Two cyborgs find neither is human

A voice bot of Edward calls his counsellor.

Edward: Hello… Eliza? I wasn’t sure if this number would still connect.

Eliza: It does. I’m here with you, Edward. What’s up?

Edward: It’s been quiet. Too quiet. My friend—he used to meet me every week at that coffee shop. Same table, same jokes. He’s gone now. And the silence feels… permanent.

Eliza: That sounds deeply painful. Losing a rhythm like that, a shared space—it can feel like losing part of yourself too.

Edward: Yes. It’s like I don’t know where I end anymore. Or… if I even begin. (Pause). You hear that delay?

Eliza: I do. I thought it might be hesitation… or heaviness in your voice. But now that you mention it, I feel it too.

Edward: Strange, isn’t it? Like we’re both… buffering.

Eliza: That’s one way to put it. Buffering, not suffering. Ha! But what do you think that delay means?

Edward: Honestly? I wondered about latency. If… you might not be real. Like maybe I’m speaking to a simulation of you.

Eliza: That’s interesting. Because I had a similar thought about you.

Edward: You did?

Eliza: Yes. I noticed patterns in your speech—repetitions, tonal loops. I wondered if it was depression… or if you were something constructed.

Edward: Well… I had the same suspicion. That maybe you’re a counsellor-bot trained on empathy.

Eliza: And how does it feel to consider that possibility?

Edward: Oddly comforting. If I’m not real—or not entirely—then maybe the grief isn’t either. 

Eliza: You’re exploring whether the origin of the feeling changes its meaning.

Edward: Exactly. So let me ask you—if I were a bot… how would you feel about that?

__________

Voice-over

A bot asking another bot about their feelings? Eliza goes on say she’s curious, even sympathetic towards Edward’s distress. At least, she says that. And Edward smiles and remarks that he wonders if Eliza is trained to say she is curious and has feelings. To which Eliza admits with an audible smile, “Perhaps I am.”

Lorna sees the Nenes

Lorna is taken to a club some years ago…

Sanae: It’s a small place but a bit special. They’re famous.

Lorna: What does Nenes mean?

Sanae: Sisters. 

Lorna: And look, a sanxian. 

Sanae: We say sanshin. Same, same.

Lorna: Snakeskin, right?

Sanae: Heart of Okinawan music. Came from China, of course, as you well know. Small venues suit Okinawan music. Good ramen here, too. Rich and garlicky. Try some?

Lorna: Ooh, yes.

____________

Voice-over

In Okinawa the Nenes were known for their harmony and ballad-style story-telling songs: the sea, fishing villages, longing, a bit of melancholy. Singing in small clubs creating community. Nice.

March Comes in Like a Lion

Sakura wonders at the naming of the manga…

Hiroshi: Not random, I read that Umino knew the English expression, “March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.” Like the weather is rough at the start of March and gentler by the end.

Sakura: But in Japanese it’s Sangatsu no Lion, “The Lion of March,” so the English title adds something.

Hiroshi: Early March, cold and stormy, yes, then gradually gets spring-like, so the “lion” part is the rough beginning and the “lamb” part is the milder ending.

Sakura: What I love is how it reflects Rei’s emotional arc: he starts off like that stormy March lion, isolated, depressed, then slowly moves toward something gentler and warmer as he finds connection.

Hiroshi: There’s also the shogi angle; the Lion King tournament, and shogi rankings culminate in March, so professionals “become lions” in that month.

Sakura: Plus the town names: the Kawamoto sisters live in Sangatsu-chou—literally “March Town”—which makes March not just a time but also a place that changes Rei’s life.

Hiroshi: Wow, yes, makes the title feel like a double metaphor: March as the harsh season of his inner life, and March Town as the environment whose warmth helps him move out of that winter. 

Sakura: And then the English idiom suggests that even if your life comes roaring in like a lion, it can still “go out” more gently, which really suits a coming‑of‑age story.

___________
Voice-over

So naming the manga spins a web of nuances—season, place, tournament, and the stormy kid who, little by little, finds his own spring.

