NaNoWriMo 2013!

Well, NaNoWriMo is once again upon us. And after two years of taking part, I am contemplating a third. The only problem is, I kind of got nothing to go with right now. Sure, I got some ideas, some possible suggestions. But I don’t feel I have the inspiration. So I thought maybe making a list might help shake the rust loose and provide me with a needed push. Maybe a few suggestions could help there too.

Basically, I have it narrowed down to four possibilities. First, I have a repitched old idea that I’ve been looking to rework for some time, followed by a short story idea that I think has potential and would like to see written in full, a third installment in my zombie series that needs to be written at some point, and the option of ditching all that in favor of finishing up with my edits and reading.

Here’s a basic rundown on each:

Apocrypha: This is a story I began writing back in 2008, but stopped when it started to go nowhere. Since that time, I threw out the original draft, began rewriting it, and then threw that one out too. It’s a story that seems to stick with me and has potential. It just needs a good rewrite. It takes place in the coming decades, in a world approaching the technological singularity and also reeling from the effects of overpopulation, displacement and climate change.
Pavitratā: This story was originally called Purity, and it involves a battalion of Marines who are being sent to a distant solar system to stabilize the situation on a colony world that has descended into civil war. Plenty of action, adventure, and maybe even a little social commentary. Hard to say, lets see where it goes!
Oscar Mike: The third installment in my Whiskey Delta series, this book picks up directly after events in Papa Zulu. It takes place roughly six weeks after the battle that characterized most of that book, and introduces another major twist to the story which threatens to alter the entire course of the zombie war.
Shag NaNoWriMo! I got work to do: As I am still not finished editing Papa Zulu, reading some stories for review, or catching up with a whole lot of relevant stories that have taken place in the last few weeks, I could just forego the whole damn thing and stick with the work I’ve got.

Those are my options. And just to make it fun, I thought I might put in a poll card and get people to vote. What do you think I should do for the month of November?

Halloween Comets!

Today, the early morning was greeted by the arrival of not one, not two, not three, but four comets! And interestingly enough, even astronomers were surprised. For months now, they have known that the comets ISON and 2P/Encke would be gracing the morning sky on October 31st, but no one predicted that they’d be joined by C/2013 R1 (Lovejoy), and C/2012 X1 (LINEAR) as well.

These two comets – the former being discovered by Australian amateur astronomer Terry Lovejoy back in September and the latter being a somewhat obscure character, presented a rare opportunity to stargazers everywhere. The appearance of four comets at the same time in the night sky is a rare phenomenon indeed. The fact that it coincides with Halloween? Well, the word spooky comes to mind…

The appearance of C/2012 X1 (LINEAR) was especially surprising given how sudden it was. In the past few days, the otherwise obscure comet has brightened by a factor of more than 200. Almost overnight, a comet found on precious few observing lists became bright enough to see in binoculars. Hence, comet trackers all over the world were sure to get up extra early to see it. But brightest of all was Comet Lovejoy, which reached magnitude 8.

As for Encke and C/2012 X1, astronomers were well prepared for their arrival. Encke’s appearance is predictable, since it treks around the sun every 3.3 years like clockwork and is often well placed for viewing. Because of its short period, dedicated comet watchers meet up with it a half dozen or more times during their lives. And due to its brightness, which tends to fall into the magnitude 7.5-8 range, binoculars are often all one needs to see it.

Comet C/2012 X1 is not usually visible in the night sky. But thanks to an eruption of fresh, dust-laden ices from its surface that blasted into space to form a gigantic glowing sphere that vaulted the comet’s magnitude 250 times to a voluminous 7.5, astronomers were expecting it to make an appearance alongside Encke this Autumn.

For those still interested in spotting these shooting stars, Comet Lovejoy will continue to brighten throughout November to the point where it can be seen by the naked eye. Small telescope users will continue to be able to see the comet with ease, as well as the gas tail that it is developing. Encke will also reach its peak magnitude for viewing by Nov. 21st as it chases the into the glare of morning twilight.

All you need is a telescope, a good set of binoculars, or a keen pair of eyes. And while we’re at it, I’d just like to remind people that this sort of conjunction does NOT portend doom! If anything, its a rare privilege, and should be considered a tiding of joy. The fact that it happens to fall on the spookiest of annual events, well that’s just pure coincidence!

Source: universetoday.com

Visualizing the Internet

Submarine fiber optic cables around the world Ordinarily, when one talks about visualizing cyberspace, they think of massive neon-structures or cityscapes made up of cascading symbols of data. While these images – the creation of writers like William Gibson and film makers like the Waschowski Brothers – are certainly visually appealing, they are not exactly realistic, and hardly do the real thing justice.

