The Friday Challenge - 8/21/09

It's been a hellacious two weeks here in Casa del Calamaro and that's all I want to say about it for public consumption. Somewhat later than planned, the Second Annual Ultimate Snowdogging Competition is now officially closed. The entries in contention for the title are:

Torainfor, "LifeLine"

Arisia, "The Fatal Cup of Coffee"

Al, "First Rule"

Henry, "The Gift"

Snowdog, "Sedna 90377"

A lively discussion of the entries is already in progress here. Winner to be announced on Sunday.


100 Years to Life

---

This week's challenge comes to us from The Bandit, who writes:

Our justice system can award people sentences upwards of one hundred years. In cases where parole is not an option, this is essentially a life sentence. But what happens if medical advances cause mankind to break the centenarian barrier with health and vigor? Assuming inmates in prison are given access to these life-extending medications or procedures (are they? who will fight to see that criminals' lifespans are doubled or tripled?), a man formerly languishing locked up for his remaining years is suddenly greeted with the prospect of serving out his one hundred and fifty year term for killing three people. What is the mindset of a convict with a century of imprisonment before him but another century of health and vigor to be had after he is released? Will society consider him rehabilitated after a century? Or will the justice system begin issuing sentences commensurate with mankind's new life expectancy? Will they do so only in new cases, or apply the extensions retroactively to prevent killers from being released?

Alternatively, what if an immortal were given a life sentence? How would the penal system justify keeping the man locked up for eternity? Or, if after a millennium, he was given parole, would mankind remember the crimes he had committed?

Sketch out a world where all or any of these occurrences have taken place! The winner will save a book behind Door #3 from life imprisonment in ~brb's garage.

And there's your challenge for this week. As always, we're playing by the casually observed official rules of the Friday Challenge, and the deadline for this one is midnight Central time, Thursday, 8/27/09. The only other thing I would add is that Door #3 is actually a designated location in the K&B Booksellers warehouse. Never store books in the garage: they get all damp and smelly and mildewy out there, and sometimes rodents get into them. I'm not just talking about mice. So far this summer I've trapped and killed a dozen chipmunks in my garage.

Hmm. Chip & Dale Must Die. Is that an Ultimate Geek Fu or a future Friday Challenge...?