The Future Is Here: Bionic Hands!

Behold, the latest in bionic technology! The bebionic 3 model prosthetic hand, by the RSL Steeper company! Encased in an aluminum chassis, boasting improved electronics, a redesigned thumb, and new motors that increase the power grip, this hand was first unveiled at the American Orthotic Prosthetic Association (AOPA) Conference in Boston this past September. Since that time, amputees have been obtaining the hand and incorporating it into their daily lives. And the results are quite encouraging!

In addition to being able to do delicate work, like handle eggs and fine china without breaking them, the hand is also capable of performing a power grip that is capable of generating 31.5 pounds of force. That’s quite the Kung Fu grip, just in case you were wondering. And in “hook” mode, the hand is able to bear a load of 99 pounds. So, though it doesn’t have quite the same dexterity or free range of motion as an organic hand, the bebionic is capable of performing all the basic tasks, and is pretty powerful to boot!

Much like the bionic leg which was popularized by Zak Vawter’s historic climb last weekend, the bebionic works by reading the nerve impulses from the wearer’s arm skin. These are amplified by the arm’s electronics and translated into one of 14 possible grip configurations. These different grips are uploaded to the hands internal memory and users are able to cycle through them to determine which grip they want for which purpose. For instance, a mouse-clicking action makes the thumb grip a mouse, while the index finger clicks the left button. The “precision open grip” can be used to grab small objects and the “tripod grip” can be used to write with a pen.

Currently, and depending on its configuration, the hand costs clinical centers between $25,000 and $35,000. In time, and as it becomes available for public purchase, the price is likely to come down somewhat. Still, such a revolutionary device will not come cheap for many years to come. It also comes available in a range of colors and designs, including snow and jungle camouflage and tiger stripes, as well as realistic silicone skin coverings. See the video below for some examples.

Combined with other advances in the field of bionics and prosthetic devices, the bionic hand presents some new and very exciting possibilities. For one, technologies like ReWalk and other exoskeletons are making it possible for paraplegics to walk again, while sophisticated wheelchairs like the wheelchairbot are making stairs and obstacles passable. Coupled with bionic limbs that are giving full ambulatory motion back to amputees, we could be looking at a future where robotic enhancements can restore any and all ability to accident victims, combat veterans and people born with physical deformities.

In addition, the most audacious developments, such as bionic enhancements or robot chairs that read brain waves directly, giving full motion to quadriplegics and the ability to communicate fully to people with degenerative conditions is still yet to come! Once such technologies are readily available and commercially viable, we might even be seeing the emergence of a cybernetics industry, where people can receive enhancements that not only restore abilities, but greatly enhance them. Artificial limbs the enhance strenght and speed, artificial eyes that enhance vision and provide projected images and augmented reality displays, and even silicate implants that enhance brain function and make people smarter.

Homo Superior people… I just got goosebumps!

And while we’re waiting on all that to happen, check out this promo video for the latest bebionic model:


And here’s a video of the bebionic going through a battery grip pattern tests:

Aliens: Colonial Marines

As a big fan of the Alien franchise and someone who’s enjoyed just about every AVP game there is, I can honestly say that I am eagerly awaiting the release of this game! For years now, gamers have been getting a taste of combat with xenomorphs and hunters thanks to the AVP franchise, but this promises to be purer in nature.

In short, you’re a human being hunting the most dangerous creature in the universe, no fuss, no muss. And Pulse Guns, Smartguns, Flame Throwers and grenades are your weapons, hopefully with a little assistance from some M577 APC’s, a few UD-4L Cheyenne Dropships and maybe even some of them big power loaders!

Another aspect of the Aliens experience which this game appears to be improving on is the squad combat feature. Whereas in all the previous incarnations of AVP, you were forced to play solo for the vast majority of the game, this time around there appears to be better AIs and group play at work.

This is good seeing as how Colonial Marines are not meant to fight alone, and the explanations for how and why you kept finding yourself fighting solo in the games got pretty tiresome after awhile!

According to Steam, the game is set for release in February of 2013. Just a few months away, and in the meantime, enjoy the preview! I think you’ll agree, it’s pretty cinematic in nature.

Microchips Made With DNA!