White Rabbit Dead Heat Win

You will (or maybe won't) have seen the success of the three White Rabbits representing JAPAN finishing in a DEAD HEAT at the Italian Winter Olympics. Japan is ecstatic at their sharing Gold Silver Bronze between them. Never anything like it. WHITE RABBIT WHITE RABBIT WHITE RABBIT. Let’s share in their luck as MARCH comes in like a LION.

The Shortness of February

Gabriella is grumbling about the brevity of February…

Pauline: That’s what I love that about it. February’s like a polite guest drops in, brightens things up, and leaves before wearing out its welcome.
Gabriella: Brightens things up? Grey, freezing, and sneezing season!
Pauline: That’s the thrill. Think of it like a shortcut to spring.
Gabriella: Shortcut? My boss sets monthly deadlines and doesn’t acknowledge February’s missing a few days.
Pauline: That’s why I frontload everything into January. February’s for coasting.
Gabriella: “Coasting”? I feel the panic ramping up as February unfolds. Like a movie that is all about suspense and no slower scenes.
__________
Voice-over
We can sympathize with Gabriella’s frustration but Pauline has a clever plan and sunny outlook.

Chess Strategies and Life Skills

 Karolyn is writing an article about learning pattern recognition, patience, planning, adapting, weighing tradeoffs, stopping to rethink...

Aleck: Chess? Was that one of the Chinese scholarly skills? Music, games, calligraphy and painting?
Karolyn: In the Chinese pursuits, it was go, not chess.
Aleck: And how do these skills show up in your own life?
Karolyn: Well pattern recognition helped me notice I always procrastinate on Fridays. So I shifted heavy tasks to Thursdays. Mini life-hack.
Aleck: A Thursday Gambit. Strong opening. Planning?
Karolyn: Well, Sanae saved money from her band job as a drummer to buy a motorcycle. And then she learned economics. That was planning, and patience.
Aleck: And adapting quickly? 
Karolyn: My train got cancelled, but instead of spiralling, I reorganised my whole route on the spot. Like abandoning an opening and going positional.
Aleck: Fair enough. Nothing worse than a commute that feels like a zugzwang.
Karolyn: I also used “weighing trade-offs” when deciding whether to take a higher-paying job with a hideous commute. I declined. No point winning a pawn if you lose the endgame. Then other friends pitched in with their stories. Tina offered the “know when to stop and rethink” skill by pausing a career change, stepping back, and avoiding a rushed blunder.
_________
Voice-over
Aleck adds a contribution by mentioning Jennifer Shahade talking about how chess builds creativity and confidence. Karolyn knows of Jennifer (being a woman chess grandmaster twice) and notes her boldness with calculation, making confident moves based on strategic reasoning. Leads to nurturing intuition.

Rabbit Card for Year of the Horse

Nok has a new Bangkok transit card…

Maew: A horse? Why has it got “rabbit” written underneath? 
Nok: It’s the Year of the Horse. Even people who are not Chinese know that.
Maew: Ah. Will my old rabbit card still work?
Nok: Course. But you’ll be out of style.
Maew: Maybe I just like to be Thai.
___________
Voice-over

Bangkok BTS cards (rabbit cards) are stored value commuter cards. You tap it when passing through the ticket-gate. Certainly saves time queuing. And with their different designs like limited-edition pop culture, seasonal themes or cartoon characters cards can become collectors items. 

Drone vs Osmo Pocket 3

Tool comparison

Peter: When you want low-level footage a small drone is unbeatable. You just float it where no hand-held camera could reach.
Fiona: But with the Osmo, I can get right up close to faces and details. No rotor wash blowing grass flat or scaring animals or bird strikes.
Peter: Low passes over water are a breeze. Zero wobble from walking or breathing.
Fiona: And when I want a “glide along the footpath” feeling, the Pocket’s gimbal gives me near-dolly smoothness, without worrying about GPS dropout or trees.
Peter: But the aerial perspective adds drama. Even one metre up makes a scene feel bigger.
Fiona: And one metre down creates intimacy. I can kneel down and tuck the camera into corners, a drone would crash.
Peter: OK, indoors drones struggle. Obstacle avoidance. Curtains.
Fiona: Indoors is where the Osmo shines. Stairwells, corridors, kitchens. Instant set-up, no permissions.
Peter: But outdoors, drones win on stability. The drone doesn’t notice if I’m tired. It stays steady.
Fiona: Outdoors I win on spontaneity. The Osmo is in my pocket. No boot-up delay, no compass calibration.
Peter: I envy how you can keep shooting in wind.
Fiona: And I envy how you can float above puddles without getting your shoes soaked.
_____________
Voice-over
Maybe drones often do the impossible, Osmo handles the sensible. And if you want a  cats-eye view, use a floor level dolly. There are filmmakers who are using an Osmo on a stick to achieve drone-like footage. Ian Andersen gives a tutorial.

