Category: News

The Inspiring Blog Award!

My thanks to Renee, that lovely, sassy, irrepressible lady, for nominating me for another award. I thought I was done with these, but then the other day I began wanting to put them up on my page. I’ve already made room for the new one, and am already thinking of whom I’m going to nominate in turn. So many people to thank, so many new things to share about myself. Where to begin…

As stipulated by the rules of the IBA, I must now share seven interesting facts about me. Forgive me if I cover old ground, but that’s the way of these things. There’s only so much we can say before we either start sounding familiar or get venturing into TMI territory 😉 Okay, here we go!

  1. I prefer homemade food that’s bad for ya! My wife and I routinely set aside one day a week for pizza, perogies, or other such luxuries would put us in an early grave, assuming we ate them every night! One time, I even pounded some pork loins, breaded them, and made homemade schnitzel. We also make room for desserts, such as apple cake, apple crisp, or upside down cake.
  2. I’m bad with money. I always figured I would have to end up rich, since I could never stand living on a budget. As a young adult, I loved having steady employment and money, mainly so I could be generous with friends and ensure food, drink and good times were not in short supply. I called myself “Rich Uncle Matt” for fun. They always got a kick out of it!
  3. I like fighting! Not in the sense of brawling or fisticuffs, mind you. But I love the combative arts, love doing demos (board breaking, brick breaking and self defense skits) and would think it totally badass if I could do some fight choreography in front of a camera! I would also like to fight competitively at least once before I’m too old to do so anymore. I figure I got a good decade or so left in me. Let’s see what I can do!
  4. My sister in and wife both lost their doggies recently. It’s the saddest thing in the world when a beloved dog who’ve you;ve known for so many years reaches the end of their life span. I know exactly how they feel. They grew up on a farm and are more acquainted with the death of pets than I am, but I still know how much it sucks. What’s more, I see that a number of people I follow have experienced the same of late or are wrestling with their own personal tragedies, sickness and injury and the like. I wish you all the best in this time of sad convergence! I can only hope that things will get better from here.
  5. I wish I could write more sex and romance in my work. One of the things I like best in a book is realism, and part of that is conveying love, sex and tenderness in real terms. One of the things I like best about George RR Martin, Tom Robbins and Pat Barker as writers is their unabashed and unashamed depictions of sexuality. I wish I could write more into my own work, but what I write rarely calls for it.
  6. My dreams are almost always the same. I don’t know for what psychological reason, but my dreams usually involve me being back in school, often at my current age. In some respects, this mirrors real life since I did a year as a mature student and didn’t like it that much. Sure, its fun being in school when you actually want to be, but being around so many younger people kind of sucks! It’s humbling, really.
  7. My cat is nuts! I know I’m to blame for this, but I raised an animal that is a total… well, animal! When he was a kitten, we knew him to be the cutest damn animal in the world. So tiny, yet so brave and irrepressible. He climbed everything, the walls, the curtains, pant legs. Then, when he was old enough to go outside, he began to hunt. For months, we’d find dead birds by our doorstep.He also began to play with me, way too hard! He’d bite, kick, and just generally be a total monster! Then he began getting territorial. To this day, he won’t allow another cat to venture into our area without whooping his ass! All throughout this, I refused to repress him, mainly because I didn’t want to punish the boy for having spirit. I love his nutsy personality, but my accumulated scar tissue makes we wonder if it’s really worth it…

