ABYSSINIA MEDIA GROUP™ IS TAKING ORDERS FOR:
THE ADGUN OGUNSANWO™ - BAHATI Tshirt
Comes in Adult Sizes: S, M, L, XL, 2XL, 3XL
$20. ea. Plus shipping in the USA
order yours from:
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ABYSSINIA MEDIA GROUP™ IS TAKING ORDERS FOR:
THE ADGUN OGUNSANWO™ - BAHATI Tshirt
Comes in Adult Sizes: S, M, L, XL, 2XL, 3XL
$20. ea. Plus shipping in the USA
order yours from:
abyssiniamedia.net
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A nanobud consists of a tube of carbon atoms with a bud-like appendage. |
MIT Technology Review:
“Nanobuds” Could Turn Almost Any Surface Into a Touch Sensor, Kevin Bullis
Phys.org:
Unusual electronic state found in new class of unconventional superconductors
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Map by WillowRaven |
In a world where the evil dragon sorceress rules supreme, the warrior maiden and dragon slayer come together in an epic journey destined to fulfill the 100 year old Prophesy of Drakon, returning balance and goodness to the land.
Join sixteen year old cousins, Kali and Drake, and their best friends, Ferrah and Harold, in their search for the hidden Pool of Life where the great sword - 'Omar - lies waiting to fulfill it's duty. Tremble, scream out, and laugh along as they encounter all manner of crazy obstacles in their quest to return peace to their world by infiltrating the dragon sorceresses impregnable stronghold, Infinitas, and ending the battle begun by their ancestors 100 years ago.
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Cover Art: Angeline Janeiro |
Onto wrapping up the next book
Casual games like Candy Crush Saga and Angry Birds may look simple, but underneath those bright colours, calming sounds and flashing messages, there's a lot of deep thinking going on.
In the era of omnipresent smartphones and tablets, these sacharrine treats are nigh-on inescapable, and as breakthrough hits are guaranteed millions of dollars in revenue (Candy Crush Saga alone generated $1.5bn last year), it's no wonder developers are employing increasingly clever psychological tricks to give their creations a crucial edge.
To find out some of the hidden rules of casual game design, we spoke to Steve Stopps, Nic Williams and Jonathan Evans of Lumo Developments, whose first game, Lumo Deliveries Inc, is being specifically designed for a “distracted” audience – people who want to play for short sequences during busy days. We also talk to Dr Simon Moore, a psychologist specialising in games.
Here are six of the key compulsion tactics to look out for the next time you're browsing the app stores.
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Figure 1: Nano-objects with varying curvatures, Nature |
Argonne National Laboratories:
1. Atomic 'mismatch' creates nano 'dumbbells', Jared Sagoff
2. Powerful new technique simultaneously determines nanomaterials' chemical makeup, topography, Angela Hardin
2015 Humanities Conference
Call for Papers: “Speculative Humanities: Steampunk to Afrofuturism”
On March 11-12, 2015, the Humanities Division at Essex County College will host its Spring 2015 Conference, “Speculative Humanities: Steampunk to Afrofuturism.” This two-day conference offers space for writers, musicians, artists, and academicians to explore, expand upon, and rethink the implications of speculative humanities. This year's conference will feature a special emphasis on the life, work, and influence of Octavia E. Butler.
Speculative humanities encompasses a diverse array of works, from the 18th century mysticism of Swedenborg to the 20th century spiritual teachings of Gurdjieff, along with the 19th century texts of authors such as Mary Shelley, Samuel Butler, and Jules Verne to the 20th and 21st century works of H.G. Wells, Octavia E. Butler, Margaret Atwood, Samuel Delany, Cormac McCarthy, and L.A. Banks. The revolutionary wave sweeping across Europe during the 19th century along with the publication of texts such as The Communist Manifesto influenced generations of writers to produce works featuring both urban utopias and dystopian metropolises.
Historical and fictional texts include post-apocalyptic narratives, steampunk, Afrofuturism, fantasy, fan fiction, fabulist, anime, horror, and what was once categorized as science fiction.
