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What, you didn't see all the pieces moving in that direction?  The kidnapping of Sil is the tipping point.

All the more reason to work more and harder.

The pigeon flasher control circuits are doing things that I don't understand.  The undervolt detector is also causing me trouble, which might require replacing it with a surface-mount version half the size of a grain of rice, or might just require a smaller pull-up resistor, which would cut into my power budget.

I'll have to start by replacing the mosfets in case I've damaged one of them.  I have to check leakage currents in my schottky diodes.  I might need a different part.  I have to ....

Oh, yes, Erevain.  I've done a little study on Jamen which shows where I mean to send him.  It's tucked in Book 2.

The reason won't come through yet.

Pigeon flasher works, control circuits don't.  It will be hard to debug because of the very high impedences.  I may have to give in and spend a few more microamps.

I may have a better layout for the undervolt detector.  Five devices, three with two terminals, two with three, a total of three circut nodes (not counting the power rails), including the output terminal--and I must have spent fifty hours seeing how to lay it out.  I should try that in the morrning.

Mwahh-hahh-HAHH-HAHH-HAHH!

If you were it would increase your chances of winning to 100%.

Okay, I'll publish then.  Okay if it's a chapter and not a standalone?

The contest publicity blurb specifies publication, which was not part of the original contest specification.

Oh, 'indicate' is pronounced 'signal' and no, most of us are inconsiderate boors who only signal a turn for form AFTER we've begun to brake or even come to a stop.  Nor do we know to take our cars out of reverse and shut the backup lights off when we are waiting for someone else to cross behind us.

You have a splendid chance to instruct the teeming millions by example every time you set out on the roads.  Please take it.

In many states, when you are driving (car in gear) with the wipers on, your headlights must be on.

Know that many American drivers will tend to lock speed with you in other lanes, blocking others from passing, and even drive alongside of you, preventing you (or them) from escaping in an emergency as well as blocking others from passing.  Your defensive driving should be one step ahead of these insensate and dangerous louts--about 40% of  the drivers on the road.  People who would never let a spring-loaded door close in someone else's face can't transfer this awareness to the highway.

Never make the other driver react to you if you can help it.  Always make his choice easy and obvious.  We 'mericans need it.  We drive the way we handle carts in the supermarket--and vice versa.

I don't know if Australia uses the UK term 'High Street'.  The US term is 'Main Street', notwithstanding that the most common street name is actually 'Broad Street'.

Okay, the modified detector works.  I had to diddle a few of the resistor values, including one that was there for a while.  The hysteresis on the upper threshold is 3%, a little low.  But changing that would mean tinkering with almost every resistor in the detector.  The thresholds are: low-middle transition: on: 2.7v, off: 2.4 v, middle-to-high transition: on: 27.2v, off: 25.6v.

Low means no signal on the line.  Mid is off-hook, high is on-hook.

Back to the pigeon flasher.

Oh, for the other title look to Hogarth.

Use a large window, with satellite view (and take the 45 degree view off!)

This is the interchange that Amy was talking about.  If you count carefully, you get 13 different levels, with helical ramps of opposite handedness. https://maps.google.com/maps?ll=40.8450 … h&z=17

A mile or so west, past the  Trans-Manhattan Expressway ('Under the Apartments') we have the eastern approaches to the GWB, too large to fit on the screen at an amplification that allows you to see the individual ramps: https://maps.google.com/maps?ll=40.8487 … h&z=17

Interchange 14A on the NJTurnpike.  Follow the road roughly northwest, and then around the outside of Newark Airport.  Try to follow all the individual ramps and carriageways as you go around: https://maps.google.com/maps?ll=40.6683 … m&z=16

The Kew Gardens Interchange to which 'sprawling' is affixed like 'damn' on 'yankee': https://maps.google.com/maps?ll=40.7166 … h&z=17

It's hard to find an image that captures any of the real character of the Pulaski skyway.  Here's one: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=htt … MygUMBQ4ZA

The Garden State Parkway/Rte440/US9 interchange: https://maps.google.com/maps?ll=40.5190 … m&z=16   Just for fun, trace the ramps from 440 eastbound to US 9 south.  440 is at the top of the stack, but the exit ramp makes 7/8 of a circle, crossing over 440, then descending rapidly.  It goes UNDER US9, which is UNDER the GSP, which is UNDER 440--which you just left and went over.

Here's an intersection with two jughandles for left and U turns off the main road (NJ 36): https://maps.google.com/maps?ll=40.4369 … m&z=18

Erevain's upcoming chapter is starting to take form.  I tell you, I don't know how TV writers do it, especially when they are doing a mystery show.

There's a lot of detail to fit into place, and I don't yet know how completely I'll work out the backstory.  I may move the battle and return into another chapter, and there will be a few edits to make on the previous chapter.