"Strangers on a Bus", Jack Skillingstead

SS ASFM (Asimov's Science Fiction) December 2007 - science fiction
A man named Neil strikes up a conversation with a woman called Freya on a Greyhound bus. He tells her that he sees stories in the faces of strangers, embellishes them, and the people become what he makes up. She isn't sure what to think, but she's got to admit that he knows way too much about her life.

An interesting story, although it sort of made me think of The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. LeGuin. If I was this woman, I doubt that I would have remained calmly nearby to hear the entirety of this man's tale.

"do [this]", Stephen Graham Jones

SS ASFM (Asimov's Science Fiction) December 2007 - science fiction
Over dinner, Leo's dad conjectures about testing for consciousness through language. Leo would have totally ignored his dad if he didn't have an assignment on a similar subject. Later, in his room, Leo processes function loops on his computer for his paper and gets strange results.

A rather cryptically told tale from the viewpoint of two nerds. Some readers may enjoy following these trains of thought. I think I liked this story better in hindsight.