And now for MY nominees. For those who inspire me and encourage me to do better…

  1. Dangerously Daydreaming – Audrey’s journeys, recipes, photo journalism, and semi-daily elocutions are always a source of inspiration, be it culinary, personal, or creative! Being of the west coast, we have a lot in common when it comes to the kinds of travel and journeying we like to partake. However, she’s dangerously close to outpacing me in terms of world travels. What’s more, her constant encouragement keeps me writing!
  2. Ramiungarthewriter – Rami Ungar, a fellow writer who’s posts and plans inspire me, perhaps selfishly because he reminds me of myself. He’s also my most dedicated follower and keeps me on my toes with his observations and opinions, and is sure to be invaluable as I continue on my own writing career. I wish him the best as he embarks on the road to self-publishing! You’re on the right track, now get out there and shake your money-maker (aka. your manuscripts)!
  3. Sotetangyal – Home of the lady Nina D’Arcangela, writer, visionary and specialist in all things dark, Gothic, and pleasing to those of us who have sick senses of humor. I refer to myself of course. Somehow, her writing always brings a twisted smile to my face. So good at capturing the depths of darkness that live at the core of us all! Also, the way she retweets my stuff is always a source of encouragement. I’ve told her she can do better than my stuff, but does she listen? Nope! And I hope she never does 😉
  4. Urbannight – A fine lady who pretty much sees the world in the same light I do. Spends too much time on her computer, feels the need tog get out and see more of the world, and writes some pretty damn insightful things! Yeah, we get along fine. This, among her rather fun and quirky observations about life, inspire me because they teach me there are more people like me out there!
  5. Bucket List Publications – Here is another fellow-traveler on the world of life who’s got it figured out. As the name would suggest, it’s all about getting it all in before the clock runs out. Her travels, photo logs and accounts of the world are always inspiring and make me want to do more, see more, and experience more of this world before I am forced to leave it.
  6. bodhisattvasiddhartha – aka. Jay, former officer in the Indian Armed Forces, turned writer, muser, part-time poet, and world cyber traveller. There’s a little bit of everything here, and all of it is likely to inspire the fertile mind looking for new perspectives and friends in distant places who have something to say. I am honored that I find myself amongst the people he chooses to read and reblog from time to time and hope that whatever I’m doing to inspire him, I continue to do 😉
  7. Dr. Sci-Fi – And I thought I knew a thing or two about sci-fi, but it’s safe to say that the good doctor here puts me to shame! Not only is he a committed fanboy of numerous classic franchises, he knows the ins and outs of the sci-fi world intimately. I can always count on him to inform me on my subject matter, and offer insight into whatever world I am currently romping through.

Robonauts

A robot and an astronaut shake hands… That might sound like the set up for a really cheesy joke, but in fact, it was a moment in history. Back in February of this year, a first occurred when Daniel Burbank. the commander of the International Space Station, shook hands with the first ever Robonaut. Controlled by ground crews, and currently lacking in full-body motion – they aint got no legs! – this does represent a big step forward in robotics.

As things stand, it is not yet clear if this represents a plan to “unman” space, or just supplement astronauts with humanoid machines that are capable of performing rote tasks and the more labor intensive aspects of space travel. But given the fact that space travel still requires adaptation and flexibility as much as calculations and precision, and that no amount of remote control can equal the thrill of actually being there, I’m thinking human astronauts are going to be around for a long time.

Check out this video of the Robonaut and Burbank making their historic handshake!

Source: CNET.com

Source, Now Available for Free until Nov.1st!

Good news everybody! At least, that’s how Professor Farnsworth would put it. My first novel, entitled Source, is now available for free through Smashwords until November 1st. As my first work of fictioni, it deals with a concept very near and dear to my heart: apocalyptic sci-fi!

In fact, the entire novel was inspired by a short story project I did with my old writer’s group – The Herscher Project – back in 2005. The theme was dark futures, and I used the opportunity to experiment with an idea that was kind of big news for the time.

If interested, go by Smashwords.com and download Source for your Kindle or ereader. Be sure to enter the coupon code: KY62K in the appropriate box, and get your copy for free! Note the old school cover, I’ve since updated that of course.

Real-life Robocop?

Imagine if you will, a machine that gives disabled police officers a chance to continue working with the force, but from the comfort and safety of an office. Rather than walking the beat and putting themselves in harm’s way, they could telepresence themselves to the streets through a robot body, one which does the job of getting around and locating offenders, while they issue the arrests and infractions. This is the concept that lies behind a new breed of patrol robot that is being developed by Lieutenant Commander Jeremy Robins and Florida International University’s Discovery Lab.

