Book Recommendations Reading the Weird The Path to the Dark Side: Max Gladstone’s Last Exit (Part 17) Wonder and glory are worth a little heartache‚ aren’t they? By Ruthanna Emrys‚ Anne M. Pillsworth | Published on April 3‚ 2024 Comment 0 Share New Share Welcome back to Reading the Weird‚ in which we get girl cooties all over weird fiction‚ cosmic horror‚ and Lovecraftiana—from its historical roots through its most recent branches. This week‚ we continue Max Gladstone’s Last Exit with Chapters 33-34. The novel was first published in 2022. Spoilers ahead! Summary “This was the end of the world. This was the end of the world. Wasn’t it?” On the princess’s balcony‚ seeing both June the monstrosity and June the girl‚ Zelda’s torn between the conviction that they’ve reached the end of the world and the irrepressible bird-flutter of hope. “You can’t let yourself see‚” June tells her. “There’s too much that’s not you in your head. But I can show you‚ if you let me.” Zelda struggles toward June‚ Sarah beside her. High midnight arrives‚ and the black-flower path takes shape. At its end are the crossroads‚ whispering: What do you want? What will you give? Spin pours out of June. Black lightning flashes. Far off‚ striding to meet them‚ is Sal‚ no longer a demon but “just Sal herself.” Older‚ wiser‚ coming home. A moment later‚ Zelda sees only the horror of angles gone wrong‚ but now she knows it isn’t the truth. June steps out onto the black-flower path. Meanwhile‚ in the vizier’s room‚ Ish watches the black mirror resolve into the cowboy‚ who urges him to keep “walking the line.” He shows the image of June poised on the balcony above‚ the Sal-monster approaching‚ Sarah fallen and Zelda on her knees‚ eyes filled not with horror but with awe. Ramon regains consciousness. Ish knocks him out with the gun’s butt. He struggles up to the balcony‚ led by the gun. June‚ “robed in spider legs and crowned with thorns” is on the path already. The gun raises his arm. He shoots—but Sarah knocks the bullet from its trajectory with her knack‚ and stands between him and June. She sees in his pale halo “the afterimage” of the cowboy’s hat. When did he yield to fear‚ changing from the “brave and tiny mouse” she used to imagine into “this old hand-me-down monster”? She holds her ground. Ish’s hand shakes‚ but the gun speaks and Sarah drops‚ gut-shot. Ish was supposed to save her‚ save Zelda. Instead‚ the cowboy’s voice assures him‚ he’s done what was needful. June sees Sarah fallen. Distracted from the intent required to hold the black-flower path whole‚ she falls. Zelda lunges to catch her. Sal draws closer. Ish must go all the way‚ now‚ he thinks. He must reach the crossroads first‚ and so he jumps onto the path‚ three bullets left in his gun. Zelda catches June’s wrist but hasn’t the strength to pull her up. Ramon‚ recovered from Ish’s blow‚ arrives; together they haul June to safety. The gravely wounded Sarah commands their attention. Zelda spots a white-hatted Ish on the path. Sarah tells her to go after him. June‚ Zelda sees‚ has expended all her spin to summon Sal. Ramon‚ too‚ is exhausted‚ but Zelda must trust them to get Sarah to a hospital back home while she pursues Ish. Ramon and June carry Sarah out of the palace‚ but the cowboy himself now chases them. With June tending Sarah in the back seat‚ Ramon guns the Challenger across the drawbridge. The cowboy commandeers a robo-horse‚ and rides after them. Ramon drives from alt to alt‚ through storm and bullets. The cowboy gains. His minions join the chase on motorcycles‚ in a squad car. June tells Ramon Sarah’s that fading. Of course there are more cowboys the closer they get to home: home is the cowboy’s place‚ and the alt-roads are his roads. Hearing this‚ Ramon conceives a desperate plan. His knack churning‚ the Challenger protesting‚ he veers off the road and into the dark‚ trailblazing. The black-flower path abhors Ish‚ presses him back‚ makes his gun heavy and hot. Between steps‚ he finds himself back at college‚ on the Halloween fourteen years ago when he was to win Zelda‚ but instead she won Sal. He dodges through costumed partiers. Zelda comes up behind him. Ish‚ gun in hand‚ becomes the pursuer‚ Zelda the pursued. He must convince Zelda that she’s wrong about Sal and put things right. But he’s torn between the shadow under the trees‚ the serpent at the world’s roots‚ and a vision of Zelda’s hair shining in the sun. Zelda races through the “shattering past.” None of the partiers notice the road splitting apart beneath them. Where are these kids now? Do they agonize too about whether they’ve fucked up? Whether they had any choice to begin with? She stunt-leaps across the rift‚ but so does Ish. They end up on the roof of the Brutalist A &; A Building‚ Zelda and Ish and the cowboy. The cowboy offers to give Zelda what she wants out of saving the world: everything fixed‚ the monsters gone‚ herself safe at home with a girl who at least looks like Sal. Zelda realizes that the cowboy’s been inside her all along. Ish watches the cowboy target Zelda. He tells himself to remember the serpent‚ but he thinks of the friends he’s failed‚ who are more real than either serpent or cowboy. He forces his gun up. It’s the cowboy’s gun Zelda spends her spin on fouling‚ while Ish’s bullet takes out the cowboy—and himself at the same time‚ as he knew it would. The cowboy leaves no body. Zelda kneels by Ish’s. He lost so many times to fear and need‚ but at the end he understood‚ and won. The rest is up to her. A chain link fence at the end of the roof separates her from the crossroads. Sal taught her to climb it once. Now Zelda puts on Sal’s iron ring‚ says “I love you‚” and climbs. She’s unfolding now‚ growing‚ seeing differently. She drops to the other side‚ where a hand lifts her and she hears the voice she’s missed. “Took you long enough‚” Sal says. This Week’s Metrics Fighting the Cowboy: We’re still a long way from fully learning this world. Look‚ new species just dropped! What’s Cyclopean: Ramon ponders the unicorn tapestry in Elsinore: “a symbol of purity in this place of poets stripped naked at knifepoint.” Weirdbuilding: Are the wrong angles of the beyond a violation of the physics that keep us whole‚ or just the distortion of looking at the shore from underwater? The Hounds of Tindalos have opinions. Madness Takes Its Toll: Everyone this week is less sure about what counts as sane‚ so it’s no surprise that the wind screams and laughs in “babbling mad voices‚” that a “mad world” is contrasted with the gun’s “logic‚” and that the Halloween party is full of “mad voices‚ whispers.” Ruthanna’s Commentary I’m the sort of person who hears about new popular music on NPR‚ and who got earwormed by “Texas Hold ‘Em” in the lobby of a theater. Which in combination are why I’m writing this to the strains of Beyonce’s newly-dropped Cowboy Carter‚ an album that deconstructs the mythoses both of country music and of ahistorically-white cowboy movies. (It’s also what I think the kids these days call a bop. Several bops? Can an album be a bop or only an individual song?) The Cowboy would not approve. The thing about the lie that protects civilization-as-we-know-it is that it’s a lie. The white-hatted line-walker wouldn’t care to recognize the Native American vaqueros‚ or the formerly-enslaved Black cowboys making their homes on the range after the Slaveholder’s Rebellion‚ or Annie Oakley. The lie is that there’s only one line. That to imagine alternatives is to destroy everything‚ to let in the serpent and Cthulhu and the inevitable robot (translated from the Czech) uprising. That there’s nothing on either side of the road but tentacles and teeth. One nasty truth from the liar: “So long as the world’s there‚ we can take the things we want from it.” But that truth leads to all the lies. The ability to extract is confounded with the ability to exist. The ostensible stakes are heightened until it only makes sense to follow the logic of the gun. To do what hurts because at least that way you know you’re still walking the line. Poor Ish. Failing to fail‚ failing to allow for failure‚ failing to allow for being wrong. And putting on the white hat‚ just as Zelda and Sarah and Ramon are coming around to admitting that yes‚ maybe Sal was right. I love the way that‚ as they make that admission‚ the imagined