Today I attended a seminar on what could have been a rather interesting subject. In fact, I found the keynote speech to be so compelling that the workshops following that speech should have been equally interesting. My friends joined me, and we found seats in a darkened room, preparing to pay close attention to the speaker and her presentation.
And then?
Not much. I blanked out. So did one of my friends. Perhaps the subject was presented too broadly, or the speaker lacked the confidence to deliver her speech with conviction. But anyway, there we were, passing notes via our text messages, on a wide variety of commentary. Were we bad? Possibly. Were we wasting our time? Never.
See, it’s times like these that I take advantage of a darkened room and allow my thoughts to drift constructively. I spend this time constructing plot lines and allowing my imagination to transport me to places where I normally struggle when planted firmly in front of my computer. It’s my little trip to the unknown, where I explore my inner world in search of an exemplary adjective. I’m writing a book, actually the second in a series. I know exactly what’s going to happen in this second entry, start to finish. No plodding plots here, folks. That’s all squared away.
All the characters have received their job assignments. They stand waiting patiently in the wings, looking for their cues to enter the stage of pages wherein their part comes alive, ready to jump into action. Unfortunately, they have no way of articulating it. Why? Because I’m still wrenching out the exact prose their fictional lips are about to utter.
I’ve developed my craft with wit, a hint of sarcasm and a touch of irony, laced it with suspense and a hint of romance (just a tidbit, mind you, because let’s face it, characters need love too). But I simply can’t bring myself to compose dull, lifeless conversation like this:
“What’s going on, Rachel?”
“Don’t worry about it, Pete.”
Ugh.
Those two sentences are my sculptor’s clay. Those words are what the characters are thinking, but I want them to deliver them so the reader’s clinging to the book with sweaty palms, anxious to turn the page in the hopes that Pete and Rachel are going to…going to…going to…oh, my God! is THAT what’s up???
So as I shivered in the refrigerated, darkened conference room, I leaned back in my leatherette chair and stared into the PowerPoint presentation. I allowed Pete and Rachel to swallow me whole, as they wrestled with that dilemma that floated beyond their reach.
Here’s what came of it:
Pete glanced at Rachel, worried. “And what’s your plan, if I might ask?”
“You need not concern yourself. I’ll probably slug my fist into a few protesting jaws and guts, but beyond that, nothing worse,” she said, smiling assuredly.
Oh, there’s more, but you’ll have to find out later.
Famous actor who should have been smarter or known better
One always hears that sooner rather than later, artificial intelligence will win the battle over humanity. People will become unnecessary, robots will rule the earth and humankind will vanish with a flicker of a dying match.
It’s true. I read all sorts of articles from many sources that discuss both sides of the issue. Many valid arguments from both sides. However, I can’t get past one thing: humans build these things, don’t they? Not machines, but flesh-and-blood types, the kind that need air to breathe and run on food instead of…well…whatever it is that AI runs on.
To be honestly, I’ve yet to see a real valid example of a machine building a machine smarter than it. In fact, I’ve yet to see any sci-fi out there regarding a droid, robot, gizmimee or quelnodder, screwdriver in hand, lifting the lid off of the head, chest and guts of a counterpart, carefully placing a chip inside and closing it up, then miraculously watching that God moment when all becomes too real and rises up to become the conquerer of the universe.
Droids/Robots constructing improved units also presents another item for discussion: why would it? What does a D/R have to gain by creating an improved version of itself? That improved version might notice its creater’s a bit dimmer than it, find the kill switch and be done with it. True. that can be part of the program and if the God D/R had any sense, it might write a code that includes a directive a al “I, Robot”, in that “do no harm” is a real and true order. Even that statement up for interpretation. If the God robot wants to kill its progeny, it’s preserving its own life with the successive, smarter D/R catches on that it has one chip up on its Daddy.
Bearing this in mind, why would a person create an object than can outsmart us? Frankly, humans are too clever for their own good to do this. First of all, we’re competitive. Egos are sensitive enough as it is. Some of you might remember Garry Kasparov losing to IBM’s Deep Blue, after beating it previously. He didn’t take it well at all. And then there’s that “Jeopardy” match with mere mortals. Although that took some doing, again, people got the short end of the stick.
