Here’s a simple argument for the existence of extraterrestrial life: there are hundreds of billions of galaxies that each have hundreds of billions of stars. Our sun may be special in many ways, but it can’t be that special. I used to be deeply unsure about the prospects for life elsewhere in our universe. I [...]
When I was planning my first long drive from school in Ann Arbor back home to New Jersey, I remember looking up directions on Google Maps and noticing, as in the results here, that it really doesn’t take a lot of steps — or driving maneuvers — to get what seems to be a pretty [...]
One way to appreciate good acting is to try to imagine some of your favorite lines written rather than spoken. Try to clear your mind of the actor’s specific performance. Focus on the words themselves, on the way they look on a page. Now do you see the distance between the screenplay and the speech? [...]
Civilian criminals don’t ever seem to use grenades. Not even deranged ex-employees or gang members. Pipe bombs I’ve heard of, and automatic weapons, and even tanks. No grenades, though. Which is strange when you think about how compact and powerful they are. Lob one of those guys into a room somewhere and you’re pretty much [...]
I have recently written a quick little five-page piece of fiction. I encourage you to read it with low expectations. Click here to download the PDF, or just read on: A-L-D-E-R A: That’s really all I’m doing with this chair business, and the crossword, and the beer and a half, and all that—all I’m doing [...]