Fantasist's Scroll

Well, it’s my birthday, too!
No, seriously, it’s my birthday. And, look, I could copy and paste everything I wrote in my other blog about this blessed event, but I’m too lazy, so I’ll just link to it.

"I'm always amazed that people take what I say seriously. I don't even take what I am seriously."
   --David Bowie

Well, and fantasy, too.
I recently read a very good article about religious and spiritual belief and how that fits into science-fiction and fantasy fiction. The article was really an interview, in slightly modified form, with award-winning author and well-known Mormon, Orson Scott Card. (You can read the article here: SciFiEditor.com.) The article brings up some very good points about why religion is often left out of modern fantasy and science-fiction, namely that the SF and Fantasy “Establishment” are practitioners of American Intellectualism, which “rebels” against religious thought and belief. I think he’s quite right in that regard. Also, I agree that such a view is quite unrealistic, considering how widely spread religious beliefs actually are in the world and how deeply they effect our culture and planet. Look at both the Crusades and the current political unrest in the Middle East. Indeed, in many places in the world, political strife is a direct result of conflicting religious beliefs and methods. As important as these factors are in our real world, can we afford to ignore them in a created world? I don’t think so.
In any case, I highly reccomend reading the article if you plan on writing speculative fiction of any kind. Religion in such settings is a very important, but overlooked, topic.

Yes, they’re real.
Actual autonomous robots that mimic fish are no longer just science-fiction. According to this article on the BBC, the London Aquarium not only has them, but has them swimming in a tank with actual fish. Primarily as a marketing gimmick at the moment, but, still, they’re in there just acting like fish. Currently, they’re trying to get them to “feed” like biological animals, too, but, at the moment, they’re on batteries that last rough 5 hours.
Obviously, these little blighters are part of a scientific experiment to see how the fish and robots interact, as well as representing a step in the ever popular quest for artificial life. Any way you slice it, robofish are pretty interesting.

Well, look, how creative!
Fish! Yea, the stereotypical 3d artist’s first image, tropical fish underwater. Well, at least it’s not dolphins! I could be worse! Actually, this is the first of several in a similar vein I did some time back. Recently, I went back to it and added some things, but, that’s for later.

Well, at least his fossil.
According to this article from McMaster University, an ape that was roughly three meters tall and weighed up to 1,200 pounds was running around Asia at a time when humans also existed. Gigantopithecus blackii, as the giant primate is known in archeological circles, has actually been known for over 35 years, but this is the first time that such a complete specimen has been found and accurately dated.
And, yes, I do suppose that they’re capitalizing on the recent media blitz surrounding the new King Kong movie, which opens in December. I still think it’s cool.