The character Brad entered fairly late but was paired up with Tom by the Guard because they were close in age and got along well together.
What we don't know about Brad is that he was a throw-away or one of Utah and Colorado's Lost Boys. You also discover that he had been to Iraq and had done quite well there.
When Brad got back into what was something like a large family, he thrived.
When I was working for the Air Farce at Barksdale I had to drive one of those K-cars in Air Force blue. Of course it was a contract car- as striped as humanly possible. Damned thing had an AM radio and a heater which wasn't much use since it was August in Louisiana.
That summer was all hot and noisy with B-52 in and out all the time. The KGB could have probably recruited me with an air conditioner and earplugs.
I would think that the graph is reversed. 1-3 inches isn't going to plow anything bigger than a gerbil.
15" or more is crazy circus freak plowed and will be on those videos you see from Tijuana.
They are shelved beside the fusion reactor and the 150 mile per gallon engine: things that will never see the market because they kill existing industries or can't be controlled.
The fun part of the spoof were the things people wanted that a computer could never deliver- like controlling your weight, making your parents quit fighting and being a dominatrix.
Of course when the kid said, "a glass of pepsi with a dead bird in it." I lost it and have been having laughing jags ever since.
Riley-
I'm particularly interested in the cross-cultural aspect of the story.
As it is set in the South, if you need any info on Southern language, attitudes or culture, give me a yell.
Brits should find the transition easy and in Georgia, many surnames and place names will be the same or similar.
When the President approached the dais, he looked tired and haggard. He seemed a step slower than he usually appeared but confident and resolute despite the black circles around his eyes. It took McMahan forty-five minutes to tell the entire story. At each critical point he provided the evidence to validate its veracity.
In conclusion, McMahan said,
we need more smilies:
I suggest these for a start
drunk smiley
hung-over smiley
barfing smiley
smiley giving the finger
mooning smiley
humping smilies (for Chase)
yellow cat smilies
Gray cat smilies
black cat smilies
hippie smilie
hillbilly smilie
Racism is that little slice of DNA that warns you that the Mongols are going to burn your village and steal your goats.
Understanding that this is built into EVERYBODY is key to getting past it.