Thankfully, a recent article over at policymic has presented us with a new and interesting way of visualizing this thing we call the World Wide Web. By compiling images of the various deep-sea cables that allow us to transmit information at the speed of light, author Laura Dimon reminds us that while the internet may be made up of trillions of bits of data moving about at any given moment, it is dependent upon real-world physical connections.

Submarine Cable Map 2012 And these connections are extensive, with more than 550,000 fiber optic cables running along the ocean floor that are responsible for transmitting trillions upon trillions of interactions per day. According to the Washington Post, these cables “wrap around the globe to deliver emails, web pages, other electronic communications and phone calls from one continent to another.”

But surprisingly, few people seem to truly appreciate this. In an age of WiFi where more and more networks are being added to our public airwaves every day, the perception that all this information is something ethereal seems to have become rooted. Luckily, real-world events – such as the severing of several Seacom cables off the coast of Alexandria back in March – have managed to remind people just how grounded and potentially vulnerable the internet is.

Global Internet Map 2012 Given our immense and increasing reliance on the internet for business, personal communications, entertainment and shopping, one would that we as a people would possess at least a passing knowledge of how it works. But as Eric Schmidt, Google’s executive chair, claimed in his book The New Digital Age: “The internet is among the few things humans have built that they don’t truly understand.”

Luckily, Laura provides a breakdown in her article which is a good start:

It consists of tens of thousands of interconnected networks run by service providers, individual companies, universities, and governments. There are three major parts to its construction: the networks that physically connect to each other (with about 12 that are particularly significant); the data-storing centers; and the architecture that lies in between. That is where it gets really interesting.

Global Internet Map 2011 And just in case this doesn’t provide a clear picture, there are numerous images that have been created by organizations like Telecom Maps and The Fiber Optic Association. These show just how immense, extensive, and crisscrossed the cables that bring us all our emails, videos, blog feeds, and ability to surf are.

In addition, they also remind us that the historic gap between the developed and underdeveloped world persists into the information age. For every network of cables, there are cable landing stations that connect the deep sea lines to the continent they are servicing. As the maps show, Europe has more international network capacity than any other world region.

Global Voice Traffic Map 2010

They also remind us that the once undisputed technological supremacy of the United States has been slowly eroding as humanity enters the 21st Century. This has been especially apparent within the last decade, where localized service providers have eschewed the US as a central hub and begun to connect their networks to other countries and regions.

Fascinating, and educational. I hope someday to be able to use these sorts of visualizations in the classroom, as a means of letting students know what enables all their surfing habits. I imagine most of them will be surfing on their smartphones as I speak!

Sources: policymic.com, telegeography.com, thefoa.org

Climate Crisis: The Smog Vacuum

In recent years, strategies aimed at combating Climate Change have evolved to become a two-pronged attack. In addition to finding ways to reduce how much we pollute, a number of methods are being devised to deal with the pollution we have already created. And one such device is being deployed to where it is needed the most: Beijing.

For many years now, China’s capitol has been notorious for its poor air quality. But last Tuesday, in the northeast city of Harbin, roads, schools and even the local airport were closed for two days straight due to a thick, choking haze that was due to unseasonably warm temperatures and very little wind coinciding with the smoke from local farmer’s burning straw and the initiation of Harbin’s coal-powered municipal heating system.

The resulting haze measured 1000 micrograms per cubic meter. That’s three times the concentration deemed hazardous by the World Health Organization, and many dozen times what is considered safe. To remedy the situation, city authorities are now coordinating with Dutch designer Daan Roosegaarde to launch what he calls an “electronic vacuum cleaner” to suck up 50 meter-high cylinders of polluted air.

Two weeks ago, Roosegarde successfully demonstrated his smog machine in a 25 square meter room, in which he used an electrostatic field from copper coils to magnetize and pull down pollution from the air above. The effect could be replicated, he says, if those coils were deployed in public spaces. Now, Roosegaarde is working with Bop Ursem, a professor at the Technical University of Delft, to scale up the technology in Beijing.

Roosegaarde has had experience working with electrostatic fields in the past. Last year, he proposed using electromagnetic charging strips to charge cars on “smart,” communication-enabled highways, which won the designer an INDEX award in 2013. He also claims the project is safe, “pacemaker proof”, and really no different than the waves of WiFi downtown areas are already inundated with.

