# Please help identify a short story **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 29, 2019, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-identify-a-short-story/834742 "2019-05-29T22:36:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Topologist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/topologist/32/3208_2.png) [@Topologist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Topologist)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2019, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-identify-a-short-story/834742/1 "2019-05-29T22:36:42Z")
A commenter on a news site gave the following description: > [@Somebody on the Internet](#): > > There was a short story I read years ago that was about a guy who met “god” on a bus. God turns out to be an evolved species that passed through various stages to reach godliness, and he explains that many other species are on similar paths, with different thresholds to cross at various times. Developing AI is one of them. Weaponization of various technologies is another (e.g., nukes). One of the thresholds a species has to cross is for every member to possess the ability to destroy everyone else in an instant. And having the maturity and control not to. It was inherent in every evolutionary stage for the potential for total destruction to rise, but never actually occur. I’d be very interested in reading such a story, but so far no luck identifying it. Do any of the teeming millions recognize it from this description? ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2019, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-identify-a-short-story/834742/2 "2019-05-29T23:35:59Z")
“A Cask of Amontillado.” ---
**Author:** ![Topologist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/topologist/32/3208_2.png) [@Topologist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Topologist)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2019, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-identify-a-short-story/834742/3 "2019-05-29T23:45:18Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > “A Cask of Amontillado.” It’s not the Poe story, which is all that googling that title is bringing up. If you’re referring to something else, do you have the author? ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2019, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-identify-a-short-story/834742/4 "2019-05-29T23:58:20Z")
No, I’m sorry, just a misguided stab at non-sequitur humor. I meant to say “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber.” ---
**Author:** ![Topologist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/topologist/32/3208_2.png) [@Topologist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Topologist)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2019, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-identify-a-short-story/834742/5 "2019-05-30T00:01:59Z")
OK, I get it. But I’m still interested in a real answer if anyone has one. ---
**Author:** ![Topologist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/topologist/32/3208_2.png) [@Topologist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Topologist)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2019, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-identify-a-short-story/834742/6 "2019-05-31T16:49:04Z")
My one bump to see if anyone has any idea what story this might really be. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2019, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-identify-a-short-story/834742/7 "2019-05-31T17:40:28Z")
Shut up and deal. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2019, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-identify-a-short-story/834742/8 "2019-05-31T18:06:35Z")
[Is this it?](https://www.fullmoon.nu/articles/art.php?id=tal) ---
**Author:** ![Topologist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/topologist/32/3208_2.png) [@Topologist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Topologist)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2019, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-identify-a-short-story/834742/9 "2019-05-31T18:20:38Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > [Is this it?](https://www.fullmoon.nu/articles/art.php?id=tal) Very possibly. No time to read it through at work right now, but it looks similar to what was described. It at least looks worth reading. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Topologist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/topologist/32/3208_2.png) [@Topologist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Topologist)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2019, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-identify-a-short-story/834742/10 "2019-05-31T21:44:25Z")
Having now read it (and it’s a good read), yes, that looks like it. Thanks again! ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2019, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-identify-a-short-story/834742/11 "2019-06-01T01:03:11Z")
**[Moderating]** > [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Shut up and deal. OK, I’ll deal. Specifically, I’ll deal with this by giving you an official Warning, for being a jerk. The joking around in the very first reply, before any substantive answers, was already against the board rules, but to then when it’s pointed out turn around and imply that it’s the OP who’s doing something wrong? That’s over the line. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2019, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-identify-a-short-story/834742/12 "2019-06-01T01:15:28Z")
“Deal” was not meant as is “deal with it,” it was meant as “shut up and DEAL THE CARDS,” because we were the only two people involved in the thread at that point, and the picture in my head was of two cold starving prospectors in a snowed-in Yukon cabin with nothing to do but play cards. My imagination ran away with me, and I’m afraid I wasn’t particularly clear what I was going on about. I didn’t realize that jokes were _verboten_ before real answers. I apologize, and will go back and re-familiarize myself with the rule book. **Topologist,** I’m sorry for being a jerk, and I’m glad that **Zip** was able to give you some real help. ---
**Author:** ![Topologist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/topologist/32/3208_2.png) [@Topologist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Topologist)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2019, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-identify-a-short-story/834742/13 "2019-06-01T02:40:58Z")
I understood the reference, but thanks for the apology. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2019, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-identify-a-short-story/834742/14 "2019-06-01T02:49:24Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > The joking around in the very first reply, before any substantive answers, was already against the board rules… I thought that was only for GQ. ---
**Author:** ![Topologist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/topologist/32/3208_2.png) [@Topologist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Topologist)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2019, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-identify-a-short-story/834742/15 "2019-06-01T03:05:09Z")
To bring the original question to a final conclusion: The person who posted the comment I quoted in the OP finally came back to the site and identified the source, which was exactly the blog post identified by **ZipperJJ**. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2019, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-identify-a-short-story/834742/16 "2019-06-02T02:08:03Z")
OK, given the apology, and on review with the other moderators, I’m going to rescind that warning… but really, **Uke** , three non-responsive responses in a row? Please, at least make an effort at contributing. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2019, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-identify-a-short-story/834742/17 "2019-06-02T02:22:22Z")
I don’t even know what a warning IS, and I used to be the Moderator here. And thank you for rescinding it.\* I know I was a baaaaaad boy here, but I don’t think I can be accused of not “contributing.” Just look at my Bloody Mary thread! And all the things I have to say about movies with Lon Chaney Senior! And the _Gormenghast_ novels! And about using bay leaves in soups! And here’s a tip for my pal **Chronos** in Cleveland…if you’re not buying your kielbasa at State Meats on State Street in Parma…you should start buying your kielbasa at State Meats. No shit. Blindingly good sausage. > **[State Meats, Inc.](https://statemeats.com/)** > > The Kielbasa and Pierogies people can't stop talking about. Stop in for samples anytime and try our authentic homemade items. "You never Sausage a Thing!" - tell me the mods who said “rescind it” and the ones who said “nah, fuck him” and I will send you a dollar. Usable for buying kielbasa at State Meats. And their prasky is fabulous, too ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2019, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-identify-a-short-story/834742/18 "2019-06-02T04:23:36Z")
> [@Topologist](#): > > To bring the original question to a final conclusion: The person who posted the comment I quoted in the OP finally came back to the site and identified the source, which was exactly the blog post identified by **ZipperJJ**. I started reading it. Looks like fun. Thanks for the nod.