April 29 2015 is the due date for this second volume of CONCRETE PARK. the Sci fi Gang Action/Adventure Comic from husband and wife team of Writer Erika Alexander (Living Single) and Artist Tony Puryear (Screenwriter - Eraser is one of his credits), and Erikas brother is also credited with co-writing. This comic has OUTSTANDING graphics and tight story. Check it out when you can.
LINKS:
https://www.darkhorse.com/Comics/Previews/24-155?page=0
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| Image Source: Technology Review |
Topics: Hilbert Space, Modern Physics, Quantum Mechanics, Superposition
Abstract:
Physics arXiv: Quantum music
Volkmar Putz, Karl Svozil
In his spare time, Ship Master Tuo enjoyed perusing through volumes of digitized documents his forces looted in the wake of their invasion of human space. Humans were primitive, but some of their tech displayed flashes of brilliance. Uninterrupted, they may have developed into a power rivaling the Heritin. Of course it was just as well the Heritin shattered the humans when they did. Tuo smirked. The Heritin had enough rivals.
The next document brought up by the Ship Master was labeled Top Secret. It revealed information about mind transferal experiments. The human agency conducting those experiments went by the name, Special Research.
Tuo perked with interest. These primitives had truly ventured into uncharted territory. According to what he read, at least one mind transferal experiment succeeded. Not even the Heritin could boast an achievement of that magnitude.
His interest, however, turned to a chilling discomfort at the next entry he read, dated five months into the Heritin occupation. According to the entry, typed by a Dr. Gabriel Abimbola, humans had captured a Heritin and subjected the prisoner to a mind transferal. The time and place of capture corresponded to when Tuo sent an expedition to the human home world to collect samples of raw material. The entry ended with no word on the captive’s fate.
Could it be…? Tuo pushed away from his interface console, plagued with worry. No. Not possible. But he was not entirely convinced.
An image of the storage supervisor appeared on Tuo’s interface. “Ship Master, forgive me for disturbing you, but I just completed an armaments inventory. A Class Six detonator is missing.”
Tuo thought hard. A Class Six detonator was a throb of volatile stellar energy bottled inside a dense alloy casing. It could blow a hole in the most powerful battleship…or the largest vessel reactor in space.
Tuo sprang to his feet. Mobile Dock!
Instantly forgetting the storage supervisor, Tuo sent an emergency transmission to the Dock commanding officer. He urged the evacuation of all Dock personnel. Afterward, he beamed messages to his fellow shipmasters advising them to decouple from the docking rings and clear the Dock. As the Ship Master issued a command to Bridge Side to detach the Horuk, a solitary escape craft jettisoned from the Dock’s bulging equator.
Tuo noticed the craft on his sensor and hailed it.
Caretaker Umttor’s visage blazed from Tuo’s interface. The Ship Master gazed at the image. “You are not Umttor, are you?”
“No,” said the image. “Well, most of me at least. How did you know?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Tuo replied resignedly, but with a filament of defiance. “Destroying one Mobile Dock will not cripple us. We are still strong enough to obliterate what remains of your world a thousand times over. In fact, had we not been recalled to the Fleet, we would have finished your species’ annihilation.”
The person Tuo once knew as Umttor spoke in a hard, frigid tone. “My mission was never about crippling you. It was about revenge. We humans are a vindictive lot. Roast in hell, you genocidal son of a bitch.”
Mobile Dock fractured in a blinding boil of light, sending jagged shards of its hull and pieces of battleships hurtling across space.
***
Draper observed the Dock’s demise through his rear cockpit window and cried out in triumph.
Murderer, the voice condemned. You killed our people.
“Not my people,” Draper retorted. But then he thought of his comrades on the Horuk, and an unborn offspring he would never see. A gut wrenching sorrow seized him.
“I am not Heritin.” He leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. “My name is Darryl Draper…”
An Ancient African Game of Thrones Too Big for the Small Stage
16 years ago Creator/Director Shayla Hudson Williams was with her mother at the African History Museum in Washington DC. There she was inspired by the smallest exhibit that made reference to an epic time and story. It was at this moment that she discovered and chose her life’s work, to bring this mostly forgotten and hidden story to life for the world.
