I hope you have some free time on your hands.
I'm about to drop a whole bunch of books into Amazon over the coming months. Some works will be short stories, such as "The Gravity of Dreams", which will fit in between Fractal Standard Time and Ionotatron, and an untitled short story about a character first introduced in Firebugs: Dr. Ferganut. The untitled short story should become available in the next week or two, while the Gravity story will drop sometime in late January.
If that isn't enough, Ionotatron should be done by late January or early February. And by April you should see the third part of the trilogy, Chronopticus Rising. Quickly following that will be Race the Sky, a stormchasing novel that I already have two versions of...but the whole book is in desperate need of complete overhaul.
Beyond that, there will be a twelve-story collection that centers around Dr. Ferganut. The only thing I can say at this point is that it has something to do with a hypercube.
If that isn't enough...stay tuned. I'll have more news in a few weeks about some other projects.
Monday, December 30, 2013
Friday, December 27, 2013
Random Mars Stuff
One of the ideas I'm toying around with for Ionotatron is flight on Mars. There is not a great deal of information out there on this subject, which makes it a little difficult to research. Nevertheless, some experimentation is going on in this field and recently I've come across a few articles that may shed some light on it.
For example, here is an article which discusses potential designs for flying robots on Mars. The major issues with flight on Mars include the radically different atmosphere compared to Earth and lower gravity. The lower gravity can be a beneficial thing for liftoff and landing, but the density of the atmosphere means using giant propellers for fixed-wing aircraft or even balloons. If you used a balloon, though, you would still need a means of moving in in a particular direction which would involve either small thruster rockets or using usually large propellers.
Another option would be to use an entomopter, which ironically draws its inspiration from insects here on Earth. In one proposed model, two sets of flapping wings would be used, and the device would be less than a foot in length. Here is an animation demonstration what such an object might look like.
On the ground, some other ideas are being explored, such as this "hedgehog" device which could be used to explore Phobos. The spiked robots would roll around on the low-gravity surface and report back to a "mother ship" orbiting overhead.
And if you didn't catch this article, Lego has announced a fan-designed Curiousity Rover model set for the new year.
For example, here is an article which discusses potential designs for flying robots on Mars. The major issues with flight on Mars include the radically different atmosphere compared to Earth and lower gravity. The lower gravity can be a beneficial thing for liftoff and landing, but the density of the atmosphere means using giant propellers for fixed-wing aircraft or even balloons. If you used a balloon, though, you would still need a means of moving in in a particular direction which would involve either small thruster rockets or using usually large propellers.
Another option would be to use an entomopter, which ironically draws its inspiration from insects here on Earth. In one proposed model, two sets of flapping wings would be used, and the device would be less than a foot in length. Here is an animation demonstration what such an object might look like.
On the ground, some other ideas are being explored, such as this "hedgehog" device which could be used to explore Phobos. The spiked robots would roll around on the low-gravity surface and report back to a "mother ship" orbiting overhead.
And if you didn't catch this article, Lego has announced a fan-designed Curiousity Rover model set for the new year.
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Random Space Bits
NASA's Morpheus Lander went for a test flight the other day. The concept is similar to that of the Grasshopper launch a few months back.
Should we remake Mars in "our own image"? This article asks that question, albeit from a terraforming perspective. There are numerous assumptions in the article but I believe there is far more at stake here than just changing the climate of a planet. Besides all sorts of colonization issues, many people would also have designs on remaking Mars in their own societal, religious, and political images. Along those lines, what is a person's definition of "Eden"? Compare that with the Biblical definition of Eden and what it meant when God made humans in His own image (Genesis 1:26-27).
And finally, here's a short nanotech video that introduces a concept called "genius materials"...or materials that can self-assemble themselves on a nano level (as opposed to "smart" materials). Research is ongoing in this field aboard the ISS.
Should we remake Mars in "our own image"? This article asks that question, albeit from a terraforming perspective. There are numerous assumptions in the article but I believe there is far more at stake here than just changing the climate of a planet. Besides all sorts of colonization issues, many people would also have designs on remaking Mars in their own societal, religious, and political images. Along those lines, what is a person's definition of "Eden"? Compare that with the Biblical definition of Eden and what it meant when God made humans in His own image (Genesis 1:26-27).
And finally, here's a short nanotech video that introduces a concept called "genius materials"...or materials that can self-assemble themselves on a nano level (as opposed to "smart" materials). Research is ongoing in this field aboard the ISS.
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Bookends
Another book to the shelf
and another one opened
time to write a new storyline
Another page in a novel
of recorded experience
with too many pages unsigned
Every word is a deal
in the currency of meanings
that feelings need to define
A new milestone or guidepost
each time I move on,
but what am I leaving behind?
As I try to make sense
of the world in my time,
with each volume for reflection
I write a new storyline...
and another one opened
time to write a new storyline
Another page in a novel
of recorded experience
with too many pages unsigned
Every word is a deal
in the currency of meanings
that feelings need to define
A new milestone or guidepost
each time I move on,
but what am I leaving behind?
As I try to make sense
of the world in my time,
with each volume for reflection
I write a new storyline...
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