I commission “Brain in a Bell Jar” and this is what I get?
SciFi Question of the Day: If one condition of advancement was to share an office with your predecessor’s still-living and communicating brain encased in a bell jar, would you accept the promotion?
Facebook Answers
Daniel Beard it depends, do they get to do my performance review?
AmyBeth Fredricksen Yes.
Brian Covault Is it likely pre-decessor who I’m replacing and will be doing my performance review is not happy that I’m replacing them?
AmyBeth Fredricksen Nah… he died of bacon-overdose. Totally his own fault. But his contract says that his brain gets to remain involved in the company for “the foreseeable future.”
Daniel Beard ok, so no tapping on the jar. yeah, probably.
Jim Smith You scare me.
Brian Covault On the plus side, your new co-worker would make a good conversation piece.
Pony Horton Only if he was Hans Delbrück, scientist and saint.
James Lucius Hook his feed up to a computer and feed him a manufactured reality. He’d be out of your hair and never figure it out. (With credit to cartoonist Ruben Bolling for the idea!)
AmyBeth Fredricksen …and the TNG episode where they did that to Moriarty…
Gaul Stone Only one jar for the bosses brain and my prized collection of zombie brain eating piranhas – oh well i’m sure they will get along together swimmingly 😛
Google Plus Answers
Brent Stires substantial advancement?
James Drury only if I could eat it with my nachos.
James Stanley Heck yeah.
Tiffany Marshall Is there a pay increase?
Becky Cox Hum…. I kinda like my space sometimes, but probably would accept the promo, just bring along earplugs.
AmyBeth Inverness More power/responsibility/prestige and… yes… more pay. But the brain likes to listen to 1900’s show tunes…
Tiffany Marshall I’m fine with the brain in my office as long as I get at least a 10% pay raise. It’s better than having the opposite (sharing the office with a brainless body.)
Andy Brokaw Did I like the person before they died? Because I think that might make a difference.
David Foster Can I put some goldfish in with the brain?
AmyBeth Inverness +Andy Brokaw : Well, in the short story I’m writing, the brain in the jar is George Senior, who founded the Intergalactic Meat empire. The guy who has to share an office with the brain is his son, George Junior.
Andy Brokaw I love my dad and all, but I don’t think I’d want to share an office with him regardless of whether he had a body or not.
Christopher Clark do the Jars have a volume control Nob? am i required to take their input? is it just the one jar or a collection of everyone who had the job Before me?
AmyBeth Inverness Yes, they have a volume control, but the brain controls it.
Christopher Clark deal breaker, i look for a different job
AmyBeth Inverness …and on a related note…
SciFi Question of the Day follow-up: What substance could be used as a preservative, but is poisonous to humans?
Becky Cox Formaldehyde?…
Christopher Clark everything in high enough concentration would be Poisonous. Arsenic is used to preserve wood. Lye is used in Lutefisk, that nordic fish.
AmyBeth Inverness I went with Arsenic. http://underlochandkey.amybethinverness.com/2012/04/18/intergalactic-bacon/
I would love to hear what you think! Even if you are reading this post a year or more after publishing, I hope you will leave a comment with your own ideas on this topic.
The previous SciFi Q of the Day is Nirgal Vallis
The shortlink for this post is http://wp.me/p1qnT4-J2
The next SciFi Q of the Day is Junkyard Wars
The story this post is about is up on the fiction side of my blog. It’s called Intergalactic Bacon.
AmyBeth Inverness 
Pingback: Almost Done | AmyBeth Inverness
Okay… I really need to hang out on G+ more often so I can be in on these discussions…. 😀
Yes, yes you do. G+ or Facebook!
Since you’re on my G+ circles, I’ll tag you with an FR for Facebook. That way I’ll get notifications of the post easier (and check both, because the discussions are so very different).
Glad you are still enjoying your time back teaching. Are you planning on staying through next year?
As an adjunct, I teach when/if they need me. They might ask me back for the fall, or not until the spring, or not at all. I do have the official “Yes, we should ask her back” box checked off on all my evaluations, but if they don’t need me, I won’t be teaching.
*nods* I just wondered if you were personally interested in going back. Just because you may be having fun doesn’t mean you always want to do it. Still… Good you are enjoying it.
I love teaching, but I’d rather have more time for writing. Then again, teaching just a class or two gives me an excuse to escape “to the office” where I’m not interrupted as often.
Then, may you have many more delightful reasons to escape. 🙂
Pingback: SciFi Q of the Day: Junkyard Wars | AmyBeth Inverness
Pingback: Done for the Semester | AmyBeth Inverness
Pingback: SciFi Q of the Day: Nirgal Vallis | AmyBeth Inverness
Pingback: Free At Last! | AmyBeth Inverness