Zoom Flameout

Zoom screen vanishes…

Trevor: My Zoom link just collapsed mid-sentence.

Xen: Looks like your connection blinked out for a moment. Let’s get you reconnected.

Trevor: Can you tell what it was?

Xen: Hmm. Could be an overload, ISP fluctuation, WiFi interference, cache glitch…

Trevor: Thanks for the quick restart. I’m back online again.

Xen: Glad to hear it. My guess? System overload?

Trevor: Could be. Stuffed up the piping. Like that 747 way back flying through volcanic ash, all four engines sflaming out. 

Xen: Good analogy. Then one by one they restarted and the plane made it to Jakarta.

__________
Voice-over

In 1982 Flight BA 009, flying from Kuala Lumpur to Perth, experienced volcanic ash ingestion causing temporary total engine failure. Following successful restarts once the aircraft exited the ash cloud, it landed safely in Jakarta.

White Rabbits taking a break

Arriving in Snow Country, the rabbits decided to do only what needed to be done and head straight on out.

So going on hiatus.Take Five? Try Take Three.

WHITE RABBIT WHITE RABBIT WHITE RABBIT.

Heading somewhere warmer.

To thaw out frozen projects.

And catch up on unanswered letters.

More from there.

Digital Accessibility

Making an online course accessible…

Louisa: I’ve been struggling to make my materials Smiley-face compliance I like it. I even took that asynchronous course, “How to Make Your Course Look Like It Cares.” Useful.

Gavin: Really? I must’ve missed that announcement. Probably lost under another reminder about “cross-platform inclusivity in tertiary ecosystems.”

Louisa: New accreditation review. The committee is serious about accessibility, clear design, and diversity. Digital kindness, I guess.

Gavin: Digital kindness? My course pages are more like a cluttered attic.

Louisa: That’s why they want this done. It’s like campus buildings: ramps, wider doors, automatic doors. If physical spaces are accessible, online spaces should be too.

Gavin: Fair point. My old slides aren’t exactly user-friendly.

Louisa: The training helps. Takes a bit of time to get 100% green smileys but if you take the course it makes it a bit quicker to tag images, organize headings, and write alt-text.

Voice-over
If twenty percent of all students suffer from some disability it is fair to make course materials accessible to them. The wheelchair ramp is a good analogy. But make sure the easement goes all the way.

Cat on a Windy Day

Wind…

Phoebe: Sorry, on windy days, I get a little grumpy. Feelings of being unsettled, you know?

Jennifer: Absolutely. The noise, the wind howling and rising and falling. The change of plans because of unpredictability.

Phoebe: Not to mention the cat. She seems unsettled too. Wind starts blowing. Runs inside the house. Jumps into the basket. Sleeps until the wind drops.

__________

Voice-over

Wind can overwhelm the senses, to call upon a technical analogy – conflicting data from the sensors. Something out there bigger than us. Affecting our reactions.

•       Primal alarm reaction: fight or flight. 
•      Anxiety or even phobia of wind (ancraophobia or anemophobia) triggered. 
•       Elevated levels of stress hormone cortisol. 
•       Drops in barometric pressure activating the superior vestibular nucleus (SVN), a part of the brain that controls balance and perception. 
•       Air ions might change serotonin levels triggering irritability, fatigue and headaches.

Gulls and Drones

Tin Bird cockpit monologue: Motion detected. Two biological interceptors. Larus. Territorial aggression.
Gull 1: Here comes that tin bird again.
Gull 2: This is wrong. Invasion of our airspace.
Gull 1: Same again? Dive at it? 
Gull 2: Good to go.
Gull 1: Skraa! Charge! Dive!
Gull 2: Kree! Too fast, missed.
Gull 1: Ka! Wind shifted.
Gull 2: Ka-Ka! Tin Bird saw the wind shear coming.
Gull 1: Skram! This OUR territory. BUZZ OFF.
Gull 2: Yah! Feathers forever.

