Schneier on Security

#2

2

#5

#1

#2.

#5

#3

5

I meant 4, sorry, subtract one 5! :-)

4

no. 3

#5 comes closest to a fear-instilling tale.

#2 is probably the most terror-filled entry.

======
(IMHO) None of the finalists achieves the goal of this contest.

4's best as a fairytale but I like 2 most overall.

#2

#2 for sheer inventiveness !

2

#5

Number 4

#3

5

#5 - Untitled story about exploding imps, by Mister JTA.

2. "The Gashlycrumb Terrors," by Laura.

Hands down.

Though #3 is also top notch ...

#1

This year's contest was more challenging than the past couple.

2 please

must add some text to avoid being a dupe

#5

2

#2. I'm a huge fan of Gorey and this was a worthy variation

#2.

#2, hands down.

#2

#1

1

I vote 2 (got held for moderation for being a duplicate before).

Toss-up between #2 and #3

#2
-- Now to get by the lameness filter...---

2

#4
Out of all of them, it feels the most dystopian and least silly.

#2, with #3 as a close second.... Nice work by all.

#2 was my favourite.

#2

2 was the best read
4 I think was closest to the goal of the contest.

#2 (Laura) for sure!

#2 I loved.

#3

#2 definitely.

2

#5

#2

#5

4 gets my vote, clever and to the point

#2

#2

#2

#2 is brilliant!

#2 "The Gashlycrumb Terrors," by Laura.

But nods of amused appreciation go to #4 and #5 as my runners up.

Well done all.

#2 is cute
#4 is so close to our current mindset

#2!

All it needs is the illustrations and I'd buy a copy!

2

#2

#2

Someone do illustrations.

#4

#2 ftw

#2
"The Gashlycrumb Terrors," by Laura.

#2!

#3

#3, Red Reiding Hood

4
Simple, Elegant, Poignant.

3

I really like both 2 and 4...

If I *must* pick only one - then 4 edges ahead, but just barely!

#2. Just brilliant.

#2!

#2, FTW!

2. I really want to see Gorey-style illustrations for it.

#3. Totally awesome!

Oh, so hard to choose; they're all good. But for really instilling terror in the heart of a child, I think I have to vote for #4.

Reasoning: one and three have too much of a counter-message beneath the message; two is too light hearted; five really needs several thousand words to flesh out into an excellent tale. four is short (maybe a little too short, not sure), but has a good punch to it, and kids can remember enough of it to repeat it.

And no, I'm not going to test any of these on my own kids. ;)

#2

#2

2

#3. Totally awesome!

#2, The Gorey pastiche was my favorite.

2

I vote for number 2

Number 2

4

#2

I vote for number 3 - how many movie threats can you get in one story?

2

The Gashlycrumb Terrors without a doubt.

NUmber 4. Unlike the others, it makes enough sense to get past the initial "this is ridiculous" filter.

#3

#2!

#3

#4

#2

@moderator: "The duplicate-comment filter will now ignore comments that are a single digit, with or without "#" prepended. Sorry about the annoyance."

Sorry but does this mean that such comments WILL or WILL NOT be allowed into the stream?

Anyway: #3.

Of these, #2 is the best.

But please, next year, let's return to movie plot threats and stop doing fractured fairy tales.

2

#2

#2

I vote for #2 which is the funniest IMHO (although the #5 is most appropriate as a fairy-tale).

#2

#2

#2 is my vote. It's a very close call with #4 in particular.

#5

#2

I vote for number 2!

5

#2 It will look great on a T-shirt

2

#2, please!

Tough choice, but #5 is my favorite.

I intend to e-mail #2 to all my friends, though, so it would be nice to know a last name for "Laura" at some point in order to properly cite.

2

Darnit, I meant 3.

#2 wins my vote. 5 is perhaps more in the spirit of the contest, but it's nowhere near as enjoyable.

#2

#2 purely on artistic merit

#5

#2

Totally awesome.

Tip of the hat to #1.

#4 for being short with a great punchline.

Honorable mention should go to #2 for excellent, vivid poetry, but it's not really a fairy tale.

2

#2

2

#3 -- I think this one is the best at illustrating how much safer the world is because of all the restrictive rules that are in place.

Honorable mention to #4, which has by far the highest (propaganda effectiveness / word count) ratio.

@they're all great: I'm "Laura" -- thanks for the compliment; I've signed this with my full name.

#2, definitely. Excellent!

#4. Love it!

Number 1!!!!! It's simply the best!

Number 1!

#4. I love its brevity.

#3

1, 2 & 4 are all brilliant in their own way.

#2 edges the others out.

I can see the movie plot, too. The book is distributed to all pre-schoolers to educate them about all the dangers that are "out there", but it turns out that the danger is the book itself, which turns all the children into zombies.

#4, simple and to the point.

(#2 is a close second though!)

Absolutely love #2. will be reading that to my son tonight :)

#2, far and away, although it doesn't quite follow the rules. If only Gorey were alive to illustrate it.

#4 if #2 is disqualified.

#3

#2 is the best one. If I had any skill with a pencil I'd step up & illustrate it myself.

#2

#2

2

I would definitely vote for that nice Mike Ferguson's work. And I would definitely vote often.

Number 1!!!!! It's simply the best!

I would definitetly vote for that nice Mike Ferguson and his adorable, yet frightening, polar bear story.

#2

#1

#1

#1

#2.

...but isn't secret voting of vital importance?

1

#1
Great job. Brilliant, even, and so concise.

