Tag: Speculative

Fiction by Jun 1, 202410:45 am

Ding by Garrett Berberich

Department of Memory: Statement on Recent Memory Note^TM Upgrades

Memory Note^TM, the alert system transforming our conception of life, has been upgraded, announced the Department of Memory (DoM) today.

Upon completion of the Pilot Phase, DoM has done what it promised to do from the outset: learn. Upgrades to Memory Note^TM align with the system’s purpose: to bring memory to the present by alerting us in real time of which experiences we’ll remember far into the future.

Said Terry Bernham, Secretary of Memory. “The knowledge of what we will remember refines our behavior, changes our future, and adds meaning to our lives. This knowledge is NOTEworthy.”

Essay by Jun 1, 202410:42 am

My Future Android — A Speculative Essay by David Henson

At my age, there’s half a chance… maybe half a hope… I’ll have an android to ease the weight of later years, help me stay in my own home.

Perhaps it’ll arrive fully assembled. Neither male nor female, its skin will be smooth as mine decades ago. I’ll train it to recognize my face and voice, understand the meaning of an arched eyebrow and intonations. We’ll take turns squeezing each other’s hands so it learns to modulate it’s strength. I’ll teach it to do the dishes. If it puts the cups where the plates belong, I’ll correct it politely.

Fiction by Apr 6, 202411:29 am

The Moon Under Water by J.D. Strunk

The operation had been a success. Moreover, it had been painless, just as Dr. Mayfield had promised. James had been skeptical, seeing as he was going to be awake as they cut into his brain. (James was well aware the brain had no nerves, but the skull surely did.) But Dr. Mayfield had been correct—James had felt nothing beyond a slight pressure. And now, with the chip implanted, James would never feel anything unpleasant ever again.

* * *

The first time James used his new power was the following Friday, during his company’s quarterly earnings review. The chip functioned flawlessly—eight hours of meetings passed in the blink of an eye—and James left the office wearing a large grin. His cube-mate and closest thing to a work friend, Alan, noticed his buoyant disposition.

Fiction by May 6, 20239:24 am

Loser by Riley Passmore

Jeffrey Rhodes, the actual quarterback for the Detroit Lions, punches me in the face with everything he goddamn has, and I puke all over my Levi’s. I mean, he really lets me have it. By the time he pulls away his fist, I see stars and the face of God.

“How do you do it?” he snarls, his fist held high for another blow. He’s tied me to a folding chair, and has my collar wrenched up in his other hand. He’s angrier than Bigfoot.