In addition, electrostatic air filtering is already used on a much smaller scale, in hospitals where clean air is a matter of hygiene and sanitation. But part of Roosegaarde’s challenge will be creating a clean 50-by-50 meter space, controlling for factors like wind. He also concedes that his smog machine won’t solve the problem of all of Beijing’s pollution, but is meant to serve as an awareness-raising exercise.

As for the resulting particles that are collected from the air, Roosegaarde believes they could be refashioned into useable products, such as jewelry. But as he himself put it, the concept is about dealing with a serious problem in a practical, new way:

I think it’s quite feasible in a weird way. Every project has its beauty and bullshit, so to speak. Of course you’ll have influences like wind, how high is the smog, but these are the pragmatics. In principle, this is doable… It is a statement to show [that] this is the new world, why do we accept the old world? In a world which is changing, it’s all about finding the missing links between imagination and innovation, between science and art.

Given the historic problem of smog in cities like New York, Los Angeles, Mexico City, London, and Southeast Asia, the concept is likely to catch on. While it is primarily intended on removing harmful particulates, like heavy metals and toxic chemicals, it stands to reason that such devices will be paired with Carbon Capture technology to ensure that all harmful pollutants are scrubbed for our cities air.

Reducing the amount of pollution we have to contend with while making sure we generate less. At this point in the game, it’s the only way the worst effects of Climate Change will be avoided in the coming decades. Stay tuned!

Sources: fastcoexist.com, cnn.com

The Future is Here: Fart-Supressing Underwear

Yes, you read that right. Whereas the ladies at Thinx invented an underwear that was leak-proof, moisture absorbing and odor-resistant, this latest piece of high-tech underwear actually prevents you from making a stink when you break wind. Sure, they are not exactly tackling Climate Change or curing diseases, but they must just be one of the most practical inventions to date.

They are known as Shreddies, and are the brainchild of British inventor Paul O’Leary. Basically, they use a thin layer of activated carbon, a known odor destroyer, to mask the smell of gaseous secretions. The porous nature of the carbon traps the smell, leaving nothing but the smell of fresh underwear, and all you need to do to reactivate the odor-trapping abilities is to wash them afterwards.

The company calls the fabric “Zorflex” and says that it went through rigorous testing to determine its odor-masking abilities. This included reaching out to a university research department, and presenting the finished product to professional standards scrutiny:

De Montfort University in the U.K. tested our new 100% activated carbon jersey cloth and presented their findings at the 86th Textile Institute World Conference.

Needless to say, when the Textile Institute – the leading international authority of clothing and footwear – backs you up, you know you’re doing something right!

Currently, Shreddies start at $30 for women and $45 for men. And in addition to their standard odor-blocking model, they also produce a line of underwear for people suffering from incontinence. These come with a new waterproof and breathable fabric, which has a high moisture vapour transmission rate.

As to the most important question, the company was sure to address that as well on their website, saying that while their designer underwear does absorb odors, it does not muffle the sound of flatulent outbursts. Luckily, they advise people to just alter the position of their bodies to do that. How thoughtful!

It’s an interesting age we live in, where underwear is capable of doing the same job as a diaper, and with odor-eliminating capabilities to boot! At this rate, we won’t need to mind our manners or toilette train ourselves at all in a few years!

Source: fastcoexist.com, gizmodo.com

Star Wars News: Vader WASN’T Luke’s Father Originally

You know, it’s been awhile since I spoke about anything related to one of the greatest science fiction franchises in history. I am of course referring to Star Wars. Lucky for me, a series of stories have popped up on the news lately, so I thought now would be the perfect time to remedy all that. And this story is quite interesting, as it has to do with Lucas’ original plan for a major plot element in the series.

In short, Lucas’ original draft for The Empire Strikes Back, which was recently leaked to the public, and in that version, Darth Vader was NOT intended to be Luke’s father. That major plot twist, which proved intrinsic to the series’ story arc, was introduced by another writer, Leigh Brackett. As a veteran Hollywood writer, and given the success of the first movie, Lucas wanted her help in making sure the script for the sequel was up to par.

Working from Lucas’ original plan, Brackett turned in an initial draft where Luke travels to Dagobah to receive instruction from Yoda, the ghosts of Obi-Wan AND his father. As for the major confrontation between Vader and Luke aboard Cloud City, the entire scene has no major twist, and instead consists of Vader offering Luke the chance to rule the Galaxy with him. Not “as father and son” mind you, just as two bad guys!

Sounds pretty weak doesn’t it? Well, turns out it gets better. In addition to there being no major twist, the original draft also had Han Solo showing Luke the basics of how to use a lightsaber (what WHAT?), featured a boatload of Wampas with the ability to freeze people, and had Han Solo spending part of the movie trying to recruit his stepfather into the Rebel Alliance.

