Category Archives: Essays

So your walking down the street minding your own business, when the devil appears and he has an offer: Your soul for anything you want in return. Now you know the old stories well enough to know how this ends. No matter what you wish for he’ll find a way to pervert your wish intoContinue reading “Outwit the Devil”

Mother, Mistress, Moon By Christopher Vera Note: This essay was published on National Public Radio’s “This I Believe” website. Sometimes to me the moon is male, jealously pursuing the attentions of the earth whom he believes is in love with the glorious sun. He weeps gently while she sleeps through the night. But most oftenContinue reading “Mother, Mistress, Moon”

In this proposed Anthology project, Vera explores the milieu as a subject for study and introduces texts that demonstrate the power of creating new worlds.

A friend pointed me to an pessimistic view of technological superhuman intelligence. The main thrust of the article is that in the very near future humankind will develop technology that will create computers that are superhumanly intelligent, resulting in the demise of the human race. Written in 1993, this article was six years ahead ofContinue reading “The Dread Artificial Intelligence”

In June 2004 I had the opportunity to visit France for the first time. I learned a few things that I would like to share with other American’s making their first trip to that country. Note that this report is in no way intended to be a complete (or incomplete) guide to France. There areContinue reading “An American’s First Trip to France”