Well, I finally went and did it.
After all the hemming and hawing; after extensive cost analysis, I decided to order the tests to be performed – you know, the ones they do on your DNA to see how “your potential may be unlocked.”
Unlocked, indeed. Interesting results were reported to me in the email I received from the genomic lab this morning; there are three potential changes that can be made, over a set of genetic markers comprising hundreds of genes and affecting a range of normal sequences. The catch is, I can only choose one of the three due to what they call “overlapping potentials.” That’s fair enough, I suppose, and they are good choices, too:
- I could speak and understand any language. I figure this would be a somewhat selfish choice for me, since I’m kind of a language and word geek; if I could do that without all the time studying, learning to conjugate and decline, not to mention learning the particular quirks and turns of phrase, the “colorful vernacular” . . . Well, that would be pretty cool!
- I could travel through time. Sounds great, looks pretty cool on paper – but time travel comes with HUGE responsibility, and there’s a disclaimer saying they can’t guarantee whether said time travel would occur in the same stream, an existing alternate stream, or in sandbox time. So yes, it’s got selling points and potential deal-breakers; however, if I took someone along I could recreate all my favorite scenes from the TV show Land of the Lost . . . that’s something to consider.
- I could have the ability to make any two people agree with each other. Really, that’s the one that would benefit the world the most. I’d be the William Shatner of peace treaties, the “Palestine Negotiator!” I’d be able to broker peace in the Middle East, heal the massive rifts between the major political parties in this country, and abolish weapons of mass destruction for good. Then again, with such powers comes the desire to exploit – I’d be highly desired for my influential mojo and probably would be paid more to abuse it than to use it for good, so that one presents a moral dilemma.
I scheduled my appointment for the treatment, but I only have a few days to decide and then they need to start making the serum that will cause my chosen power to manifest. They say it takes a week to culture, and then after the treatment, my power will take a while to develop.
Too bad I can’t do two of them though – I mean, languages and time travel? Yes, please and thank you!!
What do you think would be the best one to choose? Let us know in the comments!
This post was prompted by today’s Daily Post prompt.
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Rob's Surf Report 
Loved your approach to this. I couldn’t think of a fresh way to do this prompt but yours is great. I’d choose the power to make 2 people agree. Think of all the wars we could end.
Right? That was the first thing I thought of.
[…] A tough choice . . . | Rob’s Surf Report […]
[…] A tough choice . . . | Rob’s Surf Report […]
[…] A tough choice . . . | Rob’s Surf Report […]
[…] A tough choice . . . | Rob’s Surf Report […]
Oh time travel for sure. I would right so many wrongs lol
That’s very tempting, for sure.
F-word. Finally. Yah-dah-ha! HaH!,,,,,,,,,,,,
Huh? Boy, did I scramble posts. Or maybe it was Huberman, or, gasp, G.S.A.!
Anyway, I love ‘conjugate and decline.’ It gets my vote.
You are writing beautifully, by the way, old man.
Thanks! Yeah, I was a little confused by the comment, so I was taking some time to ruminate on it’s meaning . . . the only thing I had come up with to this point was maybe you were speaking Cherokee. 😀
Nah, I can only do Chinookan. But ‘I’m a very good driver.’ Cheers.
[…] A tough choice . . . | Rob’s Surf Report […]
[…] A tough choice . . . | Rob’s Surf Report […]
[…] A tough choice . . . | Rob’s Surf Report […]
[…] A tough choice . . . | Rob’s Surf Report […]
That picture just reminded me of A-T, C-G, A-U, C-G.. DNA, RNA! I would pick time travel, so I could visit Thursday to see what subjects I get on my exam, then go back to today and read loads about. But would that be cheating?
It’s only cheating if you didn’t study, I would think. You can’t define time travel as cheating if nobody can do it.
😉
I haven’t seen you around in a while, welcome back!
I know. I just crawled out of my corner – while I’m supposed to be studying for my science exam. Hope to be back a bit more and stronger in 2014, but since there won’t be less school or work I’m guessing, I’ll still be the reader and hider 😉
Well, we all do what we all gotta do, am I right? Just keep poking out whenever you can; I won’t forget you!
Good! Yeah, I haven’t disappeared completely, just a bit latent (if that even is a word in the english vocabulary).
Yes, latent; hidden under the surface, waiting to arise, like a latent ability or a latent tendency to explode – you’re like the Internet’s latent future sensation, aren’t you?
Haha! Yes! That is me 😉
Just waiting for the right moment to explode…
I’ll be watching the news. 😀
Haha, I’ll be the Norwegian Internet tornado! Watch out!
time travel would be my choice i could arrange the appropriate circumstances to where it wouldn’t matter who agreed with me i would be the ultimate ruler of my own dimension
Hmm. Dimensional overlord, eh? Sounds like a cushy gig. 😉
If you don’t mind a perfectionist intrusion from someone who just wrote a book where genomics is vital to the plot: “there are three potential changes that can be made, over a set of genetic markers comprising hundreds of genes and affecting a range of normal sequences, in such a way that the changed sequences can be spliced into every relevant cell in my body and coordinated in gene expression so that the functionality of the new ability develops properly.”
Wow, ha ha! Well the beauty of telling it from the layperson’s perspective is I don’t have to come at it with that level of knowledge, but I sure don’t mind reading it. :). Thanks!
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