Low Hanging Fruit These were tough times for Milton, a satirist.  Real life had been replaced events wilder—stupider–than anything Milton could imagine.  It was like living in a bad novel that tried to be satiric and imaginative but was too weird to be believable.  Current events were dominated by low hanging fruit, for a satirist. …

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The Need To Argue Increasing tension building under his skin until it bursts–like a volcano–fierce heat under the surface, earth tremors, erupting in an outpouring of fiery lava, smoke filling the air, rising dark into the sky, obscuring the clouds until he cannot not see the sun.  Ethan never found release in the fiery outbursts…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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,…

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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…

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