Holy wow. I thought I was smart for learning to read at five.

Great headline? Or, THE GREATEST headline???

Japan plans to build robot moon base by 2020

Believing that a moon base is essential for exploration of the solar system, Japan has recently announced plans to send humanoid robots to the moon to construct a robot lunar base. As part of the $2.2 billion project, the robots will begin surveying the moon around 2015, and then build the unmanned base near the moon’s South Pole by 2020.

A Japanese government panel chaired by Katsuhiko Shirai, President of Waseda University, has developed a rough outline of the project. First, the robots, weighing about 660 pounds each, will begin by surveying the moon, taking images of the surface, collecting rocks, and returning the rocks to Earth via rocket for seismographic research. Later, robots will be sent to the moon to construct the lunar base for themselves.

According to the government panel, the robots and the unmanned moon base will be powered by solar panels. The robots will be controlled from Earth, but will also have a high degree of autonomy that enables them to operate on their own to perform certain tasks. Ultimately, the base could serve as a starting point for future robot colonizers, and even human colonizers.

West Coast Cranky Child Report:

Matilda has so far whined about going out to the park to play with two friends (abandoned that one, because the only way to do it would have been to wrestle her into clothing and stuff her screaming into the car, which...no), whined because I tried to put an empty water bottle in the recycling bin instead of back in the fridge, and whined after getting dressed in her hoodie top and purple tights that she hadn't wanted the purple tights, she'd wanted the pink pants, and neither David nor I had managed to magically intuit this.

I think the nationwide heat and humidity is turning all our children into tiny Tinos. It really needs to stop.

is there any way to give him his own "guest" account with nanny-ware installed, so he doesn't have access to your stuff?

I'm locking stuff down right now. My cousins have made FB accounts for their kids. I could probably do that for him, too, with restrictions. I think the most important thing for me to do is just to log out of my activities every single time. He can be plugging along on IMDB or Wikipedia and then *boom* start recording or Twittering before I realize what he's doing. I was folding towels in the next room when he recorded his message.

Sara's not whiny today, but she was just up here and talked for ten minutes straight without taking a breath. I'm a little dizzy.

I know you may hate me for asking this, but is the video still up?

Perkins, it was a few minutes ago. Pretty adorable kid.

I think the nationwide heat and humidity is turning all our children into tiny Tinos. It really needs to stop.

Heh. Tinotasticland here is ice cold. I mean, we did have a warm day yesterday, but we're back to MISERABLE COLD GIVE US BACK JUNE YOU BASTARDS.

I just flashed on Owen becoming like the David Krumholtz character in Serenity. King of all media in all galaxies. Impressive!

Okay, stupid FB question--I don't see the video on Cashmere's wall. How do I access it?

Odd dream last night. Fighting zombies. My boss was yelling at me "You are supposed to be in public relations. Your job is preventing panic". And I was yelling back "I find people tend to panic less when NOT BEING DEVOURED BY HORDES OF HE LIVING DEAD". Then it faded into a party where I was arguing with zombie Richard Nixon, and turned fairly ordinary (by dream standards).