Summary: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/How-Mars-David-Ebenbach/dp/1616963565"></a>This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome <a href="http://davidebenbach.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">David Ebenbach</a>, author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/How-Mars-David-Ebenbach/dp/1616963565" target="_blank" rel="noopener">How To Mars</a>.<br> About <a href="https://www.amazon.com/How-Mars-David-Ebenbach/dp/1616963565" target="_blank" rel="noopener">How To Mars</a>: For the six lucky scientists selected by the Destination Mars! corporation, a one-way ticket to Mars?in exchange for a lifetime of research?was an absolute no-brainer. The incredible opportunity was clearly worth even the most absurdly tedious screening process. Perhaps worth following the strange protocols in a nonsensical handbook written by an eccentric billionaire. Possibly even worth their constant surveillance, the video of which is carefully edited into a ratings-bonanza back on Earth.<br> But it turns out that after a while even scientists can get bored of science. Tempers begin to fray; unsanctioned affairs blossom. When perfectly good equipment begins to fail, the Marsonauts are faced with a possibility that their training just cannot explain.<br> About <a href="http://davidebenbach.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">David Ebenbach</a>: David Ebenbach writes. He’s been writing ever since he was a kid, when he kept his whole family awake by banging away on an enormous manual typewriter, and he’s never wanted to stop.<br> In fact, David’s now the author of eight books of fiction, poetry, and non-fiction (all of which you can find on the Books page), and his work has picked up awards along the way: the Drue Heinz Literature Prize, the Juniper Prize, the Patricia Bibby Award, and more.<br> A Philadelphia native, these days David does most of his writing in Washington, DC, where he lives with his family—because he uses a laptop now, he doesn’t keep them awake with his typing—and where he works at Georgetown University, teaching creative writing and literature at the Center for Jewish Civilization and promoting student-centered teaching at the Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship.<br> This week’s picks:<br> <br> * David: <a href="https://www.dunkaroos.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Dunkaroos</a><br> * Tracy: <a href="https://www.jackboxgames.com/party-pack-seven/">Jackbox Games Party Pack 7</a><br> * Patrick: <a href="https://store.playstation.com/en-us/product/UP1003-CUSA03642_00-DISHONORED2NAMER" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Dishonored 2 (PS4)</a><br> <br> Links:<br> <br> * <a href="https://twitter.com/debenbach" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">David Ebenbach on Twitter</a><br> * <a href="https://twitter.com/TracyATownsend" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Tracy Townsend on Twitter</a><br> * <a href="https://twitter.com/atfmb" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Patrick Hester on Twitter</a><br> * <a href="https://www.patreon.com/functionalnerds?ty=h" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Functional Nerds Patreon Page</a><br> <br> © 2021 Patrick Hester<br>
