Dear Santa, thank you for the dolls and pencils and the fish. It's Easter now, so I hope I didn't wake you but... honest, it is an emergency. There's a crack in my wall. Aunt Sharon says it's just an ordinary crack, but I know its not cause at night there's voices so... please please can you send someone to fix it? Or a policeman, or...
Back in a moment.
Thank you Santa.
Back in a moment.
Thank you Santa.
Monday, December 31
To Infinity And Beyond
The New Horizons probe zipped past Pluto on July 14, 2015 at a distance of less than 8000 miles, providing in a few short hours most of the information we have about the ninth planet.*
The New Horizons probe zipped past Pluto on July 14, 2015 at a distance of less than 8000 miles, providing in a few short hours most of the information we have about the ninth planet.*
Tomorrow, at about 4:30PM AEDT, it will pass (486958) 2014 MU69 - also known as Ultima Thule - at a distance of just 2200 miles.
As the official name suggests, Ultima Thule was only discovered in 2014. But its addition to New Horizons' itinerary is no accident. The Hubble Telescope was assigned to scan the region around the probe's trajectory to look for additional targets beyond Pluto but within range of the available propellant. A second, somewhat larger object was also found, but is further from original path and reaching it would require more of the propellant reserves. An assessment was made that New Horizons had ample reserves for what was originally designated PT1 - potential target one - but only had a 95% chance of reaching PT3.
As the official name suggests, Ultima Thule was only discovered in 2014. But its addition to New Horizons' itinerary is no accident. The Hubble Telescope was assigned to scan the region around the probe's trajectory to look for additional targets beyond Pluto but within range of the available propellant. A second, somewhat larger object was also found, but is further from original path and reaching it would require more of the propellant reserves. An assessment was made that New Horizons had ample reserves for what was originally designated PT1 - potential target one - but only had a 95% chance of reaching PT3.
Right now, our best picture of Ultima Thule is still in the potato-at-ten-thousand-yards category but that will change rapidly. Only not that rapidly: While New Horizons is closing in at a rate of 30,000 miles per hour, the probe is so far away that its high-gain antenna effectively has the bandwidth of an early dial-up modem.
This is what New Horizons did for our understanding of Pluto:
It remains to be seen if the valiant New Horizons will run afoul of the Mi-Go after its narrow escape during its previous rendezvous.
Artist's depiction of a Mi-Go warrior princess. Given that Mi-Go are fungi, we suspect our artist may have got into the liquor a bit early tonight.
* Shut up, Neil.
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Monday, December 17
Doctor Who Series 11 Viewing Order
Here's my recommendation.
Here's my recommendation.
Watch episode 1, The Woman Who Fell to Earth, and 2, The Ghost Monument. These aren't bad and establish the new characters.
Then skip episode 3 unless you are deeply into badly-scripted 50s period drama, and go to episode 4, Arachnids in the UK. It's a decently done Classic Who episode, like The Green Death, but a little more subtle.
Then skip episodes 5 and 6; they suck.
Then watch episode 7, Kerblam!, which is a good Russell T Davies-style episode which has the gumption to kill the characters who need to die to drive the story forward.
Then watch episode 7, Kerblam!, which is a good Russell T Davies-style episode which has the gumption to kill the characters who need to die to drive the story forward.
Then skip episode 8. The script for this one isn't the problem; it's the directing.
Then watch episode 9, It Takes You Away.
Then skip episode 10.
Basically it's a five-episode season, like Series 4b or when they split Series 7 in the middle. If you cut away the bad half, it's elevated to merely disappointing.
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Friday, August 03
So....
I just got suspended on Twitter for a week for comparing Brian Stelter unfavourably to a dead goldfish.
I just got suspended on Twitter for a week for comparing Brian Stelter unfavourably to a dead goldfish.
It seems that Twitter are saying worse things about Brian there than I ever did.
Also, side note, the Facebook user interface in a mobile browser is astonishingly awful. MySpace cubed.
Also, another side note: If you log in to Twitter while you're suspended and accidentally click like, it appears they extend your suspension by five hours.
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Thursday, May 10
And Now Its Time For Name! That! Moon!
Our earlier game of Name! That! Planet! found a winner perhaps a little too quickly, so this time we're going for something slightly trickier.
Our earlier game of Name! That! Planet! found a winner perhaps a little too quickly, so this time we're going for something slightly trickier.
Answers should include a stamped, self-addressed envelope and twenty bucks. Or just have at it in the comments. Neatest correct entry wins.
