Fantasist's Scroll

A different kind of fun…

Once I remember reading that William Gibson said that he didn’t need to make up science-fiction, he just had to describe down-town Tokyo, or something to that effect. Well, imagine my excitement then, when I found this Tokyo MoBlog! (A moblog, by the way, is a MObile weBLOG, get it?) So, here’s a whole bunch of inspiration for science-ficiton: random pictures of Tokyo.

All joking aside, some of these are really lovely pictures of a city that I may never visit. Tokyo, and Japan, is as close to an alien society as a Westerner like me can get in our lifetime. It’s as alien to me as anything in Star Wars, but it’s right here on Earth.

Anyway, have fun with the pictures….

Desgined to kill it’s own kind…

According to this article on Wired News, two scientists have engineered a virus that attacks HIV and keeps it from becoming AIDS. It’s still in the test stages, but it works in a petri dish. Their next step is animal testing.
Apparently, they came up with this nasty, little bug, or anti-bug, with a computer simulation. Though, I have to admit, that seems like an enourmous simplification. Anyway, it’s an interesting development in science and medicine. Imagine a series of designer “killer” virii designed to hunt down other “bad” virii. Think of what that kind of technology could do in the Third World.
But, the scientists who came up with this have already thought of the potential down-side, too. Imagine what this technology would do for the military. Or, worse, terrorists. The implications are, well, terrifying.

On the bright side, though, think of all the science-fiction plots!

Yes, it really does exist!

And, some of it is pretty good. What, you don’t believe me? Well, there’s a website dedicated to that very subject, Adherents.com. They list pretty much all the big hitters, both in science-fiction and religion. You can search here based on author, religious affiliation, and title. It’s really fascinating to see what some of my favorite authors think about religion and how it fits into their work. Or, doesn’t, as the case may be.

I did find it interesting that two notables were apparently left out. First, there was Single Combat by Dean Ing, which has numerous references to the Mormons/Latter-Day Saints. Second, there was The Man of Gold, Flamesong, and the rest by M.A.R. Barker. These don’t reference any particular existing religion, but religion is a central theme in all his books and his created religions are influenced by the Mayan, Incan, and East Indian religions. In fact, Professor Barker has written at least one article about the role religion plays in fantastic fiction and role-playing games. Fascinating stuff!

In any case, it struck me as an interesting website. Well worth a look.

No, really!

At least, according to this article on Wired News, they’re investing in some technology that really sounds like science-fiction. Specifically, it’s the NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts, or NIAC, for short, who invest in some rather “odd” technology that might pay off with big results one day. Among the projects being funded are: shape-shifting space suits, antimatter-powered probes to Alpha Centauri, a robotic armada to destroy incoming asteroids, and my old favorite, weather control. Of course, my favorite part about the article is that the person behind the “weather control” system is a Hoffman. (Gotta’ watch out for them Hoffmans!)
Fun stuff here and all of it great fodder for science-fiction stories. Check it out!

Sea ranch.

Call it what you will, but it’s still fish wrangling of some kind. According to this article on Wired News, it’s out there and, apparently, working. These kinds of aquaculture setups have been a staple of science-fiction for as long as I can remember. Harvesting the ocean’s bounty is definately a recurring theme. In any case, it seems to be a reality. A nice, healthy, hopefully profitable, reality.
Of course, this is the first of it’s kind, but it’s an idea who’s time has come. I mean, the ancient Hawai’ians were doing something like this on a smaller scale centuries ago, so it’s about time we caught up! Really, we have to learn to manage our resources so that they’re there for future generations. And, it looks like these folks are on the right track. So, eat your fish!

No, not the political kind.

According to this article on Wired News, someone has invented a gun that will not fire for anyone who’s not implanted with the correct chip. It’s the latest idea in “smart guns” designed to protect police officers.
The idea is simple: implant a chip in the officer’s hand that’s linked to the gun. If the scanner in the grip of the gun doesn’t see the chip, it doesn’t fire. Simple. Keeps the officer safer, since a criminal can’t turn his own gun against him. And, of course, it could be a great home safety tool, too. If, that is, you can chip every adult in the house for the same gun. It’d be sort of useless otherwise, at least, in my opinion.

Anyway, it’s an interesting thought, eh?

At least, the end of LA.

And, really, we’ve been waiting for this for a long time, haven’t we? Well, according to this article on Wired News, scientists predict that LA will be hit by a 6.4 magnitude quake on, or about, September 5. Is it “the big one”? Not sure, but we could see LA slip off into the ocean later this year.
(No, I don’t really believe it either, but I can dream, can’t I?)

Remote monitoring.

In this case, remote monitoring of biosignals. Human biosignals, to be exact. According to this article on Wired News, NASA has developed a new device to monitor astronaut’s biosignals remotely. Of course, there’s already been talk of the ways this can be used right here on Earth. This would be a great tool for heart patients, for instance. And, I can see how it might be used for things like deep-sea diving and mountain climbing. Anyway, it’s cool to see how space technology spinoffs benefit us in the public sector.