Open to all humanities disciplines--literature, music, history, religion, philosophy, art, architecture, theater, dance, and media--we invite papers, panel presentations, screenings, and performances of works that can be included in the admittedly broad category of “speculative humanities.” We welcome interactive, unorthodox panels, screenings, exhibits, musical performances, and other presentations related to our central theme. Papers on the works of Octavia E. Butler are especially encouraged for submission.
Please email (abstracts of 250-300 words) for panels and individual presentations to both of the conference co-chairs: Prof. Jennifer Wager (jwager@essex.edu) and Prof. Rebecca Williams (wrebecca@essex.edu) by Sunday, January 16, 2015.
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Image Source: Interesting Engineering |
Then, we gave voice to a warped skepticism; a clear evidence of the abhorred vacuum of nature being filled by the inexperienced, the uneducated: the loud, obnoxious nincompoops with a microphone and an audience of willfully ignorant malcontents that sadly: vote. In return for this political Baal worship, they are rewarded with policies against their, and the country's long term best interests.
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Image Source: Kevtak Algebra Readiness Classroom and Homework page |
A little history for perspective: we use it to balance chemical equations; the first high school physics you'll ever learn before you run into Calculus will be based on this foundation.
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Image source: Famous Scientists |
A cover artwork should be able to stand alone and still tell a story. A design, though it may look awesome and fitting with the title and cover text, if presented alone it would just be a cool visual. Does the portfolio use photographs? And if so, were they taken by the designer or a photographer they hired? Or, if you are looking for artwork, does the artist also do the design aspect of the cover. How well does their design compliment the art?
These are all questions that should be answered before money changes hands.
If anybody has questions as to what is considered original vs custom, or the difference between cover design & cover art, please leave comment or contact me at my signature links.
Onto wrapping up the next book
'Endless Shards of Jazz for a Brutal World'.
That's the sub-title of the movie. In a way, it actually signifies the concept of the film itself: which shall be a collage of scenes and sentiments, feelings and ideas, dramatic poems and songs, guitars and blood, nooses and belts, sun and moon - all attempting to affix themselves on one large canvas whose sole goal is to express the pain of a life that feels and sees too much.
The past 7 months have been rather overwhelming. Not because of the work load but because of the challenges I had finding the right actress for my upcoming feature film, Octavia: Elegy For A Vampire, a drama about a 150 year old African-American vampire who wants to die due to the world's cruelty, apathy, and seemingly eternal racism. The film was conceived as a cinematic poem and "theatrical-cubist-drama" that meditates on identity, colonization, and the spiritual battle Black people throughout the diaspora must undergo as we push further in the 21st century - a world that seems, once again, to have lost its "center." It's not that there are no morals. It's that there is no consciousness. And man's derangement has corrupted the very blood flowing through his veins. This alone frightens the vampires in my film. But it's no so much the blood that the vampires need -- it is a re-affirmation of who they are, a reminder of their identity, a reiteration of truth in the world. Truth is blood. Without it, we are nowhere, no one...no thing.
It was hard getting actresses' to commit to such a low budget, yet artistically luxurious project. The script alone either attracted or confounded actors. It subverted the "vampire-horror" genre, emphasized the horrors of the real world as opposed to some adolescent fantasy world and it zeroed in on the pain of being alive in a world that you know hates you. As is the case with my dramatic productions, there would be an emphasis on language, dialogue, and emotional connections between everyday observations, history, and political crisis. The role of Octavia demanded someone unafraid, intelligent, and open enough in their emotional life to connect and explore themselves and the themes contained in the script.
I am happy to say that NUMA PERRIER, the Los Angeles based actress, producer, and artist has been cast my leading lady and has taken up the challenge gallantly and with a great deal of finesse, passion, and confidence. Three qualities Octavia herself must possess.
This past weekend we shot the teaser for the film and held a promotional publicity-photo session of the punk band, the Savage Paws, Octavia's rock & roll trio - featured in the film. Slowly, it all started to come together. It is taking shape. It has become real. We got our sonogram. We are closer to realizing our vision and illuminating the script; bringing this incredible story to the screen, and introducing a new character for our times. We will stop at nothing to express it all.
Principal photography commences late February-early March, 2015.
More updates to follow. A teaser will be released next week - along with our next crowdfunding campaign.