That story is that of the Kush Empire, the darker skinned ancient Africans that overthrew their Egyptian oppressors and ruled for nearly 100 years. The story of the Kush has been shrouded in mystery and mostly hidden for centuries. It is only now that scholars and archeologist are starting to piece together a more accurate picture of these great people. For years Shayla did extensive research pouring through books and archaeological reference to find a story that would make a great feature film. She encountered many dead ends as she would discover one family or story only to have to abandon the concept due to lack of information about them. Finally she uncovered the story of King Piye and his family the subject of The Lost Kings.
When coming to the stage with her partner Chris Molina and introducing the play, Shayla expresses to the audience that you must use your imagination for what is to come. The Cupcake Theater in Hollywood is a tiny venue. Most of the action takes place on a small square platform stage with an exit path stage left. There is a curtain back drop where for a few scenes characters enter and exit from the corner stage right. There is also a wooden ladder stage right that leads up to a tiny platform of only a few feet which hangs above the stage. On that platform sits the narrator who is mostly employed to describe the big scale battle sequences and scenes that would require crowds of people to which there are many.
In the climatic battle of the piece the Kushite city of the protagonists is under siege. I literally needed to close my eyes to picture the epic battle that includes elephants and other wild beasts hidden in underground cages to be unleashed on their unsuspecting attackers.
Although King Piye played well by Chaim Dunbar is the head of the royal family or House that gives us our point of view in Lost Kingdom, it is really the story of his General and sister Makeda played masterfully by actress Frances Domond.
At the opening of the story Makeda is wounded in a fierce battle in which she leads the Kushites in a sneak attack against the Egyptians which results in them seizing power and expanding their territory.
A true historical event that one archaeologist in the PBS special entitled “Rise of the Black Pharaohs”, was a real David and Goliath story.
Returning to the Kush kingdom after the battle Makeda is troubled and considers stepping down as General to settle down with her warrior husband Kibwe, played by Kevin Craig West and start a family. Frances and Kevin have a natural chemistry and this representation of black love and partnership is one of the gems that make up this piece.
The emotional high point of the play though happens about mid-way through as Makeda confronts her brother Shabaka played by Melvin Ward about his betrayal to the family. I could feel her pain as she confronts the reality of being betrayed by someone she has known and loved her entire life.
I do think though that the biggest missed opportunity of the work is with the character of Shabaka who turns out to be the villain of the piece. Shabaka is reminiscent of Iago from Othello. It’s a challenging proposition to portray a character who is at once loving brother and scheming traitor at the same time.
It is surmounting this challenge though that I think will unlock some of the greatest potential that lies at the heart of The Lost Kingdom.
I would be remiss if I did not mention the heart wrenching performance Narlyia Sterling as Subira who is tortured by the loss of her husband Mchumba played by a very entertaining Christian Broussard.
Also considering the budget they must have had to work with the costumes pretty amazing. Also impressive was the fight choreography which again had to take place in a very limited space.
I was thoroughly entertained by The Lost Kingdom. The Lost Kingdom in its current integration is very much a work in progress and it was easy for me to see and be excited about it’s potential as a big budget feature film, larger scale stage production or even TV series.
With the announcement of Disney/Marvels Black Panther Feature and the incredible success of FOX’s Empire I think the time is right for the emergence of projects like The Lost Kingdom.
#BlackGameofThrones #SwordandSoul #DemThrones
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/lost-kingdom-review-eric-t-elder?trk=hb_ntf_MEGAPHONE_ARTICLE_POST
Here's an excerpt from a story from my "Flight of Fantasy Collection" which I published in 2013, having drafted the story on first ABCtales. If you watched this year's Superbowl - you might find the dance sequence rings a bell.
THE TICKLED BIRD
(Part 1)
When he later remembered, it had been a night of a supermoon. Julian had followed her into the car park of a pub called The Tickled Bird. He was certain when she had entered her vehicle, she had been wearing a dark grey suit. Under the light of this moon it seemed more green than grey. Perhaps the nearby street lights also added to the effect.
