Stories Short and Strange
17 short stories for general audiences ranging from the unusual to the unbelievable to the just plain strange.
Zombies in Space?
I was surprised to hear that scientists consider our Milky Way galaxy to be a zombie. Apparently it has stopped forming new stars and so its days are numbered. But don’t worry, it will be hanging on for quite a while. Galaxies apparently “perish” – in other words, they stop turning gas into new stars –
If You Really Want to Recycle…
What can be recycled? There is a company that thinks almost anything can. It’s called TerraCycle, and it offers free recycling programs that are funded by brands, manufacturers, and retailers to help people collect and recycle especially difficult waste. Participants choose the programs they would like to join, collect the items to be recycled, download free shipping labels, and send the waste
Another Way to Get Help
Social networking has had a huge impact on our lives, from keeping in touch with old friends to finding a ride or a place to stay for the evening. I’ve just found another impact — a website called HelpfulPeeps, “The Helpful Network” (http://www.helpfulpeeps.com/). The idea, which came from Great Britain by the way, is very
Can Internet Trolls Be Reformed?
Anyone who is an experienced Internet user has probably encountered a troll — someone who, by Wikipedia’s definition “sows discord on the Internet by starting arguments or upsetting people, by posting inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community (such as a newsgroup, forum, chat room, or blog) with the deliberate intent of provoking readers into an
Gender Pay Gap Revisited
On Feburary 1st, I wrote about a podcast that examined the gender pay gap. So ladies, have you ever wondered how much would you make if you were a man? I’ve just found “Pay Gap Calculator” that might help answer that question. It also further discusses the subject of gender pay. I tried it as
See Five Planets at Once
This is an exciting time for anyone interested in astronomy. For the first time since 2005, it is now possible to see five planets — Mercury, Venus, Saturn, Mars, and Jupiter together in the sky. The catch is this is the early morning sky. The window of opportunity is from about January 20 to February
Book Review — Against All Enemies
I’m just finishing Against All Enemies: Inside America’s War on Terror by Richard A. Clarke (Free Press, 2004). Richard Clarke spent almost 30 years in government under seven presidents. He was appointed the first National Coordinator for Security, Infrastructure Protection, and Counterterrorism (aka the Terrorism Czar, a term he hated) by President Bill Clinton, and
Why Haven’t We Been Contacted by Aliens?
I know the universe is a big place, but (at least as far as the general public knows) there has never been contact with a civilization from another planet. Distances and the limits of physics notwithstanding, I’ve just run across an interesting theory about why this might be true — all the aliens are
The True Story of the Gender Pay Gap
During this political season, you probably have heard the statistic that women typically earn about 77 cents for every dollar a man makes. The President even mentioned this during his recent State of the Union address. But is it really true? The behavioral-economics authors at Freakanomics have a podcast that explores this subject in depth.
Short Story — Distant Replay
This short story was published in Issue #643 of Bewildering Stories. http://www.bewilderingstories.com/issue643/ Distant Replay by Bob Welbaum Jerome had felt fear before, but this was different. Much different. The man on his right disappeared from his peripheral vision with a scream. There was a deafening explosion to his left. Then another. Then they