Astronauts Cautiously Opened the Newly Installed Solar Wings on the Space Station After

Infer 300

Astronauts cautiously opened the newly installed solar wings on the space station after replacing a bolt that had been put in the wrong way.

A highlight of the mission, the long, careful process of unfurling the panels began the morning after the repair was made. The solar panels, which look like the glistening wings of a dragonfly, provide electric power for the space station.

Infer 400

Before MP3s, CDs, and even cassettes, people listened to music on vinyl records. That is to say, people listened to vinyl records until they disappeared from most stores in the 1980s. Records didn't disappear because people didn't like them, or because they weren't as good as the newer formats. They disappeared because most music companies stopped making them. Music companies stopped making records because they knew they could make more money off of the newer formats.

As a result, the consumer is left with CD covers that are so small that he or she can barely see the artwork. The CDs he or she finds in these covers are longer than records, and as such, contain bloated albums that have on them five good songs and fifty minutes of filler. This didn't happen with records, which usually held around forty minutes of music. If the consumer doesn't like CDs, he or she can use MP3s. MP3s come with even smaller artwork, if there's any artwork at all. Also, since MP3s are just strings of computer code, the consumer risks losing his or her entire music collection if his or her computer crashes. Meanwhile, records, which have less room for filler and can't be lost in a computer crash, are unfortunately collecting dust in homes across the United States.

Infer 500

Martin turned on his walkie-talkie as he got out of the car. From the street, he could see there were several holes in the roof of the house and two broken windows. He had to push the door hard to open it, and the noise startled some animal that ran out the open backdoor. There was charred wood in the fireplace and fast-food wrappers littered the floor. Had Connie eaten one of those hamburgers? Judging by the size of the footprints in the dust on the floor, it seemed unlikely, but the neighborhood kids said they had seen a girl their age hanging around this address.

Shadowy Flashes 400

Daedalus was a great architect and sculptor in Greek mythology. According to one myth, he made wax wings for himself and his son Icarus to escape from the island of Crete. Daedalus warned Icarus, "Do not be reckless. Be wise, not bold. Take a course midway between heaven and earth. If you fly too high, the sun will scorch your feathers. And if you fly too low, the sea will wet them. Take me for your guide. Follow me and you will be safe."

Delighted with flying, Icarus grew careless as they flew over the sea. He forgot his father's warning and flew too close to the sun. Icarus' wings got too hot and melted as he tried to escape. Icarus crashed into the sea and was lost.

Plot of Fun 300

Murphy had never seen so much clutter in one place. Although he had checked the room number, he was convinced it was just a storeroom and not the place that would have the records he needs. Murphy started to return to the main corridor, but then he noticed the top of the clerk’s head behind a stack of files. The man looked up from what he was doing and asked, “May I help you?”

Murphy eyed the clutter in the room. Truth was he wasn’t sure that the clerk could help him at all. He needed verification of a tax ID number. How could the clerk find anything in this mess?

Murphy stepped back and looked at the room number once again. “No, no, I have the wrong room,” Murphy lied and walked down the hall. Maybe I can do this on the Internet, he thought as he pushed open the glass door to the main corridor.

Infer 400/ A La Carte 500

Plot a Fun 500