He trailed in the wake of her sleek compact body. She headed straight for the ladies room. He approached the bar, ordered a stout on draught. The pub had an old 1920’s feel which took him back to those black and white movie scenes. Funny how he’d never spotted the place before, though he had driven around the area on numerous occasions. He wouldn’t have missed it. He was certain. Julian tapped his temple, a habit of his when he’d lost something.
The scrawl on the blackboard announced they were serving rhubarb crumble for dessert. He glanced back at the ladies room and to the clock on the wall. She was taking her time. Probably thought the bloke would be worth it. He knew better of course.
He hadn’t eaten a good rhubarb crumble since his grandmother passed away. He ordered some, without custard and scanned for a seat. He paid for the dessert. Half-way on his beeline for a table, the lights dimmed. He sat down as music started pounding that big band ragtime sound. A bunch of bounding dancers appeared in the funnel of a huge spotlight, all dressed in black and white stripes with chess piece headdresses. It was surreal. He dropped his spoon of rhubarb, had a swig of stout instead. They wriggled and pranced around to the beat on the square patch: syncopated animal moves; mixed black bottom rooted ragtime. Then as suddenly as the performance had erupted, it likewise ended. The lights slammed on and he hadn’t even noticed when the dancers left.
She was sat at a table directly opposite him but when he turned to acknowledge the presence of the person standing next to him, she was also there. Julian wasn’t easily spooked. She obviously couldn’t be in two places at once, unless she had a twin he didn’t know about. Maybe the other woman was some sort of decoy?
“Mr Mann, I see you were a touch distracted there.”
“Ahh, Miss Green. I hadn’t realised you’d noticed me. Obviously more going on here than I imagined. Why don’t you have a seat? You seem to have me at a disadvantage presently. Can I get you a drink?” This could provide him with an opportunity to take a closer look at the other woman. He stood up, meeting her height and slant almond brown eyes.
“You know Mr Mann, you’ve put yourself through an awful lot of trouble to just offer me a drink,” spoken with complete control.
“Could be you’re the kind of trouble worth finding Miss Green. Please, have a seat. We can both keep an eye out for your friend.”
“Tut, tut. You’re so presumptuous Mr Mann.” She wagged a verdant polished finger. “Whatever made you think I’m meeting a friend here?” tilting her head but holding her piercing gaze. Julian raised both eyebrows. He twisted the ring on his little finger, idling over his mistake. It was time for him to raise his game. She turned and walked away before he could say another word.
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| Image Source: Popular Mechanics |
Topics: AI, Aliens, Astrophysics, Existentialism, Exoplanets, Philosophy, SETI
From the write-up in Popular Mechanics last year:
1. Why Superintelligent Machines Are Probably the Dominant Lifeforms in the Universe, John Wenz
2. Chapter 12: Alien Minds, Susan Schneider, PhD
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| Image Source: Screen Rant - Prometheus |
Topics: Astrobiology, Astrophysics, Aliens, Exobiology, Exoplanets, Humor, NASA, SETI, Space Exploration
Forged in the white heat of Vietnam and black-liberation struggles of the late 1960s, UCLA’s radical film-making movement paved the way for black directors. As a new retrospective starts at Tate Modern, one of the original participants recalls how they started
British production firm PurpleGeko on breaking into broadcast with its romcom: ‘It’s got a predominantly ethnic cast, but there’s no stereotypes in the show’
PurpleGeko is the company behind Venus vs Mars, a comic drama that started life as a six-webisode series on YouTube, but is now airing on Sky Living in the UK.
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| Image Source: Polyhistornaut |
Topics: Diversity in Science, Theoretical Physics, Quantum Mechanics, Women in Science
Abstract
Physics arXiv: The birth of spacetime atoms as the passage of time* Professor Fay Dowker, Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College, London
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| NATIONAL PARKS SERVICE |
Cliven Bundy - that $1.1 million dollar, artful, tax-dodging welfare queen, who actually through armed militia threatened US officials with armed insurrection - is still free.
1. This Day in Quotes: March 6, 1857, The Dred Scott Case
2. The Atlantic: The Civil War Isn't Over, David W. Blight
3. Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II, Douglas A. Blackmon
4.
