Like episodes of The Twilight Zone or The Outer Limits, the sixteen stories contained in Listen To The Signal, Short Stories Volume 1 ask questions like, “What would happen if an iPhone game was addictive – to everyone?” and “Are we all living inside a simulation? And if so, who’s running it?” and “When a pilot has to emergency land in a remote town near Area 51 what does he find?”
Hey, Rob here. This is another quickie, so I don’t want to say much other than it’s about that weird, cigar-shaped object that came hurtling past Earth about a year and a half ago, named Oumuamua. That much is true. The rest, well…?
Hi guys! Rob here, I’ve got a little holiday treat for you… This story was inspired by a video I saw, yes, it was one of those days you don’t know how, but you wind up an hour later watching a YouTube video of someone driving around what looks like a ghost town, right near Area 51 in Nevada. It’s a real town, called Silver Peak, and the video gives you this creepy feeling, and so of course I thought, “What secret might be hiding in this town?” Then, I don’t know why, I got the idea that a mash-up of Bridges of Madison County would be fun. And then I heard a holiday song on the radio or something, and thought, “Oooh, even better: I’ll make it a Christmas story!” Enjoy.
Hey guys! This is another one of those short stories where if I tell you anything, it’ll give it away. But I can tell you it’s about Artificial Intelligence, and the “Singularity,” the name scientists and futurists give the moment that computers match and surpass human intelligence.
Living and slaving in Fill City One, you get used to the smell. We call it the Everpresent Stink. But every once in a while, on a spring day with a breeze, it clears away enough to remind us that there is something more out there. Most Fillers’ wildest dreams would be just to get past […]
Hi guys! I don’t want to give too much away on this story, so I’ll just say it was inspired by something I saw that made me thing that some people are so gifted, it’s impossible for me not to think they somehow touch something divine. Let’s get right to it!
Hi guys! Today’s short story was inspired by an article I read in the New York Times about a couple of men who, many years after the Japanese earthquake and tsunami of 2011, still go diving every day looking for remains of their loved ones. It’s so sad, they understand I think the futility of the search, but something compels them to never give up, and it becomes a ritual to honor the dead, or sorts, or at least that’s what I thought of it. So as I’m reading this article, of course, I say to myself, “What if…?” and this story spilled out of my head, complete.
Hey guys! I just read an article yesterday, about Mark and Scott Kelly, the twin astronauts, and how Scott came back after a record length trip aboard the International Space Station, and they found that his DNA was no longer identical to his twin, Mark. What an intriguing premise for a story, right? And I’m also a twin, so the idea wouldn’t get out of my head. I decided to make this one a little more like a series on conversations I might have with my twin brother if we were astronauts and something like this happened, so it reads more like a radio play, with nothing but dialog. Enjoy! Check out March’s FREE original audio sci-fi short story “Their DNA Was No Longer The Same” here.
WARNING: If you haven’t read Where the Hell is Tesla?, I apologize in advance, as you might get completely freaking lost. If you do, just call my apartment, I’m usually around, and I’ll fill you in. (If I’m not stuck in the ITA.) – Chip. Reviews for the original novel… “★★★★★ Without a doubt the […]
This month’s story is about a mysterious signal received from space. Is it a message? Or something else….? Beware of strange dreams after this one! Check out July’s FREE original audio sci-fi short story “Bloop” here.
This month’s story is about two crazy teenagers who find something on one of their phones that couldn’t possibly be true. Or could it? Enjoy!
Hey guys! All I’m going to say about this one is it’s about an old lady named Rose. And it’s another one that’s barely science fiction. And it’s shorty. That’s it. Enjoy!
So last week I got a tick on me, and of course I freaked out, and did the whole doctor thing, they have to check your blood, check the tick, etc. And I started thinking: here’s this tiny little thing, hardly even there, and it can bring you to your knees. But what if it went even further? Like sci-fi further? Just how bad could it get? This story veers into sci-fi horror, so I apologize in advance if you have any bug nightmares.
Have you wondered lately why so much weird stuff keeps happening? The wrong movie gets the Best Picture Oscar? The Cubs win the World Series? Trump defies everyone’s expectations to become president? Steve Harvey announces the wrong Miss Universe? Well, wonder no more. March’s FREE original audio sci-fi short story is “Out of the Blue.”
The latest episode of the Listen To The Signal podcast is up! February’s FREE original audio sci-fi short story is “Purgatory.” I don’t want to give anything away before you listen to this next story, so I’ll just set it up by saying our protagonist, Tom, is a desperate guy, at the end of his rope, and that the end of that rope might not be as cleanly cut as he expected. Enjoy!
The latest episode of the Listen To The Signal podcast is up! January’s FREE original audio sci-fi short story is “Horatio Breathed His Last.” It’s another story where I woke up one morning with it kind of already formed in my head. I think it’s because I’m working on the sequel to Where the Hell is Tesla?, and I’m delving pretty deep into the characters for the second time right now. Anyway, this story is about Horace Cho, the author of the way-too-popular science fiction series The Horatio Chronicles. After over thirty novels in the series, Horatio the Hero begins to take on a life of his own. Harmless, right? Enjoy!
