Military Fish.

Well, actually, they're still mammals, but you get the idea. William Gibson created a character for Johnny Mnemonic that was a military veteran who happened to be a dolphin. Jones, who showed up again in Neuromancer, if I recall, had advanced sensors and software hardwired into him that was useful for extracting information out of people's electronic heads. His background was military intelligence, specifically RECON. He found, and tracked, enemy submarines and mines. At the time I read about Jones, he seemed like pretty far-future fiction. But, then I saw this... <a href="http://www.fantasist.net/scroll/archives/030324_war_5pm01.html&quot; onclick="window.open('http://www.fantasist.net/scroll/archives/030324_war_5pm01.html&#039;, 'popup', 'width=256,height=317,scrollbars=no,resizable=no,toolbar=no,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,status=no,left=0,top=0'); return false">View image</a> on <a target="_blank" href="http://msnbc.com/c/0/145/115/ssMain.asp?fmt=&sld=2&res=inline&0ss=N1b01… News</a>.

So, military dolphins. I wonder what they're paid? What kind of retirement benefits do they get? What's their length of service? Do dolphins have conscientious objectors? The possibilities are mind boggling. And, it's interesting to see that it's not as far-future as I thought.

But, isn't it ironic that we're using marine mammals in a desert war?

Herbal remedies for pets?

Recently, we got a <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ryumaou.com/hoffman/netgeek/archives/2003_03.html#000118">new puppy</a>, and it started me thinking. With all the "natural" medicines for people, why not for animals, too? We've been domesticating animals for quite some time and have pretty advanced medicine to help heal them. But, what about when alchemy was the science of the day? Did we "bleed bad humours" out of animals, too? Did the local "witch" concoct herbal remedies for the local farm animals and pets? I suspect so. What about other cultures, though? Did the ancient Egyptians? How about the ancient Chinese or Japanese? I don't know.
But, when one thinks about it, it makes sense. These domesticated animals can represent a significant investment that a farmer would want to protect. And, quite often, what works on people works on animals, too. Especially dogs and cats. Of course, there are cultures that would not think of animals as "companions" at all. For instance, the old Arabic view of dogs as "unclean". Certainly, these are important things to think about for a well-rounded, fictional world. These are things we tend to take for granted, but how do people really feel about pets? The answer to that question, of course, raises many more. All of the answers, though, can say quite a lot about a created world or culture.

Something to consider the next time you pass by a petstore.

The wrist computer comes of age.

Finally, one of the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.04/fossil.html?pg=1&topic=&topic_… future technologies arrives</a>. Remember the Dick Tracy cartoons? They always had these wrist communicators complete with visual interface. Well, guess what? Fossil is set to start making them!
Well, they don't let you see other people yet, but they do let you take advantage of wireless communication to get all kinds of interesting data. They actually seem to have two models, depending on what you want to get done, but either way it's cool. Now, <b>this</b> is what I call a Personal Digital Assistant!

Get the Fourth Edition rulebook for FREE!

Yep, that's right, you can get the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.atlas-games.com/arsmagica/free/index.html">Ars Magica Fourth Edition rulebook </a>for free from <a target="_blank" href="http://www.atlas-games.com/arsmagica/">Atlas Games Ars Magica website</a>.
It's a pretty cool game and a great concept. This is the entire rulebook, not an introductory booklet, mind. Their idea is to get you hooked on what a great game it is and then get you to buy the bound copy and the supplements. I hope it works, because it beats the normal RPG model for profitability.

Good luck guys!

I think I'm starting to see things.

No, seriously, I'm so tired that I think I'm starting to hallucinate. Oh, just little stuff, really. Shadows that aren't there. Creepy crawlies that are just at the edge of my vision, but disappear when I turn my head. Just little things. It's not like I'm hearing voices or anything.
You'd think having visions would make me more creative, though, right? Nope. Not at all. In fact, I've been less creative this week than I normally am. And, I don't see much relief in sight because we're <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ryumaou.com/hoffman/netgeek/archives/2003_03.html#000115">ad… a puppy </a>this weekend. Though, I might be inspired to write a dog story or two. I'm so excited about it, I baked dog biscuits last night.

Ah, well, sleep and creativity are both over rated.

Today is <a target="_blank" href="http://www.williamgibsonbooks.com">William Gibson's </a>Birthday!

For those of you who have been hiding under a rock, or are freshly hatched from the Great Egg, <a target="_blank" HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/external-search?tag=fantasistnet&keyw… Gibson</a> is the father of the cyberpunk movement. He's generally credited with coining the term "cyberspace" and popularizing a somewhat more realistic, or bleak, view of the future.
He also ran away to Canada in 1968 to avoid the draft. Which is the only bad thing I can say about him. I otherwise admire his work and thought processes. Certainly his literature is beyond compare.

I finished <a target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0345443020/fantasistnet">Perdido Street Station</a> this week.