alternatives waver between toothy tentacle and flowering otherland—and they glimpse Sal not as monster or college-aged innocent‚ but as herself a natural decade older‚ graying and strong with her experiences. It’s not an easy switch‚ that change in perspective. Glimpsing it once doesn’t make you immune to the fearful illusion. But the illusion is a little weaker afterwards. The cowboy tries increasingly desperately to argue for it—first that it’s the only real option‚ then that it’s the only option that won’t hurt. Wonder and glory are worth a little heartache‚ aren’t they? Over the fence‚ on the far side of the cowboy’s reality‚ everything looks like metaphors and references and questions. We need such tools‚ to grasp at a hint of trying to understand. We’re looking at angles skewed by the water’s boundary‚ or we’re wading through black flowers‚ or we’re cracking the world’s eggshell a la Utena. (We’re also having a car chase‚ just in case you were wondering whether that reference was deliberate.) (And “the cowboy followed‚” maybe like the gunslinger in The Dark Tower.) We’re turning off the road‚ questioning the assumptions of the whole road trip genre. We’re standing in the gale from the “demon wind of yes”. (James Joyce reference? Yoko Ono?) We’re running through a Halloween party where Zelda once made a choice about who to be and who to love: the first place where she imagined possibilities she hadn’t before. Where else would you find the Crossroads? Where else would you finally put on a ring and climb a fence and complete that choice you started making all those years ago? On the other side of the fence‚ through the metaphors‚ are the questions. Who are you? What do you want? (Babylon 5 reference there‚ though B5 wasn’t pulling the angel’s and devil’s questions from nowhere.) Could there be a world beyond this one—no. Wrong question. What worlds are beyond this one? What dreams? Took you long enough to ask. Anne’s Commentary So much is going on for Gladstone’s characters in these chapters. Still. Today I’m all about Ish. In his first inaugural address‚ Franklin Delano Roosevelt said‚ “Let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is… fear itself.” It’s decent rhetoric‚ but inaccurate. If you’re an alt-rider‚ you can legitimately fear lots of other things‚ like giant flying centipedes‚ post-apocalyptic cannibal cultists‚ and active lava fields. Henry David Thoreau may have come closer to the truth in an 1851 journal entry: “Nothing is to be so much feared as fear.” This assertion allows for the fear of giant flying centipedes‚ post-apocalyptic cannibal cultists‚ and active lava fields‚ even if you should also fear your fear of these things‚ since capital-F fear is more fearsome still. Of course‚ the last word on anything must go to Yoda. Or should we say the first word‚ given he dropped his aphorisms “long‚ long ago”? Anyhow‚ he said: “Fear is the path to the dark side.” By “dark side‚” he didn’t necessarily mean an actual “path of lower luminosity” ending up in a wardrobe composed entirely of black garments. Nor yet could he have meant by “path” the “black-flower” one that Gladstone mentions‚ what with Gladstone’s book not having been around in Yoda’s day. Not that I’d ever underestimate Master Yoda’s ability to see into the future of SFF publications. The point is: If your fear leads you to duck giant flying centipedes before they can grasp your head in their venom-dripping mandibles‚ it’s a good thing. But if your fear becomes chronic‚ a caustic dye that stains your fundamental perception of the world and leaves you a serpent-conjuring paranoid wreck like Ish‚ it’s a bad thing. It amplifies your defenses into offenses. It makes the White-Hat cowboy take notice of you‚ and smile. He’s so glad that you hear a snake gnawing away at the rooty underpinnings of everything‚ even though snakes don’t actually gnaw roots so much as‚ say‚ naked mole-rats do. The cowboy knows that metaphors don’t need to make sense to be of use to him – the opposite‚ in fact. They need to trigger visceral emotion. He’s thrilled that you see everywhere the shadowy forest edges where bloody deeds are done. Were