1. Investigate the house constructed by Microsoft founder Bill Gates in the Seattle, Washington, area. What functions can computers manage in that residence? How does it compare to the house depicted in "There Will Come Soft Rains"?

2. Explore nuclear technology. Is it plausible that a bomb could annihilate all human life on Earth? How precise is Bradbury's portrayal of the bomb's effects, particularly the notion that the blast could be so powerful that it would scorch the images of people onto the side of a house?

3. Examine what critics have said about Sara Teasdale's poem, "There Will Come Soft Rains." Why do you believe Bradbury selected this specific poem as the title for his story?

4. Compare and contrast "There Will Come Soft Rains" with other fictional narratives about the end of human civilization, such as "On the Beach," a 1957 novel by Nevil Shute, which tells the story of survivors of a nuclear apocalypse awaiting their fate on an Australian beach.

5. According to Bradbury, people place excessive trust in the machines they create. How has this perspective been corroborated by events like the "millennium bug" crisis and the breaches of high-profile government and e-commerce websites by hackers?

6. Discuss how techniques such as anthropomorphism contribute to the creation of characters in a story that lacks human characters.