So apart from these novelty versions of AI, what else can we cook up that won’t kick our pride in the shins? No one’s going to brag over their vodka gimlet and state to the bartender, “Say, want to hear the latest? Remember that droid I slapped together in October? You’re not going to believe this. It approached my boss, got my job – AND – a raise! Then, it locked me out of my office, drained my bank account and ran off with my spouse! I’m lucky I had enough chump change to buy this drink.”
Of course, we all know that drink was expertly served by none of than Bob the Botender, programmed to sympathetically listen to life’s ups and downs, collect tips and cut you off when you’ve had a few.
Mars, the alluring tempter of a planet, now exists in map form, easily accessible at the touch of a computer key. That’s it, just above the copy of this blog post. As you can see, there’s peaks and valleys, plus polar ice caps. From the shape of things, one can imagine where water might have flowed and accumulated.
Here’s another view: rotating Mars
The last map was created in 1987, when technology and resources were scant and crude, compared to today’s standards. Previous maps consisted of data taken from Viking probes and other sources. What made this latest incarnation possible is the use of the Mars Global Surveyor and the laser altimeter, which bounces up to 600 laser beams to the surface. Such details, as ages of rocks, were gathered from these sources.
Hey, folks! Just keeping you updated on the latest Star Wars controversy as we wait impatiently for the latest, newest incarnation!
J. J. Abrams, the director of Episode 7, makes an appeal to directly to you, the nerds and the geeks (that includes me, my husband and just about our entire social circle) to donate to UNICEF and if you do, you, yes, YOU might get a chance to win a part in “SW7”!
See here for yourself:
From a press release that accompanied the video:
All Wings Report In! On the set of Star Wars: Episode VII, Director J.J. Abrams was interrupted by an X-Wing pilot and rogue robot as he announced the chance for fans to win an advance private screening of Star Wars: Episode VII. “We are so grateful for the support that the fans from over 119 countries have shown for Force for Change,” said Abrams. “As we close this final week, we’ve added an additional prize that allows the fans the opportunity to see the movie early as a thank you for supporting such a great cause as UNICEF’s innovative, lifesaving work for children.” By contributing at any level by July 25th, participants will be eligible for all prizes including a chance to be in the movie.
Now comes the controversy. It appears that the vehicle that J. J. Abrams is standing in front of is not really an X-wing fighter. Even my friend has told me so. It appears to many to be a Z-95 Headhunter. Apparently, this is IMPORTANT.
What do you think? Does the viewing audience/people who claim to be Jedis know their stuff better than J.J? Or is this a genuine case of mistaken identity? Remember, we’re looking into the future here. Could be a whole new class of fighter vehicles!
Clearly, we’ve grown bored with the Earth. It’s that lover one always strives to please, yet somehow no matter what one does, it’s never right. In the end, one gives up and goes elsewhere to find love and acceptance. Its inhabitants have, in equal parts, loved and abused it, ignored its warnings and acted surprised when it fought back. In the end, we all know it’ll get its way and beat us, but no one who borrows time trodding on its grassy plains and thick muddy fields ever thinks about that prospect.
Instead, our eyes shift upward, looking elsewhere for a better situation and a second chance.
Ever since the discovery of exoplanets, or those outside of our own solar system, space explorers have been determining which of those planets will host life and, optimistically, life that we can identify, and, how we’re going to to meet up one day. Average citizens, whose off-world opportunities are rather limited, have to rely on imagination and conjecture to supply possibilities. After all, those alien spaceships have to come from somewhere, right? They can’t all be bad. Those Antarians from the movie “Cocoon” did benefit the forgotten population of greying Floridians, even supplying a ride back to Antarea to seniors deserving of a new life.
Closer to home, it’s simpler to take advantage of our backyard planets and subsequent moons. Once humans figured out what planets actually were, they’ve also contemplated living upon them.
Take, for instance, the moon. Relatively ancient technology got us there and back for a short visit way back when. Nowadays, it’s entirely feasible to build a craft to ship us there enmasse to create a colony there, given its relative nearness. We already know there’s a supply of water and rare earth elements just hankering to be mined. Nearly every genre of science is hankering to conduct experiments there, driven by desire, curiosity and the uniqueness of the lunar environment. Americans, Russians, as well as private interests all have plans in the works to get up there by the 2020s and make a homestead claim.
