BBC: On This Day August 28, 1963
The Guardian: The Story Behind the 'I Have A Dream' Speech
Official Program: The March On Washington
NY Times: On This Day
Politico: Martin Luther King: Too far, Too fast, just right
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I'm soo very sorry for not putting a valid link to purchase my book instead here's another link as to where you can buy my book Fists Of Fury
If you managed to get it feel free to give me your feedback both good and bad :)
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One of the primary reason that stands out for the transistor was driven by NASA and the need to reduce cargo space and increase computing power for orbital and missions to the moon - before that, slide rules. I know I just tweaked the die hard "conspiracy theorists" out there that don't believe we went to the moon, yet ardently believe Area 51 has aliens instead of high tech devoted to aerospace (see: "Zero Dark Thirty" - they mentioned it) and the pyramids couldn't have been built by the same North African Egyptian architects the Romans thought enough of to "import" to the empire and build most of their modern architecture and technology: aqueducts, arches, obelisks (think Washington Monument); plumbing.
The conspiracy theorists, I feel, cling to their extravagant notions because: 1. They want to be the first to say "ah-ha! Told you so!" 2. They are making up for inadequacies in other life areas, like actually earning a degree. 3. It's a way not to face reality and put their gray matter to real world problems for which many of us...don't have easy answers.
The original Luddites protested the advent of labor saving textile machines; riots broke out. Ultimately of course, capitalism with the assist of the English government won. I submit the Luddites should have fought hard not to break spindles, but for an equitable system of education and retraining, as we should here.
Technology replaces the need for middle-level workers; confounds the romanticism of "working yourself up by your own bootstraps"; places stipulations on positions in the "minimum requirements" narrative description; encourages students to pursue at least a college degree. A robot can replace many workers that used to drill a widget: become the one who repairs the robot! We're in a dark balance of a moribund way to measure unemployment, as in you are unemployed if receiving a paycheck from the government; never a measure of an under-employment index, i.e. you're making less that you used to (found myself in that dilemma for a few years). To a certain extent, that's reflected in consumer confidence and purchasing patterns. Because of that previous wilderness experience, I am studying as my info to the right (see under E = MC2) suggests; and due to lack of time or interest in fantasy, I don't engage much in conspiracy theories (they're not graded, not part of any interview process I'm aware of). Case in point: Texas Senator Ted Cruz actually being born in another country (Canada is: requires a passport to go to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls). He is a natural-born US citizen due to his mother's citizenship: if the current president had been born in Kenya (he was not); this logic would also apply to him. Karma always repays with irony.
Greed is keeping minimum wage minimum (thank God Australia ignores our stellar inane example): some in the canopy of the economy would like to eliminate it entirely. That has the logic of a rain forest burning its own tree trunks to preserve leaves.
Our education system hasn't much modernized from its Prussian model that prepared factory workers: it's no accident a factory is called a "campus"; you're encouraged to take career specific classes and be life-long learners; you have a defined lunch break/hour; bells trained us in school like Pavlov's dogs, herding us to and fro. We're renaming and reclaiming the same insane testing regimen that no other country ahead of us in STEM graduates and careers follow. Initially, academies in the US were set up strictly along the color line vis-a-vis de jure segregation. I see no difference in its de facto modern incarnation. Some wishing for a utopia that never was has the same impact as "Waiting for Godot."
At one end are so-called abstract tasks that require problem-solving, intuition, persuasion and creativity. These tasks are characteristic of professional, managerial, technical and creative occupations, like law, medicine, science, engineering, advertising and design. People in these jobs typically have high levels of education and analytical capability, and they benefit from computers that facilitate the transmission, organization and processing of information.
On the other end are so-called manual tasks, which require situational adaptability, visual and language recognition, and in-person interaction. Preparing a meal, driving a truck through city traffic or cleaning a hotel room present mind-bogglingly complex challenges for computers. But they are straightforward for humans, requiring primarily innate abilities like dexterity, sightedness and language recognition, as well as modest training. These workers can’t be replaced by robots, but their skills are not scarce, so they usually make low wages.
Computerization has therefore fostered a polarization of employment, with job growth concentrated in both the highest- and lowest-paid occupations, while jobs in the middle have declined. Surprisingly, overall employment rates have largely been unaffected in states and cities undergoing this rapid polarization. Rather, as employment in routine jobs has ebbed, employment has risen both in high-wage managerial, professional and technical occupations and in low-wage, in-person service occupations. (1)
This is a real-world problem, and testing regimens are not going to raise us out of it; fitting children through some predetermined model is not going to advance us; teaching made-up controversies about the origin of the universe, aliens, cabals and evolution aren't going to make us smarter: we'll just become more of a caricature as we fall further and further behind.
