Fantasist's Scroll

It’s about time I did!

I was on a web BBS for role-playing game development this past week, arguing with someone again, of course, mainly about what seemed to be a willful misinterpretation of a semantic point. But, I got really, really upset by it. As my Dad would say, it “punched my buttons”. Boy, howdy! Frankly, that disturbed me. Why should what some faceless, nameless person think about my point bother me? What did I have to prove? Who was I trying to impress?
Well, I don’t know. However, what struck me about all that was how childish it all was. Not just the whole arguement, because it got rolling, I felt, as a result of someone else trying to impress everyone with their credentials, but specifically my reaction to it. I was rather like a child throwing a tantrum. And, that’s really sad. So, I’m going to stay away from BBSs for a bit. At least until I can get a handle on whatever that all was for me. Maybe that’s a sign that I’m growing up a bit. (About time! After 35 years, you’d think I’d have grown up already!)
So, with one last parting shot, I’ll quote the Bible:
“When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. ”
Corinthians 13:11

What, my story starter isn’t good enough for you?

Well, okay, I have to admit, it’s hard to beat Writer’s Digest for writer’s resources. I mean, they are the tops. Though, I recently let my subscription to their magazine lapse because I didn’t like the way the articles or format was going. I still love thier books, though. Nothing better in the “how-to” market for writers, in my opinion. Anyway, if you’re still looking for inspiration of somekind, you can try their writing prompts. There’s an “inspirational” thought for writers for every day of the year there. Hopefully, something will get your creative juices flowing.

I can’t pronounce mine!

Okay, this isn’t the most “accurate” of tools, but it is interesting. Basically, it’s a little web gadget that takes some information from you and pops out your, roughly approximated, Chinese “equivalent” name. The disclaimer says that you should get an expert to help you choose a Chinese name before using it in a real-world situation, since the Chinese feel that names are quite important to the character of a person. All of which is very interesting to me in terms of a created culture or created language.
For instance, I can picture a culture that has a separate language for naming. Or who hide their names for magical protection. Or who change their names for the same reason! Really, the possibilities are endless.

Oh, yeah, you can find the “Get a Chinese Name” tool here…

No, I’m serious.

My darling wife posted a link to the Calorie Restriction Society on her blog and I thought I’d share that with the regular reader of my own blog. (I know there’s at least one of you…) These folks are convinced that if a person restricts their caloric intake, they can radically extend their life. Now, I’ve seen this before and, my wife’s obession with caloric intake aside, there’s actually some research to back it up. Of course, my wide-load Girl Scout cookie loving butt is somewhat skeptical, but, then, who wouldn’t be?
On the other hand, I can see how this might be a really good theme or gimmick for a story. Shoot, it would even work for either a science-fiction story or a fantasy story. In fact, I seem to recall something like this in an Earl Dumarest novel from E.C. Tubb. Though, of course, I can’t remember which one. I just remember a nasty zealot who used food only as fuel for his body. He was, obviously, cadaverously thin. Funny thing was, he was searching for a formula that Dumarest had stolen that conveyed, you guessed it, immortality.

Can it be done?

They used to say that an army travells on its stomache, meaning that supplies and supply lines, especially food, determine how and why an army moves. But, what can you do about that? Well, according to this article on Wired News, DARPA is trying to make a soldier that doesn’t need to eat for five days. The project is called “Metabolic Dominance” and it’s an attempt to use biochemical “cocktails” of various kinds to overcome or get around the body’s need to ingest food for long periods of time. It’s a fairly radical step in both biochemistry and military science. Imagine what might have happened to Moscow if Napolean’s troops hadn’t needed as many supplies. Awsome. This technology, if they can perfect it, combined with the other things DARPA has in the works, really could change the face of war so radically that it may just become science-fiction. Joe Haledman may have been far more prophetic than he imagined with The Forever War, not to mention the classic Starship Troopers by Heinlein.

I honestly believe that this happens all the time. If you live long enough, you’ll see yesterday’s science-fiction become today’s reality.

Is that a star or a satellite in the sky?

Well, with the information, and links, in this article from TechTV, you could find out! It’s a list of information about NASA’s J-Track program that lets you track satellites, and other space objects, right from your browser! It’s really pretty cool and, best of all, it’s free. Hey, your government dollars working for you!
There’s also some information about other NASA software that they use in space missions. So, if you’re interested in just what that light was over your house, here’s how to find out.

Have fun!

Another great Lawrence Watt-Evans book!

I just finished reading Touched By The Gods by Lawrence Watt-Evans last night. It was, of course, up to his usual wonderful work. Though, I have to admit I had some issues with the names he used. They were occasionally hard to pronounce and that interrupted the “flow” of the story for me sometimes. But, that’s really my only complaint.
It’s a fairly straight-forward theme, really, a champion who is chosen by the gods during a time of peace is suddenly thrust into a war that could destroy civilization as he knows it. Standard heroic fantasy stuff. Of course, Lawrence Watt-Evans manages to bring those “stock” characters to life and make them real with an expert stroke of the brush. Malledd, who is the god’s chosen champion, is born into a smithing family and takes up the trade at his father’s anvil. He grows to enourmous size, even for a smith, but settles into a peacefull life with his wife and children. But, it’s not meant to last, and it would have made a boring book if it had! An enemy of the empire in the far East has found a dark magic that he hopes will allow him to avenge himself against his people’s conquerers. And, along the way on his quest for vengence, he discovers that the gods can favor more than one champion…
I won’t tell any more than that, though, lest I give something away. Let me say only that Touched By The Gods has some interesting takes on destiny and duty. In fact, they’re themes throughout the book as Malledd struggles with the internal conflict between staying home with his family and doing his duty to his empire. An enjoyable read and a bit of a break for Lawrence Watt-Evans who is well known for his Ethshar series of books. I really can’t say enough about his fantastic fiction. And, yes, I meant that as a play on words! So, what are you waiting for? Go get this book and read it!!

Well, not in the United States!

This article in Wired News discusses the Korean created cloned human embryo and the stem cells derived from it. In part, it says, the Koreans managed this before us because of our moral and religious leanings. Our politics and medical ethics are derived from our, primarily, Judeo-Christian outlook on the world. Those beliefs have stymied clone experimentation on humans in the United States. Wrongly or rightly is something for every individual to judge.
I, on the other hand, find myself speculating on what that will mean to the future of the world. Will we have thousands of copies of Kim Jong Il? Or, since China is working on these kinds of things too, Chairman Mao? Will we be reading about a genetically “improved” army marching out of Asia somewhere to conquer the world? Or, do we just have to worry about having shorter lifespans than the average Korean? Perhaps, as William Gibson has suggested in his fiction, we will all be going to Asia, somewhere, for the “best” surgeries and “improvements”.
Who knows… But, as a writer, the possibilities are thought provoking, to say the least!