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While NASA has successfully landed nine spacecraft on Mars over the past 50 years and China scored a 2021 touchdown, no one has ever reached Phobos or its sidekick Deimos. And no one has managed to fetch samples from Mars, let alone its moons. https://apnews.com/article/japan-mars-moon-mission-fb51fbbf90374631e8ae658f9ca461 JAXA launched their MMX (Martian Moon Explorer) spacecraft successfully on October 20th. It hopes […]
Beyond Spacesuits: How Genetic Engineering Could Make Us Martian
When we think about colonizing Mars, we usually imagine advanced spacesuits, dome cities, and massive terraforming projects. Beyond Spacesuits: How Genetic Engineering Could Make Us Martian Wish I had seen this writing prompt this past June! I could have written… Well, probably something very similar to this. Only without the obvious use of AI. Just […]
Shadows on the Hudson: The Forgotten Borderland Raids of Saratoga
This is the second of a series of posts introducing the five-part historical fiction novel Unbowed, which will be published in November 2026. All five parts are based on true events and real people – my ancestors. The first post described the outcome of the Battle of Dunbar in 1650 and one of its survivors, […]
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Treed
(This was originally meant to be posted before New Year’s, but was delayed due to holiday-associated craziness. It will be presented in two parts: Christmas and New Year’s) We put up the Christmas tree just before the beginning of Advent … Continue reading
Posted in baby toys, holidays, parenting, Uncategorized
Tagged baby toys, child care, child-raising, Christmas, family leave, fatherhood, holidays, Japan, Japanese, parental roles
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Half? Which half?
This weekend was a three-day weekend in Japan. Monday was “Coming of Age Day” (成人の日), which is when cities around the country hold ceremonies to inform those who have turned 20 years old of what it means to be a … Continue reading
Mother-daughter hand book
This past weekend, my wife and I took our daughter for her 7-month checkup. The check-up system in Japan varies depending on the city. A nearby city to ours has a checkup only at the 6th month, while ours does … Continue reading