Humans attach great meaning to the color red. Anger, temptation, danger and naughtiness are all meanings associated with it – just about everything we’re not supposed to have and desperately crave. I’m assuming that’s the subliminal reason why Mars is so magnetic. After all, this red planet practically begs someone to come hither. Probes coyly hint at the richness of Mars’ treasures. Water’s there, too, although not behaving the way we’d like it to be, adding more to its mystique. And like a forbidden love, the more determined we are to have it, the more money it costs to secure it. I’ve no doubt there’ll be a batch of humans trying to tame the Wild Red Planet’s surface, but it’ll come at a price, no one will be happy, but we’ll be never be satisfied until we at least have a first date. Then we’ll see.
Until then, I’m going to bide my time and see what openings Virgin Galactic has in the near future. I might want to book a ride.
Give up? Here’s a clue: There’s a connection between this:
…and the space it occupies.
And the answer is…WORMHOLES!
Okay, okay, maybe I’ve gotten a bit esoteric for you. I’ll get simple.
The first mathematical equation is otherwise known as traversablewormhole, or one that allows you to move from one end of the universe to the other. The second one represents a Schwartschild wormhole that, for the most part, is a black hole that allows travel usually in one direction, but also connects one universe to the other.
The definition of a wormhole is a method within the theory of relatively of moving from one point in space to another without crossing the space in between. To properly explain a wormhole properly means one has to drag out the big guns (i.e. Einstein) and spew forth a lot of verbiage that’s guaranteed to gloss over the heartiest of eyeballs. A short history of the term is this: Albert Einstein and his colleague Nathan Rosen came up with the basic principles of wormholes and their relation to time and space in the 1935 and called their concept the “Einstein-Rosen” bridge. John A. Wheeler, an American theoretical physicist coined the term wormhole in 1957.
Science fiction writers have jumped on the concept ever since. Carl Sagan, Arthur C. Clarke, Iain M. Banks, John G. Cramer, Stephen Baxter and many, many others have all used wormhole technology to develop their plots, as well as popular shows as the Stargate franchise.
With wormholes, one easily solves the problem of traveling great distances in short times, as long as you don’t exceed the speed of light (a wormhole no-no). Just about anything can travel through them as well. The mightiest of space vehicles right down to tiny gnats can zoom through distant reaches to discover, conquer or just make new friends. It’s a simple device that captures everyone’s imagination because it’s so freeing and limitless. Need to get someplace? Hook up to a wormhole, and in seconds, you’re there.
In Stargate SG-1, the cast would travel so quickly through these things that bullets came flying right out of the gate, thanks to the wormhole. Conversely, robotic probes made their way out into the new planet, seeking information regarding conditions. True, a proper stargate was needed to connect two points together. It wasn’t without its risks, either. Wormholes invite all sorts of malfeasance, if one isn’t careful. Evil characters often took advantage of this plot device and wreaked havoc, threatening Earth and its inhabitants over and over again.
Next time you look up at the sky and gaze at the stars, think about this: somewhere out there lurks a bridge to another time. One day, maybe soon, some thing might be transversing it to visit.
Just once, I’d like to experience alternate reality. It’d be so cool. Its applications easily transform a life of drudgery into one of utter convenience and comfort.
How? Glad you asked.
Need a vacation? Press capital “A” and “R” and “enter” on the keyboard. And there you are, adrift on a tranquil otherworldly beach, fingers tracing a path in the water as you doze contentedly on a bamboo raft. The best part is, it doesn’t cost you a cent. Only a bit of a time share of the brain is all that’s needed for a quick and secure purchase.
But why limit yourself? Imagine all those options now available at the tap of your fingers…
A teenaged daughter melts down in the throes of a mind-bending temper tantrum, the cause of which is as remote and unidentifiable as the chances of the United States winning the World Cup. Tap the keys and gently glide her towards the closet et voila! She vanishes into an alternate reality where organization, good grades and a clean bedroom floor rule the culture.
Or the unreasonable boss whose unending, bellicose rants that spew unfathomable opinions regarding what’s possible and what isn’t, and invariably differs from yours, everyone else’s and even the client: an accidentally-on-purpose keyboard maneuver zaps the offending creature-person into a universe filled with vegetarian peace mongers whose lives are governed by reason and silent meditation.
Sending people off into ARs is terrifically, wonderfully cathartic. If one had the will to jettison any nasty, reprehensible being into a space-time continuum that requires that person to experience/do what only the reaches of fantasy could dream up, prisons would be a thing of the past.