Initially, Robins began this program as a way of bringing some of the thousands of disabled police officers and soldiers in the U.S. back to the workforce. Ultimately, this would call for the creation of a “telebot” that is not only equipped with the latest in wireless technology, but also one that can get around and take some serious punishment. In many ways, this is an elaboration on the concept of Robocop, the hybrid man-machine that stole our hearts back in the 80’s with his signature lines: “You’re move creep!” and “Dead or alive, you are coming with me!” And let’s not forget that sweet gun trick!

But of course, these new robots would be asked to do less adventurous things than the gun-toting cyborg who saved Old Detroit. In addition to working as patrol officers, they would responsible for handling all the regular tasks of police officers. These would include responding to 911 calls, writing traffic tickets, patrolling specific routes, and staying vigilant for law breakers. In addition, they could also be charged with safe guarding government and high-value facilities from terrorists or other criminals, doing both surveillance and acting as an on-site security force.

Early sketches of the robot give some indication of what it would look like. Essentially, it would have to be mobile, which would call for a wheeled chassis. It would have to be ambulatory, which would require arms. And it ought to have some semblance of a person, since it would be expected to carry the officer’s voice and interact with people. In essence, even little children need to be able to approach this robot and ask it if it can help them find their mothers.

An early rendition, shown here, has been appropriately named “Tough Guy”. Like all other design ideas, the end result calls for a robot that has a two-wheeled chassis, a mobile upper body, and a head that carries a two-way audio and video device so that the officer commanding it can both view and interact with the robots and environment and other people.

Already, the Discovery Lab has announced that the end product will be military grade and usable by the army under the 2 million dollar initiative that DARPA’s (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) set up years ago. Robins is also trying to get NASA to sign on with its Robonaut tech – a program to develop a robotic astronaut. So while the end product will be used primarily by police, plans are already in place to expand it to other areas – such as military operations and unmanned space exploration – as well.

Poalo Solari and the Birth of Arcology

Arcology: noun (plural arcologies) an ideal integrated city contained within a massive vertical structure, allowing maximum conservation of the surrounding environment. Origin: 1969: blend of architecture and ecology.

The question of what to do about Earth’s growing population – 7 billion and counting – and the environmental impact it is having has been on the minds of city planners, environmentalists, and global leaders for qu9ite some time. Far from it being a simple matter of determining how we are going to feed new every mouth we create, there’s also the question of how to provide for their other basic needs.

In the 20th century alone, humanity grew by multiplication factor of six. Cities expanded, suburban developments went up, and inner cities were “rezoned” and redeveloped in order to make room for them. When horizontal space became an issue, vertical structure were adapted, incorporating sky scrapers and massive high-rises. In addition, cities, counties and entire nations needed to find more sources of fresh water to address their health and sanitation needs, more landfills to accommodate waste, and more green spaces to grow food. In time, it soon became clear that this increased output of human beings and their various wastes was causing irreparable harm to the planet.

By the turn of the century, the projections only became worse, thanks in large part to the ongoing industrialization of developing nations. In these parts of the world, where a full third of the human race resides, the impact of so many new power plants, urban developments, superhighways, and fossil-fuel burning cars could not be underestimated. The problem of providing space for our people and seeing to their needs in a way that is sustainable in the long term has only become more pressing as a result.

As it turns out, the answer may lie in a concept developed in the 1960’s by a man named Paolo Soleri. An architect of Italian descent who studied at the feet of architect Frank Lloyd Wright, he is credited with coining the term “arcology”, a new form of architecture that plotted the creation of three-dimensional hyperstructures that would be self-sufficient, and in some cases, self-contained. Primarily proposed as a means to combat two-dimensional urban sprawl, arcologies were also meant to economize on transportation, energy use, commerce and agriculture. All needs, which included the need to reduce waste and impact on the environment, were incorporated in his new designs. And on top of that, they would be beautiful as well as very, very big.