Tragically, Brackett died shortly after sending in this first draft which was worked from Lucas’ notes, so she never got a chance to rework it. That task fell to Lawrence Kasdan and Lucas, who eventually worked from Brackett’s draft to create the film we all know and love. Alas, it was a good thing Lucas brought in some outside talent to help him with his script, or he would have had a Phantom Menace situation on his hands two decades too soon!

Going from the original story, as Lucas had it, the story not only loses most of its intrigue, but it’s also becomes bogged down in superfluousness and one-dimensionality. Part of what made Luke’s character so interesting was the inner turmoil he faced – being torn between stopping his father and wanting to help him, but also knowing that by killing him, he would risk becoming him.

What’s more, in this version Vader loses all depth and becomes a cardboard-cutout bad guy. By learning that he was in fact a once-great man who “fell from grace”, his character became far more interesting and involved. And of course, knowing that he was once good presented Luke with a third option and a resolution to his quandary – redeem his father rather than kill him, thus ending the war in a way that would not damn his own soul.

And sure, Obi-Wan did tell Luke point blank in the original movie that Vader betrayed and murdered his father, but that was what was so cool about it looking back. In that film, Alec Guinness’ abilities as an actor really made it seem like he was holding something back with Luke. Knowing that his tale was meant symbolically rather than literally just made sense. I mean, he is a warrior-mystic after all. He’s supposed to be all meta!

And really, this twist was what made the Star Wars trilogy work on so many levels. The idea of a son having to face his father, a fallen angel, in a titanic struggle of good and evil with immense personal implications and the fate of the universe hinging on the whole thing. It’s like Judea-Christian and classical mythology, Jung, Freud, and Existentialism all rolled into one!

To know that Lucas never intended it to be such, well that kind of puts a damper on the whole thing doesn’t it? But then again, it also answers a lot of nagging questions: like how the man who created the original saga could have created such fluff just twenty years later. Good thing he knew how to accept help back then, otherwise we’d have all missed out on a massive sci-fi pop cultural phenomena!

And in the meantime, enjoy some of these outtakes from the original movie which also recently emerged. Apparently, these come from the movie archives of the original film, which strangely, Lucas claimed had been destroyed. Wasn’t that the reason he couldn’t release the originals alongside the heavily CGI’d versions on DVD? Ah, who cares! Enjoy the clip:

Sources: blastr.com, uproxx.com

The Future is Here: The “Smart Rifle”

With the help of ballistics computers, integrated devices, and other high-tech advances, the firepower of the individual soldier is growing by leaps and bounds. And now, thanks to weapons like the Tracking Point “smart rifle”, which utilizes computer-assisted aiming, just about anyone will be capable of becoming a sharpshooter.

Tracking Point’s team is located in north Austin, Texas, where they have been working for many years to produce a truly “smart rifle”. After three years, they managed to create a weapon that can hit targets up to 915 meters (1,000 yards) away with near 100 percent accuracy. To put that in perspective, that’s about the length of ten football fields.

Interestingly enough, Tracking Point’s technology was born of frustration. The company’s founder, John McHale, came up with the idea for a smart rifle after returning from a 21-day hunting trip in Tanzania, where he failed to bag the elusive Thompson’s gazelle. Despite repeated attempts that seemed sure to hit the mark, he kept missing, as he lacked the skill to make the necessary corrections for a long-distance shot.

As a Texas native, McHale worked for decades in high-tech. He founded and ran several startups, including NetWorth and NetSpeed, which developed products that brought high-speed Internet to businesses and homes. Using technology to help people deal with the variables of long-range shooting – like shaky hands, wind, and bullet drop – seemed like a good fit with his approach to problem-solving.

Basically, long-range shooting involves a lot of math, incorporating velocity, ballistics, wind speed, and sometimes even Coriolis forces. Basically, as soon as a bullet leaves the gun, it becomes subject to gravity and is fighting to stay on course. The longer the range, the more difficult it is to make an accurate shot. For experienced long-range hunters, these variables are often kept track of using a “dope book” or log.

With a computer-assisted scope, all of this information is gathered in real time by the gun itself and then fed to the shooter via the display in the eyepiece. And while Tracking Point’s rifles are the first type of gun like this on the market, many are sure to follow. Already, a few companies are working on other types of smart firearms, gun-centric apps, and tech-infused scopes.

But of course, this invention goes far beyond the field of sport hunting. The US Army and every other advanced military on the planet is also heavily invested in integrated software and targeting computers to their firearms. And with the development of smart scopes and specialized apps, a new revolution is underway in firearms that has not been seen since the advent of gunpowder.