AR isn’t necessarily punishment for evil. It’s also a reward for good. The desperate street person stands in a lush, vibrant Eden after offering assistance to a stranger. A poor young mother struggling with an empty refrigerator and bank account suddenly grapples with luxury in a 110-roomed mansion, complete with a safe stuffed with cash hidden behind a library portrait.
One often sees ARs pop up in science fiction. Alternative worlds, even universes exist, habituated with mirror versions of ourselves living lives alien to our own. Trouble is, where are these places? Presently, we can’t seem to determine how our own universe came into being, let alone figure out its size. Where are we supposed to locate a portal to the plane of existence that remedies, curses, challenges or accentuates the very qualities humans of Earth lack or ignore?
It’s around someplace. It has to be. I have about 30 socks waiting to join their partners there.
Now, doesn’t that sound like a great title for a sci-fi novel?
Actually, this story’s true and it is a great story for a movie.
Way back when Jimmy Carter was president, in 1978, the International Sun-Earth Explorer 3 was launched with the mission to investigate solar wind’s interaction with the Earth’s magnetic field. Later, it was renamed the International Cometary Explorer (ICE) to study comets. In September 1985, it passed through the tail of Comet Giacobini-Zinner, and in 1986 it was tasked with the mission to observe Halley’s Comet. During the same year, three rocket burns put it on a course to position it above the moon on August 10, 2014. With the ICE so near, a space shuttle could snatch it and return it to earth, and NASA had this in mind because it planned to donate it to the National Air and Space Museum.
After a few more missions, it was retired in 1997, although it loops around the sun in a 355 day orbit. It will catch up with and pass the Earth this August 2014. But in 1999, the Deep Space Network was upgraded and the transmitters that communicated with ICE were themselves retired, although no one said this to ICE, who continued its end of the bargain by remaining open to communication. It’s sort of like being kept on hold and waiting forever, without anyone telling you that the person who put you there went home a long time ago, leaving you to listen to horrible Kenny G music in the meantime.
And really, that should have been the end of the story. But it isn’t.
Within the confines of yet another decommissioned icon, an entrepreneurial engineer named Dennis Wingo has managed the impossible. He and his team have begun communicating with ICE once more. Mr. Wingo’s company is Skycorp and it’s located in an ex-McDonalds in a decommissioned Navy base that has been repurposed for nonprofits, academia and small technology firms.
A decommissioned satellite linked with a decommissioned burger factory is kind of cool. There’s something very Max Headroom about it. I like it.
Through Mr. Wingo’s determination, a group of engineers, including those who originally worked on the project, plus a crowd funding site RocketHub, they raised approximately $160,ooo to breathe life in the old gal. And NASA’s doing its part too, donating time on its Deep Space Network to help getting ICE going again.
ICE is still doing its job out there and observing solar flares and other phenomena, as was discovered. So there was great optimism to position it over the moon as originally planned, which now requires 400 pulses to place it over the sweet spot. There’s been a few minor setbacks, but if all goes well, Mr. Wingo and his team are all set to pull ICE into a moon gravity-based slingshot into an orbit around the earth, so it can receive instructions for a new mission.
I have to admit that this story has me cheering. Why should there be a whole pile of forgotten and unused satellites and space paraphernalia after NASA and all the world’s other space agencies no longer need them? It’s an excellent opportunity for others, corporations like Skycorp but also universities and even astronomy and engineering clubs to find other purposes for them? Sure, one can say that leaves opportunities for crimes we haven’t even imagined yet. On the other hand, I’m sticking with the belief that a lot of good can come from that zombie named ICE, and its other colleagues out there.
Just imagine the stories that can be dreamed up from this real-life adventure…
With the impending arrival of “Star Wars: Episode Seven”, there’s all kinds of stuff being posted on YouTube. My husband sent me one link today and after viewing it, I drooled. If you hadn’t seen this one already, go ahead, take a glimpse:
Note the exquisite detail. Whoever did this is a dedicated geek worthy of award status.
Of course, if you have that, you’re also going to have to look at the leaked TMZ photos of Episode 7, too. Since these have been out for a while and no doubt everyone’s had a look already, I’m including these as a matter of convenience. You know, so you can geek out all in one space.
Moon, Stars and Beyond 