Population Clock from the Academy of Reality
April 16, 2026
Sid Sidney’s world population clock runs non-stop. He never takes his tablet to work. Why create the impression that he’s afraid that overpopulation is a
Sid Sidney’s world population clock runs non-stop. He never takes his tablet to work. Why create the impression that he’s afraid that overpopulation is a
At last! After forty years, the American dream: my first new bathroom scale and vacuum cleaner. No headlights, bells, or buzzers, both reflect pure, functional
Heading out for some air, away from the suits, mail robots, paper stacks, and electromagnetic fields, we take a shortcut through the new wing, dimly
Financial Consequence of Tree Injections: The background noise of a thousand other cafeteria voices diminishes—The Director and suits sitting at a nearby table talk about
We step off the elevator; I bump into a mail robot. A random envelope falls from its top tray, a symptom of overload, a sign
For Mia’s benefit, I make the call. A ghost voice that’s not electric or alive answers; monotone but cheerful, it sounds somewhat stilted, possibly amoral.
Stand Tall and Talk About Teamwork Supposedly, tall men get hired more often than short applicants. I shaved to make myself look less bug-eyed; when
People who don’t know jack. “. . . bill payments were overdue; charge card people called weekly. I’d tell them I was hurt, that I
“A hand specialist repairing my index finger referred me, not that that was his intention. He pretended to concentrate on the x ray of the
Out-of-Tune Ostrich In a zone, trying to understand my strange surroundings, I have trouble thinking and speaking at the same time. Afraid my words might