Restaurant where patrons give their orders via old-fashioned pneumatic tube.

Movie inspired by songs like “Copacabana,” which no one really likes but which get stuck in your head permanently. A man, nearing middle age and down on his luck, blames one such song for every failure in his life. It seems that at every crucial moment requiring poise or confidence, he froze, unable to think of anything but the inane lyrics and obnoxious melody of that song. That big presentation at work, a court appearance, marriage proposal, etc. Feeling he has nothing left to lose, he resolves to track down the singer/songwriter and exact revenge. But when he finds him, the former star is broke and alone — and furthermore says that he too feels his life has been ruined by the song. He confesses that he stole it from his former mentor and never gave him credit; the song, he believes, is cursed, and only evil ever came of it. Together the two hard-up losers come up with a plan to redeem not just themselves, but the original songwriter, the song, and the millions around the world who have been annoyed by it.

Reference work for bookish people who can’t be bothered to learn the names of objects associated with the natural world, trades, architecture, etc. Book features illustrations of each object in alphabetical order, beneath which is not just a definition but an appropriate quotation from a great work of literature. Russian novels very helpful for alders, aspens, beeches and birches. Later Philip Roth a good source for bevels, flanges, socket wrenches, etc.

Young adult book. Children, lost in the mall at age four or five and never found again, turn out not to have been abducted by killers but to have found their way to a long-closed department. There they have flourished in much the same way that discarded pet alligators were said to flourish in the sewers. Now junior-high age, they live in almost Victorian innocence and refinement of manners, wearing outdated fashions, their home furnished with the most expensive mall offerings of the past decade. At night they steal out onto the grand concourse, where they promenade arm in arm, making each other Cinnabons and Orange Julius and shoplifting skillfully. One day our hero or heroine, left at the mall late after missing their ride, catches a glimpse of one of these shy but beautiful mall dwellers — and decides they must find out if the legends are true.

Book compiling inaccurate predictions throughout history. Quotations from important people making statements that were proved false in 1000 years or in a few hours.

Movie: “Play with Fire.” America is ready for a movie about a gang of sexy arsonists. Sort of like “Gone in 60 Seconds,” but arson. Best friends from a small town decide to try their luck in the big city and before long are living the dream of starting insurance fires for the mob. But when a beautiful woman joins their operation, the ensuing rivalry threatens to torch their friendship to its foundations. In this love triangle, how long before someone gets burned?

New diet fad: tiny silverware. You can eat whatever you want, as much as you want, provided you do it with the miniscule fork, knife, and spoon that are sold along with the diet book. Newly-slender celebrities rave about TS and show off their doll-like utensils, which they carry with them in monogrammed bags.