Last week, scifi creator and livewriting maniac MCM asked io9 readers to come up with a few plot points for his new novel, by giving him news stories from September 2038. Here are the winning entries!
Winners will get a free copy of Typhoon, and their ideas will be incorporated into the sequel, Polarity, which MCM is livewriting in a couple of weeks. Winners, please email MCM and give him your address so he can mail you your free book.
The winners, randomly chosen by MCM's script:
Jens Aggergren
OPEC to cut crude reserve estimate by 500 bn barrels.
Fwiffo
Spokespeople for fast food chain PizzaFriends refuted claims that it's "Borganics" all-artificial pizzas contained unhygenic farm-raised meats, going on to say "Our Borganics range of convenicence foods are made of 100% pure-vat grown animal products and biologically reclaimed soya husk for the ethically-minded consumer."
extra
The work on analysing the exterrestrial signal begins.
Since June scientists have been hard at work trying to translate the peculiar signal that was first found in May this year. "The signal seems to be an extremely complex and large piece of data" the leading engineer of the project Katia Stalinsk says and continues. "This is the first time human has found clear evidence of alien intelligence in space and the total magnitude of this discovery is still getting bigger and bigger. We are finally sure that we now have the full transmission and work can begin on translating and decoding it".
No time estimation has been given how long it might take to translate signal. "The amount of data is humongous" says the leading engineer and continues. "The total size of the transmission we have stored and are analysing is measured in exabytes. It took us months to just recieve and store it. To have the capability, equipment and ability. The signal being so strong helped but it has been extremely challenging nevertheless".
The signal seems to coming "somewhere from the direction of galaxy Xen-20-Ba located approximately 100 light years away from us" Stalinsk says. Despite major efforts to try to find the origin of the signal nothing has been conclusive so far. "The signal is very strong and very focused. Moon, Mars and Pluto colonies are not receiving it but yet on earth the signal can be found with relatively crude equipment" leading engineer Xing Sazu of the signal origin project says.
"And despite the signal being so focused on our end it looks as the transmitter of the signal is the size of the whole universe in the direction of Xen-20-Ba galaxy approximetely 100 light years away from us. Not a point in the galaxy. Not a star or planet but the whole universe in that direction. We can't explain it. And the signal is very clearly focused on earth as it follows the orbit of earth perfectly. It's like it is aimed at us." He continues.
The signal is also causing some problems. "The pluto colony for example has had hard time getting its messages recieved on earth" Sazu says. Transmissions from space colonies are getting harder and harder to recieve because of the strength of the signal. "It is so strong that we have had to increase our own signal strength multiple times since the signal was first found. Communications and transmissions can become very problematic if the signal strength keeps getting stronger and stronger."
Gareth Shippernicus
At a demonstration event in Khartoum, Emily Davis became the first human to break the one minute mile (1.7km).
Born a paraplegic in Ulan Bator, the 23 year old athlete has been working in partnership with the Mongolian National University into research of bionic limbs for the past five years.
Ms. Davis hopes that the international assembly on Thursday will encourage the International Olympic Committee to showcase demonstration events at the 2040 Paralympic games featuring athletes with active synthetic limbs. "It's not going to be long before fully able competitors have to keep up with us!" said Davis.
sirboobys
XV47 Gravity Matrix Engine (GME) causes on navigation, weapons malfunctions. The much hyped GME aboard the UN's XV47 has proved to be a game changer in the defense industry but not in the way creator USDD Inc (United States Defense Department Incorporated) had hoped.
The GME's gravity manipulation properties combined with the Atmospheric Diffuser Shield (ASD) allows the XV47 fighter to reach speeds once thought to be purely theoretical but the trade off is proving to be a defense nightmare.
Today's early morning test revealed that the XV47 and ground monitoring equipment are picking up two and sometimes three unidentified aircraft trailing the XV47. The unidentified aircrafts caused the XV47 to take automatic evasive manueveurs and the ground alert system to launch counter measures against the unidentified targets. USDD Inc. now reports that the XV47 and ground alert systems are picking up the XV47 itself as an unidentified target due to it's incredible speed. The XV47 is literally running from its own shadow and ground alert systems are locking on to their own fighter.
The Chairman of USDD Inc., Bernard Madoff III, issued a statement regarding the incident and reiterated the fact that turning off the ground alert system is not an option at this time despite concerns for pilot safety.
MCM adds: "And if I may, an honourable mention for the suggestion that so perfectly dovetails into the actual story of Polarity":
Polaron
The Second Mexican-American War entered its thirteen month today. Begun after the American military launched strikes on Mexican government-run drug sites, the American states of Texas and New Mexico have both suffered severe damage from Mexican Army forces launching raids across the destroyed sections of the Border Wall.
The USS Roosevelt battle group recently arrived off the coast of the Mexican state of Guerrero and is expected to begin landing forces within the week.