5. The Reactionary Mind: Conservatism from Edmund Burke to Sarah Palin, Corey Rubin
When you start to write your manuscript, make it easy for the formatter. Start off by changing your paragraph format (see picture) so your indents are automatically set at 0.50. No tabs, no 5 spaces to indent.
Also, no spaces between paragraphs, it's one or the other. Indented paragraphs OR block paragraphs with a space between. Not both.
Trust me, your formatter will bless you for this.
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| The future: Using simple glass fibres, a world wide web of quantum information can be created. Credit: TU Wien |
Phys.org: Glass fiber that brings light to a standstill
Tomorrow: Appomattox
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| The Rindler-wedge reconstruction - Source: Quantum Frontiers |
Topics: Condensed Matter Physics, Geodesic, High Energy Physics, Quantum Gravity, Quantum Information, Quantum Mechanics
Quantum Frontiers: Quantum gravity from quantum error-correcting codes? Dr. Beni Yoshida
Topics: Alien Life, Existentialism, NASA, SETI, Space, Space Exploration
Mobile Dock had to do more than power up for Leap. The process was painfully slow, consuming up to twenty hours. Dock techs also had to insure that the thousands of ships attached to its rings were stabilized for transit. A Mobile Dock was large enough to generate its own gravity field. Maintaining a balance between containment shield energy and gravitational forces was a delicate mental dance for intensely focused techs.
Draper knew this well. He…his host…served a stint as a Dock tech before transferring to Fleet duty. He knew every nook and cranny of a Dock even without consulting the schematic before him.
He was in his quarters. At this hour, those who shared his duty shift would have been slumbering in their rest pods. Draper was spent in the wake of the Ceremony celebration, but he had no intention of resting. Tens of thousands of crewmembers from docked vessels circulated inside Mobile Dock, enjoying its various amenities. Many off duty Horuk crewmembers were also inside the superstructure. It was time he joined them. He shut down his interface and the schematic vanished.
Before he turned away, a compulsion froze him. He reactivated his interface and brought up an image of his mate, the mother of his soon-to-be-offspring. His human side regarded the image unmoved, before a tide of fondness and affection washed away that disinterest. My beloved.
Draper reached to terminate the interface.
I am not done! The voice protested.
Draper shut down the interface for the final time, but felt a sharp pang of longing in doing so. “I am.” He rushed out of his quarters.
***
Mobile Dock’s interior consisted of an outer area of multiple public levels surrounding a core restricted to Staff. Draper walked along a wide thoroughfare bustling with ship crews and Dock personnel in bright green uniforms. The milieu was both familiar and spectacular. He tried to reference something human-built to compare with the Dock’s size, but fell pitifully short. Humans had fanned out across the Solar System, establishing full-blown colonies on Mars and Titan. A Mobile Dock dwarfed both colonies. How could we have ever prevailed over a force commanding such marvels of engineering? He pondered dismally.
The voice intruded: Yes. How could you? And what makes you think this folly of a mission you’re determined to carry out will succeed?
Draper came to a door that he knew led to Dock operations. He cleared his mind of all non-tangential thoughts, idled by the door for a few moments, and when he was certain no one was watching him, tapped a code on the door panel. The door hissed open and he slipped inside.
Draper hurried down a long, sterile corridor as the door shut behind him. At the end of the corridor he stopped at an elevator, summoned it, and boarded. A non-Staffer should not have been able to enter restricted parts of the Dock. But Draper, relying on his host’s memory and technical skills, had accessed…or hacked…the Dock’s primary computer, acquiring the access codes he needed.
“Low Point,” Draper ordered. Immediately, the elevator began a rapid descent on a six hundred-mile journey toward the Dock’s core. Five minutes later, the elevator halted, its door opening, revealing a maze of machinery.
From a human perspective, Low Point was a cluttered mess of churning, convoluted parts. Yet, his host knew every piece of hardware and how it operated and interrelated with the other.
Draper knew where he had to go and proceeded in that direction. He encountered a pair of green uniformed Staffers along the way.
They paused more curious than concerned about the presence of a non-authorized person at Low Point. Heritins were generally trusting of each other.
