Dodecahedron Books: January 2024

Tuesday, 23 January 2024

Doggy in the Cold

The part of the continent that I live in can get pretty cold. During a recent January cold snap, the temperature hit -40 overnight (Celsius or Fahrenheit, its all the same at that temperature).

Anyway, I went out for a walk one brilliantly sunny afternoon, while it was still about -32 Celsius, and was strolling down an alley when I heard the ominous “grrrr”. I turned to my right to see a fairly small but truculent white dog (some sort of terrier I think) heading for me, with great enthusiasm. He had short legs, so as he hit the snow near the end of his yard, he began to be high-centered.

Then, he slowed down and gave up. His expression quickly changed from “Stay out, I’m guarding my territory” to “Ah, this is crazy, the hell with it”. I think he suddenly realized how cold it was, too. I saluted him, saying “Nice try, buddy, you did your best.”

I’m pretty sure that his owner had only let him out of the house for a few moments, for obvious reasons, as I could hear a door opening and closing a minute or two later, as I continued my winter walk.

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If you like stories that feature amusing dogs (and who doesn’t) you might try this Science Fiction short story:

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The Zoo Hypothesis

We present a story giving a possible scenario for the so-called Zoo Hypothesis, an explanation known in Star Trek lore as the Prime Directive. It’s an explanation sometimes given to account for a mystery in the Search for Intelligent Life, known as The Great Silence, or Fermi’s Paradox.

Basically, Enrico Fermi argued (quite convincingly, to many observers), that there had been ample time for an alien intelligence to colonize the galaxy since its formation, so where are they? The Zoo Hypotheses says that they are out there, but have cordoned off the Earth from contact, until we are sufficiently evolved or culturally advanced to handle the impact of alien contact.

This story takes a humorous tongue in cheek approach to that explanation. It also features dogs and sly references to Star Trek. Talk about man’s Best Friend.

It is only 99 cents U.S., equivalent price in other currencies. It is also available on Kindle Unlimited and is sometimes on a free promotion.

Amazon U.S.: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076RR1PGD

Amazon U.K.: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B076RR1PGD

Amazon Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B076RR1PGD

Amazon Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B076RR1PGD

Amazon Germany: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B076RR1PGD

Amazon France: https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B076RR1PGD

Amazon Italy: https://www.amazon.it/dp/B076RR1PGD

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Amazon Japan: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B076RR1PGD

Amazon Mexico: https://www.amazon.com.mx/dp/B076RR1PGD