• Log InLog In
  • Register
Liquid`
Team Liquid Liquipedia
EDT 17:08
CEST 23:08
KST 06:08
  • Home
  • Forum
  • Calendar
  • Streams
  • Liquipedia
  • Features
  • Store
  • EPT
  • TL+
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Smash
  • Heroes
  • Counter-Strike
  • Overwatch
  • Liquibet
  • Fantasy StarCraft
  • TLPD
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Blogs
Forum Sidebar
Events/Features
News
Featured News
Power Rank - Esports World Cup 202545RSL Season 1 - Final Week9[ASL19] Finals Recap: Standing Tall15HomeStory Cup 27 - Info & Preview18Classic wins Code S Season 2 (2025)16
Community News
BSL Team Wars - Bonyth, Dewalt, Hawk & Sziky teams4Weekly Cups (July 14-20): Final Check-up0Esports World Cup 2025 - Brackets Revealed19Weekly Cups (July 7-13): Classic continues to roll8Team TLMC #5 - Submission re-extension4
StarCraft 2
General
Power Rank - Esports World Cup 2025 RSL Revival patreon money discussion thread Jim claims he and Firefly were involved in match-fixing RSL Season 1 - Final Week The GOAT ranking of GOAT rankings
Tourneys
Esports World Cup 2025 Sparkling Tuna Cup - Weekly Open Tournament Sea Duckling Open (Global, Bronze-Diamond) FEL Cracov 2025 (July 27) - $8000 live event RSL: Revival, a new crowdfunded tournament series
Strategy
How did i lose this ZvP, whats the proper response
Custom Maps
External Content
Mutation #239 Bad Weather Mutation # 483 Kill Bot Wars Mutation # 482 Wheel of Misfortune Mutation # 481 Fear and Lava
Brood War
General
Ginuda's JaeDong Interview Series BGH Auto Balance -> http://bghmmr.eu/ ASL20 Preliminary Maps BSL Team Wars - Bonyth, Dewalt, Hawk & Sziky teams BW General Discussion
Tourneys
CSL Xiamen International Invitational [Megathread] Daily Proleagues [CSLPRO] It's CSLAN Season! - Last Chance [BSL 2v2] ProLeague Season 3 - Friday 21:00 CET
Strategy
Simple Questions, Simple Answers I am doing this better than progamers do.
Other Games
General Games
Stormgate/Frost Giant Megathread Nintendo Switch Thread [MMORPG] Tree of Savior (Successor of Ragnarok) Path of Exile CCLP - Command & Conquer League Project
Dota 2
Official 'what is Dota anymore' discussion
League of Legends
Heroes of the Storm
Simple Questions, Simple Answers Heroes of the Storm 2.0
Hearthstone
Heroes of StarCraft mini-set
TL Mafia
TL Mafia Community Thread Vanilla Mini Mafia
Community
General
Things Aren’t Peaceful in Palestine US Politics Mega-thread Russo-Ukrainian War Thread The Games Industry And ATVI Stop Killing Games - European Citizens Initiative
Fan Clubs
SKT1 Classic Fan Club! Maru Fan Club
Media & Entertainment
[\m/] Heavy Metal Thread Anime Discussion Thread Movie Discussion! [Manga] One Piece Korean Music Discussion
Sports
2024 - 2025 Football Thread Formula 1 Discussion TeamLiquid Health and Fitness Initiative For 2023 NBA General Discussion
World Cup 2022
Tech Support
Installation of Windows 10 suck at "just a moment" Computer Build, Upgrade & Buying Resource Thread
TL Community
The Automated Ban List
Blogs
Ping To Win? Pings And Their…
TrAiDoS
momentary artworks from des…
tankgirl
from making sc maps to makin…
Husyelt
StarCraft improvement
iopq
Socialism Anyone?
GreenHorizons
Customize Sidebar...

Website Feedback

Closed Threads



Active: 662 users

Best short story ever - Asimov

Blogs > Dknight
Post a Reply
Dknight
Profile Blog Joined April 2005
United States5223 Posts
January 04 2008 17:15 GMT
#1
How It Happened by Issac Asimov from Winds of Change


+ Show Spoiler +

My brother began to dictate in his best oratorical style, the one which has the tribes hanging on his words.

"In the beginning," he said, "exactly fifteen point two billion years ago, there was a big bang and the Universe--"

But I had stopped writing. "Fifteen billion years ago?" I said incredulously.

"Absolutely," he said. "I'm inspired."

