Of virtually no relevance, last week I caught an Errol Flynn/Fred MacMurray movie from 1942 called Dive Bomber (which I’ll now spoil with abandon because I think 66 years is sufficient). MacMurray is a test pilot who flies to 50,000 feet wearing an experimental pressure suit. It works, but his oxygen lines freeze up. He quickly hand-writes a note before passing out and auguring in and his plane crashes but (quite surprisingly to my jaded fender-bender-means-fireball eyes) does not burn. Flynn, a flight surgeon, recovers the note and this give him the vital clue to fix the system and lead the U.S to victory, or something.
So, do I write the incriminating note to police investigators on the way downhill, before or after I pull ineffectually on the emergency (“No, we never have emergencies in our brand of cars-- that’s the other brand!” - thanks for reminding me, dropzone) brake?
Best to write it now. In a moving car, your handwriting will probably be illegible. Pick a likely suspect (or someone you don’t like very much) now, and leave the note for the cops to find on your kitchen table.
Ah yes, the prescient note sub-plot. “If anything happens to me…”
Better than it burning up in the inevitable flaming wreck.
If you need something clean to write on, use your underwear.
You are in clean underwear, right?
Wouldn’t go to any flaming wreck without them!!
Oh dropzone, a couple of us are going to want a share of the royalties when you sell this story. Otherwise you had best be very, very careful when driving in hilly country…
(obligatory mmwahahahaha!!)
Sell it? I have to write it and FINISH it. Ask Dex how many Staff Reports he’s waiting on because I’m this><close to having them done. (FTR, three)
Writing it, finishing it, selling it-- mere trivial details to me, virtually beneath my notice. Falls under the heading of “your job”.
Note, I did say “*when * you sell it”. I have complete faith in your ability to bring this to pass.
I also expect you to accomplish this within a reasonable period.
So, I’ll be looking for my check, oh, late next week, is it?
Send me one, I’ll take a whack at it.
Whoah! You gonna sell some stories too? This could be lucrative! I’ll have a whole new career!
I’ll just sit back and spout out some story ideas, random fragments of plots, shallow character descriptions, you guys do the heavy lifting, and I collect a share of the royalties. I like it. Shake?
I think I’ll go have a couple drinks, maybe some recreational drugs. Kind of get the old brain loosened up…
I’ll be back.
Well, I have some sense of follow-through. I managed to finish six short-story fanfics, after all.
Speaking of follow-through, my check was mailed…???
(taps foot impatiently)
Or would you rather use PayPal?
Mostly waiting on call-backs and digging up some verifications–I don’t do the same half-assed job on my staff reports as on my posts. And I’ll be damned if I’m going to share credit! 
(reading CannyDan’s post) And I do my staff reports sober. Can’t always say that about my posts.
Moderator’s Note: But what would happen if you cut the brake lines of a car while it was on a treadmill?!?
I think this has ceased to be a Great Debate (if it ever even was one), so I’m sending it careening over to MPSIMS.
Even if they are clean before your brakes fail, they likely won’t be afterwards.
I actually tried the parking-brake experiment at low speed on an empty street once to see if it would work. It might be the fact that my e-brakes are foot-operated, but I found it very difficult to gauge stopping power, and the rear tires ended up locking up. If I had been on the twisty-turny mountain path, I’m not sure the situation would have improved.
Yeah, for brake lines you need mice.
Always use the correct rodent for the job.