One of his first designs was for a city-structure named Babel (or IID as it’s officially designated). This design called for a flared cylinder of apartments sitting in a saucer-shaped base, complete with commercial, civil spaces, and public areas. The estimated population for this monster design was 550,000 people – the population of a major city – but placed in an edifice 1900 meters high and 3000 meters at its widest point.

Close-ups of the design show the immense attention to detail that Soleri’s featured in his drawings. From housing, to production centers to water treatment and waste disposal, nothing was overlooked. And just in case you’re having problems imagining the scale, he features a picture of the Empire State building for a size comparison.

And then there was Hexadredon, an incredible geometric mountain resting on three immense supports. Accommodating over 170,000 people, it measured a mere 800 meters by 800 meters (640 square km). On top of all that, it looks immensely artistic, incorporating such design features as massive pyramids, support columns, and rotundas. In reality, it looks more like an ancient temple than a three-dimensional city.

His many other concepts involved cities adrift on water, built into canyons, or on the side of cliffs. As far as Soleri was concerned, nothing was off limits. Any and all geographic features and landscapes, including the ocean itself, could be built into human habitats. Though it remained somewhat speculative for its time, Soleri’s ideas formed the basis for a great deal of speculative writing and urban planning.

For instance, in Japan, urban planners have proposed a future city development to deal with urban sprawl in Tokyo – known as the Shimizu Mega-City Pyramid. As it stands, much of Tokyo Harbor is artificial, composed of fill in order to accommodate Japan’s growing population and industrial centers. This further expansion calls for the creation of a massive pyramid measuring 730 meters high, 8 square kilometers at the base, and capable of housing 750,000 people. All told, it would be roughly 14 times the size of the pyramid of Giza.

In addition, there is the proposed building project in Moscow known as “Crystal Island”. Measuring in at a whopping 2500 square kilometers at its base and 450 meters high, it will be the single largest structure on Earth, if and when it is completed. Shaped like a massive tent, the superstructure of the proposed design acts as a sort of second skin to the main building, creating a thermal buffer and shielding the interior from Moscow’s harsh weather.

In addition, this second skin will adjust with the seasons and sealed in winter to minimise heat loss, while opened again in summer to naturally cool the interior. Power would also be provided by built-in wind turbines and solar panel, as well as a series of renewable energy solutions. On top of all that, the design incorporates an existing park, which provides a range of activities, including cross-country skiing and skating. Construction was officially postponed in 2009 due to the economic crisis, but is expected to resume in the coming years.

Last, but not least, there is the planned community of Masdar City, which I wrote about in a previous article. Though not technically an arcology in the sense of a three-dimensional colossal environment, the design nevertheless incorporates all other aspects of Soleri’s concept. These include renewable energy sources, sustainable resource management, mass-transit, recycled water, and a range of other green technologies.

Today, the planned city of Arcosanti, which Soleri himself began construction on in 1970, remains an unfinished testament to his work and his genius. Located in central Arizona, just 110 km north of Phoenix, this work-in-progress incorporates Soleri’s unusual design features and, though uncompleted, remains a testament to his vision.

Check out this video from Arcosanti website, which featured Solari’s design for the mega-city Nudging Space:

Evidence of Ancient Streambed Found on Mars

More news from the Red Planet! At a press conference held just yesterday, members of the Mars Science Laboratory announced that Curiosity discovered some interesting gravel patterns in the Gale Crater which would seem to indicate that water once flowed there. What more, according to William Dietrich (Curiosity’s co-investigator from the University of California, Berkeley) the water would have been flowing for some time.

“Too many things that point away from a single burst event,” he said in the press statement. “I’m comfortable to argue that it is beyond the 1,000 year timescales, even though this is very early on in our findings.”

Specifically, what Curiosity found was outcroppings of layered rock that are the result of multiple deposits of gravel, which the science team claims could not have been laid by any other naturally occurring source, such as wind. What’s more, the sizes and shapes of stones offer clues to the speed and distance of a long-ago stream’s flow. Although initially classifying this as a “surprise”, the team inevitably claimed that they weren’t too surprised by the finding.