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Thursday, February 22
If I Were The Richest Man In The World
I'd probably do this too.
I'd probably do this too.
Happy to announce that Amazon Studios is adapting Iain M. Banks’ amazing Culture series — a huge personal favorite — as a TV series. Can’t wait! https://t.co/wgEmv65Pm3pic.twitter.com/NhCGUyRt2L
— Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) February 21, 2018
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Friday, February 16
Stories
The Tammy Perkins Detective Series
by Charles Brewer
#24. The Quest Of The Combative Cuttlefish
CHAPTER 1: LABORATORY MARAUDERS
CHAPTER 2: A NEAR TRAGEDY
CHAPTER 3: TARANTULA'S PRIZE
CHAPTER 4: THE CHAMBER IN THE VALLEY
CHAPTER 5: THE CRYPTIC HARP
CHAPTER 6: DIGGING FOR PLATINUM
CHAPTER 7: FORBIDDEN ISLAND
CHAPTER 8: THE CHIMNEY COLLAPSES
CHAPTER 9: THE PUZZLING LIGHT
CHAPTER 10: A RUNAWAY
CHAPTER 11: THE ELUSIVE MRS. MISS COPELAND
CHAPTER 12: FLICKERING CANDLELIGHT
CHAPTER 13: TIRE TRACKS
CHAPTER 14: THE CLOAKED MAN
CHAPTER 15: DISASTER IN THE WOODS
CHAPTER 16: THE PECULIAR MUSICIAN
CHAPTER 17: LOST SMOKESTACK
CHAPTER 18: THE MAPLE TREE
CHAPTER 19: THE MEETING PLACE
CHAPTER 20: THE LAST RIDDLE
CHAPTER 21: THE JELLYBEAN
CHAPTER 22: FOLLOWING THE TRAIL
CHAPTER 23: A NEW GUESS
CHAPTER 24: THE WRENCH MYSTERY
"Brilliant prose, a fresh voice, and memorable characters are only a few of the reasons to read this gripping mystery."
--Cominto Town Taxi
"The Quest Of The Combative Cuttlefish is an engaging and truly gripping mystery."
--Raymond Martinez
"In The Quest Of The Combative Cuttlefish, Charles Brewer takes 'what if' in a new direction and to new heights!"
--Sheltering Pines Express
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Wednesday, January 24
Another Fine Product
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Wednesday, December 27
Letters From Amazon
I get a ton of email from Amazon because we use AWS at work, so they get routed to a separate folder that I don't always look at straight away.
I get a ton of email from Amazon because we use AWS at work, so they get routed to a separate folder that I don't always look at straight away.
Sometimes that's a mistake. Today it was two mistakes, one confusing, one delightful.
Got an email Christmas morning,
It was labeled Amazon.
It was typed in Times New Roman,
Said my package, it was gone.
Back for return and refund,
And I'd get a check real soon.
But I don't know what they're talkin' about
Got it Friday afternoon.
The other one someone knows about, and a huge Christmas thank you to that someone. Really brightened up my day. 
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Saturday, October 14
Free Bees
As happens sometimes, I have a few duplicate Steam keys to give away:
As happens sometimes, I have a few duplicate Steam keys to give away:
- Fallen Enchantress (complete with all DLC)
- Fallen Enchantress (without DLC)
- Galactic Civilization III (two copies)
- Offworld Trading Company (two copies)
- Pillars of Eternity (yes, another one)
- Crusader Kings II
- Hearts of Iron III
- Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion
Let me know in the comments if you're interested.
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Sunday, September 17
Rick And Morty
Alright, I finally watched this.
Alright, I finally watched this.
It's... Good. It's good. It's smart and funny and only about 80% cynical.
And it commits 100% to its premises and stories and characters. Every time you think, "Wait, what about..." they turn the thing you thought they'd forgotten into a plot point or character moment.
It doesn't reset anything out-of-universe. If there's an in-universe science-fictional mechanism to restore the status quo, that's fair game, but when they do that they also play with the consequences of the mechanism. Some of the best stories are entirely about the characters resolving the side-effects of setting things back to normal in the previous episode.
Another thing I like is that it's not just about Morty going on adventures with Rick while everyone else clings desperately to the idiot ball. (Yeah, I'm looking at you, Phineas and Ferb.) Not much of a spoiler since the opening credits show other family members caught up in the insanity, though it takes a bit longer than that for it to actually unfold.
If you can take the art style and the fact that Rick is about 90% awful, recommended.
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