Fantasist's Scroll

No, really, it is easy!

Or, at least, it is if you’re Philo T. Farnsworth inventor of the television and the Fuzor!
Honestly, I’m not sure if this site is real or a joke, but if they’re kidding, it’s the most elaborate hoax that I’ve ever seen. I mean, the idea of a fusion reactor small enough to fit on your desk is pretty far out, but, then, so is the PC and the Internet and they’re real! Then, too, there’s that name: Philo T. Farnsworth. It’s almost too good to be true. And, if it is real, then why aren’t there news stories about it? How come I’ve never heard of it before?
In any case, it’s Friday, so go take a look and have some fun.

I finished The Genius of China this weekend.

Wow. This is an incredible book! Like many readers of popular modern science, I constantly underestimate the inventiveness and technology of ancient man. This book really highlights that. Also, it’s an amazing inventory of creativity and inventiveness that the current China seems to be regaining. Imagine very modern inventions like glow-in-the-dark paint and natural gas mining being invented before the First Century AD!
I read this as a way to get familiar with the technology of one of the most inventive people and times in history so that I could use it in conworld creation. I was NOT disappointed! The idea that they had movable type and spill-proof lanterns were revelations to me. Not to mention the quality of their ceramics and lacquer.
However, you’ve really got to want this information to read this book. I found the author’s style to be quite dry and academic. In some cases, it even seemed rather biased in favor of the Chinese, but, as my wife pointed out, that’s to be expected considering the subject matter.
All in all, though, the author’s writing skills are not enough to keep me from heartily recommending this book to anyone interested in the technology of the ancient world.

Online and free!

The Science Fiction Channel has a free fiction archive on their website. It has both “classics” and original ficition. You might recognize some of the authors, but I imagine that many will be new. At least, they were new to me. Of course, I’m reccomending it because I think the fiction is good, but I would expect that from SciFi.com.
The editor is Ellen Datlow who is an award winning writer and editor. She’s also a master (mistress?) of the short-story. And, of course, there are submission guidelines. So, if you’re feeling brave, you can submit your work.

Enjoy!

This weekend I finished the High School Earth Science Review.

That may seem odd, but it’s not, really. See, I want to create more realistic worlds for my fantasy and science-fiction settings, so, I need to know the basics. And, in my opinion, the basics include earth science. So, falling back on my memories of High School, I thought it would be good to simply review the things I hadn’t caught in science class. See? It realy does make sense!

Anyway, the book was actually fairly good. It gave a decent overview of the subject and used pretty simple language. After all, it is meant for High School students who are having trouble with Earth Science! But, it does hit all the highlights: plate tectonics, water movement and erosion, weather and climate, and so on. There are questions at the end of each section meant to test your knowlege alone the way, but I didn’t really pay attention to them. I wasn’t trying to pass a test, after all. It did give me several ideas for interesting things in regards to planetary processes that might turn up in some of my writing. And, of course, I hope it will improve the realism of my maps. Knowing that rain falls on the windward, and oceanward, side of the mountains, for instance, really effects a lot on a map.

Anyway, if you’re looking at world-building, there are far worse places to start than a review of High School earth science. And, this book is a fairly good review.

I finished The Hiram Key: Pharoahs, Freemasons and the Discovery of the Secret Scrolls of Jesus last week.

It was, er, well…. “Interesting”, to say the least. I’m not sure I agree with everything they claim, but it sure made me question what I thought I knew about my own faith and Freemasonry. In a nutshell, the authors claim that Freemasonry is the repository of the “secret” teachings of Joshua ben Joseph (aka Jesus Christ), by way of the Knights Templar. Now, the idea that Freemasonry is derived from the suppressed Knights Templar is not new, and, frankly, one I believe. Too much just fits together too well for that part to not be true. Where it starts to get a little sketchy for me is that they claim the Knights Templar got ahold of some secret, forgotten scrolls that were hidden under the Temple in Jersualem at it’s building. And, that the knowlege in those scrolls goes back to ancient Egyptian kingship rites which themselves may be derived from ancient Sumerian religious beliefs. It’s all a kind of a stretch to me, but the authors make it seem frighteningly plausable.

It’s an interesting book, but probably not the best place to start if you’re interested in Masonic history. But, since this book got me so interested in the history of Freemasonry again, I’ve set myself the goal of reading at least one Masonic book a year. So, keep an eye out for other reviews!

(And, yes, this review first appeared on my other blog.)

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!