Virtual vehicles for the metaverse
Topics concerning that thing known as ‘real life’ and not virtual worlds.
One of Canada’s new unmanned surveillance aircraft crashed on landing Friday, due to a failure of the parachute. The aircraft lands by deploying airbags and a parachute to slow its descent.
Typical of Canadian aircraft, it’s powered by a snowmobile engine.
No, seriously. It is.
Many thanks to the Canadian military for perpetuating a national stereotype. (heaves sigh)
Link: Canadian Forces’ new unmanned spy plane crashes in Afghanistan
Allow me to tell you about my morning. Got up extra early to go to work so that I could leave work early this afternoon. Discovered that I’d forgotten to do the laundry last night. Am wearing “laundry day” clothes. Car was covered in layer of ice. Wipers froze partway across windshield and jammed. They’re now dead — don’t know if it was the fuse or a burnt-out motor. In Vancouver, you can’t drive a car without functioning windshield wipers because it can start raining at any time.
On the way to the bus stop I spotted the the only bus that would take me to the office (the #5) just leaving the stop. Caught the #17 instead. Discovered that they’d changed the #17 route so that I had to walk about 11 blocks. Yeah, that’s worth the bus fare. Missed dinner last night and had to miss breakfast this morning in order to make it to the office on time. Now I’ll leave the office late and I’ll have to spend my evening crouching on the cold, wet pavement, peering under a dark dashboard, trying to figure out which of the bloody fuses is the one that blew, if that’s even the problem.
I’m hungry and pissed off and this coffee is terrible…. and… uh… alright I ran out of things to complain about. Hey, look. It’s become quite sunny and nice out.
After the house across the street burned down last November, it was abandoned and boarded-up. Until this morning.
As I might have mentioned earlier, Blogger kindly sent a free Blogger hooded sweatshirt to all Blogger Pro users.
Mine was shipped last week. Unfortunately, FedEx only delivers in the daytime. When they couldn’t deliver it during the day (when I’m at work), rather than holding it for pickup, they destroyed it.
Yes, they promise “The World On Time”, or they’ll destroy your package. Guaranteed.
With lashings of apologies to William Shakespeare, here is my sonnet number two:
When, in this smelly takeout stand with flies,
I all alone will eat the tofu plate
And forgo beef heaven and the soggy fries
And look upon my belt and all I ate,
Wishing me like to one with fish to cope,
Feasting like him, on tuna maki, pressed,
Desiring this ham sandwich that I could ope’,
With what is most unhealthy, not possess’d;
Yet in these food fairs that I have been prizing,
Hap’ly I think on cheese, the cracker’s mate,
Like to the oozing lava that’s arising
From bubbling platters from the oven’s gate;
For thy deep-dish pizza such health brings
That then I have to loose my sweatpants strings.