"I don't question your inspiration," I said. (I had better not. He's three years younger than I am, but I don't try questioning his inspiration. Neither does anyone else or there's hell to pay.) "But are you going to tell the story of the Creation over a period of fifteen billion years?"

"I have to," said my brother. "That's how long it took. I have it all in here," he tapped his forehead, "and it's on the very highest authority."

By now I had put down my stylus. "Do you know the price of papyrus?" I said.

"What?" (He may be inspired but I frequently noticed that the inspiration didn't include such sordid matters as the price of papyrus.)

I said, "Suppose you describe one million years of events to each roll of papyrus. That means you'll have to fill fifteen thousand rolls. You'll have to talk long enough to fill them and you know that you begin to stammer after a while. I'll have to write enough to fill them and my fingers will fall off. And even if we can afford all that papyrus and you have the voice and I have the strength, who's going to copy it? We've got to have a guarantee of a hundred copies before we can publish and without that where will we get royalties from?"

My brother thought awhile. He said, "You think I ought to cut it down?"

"Way down," I said, "if you expect to reach the public."

"How about a hundred years?" he said.

"How about six days?" I said.

He said horrified, "You can't squeeze Creation into six days."

I said, "This is all the papyrus I have. What do you think?"

"Oh, well," he said, and began to dictate again, "In the beginning-- Does it have to be six days, Aaron?"

I said, firmly, "Six days, Moses."


*****
WGT<3. Former CL/NW head admin.
Snet *
Profile Blog Joined September 2006
United States3573 Posts
January 04 2008 17:37 GMT
#2
you don't read many short stories do you?
Lemonwalrus
Profile Blog Joined August 2006
United States5465 Posts
January 04 2008 17:39 GMT
#3
Haha, that was really good. I love that writing style.
Yuljan
Profile Blog Joined March 2004
2196 Posts
January 04 2008 17:48 GMT
#4
seems more like one of those jokes on the joke page in magazines.
Mandalor
Profile Blog Joined February 2003
Germany2362 Posts
January 04 2008 18:00 GMT
#5
haha great read.
thx dknight!
XCetron
Profile Joined November 2006
5226 Posts
January 04 2008 18:45 GMT
#6
not "best" per say but it was good.
niteReloaded
Profile Blog Joined February 2007
Croatia5281 Posts
January 04 2008 20:13 GMT
#7
So now its moses who wrote the bible?
3 Lions
Profile Blog Joined October 2007
United States3705 Posts
January 04 2008 21:21 GMT
#8
moses rote part of the Bible...
Mindcrime
Profile Joined July 2004
United States6899 Posts
January 04 2008 22:05 GMT
#9
On January 05 2008 06:21 3 Lions wrote:
moses rote part of the Bible...


Tradition says that Moses wrote the entirety of the Torah - the first five books.

Tradition is wrong.
That wasn't any act of God. That was an act of pure human fuckery.
Physician *
Profile Blog Joined January 2004
United States4146 Posts
Last Edited: 2008-01-04 22:21:43
January 04 2008 22:15 GMT
#10
was funny anyway lol & and on the seventh day they rested...
http://www.vexen.co.uk/religion/christianity_7daycreation.html
"I have beheld the births of negative-suns and borne witness to the entropy of entire realities...."
Narrator
Profile Blog Joined June 2004
United States868 Posts
January 06 2008 06:51 GMT
#11
Haha, great read.
Divinek
Profile Blog Joined November 2006
Canada4045 Posts
Last Edited: 2008-01-06 08:34:52
January 06 2008 08:32 GMT
#12
That doesnt really look like normal asimov style, but that's gold so it seems logical that it could be him. Btw it's Isaac, unless that's a different person.
Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.
Oh goodness me, FOX tv where do you get your sight? Can't you keep track, the puck is black. That's why the ice is white.
gLyo
Profile Blog Joined May 2004
United States2410 Posts
Last Edited: 2008-01-06 08:36:25
January 06 2008 08:33 GMT
#13
Cute story.

Reminded me a bit another Asimov story called "The Last Question," which has a similar style but is a bit more fleshed out.
http://benisonline.com
lololol
Profile Joined February 2006
5198 Posts
January 06 2008 09:14 GMT
#14
I generally dislike short stories, but Asimov has some really great books, the most distinguishable of which is the original trilogy of "The Foundation", which is just an awesome read, it even won the only Hugo award for trilogies and that's over the Lord of the Rings
I'll call Nada.
Dknight
Profile Blog Joined April 2005
United States5223 Posts
January 06 2008 22:14 GMT
#15
Vegso, was just a typo. Its the real Asimov and its one of his stories from one of the shortstories books: Winds of Pleague.

