Meaningless Problems

A writer is slightly concerned about his short story podcast. He shares these concerns with a plumber and is surprised by his response.    Something to consider when reading/listening:    How do you know for certain that you are not a fictional creation dreamt up by somebody else?    Comedy - Philosophy - Plumbing    If you’d like to read the script of this episode go to https://www.fairobserver.c...

The top five short stories from 2023. If you’re new to Meaningless Problems, this might be a good place to start.   These are the stories with the timestamps for each:   It Wasn’t Me - 1.30 - Kimi is delighted with Su-Z, a new personal assistant software that can send and respond to emails on her behalf. But her delight is punctured when her boyfriend receives a message from one of her email conta...

A silly story, especially for Christmas. Working the early-turn Christmas Eve shift, Sergeant Rod just wants to finish at five, collect his daughter’s bizarre choice of present and go home. But his boss, the local drug lord and south London’s canine population have other ideas.    Something to consider when reading/listening:    Are you feeling Christmassy?    Comedy - Family - Christmas    A Wise...

Thanks to developments in AI and VR, every voter now has the right to meet their political candidates one-on-one. These hyper-realistic chat bots look and sound exactly like their real-life equivalents and they answer questions with 99.9% accuracy. So what happens when the British primer minister’s chat bot starts making some very provocative statements?    Something to consider when reading/liste...

A new medical procedure will remove anxiety and allow you to live perfectly in the moment. The only downside? You have to give up your ability to comprehend language.    Something to consider when reading/listening:    What would you be prepared to give up in exchange for perfect peace of mind?   No Words is an original short story by Doe Wilmann    If you’d like to read the script of this episode...

Like most of his friends, Burt hates his job and lives for the weekend. And when his friends start installing modules into their brains that make them enjoy their work, Burt is furious with them. What’s the point of escapism if there’s nothing to escape?    Something to consider when reading/listening:    Could you live a good life if you enjoyed every part of it?    The Meaning of Love is an orig...

After a mental breakdown, Michael reconsiders his entire perception of the world.    Something to consider when reading/listening:    Are there any narratives in your own life that you’d be better off without?   Losing the Plot is an original short story by Doe Wilmann    If you’d like to read the script of this episode go to https://www.fairobserver.com/author/doe-wilmann/     You might enjoy thi...

On your deathbed, in agonising pain, you are given the chance to reduce your suffering. But in order to do so, you must reduce your worldly success by the same amount.    Something to consider when reading/listening:    Would you sacrifice the present for the sake of the past?    Your Final Ambition is an original short story by Doe Wilmann    If you’d like to read the script of this episode go to...

In the near future, virtual reality allows couples to meet their potential children before they’ve been conceived.    Something to consider when reading/listening:    Does having more options make us more free?    Don’t Blame The Children is an original short story by Doe Wilmann    If you’d like to read the script of this episode go to https://www.fairobserver.com/author/doe-wilmann/     For info...

A therapist is tasked with convincing a very clever eleven year old that there is a difference between fact and fiction.     Something to consider when reading/listening:    If all of your experiences take place in your mind, how can you be certain anything is real?    Iguana is an original short story by Doe Wilmann    If you’d like to read the script of this episode go to https://www.fairobserve...

A widower uses an AR filter to make his new girlfriend look exactly like his ex wife.    Something to consider when reading/listening:    Is it possible to have a truthful relationship with someone if your perception of them is totally different to how they perceive themselves?    Sc-fi - Augmented Reality - Family      Just Like Her is an original short story by Doe Wilmann    If you’d like to re...

Casting director Lydia has invited an actress along to a family meet-up so that the actress can model her next character on Lydia’s twin sister Tania. But Lydia soon realises that one Tania is quite enough.    Something to consider when reading/listening:    To what extent are we all actors playing characters?    Dramatic Monologue - Comedy - Family     Inside Voices is an original short story by...

Tania’s twin sister Lydia has bought a memorial bench for their mum in the family’s local park. There’s just one problem: their mum is still very much alive (Lydia was unaware that memorial benches are exclusively for the dead). Cue a series of tributes from people who want to pay their respects, including a man whose connection to Tania and Lydia’s mum threatens to completely undermine who they t...

