Ice Bucket Challenge                              By                       Jonty Levine                    (working script) 1 EXT. GARDEN - DAY We open on a handheld camera shot of the back garden. The shed door is vaguely visible, as is the washing line. JONTY stands beside an EMPTY BUCKET on a CHAIR.          JONTY:          You recording?          ZAK:          Yeah.          JONTY:          Okay, so this is my ice bucket challenge. I was nominated by... nevermind who nominated me. Let’s just get to the challenge. Aaand first thing’s first. (holds up the bucket and shows it to the camera)    

Nottingham, England, 6 November 2064. A news broadcast blares out of a TV screen in the Portland Building lobby, except no one hears it, because it's on mute. But the subtitles, generated in real-time to match the news reporter's speech, tell us she is discussing a controversial new proposal from the shadow education secretary that's really blown up in the news lately. This proposal would make university attendance compulsory by 2070. The University of Nottingham still prides itself as a truly international university, with campuses on four continents. But it’s far from special in this regard. In this day and age, many similar institut

“I’m telling you, it works!” “That is such bullshit,” said Luke. “What’s bullshit?” asked Hana as she scooted her chair over to them. Luke picked up the book and showed it to her. “Chad says he can ‘change the real world’ by writing in this book,” he sneered holding something that looked like everyone else’s textbook, somewhat frayed about the edges and open at the world map page. “Like he’s the fucking Death Note of geography or some—” “I knew you wouldn’t believe me,” Chad interjected. “That’s why I changed the

It was unusually warm for winter. The glaciers had retreated more than ever, causing untold ecological damage to the fragile northern tundra, and disturbing the migration routes of the legendary white whales. But more importantly, it was turning the tide of the battle to the enemy's advantage. They fought well on open land, preferably free from ice. Their forces rushed in to claim ground from the retreating glaciers, and they had enough resources that they could stare us down for long enough, and we'd most likely starve to death before they did. "This isn't war. This is a slaughter," muttered General Ragnar, while his officer paced slowly ar

Everyone was saying this’d be the best thing to happen to humanity since opposable thumbs, or some other huge milestone. This 'update' was going to carry us to a new plane of existence. Or possibly destroy us, we just didn't know. I personally didn't buy all the hype - "It's just a point update," I'd say when someone brought up the topic. Don't get me wrong - it was a big deal. I can see why the news channels were covering it 24/7, despite there being nothing new to cover. Of course people took to the internet to speculate. And I saw an interesting essay about how a benevolent god might have planned the update to remove all prejudice f

Two planets, hitherto sharing an orbit around 90 million miles from the young sun, had been edging ever closer over the last epoch. They shared a mutual twirling dance while comets rained down upon their parched surfaces, peppering them both with holes and coating them with a thin film of water. Eventually however they got too close, and gravity pulled them inexorably towards a collision, every atom of one planet tugging on every atom of the other one. They hit. Though the smaller of the two bodies crumbled first, the impact tore them both nearly to pieces, churning their centres to the surface and burying parts of their surfaces in the centr

You are my favourite element, C? Four bonds you offer, in strength and security There is no element that you, carbon, will not embrace So from the diamond on my ring to my true love's face You make everything that matters in my life Your covalent bonds could not be cut with a knife Stronger than ruby, topaz and quartz And every organic compounds depends on your supports For it would not be organic without you, carbon So much more reactive than neon and argon If not for this fact, there would be no life Carbon, I wish to make you my wife So much more faithful than a human lover I only want atoms under my bed covers That collection of atoms may