done‚ to and by your childhood self. There was a nervous moment for the cowboy when Ish found Zelda. When Ish imagined that the light reflected from her hair could banish his under-tree shadows‚ that the fire of her intellect could immolate the serpent. Luckily for the cowboy‚ Sal came along. First‚ Sal made Ish think he could win Zelda‚ setting him up to be crushed. Second‚ Sal won Zelda away from him. Third‚ Sal proved unworthy of Zelda by embracing the enemy rot‚ becoming a monster and leaving Zelda to welter in guilt because she couldn’t save Sal from monsterfication. Fourth‚ Sal had to have a cousin just as unworthy as she was! Another monster that fooled Zelda‚ making it that much harder for Ish to save her. As for Sarah and Ramon‚ let them just try to snatch Ish back from the whiteness of the cowboy. He’s as doomed as any Ahab whose mortal wound is not to the body but to the psyche. The difference between the characters is that Ahab can’t be saved by Starbuck’s reminder of his family—Starbuck can’t break open his cannibal Captain’s heart with his “See‚ see! The boy’s face from the window! The boy’s hand on the hill!” Ahab casts the evocation of his child down‚ “his last‚ cindered apple to the soil.” Whereas Ish— As the cowboy takes aim at Zelda‚ Ish still aches from his psychic wounds‚ still feels himself in “the shadow of the trees.” But he can look beyond the shadow to “other worlds than his. Ramon and Sarah‚ Zelda and Sal. Cynthia.” His friends are to him‚ in the end‚ “more real than the trees‚ more real than the serpent‚ more real than the cowboy.” The whale has become Ahab’s only reality‚ and so he can’t turn from his own destruction. Ish makes the emotional reconnection to his better humanity‚ and so can stop walking the cowboy’s line and kill him‚ though in full knowledge he’s gone too far into the whiteness to save himself. Ish‚ I’m glad you were never meant to be a deathspian or a tragic hero lost to his fatal flaws. I’m glad you instead found your redemption. Next week‚ we celebrate National Poetry Month with Christina Rossetti’s classic “Goblin Market.”[end-mark] The post The Path to the Dark Side: Max Gladstone’s <;i>;Last Exit<;/i>; (Part 17) appeared first on Reactor.

News The Matrix The Matrix Series Will Continue With a New Film from Writer-Director Drew Goddard Whoa. By Molly Templeton | Published on April 3‚ 2024 Comment 0 Share New Share We’re going back to The Matrix—but there’s a new captain at the helm. Drew Goddard is set to write and direct a new movie in the Matrix franchise‚ with original co-writer and co-director Lana Wachowski as executive producer. This is‚ to put it mildly‚ unexpected news‚ and Goddard is an unexpected choice. A writer on both Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spinoff Angel‚ Goddard made his film debut as the director and co-writer of the meta-horror Cabin in the Woods. He wrote the screenplay for Cloverfield‚ then moved into adaptation territory‚ co-writing World War Z and flying solo for The Martian (for which he was nominated for an Oscar). He also directed Bad Times at the El Royale‚ and created a little show called Daredevil. That’s a lot of generally interesting stuff‚ but none of it gets anywhere near Matrix territory‚ especially after the fourth film‚ of which Emmet Asher-Perrin wrote‚ “Like the first Matrix film‚ Resurrections is perfectly encapsulated: a leaping off point‚ or a finished thought depending on the angle you’re viewing it from. What’s incredible is that‚ regardless of your vantage point‚ it delves so much deeper than the story that proceeded it.” In a statement quoted by Deadline‚ Warner Bros.’ President of Production‚ Jesse Ehrman‚ said‚ “Drew came to Warner Bros. with a new idea that we all believe would be an incredible way to continue the Matrix world‚ by both honoring what Lana and Lilly began over 25-years ago and offering a unique perspective based on his own love of the series and characters.” Which characters? Where in the timeline will we be? What is happening? [end-mark] The post <;i>;The Matrix<;/i>; Series Will Continue With a New Film from Writer-Director Drew Goddard appeared first on Reactor.

