Read to the end to really whip the llama's ass.

Hey there and welcome to today's issue of TimeMachiner. A shout out to everyone new from Escape from Clowntown and Scott's Newsletter! Thanks for giving me space in your inbox. 🙌🏻

I'm back from some time off, which included a trip to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. This mecca for hoops was a lot of fun to visit and to read up on so much of the sport's history. Yes, seeing displays from the greats was amazing, but there was a lot of history that was told by people most had never heard of. All of it was interesting.

It reminds me of a segment from CBS News called "Everyone Has A Story" that aired for many, many years. The gist was simple: someone threw a dart at a map and the crew would travel to that location. Correspondant Steve Hartman would randomply pick someone's name out of the local phone book and then visit them. Once he was talking with a completely random person, Hartman would weave a narriative recounting something impressive in that individual's life.

It almost felt too perfect to say this was all real, but it was. It is a testament to good storytelling. In only a few minutes, the segment would set up the premise, tell that person's tale, and then have the subject throw the next dart that will further the adventure.

It just goes to show that if you look closely at all the people in the world, there is always something fascinating they've done. And it's hiding just under the surface. All we have to do is ask about it.

Here's today's Random Factoid:

A giraffe and a human have the same number of bones in their necks. Source

Poll of the week

Thanks to everyone getting in on this new part of TimeMachiner! The response from you all has been fantastic. As promised, here's how the chips fell on the last two polls:

8/16 - Would you rather fight 10 duck-sized horses or 1 horse-sized duck? I'm happy to report that 63% of you would rather fight 10 duck-sized horses

8/23 - Does pineapple belong on pizza? Three-quarters of you guys say yes! Personally, I do too. I didn't want to skew the results so I didn't say it until now.

TODAY'S POLL

Which flavor of ice cream best represents you?

Chocolate
Vanilla
Strawberry
Cookie Monster
Rocky Road
Mint Chip

Results will be posted in the next newsletter.

When you want to read and listen to all things speculative fiction, you should check out Frivolous Comma. This newsletter and podcast is fast becoming the place to read and publish amazing sci-fi.