Fantasist's Scroll

I finished The Power of Babel by John McWhorter this past week.

And, it was pretty damn good! Okay, allowing for the fact that I’m interested in linguistics and history and historical linguistics, it’s still a good book. As my be guessed from that last sentence, The Power of Babel is about the history of language. Not a language, but all of them. Mr. McWhorter effectively uses examples from numerous languages from every continent and cultural region I can think of that has language.
In the very first chapter he outlines the five basic ways that language changes and then sets out to describe them in the subsequent chapters. I think he does and well enough that a rough, amatuer linguist like me can really understand what he’s saying. He even has a whole, thick, meaty chapter dedicated to pidgins and creoles, which is a subject that fascinates me. He talks about the social and economic pressures that drive language change, which I thought was quite insightful.

Now, I have to admit, I got this book with the sole purpose of getting ideas for conlanging. I was not dissapointed! The linguistic ideas came hot and heavy. Everything got touched on in this book: grammar, phonology, morphology and how they all alter over time. I have to say that I liked this even better than the Language Instinct, which was a very good book.
If you have even a passing interest in historical linguistics, buy this book and read it!

Ever wonder how MapQuest gets their maps?

Well, apparently, they send out two techs in a car to drive around and record which way they go! No, really, I’m not making that up. Don’t believe me? Then check out this article on TechTV. It’s a brief interview with two of those techs based out of Chicago who do just that. Of course, they rely on GPS and a laptop to record the information, but they still have to get out there and actually drive it. Could be an interesting gig, if you like driving around all day. Anyway, it’s an interesting article.

No, it’s not aliens watching you.

In this case, it’s a security company with satellites watching trucks with hazardous materials. According to this article on Space Daily, Satellite Security Systems has developed a system for tracking trucks hauling hazardous-waste or petrochemical products and, if they become targets of terrorists, shutting them down. In fact, this system is so new that they just tested it this month! And, the test was successful, so I’m sure we can see this technology becoming a standard in those industries. Anyone care to speculate on the implecations of that?

Well, I suppose it could explain it…

This article on Wired News tells of hidden pockets of methane deep beneath the ocean that are capable of swamping a ship. Apparently, if the conditions are just right, theoretically, a huge bubble of sub-oceanic methane can be released from the sea floor that is capable of causing such a surface disturbance that it can sink even large ships. The article doesn’t come right out and say it, but it could be an explanation of the Bermuda Triangle and other such phenomena. Of course, it doesn’t explain the planes….

No, really, it’s the history of sewers.

Anyone who’s ever talked to me about creating realistic worlds or fantasy settings knows that my pet peeve is a lack of sanitary facilities. No one ever seems to go to the “loo”, as the British put it. Very rarely does anyone venture into the sewers after an alien or mutant. But, a lot of city design is driven by the need to dispose of “waste” in an efficient, and safe, manner. Castles could be attacked via an unprotected privy. Criminals can escape via the sewers. And, more importantly, bad sanitation can cause huge epidemics, not to mention effecting the “quality of life” for a city’s citizens.
Don’t believe me? Well, check out The History of Sanitary Sewers. It’s all true. Every last goopy detail. Great site. A crap-load of information, if you’re pardon the pun! Check it out!

Gear for the soldier of the future.

First, the US Army Landwarrior program is getting an upgrade to Linux. According to this article on National Defense Magazine, they’ve decided that Linux is cheaper and more reliable than a Windoze solution. Cool. Open Source soldiers.

Second, this article on Australian IT, about a “power glove” meant to give emergency personnel information they can use to be better and more effective. It’s small, light and modular. The system uses wireless communication to link all the parts together without useing wires! And, it has a helmet with a camera!!

Go, read, think, write about it.

That’s how it was described to me once.

When I asked an electrician I knew to explain to me why electricity didn’t fall out of the outlets if there wasn’t a plug to stop it, he gave me some story about how electrity flows like water. Well, now, according to this article on the BBC, electricity may flow from water. It’s not hydro-electric power plants, but it is electricity generated from the flow of water. Fascinating and new, so no one knows what the implications are yet. Perfect fodder for a near-future science-fiction story!

Wow, they’re really on this!

Here’s another article on war in space. This article on the Oakland Tribune site is about a high-powered laser that they’re developing into a weapon. So, we may have Star Wars yet! (The government program, not the movie, you goof.)