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Sterile Neutrinos...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on February 2, 2016 at 6:00am
A section of CERN's Super Proton Synchrotron, which could be home to the SHiP experiment by 2026.
(Courtesy: Piotr Traczyk)


Topics: CERN, Cosmology, Dark Matter, Neutrinos, Particle Physics, Theoretical Physics


This is very interesting. Sterile neutrinos are dark matter candidates. From APS Physics, April 24, 2014:

A hypothetical neutrino that does not interact through the weak force could be the source of a recently detected x-ray emission line coming from galaxy clusters. However, previous models using this so-called “sterile” neutrino as a form of dark matter were not able to satisfy constraints from cosmological observations. Now, writing in Physical Review Letters, Kevork Abazajian of the University of California, Irvine, shows that a sterile neutrino with a mass of 77 kilo-electron-volts (keV) could be a viable dark matter candidate that both explains the new x-ray data and solves some long-standing problems in galaxy structure formation.

* * * * *

A new experiment to search for hypothetical particles known as sterile neutrinos has been given the green light by scientists at the CERN particle-physics laboratory near Geneva. The SFr 200m (£140m) Search for Hidden Particles experiment (SHiP) would be built at CERN and start up a decade from now. The lab's member states will, however, need to approve the project before construction.

Predicted by certain extensions of the Standard Model, sterile neutrinos – if they exist – would interact extremely weakly, if at all, with ordinary matter. However, sterile neutrinos would transform into and out of standard neutrinos, revealing themselves via a greater- or lesser-than-expected rate of oscillation between the different types, or "flavors", of neutrinos. Physicists working on the Liquid Scintillator Neutrino Detector (LSND) at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico between 1993 and 1998 saw some evidence for such a transformation, but other experiments have failed to see a similar signal.

There are other plans to look for these hypothetical particles, but these experiments would focus on light sterile neutrinos with masses of less than one electronvolt. SHiP, in contrast, would seek more massive sterile neutrinos known as heavy neutral leptons. Weighing a few gigaelectronvolts, such particles would, very occasionally, decay into ordinary matter. According to SHiP spokesman Andrey Golutvin of CERN, their existence, unlike that of their lighter counterparts, could explain the predominance of matter over antimatter in the universe and the nature of dark matter. "Finding a light sterile neutrino would be a Nobel prize discovery, but it wouldn't solve the problems of the Standard Model," he claims.

Physics World: CERN gives thumbs up to new sterile-neutrino detector
Edwin Cartlidge

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Cam Musings...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on February 1, 2016 at 7:17am

Topics: Diversity, Diversity in Science, HBCU, Women in Science


I have in recent postings, avoided saying specific things about African American/Black History Month, Women's History Month; Hispanic Heritage Month not because I don't appreciate or celebrate them. It's partly due to sheer exhaustion: double posting (as I've done in the past) is kind of taxing. Most of what you see I decide on days or hours before it appears. Also, the workload in my (now) day job has increased exponentially.

I participate in a Facebook group called Quantum Physics. I post things thus related to Quantum Physics when it applies, and an administrator decides to post when s/he deems it fits their posting criteria.

I was quite surprised to have this exchange:


I immediately thought he meant the Copenhagen Interpretation by Niels Bohr and Werner Heisenberg (mentioned when I learned Quantum Mechanics from Dr. Tom Sandin at North Carolina A&T State University); I also thought of the famous Bohr-Einstein debates at the dawn of Quantum Mechanics that eventually led to the Copenhagen Interpretation.

However, I was taken aback by the statement: "There is no need for a rebuttal, it is just questioning why such an effort is made to disprove some minority who don't understand quantum mechanics."

Now, if the minority he's referring to is a numerical naivete with respect to the larger physics community, I'll give him a pass on his grammar; if he was referring to ME, "doesn't" sounds much better. The fact he stopped replying/trolling was revealing. Note that in my responses, I didn't really insult him. Recall that my post had to be approved, so his problems are essentially with the Facebook administrator, Physics Today and the researchers that published their findings.

I call this "Cam Musings," as my home state's team, the Carolina Panthers is in Super Bowl 50. I'm cheering not because Cam Newton and I are both African American, it's because I'd like to see the Panthers "bring the trophy home."

