Another year, another place to corral stray fic and fragments. Some of them may make it to AO3 eventually, some of them may not. Series, pairing, rating, and any relevant warnings in the subject of each comment.
"Welcome home, son!" Inui exclaimed, crushing Kinjou in a tight hug.
"Hey," Kaidou echoed from a safe distance.
"It's so good to see you!" Inui continued. "I've missed you even more than last time."
"I'm not that far away, Dad," Kinjou said quietly, "and I already see you more weekends than not."
"That's different," Inui countered. "Coming back for dinner once a week to escape your roommate's poorly designed, non-double blind studies involving cooking is one thing. Coming back here for a full two weeks is entirely different. Just think of how much data we could work through in that amount of time."
"Dad, did you not see my reply to your first message?" Kinjou asked. "I know we've always worked on these projects together since I the minute I was old enough to assist, but I won't be able to do that this time. I have term papers I need to finish before I return." Kinjou paused for a moment as the first inkling of an idea began to take shape. "I don't think I'll have the time for your projects this year, but how you would feel about assisting me with a research project of my own? As part of the child psychology class I'm taking this summer, I need to visit a location geared toward children and write a report on it. A lot of my classmates are planning to look at playgrounds and amusement parks, but I thought I'd do the science museum. It'll be interesting revisiting it from a more academic perspective rather than just as a recreational visitor."
"When are you going?" Inui asked.
"I was thinking Saturday, at least for the initial visit. I may need to do a few follow up trips later."
"Admission's free Saturday; it'll be busy," Kaidou said, still lingering in the doorway. When both Inui and Kinjou looked up at him, he shrugged. "It's on my running loop; I saw the signs outside this morning."
"That may be better for me, actually," Kinjou said. "The more visitors at the museum, the more data points for my observations, and the easier it will be to distinguish between personal preference and exhibit design in the way said visitors interact with the exhibits. The museum opens at 10, and I'd like to be there as close to that as possible to make sure I have plenty of time should observation take longer than anticipated."
"Would you like cameras?"
"No. We will not be recording other visitors."
"Are you sure?" Inui asked. "I've been working on some enhancements to existing glasses cameras to increase resolution and decrease weight and bulkiness. The newest prototype, finished less than twelve hours ago, features a fifty megapixel camera powered either by a behind-the-ear battery for up to one hour, or connected by a single wire from the back of the earpiece to an external battery pack for up to eight hours. It can also record audio independently and features a heads up display for the wearer with full internet connectivity. The camera lens sits nearly flush with the frame. It's no more visible than the attachment for a pair of magnetic clip-ons; the vast majority of people would never even notice its presence."
"That's exactly the problem," Kinjou said. "You can't just go around recording people for research purposes without their consent, especially not when the individuals in question are minors. I had to have my study proposal reviewed and approved by an ethics panel at school before I could even move forward with the study; there's no way they would have approved it if I had mentioned using the technology you proposed without significant additional work and permissions."
"But you didn't know about this technology then. Now you do, and it can save you considerable time compared to writing all of your notes out yourself. What if you forget something and want to refer back to it later? Or what if information you felt was irrelevant and did not note initially turns out to be a key data point for a future research question?"
"That's the way research works, Dad. If I want to do follow up studies later and feel a recording of interactions would be helpful, then I can submit a new proposal for approval. Until then, we're taking notes the old-fashioned way."
"Well that's less interesting. Can I at least bring the new pen I've been working on? It writes in three colors, but instead of three separate inks, it uses a single ink passed over three different catalysts to generate the color shifts. In theory, it should even be possible to create such novelty inks as glow-in-the-dark or fading with this technology. There were some kinks to work out along the way, as there always are, but I believe the prototype is now ready for field testing."
Kinjou winced. He knew how Inui's experimental process usually ran, and all he could say was he was glad he hadn't been home for this particular round. "You're sure it's stable and not a fire or explosion hazard?"
"The current model is, yes. One of the early models did have a faulty battery design, and some of the prototype compounds became unstable over time, but I've corrected those issues. The new prototype has shown no warning signs on any stress-testing so far. Unless you wanted a pen that could double as a detonator or a distraction? The same catalysis mechanism could be used for any number of processes, including the conversion of a stable compound into a less stable one."
"Not in the museum, Dad. If you're certain it won't pose an elevated risk to anyone else, then you can bring your prototype with you, but if there's any chance of it exploding, leaking toxic chemicals, or otherwise putting any museum visitors in danger, then it stays home."
"I am certain to within an acceptable margin of error of the safety of this prototype for normal use. I can show you the data if you would like. I have a second completed prototype if you would like to try it yourself."
"That's okay," Kinjou said. "I have my own pencil. Father, would you like to come along too?"
"Science Museum?" Kaidou grunted without interrupting his doorway pull ups.
"Yeah. We used to go all the time, but it's been years since we went as a family. Supposedly they have a new exhibit on physiology and exercise; I thought you might be interested."
Kaidou hissed.
"Great! I'll have an overview of my project, observation forms, and tally sheets prepared by Saturday. Even if you don't want to assist, I'd still welcome either of you."
"Of course we want to help," Inui said, adjusting his glasses so that the light glared off of them. "If you provide copies of your forms and your experimental methods by Friday, I would be happy to review them for you."
