Moe Lane

This is traditional, in my house.

A Christmas Carol, Tom Lehrer

This would be Operation Chaos from Poul Anderson, not anything that is… out of the map. There’s a potential book of my own that intersects with that one. I really should do something about that, too.

Geriatricol

Description: well, in its ‘natural’ form Geriatricol is a swarm of self-replicating nanobots that are individually too small to see.  But in its natural form Geriatricol will self-destruct when exposed to atmosphere, so it usually comes in the form of a yellow gel pill.

Powers: one dose of Geriatricol cosmetically ages the subject.  Within five minutes of ingestion, his or her skin and hair will wrinkle and whiten; sweat, stools, and urine will become compatible with an old person’s; and a superficial blood analysis will bring back a positive result for a number of minor ailments associated with being old.  The effects are not permanent: if not reversed, the process begins to reverse itself within two weeks and completely reverse within two more. Underlying health, reflexes, mental agility, bodily functions, and ultimate lifespan remain unaffected.

I mean, we all know what’s happening here. That’s right: Attitude jets.

For the last year, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft has been circling a large asteroid named Bennu that regularly passes uncomfortably close to Earth. The spacecraft has been painstakingly mapping the asteroid’s rocky surface using a suite of cameras and other instruments that will help it determine where to land next year. Once NASA selects a final landing site, OSIRIS-REx will kiss Bennu just long enough to scoop up a sample to bring back to Earth in 2023.

Many scientists expect the Bennu sample to revolutionize our understanding of asteroids, especially those that are near Earth and pose the greatest threat from space to life as we know it. But as detailed in a paper published this week in Science, NASA has already started making surprising discoveries around this alien world. Earlier this year, the OSIRIS-REx team witnessed particles exploding from the asteroid’s surface—and the team’s not sure why.

Ryan Reynolds has seen a niche, and he has swiftly moved to ruthlessly claim it. I am all right with this; and for the most selfish of reasons, too. I’m always down to see a movie like FREE GUY:

I mean, that’s not so much aimed at my demographic as I’ve been outfitted with a homing beacon that this movie has locked onto. Hell, now I want to play the game that the movie is based on. Yeah, I know, it doesn’t exist. I wanna play it anyway.

It was a damn long week where I was sole caregiver for most of it.
No complaints; it happens, from time to time. And it also drains, in ways that you don’t notice at the time. I’m actually kind of surprised that I managed to maintain an even strain for most of it.

Ryan Reynolds has no fear. I approve. I dunno if I’m gonna see FREE GUY — although I am gonna watch 6 UNDERGROUND next week — but this here is some good marketing. Ryan has a knack for this, methinks.

This is an insightful point (ware spoilers at the link):

This episode is proof that [Jon] Favreau and [Dave] Filoni did what every boy in the ’70s and ’80s did, played a lot of Star Wars in their backyard sandbox. It’s a whose who of cool, but underutilized Star Wars action figures made real.

[snip]

These two and their collaborators on this show, are the luckiest guys and gals in Hollywood right now. They’re making the show that millions of kids dreamed about as they played with their sun faded action figures in the backyard.

Silent Night, John Denver & the Muppets

That’s it, I’m going to bed. Reality has defeated me.