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March 9, 2007
3.09.07
Something fundamental has changed...
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Stacy: Wild Blue Yonder
On March 9th, we all woke up and could fly. Yeah, fly. All you had to do was kick off gently and you were hovering in mid-air. Lean forward a little bit and you were moving, flying. It was more fun than a basket of puppies. Safe to say nobody went to work that day. Lots of accidents, though…too many people in the air with too little common sense. We lost ¾ of the world’s population that day, when they kicked off too hard and couldn’t figure out how to turn around. Plenty of flying room now, there is.
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Jim: You Don’t Know What You’ve Got Till Its Gone
Anybody could have seen it coming but the changes were so subtle, and they happened so gradually, that nobody really noticed.
In retrospect, the statistics were obvious. Each year, there were more divorces than before. Children were abandoned in increasingly large numbers. The attendance at places of worship plummeted.
As the effects became more and more obvious, psychologists and sociologists argued about the cause. But these professionals were too intelligent – too sophisticated – to realize the truth.
Then it was over and suddenly everybody knew. We didn’t realize we had lost the capacity to love until it was gone for good.
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David: RIF
“What’s that?”
“It’s called a ‘Book.’”
“’Buk’. I think I’ve heard of those. Some sort of weapon, right? Where’d you find it?”
“No, it’s not a weapon. It’s an extinct form of data storage. It’s kind of like a text blip, except that instead of downloading it directly into your brain, data transfer goes through the eyes.”
“That’s silly. You can’t get a decent bandwidth through the optic nerves.”
“No, see? The words are printed in order on these pages. You look at each word in turn to derive meaning.”
“Who has time for that?”
“I find it relaxing, actually.”
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Jeff R.:XIII: Death
The moments that are universally remembered by a generation as a turning point are almost always drenched in blood and death: assassinations, attacks like Pearl Harbor or 9/11. The explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger is the dominant such event, derailing America's manefest destiny in space.
This happened in 1986, the same year Mike Tyson first won a world title and Chernobyl spilled wormwood across Europe. What I tell you three times is true: This is no coincidence.
It is sometimes said that death is simply a metaphor for change. The truth is that it's exactly the other way around.
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Tanya: Untitled
There was something wrong. I knew it the very instant I walked through the door. Something was out of place, offset in my own house. I couldn’t see the change, but it was there. I’d find it.
Checking for scuffs in the dust, unfamiliar trash in the bin, a rocking chair that still held a hint of movement. Nothing. It was like looking for invisible footprints, simply because you heard an echo of a step. I could sense it. So close.
Finally, in the kitchen, there it was.
“Mother! Stop rearranging my cabinets! The glasses go next to the fridge!”
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Ted: Prelude
"Report, mister."
"I was trying to trace that seam of uranium ore when I heard something behind me. I didn't get a good look because it was running right at me. Fast too, at least 40 kph."
Stevens looked at the rating, trying not to show disbelief. This planet had showed no signs of any large animal life.
"Go ahead, son. Tell me the rest."
"Then somebody... ... just frigging appeared, with a spear, and ran the damn thing through."
"One of our people? With a spear?"
"No. Sir. It wasn't one of us at all. It looked like a girl."
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