It seems IBM is deep at work developing a revolutionary new method for assembling microchips. This process will involve using self-assembled DNA nanostructures to create microchips and chip components. Or, to put it more dramatically, DNA would be used as a sort of “origami”, serving as a sort of scaffolding in the arrangement of nanotubes and allowing the company to develop microchips that are smaller and much less expensive to produce.

But of course, the long-term goal is much more ambitious. According to Greg Wallraff, a scientist working with IBM, the “goal is to use these structures to assemble carbon nanontubes, silicon nanowires, quantum dots. What we are really making are tiny DNA circuit boards that will be used to assemble other components.” In short, this could be not only a step towards bioassembly, nanotechnology, and even quantum computing.

For some time now, scientists have been experimenting with DNA as an assembler for microcircuits. One such individual is Paul W. K. Rothemund, a research associate at the California Institute of Technology, who developed DNA origami back in 2006. This involved taking a long strand of viral DNA, putting into a 2 or 3-D shape, and then holding it together with shorter strands of DNA. In this way, he was able to create shapes such as triangles, stars and smiley faces, according to his Caltech Web site.

Based on this process, complex DNA nanostructures are made in solution and then applied to surfaces which have designated “sticky spots” to ensure that they hold a specific configuration. Once the scaffold is in place, molecules of polymer, metal and other materials can then be guided into place, assembled from the cellular level outward. According to Rothemund, there are still some problems that need to be worked out and it is likely to be another 10 years before the process is entirely viable.

Still, for enthusiasts of bioware, biotech, and nanotechnology, this is exciting news. To know that we could be just ten years away from components assembled by nanostructures composed of living material, a stepping stone towards machinery composed entirely of DNA structures or nanomachines themselves… like I said, exciting!

Source: findingdulcinea.com

The Future is Here: Mind-Controlled Prosthetics

This past weekend, amputee Zak Vawter stood at the foot of Chicago’s Willis Tower with the intention of scaling its 103 flights. The purpose of this historic climb was simple, to test out a new bionic leg which may very be the way of the future. Unlike previous prosthetics, this limb is actually controlled by the user’s mind. Thanks to Vawter’s determination, and a little help from the bionic limb, the climb went off without a hitch!

Vawter, who lost his leg in a motorcycle accident in 2009, performed this climb as part of SkyRise Chicago, an indoor stair-climbing fund-raising event for the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC), along with roughly 2700 other climbers. For years now, he has been commuting from Seattle – where he lives with his wife and two children – to Chicago to assist the RIC with the development of the leg.

This consisted of a surgical procedure called “targeted muscle reinnervation”, originally pioneered by the RIC’s Center for Bionic Medicine for upper-arm amputees. The operation reassigns nerves that once controlled a lost limb, allowing amputees to have more natural control of prosthetic devices. In Vawter’s case, this meant rerouting the residual nerves that normally would carry signals to his lower leg by attaching them to his hamstring.

Once that was complete, Vawter was assigned the leg that would turn these nerve impulses into full-range movement. Consisting of a powered knee and ankle that work in unison, the device reads the wearer’s intent. When they push on the device to stand up, for example, it pushes back, propelling them up. When they pull on the device, it retracts, allowing them to take a step forward or vertically, depending on the signals it receives.

“Everything went great,” said Vawter at the event’s end. “The prosthetic leg did its part, and I did my part.” Kudos to you Zak Vawter! Who knows? This could be the end of problems involving accessibility as we know it!

Source: newscnet.com, huffingtonpost.com

Walking Dead, Season 3 Episode 4

Welcome back to the Walking Dead! Today’s review, episode four entitled “Killer Within”, which as you may notice is a double-entendre. After last weeks introduction of the Governor and his walled town, things are once again shifting back towards the main group in the story, focusing on events in the prison and their ongoing struggle to build a safe haven.

Attention is still given the growing mistrust Michonne feels towards the governor, and the conflict between her and Andrea over the issue of trust. But by far, the biggest events took place within the prison complex, and I mean biggest! Some seriously big curveballs were hurled in this episode, which included the birth of Rick and Lori’s child, the death of T-Dog, and the death of Lori herself.

Killer Within:
Things open up on the prison, where we see someone opening the gates and laying bait for the Walkers to come. The identity is left a mystery for the time being, all we know is they are intent on sacrificing everyone within. Shortly thereafter, we see Rick, Glenn, Maggie and Daryl in the yard where they are moving their vehicles and discussing clean-up. They intend to plant crops in the field soon, and don’t want the litters of Walker bodies contaminating the soil.

