The first thing they taught me was the Trolley Problem. The hypothetical car under my control is heading towards five people; I can change the direction but that will hit one person, what should I do? My neural network played… Continue Reading
It took NASA three months to verify that it was indeed a message and not interstellar scintillation. The communication repeated regularly and was clearly the result of intelligent composition. It took a further four months to isolate which solar system… Continue Reading
Pili sips from her water bottle when the familiar tingling begins. Through the wire cage, she sees Manuel curled up on his bed, looking more like a baby than a sixteen-year-old. He’s come home early from soccer practice because he’s… Continue Reading
Mommy bursts through the door. I jump up from the bottom step. “You got one!” I squeal, spotting the box she’s carrying. She’s panting and shaking. She slams the door shut and slides the bolt across just as something crashes… Continue Reading
I’m the one who killed thirty million people. I spent eight days in the bunker to avoid the radioiodine fallout, and an additional four because I didn’t want to see what had happened to the world above me. When I… Continue Reading
Animal Services # Due to a rising stray population and an associated uptick in dog attacks, LA Animal Services has initiated a prevention program in coordination with the LAPD’s AI Unit. Starting on February 21st, a newly developed stray-dog targeting… Continue Reading
My phone rings as I walk into my company’s lobby from the staff parking garage. Probably Dan Simmons. I’m late for our meeting because a disheveled man accosted me as I got out of my car, shouting gibberish and blocking… Continue Reading
When I was a child my best friend was a time traveler from the year 2340. His name was Bobby but I called him “2340.” 2340 wore jeans and a windbreaker. He looked like any other kid, defined by the… Continue Reading
For their 60th “diamond” anniversary, Martine booked an old-fashioned gondola ride down Broadway, starting Uptown. Doctor Alcuna had warned her not to get her hopes too high for the occasion, that the Memantine™ and Donepezil™ still showed no sign of… Continue Reading
I let the children play with the lions because I decided that it was part of their education to examine life from another planet. This was after I ordered a box of domestic cats but many of my students, the… Continue Reading