Fantasist's Scroll

Open borders and travel help the planet survive?

Hmm, maybe. Certainly Bruce Sterling seems to think so. In his article on Wired News, Guns, Germs and Software, he talks about diseases breeding in isolated pockets of isolationist extremists that could ravage the planet. And, based on what I read in Guns, Germs, and Steel, he may well be right. (His title is, of course, an allusion to the aforementioned book.) It’s certainly an interesting proposition. In fact, it wouldn’t suprise me to see this in a book from Mr. Sterling one day.
In today’s climate of isolationism and fundamental extremism, there are a frightening number of populations that could incubate such a disease, but the most notable are factions in the Middle East. And, of course, such an extremist group might find a use for such a disease…..
Hmm, something to think about….

Of course, Mr. Sterling takes the opposite stance. He posits that those isolationists are putting themselves at great risk. Cutting themselves off from technology, especially medical technology, and becoming hotbeds of incubating diseases is a recipe for disaster. At least, to them. And, again, something to think about.
Sometimes the business of writing is inspired by grim details of brutish existance.

“To the stars through hardship.”

That’s roughly what Ad Astra Per Aspera means. I think the effort is worth it, though. There’s been a lot of talk lately about President Bush’s new space plan. Basically, his plan has two branches. First, establish a moon base. Second, send a manned mission to Mars.
This Wired News article talks about the first step, building a permanent moon base. This, of course, has been the dream of many of us since the very early days of space travel. I know that I’ve been waiting for it since I was a little kid. I even remember getting a book from a school book fair that had cardboard cut-out toys that which was all about a moon base. But, something happened. We lost our way and this dream got shelved. Now, President Bush has revived it. Let’s hope it stays alive.
The second part of the space plan is to send a manned mission to Mars. Again, a dream of many of us for many years. I started to think about this after I started listening to the environmentalists yapping about the state of the Earth’s ecology. In fact, I’ve said for years that if it’s so bad, we need to invest in getting off the planet! Now, it seems, we may.

Of course, there’s a lot of talk about how much this will all cost. Honestly, I’m not sure why it matters. It sure didn’t matter when we went to the moon. All that mattered was that we got there and beat everyone else. I’d say the same thing applies here, too. Now we have to compete with the Chinese and the Indians, who both have viable space programs. Sure, the front-runners are the Chinese who have only recently put an astronaut in space, but still, they’re gaining. We need to beat them to the Red Planet. I mean, c’mon. “The Red Planet”? How can we pass up the chance to make headlines about beating the Red Chinese to the Red Planet?
Seriously, maybe some good, old-fashioned competition can restore our country to the greatness we once enjoyed. I sure hope so. And, I’d love to get a call from a grandkid on Mars.

Er, a mechanical dog for the military?

Okay, I’m not sure why they don’t use the real thing, but according to this story on WiredNews, the US military is working on building, essentially a robotic dog. The idea is to have a robot that can carry more of the soldier’s gear and still be able to keep up with them over rough terrain. Interesting, but the robot looks like a clunky, mechanical dog. The article even makes the comparison. Seems to me, with all the problems that they seem to be having creating this robotic helper, it would be better to stick with the K-9 units. But, then, I’m an old-fashioned guy.
In any case, it’s an interesting story.

The future of transportation?

Funny, that’s what they said about the Segway… But, this time, I think they might actually have something. This time it’s a mono-wheel motorcycle. Well, an almost uni-bike. It actually has other wheels for, er, something. From the pictures in the article on WiredNews it’s hard to tell what they’re for, but they are there. Well, at least they’re there in the pictures. There’s not even a prototype, yet. The plan is for it use electric and hydrogen power and it’s going to be a lot faster than the Segway. At 35mph in the “learning mode”, I would imagine that this is meant to be a replacement for Vespa, at the very least.

In any case, it’s cool. And, I think it’s actually on its way!

Oy! I finally get it!

This morning, while thinking like Martin Luther, it occurred to me why I have trouble with some of my fellow conlangers. It’s a simple difference of philosophy. They are opposed to my automated tools on the basis that they somehow degrade the “art” of conlanging. I think, to them, that the process of conlanging is the whole point.
To me, though, a constructed language isn’t relavent without a constructed culture to go with it. That is the fun of conlanging for me. Seeing the interplay of culture and language in a new way, or even an old way that I’m controlling, is the fun thing. The language creation itself is just a means to an end, so it only makes sense to me to crank it out as quickly as possible.

It’s interesting that this never occured to me before. Of course, I may have been so busy being defensive that I didn’t take the time to figure out what was going on. And, I have to admit, I let my temper get the best of me. I got irritated with the snobbery I percieved in the arguments I heard against using automation. I guess technology has become such a part of my life that I take for granted what it can do for me and that not everyone else exploits it the way I do. Go figure.
Anyway, I thought it was an interesting observation….

Can this possibly be a real story?

I feel like I should put this up on April Fool’s Day, but it seems to be a real story. Apparently, the Pentagon is considering using the Segway in battle. Yeah, that’s about what I thought, but it’s a real news story. According to this story on CTV News, the US military is looking at making autonomous robots based on the Segway for use in battlefield conditions. It’s only in the planning stages now, but it actually sounds like a good idea. At least on paper.
It might even be what saves Dean Kamen from disaster. After all, the Segway didn’t really “revolutionize” city transportation the way all his backers said it would. Ah, well, at least there might be a government contract in it for him yet!

Good luck, Mr. Kamen!

A little review with a big title!

I recently purcahsed The Little Giant Encyclopedia of Spells & Magic, which is a neat, inexpensive, little book. It’s a very brief, simple encyclopedia of superstitions and magic beliefs that covers a lot of ground. First off, let me say that I don’t think anyone should try 99% of what’s in this book! A lot of it involves either dangerous materials or cruelty to animals. However, as a reference to what the people of Europe thought of or about magic, it’s pretty cool.
There are several sections, each highlighting a different area of magic. Everything from witches to alchemy to the Kabbalah. And, while I have to admit it’s not always the most accurate information, it at least gives a good overview of what was going on. Each section has a little bit of history, a couple of important historical figures related to that particular practice, and some of the general ideas involved.

While this is far from a book of practical magic, it is nice for either a writer or RPG game master who wants to add a bit of color to their work. At the very least, it’s a good reference overview that let’s you decide what general area to focus on and then find more information. If you take it for what it is, it’s a good little reference book.

You know what “they” say….

And, just who are “they” after all? What makes them an authority? How do “they” get their message out? What channels tdo “they” use? Is what “they” say really true?
Well, I don’t know about any of that, but now, you can decide for yourself! That’s right, you can actually create “them” and their nefarious plot. No matter what you may have heard, conspiracies aren’t born, they’re made. And, you can make them! A new show over at TechTV focuses on nothing but conspiracy theories and the nutjobs that come up with them. Well, they thought the general public might like the chance to invent their very own conspiracy theory, so, they put up a guide on how to do it.

While it is fun all by itself, the steps involved are perfect for creating a dastardly plot for your villian to carry out against your hero. And, I hope, it will stimulate some creativity, as well.
Enjoy!