Nick Deverill

Certainly an interesting one. Like others, I think it may need toning down on the technical front, but obviously it's done to make David Case believable as a serious expert. In the context of a longer story, if you have a relatively short part that is technical, and the rest not so, then it could work. The sin it doesn't commit is the use of unexplained TLAs (three letter abbreviations) that are common in many technical works. Do I want to read more? Yes please, it has my vote.

-- The dirty toilets in the BBC drama series "Tenko" that the women prisoners of the Japanese had to clean were made 'dirty' for TV purposes with the aid of crunchy peanut butter.

In rather fewer words - read it, you'll enjoy it. I did!

The lack of a reverse gear initially was because the Morgan was pitched as the car for the motorcyclist who wanted a bit more. Accordingly as cars went, it was a cheap one. So simplicity was very important. Morgan hung onto the two speed transmission perhaps a bit long, as the Austin 7 in particular was taking sales and they were very keenly priced (my Grandfather had one in 1926). Sales of three wheelers fell remarkably in the 30's and that was behind the introduction of the four wheeled car in 1936. A good site to read up on the history is, oddly enough, a German one! http://www.morgan3w.de/

Thanks - seen it a while back and it caused lots of comments due to the rear end bounce. The car as made had no rear shock absorber and it was touted as a good reason for fitting one. That having been said, my car doesn't have one, but I've never had as bad bounce as Jay has got. My car, pictured just after having rebuilt it in 2006 Mine's a two speeder, jokingly described as one gear to go up hills, and another to go down them. No reverse gear on mine. Body style is beetleback, Jay's is a barrelback and has a three speed and reverse gearbox.

Cooked in English says nothing about the cooking method. Anything cooked could be fried, baked, boiled, coddled or any other method you can think of. Agreed the choice of tinned 'baked beans' is very limited in the UK and years ago when I was a kid, ie when dinosaurs roamed the earth, Heinz was the only brand in the UK that did not have hard bits in the beans. I'll confess to still liking tinned beans, but they are terribly unhealthy being laden with salt (you can now buy "low" salt ones) and an absurd amount of sugar.

I normally refer to the Urban Dictionary for these matters, but I'm not sure in this case it gives the answer. http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=word

Yup, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ender%27s_Game_%28series%29 Not sure when he wrote Enders Shadow, but I think it came later than the Enders Game series.

Or alternatively, fly to the UK and bask in our gloom, rain, snow, and below average temperatures...

Well I've now seen it all, a mathematical justification for quoting dates in the wrong order. Day/Month/Year is logical as the units increase, but jumping about isn't. Not that I'll 'win' this argument but I do feel a modicum of umbrage is called for

Absolutely, people own dogs, cats own their people.

I've now read it. The April tale is my favourite but they are all worth a read.

It's a must read. Well written and for a sad tale, strikes the right balance between the emotions.

Respectfully Camy, I think you need therapy. A lot of it! The mind boggles as to what you were searching for when you found those books.

I've just finished reading the story. As I would have been 7 when the main early event occurred - I remember it all too well. I'll not say any more as it would easily constitute a spoiler. I too also remember the trolley buses in Reading, but as a small child, I had a distinct liking for buses and trolley buses, and I'm quite sure, had I been born earlier - would have been a tram enthusiast too. My first word was 'bus', not mum or dad! All I can say is read the story, it's well worth it and there is quite a lot of factual information about the times written into the narrative.

I've just started re-reading from chapter 1... I can remember the basics, but it is so long since I read it I thought I'd start from the beginning again.

Here's hoping things progress without too many hiccups! I'm quite sure that there will be the odd set-back but here's to a satisfactory conclusion. Fingers are firmly crossed.

What gets me even more is a story like this one: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/school-asks-deaf-preschooler-change-sign-language-name-191629255.html Same sort of 'reasoning'. Does the sign (watch the video) look like you're being shot?

It's also an object lesson to the potty mouthed brigade of how you can use a swear word to good effect.

Mihanagel has surpassed himself. Reserve time, and read http://www.awesomedu...amser/index.htm It's an extra-ordinary tale and could easily live with some classical novels. Nick

I think it could work as a short story. I don't see it as a happy ending either, but not a whole box of tissues needed either. Basically pathos although few stories or films implement the meaning I ascribe. In the film world, Charlie Chaplin's "The Kid" is close although he was hamstrung by the audience expectation and the times it was made in. In the story world, most seem to overplay the sad bits, but it's a delicate balance getting it right. I can see some scenes already, but I'll not say how I'd end it for two reasons, one it would need some thought to hit the right note and two, I'm not giving away my thought process as I could see the idea becoming a competition.

Very few films get Sci-Fi right. For a serious film, 2001 has to be up there, and for less than serious (I hesitate to use the word comedy) Dark Star has to be a contender, despite a budget of only $60,000. For older films, Fritz Lang's Metropolis made in 1927 and a silent is worth a watch, especially if you can catch the restored version with the music by Giorgio Moroder although there are those who say the original version is better. However, nothing comes close to the vision generated generated in the reader's mind by a good written story, and this short story is both old, saw a future that never happened, yet deserves to be a film. Trouble is, there are no behind the sofa moments, it's all about the atmosphere so it'll never happen. Suspend your belief, cast aside any prejudices against the author and read: http://www.telelib.com/authors/K/KiplingRudyard/prose/ActionReactions/nightmail.html

I'm merely an amateur at this, although I did convince a friend that the Cornish Porcupine not only existed, but was a real pest in that county owing to its habit of crawling up car exhaust pipes and because of the direction of its spines, not only being unable to get out, but causing the pipe to block and the engine to stop. You'd think with a habit like that, the species would be extinct

Presumably they are members of this lot: http://theflatearthsociety.org