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972—a law guaranteeing equality between the sexes in education—has been on the chopping block from Day One of the Biden administration. But after a lengthy delay‚ the federal Department of Education has formally announced it will punt on the announcement of its new Title IX sports rule‚ one that would permit biological males who identify as females to participate in women’s scholastic sports in accordance with their gender identity. The civil rights law has been subject to rulemaking‚ both on the trans-sports issue and on the broader application of gender-identity protections in federally funded education programs. While the administration has announced that it will delay announcing its new sports rule‚ at least for now‚ the broader‚ earlier proposed Title IX rule is already in the final stages of review at the White House‚ with a likely release date in August or September. Once released‚ it would apply to private spaces (restrooms‚ locker rooms‚ dorm rooms)‚ preferred pronouns‚ sexual assault and harassment‚ and more. The seismic changes included in the rule will affect any educational program that is funded directly or indirectly by the federal Department of Education—whether public school‚ private school‚ higher education institution‚ recreation center‚ charter school‚ or the like.   In reporting on the delay of the sports rule‚ The Washington Post quoted an insider who said‚ “Folks close to Biden have made the political decision to not move on the athletics [regulation] preelection. It seems to be too much of a hot topic.” It sounds like the White House is finally waking up to the radioactivity of the trans-sports issue‚ a notion borne out by recent polling that indicates nearly 70% of Americans support separating sports by biological sex. That polling‚ and the delay of Biden’s sports rule‚ means that now more than ever‚ state legislatures must act in the interest of female athletes and pass legislation protecting women’s equal educational opportunity before it’s too late. That’s due to two developments; namely‚ the temporary suspension of the Title IX sports rule and the fact that even though the administration cleaved out a Title IX sports rule from the broader Title IX rule‚ a closer reading of the fine print indicates that‚ despite the administration’s attempts at legerdemain designed to fool the public‚ sports are included in the broader‚ earlier rule after all.   The earlier proposed Title IX rule explains‚ “preventing any person from participating in an education program or activity consistent with their gender identity would subject them to more than de minimis harm on the basis of sex and therefore be prohibited.” School sports? They’re “an education program or activity.” The proposed rule also prohibits gender identity discrimination in “extracurricular activities.” Extracurricular activities include school sports. There are 25 states with women’s sports laws on the books. And while Wisconsin’s governor‚ Democrat Tony Evers‚ just vetoed a state bill that would have maintained sex separations in school athletics‚ other states—Nebraska‚ for instance—still have time to act before the close of their legislative sessions.     Nebraska’s “Sports and Spaces” Act‚ LB 575‚ is sponsored by state Sen. Kathleen Kauth of Omaha‚ who is hopeful the bill will be voted out of committee sometime within the week. The bill would restrict access to school bathrooms and locker rooms based on biological sex and would add similar restrictions to most school sports teams. Some have dubbed it one of the “most controversial bills” of the legislative session‚ likely due to the hot-button nature of its subject matter. As a result‚ the bill has been sitting in committee since its introduction by Kauth last year. But controversial‚ it isn’t—or at least shouldn’t be. With 70% of Americans backing these kinds of commonsense restrictions‚ it’s a wonder the legislation has stalled‚ especially in light of increasing evidence that women aren’t just losing playing time and athletic titles to transgender-identified men‚ but are now increasingly injured as a result of competing against them.  Nebraska’s legislative session ends on April 18. But all pending legislation must be debated on the floor before the end of this week to advance. The speaker of the Nebraska Legislature‚ John Arch‚ has urged senators to consider the truncated time frame of legislative debate and hold off on bills that are unlikely to have enough votes to progress. Such timidity is misguided. Fifty years ago‚ the feminists of yore worked tirelessly to secure equal educational opportunity for women and girls. But choosing to support self-proclaimed “females” over biological girls who simply want a chance to play is wrong. The time for legislative action is now—before it’s too late. The post Biden Admin Punts on Radical Title IX Sports Rule Change for Now‚ But Nebraska Has Chance to Act appeared first on The Daily Signal.