For those interested in buying one of these rifles, the company has indicated that their is a sixth month back order waiting period. Each one goes for around $25,000 apiece, and the company has already sold out on all the weapons it has slated until the end of the year. Beginning back in may, Tracking Point began shipping their rifles to buyers, and planned to make 400 to 500 by 2014.

Personally, I could do without one. But that’s because In my world, if you’re going to kill an animal, you better make it up close and personal, and be prepared to eat it and not waist a thing! You might say I take the naturalist approach to hunting 😉

Source: news.cnet.com

Bad Lip Reading: Game Of Thrones

At long last, the people at Bad Lip Reading have tackled the first season of A Game of Thrones. And wouldn’t you know it? They even provided a theme this time around! It’s called “Medieval Land Fun-Time World”, and chronicles the attempts of Eddie (Eddard Stark) and a gang of misfits as they try to save their medieval-themed fun park.

Yeah, if that sounds like the plot of a really cheesy comedy, that’s because this is what they were going for. The whole thing is pitched like an extended preview for a film jam-packed with bawdy fart humor and cheap jokes, with hilarious results. And they even managed to squeeze in some CGI and special effects to make the illusion complete.

Seriously, this has to be their most elaborate video to date. Check it out:

Video Promo for Whiskey Delta

For awhile now, I’ve been toying with the idea of doing a promotional video for Whiskey Delta and its upcoming sequels. As someone who has never done this before, I found the idea very appealing, though admittedly a bit daunting. For example, what could I – a humble indie – really do other than string a few images and some words together with some background music?

And of course, I was concerned rights and such. I didn’t want to get sued after all. Not before I’ve actually had a chance to become famous! But today, with not much else to do, I went over to Youtube and just dived right in. And after a few hours of tinkering and some stock photos which I bought straight up, I managed to put the following 41 second video together.

Please check it out and let me know what you think:

The Future is Here: The “Attention Powered” Car

Driver inattention, tunnel vision, and distraction are all major causes of road accidents. And while the law has certainly attempted to remedy this situation by imposing penalties against driving while on the phone, or driving and texting, the problem remains a statistically relevant one. Luckily, Emotiv and the Royal Automobile Club of Western Australia have joined forces to come up with a brilliant – albeit slightly unusual – solution.

It’s known as the “Attention Powered Car”, an automobile that features a neuroheadset made by Emotiv, creator of a range of electroencephalography-based monitoring gear. Basically, the driver straps on the headset while driving and then interfaces with custom software to read the driver’s brainwaves. Any lapses in concentration are read by the headset and cause the vehicle to slow down to about 14 km/h (9 mph) as a way of alerting the driver.

In fact, the car – a Hyundai i40 – will only run at full capacity when it senses that drivers are giving their full attention to the task at hand. According to Pat Walker, RAC executive general manager:

The impact of inattention is now comparable to the number of deaths and serious injuries caused by speed and drink driving, which are all contributors to Western Australia consistently having the worst fatality rate of any Australian state. Nationally, it is estimated inattention was a factor in 46 percent of fatal crashes.

The prototype design is largely meant to bring attention to the issue of driver distraction, and also serve as a tool for investigating the problem further. Researchers have been using the car (on a track) to test how various tasks, such as switching radio stations or sending a text message, impact a driver’s attention. Factors measured include blink rate and duration, eye movement, and head tilts.

And while novel and pure science fiction gold, the concept is also quite due. Given the improvements made in EEG headsets in recent years, as well as computerized vehicles, it was really just a matter of time before someone realized the potential for combining the technologies to create a safer drive that still relied on a human operator.

While robot cars may be just around the corner, I imagine most people would prefer to still be in control of their vehicle. Allowing for a neuroband-operated vehicle may be just the thing to marry increased safety while avoiding the specter of a future dystopian cliche where robots handle our every need.

RAC WA has also produced a number of videos about the Attention Powered Car, including the one below. To check out others, simply click on this link and prepare to be impressed.

Sources: news.cnet.com, staging.forthebetter.com.au

Stories by Williams

Classic sci-fi books, reviews, and the best of from a dedicated fan and author!

NaNoWriMo 2013!

Halloween Comets!

Visualizing the Internet

Climate Crisis: The Smog Vacuum

The Future is Here: Fart-Supressing Underwear

The Future is Here: The “Smart Rifle”

Bad Lip Reading: Game Of Thrones

Video Promo for Whiskey Delta

The Future is Here: The “Attention Powered” Car

Classic sci-fi books, reviews, and the best of from a dedicated fan and author!

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