Author Archives: sbrandt

Star Trek is Dead

Posted on July 23, 2011 by sbrandt

That Star Trek is dead came to me as a sad realization while attending the Teragrid 2011 conference. On Wednesday we made an excursion to the planetarium. There were two shows. The first was titled something like “This Violent Universe” … Continue reading →

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Every News Station is a Political Party

Posted on July 16, 2011 by sbrandt

The Max Headroom television series provided us with a dystopian vision of the future in which credit fraud was a more serious crime than murder, turning the television off was illegal, and network executives would do anything to increase their … Continue reading →

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Manhattanhenge

Posted on July 11, 2011 by sbrandt

On July 13, 2011 the sun will shine along the even numbered streets across the length of New York in an effect known as “Manhattenhenge.” What mystical story idea would you connect with this strange phenomenon?

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Fictional Romance Novel

Posted on July 7, 2011 by sbrandt

One thing I sometimes like to do is make up a silly fictional romance title. “The Pirate Captain’s Sweet Hostage,” or “The Millionaire Cowboy’s Secret Baby.” What can you come up with?

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The Demon Drink

Posted on July 4, 2011 by sbrandt

Not too long ago, I read a detective story where the hero needed to bluff his way past security guards, hide under a desk, etc. It got me thinking. How do you get your hero past the guards? Arrange for … Continue reading →

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The Little Guys…

Posted on July 3, 2011 by sbrandt

Sometimes life gets out of control and a lot of things happen. When you get past it, if you do, you question who you are, what you’ve accomplished, and what’s important. Then you put all your sorrows and regrets in … Continue reading →

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Thor: Too Big for Two Hours

Posted on July 2, 2011 by sbrandt

Stories come to us in various sizes, and they don’t always fit into the box we want them to fit into. Take the recent moving “Thor”. It was a decent movie in many ways but afterwards my wife and I … Continue reading →

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Sexception: Sometimes There is No Right Answer

Posted on June 27, 2011 by sbrandt

There’s this rather dangerous game that couples like to play called “sexception.” Each of you identifies one person they’re allowed to cheat with should the opportunity arise. When my wife asked who my sexception would be I smelled danger.

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Ulam Spiral Fun

Posted on June 20, 2011 by sbrandt

The Ulam Spiral is a famous cool thing. See Wikipedia Entry. Basically, Ulam put numbers on a square spiral

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Brain Prosthetic

Posted on June 19, 2011 by sbrandt

Many of us have had the unfortunate experience of watching a loved one’s memory deteriorate through dementia of one for or another. If your loved one is a rat, there is already a solution, a device that connects directly to … Continue reading →

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