“ The Chinese, when attacking a castle or fort, flew kites over the city wall and used the length of string it took to get it there as a measurement to know how far they had to dig a tunnel to get under the wall.”
“ Anything not bolted down has a chance of moving about when unobserved. The items are smart enough to open simple latches, or break weak bindings. The rate of this oddness seems to follow certain astrological patterns.”