Well, at least I've taken care of the last one.
Damn it, I had IMPORTANT things to do this weekend! I'm trying to build a spacesuit for Hallowe'en, I've got The Avengers on Blu-ray, six new science fiction novels from Chapters to read (courtesy of birthday gift certificates, thanks to all), and I'm behind on blog postings. And how did I spend most of the weekend? Writing about cargo containers for work. I sometimes worry about my priorities...
Okay, so I didn't write about containers ALL weekend.
I saw William Gibson on 4th Avenue on my way back from the gym on Sunday, and it was all I could do to avoid some kind of uncomfortable fanboy moment. On the other hand, he's got to be used to that sort of thing by now, he's been an object of geek veneration for almost 40 years.
Seriously, how cool is this? 
It was actually a surprise when eBay notified me that I'd won the auction for a set of Major Matt Mason Supernaut Power Limbs with my original bid of $9.99. I'd completely forgotten that I'd even placed a bid, and I frankly expected to be outbid almost instantly - I suspect that the damn things cost about ten bucks when they first came out back in 1969. (Okay, there was $16 of postage from Ontario, but it's still an astonishing deal.)
And really, what fun is a birthday if you don't get some toys? **
- Sid
* As it turns out, another one of my co-workers doesn't recognize this quote. I wonder what her excuse is, did they not show The Next Generation in Australia?
** I had one of these as part of my childhood MMM collection until my brother Doug broke it, THE EVIL BASTARD!!!!!!!!!! (Fortunately I'm not still bitter.)
I grew up never knowing who Matt Mason was, so the first thing I thought of when I saw those power limbs was the climactic scene in Aliens. And the fact that you were writing about cargo containers connects the two. Perhaps you can nudge people to develop some of those things for the docks. And provide safety tips for encounters with xenomorphs with concentrated acid for blood...
ReplyDeleteChris
It's important to hire good competent people. We chose NOT to hire a fellow who did not know what the rotator cuff is.
ReplyDeleteAlien hand syndrome (anarchic hand or Dr. Strangelove syndrome) is an unusual neurological disorder in which one of the sufferer's hands seems to take on a life of its own. AHS is best documented in cases where a person has had the two hemispheres of their brain surgically separated, a procedure sometimes used to relieve the symptoms of extreme cases of epilepsy. It also occurs in some cases after other brain surgery, strokes, or infections. An Alien Hand sufferer can feel normal sensation in the hand, but believes that the hand, while still being a part of their body, behaves in a manner that is totally distinct from themselves. They feel that they have no control over the movements of their alien hand, but that, instead, the hand has the capability of acting independent of their conscious control. Alien hands can perform complex acts such as undoing buttons or removing clothing. Sometimes the sufferer will not be aware of what the hand is doing until it is brought to his or her attention. Very witty!
ReplyDeleteChris