Beware of the Leopard

by Mike Byrneon the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series

For years radios had been operated by means of pressing buttons and turning dials; then as the technology became more sophisticated the controls were made touch-sensitive–you merely had to brush the panels with your fingers; now all you had to do was wave your hand in the general direction of the components and hope. It saved a lot of muscular expenditure, of course, but meant that you had to sit infuriatingly still if you wanted to keep listening to the same program.

Anyone who doubts that we are on the road that Douglas Adams laid out in the above passage would do well to take a look at aftermarket car stereos which now frequently include remote controls. Once a remote control is necessary to operate a device which is itself within arm’s reach, the battle over whether we or our devices are in control has clearly turned sharply in favor … read more»

Recent Free Essays (Still Available!)

Available Until
Thu 8/23

Massive Dynamic

by Jacob Cliftonon Fringe

You will make all kinds of mistakes; but as long as you are generous and true, and also fierce, you cannot hurt the world or even seriously distress her. The world was meant to be wooed and won by youth.

—WINSTON S. CHURCHILL

The Conspiracy of Unhappiness

In the science community you hear … read more»

Available Until
Wed 8/22

The Thing About Elves Is...

by Gail Sidonie Sobaton the Inheritance series (Eragon)

Well, they’re a slippery lot. Hard to pin down. The wee folk. The little people. Fairies. Or is that faeries? Or brownies? Or pixies? Pan or Puck? Sylphs or dryads or nymphs? Goblins or hobgoblins or gremlins or gnomes? Leprechauns or imps or sprites?

Enough to set the mind reeling!

So to … read more»

Available Until
Tue 8/21

Not Just a River in Egypt

by Diane Shipleyon Glee

Like most musicals, Glee
portrays a heightened reality. To enjoy the show is to suspend our
disbelief and accept that we cannot take everything we see literally.
When Kurt performed “Rose’s Turn” (“Laryngitis,” 1-18), for example, he
began singing in the school hallway, was … read more»

Available Until
Mon 8/20