Author: Victor

Leonard Feared For The Future Leonard looked forward to franchise film sequels but saw nothing worth his time when they finally came out.  He looked forward to elections but was almost always disappointed at the results.   He looked forward to promotions but continued to trudge through the same dead-end job.  Leonard  daydreamed about how great […]

AI Tries To Help Mitch Mitch had an advanced AI programme on his computer.  He worried he kept missing cues—nonverbal cues from colleagues and family, friends and even strangers.  Sometimes he understood what they hinted at–but too late; other times, he was simply confused.  Mitch needed to change that.  He naturally sought solutions by consulting […]

Arguments About What To Watch On TV Once upon a time, people argued about what to listen to on the radio.  Later, what to watch on TV.  With only set in their homes, only one programme could be on at a time.  There were heated arguments over what to listen to and, later, watch.  Counter […]

Getting Back On The Horse Angel never owned a horse but certainly knew the expression–if he had a horse, he would get back on it.  Even when thrown.  Angel saw mistakes as reasons to get back on the horse—to try again.  Any time he erred, he got back on the horse to try a new […]

Movies Commercial movies started with documentaries: a steam train pulling into a station.  Movies quickly advanced to longer films with plots.  In those early days that meant westerns and gangsters and romance.  Those films steadily grew longer, to about 90 minutes, that was what audiences could take.  For a full evening at the theatre, trailers, […]

Fences Harold needed fences–so did everyone else, he believed.  Good fences make good neighbours, no matter who your neighbours are.  Although he felt a bit lonely.  Harold had a physical fence around his house—wood-appearing plastic pickets—but he also had a metaphorical fence around himself.  At work he was polite but few intruded—they sensed his invisible […]

I Am The Strait Of Hormuz Ever think what life is like for me, The Strait Of Hormuz?  I’ve certainly been in the news.  You never heard of me before then.  20% of the world’s oil and liquified gas pass through my waters.  You’d think my life is easy–and you’d be right, could be again.  […]

Civilization Is Worth It The war in the Middle East had stretched into three years.  The President who started it had retired, but the war continued.  The politicians who supported the President were not re-elected, but the war continued.  Wars take on lives of their own from the lives they destroy.  Everyone believed civilization was […]

You Feel Unsettled You know there were many ways you felt unsettled–and what they are.  Extreme politics unsettle you.  Approaching storms unsettle you.  Death from the sky unsettles you.  War unsettles you. For Martin, most unsettling in his life was chicken fried rice.  Waking with a vague feeling of something wrong, worse as the morning […]

Disconnect Norman, 26, felt disconnected.  He worked in an office where he did not often speak with colleagues, even then it was company-speak, unreal in itself.  Much of his work was online, he communicated through emails and texts.  Zoom calls where he saw faces felt too personal.  He lived in a studio apartment in a […]

Dan Lacks Drive His life was quiet, never loud.  Dan was comfortable but knew life could be better.  He knew, sitting at his kitchen table eating leftover pasta, he lacked drive.  Successful people were driven—empowered by a compulsion to succeed, to ignore anything not on point.  Comfortable and compulsion do not mesh.  He painted–was good–but […]

Spring And New Politicians Spring was coming and Harold decided to plant politicians in his garden.  He was unhappy with the current crop of politicians—he wanted to grow better ones.    He had new seed packets: conservative and liberal.  As he planted the seeds, each in their own row, he was impressed with how they looked […]