#4, Have to say #4.

#1 would have been good, but for the two lines at the end that aren't part of the story, yet imply another entirely separate unaddressed threat. Adding them requires the reader to then discuss that problem without a story to read.

#2 is part serious, part humorous, and ends with what is, IMO, bad advice.

#3, is just LRRH retold, from the POV of an imaginary future.

#5 is good, but needed an editor before submission.

2

#2 - It makes me smile :)

#2

#4

2 is a classic - Get an artist to add illustrations and it would be viral.

#2 is the cleverest!

1

#2

I am going with #2.

#2

#2

#2

#2 The Ghashlycrumb Terrors.

#2!

#4!

#2!!

#5 - Untitled story about exploding imps, by Mister JTA.

#5!

#2

#5!

#2

#2

#2

#5

#2

#3 is by far the best story. Too bad #2 will win.

5

#2

Scans perfectly and is a great compendium of all the fears being peddled. Great competition from the other entries too.

3

5

I vote for #2.

3. Number 2 is catchy but 3 is scary and is probably more bound to stick in a child's head; I would have loved 5 if it had made a reference as to how those boxes could have alse been gifts. Then it would have been my favorite.

3. Number 2 is catchy but 3 is scary and is probably more bound to stick in a child's head; I would have loved 5 if it had made a reference as to how those boxes could have alse been gifts. Then it would have been my favorite.

#4. I think it does a perfect job of standing the original story on its head. Sometimes that dark shadow really *is* a wolf, after all, so isn't it best to ensure that our children are paranoid... I mean, prepared?

#3
it seems the most useful.

I say #2. (#5 is also pretty good.) #1 is... somewhat hamhanded. (Perhaps that's the point, but I dislike hamhanded moralizing in whatever form and for nearly any reason.)

#5 seems to meet the intention of the challenge, although # 2 is by far the most clever.

I vote for #5

#2

2

#3

2

#4 (The Boy who Didn't Cry Wolf) is short and quite convincing. Even so, #2 (The Gashlycrumb Terrors) is quite good (imagine illustrations) and #5 (exploding imps) probably would come in third.

3

#2
I've noted and sympathized with several respondents' reasoning favoring #4, but I think it's just too abrupt. The kiddies will soon be able to tell you each of the Gashlycrumb Terrors based on their pictures and even be able to tell you their favorites. In fact, this recitation might actually be useful in that it would trivialize the Terrors.

#2

2

3

#3.
#4 is too short, #2 probably raises the awareness instead of the fear. #5 might actually do something remotely useful but it is basically generic government thought right now. #1 I just don't like.

#2

#2

Excellent!

#2

#2. Fantastic.

Number 2.

4

#2

Concision wins - #4.

#2.

#2

4

#2

#2

#4 Very concise

I think they're all great, but since I have to choose one (well, I don't *have* to, but anyway), I vote for #1.

Number 3 please.
The theme of history being warped to fit in with our everyday teachings of why society is the way it is is spot on! Make the kids happy with what they have by scaring them into thinking that their ancestors had it so much worse. I also like the idea that we 'allowed' the cockroaches to survive...presumably because they were the one thing we couldn't kill.

# 3

#2 for the win.

#2 FTW!

#2. Great work.

2

#3

#2

Definitely #4

But then I'm expressing my amusement more than following contest rules.

#3. Untitled Little Red Riding Hood parody, by Isti.

#3

#2

#2

4

#2

#1

3

#3.

1 and 2
one and two
een & twei

#2

#3

#2

#2

#4

#2

#4

#2

#4

( i like it so much i have to say something - by voting :-)

people who don't take NYC transit / Metro North trains probably find it hard to realize how funny this is.

#4

( i like it so much i have to say something - by voting :-)

people who don't take NYC transit / Metro North trains probably find it hard to realize how funny this is.

3

#2

#3

2
because I'm a sucker for Gorey

2

I'll vote for #4

2

3. Untitled Little Red Riding Hood parody, by Isti.

5

#2

#2

# 1,

thinner ice indeed!

5

5

3

2

3

2

#2

2

#2

5

One

#3

Vote for #2

#2

5

#3

4

# 2

#4

Vote for #2.

1

2

#1

#2

#5 - Untitled story about exploding imps, by Mister JTA.

number 3

#4. Simple, short, and convincing.

#4 for me

#2 - I wish my meager art powers were up to the challenge of illustrating this.

I just bought Amphigorey and thoroughly enjoyed it, especially the Gashleycrumb Tinies.

#2. Hands down. Funniest thing I've read in a LONG time.

#4

#3

2

#2 - creative and clever

2

#2

#4

#5

1

#2

#1

I vote for #1

1

I go for number 3 !

#2

#2

#2

#2.

#2

2. Though I'd vote for 3 as well if multiple votes are permitted.

2

#2

My vote is for #3, the Little Red Riding Hood. I think that one meets the topic of the contest the best: the world is full of (movie-plot) threats, but the Lords made it safe for you.
(Number 2 is also fantastic.)

3

4

#2

#3

#2 - not a fairy tale, but clever, incisive, and well-written.

#5

#2

#4

2.

#3

#2

# 2

#2

#3

#1 for the great twist at the end.

#3

#3

3.

3

3

#3

#3

3

3

3

I liked #3 the most as it illustrated the necessity of so many restrictive and monitoring measures that can make this world safer, nicer and happier. :)

2 Gashleycrumb Terrors

4

#3 -- It's a real fable with manipulative side comments that are scarily realistic.