Fantasist's Scroll

3D ID.

According to this story on WiredNews, holographic “mug shots” are the identification of the future. And, DuPont Authentication Systems and A4Vision, who developed the newest, easiest 3D ID system, think so, too.
Actually, the idea is pretty cool. Basically, the idea is to make it harder to counterfeit ID’s by incorporating a holographic picture of the correct, legal carrier of the ID. I think it’s a good idea. I know that the holograms on credit cards really made them harder to rip off, so the same should be true of other ID. Also, it would help keep passports secure, too. Considering the weight that the Department of Homeland Defense throws around these days, that could be a big deal.
In any case, go to the article and look at the pictures. They’re cool.

Noticed a few changes?

Well, that’s because I’ve relocated, yet again. Apparently, my old web host thought that my scripts were killing their server. Oddly enough, they seemed to think they were okay when I asked them to test them and make sure there were no problems before I released them to the public. Funny how that works.
In any case, I’ve found a new home at Amzia.net. And, I’ll probably be a little scarce for the next week as I move my other domains over, too. Oh, and, should it turn out that the last folks were right, I’ll be modifying my scripts to slow them down. Actually, to make sure that they only run one at a time. Though, I have to admit, I doubt there’s really a problem. Unless, of course, the problem occured when they moved my account from a Unix server to a Windoze server. But, that’s an entry for my other blog.

I was Wolverine.

No, really, stop laughing. Or, better yet, go take the darned quiz for yourself. It’s right here on Liquid Generation. But, as a quick disclaimer, I cannot be resonsible for what else you find on this website. I don’t think all of it is best viewed at work, if you know what I mean.

Happy Friday.

I just finished reading Dragon Venom by Lawrence Watt Evans this week.

Wow, what a sweeping book! Lawrence Watt Evans had a lot of ground to cover in this final installment of the Obsidian Chronicles and he did so amazingly well. First off, if you haven’t guessed by now, this is the last book in a series of three novels that are not set in Ethshar, one of my favorite fantasy settings. This world is a little grittier and certainly more savage than Ethshar. And, it allows the author to explore some rather gruesome ideas about the comingling of magic and blood that his somewhat more “happy-happy” Ethshar series doesn’t allow. But, that aside, it’s a great series.
In this final installment, Lord Obsidian attempts to put an end to the dragons for good. And, of course, to seek his revenge on the dragons that devistated his village. Okay, now, if you’re reading this series, stop here, the spoilers are on the way…
Well, he manages to kill quite a few dragons, which doesn’t do much but irritate the remaining ones a bit. But, he also manages to let the wild magic of the South start to encroach on the Lands of Man. So, the Duke orders him to stop slaying dragons until he can guarantee that the Lands of Man will be safe from the wild magic without dragons. That, then, is the main thrust of the book. Obsidian explores far to the South, meets a “wizard”, then kills it, and a god, learning quite a bit about magic along the way. But, not quite getting the answer to his problems.
He does find out that dragon blood is concentrated magic and the key to his problem. So, he goes about trying to create a magical dragon “substiuite”. And, well… I’ll let you read the book.

He said “bone”, heh, heh, heh…

Yep, “bone phone”. According to this article on AustrailianIT, Sanyo has built a phone that “…transmits sounds through vibrations that move from the skull to the cochlea in the inner ear, instead of relying on the usual method of sound hitting the outer eardrum.” Apparently, it’s quite good and clear, too. There are some early adopters who claim this technology really works well in the field, so to speak.
Personally, I find the implications interesting. Imagine a phone that’s implanted behind the owner’s ear and resonates directly into their ear. It would be the ultimate mobile phone. Hmm, how would you dial, though? With your tounge? Or, by blinking? Well, still not perfected, but at least there are some real posibilities there. Especially for science-fiction authors.

An interesting website.

Ricardo Pinto has put up a website to support his series of books, which is really one book in three parts, called The Stone Dance of Chameleon. The third book is forthcoming, but the first two are out. (They are The Chosenand The Standing Dead, in case you’re interested.) I haven’t read either book yet, but the world displayed on the website is fascinating. It has quite a few similarities to Mayan or Incan cultures, but, of course, with a very unique twist or three to them. It really looks like a rich, full world that one could spend quite a bit of time exploring. Certainly, the author seems to have spent quite a bit of time creating it: over ten years, according to his claims. He has a created language and maps of the geography in the books. Not only maps, but actual sculpted models, too!
This website is the first introduction I’ve had to the books, but I’m impressed enough that I might just have to hunt the books down when I get caught up in the reading department. Go see for yourself!