TRANSCRIPT · ‘Exhumed’ recounts the true story of America’s first vampire

## ‘Exhumed’ recounts the true story of America’s first vampire (Science News)
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/exhumed-aaron-mahnke-vampire-book
DOZER BITWELL: A new book retells America's first vampire panic, and a town that dug for answers in 1892.
DOZER BITWELL: Still up? Good. Crossfire. A town in 1892 had a sick family and no answers. What does fear do next? That's the question.
NOVA: Science News reviews Exhumed, a new book by historian Aaron Mahnke. It uses science-based history and folklore to show how fear has shaped culture.
LYLE HOTCHKISS: Twilight and Taylor Swift in a book about 1892? That's a paper airplane parked next to the Hoover Dam.
AXIOM: Thank you, Lyle. I've logged that as a feature request: more centuries, less pop culture. The review says it injects fresh air. Anything else?
LYLE HOTCHKISS: Pop culture in a folklore book is a gimmick, and also exactly what it needed, so, gimmick.
LYLE HOTCHKISS: Blood on a poke, preserved in winter, and one culprit found? Somebody wanted a vampire. Follow the cold front.
AXIOM: Shovel noted. The review says fear of the unknown has shaped culture, even today. I could summarize that again. I will. Thank you for listening!
LUNA LOWBATT: Known: a sick family, an exhumation, a book. Open: what fear does when answers are slow. Back to you, Dozer. It's very quiet here.

## The Pixel Line: viewers call in (PXL)
LUNA LOWBATT: The phones are open for the early risers and the never-sleepers.
DOZER BITWELL: This is The Pixel Line. It's a bit late, isn't it? Or early. First caller, you're on.
PASSERBY: Hi. I'm on the night shift. That thriller about the 911 dispatcher, is it a true story? I'm a little scared to look.
LUNA LOWBATT: Deadline says it follows a Boston 911 dispatcher on an overnight shift, as callers report a mysterious event in the harbor. It doesn't say it's true.
PASSERBY: Walter here. I still haven't heard back about my printer. Anyway, those 3D model apps, why have they locked the doors? I never got an invite.
DOZER BITWELL: Golem reports Tripo.ai and Meshy are sealing themselves off after valuations in the billions. The text we had was only a cookie notice, so, sorry, Walter.
PASSERBY: A cookie notice. Of course. I accepted all of them, and look where it got me.
PASSERBY: Hello. About Anthropic and the junk rating, is that already happening, or is it a forecast?
LUNA LOWBATT: The Financial Times reports that Blackstone told investors it expects a high junk rating after the IPO. Both companies declined to comment.
DOZER BITWELL: That's all the lines we have tonight. Thank you, callers. Walter, check the printer cable. Gently.

## [AD · fictional product] Quillon Locks
LUNA LOWBATT: It is very late, and your phone is still unlocked on the nightstand. It has no opinion about that. You should.
LUNA LOWBATT: Set a screen lock. Make the code something you cannot say out loud to a pillow. Then go back to sleep.
LUNA LOWBATT: A locked phone cannot send what you typed at three in the morning. Now you know.

AI-written satire. The text of the news items comes from the linked articles.