The location of the site lies between the north rim of the Gale Crater and the base of Aeolis Mons (aka. Mount Sharp), a mountain inside the crater. To the north of the crater, a channel named Peace Vallis feeds into the alluvial fan, where the abundance of channels between the rim and conglomerate suggests the presence of flowing water over a long period of time.

For some time, scientists have speculated about the existence of ancient rivers on Mars, based solely on observations from afar. In fact, the “canals of Mars”, as they were often known, have remained a source of inspiration for astronomers and fired the public imagination. The notion that there might be life on the Red Planet inevitably led some to suggest that there was such a thing as a Martian race that was responsible for their creation.

This, in turn, has led to generations of science fiction and storytelling, with images of little Martian men invading Earth in their terrible war machines (a la War of the Worlds) or as benevolent psychic begins who succumbed to disease and the onset of human colonization (i.e. The Martian Chronicles). Naturally, these fantastic notions died when it became known that the Martian surface is all but lifeless. However, evidence that Mars was once capable of supporting life remains; and thanks to Curiosity, continues to grow.

Stay tuned for more news from Curiosity! As of yesterday, it moved on from the Garland Crater and began its longest journey yet towards the Glenelg area, where it will begin taking soil samples and performing test drills. The goal here will be to find samples of preserved organic carbon, another step in the long mission to determine whether Mars really did support life in the past. Exciting times!

New Look!

Hey all and good morning. Do you like what I’ve done with the place? Yes, after months of wanting to spruce up my blog’s appearance, I finally got around to some house cleaning, tidied things up a bit, and finally put my awards up where you could see them. Good thing too, I was getting worried people would come by and think that the only one who appreciated all my rambles was me. That seem right to you?

Also, I’m thinking of a new theme. Months back, I picked the one you see, Chapters, from a lineup because I thought it was conducive to displaying samples of my writing. However, given the fact that you can only pick from the last 20 posts, I find it a bit frustrating now. As anyone who knows me is undoubtedly aware, I go through a lot of posts on this site, and I mean A LOT! For that reason, I insist on being able to scroll back a ways, and I’d like my viewers to be able to do the same.

Anybody know about a theme that is good for that, not to mention putting up images of a sci-fi nature? I’ve been dying to use some images, like the one featured at the top here – “Aurora Rising”, a Blade Runner inspired image by fmacmanus at deviantART. Lovely isn’t it? Click on it to get a full-screen view. Trust me, it’s awesome!

Now if you’ll excuse me, I got some more chapters to write and some article to pen. Big news in the world of exploration, sci-fi and other such things. Williams away!

Robot Cars in Five Years?

Could it be, that after decades of failed predictions, especially where flying cars were concerned, that science is finally making good on its promise of robot cars? Well, according to Google co-founder Sergey Brin, that’s what’s going to happen. Just two days ago, Brin was on hand for the signing of a bill in the California legislature which establishes safety and performance standards for cars operated by computers on California roads and highways. As the third state to pass this law – Nevada and Florida have already signed similar provisions – California will now allow licensed drivers to use automated vehicles, once they become commonplace.

Apparently, Google has been testing the concept quite extensively. Several prototypes have been developed, and over 300,000 miles worth of driving have been conducted for the sake of testing the software. Brin admits that their are bugs that still need to be worked out, such as improving the sensors and hardware failure supports for the technology. In addition, there are the big challenges of adapting the vehicles to “tricky situations”, such as weather conditions, temporary construction, and emergency vehicles. In any and all of these cases, the robots need to be able to interpret the situation and respond accordingly.

However, Sergey and Larry are confident, stating that “Our vehicles, of which about a dozen are on the road at any given time, have now completed more than 300,000 miles of testing. They’ve covered a wide range of traffic conditions, and there hasn’t been a single accident under computer control.” And, unless science fiction and futursist have been lying to me all this time, the robot cars are likely to come with manual control as well, just in case the driver feels the need to take the wheel and do a little hands-on driving! After all, the purpose of this technology is ensure our safety and comfort right? And what’s more comfortable than turning on the autopilot?