Sadly, this is not a new concept introduced in the NY Times (2); as Ecclesiastes said: "there are no new things under the sun."
So set your sights on the immediacy of now, o theorists!
Solve the Bermuda Triangle and Bigfoot later...
1. NY Times: How Technology Wrecks the Middle Class
2. James Boggs: The American Revolution - Pages From a Negro Worker's Notebook
SCI-FI SCHOOL by Odis Chenault
ep.6 Artificial Intelligence
Hello and welcome to the sixth installment of SciFi School.
Artificial intelligence (A.I.) is a common theme in science fiction. I want to talk about the obvious and not so obvious applications of this science in science fiction.
Artificial intelligence is when a computer or machine becomes aware of its own existence and starts to think. In science fiction, this usually spells trouble. In the Terminator and Matrix series, one of A.I.’s first decisions is to destroy mankind. It seems that thinking machines have little tolerance for our imperfect reasoning.
A.I. can be a computer network, an android, a robot or all of these. A.I. can be controlled by a main source or a community of individual machines.
When A.I. is a network, it can hack into and take control of other networks. In the Terminator and Matrix series, A.I. was given control of the nuclear arsenal. A.I. then used it to wipe out a large percentage of the human population. The next step was to build mobile war machines to mop up the remaining post apocalyptic survivors. With the machines growth unchecked, they would build machine cities and continue to evolve into something like Transformers or beyond.
An android is a thinking computer that looks like a human. These machines can operate on a complex series of programmed functions or have a form of positronic brain that allows them to think.
Robots, in science fiction, are usually stand alone machines with some form of mobility. They too can be programmed or think on their own. They can be in any size or shape. Technically, Nano-Bots are robots.
Nano- technology involves microscopic machines that can reproduce rapidly. Nano-technology and A.I. produce unlimited possibilities. If Nano machines develop“hive level” intelligence, they could become an unstoppable swarm or wave. It would be almost impossible to defend against a swarm of microscopic machines working together. They could go anywhere and build anything.
Scary stuff, but scientists are trying to build this stuff as you read this article. Don’t worry; they’ll keep it all under control. Won’t they?
Based upon the mood and tenor of the 50th anniversary reenactment of the March on Washington, this simulation by Econo Physicists seems not to shed light on much hope of things getting more equitable.
Slouching towards dystopia...
From Technology Review
The Matthew effect
In January 2009, a small group of Internet enthusiasts began an unusual economic experiment when they began to trade a new type of digital cash known as BitCoin. After a shaky start, the idea caught on and grew rapidly after 2011.
Today, bitcoins can buy a wider range of goods and services. In total, the BitCoin marketplace has hosted over 17 million transactions and the value of all the bitcoins in circulation is over $1 billion.
One interesting aspect of this marketplace is that the complete list of all transactions is publicly available. And this gave Daniel Kondor and buddies at Eotvos Lorand University in Hungary an idea.
Kondor and co say that the evolution clearly occurred in two separate phases. Before 2011, the system was used only by a few enthusiasts and the bitcoins had no real-world value. During this time, there was little activity and the various measures of network structure varied hugely.
In 2011, however, BitCoin began to get significant media coverage which attracted many more users. The currency also became more attractive after an exchange was set up that allowed bitcoins to be traded for dollars. During this second phase, bitcoins started to function as a real currency.
The team’s key finding from this second phase is related to wealth accumulation. Kondor and co say that the network grew by preferential attachment. In other words, a node with a large number of links is likely to attract more links than a node with only a few links.
This is a well-known effect in network science. Economists call it the Matthew effect after the biblical observation that the rich get richer.
"And He has made from ONE blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their pre-appointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings," Acts 17:26
Destination: Planet Negro, A Review
Destination: Planet Negro is writer, producer and director Kevin Willmott’s classically-styled, science fiction film, offering a 1930s perspective on the current issues facing black and white America.
Filmed as an homage to the sci-fi films of the 1950s, and perfect in look and feel of the genre of that era, DPN is a brilliant comedic success with a small, but significant, nod to The Wizard Of Oz..
