Maybe I'll make someone feel better

Folks are posting 2007 accomplishments. Some of those lists are...long.

Then there's mine.

2007:

Revised ENDGAME (OK, I essentially rewrote it in 5-6 weeks, and was a panicky wreck that entire time. A year's worth of writing angst packed in 12% of the space).

Wrote proposal for GIDEON (hey, it ended well)

On tap for 2008:

Write and revise GIDEON
Write part of GIDEON 2
Whatever else fits.

Maybe I'll make someone feel better

Folks are posting 2007 accomplishments. Some of those lists are...long.

Then there's mine.

2007:

Revised ENDGAME (OK, I essentially rewrote it in 5-6 weeks, and was a panicky wreck that entire time. A year's worth of writing angst packed in 12% of the space).

Wrote proposal for GIDEON (hey, it ended well)

On tap for 2008:

Write and revise GIDEON
Write part of GIDEON 2
Whatever else fits.

Thursday

I had reason to go home during lunchtime today. On the way, Kuro started making noises. A clicky-flappy sound that speeds up/slows down as he speeds up/slows down. A bit of a whine when I backed into the driveway.

A quick Google unearthed a few things, none of them good:

SOUND:Ticktickticktick
WHERE: Under the center of the car, toward the rear.
WHEN: While in motion and varying with road speed.
WHAT: U-joint (rwd or 4wd only). A U-joint in your driveshaft has finally run out of grease, is getting loose and is about to fail.
URGENCY: That's really just an urban legend about cars polevaulting over broken driveshafts when U-joints fail at speed, right?
FIX: Replace all the U-joints and keep the new ones greased regularly.


The soonest I can get into the garage is Monday morning. Looks like I'll be driving Harrison until then. Every time I think that I should sell my Blue Boy, something happens that makes me so grateful that I have another functioning vehicle.

Oh, and King killed a squirrel today. I let him out in the back--he spotted the Hapless Creature and gave chase. Hapless Creature couldn't maintain sure footing/pick up speed in the snow. Thus came the end of Hapless Creature. King stood over it for a couple of minutes, sniffing it. I don't think he realized what happened, couldn't figure out why it stopped running. He came when I called, looking a little puzzled. After he was safely shut up inside, I got a shovel. Scooped up the little body and disposed of it where he and Mickey can't get to it.

Thursday

I had reason to go home during lunchtime today. On the way, Kuro started making noises. A clicky-flappy sound that speeds up/slows down as he speeds up/slows down. A bit of a whine when I backed into the driveway.

A quick Google unearthed a few things, none of them good:

SOUND:Ticktickticktick
WHERE: Under the center of the car, toward the rear.
WHEN: While in motion and varying with road speed.
WHAT: U-joint (rwd or 4wd only). A U-joint in your driveshaft has finally run out of grease, is getting loose and is about to fail.
URGENCY: That's really just an urban legend about cars polevaulting over broken driveshafts when U-joints fail at speed, right?
FIX: Replace all the U-joints and keep the new ones greased regularly.


The soonest I can get into the garage is Monday morning. Looks like I'll be driving Harrison until then. Every time I think that I should sell my Blue Boy, something happens that makes me so grateful that I have another functioning vehicle.

Oh, and King killed a squirrel today. I let him out in the back--he spotted the Hapless Creature and gave chase. Hapless Creature couldn't maintain sure footing/pick up speed in the snow. Thus came the end of Hapless Creature. King stood over it for a couple of minutes, sniffing it. I don't think he realized what happened, couldn't figure out why it stopped running. He came when I called, looking a little puzzled. After he was safely shut up inside, I got a shovel. Scooped up the little body and disposed of it where he and Mickey can't get to it.

One step closer to augmentation

OK, the Japanese did it genetically. I did it with brain implants.

Kim Dae-soo, a neural genetics professor at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology in Seoul, who was not involved in the research, said Kobayakawa's research could explain further what fear is, and how to control it.

"People have thought mice are fearful of cats because cats prey on them, but that's not the case," Kim said.

"If we follow the pathway of related signals in the brain, I think we could discover what kind of networks in the brain are important for controlling fear."

One step closer to augmentation

OK, the Japanese did it genetically. I did it with brain implants.

Kim Dae-soo, a neural genetics professor at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology in Seoul, who was not involved in the research, said Kobayakawa's research could explain further what fear is, and how to control it.

"People have thought mice are fearful of cats because cats prey on them, but that's not the case," Kim said.

"If we follow the pathway of related signals in the brain, I think we could discover what kind of networks in the brain are important for controlling fear."