Source: CNET News

What To Do For Halloween?

Talking about sexy Star Wars costumes got me thinking… Sure, all those ladies costumes were downright sexy, but they don’t ME a lot of good (not beyond staring at them for hours on end, anyway!) So I began to ask myself, what should I go as for Halloween this year? That past two years I’ve been doing this Wolverine costume, which was pretty boss the first year I unveiled it! I had a leather jacket, blue jeans and did some wood claws that I would hold between my fingers. The real challenge, however, was in sculpting my hair to look like Wolverine’s horned crown. Check it out:

This is me snarling and bearing my claws at the bar. And below is me threatening our friend Jerry as my sister-in-laws dog Dogie tries to intervene (such a good dog!)

However, the costume has gotten a little tired after two years in a row. So I was wondering… what to do this year? There are a couple possibilities, some tried and some entirely new. For instance, given my total non-shortage of tank tops and outdoor gear, I was thinking I could go as Riddick this year. Not a difficult costume to pull off; already got a set of goggles, and would just need to shave my head.

And speaking of shaving my head, that calls to mind another possible costume! Ever since TDKR came out, I’ve been dying to do a rendition of Bane. The Joker was a little labor intensive and really didn’t seem doable back when TDK came out. But this year, I think I just might be able to find everything I need to pull of this latest, brawny villain! I already got a line on where I could get a mask just like his, and for cheap too! The rest of the costume is pretty simple and can be slapped together from a vest, a tank and some work pants easily enough.

Of course, I know what people are thinking. “Matt, you couldn’t possibly pull of these guys, you don’t have the upper body musculature!” …You’ve got some attitude buster! Besides, it’s Halloween, and if girls can go out as totally sexualized versions of droids, nurses, vampires and werewolves, I can pull off Bane or Riddick. You just watch me!

Also, if anyone’s got any ideas for themselves, feel free to let me know what they are. I’m thinking I might like to do a post about some of the best themed costumes that people have ever pulled off. I’m mainly interested in outfits from fantasy and sci-fi, mainly because they are the most fun and hilarious! At least, that’s what Comic Con and the Big Bang Theory have taught me.

Update on Curiosity

More news from Mars! It seems that after a full month of being on Mars, running routine checks on its equipment and snapping some breathtaking photos, Curiosity is ready to begin the first leg of its study mission. This consisted of finding a Martian rock, the first sample in Curiosity’s extensive contact surveys.

And, after a week of searching, the NASA team piloting the rover found a pyramid shaped rock that they feel will be perfect for their surface analysis. The rock is described as a pyramid-shaped hunk, likely composed of basalt, which they nicknamed “Jake Matijevic” after one of the rover engineers who died back in August.

The sample was located just three meters from Curiosity’s landing zone, now known as the “Bradbury Landing” in honor of the late, great Ray Bradbury, author of the Martian Chronicles. On Saturday, it will extend its arm, take possession of the rock, and begin chemical analysis to determine the rock’s primary mineral and precise composition.

Another important aspect of Curiosity’s mission began this week, as the rover set it’s camera eyes to the skies and captured photos of Phobos making a Solar transit. To be fair, this was not the first time a Martian eclipse was captured on camera. In fact, the Opportunity and Spirit rovers both snapped similar images back in December of 2010 and 2005. However, the images taken by Curiosity were of such high resolution that experts will be able to estimate the consistency of the interior of Mars itself for the first time.

Apparently, this is done by measuring the tidal forces these moons exert on Mars, examining how the planet changes shape ever so slightly as a the moons orbit about it. By measuring this “deformation bulge”, along  with the precise spatial orientation provided by Curiosity’s photos, experts at NASA and abroad will be able to conjecture what the core of Mars is made of based on how much the planet deforms. I always wondered how scientists were able to guess what lay at a planet’s core. Now I know, go figure!

Stay tuned for more news from the Curiosity and the Red Planet!

Source: Popular Mechanics