The Art of Chit-Chatting

By Ricky Fitzpatrick

My wife and I went into town this morning.

And I think that was our first mistake.

What should have been a relatively uneventful excursion into the civilized world turned into a social…

Cats Are Southerners

By Ricky Fitzpatrick

I’m not entirely sure how it happened, but, in case you didn’t know, we have a cat. It’s an odd thing, because we’re not what you might call “cat people”. But…here we are.

And…

Gunfight At the Greasy Griddle

By Ricky Fitzpatrick

Present day. Dry Pond, GA. November.

The off-road tires crunched on the shards of gray and silver gravel. A 1980-something F-150 rumbled into the parking lot and settled in place, like a…

Road Block

By Ricky Fitzpatrick

When I was nine, I nearly died. 

There. I said it. And I know what you’re thinking…”that’s a little dramatic, isn’t it?” But let me assure you, I am not exaggerating. It’s only by the…

The Creativity Police

Years ago, Corey Smith sang “F**k The Popo”. And I would have to echo that sentiment today, as we think about…the Creativity Police.

I wasn’t aware we’d funded the department. I don’t remember voting on it. I…

Imagine someone tells you:

"There's a cat inside this box. Until we open it, the cat is both alive and dead."

That sounds ridiculous.

And that was exactly the point.

Schrödinger's Cat is one of the most famous ideas in…

Imagine opening your front door...

...and instead of seeing your front yard, you step out onto the surface of Mars.

Sounds impossible, right?

That's the basic idea behind one of the most fascinating concepts in modern physics: the wormhole…

"The day science has all the answers is the day it stops being exciting."

One of the biggest misconceptions about science is that it's simply a collection of facts. In reality, science is built on questions. Some of those questions…

“Gesundheit.”

The sensation of a sneeze, which had arrived first, was unmistakable.

The buzz. The slight tinnitus in the ears. The sprites of light that danced in one’s vision.

A time leap was always a bit jarring to the senses. …

Working is ugly. It just is. Grinding away, calling strangers, making untested connections, putting in the sweat. It’s not pretty.

The relationships you nurture. The skills you patiently build. The networks you invest in. The systems you create. The ideas…