XCetron, yeah, its not the best but at the time when I posted this, I stumbled back upon it, and I was so glad to have found it, I needed to share it.
WGT<3. Former CL/NW head admin.
BottleAbuser
Profile Blog Joined December 2007
Korea (South)1888 Posts
January 07 2008 01:42 GMT
#16
Awesomeness. Making fun of religion and management in one blow!
Compilers are like boyfriends, you miss a period and they go crazy on you.
Please log in or register to reply.
Live Events Refresh
Next event in 12h 52m
[ Submit Event ]
Live Streams
Refresh
StarCraft 2
Hui .280
Nathanias 248
BRAT_OK 43
ForJumy 29
StarCraft: Brood War
Sexy 21
Bale 7
Dota 2
LuMiX1
Counter-Strike
Fnx 935
Stewie2K697
Foxcn328
Super Smash Bros
AZ_Axe82
Liquid`Ken2
Heroes of the Storm
Liquid`Hasu542
Other Games
tarik_tv5994
Grubby4294
summit1g2967
FrodaN1797
C9.Mang0174
Sick53
Organizations
Other Games
BasetradeTV13
StarCraft 2
Blizzard YouTube
StarCraft: Brood War
BSLTrovo
sctven
[ Show 21 non-featured ]
StarCraft 2
• davetesta75
• StrangeGG 46
• HeavenSC 36
• poizon28 34
• musti20045 31
• Migwel
• sooper7s
• AfreecaTV YouTube
• intothetv
• Kozan
• IndyKCrew
• LaughNgamezSOOP
StarCraft: Brood War
• 80smullet 33
• STPLYoutube
• ZZZeroYoutube
• BSLYoutube
Dota 2
• masondota22279
League of Legends
• Doublelift2290
• TFBlade916
Other Games
• imaqtpie1278
• Shiphtur398
Upcoming Events
Esports World Cup
12h 52m
Reynor vs Zoun
Solar vs SHIN
Classic vs ShoWTimE
Cure vs Rogue
Esports World Cup
1d 13h
CranKy Ducklings
2 days
BSL20 Non-Korean Champi…
2 days
CSO Cup
2 days
BSL20 Non-Korean Champi…
2 days
Bonyth vs Sziky
Dewalt vs Hawk
Hawk vs QiaoGege
Sziky vs Dewalt
Mihu vs Bonyth
Zhanhun vs QiaoGege
QiaoGege vs Fengzi
FEL
3 days
BSL20 Non-Korean Champi…
3 days
BSL20 Non-Korean Champi…
3 days
Bonyth vs Zhanhun
Dewalt vs Mihu
Hawk vs Sziky
Sziky vs QiaoGege
Mihu vs Hawk
Zhanhun vs Dewalt
Fengzi vs Bonyth
Sparkling Tuna Cup
5 days
[ Show More ]
Online Event
5 days
uThermal 2v2 Circuit
6 days
Liquipedia Results

Completed

CSL Xiamen Invitational
Championship of Russia 2025
Murky Cup #2

Ongoing

Copa Latinoamericana 4
Jiahua Invitational
BSL20 Non-Korean Championship
Esports World Cup 2025
CC Div. A S7
Underdog Cup #2
IEM Cologne 2025
FISSURE Playground #1
BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025
ESL Impact League Season 7
IEM Dallas 2025
PGL Astana 2025
Asian Champions League '25

Upcoming

CSLPRO Last Chance 2025
ASL Season 20: Qualifier #1
ASL Season 20: Qualifier #2
ASL Season 20
CSLPRO Chat StarLAN 3
BSL Season 21
RSL Revival: Season 2
Maestros of the Game
SEL Season 2 Championship
uThermal 2v2 Main Event
FEL Cracov 2025
HCC Europe
ESL Pro League S22
StarSeries Fall 2025
FISSURE Playground #2
BLAST Open Fall 2025
BLAST Open Fall Qual
Esports World Cup 2025
BLAST Bounty Fall 2025
BLAST Bounty Fall Qual
TLPD

1. ByuN
2. TY
3. Dark
4. Solar
5. Stats
6. Nerchio
7. sOs
8. soO
9. INnoVation
10. Elazer
1. Rain
2. Flash
3. EffOrt
4. Last
5. Bisu
6. Soulkey
7. Mini
8. Sharp
Sidebar Settings...

Advertising | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use | Contact Us

Original banner artwork: Jim Warren
The contents of this webpage are copyright © 2025 TLnet. All Rights Reserved.