Raised by scientist parents, to be a scientist himself, he needed a creative outlet to offset the rigid worldview of doctoral degrees and data science.

He still writes about science, but on his own terms.

Should you come across Charles in the wild, know that he prefers rum over whiskey.

Eric Valdez is a sound mixer, performer and creative human like you.

He lives with his family in a cosy house made of puns, coffee and chaos.

Catch him making up silly songs on Saturdays on Twitch.tv slash the Kids Are Asleep

or stare in wonder while he anxiously avoids posting on Blue Sky at Intensely Eric.

And now pay attention, for our tale is about to begin anxiously avoids posting on blue sky at Intensely Eric.

And now pay attention, for our tale is about to begin,

and there's only time to tell it once before we must all continue our climb. On the shoulders of giants by Charles Chin

Read by Eric Valdez

I was born a T-12.

Sure, it was the lowest of the thoracic vertebrae, but it was higher than any of the lumbars.

I should be thankful to have been born high enough to see above the clouds.

The L2s and L3s that climb beside me spent most of their youth in the haze below, unable to see the sun, not knowing how much more of the

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