My earlier appraisal of it's literary merit has been born out. This is possibly the most interesting fantasy book I've read in the past five years. I guess that's why it's won awards, eh?
Now, I'm going to talk plot, so if you'd like to avoid any spoilers, just skip this until later.

The book starts off with quite a lot of wandering around New Crobuzon, where the story takes place. But, there is plenty of action to keep the reader interested, so I didn't really mind, even though it went on for almost 200 pages. The entire book, after all, is over 700 pages, so 200 setting up the story isn't really that bad. And, in that 200 pages, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/external-search?tag=fantasistnet&keyw…; China Mieville</a> sets up several plots and sub-plots. But, it's a bit further before the reader figures out which one is the main plot.
The first of the two dueling sub-plots involve a flightless bird-man, called garudas, named Yagharek. He's had his wings sawed off as a punishment by his tribe for some unknown crime. He's come seeking a rogue scientist named Issac Grimnebulin who can help him fly again. Or, so he hopes.
The second sub-plot, which becomes the main thrust of the action, is a result of Issac's "reasearch" into flight for Yagharek. He accidentally acquires a very deadly moth in it's caterpillar phase. He raises the moth, mainly out of curiosity, and accidentally releases it on the city.
These two plots continue through out the book, constantly intertwined to a greater or lesser degree. Issac and Yagharek are joined by a motley crew of compatriots and temporary allies as they try to solve both the problem of flight and the destruction of a deadly, mind-stealing moth. Along the way, they make numerous discoveries, meet with tragedy, and find renewed hope.

It's a very interesting and thought provoking book. And worth every last page of the 710.

I made a mistake!

I was going through my blog and noticed that I made a mistake in a reference to the <a href="http://www.fantasist.net/scroll/archives/2003_02.html#000042">Javacruci… Chant</a> and where it originated. I said that it was based on the <a href="http://www.fantasist.net/scroll/archives/2003_02.html#000043">Litany Against Fear</a>, but it's not. It is, in fact, based on the little chant that the Mentats do when they drink the "juice of Sapho", which is what gives them their legendary speed of thought.
That goes like this:
<b><i> "It is by will alone I set my mind in motion. It is by the
juice of sapho that thoughts acquire speed, the lips acquire
stains, the stains become a warning. It is by will alone I
set my mind in motion." </i></b>

As big a fan of the <A target="_blank" HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0441172717/fantasistnet">Dune</A…; books by <A target="_blank" HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/external-search?tag=fantasistnet&keyw… Herbert</A> as I am, I'm really rather embarassed that I missed that! I guess it's time to read <A target="_blank" HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=fantasistnet&path=tg/sto… series</A> again!!

Oh, and don't forget, Sunday, March 16th, the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.scifi.com/">SciFi Channel</a> is playing their original move <a target="_blank" href="http://www.scifi.com/dune/features/">Frank Herbert's Children of Dune</a>. Before that, they have their previous original movie, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.scifi.com/dune_2k/">Frank Herbert's Dune</a> on again! Get those VCRs ready!!

Just added!

I've actually had these around for a bit now, but I finally got around to uploading them to my webserver. There are two phrasebook templates.
The first is a generic phrasebook similar to the <A target="_blank" HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/external-search?tag=fantasistnet&keyw… Planet</A> series of phrase books. It's fairly safe and standard stuff. Pretty much everything a traveler could want to know how to say. And, I think it's a fairly good introduction to a conlang!
The second phrasebook is a little more adult. It's more along the lines of <A target="_blank" HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/external-search?tag=fantasistnet&keyw… Tomb's "Wicked" phrasebook series</A> or <A target="_blank" HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0452275067/fantasistnet"&gt;
Zakennayo!: The Real Japanese You Were Never Taught In School!</A>. It's more irreverant and has terms that only very naughty tourists would know or want to know!! But, it's a good place to start if you want to figure out how someone would curse in your conlang. Of course, the idioms used are all particular to a conlang that I'm working on at the moment, but at least it gives you a place to start.

You can find the phrasebook templates on the <a href="http://www.fantasist.net/worldbuilding.shtml">World Building Resource page</a>.

As proud a parent, or step-parent, can be!

My wife reported to me today that our daughter is a bit of a writer, which I knew. What I did not know, however, is that at least one of her teachers thinks she's good enough to get published. Or have her work submitted to a contest. I wish I could claim that it was biological superiority that made her such a literary genius, but, alas, she is my step-daughter and I can make no such claim. However, it does give weight to the nurture-vs-nature argument. She has, after all, seen me working at the Craft for more than five years now. Surely, some of that must have rubbed off on her.
In any case, I have all the tools to help her find the appropriate publication or contest to submit her work to, if she wishes. I will not push her to do so, only suggest. At the moment, she writes for her own pleasure and I'd hate to take that away from her.
In the mean time, I'll just be as proud as I can be of my daughter, the Writer.