I really like the idea of regular writing prompts and have been suggesting these for my students... but is it possible to have more ambiguous art pieces, that could leave more to the imagination of the writer?

Still pretty close though, with parasites not being anywhere near the problem they were in 1900 (and this from someone who lives in West Nile mosquito country), food safety is heavily monitored now (not perfect, but this article was written pre-The Jungle) and as for drugs... we now have asthma inhalers and spray-on…

Reminds me of a Woody Allen quote: "The great roe is a mythological beast with the head of a lion and the body of a lion, though not the same lion."

Now to apply this principal to other fruits! [xkcd.com]

That's silly... imagine an actor naming his kid "Kal-El." That would never happen.

Suggestion for anyone who has not seen Rubber yet: Do not read any online spoilers or synopsis, do not try to guess what the movie is about other than "tire kills people with psychic powers," then gather a bunch of friends who like talking during movies (MST3K style), and enjoy. Seriously. The lower your expectations,…

No discussion of translation can be complete without the inclusion of the Babel Fish. Sometimes the easiest translation is the least advisable. To quote DNA:

Star Wars technology does not advance... at least according to Knights of the Old Republic. A game set 5,000 years in the past shows that there has been no advancement in space travel, weapons development, robotics or even fashion.

The Fantastic Four once teamed up with Skrull MLK.

I wish we could see the run of Sarah Jane Smith in the states (please, BBCAmerica?), but I can't help feeling this doesn't have to be the end of the legacy.

Man... I loved that hootbot. Probably still have it somewhere, though it's been in pieces for about 15 years...

Very well done! Strong plotting. Excellent structure. Good use of cliffhangers. Love the ending shot.

Sure there is... check it out: [www.nomorefriends.net]

I thought TS-19 was Test Subject 19, i.e., the doctor who willingly allowed her zombification to be recorded in the name of science. They never named the virus on Walking Dead.

On the topic of alien motivations... I love Skyline.

Warming trend... mysterious bloop... mid-90s... Where was SeaQuest when we needed them!?

I had no interest in watching a Crichton movie, but had they advertised it as a Beowulf movie, I'd have watched it in theaters.

@FrankN.Stein: Also check out a comic book called Skaggy the Lost... [www.slgpublishing.com]

@Thrubeingcool: Actually, there's circumstantial evidence that some STDs came to Europe during the Columbian exchange. Many were unheard of until after 1500.

This one is full of win: