Odd 1968 romance novel cover

I'm pretty sure that wasn't a romance novel.

I'm pretty sure that wasn't a romance novel.

I'm sure they love each other very much.

ION, 10 current technologies directly inspired by science fiction

I did not know this:

6. The Taser
Long before anyone ever uttered the words, "Don't tase me, bro," Edward Stratemeyer began publishing a series of books about a teen boy named Tom Swift who was inventive and scientifically-inclined. The first book was written in 1910 and was meant to teach young adults about science. This boy invented a number of things, but it was the electric rifle that Jack Cover, a NASA researcher, was inspired by. Cover began developing the actual Taser (an acronym for "Thomas A. Swift's Electric Rifle") in 1969. The device was completed in 1974.

THE HUNGRY ONES – Craig Douglas, Crescent 108, PBO.

“As always, the crowd was on hand for the Uncle Googie Cartoon Show, sponsored by a local ice cream company. There was never a shortage of kids on hand to accept the free samples Uncle Googie handed out during the show. Uncle Googie was really a staff announcer named Barney Nesbitt….Barney was a jerk.”

I say threaten him with a beating, but that would be counterintuitive for y'all.

Or you could threaten him with the soft pillow and the comfy chair (surely someone was expecting the Spanish Inquisition).

Announcement: I have big work gossip and I can't share it! Dammit. So y'all get the, um, benefit, even if I have to be so cryptic it only satisfies me. It's not about personal stuff.

Two people signed an enormous, complex contract with our biggest client. They are both senior and respected, but signing something like this is well above their paygrade even so, and the Global CFO is spitting nails. And she is not someone you piss off. We're all going to have to be watching our steps big time - I've heard it floated that she may be brining in an outside auditor to examine contracts and whether people can document that they had appropriate approvals through the process.

This could turn in to such a shitstorm, and it's way above my paygrade to even know this stuff is going on so I can't talk about it with anybody.

(I don't really care about personal gossip, but work related stuff is hard to resist digging into.)

she may be brining in an outside auditor

She really sounds pissed.

she may be brining in an outside auditor

I hope the outside auditor's attitude won't be too salty.

I have a friend who once lost a job - her and about half the staff of a large company - because someone had signed a major contract and no one noticed that there was a penalty payment due if they didn't accomplish something within a set time period. The original signer retired, no one else knew about the penalty, the time period passed ... and something like $30 million down the tubes.

I hope the outside auditor's attitude won't be too salty.

They'll be in a pickle!