Periodic Table of Science Fiction

I have a Science Fiction kind of mind. I can't claim to have an encyclopedic knowledge of the genre, but I find something about its sensibilities to be comforting and familiar. That's what I like about Michael Swanwick's Periodic Table of Science Fiction. Most of these stories are goofy, all are very short, but it's a fun concept: writing a story for, and at least tangentially connected to, each element of the periodic table. It's not the kind of cutting commentary on human nature that we expect from the best of science fiction, nor do the stories last long enough for prolonged escapism, but they are entertaining, observant, and amusing. Give it a go, you weren't doing anything, were you?