Hershel comes out to see them on crutches, accompanied by the other members of their group. They are joined by the two prisoners, Axel and Oscar, confront them and ask to be allowed to join them in their side of the prison. They decide to give them supplies and send them on their way, but the send-off is cut short when Walkers show up in the yard and begin attacking them.

A fight ensues, and things are made worse when the prison sirens go off, attracting more Walkers. The group must split up, with Rick, Glenn, and Daryl fighting to clear the yard and get inside to shut off the sirens. Oscar, who used to work in the power room, escorts them to it after Glenn shuts the gate to keep more from coming in. Hershel and Beth manage to get to safety, but T-Dog is bitten while trying to protect Carol and get her inside. Maggie escorts Lori and Carl inside but they find Walkers have infiltrated the prison interior and flee to the basement.

Over in the town, Andrea continues to get to know the Governor while Michonne pursues her suspicion that there’s something “off” about him. Andrea learns that his true name is Philip, and that he had a wife who is now dead. Michonne inspects the army trucks they procured and notices traces of blood and bullet holes and suspects the Governor’s cover story was false.

At the same time, Merle learns of the location of the farmhouse where Andrea was staying, and asks the Governor for permission to go there and begin searching for his brother Daryl. The Governor believes its a wild goose chase, but agrees to go with him if he finds more concrete evidence that his brother could still be alive. Andrea and Michonne are set to leave and Andrea says goodbye, but is told she and Michonne are always welcome back.

Back at the prison, things are going from bad to worse. When they reach the power room, Rick discovers the identity of their betrayer. Turns out it’s Andrew, one of the prisoners who was believed to have died at the hands of the Walkers, is alive. After Rick is knocked down, Oscar grabs his gun and points it at the two of them. He then shoots Andrew and gives the gun back to Rick. Apparently, trust has now been established between their two groups, and the sirens are shut down.

Elsewhere, T-Dog and Carol are rushing through the tunnels and are cut off by a group of Walkers. T-Dog makes his final stand by rushing the group, and dies screaming while Carol makes it back to the yard. In another room, Carol begins to go into labor and experiences serious bleeding. She asks Maggie to perform a C-section and tells Carl she loves him, and does not appear to make it through the process. However, the baby is alive and well, and Carl tells her to leave so he can shoot Lori before she becomes a Walker. A gunshot is heard and he joins Maggie, and the two go back to the yard. There, they meet up with the rest, and Rick is broken when he sees the baby and realizes Lori is dead.

Summary:
Needless to say, this episode was a real nail biter. Granted, it wasn’t too much of a mystery who the saboteur was, though I did suspect it might have been Oscar for a short while. His knowledge of the power room seemed to me to be an indication that he might be the one behind the whole thing. But at the same time, we never really saw Andrew die so… yeah, not a big mystery!

No, the real tension here came in the form of the split which took place inside the prison. Thanks to the arrival of the Walkers, the group was split three ways, with each one facing its own particular crises. For Rick and his group, there was the task of shutting down the sirens and finding out who betrayed them. But Lori, Maggie and Carl, there was the challenge presented by her imminent delivery. For the rest, it was all about staying alive and getting back to the others. Between all of these perspectives, the full range of the show was displayed. You had betrayal and desperation, life in the midst of death, and terrible sacrifice. All of it was poignant and effective.

Also, the slow build-up of tension over in the town thread is something I really approve of. It’s pretty clear at this point that Michonne’s distrust  of the Governor will bear fruit in time, and that the Governor is likely to take her and Andrea prisoner once the cat’s out of the bag. What’s more, they are letting on that Merle’s efforts to find his brother are likely to lead the Governor to the prison. And we all saw what he did with those army men. Clearly, he believes anyone who doesn’t reside within his walls is a threat that must be dealt with. Clearly, these two threads are destined to collide, and sooner other than later.

But above all, the biggest thing in this episode was the deaths of T-Dog and Lori. In the former case, I wasn’t particularly surprised. As a friend of mine recently pointed out (hi Khaalidah!) T-Dog has remained an underdeveloped character in the series. Since we know nothing about his past and he’s got no one he’s particularly attached to in the group, his loss could not be considered a terrible tragedy. Lori, on the other hand is an essential character, the wife and mother of two other main characters.