"I may take you up on that," Kinjou said, "but it can wait until later. I brought your favorite cakes from the bakery near campus that you liked. Let's eat before they go stale."
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Family Outings: Snamily, G
"Hey," Kaidou echoed from a safe distance.
"It's so good to see you!" Inui continued. "I've missed you even more than last time."
"I'm not that far away, Dad," Kinjou said quietly, "and I already see you more weekends than not."
"That's different," Inui countered. "Coming back for dinner once a week to escape your roommate's poorly designed, non-double blind studies involving cooking is one thing. Coming back here for a full two weeks is entirely different. Just think of how much data we could work through in that amount of time."
"Dad, did you not see my reply to your first message?" Kinjou asked. "I know we've always worked on these projects together since I the minute I was old enough to assist, but I won't be able to do that this time. I have term papers I need to finish before I return." Kinjou paused for a moment as the first inkling of an idea began to take shape. "I don't think I'll have the time for your projects this year, but how you would feel about assisting me with a research project of my own? As part of the child psychology class I'm taking this summer, I need to visit a location geared toward children and write a report on it. A lot of my classmates are planning to look at playgrounds and amusement parks, but I thought I'd do the science museum. It'll be interesting revisiting it from a more academic perspective rather than just as a recreational visitor."
"When are you going?" Inui asked.
"I was thinking Saturday, at least for the initial visit. I may need to do a few follow up trips later."
"Admission's free Saturday; it'll be busy," Kaidou said, still lingering in the doorway. When both Inui and Kinjou looked up at him, he shrugged. "It's on my running loop; I saw the signs outside this morning."
"That may be better for me, actually," Kinjou said. "The more visitors at the museum, the more data points for my observations, and the easier it will be to distinguish between personal preference and exhibit design in the way said visitors interact with the exhibits. The museum opens at 10, and I'd like to be there as close to that as possible to make sure I have plenty of time should observation take longer than anticipated."
"Would you like cameras?"
"No. We will not be recording other visitors."
"Are you sure?" Inui asked. "I've been working on some enhancements to existing glasses cameras to increase resolution and decrease weight and bulkiness. The newest prototype, finished less than twelve hours ago, features a fifty megapixel camera powered either by a behind-the-ear battery for up to one hour, or connected by a single wire from the back of the earpiece to an external battery pack for up to eight hours. It can also record audio independently and features a heads up display for the wearer with full internet connectivity. The camera lens sits nearly flush with the frame. It's no more visible than the attachment for a pair of magnetic clip-ons; the vast majority of people would never even notice its presence."
"That's exactly the problem," Kinjou said. "You can't just go around recording people for research purposes without their consent, especially not when the individuals in question are minors. I had to have my study proposal reviewed and approved by an ethics panel at school before I could even move forward with the study; there's no way they would have approved it if I had mentioned using the technology you proposed without significant additional work and permissions."
"But you didn't know about this technology then. Now you do, and it can save you considerable time compared to writing all of your notes out yourself. What if you forget something and want to refer back to it later? Or what if information you felt was irrelevant and did not note initially turns out to be a key data point for a future research question?"
"That's the way research works, Dad. If I want to do follow up studies later and feel a recording of interactions would be helpful, then I can submit a new proposal for approval. Until then, we're taking notes the old-fashioned way."
"Well that's less interesting. Can I at least bring the new pen I've been working on? It writes in three colors, but instead of three separate inks, it uses a single ink passed over three different catalysts to generate the color shifts. In theory, it should even be possible to create such novelty inks as glow-in-the-dark or fading with this technology. There were some kinks to work out along the way, as there always are, but I believe the prototype is now ready for field testing."
Kinjou winced. He knew how Inui's experimental process usually ran, and all he could say was he was glad he hadn't been home for this particular round. "You're sure it's stable and not a fire or explosion hazard?"
"The current model is, yes. One of the early models did have a faulty battery design, and some of the prototype compounds became unstable over time, but I've corrected those issues. The new prototype has shown no warning signs on any stress-testing so far. Unless you wanted a pen that could double as a detonator or a distraction? The same catalysis mechanism could be used for any number of processes, including the conversion of a stable compound into a less stable one."
"Not in the museum, Dad. If you're certain it won't pose an elevated risk to anyone else, then you can bring your prototype with you, but if there's any chance of it exploding, leaking toxic chemicals, or otherwise putting any museum visitors in danger, then it stays home."
"I am certain to within an acceptable margin of error of the safety of this prototype for normal use. I can show you the data if you would like. I have a second completed prototype if you would like to try it yourself."
"That's okay," Kinjou said. "I have my own pencil. Father, would you like to come along too?"
"Science Museum?" Kaidou grunted without interrupting his doorway pull ups.
"Yeah. We used to go all the time, but it's been years since we went as a family. Supposedly they have a new exhibit on physiology and exercise; I thought you might be interested."
Kaidou hissed.
"Great! I'll have an overview of my project, observation forms, and tally sheets prepared by Saturday. Even if you don't want to assist, I'd still welcome either of you."
"Of course we want to help," Inui said, adjusting his glasses so that the light glared off of them. "If you provide copies of your forms and your experimental methods by Friday, I would be happy to review them for you."
"I may take you up on that," Kinjou said, "but it can wait until later. I brought your favorite cakes from the bakery near campus that you liked. Let's eat before they go stale."