(c) Photo of Writer/Director Dennis Leroy Kangalee and Numa Perrier as "young" Octavia with her blood-stained Stratocaster guitar with custom finish ("Silverback") by award-winning photographer & cinematographer Erik Swain; wardrobe and styling by Nina Fleck; Rockefeller Center November 23, 2014.
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In case you're wondering, Pepper's on the left; Jibo on the right |
Beta Boston:
Robot startup Jibo unveils a multi-purpose 'social-bot' for the home
Scott Kirsner
IndieGoGo: JIBO, Worlds First Family Robot. 4,800 Pre-Sold!
(and, $2,287,609 raised in a $100,000 initial crowd-funding goal)
That's Really Possible:
Presenting our first real R2-D2 and C-3PO: JIBO and Pepper!
Glyn Taylor
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Illustration: Christine Daniloff/MIT (yeast cell images from National Institutes of Health) |
MIT News: New device could make large biological circuits practical,
David L. Chandler
#P4TC: Bio-Computer
ust giving everyone a heads up on my holiday special, full colored pieces are now $15(normally $25).
Swing by my deviantart page to see what I offer: http://kphillips702.deviantart.com/
Look forward to working with you and happy holidays.
Story seeds, go for it.
Saw uTube vid about viable heart grown from stem cells, a full face transplant. These are what we are allowed to see. Who knows how far we've really come. Implanted organ anti-rejection device, you open a hatch and pop in a small capsule. Organic nanos adjust the body to except new DNA streams. Talk of consciousness transfer and live donors. The medical world has become an industry, a business with a dark underbelly. There is hope for a few and merciless terror for others. Bodies like cars and OEM replacement parts. The critics bash the science by the uncovered mishaps, the egos of ones who can pay to live forever and coined a new word "donor nation".
There was a hospital incident, confusion, intercom voice to evacuate. Guy gets dressed runs out, doesn't know where he's going. Bums on the street direct him to a shelter. No ID, no name, too many questions, sits in lobby watching reruns of Six-million Dollar Man and Robocop. Has flashbacks, flees out the door in anguish screams. No special powers or abilities, an ordinary guy...............
A space ship on a long journey. The suspended animation device has been outfitted with a slew of clone bodies. The idea is to keep someone conscious during the whole trip to run the ship, record and experience. An object strikes the ship, the mind transfer device turns transceiver, picks up an assortment of human souls, all the clones animate. The ship's computer becomes parent, referee, and god..............
Man discovers that photos of people contain a part of the soul. Indians knew this, they warned us. He rigged a way to access the photo soul and record it's experiences. Then he wrote a book about traveling the world in an envelope, the sea in a bottle. He destroyed all data when he recorded a photo soul's experience in a copy machine, a paper shredder and a photographer's studio fire. Today he reads books with no pictures.
Short observation of the announced Executive Action on Immigration Reform: Pass a bill. Yes, at 844 pages, Senate Bill 744 is a hefty thing, but that's why you hire staff to read it and give you the "Cliff Notes" summary. It would also help if the congress worked a sizable amount of a year like every other American. I don't expect the bill's current form to survive a House committee without amendments. Its form will naturally change.
We see, therefore, that war is not merely an act of policy but a true political instrument, a continuation of political intercourse carried on with other means. What remains peculiar to war is simply the peculiar nature of its means.
Chapter 1, Section 24, in the Princeton University Press translation (1976)
Variant translation: War is merely the continuation of politics by other means. Carl von Clausewitz, "On War," Source: Wikiquote
Horror vacui: "nature abhors a vacuum" and so does politics in this post "Citizens United" and McCutcheon oxymoronic era. We're making fascism inevitable and "rational"; Oligarchy a natural progression from our laziness as an electorate to be informed; to participate and to actually shape the agendas of the "collectivist conspiracy" also known as self-government.
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Figure 2 from the paper |
Popular Science:
Scale a Glass Wall With Gecko-Inspired Adhesive on Your Hands, Kelsey D. Atherton
Royal Society Publishing:
Human climbing with efficiently scaled gecko-inspired dry adhesives
Elliot W. Hawkes, Eric V. Eason, David L. Christensen, Mark R. Cutkosky
Wikipedia:
van der Waals Force
van der Waals Equation
I have started a group for members that have titles in the Kindle Unlimited program. Please join if you would like to have your titles listed.