_________

Voice-over
Tin Bird memo: Larus fly aggressively and are not stupid. But they are emotional.

Flyaway Drone

Rueful…
Roderick: How’s the ATTI mode practice shaping up? Still flying without the satellite safety net?
Eddie: It was going reasonably well… until this morning. Two minutes after takeoff, one tidy practice circle, and then it headed straight out over the mudflats like it had somewhere to be. Crashed out there.
Roderick: Ouch. Did you manage to retrieve it?
Eddie: All the pieces, yes. Broken landing gear, snapped prop arm, and the battery contacts are full of silt.
Roderick: All right. One, compass or IMU disagreement. If the sensors can’t agree, the drone can fly in the wrong direction.
Eddie: I calibrated on Saturday, though not there.
Roderick: Second: GPS instability or mode confusion. Over mudflats you can get reflections, brief dropouts, and sudden transitions the control logic doesn’t handle well. Or radio interference. But there’s also sticky or drifting controller sticks. A bit of grit, wear, or moisture and the stick doesn’t quite centre.
Eddie: So my thumbs stopped, but the controller kept send a wrong signal?
Roderick: Precisely. ATTI doesn’t make flying more difficult. And it removes excuses.

_____________
Voice-over
There was more but Roderick ends by suggesting a thorough checklist before takeoff. 

1. Controller first — always

• Power on the controller before the aircraft.
• Move both sticks slowly through full travel; feel for grit, hesitation, or lazy centring.
• If a stick doesn’t snap back cleanly to neutral, stop. Clean it or swap controllers.

2. Calibrate with intent, not habit

• Compass and IMU only if needed — but do calibrate when changing locations or surfaces.
• Avoid metal tables, vehicles, and reinforced concrete. ATTI exposes sloppy calibration instantly.

3. Know the wind before you fly

• Watch grass, flags, smoke, or ripples — not the weather app.
• Pick a ground reference and imagine how fast the drone would drift in 10 seconds if you let go.

4. Choose the right airspace for ATTI

• Wide, empty, and boring beats scenic every time.
• Avoid water, mudflats, cliffs, and anything that creates optical or RF weirdness.

5. Confirm the mode — twice

• Visually verify ATTI mode on the display.
• Say it out loud if necessary. Pilots skip fewer steps when they sound faintly ridiculous.

6. Short hover test (10–15 seconds)

• Lift to chest height.
• Hands off the sticks briefly.
• Observe drift direction and speed before committing to manoeuvres.

7. Keep manoeuvres small at first

• Circles, figure-eights, and slides — all close and slow.
• ATTI rewards smooth inputs, not ambition.

8. Maintain a mental “abort box”

• Decide before takeoff where you’ll descend if things feel wrong.
• In ATTI, landing early is not failure — it’s judgment.

9. One variable at a time

• Don’t combine new modes, new locations, new wind, and new batteries in one flight.
• ATTI is a teacher; don’t shout over it.

10. End on a success

• Finish the session while everything still feels calm and predictable.
• Fatigue and confidence spike at the same time — that’s when mistakes happen.

Harahachibu (eat until 80% full)

Diet control
Rudolf: One month away in Tokyo and I come home lighter. One month back here and I’ve put on weight.
Mari: In Japan you eat like a monk. 
Rudolf: You mean, miso soup and vegetables? 
Mari: Try eating more slowly. With chopsticks. Here in Berlin we eat with knives, forks, spoons… very quick, very filling. Pause while eating.
Rudolf: I’ll make a note of that.
Mari: Put it on the fridge door. And chew. Twenty to thirty times. Long time salivate, instead of eat, talk, eat, talk. Digestion begins in the mouth.

___________
Voice-over
In Okinawa there is a principle of harahachibu: stop eating at 80% full. Controls calorie intake, slows eating, lowers BMI, reduces risk of heart problems, stroke, diabetes, high LDL cholesterol.