Three existential questions remain: How did the universe begin? Is it possible for human beings to move beyond aggression? And should we allow the cloning of Republicans?
To these riddles another must now be added: Is Bill Gates human? Or is he, as some observers are now cautiously suggesting, an extraterrestrial inhabiting a human body?
In this Challenge, we will explore the latter possibility.
Salon readers are invited to assume the role of Bill Gates' supervisor, located on the distant planet Ep^3. Each year at this time, you send a single, encrypted communiqui to Mr. Gates. You can use this opportunity to evaluate his performance, update his mission or report on news from home.
Write the report in Ep^3-chat, and then translate it into exactly 18 English words. (The Ep^3-to-Earth transmission software will garble anything shorter or longer.)
Good luck! Or, as they say on Ep^3, Bizkay umvbr~!
R U L E S
Send your submissions via e-mail only to salon21st@salon.com. Please include your full name and an accurate e-mail address so we can contact you if you're a winner. By submitting your entry you give Salon Technology permission to publish it. Deadline for entries is May 31, 1999.
P R I Z E S
The winning response will receive a copy of Salon Technology senior correspondent Andrew Leonard's book, "Bots: The Origin of New Species."
In two weeks we'll publish a winner and some selected entries -- then start over a couple weeks after that with a whole new challenge.
