Storytelling is the only verified form of magic: to form incantations in the reader’s mind, to have them envision imaginary worlds, feel profound emotions, or experience new thoughts. David Brin encapsulates advice for aspiring writers for how they can take the first steps toward becoming successful authors.
I just rented SLEEP DEALER, directed by Alex Rivera, a charming, clever and well-crafted little film - almost entirely in Spanish but with good subtitles - set in a near future when the "migrant" labor force stays in Mexico but jacks in to control robotic waldo-drones on US construction sites and in American agricultural fields. One could quibble about this and that -- e.g. the American military’s rules of civilian protection - but none of that detracts from a lovely story, and the first really good science fiction film I’ve seen that takes you cutlurally south....
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...as opposed to east. While you are at it, rent 2009: LOST MEMORIES, a Korean (yes that’s right) sci fi epic (3 hours) with very high production values, set in a parallel world where Japan retained its empire by siding with the US in WWII, with Koreans fighting for independence well into the 21st century. The premise: "a failed assassination attempt in Harbin, China in 1909 changes the course of history. Now two JBI agents must find the connections between it and an ancient Korean artifact." On the downside, like many eastern films, it is past-obsessed and a mystical carved stone is the mcGuffin, rather than forward-aimed technology. Most scenes proceed at a somewhat glacial pace, even the great big gunfights. But that’s an education, too.
And now, from the pretty good to the sublimely ridiculous... see "Conan the Musical!"
Do the metal coils in our mattresses focus or intensify FM & TV radio waves> Does this explain the lower incidence of melanoma and breast cancer in Japan, where such mattresses are rare?
I have long championed Resilience as an important, under-rated theme. Now see how brittle our defense establishment may be, thanks to over-reliance on a particular brand of software. An example of scooting way out on a limb and then sawing it off.
Another calamitous case of resource mismanagement and ripping off future generations... frittering away our helium.
A lithium-ion battery with a positive electrode made of carbon nanotubes delivers 10 times more power than a conventional battery and can store five times more energy than a conventional ultracapacitor.
In the last 500 years there has been a cataclysmic 'Great Event' of international significance at the start of each century.
"In 1517 Martin Luther nailed his theses to the door of Wittenburg church, sparking the Reformation of the church and rise of Protestantism.
1618 marked the start of the 30 Years War and decades of religious conflict in Western Europe
That conflict ended with the establishment of the Hanoverians in 1715. They ruled over Great Britain and Ireland, and Hanover (in Germany).
The Congress of Vienna took place in 1815, following the defeat of Napoleon, and heralded a century of relative stability across Europe.
In 1914 the First World War broke out, a catastrophic conflict that would claim millions of lives and set the tone for international discord throughout the 21st century."
Sure, well, it feels a bit creepy. Still, um, the Hanoverian dynasty one is really a reach... even downright silly.
But here’s an eek. plain old eek. I have to agree. I don’t share genes with these folks.