The latest episode of the Listen To The Signal podcast is up! December’s original audio sci-fi short story is “Quick Fix,” the tale of two routine, simultaneous repairs aboard a starship that go haywire — leading to the question, “what is real?” This story was originally the pilot for a new low-budget sci-fi TV series called Quick Fix – sort of a mashup of Quantum Leap, Star Trek, and little bit of Where the Hell is Tesla? thrown in. But the TV script is in a temporary limbo right now, so I figured I’d turn it into a short story. If you like it, let me know if this is a story you’d like to see with more episodes!
You might remember the last time we collaborated, on the goofy-but-strangely-popular anti-self-help book, Unleash the Sloth! 75 Ways to Reach Your Maximum Potential By Doing Less. It’s the self-help book you’ve always wanted. The one that tells you you’re fine just the way you are – and that you can probably get away with doing even less. (Oh, and […]
As you might know, I’m totally into the book thing, and the audiobook thing, and science fiction. So an idea struck me, a way to combine all these things I dig and share them with folks for free. (And yeah, let’s tell it like it is, hopefully eventually sell a few more books.) Anyway, here’s the […]
I DON’T KNOW WHAT THE HUMANS ARE SO CRANKY ABOUT. Their enclosures are large, they ingest over a thousand calories per day, and they’re allowed to mate. Plus, they have me. An Autonomous Servile Unit, housed in a mobile/bipedal chassis. I do my job well: keep the humans healthy and happy. “Hey you.” Heyoo. That’s my name, I suppose. It’s easier for the humans to remember than 413s98-itr8. I guess I’ve gotten used to it. Rob Dircks, bestselling author of Where the Hell is Tesla?, has a “unit” with a problem…
It’s a sci-fi odsyssey. Comedy. Love story. And of course… it’s got Nikola Tesla. I’ll let Chip, the main character tell you more: “I found the journal at work. Well, I don’t know if you’d call it work, but that’s where I found it. It’s the lost journal of Nikola Tesla, one of the greatest […]
Abe and George try to find something to talk about other than the Gettysburg Address. Their choice? Bacon.
Take a nap instead of mowing the lawn. Save yourself a few steps and jaywalk. Save yourself a few pen strokes and replace your signature with an X. Make life easier, and you’ll find that you’ll be just as lovable, productive (or unproductive) as you would’ve been anyway – but without all the unecessary stress […]
The second in a series of brief discussions with some of today’s working artists, this time featuring NYC singer songwriter Andy Mac.
Every year Doritos runs a promotion for user-submitted commercials to win a million bucks. I didn’t with the million, but I love this commercial.
Since we do some After Effects animations for clients, I’ve decided to try my own characters, Bink and Bonk. Today’s episode: Bink auditions for a starring role in his own animation series. “Emotions” is the theme.
Though I’d hardly call myself a professional photographer, I love being behind a camera. [rev_slider aarp-photography]
Video is a passion of mine – and I love the idea of being able to sell your own stuff on the Internet. So I came up with “YummyStock,” my own royalty-free stock video brand, which I sell on www.istockphoto.com.
The third in a series of mini-documentaries highlighting the incredible work of United Cerebral Palsy of Nassau. It’s been our honor and pleasure to help them with pro bono marketing, volunteering, and donations. So we know first hand how critical their services are. And these documentaries help people outside see what we’ve seen. Take seven […]
This one’s actually a class project for my Cinematography class at NYU. Enjoy!
I love new technology platforms. So when Apple came out with the App Store (and a 70% royalty!), I knew I had to explore it. So I developed iFlashnote — and app that lets you just tap a phrase or smiley — or type and save your own — and show it to your friends on […]
The first in a series of mini-documentaries highlighting the incredible work of United Cerebral Palsy of Nassau. It’s been our honor and pleasure to help them with pro bono marketing, volunteering, and donations. So we know first hand how critical their services are. And these documentaries help people outside see what we’ve seen. Take seven […]
Every year Doritos runs a promotion for user-submitted commercials to win a million bucks. I didn’t with the million, but I love this commercial, too.
This one’s actually a class project for my Cinematography class at NYU. Enjoy!
The second in a series of mini-documentaries highlighting the incredible work of United Cerebral Palsy of Nassau. It’s been our honor and pleasure to help them with pro bono marketing, volunteering, and donations. So we know first hand how critical their services are. And these documentaries help people outside see what we’ve seen. Take seven […]
Though I wouldn’t call myself a professional voiceover talent, its extremely practical to be able to provide this service when deadline grow ever-shorter! Take a listen and let me know if you think I could do movie trailer voiceovers!
I love infomercials. They’re absurd, totally funny, and actually sell real products. Here’s my take on a recent premium item we helped a client sell to customers. Enjoy.
The first in a series of mini-documentaries, The Artist Brief is meant to give a glimpse into the life of todays working artists – including painters, sculptors, writers, musicians, and more. Entire production by myself and my brother Dave.
For our holiday greeting this year, we sent out red/cyan glasses with our card, and created this 3D video using as many cheap 3D gags as we could find.
For the company’s 2013 campaign, we created a series of bold, challenging messages that could be easily be extended for many uses — in this case a series of videos for expanding web banner ads.