I am currently re-reading all of the books by Nina Kiriki Hoffman. I consider her one of the great stylists of science fiction and fantasy for her subtle and vivid writing. Compelling and surprising stories too.
All of them are available as ebooks except Past the Size of Dreaming. Happily, it is available as a hardback.
Click on the link to see all her books & read samples of them.
Recently my computer developed a problem. I tried to fix it. I AM an engineer with a lifetime of experience. These include computers as small as tiny radiation-hardened spacecraft controllers and as large as supercomputers. But it was too much trouble.
I decided to get a new computer. Below is a photo of it. You can see it’s as small as a stack of two or three books. It can do everything that my eight-year-old high-performance desktop did. Such is the progress made in just EIGHT years.
What will we have in eight more years? Similar capability in a coin-sized one we electro-paste to our temples? Connected through wireless to our brain? And to monitors, mice, keyboards, and printers by Bluetooth?
Now for a crass commercial message. While you are waiting for my 17th book, remember that I have 16 others waiting to be bought HERE.
Click on this image to magnify it.
One of the main characters in my latest book, #17, is trans. I’m reading a book about the experience so I can portray them better.
It’s available on Amazon in several formats. Here is the Amazon description.
He/She/They compassionately addresses fundamental topics, from why being transgender is not a choice and why pronouns are important, to more complex issues including how gender-affirming healthcare can be lifesaving.
With a relatable narrative rooted in science, and history, Schuyler helps restore common sense and humanity to a discussion that continues to be divisively coopted and deceptively politicized. He/She/They is more than a book on allyship; it also speaks to trans folks directly, celebrating radical trans joy.
Click on the link to see it and read a sample.
THESE IDEAS ARE OFFERED WITHOUT PAYMENT OR RECOGNITION OF ANY KIND.
It’s rumored that Taylor Swift will play a superhero. Such a character presents several problems that comic books and movies often fail to resolve. Here are some of my solutions.
Most superheroes just magically acquire indestructible, flashy, form-fitting supersuits. Superman (for instance) wears it inside his everyday wear. Can you imagine how uncomfortable that must be? How hard is it to go to the bathroom? And wear on hot days? And how are these supersuits cleaned?!
My solution? A personal force field. It is normally invisible. Resides just outside someone’s skin. Can be expanded to protect hair and clothes. Can be widened further to protect baggage and even cars.
It lets whatever the wearer wants out. Lets only air in. Can slow down the air coming in when the wearer flies very fast.
Importantly, it lets its wearer fly.
Click on this image to magnify it.
THESE IDEAS ARE OFFERED WITHOUT PAYMENT OR RECOGNITION OF ANY KIND.
Iliza Shlesinger is a smart, creative, and HILARIOUSLY funny comedienne. She has a new comedy special. Here are all of her specials, from earliest to latest.
She is an actual genius when it comes to comedy, on a par with Einstein and Picasso in their fields. To know more about geniuses read my article REAL GENIUSES: What are they Like.
Click image to preview & buy.
I’ve just posted on Amazon my latest book: Mildred the Magnificent.
It is available now in ebook format. In a few days, you can also buy a paperback or a hardback version. When that happens, I’ll start a seven-day free ebook promotion. I’m guessing the middle of the first week of December.
To see the Amazon page where you can read a free sample click HERE.
Click the cover image to see it expanded.
Recently I was asked which of my books I’d recommend to parents of teenagers. This was my answer.
Click images to read the first few pages and to buy the books.
Just for fun – a mashup of dancing scenes from movies set to the tune of Rasputin, performed by the German all-Black vocal group Boney M.
Click on image to see the video.
Just for fun – a mashup of dancing scenes from movies set to the tune of Footloose.
Click on image to see the video.
I’m an aerospace software and systems engineer, working most recently at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab and Boeing’s Phantom Works. I am now retired and spend much of each day writing, mostly fiction.
I am also one of many diverse professionals who study, think, and discuss how to colonize the Moon. Here are some ideas your own engineers may not have suggested to you.
BUILD WITH TELEROBOTS – Drones remotely operated from Earth are most cost effective. “Deaths” among them are not tragic, they need no air or water or food or habitats, they need not be returned home.
BUILD WITH PREFABBED PARTS – Construction on the Moon can be done faster and better by doing the hardest work here on Earth.
USE LOCAL MATERIALS – Lunar rocks and soil contain useful minerals which can be extracted in several ways. These include oxygen and the metals iron, calcium, aluminum, and magnesium.
USE VR/AR HEADSETS – “Vears” are an infant industry slowly ramping up to a big business. Remote operation of drones and viewing of the Moon by long-distance “tourists” is a way to give Earth-bound humans a better way of visiting the Moon.
Putting people on the Moon is a practical near-term goal, a necessary precursor to putting them on Mars. It’s time to build a moon base, or better a moon city.
After the base or city is built it would be covered by a thin layer of dirt to protect it from meteorites and extremes of heat and cold. Artwork by Chris Butler, available in several different versions at his web site.
Laer Carroll 