Personally, I am entertaining the notion that she is not really dead, mainly because her death at this point in the show goes against material from the comics. However, there have been plenty of diversions from that material already, and who’s to say what the writer’s have planned. Perhaps I’m in denial…

Oh yeah, and there is the matter of the title itself, which as I said earlier I believe I to be a double-entrendre. On the one hand, you have Andrew who is busy at work plotting the demise of the group. He is the literal killer within the walls of the prison. However, the other meaning I believe lies within the Governor himself. Whereas he seems like a stable and caring fellow on the outside, the kind of man who projects a positive image to Andrea and the townspeople, we know him to be a cold-blooded murderer and insane man. This side, however, he keeps tucked away from prying eyes. Make sense? Just one man’s interpretation.

More to follow from this series soon enough. Don’t venture too far…

Mercury Robot Survives Hurricane Sandy

Amidst the news of Hurricane Sandy, of the devastation and ongoing efforts at rescuing those in harm’s way, there was a story that might have been overlooked. It seems that a small robot named Mercury, one of Liquid Robotics wave gliders, survived the storm and managed to keep transmitting information the whole time.

When the storm hit, Mercury was located just 161 km east of Toms River, New Jersey, where winds got up to about 115 km/hour. Nevertheless, the robot continued to function though the worst of it, transmitting real-time weather data and helping scientists to get a better understanding of what made the storm tick.

Naturally, everyone at the parent company was quite pleased with their little automaton, even though it was only doing its job. Technically speaking, Wave Gliders are autonomous monitoring devices that use the ocean’s waves for propulsion. They are composed of two sections; a float for the surface and a submarine compartment that resides under the water. The lower section also comes equipped with moving wings that ensure that the Glider can convert wave energy into forward momentum.

Each Glider comes with a GPS, a series of internal pocessors, navigation software, and an assortment of environmental sensors. Designed for oceanic data-gathering missions, their primary purpose is to help scientists and meteorologists understand and come up with solutions for climate change, resource management, and weather alerts. Given this mission profile, Mercury’s ability to keep on working through a Class One hurricane was quite encouraging. According to Joanne Masters of Liquid Robotics’: “Being able to provide real-time weather data from the surface and the first layer of the water column of the ocean will help scientists better measure and predict hurricane intensity. This can help save lives and prevent property devastation.”

Source: news.cnet.com

Calling All Revengers!

Hello to all members and all applicants! As I’m sure you’re all aware by now, the Revengers have come together and been declared an official force for justice and crime fighting. However, we still await the paperwork of a few standouts, people who have yet to fill out their bio work, submit photos, and provide other details. I hate to name names, but we’re all anxious to begin fighting crime and doing good in the community. And we’d hate to do it without a full compliment.

So, the following people need to submit the following info to HR forthwith:

Joaco (aka. Joaquin Barroso) – backstory and catchphrase

Pax (aka. Lance Schaubert) – backstory and catchphrase

Typos (aka. Greentree) – Alter ego, backstory, appearance, catchphrase

And please note that pictures are not a problem. Just let me know what you’re costume is and I can design a profile pic for you. Or, if you want to do it yourself, just follow this link and tinker til you like what you see: http://marvel.com/games/play/31/create_your_own_superhero

Looking forward to hearing from you and completing our justice team! Soon, we should choose our first mission. My colleague, Veiled Tsunami and I were talking, and we figured our first mission should be to take down this cities drug peddlers. However, the floor is open to suggestions. We could always do something socially conscious, like clamp down on polluters, political corruption, or even take down a mass murderer! We’re the Revengers, we can do anything so long as its (technically) within the law and reason… sort of.

Obama Wins!

Yeah, I know I promised not to get into politics much on this site, but that’s a promise I’ve broken enough times now that I feel no one will be particularly surprised or disappointed. And as we all know, there are certain occasions which require us to break our usual set of rules and offer comment. And this is one occassion that I’m happy to talk about, even though it really didn’t come as that much of a surprise.

OBAMA HAS BEEN REELECTED!

That news is so positive that it deserves its own line and in all caps! And yes, all indications seemed to point to him winning a second term, but like many supporters, I was kind of holding my breath last night as the initial returns came in. It was a lucky thing that I had TKD class night, and that it was a sparring class. It was just the positive distraction I needed! And by the time I came home, I had heard that enough returns were in and that enough states were called that Obama could be declared the winner! It still took some time before all the votes were tabulated and it was also revealed that he carried the popular vote, but by then, the good news was complete!