One of the Staffers started to query Draper on his identity. He barely finished the question. Draper produced a carbon-bladed stiletto from his right sleeve and slashed in precise, crisscrossing motions. He knew where and how to administer mortal wounds on a Heritin. When he was done, his victim crumpled to the floor, his neck and upper chest drenched in a copious flow of gold-tinted blood.
Draper turned his attention on the second Staffer, but hesitated.
The Staffer stared at Draper in shock and backed away.
Don’t kill him. He is Heritin. Like you.
“No!” Draper lunged at the Staffer, digging the stiletto deep into the other’s flesh in repeated, rage-driven strokes. “Not like me!”
Breathing heavily, Draper plopped down next to the Staffer’s body. “My name is Darryl Draper. I was born on Earth, Chicago, South Side. I…am human. I am human.”
With that said he rose slowly to his feet and ventured to the section housing the reactor. A minute later, he entered a massive room occupied by glimmering red dome, spanning a dozen football fields. A heavy vibration-producing hum issued from the dome.
Draper approached the behemoth, taking out a small disk-shaped object hidden in his tunic. This was what he came for. Draper fought through a relentless onslaught of guilt and second thoughts to reach this point. Now all he had to do was act.
Assault-Class Cruiser Horuk emerged from Leap Space, joining ten thousand other battle ships. A massive oval shaped construct loomed before the Horuk, painting the cruiser with its enormous shadow. Its hull was silvery and covered with protruding docking rings. The size of a small moon, Mobile Dock was the largest class of space going vessel in Heritin space…in the known universe for that matter.
Draper stared at an image of Mobile Dock on his central interface. Despite the dread rushing through him at its frightful immensity, the Caretaker could not help but to marvel at the sight of it. “Incredible.”
Sensor Specialist Luteri, occupying a slot to Draper’s right, snorted a puzzled grin. “What is so incredible about a mobile dock?”
Draper quickly remembered where he was and acted accordingly. Mobile Docks were as mundane to a Heritin as an aircraft carrier would have been to a human prior to the invasion. “I think we tend to take our technological prowess for granted.” Draper gave his colleague an earnest look. “Periodically, we should all pause to admire the fruits of Heritin ingenuity. Don’t you?”
Luteri’s amusement deepened. “What has gotten into you? You’re normally the cynical one.”
Draper began fumbling for an answer…
“Never mind,” Luteri interrupted. “Meet us in the lounge when your duty shift ends. We’re having the ceremony.”
It was Draper’s turn to be puzzled. “Ceremony?”
“You must be working too hard,” Luteri teased. “The ceremony for the arrival of your offspring.”
Draper remembered. His host was to be a father…or what the Heritin called a progenitor.
“Have you spoken to her?” Luteri asked.
Draper rightly assumed the other referred to his mate. “No…not yet.”
“You are working too hard,” said Luteri. “Contact her before she starts thinking that a savage human gutted you.” The sensor specialist laughed as Draper looked on, struggling to keep his expression neutral.
***
Heritin battle ships connected to the numerous rings of Mobile Dock. Each docking took an hour to complete due to clamping and lengthy depressurizations. As the final ship to arrive from the Human Campaign, the Horuk docked last.
When all Heritin ships were securely linked, Mobile Dock began powering up for entry into Leap Space.
***
Draper sat in the ship’s lounge as his fellow crewmates downed cups of dunel juice in his honor. The Ship Captain stopped in for a few moments, offered his congratulations to the Engine Caretaker and departed.
“You look like you’re at a memorial instead of a celebration,” said Guidance Specialist Grinta.
Luteri refilled his cup at the dispenser. “A birth is as much a solemn occasion as it is festive. The creation and sustenance of a new line is a great responsibility.”
“And a great burden!” A crewmember shouted to the accompaniment of laughter.
“Sorry,” said Draper. “I have been distracted. I was thinking about the humans.” You would sully this grand occasion with mention of that debased species?
Draper ignored the voice.
“It was a great victory,” said Luteri.
“A laughably easy victory,” Grinta added haughtily. “One of little consequence compared to the victory that we will achieve against the Wendak.”
“Nevertheless, we still lost soldiers,” Luteri reminded.
Grinta held up his cup. “Then let us drink to honor the fallen.”
