Going Inkless

     It was some time around 2am on Saturday morning, and I was sitting on a hospital bed with a needle in my arm, waiting for a nurse or doctor to return.  We were at the emergency room in response to a crisis that turned out to be less life-threatening than I feared but frightening nonetheless.  Me, asking to see a doctor.  You know something had to be wrong.  So, we were sitting there at a calmer moment, and my husband reached into my backpack that he had filled hastily on our way out of the house and pulled out my notebook.      "How are you going to use this one in Ullen's story?" he asked, smiling.  This was one of those moments when it became absolutely clear that he is perfect for me.  No socks in the bag, but he brought my notebook.      I told him I doubted this particular event would work with that storyline, following a weaponsmith who had fallen on hard times in his pseudo-medieval fantasy world....

     Benjamin Franklin built a time machine.      This is probably not true, but it can be fun to think about.  He was a pretty bright guy, inventive and open-minded.  He could have done it if he really focused on the project.  Instead, he spent his time writing, making social commentary, tinkering with other stuff, and flirting with French women.  He started libraries, fire departments and hospitals.  He invented a stove and swim fins.  He fought government corruption, stood up for the rights of women, slaves and the poor, and helped found a new nation.  That guy was all over the place.  Imagine what he could have done with all that energy focused on just one task.  Perhaps in another reality, he did just that, and he made it work.  I'd like to think that he'd have a good time cavorting through the ages, watching the way societies and technology change while people remain basically the same.  Being a...