Now, this is the real question. I’m done struggling with how to approach my own writing in this era of political instability. I’ve decided no more of this doom and gloom and writing at the end of an era nonsense. Yes, the rise of right-wing authoritarianism and the spread of AI have made this an absurd era. So should we just lay down and die? No, we will thwart them all by answering the question: “Can the Humans still win?”

How will we answer it? By looking to the past. Every generation tends to think they’re special, and I am no different. I think my generation is especially fucked up. But are we really? If you’re like me, you may want to shout, “Of course, we are! Everywhere you look its absurdity after absurdity.” But are we really living in a particularly absurd point in history? Or have humans always been absurd creatures? Have we lost our connection to reality? Or did humanity never have a solid grasp on the dividing line between fact and fiction? Possibly, we’ve never been able to tell the difference between uncovering a conspiracy and believing a conspiracy theory.

To answer this profound mystery, I will delve into the annals of the past for the most absurd things that have ever happened, have been believed to have happened, or have been written about happening. Notice, I said I will use the annals of the past. If you don’t know what annals means, we can pause a moment for you to google it? Once you have, come back.

As you knew, or found out, annals means books.* It doesn’t mean googling or asking ChatGPT. All of the research, and I mean 100%, for this experiment will come from actual physical books that I have held in my hands. Real books. Made out of paper and everything. Not only will AI do none of my writing, the computer itself with play no role in my research. Does this mean that the books I use or the same information from another source isn’t available on the internet? Of course not. To determine what percentage of human knowledge has been made available online, you’d have to ask some kind of data engineer, but I know it’s pretty high. However, my source will not be the internet. I will find these absurdities and write them up on my blog as Absurd Past Events Stories (APES) on a weekly or bi-weekly basis depending on time and interest.

You can participate in this experiment and help me discover if the Humans can still win against absurdity and AI by reading the APES and correctly (or incorrectly, as the cause might be) identifying whether the event or belief is real. Did the event I recount happen? Was it a belief humanity truly held? Or was merely rumored to have happened: an urban legend, folk tale, or myth? If it is fictional, was it produced by one of the literary greats of the past? Or by an upstart Crow beautified with our feathers or a scribbling woman? Or did I just make it up myself?. Will you be able to find the correct answer with a simple google search? Maybe, I make no promises.

If you identify the APES as a true historical event, let me know if you think it is more or less absurd than what is happening today. For the rules of how to play, see Rules. Awards and prizes will be given. See Awards and Prizes for more information on how awards and prizes will be handed out.

After hearing about the rewards and prizes, I’m certain you will not want to miss out on your chance to participate in this historic experiment. The first APES is scheduled to appear on July 14. Keep your eyes peeled for my information, or subscribe to my newsletter with the form in the sidebar to make sue you don’t miss an important update. Pass the word to friends and family. Be sure to use the hashtag #APES.

Note: The above post contains several allusions. To get a head start on earning awards, you can earn 1 point by correctly identifying any allusion and its source.

* Can the word “annals” be used to refer to something other than books? Of course, it can, but do you really want to argue definitions? When I say, annals, I mean books.