Draper held up his cup even as part of him quailed against the gesture. In seconds, his inner turmoil was forgotten and he settled in to a comfortable period of merriment and camaraderie. My companions. My fellow Heritins…
for more info follow the link:
http://www.seereal.com/en/holography/holography_technology.php
Things for the Legend of the Mantamaji series are really picking up steam in this Spring with the series scoring some tough wins for an independently published series.
TV director Eric Dean Seaton's three book graphic novel series tells the story of a conceited, selfish NYC District Attorney who learns he's part of an ancient race of Nubian warriors sworn to protect humanity from evil. The bedtime stories his mother read to him are actually the history of his people that date back 3,000 years. When an ancient evil has awakens -- in the form of a new age preacher -- Elijah must decide whether to turn his back on his career and his quest for power or turn his back on the world.
The multicultural cast, strong writing, break neck plot twists and brilliant art has captured the attention of readers and the Glyph Comic Awards committee. Earlier this month Seaton announced the extension of his nationwide book tour to 13 cities taking him to some of the most popular comic book and pop culture conventions:
Wonder Con in Anaheim, California (April 3-5)
Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo [C2E2] (April 24-26)
East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (May 15 - 16)
Puerto Rico ComicCon (May 21 - 24)
Heroes Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina (June 19-21)
Comic Con San Diego (July 7 - 12)
OnyxCon, Atlanta, Georgia (August 15 - 16)
Wizard World Chicago (August 20 - 23)
Fan Expo Canada in Toronto, Canada (September 3 - 6)
Long Beach Comic Con in Long Beach, California (September 12-13)
Wizard World Columbus in Columbus, Ohio (September 18 - 20)
New York Comic Con (October 8-11)
"The series has been so well received that we have been able to add more cities," Seaton said. "This entire process has been a dream come true and my favorite part is meeting and interacting with fans."
In addition to the book tour this month's reveal of the 2015 Glyph Comics Awards nominees saw Legend of the Mantamaji and Seaton nominated for a Rising Star Glyph Award.
"The nomination came on my daughter Legend's first birthday, which seems just perfect," Seaton said. "I am truly honored to be nominated and that people are so supportive of the series. I set out to write a great story first and to make characters that reflect the world around me - multicultural, with strong male and female characters who have depth to their personal stories. It took six years to build the Mantamaji world, working at night after being on set during the day. It was a real team effort and we're still having so much fun, we're already well into the next book. There's so much talent out there, and those nominated represent a very small sample of the great work being published."
To celebrate the Glyph nomination, Seaton is giving the first 100 readers to respond a free autographed Legend of the Mantamaji mini poster.
Later this spring Seaton will also release the Legend of the Mantamaji Live Action Short to support the graphic novel series. Seaton has been teasing readers with behind the scenes photos and clips through social media and promises there is much more to come.
"The short is eight minutes long and is pure action," Seaton said."We also shot a behind the scenes short to give more of a background on what it really takes to go from a 2-D graphic novel to live action. It wasn't easy, but it was a lot of fun."
Do you remember those plastic slide puzzles you used to get in party bags? They were made up of a three by three grid with eight tiles and a blank square – the missing tile allowing you to move the others around.
This nine-grid puzzle was the central image behind the story of Mark Haddon’s The Red House – although, bizarrely, he didn’t know it when he wrote the book.
“I was being interviewed by Claire Armitstead at the Edinburgh Books Festival when she said that when she read the book she kept thinking about those tile puzzles,” wrote Haddon on his blog after the interview.
“I felt a lurch, because before writing The Red House I’d given up on a novel called The Missing Square, the central image of which was one of those tile puzzles, and whose organising conceit was that certain absences may make a world imperfect, but they enable that world to change and generate new meanings. I suddenly realised this image had remained a model for the central structure of The Red House, which is a story about the eight remaining members of a family and a ninth member – a stillborn daughter – who is still having a profound effect on the family despite, or because of, her absence.”
This hidden structure enabled Haddon to plot and plan his novel around a central theme without even realising it. Unusual, but perhaps not unheard of, this got me thinking: how many other novelists have plotted their books subconsciously?
