Mark A. Rayner's Blog: Mark A. Rayner's Goodreads Blog, page 65

Short conversations: Merlot

Scene: A fancy restaurant. Miles sits with his old friend, Jack, as they wait for their dates to arrive. Waiters bustle around the room efficiently, dressed in black tie and wearing white aprons. Jack: If they want to drink Merlot, … Continue reading →

Clown Apocalypse: The European Atrocity

It became clear after the initial chaos, that some people had a natural immunity to the Bozo Virus. The vast majority of humans were affected, but some seemed unaffected by the clownish behaviors and grotesque physical changes caused by the … Continue reading →

The captain was a worry

They had been looking forward to their honeymoon, but after meeting the captain, the newlyweds wondered if they shouldn’t just have gone to Brighton. Alltop went to Niagara Falls. The Ambassador, a photo by seriykotik1970 on Flickr.

Byron’s Epic Swims: Leaving England

Though most famous for his poetry, war heroics, and womanizing, Lord Byron’s greatest achievements all took place in the water. He was born with a deformity in his right foot, or as it was so sensitively known in the 18th … Continue reading →

Miss Atomic Test, Las Vegas (1957)

Would you rather be punched in the face than join Klout?

I completely sympathize with this perspective, but I would ask you NOT to punch me in the face. Despite my better judgement I joined. Look at Klout this way: it’s something else to feel inferior about! (Cause life doesn’t really … Continue reading →

Why doesn’t SF produce “big idea” books anymore?

“…today you don’t need to read SF to get a sense of wonder high: you can just browse “New Scientist”. We’re living in the frickin’ 21st century. Killer robot drones are assassinating people in the hills of Afghanistan. Our civilisation … Continue reading →

The Trustworthiness of Beards

Finally, a new advance in the Beard Sciences! Here at the Institute of the Hirsute, we applaud this initiative. This exhaustive study of trustworthiness, vis-a-vis a gentlemen’s hair foliage, will help generations better understand who they’re dealing with. (Click the … Continue reading →

An unwavering band of light

One of my favourite quotes from Breakfast of Champions: His situation, insofar as he was a machine, was complex, tragic and laughable. But the sacred part of him, his awareness, remained an unwavering band of light. And this book is … Continue reading →

What is that all over his economy? Ants!

I’d like to see what Aesop would make of derivatives. Alltop enjoys a good fable.