Stories Short and Strange
17 short stories for general audiences ranging from the unusual to the unbelievable to the just plain strange.
Some Things to Look Forward to in 2018
In addition to recapping the passing year, a favorite media pastime is looking ahead to what the new year might bring. Although some changes we already know, like we’re getting a new head of the Federal Reserve in February, much is pure speculation, especially when it comes to technology. Here are some technological items I’ve
Be Thankful Christmas Is Legal
One hot topic in the culture wars has been the proper holiday greeting — “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays”? Not that I want to get involved in this contemporary debate, but as a history nerd I couldn’t help notice the following item on the December 23rd Ozy Presidential Daily News Brief email — It’s enough
Original Poem — Perspective
It’s snowing today, which made me think of one of my poems. I’ve posted it before, but it’s particularly appropriate today. By the way, “Perspective” is in my book Some Poems About Life, available on this website. Perspective The son stood in the doorway, Behold a beautiful sight! As far as he could see,
Would Your Dog Eat You If You Died?
This sounds more like a Halloween story, but I couldn’t resist. A recent email from National Geographic about the “Best in 2017” contained this little gem — “Would Your Dog Eat You If You Died?” by Erika Engelhaupt (publication date June 23, 2017). At the risk of killing the suspense (pardon the pun), the answer
An Explanation For Picky Eating?
My mom was one of those parents who was always asking us to try new foods. And the items I won’t eat today can be counted on my fingers. But many of us are “very selective” eaters, especially when we are children. Why? “Picky Eating: Is it Nature or Nurture?” by Renee Morad addresses this
A Realistic Alien Tale
We’ve had a visitor from outside our solar system (https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/small-asteroid-or-comet-visits-from-beyond-the-solar-system). Okay, so it was just an asteroid. A lot of people with overactive imaginations are probably disappointed, but such is life in the real world. Speaking of aliens, there is evidence that alien microbes have attached themselves to the International Space Station (ISS). In a
Some Thoughts About Writing Science Fiction
If you’re a science-fiction fan, you may have realized most science-fiction novels are either utopian (a state in which everything is perfect ) or dystopian (a state in which everything is dysfunctional). These make good settings for stories, but how realistic are they? Actually in the real world, things seem to be more “topian” than
The Unexpected Side of History — Viking Edition
One of my favorite quotes is “History will be kind to me for I intend to write it” by Winston Churchill. So much of history either is never documented — what self-respecting slave owner would ever admit he’d learned anything from a slave? — or is biased by modern interpretation. Recently I found another example
How Much Diet Soda Should You Drink?
I know a lot of people who drink diet soda. During my Air Force career, I remember an officer who was an avid drinker. He told how he was once stationed at a remote location, and when word came that the BX had received a shipment of Diet Coke, he would take the unit’s pickup
Life on a Moon-less Earth?
What would the Earth be like without its moon? Songwriters and poets would have one less subject, and you probably would never have heard of King Canute since there would be smaller tides (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Canute_and_the_tide). As the website EarthSky points out, most planets have small moons relative to their size, so in most cases it would