Thursday, November 24, 2011

Reader Challenge: What does Wikipedia programmer Brandon Harris really want?

Loyal followers of Erasable Pen will know that exactly a year ago we conducted a Reader Challenge almost identical to this one, when Wikipedia Founder Jimmy Wales made his much ballyhooed personal appeal to the masses. Well, this year, Mr. Wales has handed the baton to his programmer Brandon Harris, and once again we're left to wonder what the f*ck these people want.

Instead of following the Wikipedia link to answer this question though, we'd rather hear what you have to say. So, what do YOU think Wikipedia programmer Brandon Harris wants out of this deal? I'll kick things off with my own personal opinion:

I think Brandon Harris wants us to help him complete his collection of Star Wars books from Timothy Zahn's New Jedi Order series.

But that's just my opinion. Now it's time for you to weigh in. Use the comments section to tell us what Wikipedia programmer Brandon Harris is angling for, and we'll use modern science to determine if you're right. Whoever has the most accurate response will win a $25 gift certificate to Sam Goody. OK, ready? Let's do this.

Friday, November 18, 2011

Doritos Late Night Cheeseburger Noir

These streets aren't safe. Maybe they are. But they sure don't feel safe. I should have taken a cab when I had the chance. I wasn't ready though. Sometimes you just need another drink, and some strange company. That was strange alright. And now here I am, stumbling through the dark, trying to remember where everything went wrong.

It's a hard question to answer. I didn't plan on staying out late, but I was hungry. Real hungry. Hungry for what, I'm not sure. I guess I wanted adventure. Yeah, that's it. Adventure. Something out of the ordinary. Like, if my natural instinct was to go home and watch Season 3 of One Tree Hill on Netflix Instant, this time I'd do the complete opposite. So what is it? What's the most outrageous madness I could get into if I really wanted to ignore that little angel perched on my shoulder?

Would I drink myself silly? Yes, that's a start, but there'd have to be something more. Some sort of late night snack I could grab on my way home to really take it over the top. But not an ordinary snack. It'd be like a full meal, but in the form of a tortilla chip. You know? Something I could really pick up and throw down. Like, what if there was a chip that had the flavor of a cheeseburger, straight up. We're talking flame-broiled beef, mayonnaise, sesame seed bun, lettuce, tomato, american cheese, pickles, ketchup, mustard, the works, all right there in a bite-sized triangular chip. And I'd eat a full bag of that sh*t. Not like the little bag that's half full of air. Like a full-on family size bag of cheeseburger chips. And it would be late, real late. Late at night.

What if I could do something like that, just once? I bet that's what I was thinking.