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties‚ subscribe to Reclaim The Net. Rather than “news‚” reports about ties between the chair of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) advisory committee (now dissolved) – and Big Tech‚ could be treated as “yet more evidence.” The person in question is Kate Starbird‚ the chair of the former body‚ the Homeland Security Advisory Council Disinformation Subcommittee‚ and a report now says that it turns out she also advised companies behind social platforms on their “moderation” policies. This revelation happened behind closed doors during Starbird’s testimony dating back to last June‚ which she gave before the House Judiciary Committee probing the weaponization of the federal government – what is known as the government/Big Tech censorship collusion. In addition to chairing the former CISA committee‚ Starbird is also the head of the University of Washington’s Center for an Informed Public that “specializes” in “disinformation and misinformation‚” and was also involved in the Election Integrity Partnership (EIP) – that opponents essentially say had the role of promoting censorship (in favor of the eventual winner) ahead of the 2020 presidential ballot. (Speaking of “ties that bind” – the University of Washington center was given $2.25 million a year later to fight “disinformation‚” the money coming from the National Science Foundation‚ a government agency.) Now‚ the documents that the Washington Examiner says it has had access to from last summer’s testimony before Congress shed light on the depth and breadth of Starbird’s involvement with Big Tech. Starbird treads carefully while providing answers in Congress‚ and yet‚ revealed a lot. When asked if she was behind any social media content moderation guidelines‚ Starbird said she was not‚ but when quizzed about “directly advising” these platforms‚ the answer was that she “sometimes had conversations” with them. “I don’t draft (moderation policies)‚ but I’ve had conversations with representatives of several platforms‚ actually‚” the transcript of the testimony reads. Not only that‚ but Starbird said she was “happy” when these “conversations” turned to how to best label posts on social media. “Those are the kinds of things that I’m happy to have a conversation with a platform about: Like‚ how you might want to go about labeling‚ which accounts you might want to not bother labeling. Maybe you really only want to label — you know‚ I might advise‚ like — you know‚ you focus labels on the people that‚ you know‚ are verified accounts or have large audiences‚ those kinds of things‚” she is quoted as telling Congress. Now‚ Starbird told the Washington Examiner that her contacts with social media platforms in this context started in 2017 – and were unrelated to her work with government bodies. “I did not consult with platforms around content moderation of specific pieces of content or accounts. Nor did I communicate with platforms as part of my role at the EIP or as a member of the CISA advisory committee‚” stated Starbird. The post Exposed: Researcher’s Secret Advising Role in Big Tech’s Content Moderation Policies appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

Looks Like Payback: DHS Targets Texas‚ Florida with Secret Migrant Flights

7.4 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Taiwan‚ Hundreds Injured

Time Works Differently on the Moon

UK: Elderly Being Forced to Sell Their Homes To Be Used for Migrants

Birds might not be able to get a driving license (boo)‚ but as it happens‚ some of them have found another way to get about whilst doing minimal exercise: soaring. At one point or another‚ they do have to flap their wings – but which one can go the longest without doing so?To find out‚ we have to head to the Andes‚ home to the absolute unit that is the Andean condor. And when we say unit‚ we’re not joking – this thing can weigh up to a whopping 15 kilograms (33 pounds)‚ making it the world’s heaviest soaring bird.It might seem like something that heavy couldn’t get up in the air in the first place‚ but Andean condors also have an impressive wingspan of up to 3.2 meters (10.5 feet). Their weight is also part of the reason they soar; flapping a lot would be too energy expensive