And, as behooves me on this site, I can’t help but wonder (and speculate) how this will impact on our future. Needless to say, I am a lot more encouraged than I was a year ago, back when Obama was struggling to try and get a budget approved by a Congress that refused to even consider one unless be included steep austerity measures and made tax cuts permanent. It seemed that the GOP, which was fast becoming dominated by the Tea Party, had effectively been cornered by the same forces they helped create. It seemed entirely likely at this point that the government might actually fall, or at least it’s economy would collapse. Of course, disaster was averted, but not without consequences in the short term (the downgrading of America’s investment rating).

I seriously began to wonder at this point if a hard swing to the right was in our collective future. With Europe beginning to slip to the right thanks to their economy, immigration issues and the ongoing problems of climate change, all this news from south of the border began to trouble me. If both the EU and the US were to fall under the grips or right-wing parties, we would be seeing a political climate not unlike that of the 1930’s. Back then economic collapse had led to the rise of Fascism all over Europe, not just in Germany and Italy as is often maintained. And in this day and age, we could expect that to be followed by serious humanitarian crisis as the various states of the EU began deploying gunships to the Mediterranean to sink boats filled with refugees and began clamping down on ethnic minorities at home.

Unlike in the 1930’s, where the targets of discrimination and even wholesale murder were people of Jewish descent, followed by Roma, gays and lesbians and Slavs, this time around,t he likely targets were likely to be people from North Africa, the Middle East, and West Asia. Meanwhile, we could expect similar sentiments to take root in the US against people of Latino descent. We had already seen much of this take place during the Bush administration with the building of the border along the US-Mexico border and attempts to pass anti-illegal immigrant legislation. And in more recent years, it achieved a sort of breakout with the passage of SB 107 in Arizona – which made it perfectly legal for police to arrest any Latino resident who could not produce documentation of residence.

Initially, I was angry and nervous. It seemed to me that the GOP was intent on bringing the house down, that their commitment to make Obama fail that they did not care what happened to their country in the process. As long as it happened on his watch, they figured he would get the blame. But at the same time, I kind of pitied them as well. It was clear that they had unleashed a tidal wave that they couldn’t control, and were trapped in it as much as they were riding it. After the 2008 election, they had become the party of “libertarianism”, condemning big government, spending, taxes, and any and all legislation on the economy. Unfortunately, this put them at odds with just about everything they needed to support to help the economy recover.

Needless to say, things got better, and the election seemed to be cinched in advance by a number of factors. First, there was the fact that during the primaries, all the GOP candidates seemed hamstrung by all the extreme right-wing sentiments they were expected to endorse. one of these were likely to play well with all the moderates and undecideds. Second, there was Romney’s embarrassing gaffs as he traveled abroad and alienated everyone on his tour. He attempted to prove that he was a man who could handle foreign relations, but proved the exact opposite. Then there was Paul Ryan, a right-winger who proved to be at once too popular with his base and too extreme with the voters who sought the approval of. And finally, there was Hurricane Sandy, which made him look like a flip-flopper when it came the importance of such federal agencies as FEMA.

All the while, Obama was looking sturdy, even though he was being hampered by the terrorist attack in Benghazi, his initial performance in the debates, and the ongoing question of the economy. However, when the chips were down, he showed himself to be a man who could be counted on, and even won over such die-hards as New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. Between that and the fact that economy was beginning to recover on his watch, the election seemed in the bag.

And to quote Obama’s victory speech, “The best is yet to come.” I certainly hope so. It’s not just a question of recovery int he short run. There are a lot of things at stake here, not the least of which is the future of America and indeed the world. For the last thirty years now, there has been a struggle for the heart and soul of America, at the core of which seems to be the issue of decline. America, like it or not, is no longer in ascendance, and is faced with the myriad problem of global climate change which may exacerbate that problem very soon. If the nation and the world is to survive and come through as winners, then enlightened reform and stable leadership are what’s needed. The last thing that can be allowed to happen is a hard swing to the right, more austerity measures, and more of the same.