The movie opens with Negro leaders of the 1930s gathered to discuss America’s “Negro Problem” we are witness to a grand design that eliminates everywhere on planet Earth as a home for the country’s Negro population where they can live in peace without the influence, nay, even the presence, of whites.
The conclusion this group of leaders arrive at is that since there’s no place on this planet such a community could be found, they invested all the funds they had collected into building an interplanetary rocket ship with the intention of exploring the planet Mars.
Three intrepid astronauts are tasked with the exploration of Mars to see how suitable it will be for the immigration of all of America’s Negroes.
It is tempting to recount a narrative of the events documented in this story, but suffice it to say that the brilliance of looking at an America with Barrack Obama as President through the eyes of Negroes from the 1930s cannot be understated.
The dialogue is spot on, and is as laugh inducing as it is thought provoking.
For those who, somehow, believe that the election of a bi-racial POTUS somehow signals that the United States of America is in anyway post-racial, the presentation of the contrasts and similarities of the culture of race between the two eras gives spectacularly funny lie to the notion.
Though there is so much sociological fodder for a satirical look at modern urban existence from the past’s perspective, the situations presented in DPN are so carefully crafted, and so well written by Willmott, that the movie forces the enlightened viewer to confront, through tears of laughter the characters so easily invoke, issues the American corporate watchdogs of culture would like us to forget.
DPN is a film well worth seeing. The fact is it hits the sociological, cultural, and racial stereotypes, issues and corporate-sponsored cultural memes squarely on the head makes it work for viewers of all colors and of all ages.
There is adult language and some sexual innuendo in the movie, but nothing a teenager today hasn’t heard, or said, in spades.
It is this reviewer’s hope that Destination: Planet Negro is able to pick up a distributer and be seen by general audiences in theaters everywhere.
It’s a great shared experience.
Today on the calendar is not the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington: that will occur 28 August, next Wednesday.
There will be a reinactment commemoration tomorrow. I was one years old and a few days at the time. Soldiers like my sister and Representative John Lewis were in the fight: arrested, beaten, bitten, [smoke] blown in faces, cursed, hosed, jailed, spat on - drilled ad nauseum on passive psychological resistance techniques that would have made SERE trainees cringe.
50 years later: Jackie Robinson's statue is desecrated like he never played the game or changed the world; Representative Stockman wants a repeat performance of the Missouri rodeo clown in Texas (ironic he represents the 36th district where James Byrd died in Jasper); section 4 of the Voting Rights Act gone and draconian ID laws/21st Century Poll Tax in effect and "Moral Mondays" in my home state. I'm not sure if it will be a commemoration, or a wake. We shall see.
One of the most powerful Trek episodes for me as a youth was "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield." Recall, the 60s weren't just "make love, not war": there was a lot of both. Vietnam overseas, protests of the war and Civil Rights/Voting Rights marches at home. Suspicions that any deviance from the John Birch Society authoritarian "norm" was judged subversive; communist, therefore necessarily purged and crushed from existence. Judging from the date of airings, its first showing came nine months after the sad assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King.
It also aired during the climate of the Cold War, a period many seemingly LONG to get back to (that madness), where the nuclear "plan" was called MAD: mutually assured destruction. We still possess that insane power, essentially holding humanity hostage; guns to our own heads.
Gene Roddenberry put an interracial, international crew together: Nyota Uhura (literally: "Freedom Star" in Kiswahili); Hikaru Sulu (for the Sulu sea, meant to represent all of Asia, but of fictional Japanese origin); Pavel Andreievich Chekov (a RUSKIE for crying out loud!). You could say in this fictional treatment, Bele and Lokai "stood their ground" until the end. Roddenberry, as I've commented before developed his own eschatology, yet positive and relevant that we might just survive our own hubris, essentially stemming from old tribal conflicts and current contemporary displays of breathtaking stupidity and arrogance.
This episode was a stark warning; the inevitable consequences of NOT...
Source: Wikipedia
"Let That Be Your Last Battlefield" is the fifteenth episode of the third season of the original science fiction television show Star Trek. It was first broadcast on January 10, 1969, and repeated on August 12, 1969. It was written by Oliver Crawford, based on a story by Gene L. Coon (writing under his pen name "Lee Cronin") and directed by Jud Taylor. The script evolved from an outline by Barry Trivers for a possible first season episode called "A Portrait in Black and White". The script was accepted for the third season following budget cuts. The episode guest-stars Lou Antonio and Frank Gorshin, best known for his role as The Riddler in the Batman live-action television series. Contrary to popular rumor and articles, Gorshin was not Emmy nominated for this role.
