Mabfan's Musings

One of my day job colleagues is an artist named Steve Rider, with whom I share a love of the TV show Doctor Who. A few weeks ago, Steve was showing me elaborate plans he had found for building your own Dalek, and I mentioned how useful I would find a Davros-style wheelchair.

Next thing I know, Steve has sent me the following piece of original digital art (posted with permission):

Dadros by Steve Rider Copyright ©2009 by Steve Rider. Do not copy.

I'm very pleased to say that as of this afternoon, he has also gifted me with the original sketch, framed.

Now I just have to find something for my daughters to annotate....

So after a brief bookstore browse, I returned to my office and went to the refrigerator to put my lunch together. Which was difficult at first, because although my bread was where I had left it, the rest of my food wasn't.

Someone had literally moved my cheese.

As a parent of newborn twins – well, now almost eight-week-old twins – I've occasionally gotten a little bit punchy. That happens when you don't get much sleep.

One of the things we've been saying to our kids when they finally burp is "Good burpings!" I'm not quite sure where it came from, but there are times when one of the kids needs to burp, and when she finally does, she lets out a belch that would have made her grandfather proud.

Anyway, I started to come up with this idea of a whole society where the standard greeting for both "hello" and "good-bye" would be "Good burpings!" So two friends running into each other, or even two strangers meeting for the first time, would wish each other good burpings. In a way, it does make sense, as you're wishing for the other to be able to eat and drink to their heart's content.

But then I came up with the idea that that they would offer each other a bottle and pop the bottles into each other's mouth. At that point, I realized that this would be a much different society, one in which there was an implicit trust among all.

So do I extrapolate this whole society (either the first or the second) and write a science fiction story about it?

And, more importantly, should I start wishing good burpings to all my friends?

violetcheetah pointed gnomi and me to the following article from yesterday's Boston Globe. I have to say, I find it the most applicable article of child-rearing advice that anyone has sent us, given the circles we move in.

What to Do If Your Child Has Superpowers

Brother Guy Consolmagno, Michael A. Burstein Photo copyright ©2009 by SP3.

Film at 11....

Robot Penguins!

Because really, what is there to say after that?

Apparently, there is no truth to the rumors that there are vampires at Boston Latin School.

Just, you know, in case you were worried.

Nomi and I have been very busy in the past few weeks, and some folks may have noticed that my blogging has dropped precipitously. I'll try to have more to say very soon, but in the meantime, enjoy this photo of a teddy bear staring into the camera with a Bob Eggleton painting in the background.

Bear and Eggleton Painting Photo copyright ©2009 by Michael A. Burstein. All rights reserved.

Well, the Brookline TAB picked up the story in their blog at Burstein '08!, so I guess I'm an official write-in candidate for President.

Help me put together my administration! I need a Vice-President, and the following cabinet positions also need to be named:

Secretary of State
Secretary of the Treasury
Secretary of Defense
Attorney General
Secretary of the Interior
Secretary of Agriculture
Secretary of Commerce
Secretary of Labor
Secretary of Health and Human Services
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
Secretary of Transportation
Secretary of Energy
Secretary of Education
Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Secretary of Homeland Security

I also need a Chief of Staff and a Science Advisor.

My platform places the space program among the highest of my priorities.

And remember: today Brookline Town Meeting, tomorrow the world!

(Blog post fades away to the theme music from The West Wing)

Leonardo Eats Dessert Photo copyright ©2008 by Michael A. Burstein.

In a private discussion forum, one of my favorite writers, Allen M. Steele, posted what he called "the plot for the ultimate fanfic novel." I asked him for and received explicit permission to repost it here.

Enjoy.

( Read more... )

If you liked it, go buy one of Allen's books.

Poll #1263971 Elephant or radon?
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 37

Elephant or radon?

I can't help but be amused to note that in the midst of this horrible financial crisis, my Marvel stock is up 1.18%.

As I was doing research on the butterfly effect, I came across this article about a man who was befriended by a butterfly.

Go read. It'll put a smile on your face.

(Thanks to marsgov for pointing this out. The original XKCD cartoon can be found at http://xkcd.com/473/.)

In her post Adventures in Author Photos, gnomi presents two photos she took that we were considering for my author photo.

I think people will be amused by the second photo....

So, next year I'm up for re-election for Town Meeting.

I got an email today noting that as part of the festivities for the opening of the new New England Comics in New Bedford (that's three "new"s), Batman and Spider-Man will be appearing at the store on Sunday.

So...

Would it be a good idea or a bad idea for me to go the New Bedford store, get a photo of myself with Batman, and use his endorsement in my 2009 campaign?

As 530nm330hz suggests, maybe I should toss a coin...

When gnomi knits a Dalek, cuteness abounds.

Although this time, he didn't write it, he just found it elsewhere but felt it worth sharing...

http://webnews.sff.net/read?cmd=read&group=sff.people.adam-troy-castro&artnum=26646

Last night, after I got home from class, Nomi and I performed the traditional search for chametz one does just before the Passover holiday. And, as you can see in Nomi's post At Chez Burstein, Everyone Helps Search for Chametz, we always get a little extra help from our friends....