It has always been the reaction of empires and civilizations that have found themselves in decline to react with stringent conservative measures – more war, more sacrifice, more repression, more religious zeal – and that has only ever hastened the problem. That might sound a bit dramatic, but I’m a historian, so trust me when I say that I know what I’m talking about. And as Ronald Wright says, “Every time history repeats itself, the price goes up.” Despite the persistence of old boundaries, our world has become a global state, interconnected like never before in our history. We stand or fall together, and cannot afford to act selfish, regressionist, or that our needs super cede those of others.

So I say congratulations America on making the right choice. Enlightened reform won out against old world thinking and denial. Now let’s all get to work on making things happen and check the ideological obstructions at the door!

Star Wars VII, What’s it Going to Be?

The news that Disney has purchased LucasArts for a cool 4 billion has certainly been making the rounds of late! Even more interesting is the release that they will be releasing the sequel trilogy sometime in 2015. This news has once again fueled a great deal of speculation as to what direction the new movies will take. Regardless of who is at the helm, it is generally agreed that there are only so many story arcs that the new movies could take…

The following list comes from AMOG‘s (Alpha Male Of the Group) online magazine, courtesy of Keith Veronese. The list is pretty comprehensive, and covers all the likely candidates for potential sequel and spinoff story lines. And lets face it, with the course of the prequels took, we all would like something new to rehabilitate the series! And with Lucas no longer at the helm, we all might just get what we want!

Immediate Pick-Up:
The first possible story arc for the new trilogy would be to pick up where the last movie left off. As it stood, the Empire was dealt a significant blow, but was far from finished. Granted, the Death Star was destroyed and both the Emperor and Darth Vader were dead, but the majority of the Imperial Fleet was still intact, as was its infrastructure and network of allied planets. As evil and rotten as it was, the Empire still commanded a great deal of loyalty and support within the Core Worlds, and the Rebel Alliance was likely to have its hands full dealing with all of them.

The benefits of this story are pretty clear. It’s a blank canvass in terms of plot, into which a new generation of writers can hurl all kinds of ideas. In addition, it’s a chance to bring back the old gang for another run, albeit with new actors and actresses.

The Thrawn Trilogy:
Written by noted sci-fi author Timothy Zhan, the Thrawn Trilogy are perhaps the most famous novelization in the franchise. Set five years after events in Return of the Jedi, the trilogy centers on the enigmatic character of Grand Admiral Thrawn, the last of the Empire’s senior officers who has assumed control of the Imperial fleet. Intrinsic to these plans are a lost fleet that disappeared prior to the Clone Wars, a secret cache of cloning vats the Emperor established during his reign, and an insane Jedi Master living on a remote world.

Meanwhile, Senator Leia Organa Solo (that’s right, they tied the knot!) is pregnant and expecting twins. While she has become a member of the New Republic government, Han has continued in his role as a fleet General and is using his old contacts in the smuggling world to try and drum up shipping for the new government. His efforts bring him into contact with a group of privateers who will one day go from being self-interested sorts to the same kind of heroes Han had become.

And finally, there are the adventures of Luke, who is drawn to Jedi Master C’boath and seeks to learn from him. However, they quickly become enemies as Luke realizes he is insane and seeks to capture Leia’s twins for his own purposes. He also comes into contact with Mara Jade, a Force-sensitive woman who once served the Emperor. She plans to kill Luke, but circumstances have thrown them to work together and cooperate.

Needless to say, this would be a good story arc for the series, and would be convenient since it’s already been written in full. All the old characters are reprized and fleshed out, and some new, decidedly Star Wars-esque characters are also introduced. And given that much time has passed since the originals, it would be a good opportunity for some new actors to tackle the roles of all our favorites. I’m sure Disney would be willing to spring for some cameos from the original cast as well!

Darth Vader Spinoff:
True, we got more than enough of his origin story with the prequel trilogy, but there’s still plenty of room for Darth Vader to grow! In fact, there is a twenty year gap between the prequels and the original movies, during which time Vader essentially did his best work. This included hunting down the remaining Jedi, rooting out dissent and resistance to the Emperor’s rule, and just generally cementing his reputation as an evil cybernetic menace!

The benefits here are pretty obvious, at least as far as a single movie are concerned. Plenty of lightsaber fights, stalking from planet to planet looking for Jedi, and lots of that creepy respirator and James Earl Jones-esque dialogue. However, it might be difficult to maintain a three-movie story arc from this. But that might not be a problem, given the next option:

Boba Fett Spinoff:
Boba Fett is arguably the most popular member of the supporting cast, and there are plenty who believe that he deserves his own moment in the spotlight. And after the prequels gave him a passing intro, there might be some merit to giving him a more complete origin story. Imagine Boba Fett as a young man, going about the known universe and establishing himself as the most notorious bounty hunter.