In this episode, the Enterprise picks up two survivors of a war-torn planet, who are still committed to destroying each other aboard the ship.
Amazon link
Once the Ariannus mission is completed, Bele takes control of the Enterprise again, but this time he deactivates the auto-destruct in the process and sends the ship to Cheron. Once there, the two aliens find the planet's population completely wiped out by a global war fueled by insane racial hatred. Both Lokai and Bele stare silently at the destruction on the monitor and realize they are the only ones left of their race (or, as they see it, their "races").
Instead of calling a truce, the two beings begin to blame each other for the destruction of the planet and a brawl ensues. As the two aliens fight, their innate powers radiate, cloaking them with an energy aura that threatens to damage the ship. With no other choice, Kirk sadly allows the two aliens to chase each other down to their obliterated world to decide their own fates, consumed by their now self-perpetuating mutual hate. Forlorn, Lt. Uhura asks if their hate is all they ever had. Kirk ruefully says no...but it is all they have left.
"Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men."
"A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom."
"We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools."
"The choice is not between violence and nonviolence but between nonviolence and nonexistence."
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., BrainyQuote.com
Disclaimer
I would like to start by saying I bear no ill will toward any independent creators, black or otherwise. Along the course of this article, some may assume I have the ‘crabs in a barrel' mentality, but that is the furthest from the truth. My only wish is to see my fellow creators succeed and tell the stories that need to be told.
Building a Better Brand
Comic book companies, such as Marvel and DC hire up incoming talent to write monthly books, which allows them to churn out a decent living by doing what they love. I'm not going to talk about why no people of color write for either company, but I will pose the question, why can't they, people of color, have a piece of the pie? Besides them having larger marketing machines, they have familiar stories, and characters so beloved, that fans of the old stories end up becoming writers of the new ones. Despite the tales being similar, they assure that the same fun had in the past by most fans is enjoyed in the present. So what can the independent creator of color do to even things out, how can we possibly compete with 75-60 years of familiar storytelling? The answer is telling better stories, and no matter how good an idea you have, everything is in the way you share it. As with all groups, the world tends to associate black people with certain behavioral patterns, and those associations begin to stick over time. There are a number of good black writers, but a number of other would be writers who have great ideas, but poor delivery. This coupled with mediocre art, in some cases land black comics in the dark corners of local shops, if at all. If we want top shelf visibility, you need to produce top shelf quality and though the color of your skin shouldn't matter as far as the product goes, it does.
Buying Black Because…
Buying black is the practice of purchasing goods and services from people of color because; the consumer is a person of color. While a great show of solidarity, a problem emerges when the producers of products take their consumers for granted and expect them to buy anything, regardless of quality. If a creator expects anyone to spend their hard-earned money on a comic then it is that creator's job to show their best work. I don't want to spend 2.99-3.50 on a story riddled with exposition and poor character development. Black creators have it especially hard because no one expects us to have literary ability, we don't benefit by proving the stereotype right. The difference between our counter parts and us is, unless we're stellar, our work is considered bad, they're mediocre work can convince readers to buy another issue. What's worse is that our penchant for creating stories and characters, which resonate with us often gives the comic book buying majority an excuse to dismiss our work as stereotypical or culturally alien. When other black people refuse to buy black they are usually said to be self-hating or unsupportive, which can be true sometimes but other times we're not humble enough to smell what we're shoveling.
We’re Not Crabs, We’re People
Sometimes people say or do things to undermine our progress. As black people we've gone through this in and outside of our community for many years, but we can't always be the victim and in some instances must shoulder blame. No one who is black, white or otherwise deserves anything. We sometimes think that the world owes us something because of how our people were treated, but the universe is indifferent in most matters and everything has to be earned. I learned this first hand when veteran writer, Karl Bollers tore one of my scripts to shreds. It was the first time it had happened, and I couldn't be more thankful that it did. A pat on the back is nice, but can lead to a false sense of accomplishment and stroke the ego. This bolstered pride can make a creator resistant to constructive criticism regardless of the source. Saying that people do not ‘hate' on the dreams of others would be a bold lie, however that can't always be true. If someone who has more experience in a particular field than you do offers advice, listen to them. There's a reason we take writing classes in college and it's not to pass the time, writing is a craft that must be studied, tested and honed. If a veteran writer reads your work and tells you, it could be tighter, test the observation and look at your story. When you're writing, things make sense to you the writer, but the rest of the world isn't behind your eyes, and they can be left confused. A good idea is worthless if it's not conveyed properly and remember; you're writing isn't just a critique on you, but every other black comic writer out there. Read a book on writing, take a class, remember that all characters need an arc, and to show not tell. Take it from me, it's better to learn your mistakes now and correct them, than to make a habit of it later. Lastly, having an editor is always a good thing, especially if they're a writer themselves.
