The walls, closing in!

[gridlore]

Researching the mass of internal organs (for the Blimps v2.0) is getting annoying, I've hit refresh on my friends page far too often, and I need air.

Going for a walk, terminus of which will be a bookstore.

Release the penguins!

Comments

[nilita.livejournal.com]

I've always wondered how you came to be fascinated with penguins.

[gridlore.livejournal.com]

Fairly long story...

Way back in 7th grade, I did a report on penguins, and fell in love with the ridiculous critters. Nothing big, just paying attention when they got referenced in the news, making haste to the penguin exhibit at zoos, things like that.

Then I started writing. I was doing a set of combat rules for Traveller called At Close Quarters with a gent in Canada named James Lindsay as my co-author. I was doing the thrown weapons rules, and writing in my usual runaway train style..

Thrown weapons include items such as knives, grenades, and..

Damn! Couldn't think of a third example! So I wrote "penguins" and sent the completed chapter off to James for his comments and additions. what I got back was this in a bit about aerodynamic v. non-aerodynamic weapons.

Penguins, although very aerodynamic, tend to resist being thrown by flapping their little flippers wildly, and thus are treated as non-aerodynamic for the purposes of these rules.

Well, that opened the floodgates. Penguins started cropping up all through the book, and I even figured out the combat stats for two species. We sent it to the publisher in England and the conversation went sort of like this:

Editor: "You lot are kidding, right?"

Us: "Hell no. We aren't exactly getting paid for this, y'know. The penguins stay."

So they did, with a publishers note in the book stating that no penguins were harmed in its publication, and well, see for yourself (http://www.asbf58.dsl.pipex.com/BITS_website/Productsfolder/Productdetails/prod_ACQ.html")

Since then, people have sent me penguin stuff from around the world. I'm known as Penguin Boy to Traveller fandom. People were actually disappointed when there were no penguins in Ground Forces. And as my collection of stuff grows, I love the little weirdos more and more.

[aurictech.livejournal.com]

Release the penguins!

I thought the phrase was "Cry havoc! and let slip the penguins of war (http://www.ebaumsworld.com/pengame.shtml)!"

March to this!

[gridlore.livejournal.com]

Release the penguins comes from this:

http://www.livejournal.com/community/_wtf/579859.html

And damn you for hooking me on another game!

[kengr]

Don't forget that for many species (mammals, I'm sure of, not sure about reptiles or birds) intelligence is related to the *surface area* of the brain, not the volume. Which is why the surface of our brains is so convoluted.

It occurs to me that spreading the brain over the inner surface of the gasbag might have some advantages.

[gridlore.livejournal.com]

But would that have a distinct drawback in time for signals to travel? Neural impusles run at around 750mph, if memory serves. Slow enough for a measurable lapse between stimulus at the extremites and the response.

In a 3 or 4 meter globe, that effect is going to be heightened.

[kengr]

In *most* species it travels that slow. In others, it's much faster. I think squid are one of the ones with faster transmission speeds.

[dopple.livejournal.com]

LOVE THE ICONNAGE!