A married man purchases a memory of himself having sex with another woman. His wife finds out and kicks him out. He returns to the memory shop to try and put things right.     Something to consider when reading/listening:    Picture something you’ve always wanted to do. Would you rather do it and have no memory of having done so, or not do it but have a false memory of having done so?    Sc-fi - M...

A father with a terminal illness has the chance to spare his young daughter from the pain of his death by erasing her memories of the times they’ve spent together.    Something to consider when reading/listening:    How far would you go to save someone you love from grief?    Sc-fi - Memory - Family      Tell Her I Was Kind is an original short story by Doe Wilmann    If you’d like to read the scr...

An offhand remark from his dentist makes Mark question his entire existence.    Something to consider when reading/listening:    To what extent does our identity depend on other people's perceptions? Who are we when no one is looking?    Dramatic Monologue - Psychological - Relationships    Cheek Biter is an original short story by Doe Wilmann, performed by Sebastian Brown (sbvoices.co.uk)    If y...

Gina has a fantastic relationship with her seven-year-old son, James. The trouble is James is actually an adult and this seven-year-old is simply a perfect VR simulation of how he used to be. And adult James isn’t willing to share his mummy with anyone - even himself.    Something to consider when reading/listening:    If someone created a perfect VR simulation of you as a child, would you be happ...

Faced with the prospect of making half his workforce redundant, Mr Pomeroy is offered the chance to skip the experience by travelling twelve hours into his own future. He accepts the offer and, twelve hours later, finds he still has all the memories of having experienced the day. So how is ‘time skipping’ any different from our normal experience of life?   Something to consider when reading/listen...

An old man is troubled by the fact that his late wife spent her final years reminiscing about memories that never actually took place. A doctor visits him with some unorthodox advice.    Philosophy - Spirituality - Memory    Dreams and Memories is an original short story by Doe Wilmann    If you’d like to read the script of this episode go to meaninglessproblems.com and sign up to my monthly newsl...

A new augmented reality app allows everyone to look beautiful. This makes Gary, who refuses to use any form of AR, the ugliest person in the world. He’s never been a particularly bad-looking bloke so how will he adapt to his new reality?    Sc-fi - Comedy - Dating      The World’s Ugliest Person is an original short story by Doe Wilmann    If you’d like to read the script of this episode go to mea...

Kimi is delighted with Su-Z, a new personal assistant software that can send and respond to emails on her behalf. But her delight is punctured when her boyfriend receives a message from one of her email contacts claiming that he and Kimi have fallen in love. Will Kimi’s boyfriend believe her when she pins the blame on Su-Z? And what exactly has her personal assistant been saying in those messages?...

Lee has a strong memory of his dad’s last moments on this earth. Only it’s not his memory, it’s his dad’s. Somehow he can picture, with perfect clarity, the final thing his dad saw before he passed away. Is this just a trick of Lee’s imagination or is it pointing towards something deeper?    Philosophy - Spirituality - Non-Duality    The Light Without The Filter is an original short story by Doe W...

Harry Bow (aka Starmix), a part-time waiter and full-time life coach, has discovered the secret of the universe. Namely, that every living being shares the same consciousness. And now it is his mission to correct the bad behaviour of everyone he meets.    Philosophy - Spirituality - Comedy    Starmix and The Runaway Table is an original short story by Doe Wilmann    If you’d like to read the scrip...

There’s a secret that may well blow your entire world apart. ‘You wouldn’t recognise me but you have seen me,’ says the narrator of this story. ‘You’ve seen me many times. The day your partner left you. When you were fired from your job. The time you felt like you couldn’t go on…’ So who are they? And what is their secret?    Philosophy - Spirituality - Absurdism    Making You Feel Better is an or...

There’s a new dating app that cuts out the dating. It connects two compatible people and implants a love story into their memories, while removing any recollection of ever having signed up to the service. As far as the two lovers are concerned, they met and fell in love in a totally normal, natural way. So when Selina’s best friend suddenly announces she’s getting married to a woman Selina has nev...