Haste Makes Waste
One of the most important things I've learned in my experience as a comic writer is, take your time. Black folks are a show me people, whether it be money, clothing or cars we always have to look like we're about it. However, when it comes to writing, everything you do should be drafted and redrafted. Something's make sense years after you think about them; others seem like the stupidest idea in the world once you give them some thought. Take my first published comic "The Hierophants", I wanted it out so bad, to prove to myself that I was a writer, the main character's first name wasn't even mentioned in the issue. Looking back at it, I shudder to think that I was so oblivious of my own mistakes, but I was, and I've learned from them making me a better writer all around. There is no shame in taking your time and reviewing your work, because though quick release maybe satisfying in the short-term, it's often hollow in the long run.
The Race Yet to Run
While many of us are still finding our way in the world of comic book writing, trying make a dollar out of fifteen cents, we need to make sure we're above-board. We know we have to work three times as hard and twice as long to get anywhere near the other half. I won't say we should beg for jobs, but I will say we need to give them some competition. I believe we can do it with a little care and a standard, one we create, by which our work can be judged.
Original source : The Nelo Maxwell Experience
Check out my mini review Battle Masterz #1 by the Broussard bros.
Check out my review of The Harlem Shadow #2 by Brian Williams
Just a quick marketing note, the sample chapter for ABR is now available to Amazon Kindle Device users for free. If you are a Kindle user, please take the opportunity to take a look and tell us what you think.
Thanks - Moorsgate Media Team.
Only recently I discovered the Science/Entertainment show 'Through the Wormhole: with Morgan Freeman'. Though the man is an outstanding narrator, there's no attempt to reference his 'God' roles. Instead there's a sober but enlightened view of various topics from 'How did the Universe Begin' to 'Is there a Creator?' Each show though viewed through the lens of science doesn't discount intersecting spiritual beliefs, instead often correlating scientific evidence is presented showing that there just may be something to our myths, legends and doctrines.
The best thing about the show is it's been backing up a lot of the science I've put in my stories and fuels me with info for future ones! If you're writing in the sci-fi or pseudo-science genres, Through the Wormhole is definitely worth a look. Of particular interest is the episode: 'Is There Life After Death?' The discussion on current development of 'AI' (artificial intelligence') is worth watching on its own.
Through the Wormhole: 'Is There Life After Death?'
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| Credit: Columbia University |
Pulsars are neutron stars—remnants from supernova explosions. Neutron stars have immensely huge magnetic fields (think ~1012 times Earth's magnetic field). These fields accelerate charged particles, and in the course of that acceleration, light is emitted. But because of the nature of the fields, the light is emitted in a rather narrow cone. Because neutron stars rotate, this cone is scanned like a search light across the sky. So we only observe pulsars if the powerful beam happens to sweep across the face of the Earth.
This pasta has a distinctive property: it changes the way energy is dissipated and transported within the star. The magnetic field generates currents in the pasta region, which provides an intermediate step in converting magnetic energy to rotational energy. Hence, the crust changes the way the star spins down. In a series of models that take different neutron star masses, different crust diameters, and differently pasta region sizes, researchers from Spain showed that without a pasta region of some kind, a neutron star continues to spin down indefinitely, and we should observe X-Ray pulsars with periods that extend out past one minute.
The pasta, however, disrupts the magnetic field, stealing energy from it. In the end, that energy is transferred to rotational energy, keeping the spin period up. This is not such an efficient process, though, so for the early stages of the neutron star's life, it rapidly spins down. This continues until the additional energy from the magnetic field counters the losses due to other processes, stabilizing the rotational period at the cost of the magnetic field. The exact period at which this occurs depends on the mass of the star, the thickness of the crust, and the fraction of impurities in the crust.
Ars Technica: X-Ray pulsars boil “nuclear pasta” to keep spinning
I can not tell you how many times I have to watch people either already in the biz, working their way in or trying to get started have their eyes glaze over when they start talking about making their movie with a 'RED ONE' or some other crazy high-end camera.
