COVID-19 turned our world around. Privacy, health care, our social life, intimacy, our environment and public places, our life had to be reshaped to deal with the deadly virus. The TU/e Center for Humans & Technology invited three writers to use science fiction to sketch the possible impact of the deadly virus on our lives.
We invite TU/e students to our STORY CONTEST: how do you think living with the coronavirus (or having lived with it) may affect our lives? And what role could technology play in all this?
STORY CONTEST - WiN 500 EURO!
Send your prize winning story to: centerht@tue.nl
We will reward the 3 best entries with a prize of 500 euros (no 1) 300 euros (no 2) and 100 euros (no 3). And of course, you will receive eternal glory as we publish your story on our website.
If you’re curious or would like to give your opinion: come to our online discussion
The contest rules: (1) Send us your entry before 5 October 2020. The maximum length is 1.000 words. The language is English.
(2) The Center for Humans and Technology will assess all entries. Our decision is final and not open for discussion (we cannot correspond about the results) (3) We reserve the right not to publish and award prizes. (4) Entries may be used by the Center for Humans and Technology for publication purposes and the participant hereby gives his or her prior consent. All prizes include VAT.
The winners of the TU/e story contest
Furniture Love
‘You feel tense, do you need a hug?’ my couch asks. I don’t really feel like it, but if I say no, I know he’ll want to go into an in depth discussion to figure out where he went wrong in his assessment of the tension in my butt muscles, so I consent.
Rachel's Project
It’s the year 2033, and 17-year old Rachel Adkins has a school project for history class. With the deadline looming and Rachel’s panic-ever growing, she turns to the experts at home - her parents Ben and Wendy - to save the day. She views them as experts because they have lived through the topic of her project. And the topic? What are the differences in technology, human interactions, and transportation between 2015 (the pre-pandemic era) and the year 2033? The divergence started at COVID-19, and the future didn’t see it coming.
Patrol Five
Julian lost his parents to COVID-19 when he was a kid. Although he learned to be a flight mechanic, he now works for the covid police to prevent the spread of viruses. When he has to arrest an acquaintance, he makes a decision that could cost him his life.