Oh, Japan

Too bizarre not to pass on. Thanks, skellington1.
Fearing Crime, Japanese Wear the Hiding Place

My first thought, actually, was that this would have the opposite effect. I'd be terrified at night, watching for every vending machine to turn into a rapist.
But I do respect the idea that wacky inventions need to be made, both for the hell of it, and as a way to find things that are actually practical.

(no subject)

And in other news, I've successfully turned my dad onto John Scalzi. This is exciting for many reasons. Mainly that I successfully predicted my father's tastes and got him something cool for his birthday (usually I get him smoked salmon, and he's happy with that). I think this might be my new game-- figuring out books that both me and my dad will like. Stuff I know he likes:

a) clearcut good guys/bad guys. My dad likes escapist stuff that's not like the real world.
b) Heinlein and golden age science fiction
c) adventure
d) Alan Dean Foster (seriously, he owns like every single one of Foster's books. I grew up never knowing Foster was best known for writing in other people's worlds)

Any suggestions for new authors to try out would be appreciated.

But most importantly...

I have found a point of intersection between my world and my dad's. I wish I was more into science fiction like he is, so I can talk to him about his favorite writers. When I told him Lois McMaster Bujold was the GOH at the first Norwescon I attended, he perked up, "really?" But I didn't get to see her there. Yet, when I squee over seeing Charles DeLint, my dad's all, "Who?"

I know that all I need to do to impress my dad is be myself and do what I love, but hey, I want to impress him someday by introducing him to his favorite authors.

So the list of books I've given my dad, all of which he liked:

Old Man's War - John Scalzi

Rocket Science -- Jay Lake

A Wrinkle in TIme - Madeline L'Engle (The guy's 67 years old. I forget that even YA books that were classics before I was born were missed by him.)

The Golden Compass - Philip Pullman (Afterwards, he went right out about bought the rest of the series. Now I don't have to buy them!)

I think I gave him The White Mountains, but I don't remember. I think I've been giving him mostly classic YA because I'm never sure where his squick level lies with sex and stuff.

Oh yeah, and he read A Storm of Swords and Foucault's Pendulum because he knew how much I loved them. His main reaction was, "wow, they're long."

Anyway, that's enough of me being happy about bonding with my father.

Afterimages that don't go away.

In some spots in my room the shadows have blue edges. Others are just a yellow stain on the white wall, like an afterimage that doesn't go away.

Why?

There are two light bulbs in my overhead light. For a long time, on one side I had a novelty light bulb with a faint rainbow stained on the glass. It recently burned out, so I replaced it with a blue light.
So there are three light sources in my room -- the far light bulb, the near one (blue) and the lamp behind my bed. When all the lights are on, it doesn't look that odd at first. But if you look at the shadows...