for such a big bird‚ so instead they utilize hot air currents to stay in the air.It feels appropriate‚ then‚ that researchers have found the Andean condor spends the least time flapping during flight out of the soaring birds.A team from Swansea University and the National University of Comahue tracked eight Andean condors over the course of five years‚ tagging them with a GPS device and a recording unit that could log their wingbeats.From this data‚ they found that the condors flapped their wings for only 1 percent of their flight time. That means they only just clinch the title from wandering albatrosses‚ who can spend up to 14.5 percent all the way down to just 1.2 percent of their flight time slowly flapping their wings‚ according to one study. Similarly to albatrosses‚ much of the time that the condors in the study spent flapping was during takeoffs – more than 75 percent‚ in fact. The rest of the time‚ they successfully avoided flapping their wings by making the most of wind and air currents‚ to the point where one bird even managed to go five hours without flapping‚ covering 172 kilometers (just under 107 miles) in that time.That being said‚ weather didn’t seem to have much of an impact on whether or not the condors flapped their wings. “This suggests that decisions about when and where to land are crucial‚ as not only do condors need to be able to take off again‚ but unnecessary landings will add significantly to their overall flight costs‚” explained study author Dr Hannah Williams in a statement at the time.Thankfully for the younger birds‚ that decision-making ability doesn’t seem to be something that only comes with age – all of the condors in the study were immature. “Our results demonstrate that even inexperienced birds can cover vast distances over land without flapping‚” the authors write.It’s an impressive feat‚ but it’s not just the big birds that are capable of such record-breaking flight tricks – the title for the longest time a bird can fly without landing‚ for example‚ goes to a much smaller feathered friend.

A lot of space debris is simply dropped down towards Earth‚ where the friction of the atmosphere should burn it up and destroy it before it can reach us. However‚ that is not always the case‚ and NASA is now investigating whether a piece of a battery pallet released in 2021 came crashing down through the roof of a home in Naples‚ Florida on March 8.The batteries had been used on the International Space Station (ISS) for years‚ and once they were no longer useful‚ a whole pallet of them was dropped from the ISS. It was going to orbit Earth for a while‚ but the air friction with the most tenuous layers of the atmosphere would eventually slow it down enough and make it come down.“Mission controllers in Houston commanded the Canadarm2 robotic arm to release an external pallet loaded with old nickel-hydrogen batteries into Earth orbit on Thursday morning. It is safely moving away from the station and will orbit Earth between two to four years before burning up harmlessly in the atmosphere‚” NASA wrote in a statement back on March 11‚ 2021.Best laid plans‚ am I right? The nine batteries were packed on the HTV9 cargo ship that visited the ISS between May and Aug 2020. Despite expectation that the pallet was going to burn‚ it became clear as it got lower that about half a tonne of the original 2.6 would survive the atmospheric burn‚ as astronomer Jonathan McDowell reported on Twitter.   Details were also shared by the European Space Agency which was tracking this object.“The total mass of the batteries is estimated at 2.6 metric tonnes‚ most of which may burn up during the reentry. While some parts may reach the ground‚ the casualty risk – the likelihood of a person being hit – is very low‚” a statement said.It was on a follow-up to McDowell’s first tweet that Alejandro Otero reported that what he believed was a piece of the pallet had crashed through the roof and two floors of his house‚ almost hitting his son. McDowell assisted Otero‚ who got in touch with the Aerospace Corporation‚ and NASA then got in touch.       IFLScience is not responsible for content shared from external sites."NASA collected an item in cooperation with the homeowner‚ and will analyze the object at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida as soon as possible to determine its origin‚" NASA told AFP on Tuesday. "More information will be available once the analysis is complete."It is unclear if anyone including NASA is liable for damage. The space station was issued a fine for littering when bits of Skylab fell in a town in Australia‚ but they didn’t pay it.