Aside from being action-packed and full of plenty of the seedier stuff of Star Wars, this film could be paired with a Vader movie as a potential second installment. And perhaps a third could be opened involving Obi-Wan, focusing on his adventures as he travelled from place to place on Tatooine, hoping to stay off the Empire’s radar while keeping an eye on Luke.

The Sith Wars:
Finally, there is an area of the franchise which has become rather popular of late, and that is the rather fertile period in the Star Wars timeline known as the Sith Wars. What began with the Knights Of The Old Republic series has now evolved into a MMOG with Star Wars: The Old Republic. And even though the reception was not as extreme as LucasArts might have hoped, the stage has certainly been set for a possible second prequel series.

Taking place thousands of years before the events in the first Star Wars trilogy, the Sith Wars chronicles the titanic war which took place between the Old Republic and the Sith Empire. And although there have been several installments in the franchise that carry the name “Sith War”, the expanded universe now claims that the greatest confrontation took place 3681 years before the fall of the Old Republic and lasted until 3653. This war was in turn the result of over 1300 years of preparations and buildup by the Sith, who never forgot the crushing defeat they had suffered at the hands of the Republic during the Great Hyperspace War.

The benefits of this story are also quite obvious. In addition to being a very established story arc, there are plenty of interesting characters, developments and battles in this period which, if properly developed, would result in cinematic gold! What’s more, people do enjoy origins stories which are well told, and after the mixed reviews of the last prequels, a deep-origins story could be just the thing to rehabilitate the franchise. And it’s got all the right elements; Jedi, Sith, lightsaber fights, and a titanic war between good and evil, similar in tone to the war between the Rebel Alliance and the Empire.

What’s more, this story will have no sense of duty to suffer from. Unlike episodes I, II, and III which were burdened by having to explain where all the original characters came from, how Anakin fell to the Dark Side and how the Empire came to be, a Sith War trilogy would be able to tell a story where the details are not entirely pre-written. What’s more, the massive war does not suffer from the ambiguity or the Clone Wars, which seemed like little more than background for the prequels main focus – which was the fall of Anakin Skywalker. This time around, we’d be able to see lots of fighting and not be distracting by a whining Hayden Kristensen complaining about how much his life sucks!

____

So what’s it going to be? Personally, my money is on options two and five. Having read the Thrawn Trilogy and thoroughly enjoyed it, I would certainly pay money to see it adapted to the big screen. At the same time, I’m itching to see some of that Sith War swashbuckling and fleet battles! Man, tough choice, and the studio hasn’t even announced what they might be planning yet…

Whiskey Delta Complete!

It’s finally finished. After 14 weeks, forty-nine chapters, and 93,741 words (give or take a few), my tale of the zombie apocalypse is finally complete! And now I begin the process of editing the manuscript, doing some promos, and publishing it indie style! And when it’s ready, it will be available on Amazon-Kindle and Createspace, both in paperback and ebook formats.

And just to be a nice guy, I will be making it available for a limited time for free! So stay tuned, I will be making the link and coupon code available for all those who want a free promotional copy. Tell your friends! And while you’re here, maybe you can help me with the cover design and writeup. How’s this look:

“No one can confidently say that he will still be living tomorrow.”
-Euripides

“Ambulans mortuus: noun. Lit. “moving dead” (lat.). A viral strain that appeared in the Western Hemisphere in the early 21st century. Origin unknown. Characterized by high fever and death in infected subjects, followed by reanimation and extremely violent behavior. No known cure.”

New Mexico, the domain of the Rattlesnake, and the Whiskey Delta. For years, the undead have been roaming the countryside, feeding on the living and spreading their disease. But within a small compound outside of Espanola, the men and women of the 200th Infantry are fighting to take back the country. Under the command of Major General Thur, aka. “The Mage”,  they hold the line against the armies of the undead. However, things soon escalate as the Mage discovers an opportunity to end the war sooner than expected. All that’s needed is a desperate mission into the ruins if Los Angeles, ground zero in the war against the Whiskeys, and a land heavily contested by human foes… What could go wrong?