Kersley Fitzgerald reviews Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson and The Good Fairies of New York by Martin Millar, and finds hope that there still may be room for thoughtful writing in modern publishing. Join the discussion...
Henry Vogel gives us more of a glimpse into his family life than most writers probably would be comfortable sharing, and provides some first-hand insights into the workings and heartbreaks of the juvenile court system. Join the discussion...
Bruce Bethke trudges on into the second week of the "Name This Column!" contest, along the way discovering that "The Saturday Evening Post" is not a good choice for a name, 2012 has set a new low bar for cinematic stinkitude, there's a perfectly good example of changing P.O.V. in mid-story on his own website, and as we all suspected all along, sooner or later, everything connects to Paul Gallico. Join the discussion...
Ultimate Geek Fu presents a double-header this week, leading off with a topic near and dear to every True Geek's Jarvik 2000, My First Calculator, and then following up with an encore, "What the [heck] is that?"
Splattering Guts for Fun & Profit discusses the sound of gunfire off in the distance. Remember, if you have any expertise and/or interesting thoughts on a subject relating to this topic, guest columns are always welcome. Join the discussion...
Also, the mysterious M wins the 2/26/10 Friday Challenge, Bruce Bethke asks for help deciding whether to buy a new laptop or a netbook, and the inmates discuss the view from their respective places in the asylum.
With all that said, we move on to the 3/12/10 Friday Challenge, "I Still Want My Flying Car." As of the deadline, we have received the following entries:
Vidad: "The all-new Volkswagen Aeroflit"
Miko: "Buick Skymaster"
WaterBoy: "Mazda RC-1 Commercial"
M: "We Don't Plummet Out of the Sky Anymore" (on drop.io, password "challenge")
If I've missed anybody's entry, please let me know ASAP.
As always, even if you haven't submitted an entry this week—even if you never submit an entry in any week—you're invited to read, comment on, and vote for your favorites. Don't be afraid to leave comments on the writers' sites, either. Writers thrive on knowing that somebody out there is reading their words. The winner will be announced on Sunday, March 21.
And now for this week's Friday Challenge.
The idea for this challenge arrived in, of all things, the mail. Specifically, it arrived in the guise of our 2010 Census form, and as I was reading through the form and finding myself ever more irritated by some of the intrusive questions within it, I suddenly realized: if you think this is bad, just wait a few more decades.
Hence, this week's challenge. Imagine it's—oh, 2050, or later. Bioengineering has really come online, as have cybernetic implants, cross-species genetic splices, and all that good gooey sci-fi stuff. You've just opened up your mail (it's the Federal civil service; some things never change), are looking at your 20x0 Census form—okay, yes, it's in SpaChinglish, but never mind that now—
And are finding yourself facing questions like:
57a. Are you or any adult member of your domestic lifestyle-sharing unit more than fifty percent (50%) cybernetic?That's what we want to see from you this week. Envision your 20x0 Census Form. What are some of the sets of questions on it? What's the single most obnoxious question on it? Which are the questions that will have you wishing for a "None of your @@#*(& business!" option among the answers?
Yes
No
Don't know
57b. If the answer to 57a is "Yes," who is your primary parts vendor?
NEC
Hyundai
Norinco
SkyNet
Other
As always, we're playing by the loosely enforced rules of the Friday Challenge, and playing for whatever is behind Door #3. The deadline for this challenge is midnight Central time, Thursday, March 25.
And most importantly, remember: the objectives here are to stretch your imagination muscles, and above all, to have fun!
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