Forget the fact that the camera itself whether rented or purchased outright often blows a huge hole in an Indy production budget by itself. Then when you add all the support gear needed to get the full value out of so large a camera sensor, there goes another significant chunk of the budget and you haven't even started shooting yet! On top of that, I've seen folks get such high-end gear and then not have enough money to have the footage properly stored and then edited because most of the money went for the gear. But at least they can say they shot their film on the (blah, blah, blah!)
Of course you don't want to shoot on a rickety PoS camera because a worn out rig will cause you numerous other problems that will also cost money. However, you'd be surprised at how good a film you can shoot visually with some ingenuity, a good eye and lots of creativity! So what if you can't get a RED or a high-end rig from Canon, Sony, Panasonic, etc. All you actually need is one or more smaller rigs that can shoot at 720p and with good production values, good direction and tight storytelling, few people will be able to tell (or care) that you didn't shoot with a 2k+ camera!
Here's a good video by Ken Simpson that breaks down the question of, 'Do I need a high-resolution camera to make my movie?' Whether you're about to go into production or already undergoing principle photography, those of you involved in filmmaking should take a look at this as it may well save you some pain in both the purse and backside!
http://vimeo.com/63404537
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| In this rendering, never-before-seen magnetic excitations ripple through a high-temperature superconductor, revealed for the first time by the Resonant Inelastic X-ray Scattering technique. By measuring the precise energy change of beams of incident x-rays (blue arrow) as they struck these quantum ripples and bounced off (red arrow), scientists discovered excitations present throughout the entire LSCO [lanthanum, strontium, copper, oxygen] phase diagram. |
UPTON, NY—Intrinsic inefficiencies plague current systems for the generation and delivery of electricity, with significant energy lost in transit. High-temperature superconductors (HTS)—uniquely capable of transmitting electricity with zero loss when chilled to subzero temperatures—could revolutionize the planet's aging and imperfect energy infrastructure, but the remarkable materials remain fundamentally puzzling to physicists. To unlock the true potential of HTS technology, scientists must navigate a quantum-scale labyrinth and pin down the phenomenon's source.
Now, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory and other collaborating institutions have discovered a surprising twist in the magnetic properties of HTS, challenging some of the leading theories. In a new study, published online in the journal Nature Materials on August 4, 2013, scientists found that unexpected magnetic excitations—quantum waves believed by many to regulate HTS—exist in both non-superconducting and superconducting materials.
"This is a major experimental clue about which magnetic excitations are important for high-temperature superconductivity," said Mark Dean, a physicist at Brookhaven Lab and lead author on the new paper. "Cutting-edge x-ray scattering techniques allowed us to see excitations in samples previously thought to be essentially non-magnetic."
LightSource.org:
Scientists Discover Hidden Magnetic Waves in High-Temperature Superconductors
Dear Black Science Fiction Society,
Heroes Like Me Entertainment is proud to announce the making of their first movie, The Alien Ambassador.
The movie is based on the creation of Christopher Love author of John Henry 2.0 and the publisher at Heroeslikeme.com, a website which publishes on a monthly basis short stores of superheroes like the The Mysterious Maestro, The Fiery Furnace, Buffalo Soldier and The Human Pearl.
Heroes Like Me Entertainment is a small entertainment company looking to bring ethnic characters to the mainstream public and geekdom.
A prequel novel called The Alien Ambassador:Sticks and Stone is available in paperback and kindle ebook to introduce the characters of The Alien Ambassador.
Sales from the books and donations by Internet viewers will help fund the project.
The movie will be released in July 2014.
Presented is a teaser trailer for the movie.---Click Here.
All who support this project will receive special updates and bonus material as the movie progresses.
FUll Synopsis
Mr Stone, a substitute science teacher, is reflecting on how he came to Earth hoping to stop Earth from being colonized by a warlike galactic armada. He has been trapped on Earth for over one hundred and fifty years. He has been waiting for Earth technology to become advance enough in order to adapt it to his alien technology. He has been working on a formula in order to make all tech work together.
Enter Nathan Turner, a 13 year old, who always stays in trouble. He is sent to afterschool detention for fighting. There he meets Mr. Stone as he is assigned as a detention monitor. All of a sudden, a alien female blast her way into the classroom. She is an alien who is marooned on earth as well and she needs the Power Bolt that Mr. Stone possesses in order to leave Earth.
