cornerofmadness

and there have been a few of them today. It was a nice calm Easter and the honeybaked turkey was good. I was glad to just lounge around.

Whoa#1 - I was flipping from The SImpsons to 60 minutes which once again has run over and caught an AMAZING bit on prosthetics. For the FMA fans, let's just say they're one step from automail (not sure if a show like 60 minutes gets up on CBS's site or Hulu but if it does check it out.) They're going live with human test subjects for new robotic arms that weigh less than 9 pounds and can pick up an egg. It was astonishing. Using their shoulder stump muscles and triggers that their toes can touch, this arm enabled two guys who have been missing an arm for 40 years to pick a grape from the bunch. Even more astonishing is the prototype they demoed that works from thought. It picks up the electrical energy running down the axons in the stump and uses it to move the arm by thinking about the movement. As the soldier who helped spearhead this for Iraqi war vets said to the interview who was dithering at the sheer cost of this (over 100 million for the project), he said this is a gift to the world, not just our soldiers who did so much for us. (btw the scientist spearheading this is the dude who made the segueway)

Whoa #2 - Also on 60 Minutes. They were doing a bit on Steve Wynn and his new hotel. I had no idea that when I was in high school there was next to nothing in Vegas (okay my Dad told me so but I guess i just didn't grasp it) The strip of today....I can't believe that grew up in twenty odd years. And Kudos to Mr Wynn in response to a question (god these interviewers come off as dimwits), why would you open a new hotel in this economy. Wynn just looked at him l ike he was dumb and said 'i wouldn't. this project started years ago.'

Whoa #3 my novel at the Amazon contest actually got some international reviews from people I don't know. If you wanted to look at my vampire novel now's about your last opportunity. I think the eliminations will be this week

Whoa #4 I doubt there's anyone on the flist at this point that hasn't heard about Amazon's stunning decision to apply censorship Some of the more helpful links were at

tammy212's lj, the links more so than anything links to Amazon’s massive fail And from the comments it's not just GLBT fiction that's being targeted. Some het romances have made the list too. What I find utterly ironic about this is Amazon emails me WEEKLY to buy yaoi manga. I've never once bought yaoi or yuri manga from them. I have no idea why they think I'm interested. I'm assuming it's due to me buying Saiyuki/Wild Adapter and a lot of people who do also buy yaoi. I'm thinking it's okay to intrude into my inbox with this but not to allow it on the ranking/bestseller lists. WTF. More irony, the novel I have up at their contest has gay, bi and poly characters and sex (and sexual predators) are the driving force. If I won, they couldn't even rank their own contest's novel under their new rules.