For Nathan's protection, Mr. Stone takes him to his planeterium. He remodeled it and made it his home away from home. It possesses all the alien technology that survived the crash. Nathan figures out the formula that will activate the Power Bolt and power an alien craft. There destination is beyond Pluto to an relay space station that is used as an homing beacon in order for the alien armada to find Earth. But the dangerous alien female and the defenses of the space station impede Mr. Stone and Nathan from destroying it.
Nathan is forced to don the guise of The Alien Ambassador and use his new found alien super powers and the Power Bolt to destroy the space station and keep Earth from being discovered.
But he learns that once he dons the guise of The Alien Ambassador, he is in an adventure of a lifetime.
Rep. Rush Holt, an astrophysicist, was managing a Princeton University lab trying to harness the power of nuclear fusion when he won a seat in Congress in 1998. He ousted the incumbent, in part, by attacking the Republican’s decision to sing a mock lullaby — “Twinkle, Twinkle, Kenneth Starr” — on the House floor in praise of the special prosecutor investigating President Bill Clinton.
Rush Holt Holt’s supporters display bumper stickers that read, “My congressman is a rocket scientist.”
* On himself:
"I've always been an unusual member of Congress, partly because of my background, partly because of my approach to problems, partly because of my philosophy of governing. … I have a real commitment to the basic principles of equality and liberty."
* On helping the poor:
"The idea that somehow we had to guard so strongly against misuse of food stamps that we will deny hungry children food is not just hardhearted, it's cruel. … We have to get beyond the mentality in Washington that says we're a poor nation. We are not. We are the wealthiest nation in the world. … We have to get beyond the idea that the role of government is to provide ever more privilege for the already fortunate.
* On climate change:
"This is an urgent problem. … Climate change has to be dealt with by removing our emphasis on fossil fuels. … We are ruining our planet and killing people by the millions. … How do we do it? We have to keep presenting the facts. Presenting the evidence. And confronting those who would deny the evidence until they would deny it no more.
North Jersey: Senate Candidate Holt a fusion of physics and politics
PBS: Congressman vs. the Machine: Rocket Scientist Rep. Rush Holt Bests Watson
Well, it finally happened.
Yesterday I went to Walgreens to refill a prescription, and upon locating my name from my birth date, the women behind the counter asked, "Do you write books?"
I said that I did. She then said, "I thought so, I recognize your name."
Okay, no big deal to a Stephen King, or a Jackie Collins, although I can't imagine her picking up her own prescriptions (don't really know why). But a first for me!!
No big deal in the grand scheme of the universe, but it was my first time; thank God she was gentle...
WmH
SCIFI SCHOOL by Odis Chenault
EP.4 the Powers of Aliens
Last time, we looked at Aliens appearance and forms; now let’s discuss the powers and abilities they might possess.
Aliens capable of traveling to the Earth, start out with a huge technological advantage over Earthlings. It follows that they’re technology would allow them to develop their minds and bodies as well. They could have evolved psychic abilities or engineered them into their species. It’s also possible that they could use implanted or external tech to get the job done. Aliens mental powers could include telepathic (accessing someone else’s mind with their own), psychokinetic (moving things), empathic (feeling what another feels) and more.
Aliens could have the ability to fly, project force fields, emit energy blasts and just about anything else you’ve ever seen a super hero or villain do in comics or movies. The level of power could range from the ability to use one of these powers once in a while to any or all of them whenever they choose to. The powers could be natural for a species or a result of some chemical, radiation or mechanical enhancement.
One very tricky alien ability is shape shifting. Aliens with this gift are hard to defend against. They are like living Transformers.
Most of this has pertained to sentient aliens. Unfortunately, even alien animals could have any of these powers. Writers will often create giant alien monsters that behave like dinosaurs from space. On the other hand, I’ve see everything from alien virus type beings to a tiny crew inside a people shaped space ship.
Science fiction is known for fancy invasions by aliens. Whether they come in blasters blazing or steal our bodies while we sleep, the idea of fighting aliens is pretty silly. I keep on saying that if hostile aliens can get here at past light speeds; they can do whatever they want to us from orbit. We would only still be alive if they wanted us that way. Slave labor, host bodies or food.
Hostile aliens make great protagonists in Sci-fi stories, but there’s a 50/50 chance that aliens could be friendly. Hopefully, the direction of evolution is towards more peaceful pursuits.