I have also read the vitriol and racism of others that feel he's not behaving with "dignity" when he celebrates a touchdown or a win. The obvious comparison is to Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning - reserved for sure, but a convenient dodge to what the real issue is for some. I'm old enough to remember when there was a common notion African Americans were not "smart enough" to play as a quarterback until Doug Williams broke through that barrier.

Another hero of mine, Dr. Ronald E. McNair - also of NC A&T, died in the Challenger Disaster 30 years ago on 28 January 1986. He had to re-accomplish his research at MIT over three weeks of no sleep as someone sabotaged it. I know this because I spoke with him sadly, the month before his fatal mission.

If Dr. McNair had, Cam Newton or I spent too much time coddling the fantasies of racist trolls, we would not get much work done. I will cheer for Cam and the Panthers because I want my home team to win for no other reasons than being from North Carolina and having the best record in the league. For my appallingly xenophobic foil, I leave this quote from Nobel Laureate Richard Feynman (who investigated, and found faulty O-rings the cause of Challenger's loss) for him to meditate on:

"The difficulty really is psychological and exists in the perpetual torment that results from your saying to yourself, "But how can it be like that?" which is a reflection of uncontrolled but utterly vain desire to see it in terms of something familiar. I will not describe it in terms of an analogy with something familiar; I will simply describe it. There was a time when the newspapers said that only twelve men understood the theory of relativity. I do not believe there ever was such a time. There might have been a time when only one man did, because he was the only guy who caught on, before he wrote his paper. But after people read the paper a lot of people understood the theory of relativity in some way or other, certainly more than twelve. On the other hand, I think I can safely say that nobody understands quantum mechanics. So do not take the lecture too seriously, feeling that you really have to understand in terms of some model what I am going to describe, but just relax and enjoy it. I am going to tell you what nature behaves like. If you will simply admit that maybe she does behave like this, you will find her a delightful, entrancing thing. Do not keep saying to yourself, if you can possible avoid it, "But how can it be like that?" because you will get 'down the drain', into a blind alley from which nobody has escaped. Nobody knows how it can be like that."

Richard P. Feynman, The Messenger Lectures, 1964, MIT

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4-D Printing...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on January 29, 2016 at 6:44am
Image Source: Harvard Gazette


Topics: 3D Objects, 3D Printing, Additive Manufacturing, Biology


If you are tired of the hype around 3-D printing, brace yourself, because it’s time to add another “D.” Yesterday, researchers unveiled a new process they can use to “4-D print” flat objects that change into complex shapes when they are immersed in water.

The new demonstration builds on the microscale printing process developed under the leadership of Jennifer Lewis, a materials scientist at Harvard. The images are captivating, but they aren’t just pretty pictures; they also hint at a fundamental new capability that could be applied in useful ways.

This is not the first time we’ve heard about 4-D printing, which refers to printing things that are “programmed” to change shapes later on. Three years ago Skylar Tibbits, a research scientist in MIT’s architecture department, introduced the term at the TED Conference. Tibbits’s process employed two materials, a rigid one and a softer one that expands when put in water.

Technology Review:
Gorgeous New 4-D Printing Process Makes More Than Just Eye Candy, Mike Orcutt

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Lasers, Nerves and Magnetic Fields...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on January 28, 2016 at 6:35am
Image source: Technology Review

Topics: Biology, Biophysics, Electrical Engineering, Electromagnetism, Quantum Mechanics

TECHNOLOGY REVIEW: Physicists have worked out how to measure the magnetic fields generated by single nerves from outside the body and at room temperature.

Biologists have known that nerves produce and respond to electrical signals since the 18th century, when Luigi Galvani discovered that the muscles in a frog’s leg twitch when stimulated by a spark.

However, the systematic study of the electrical signals that nerves produce had to wait until the early 20th century for the development of sensitive electrical recording equipment such as the cathode ray oscilloscope.

This development revolutionized the understanding of nervous function. The ways nerves conduct signals can be a powerful indicator for diseases such as multiple sclerosis and can even detect certain types of intoxication.

And yet the method has some drawbacks. For example, measuring electrical signals in nerves by inserting a needle-like electrode is somewhat invasive, and the mere act of attaching an electrode to a nerve can change the signal, making the results hard to interpret. So neuroscientists have long hoped for a noninvasive technique that could do the job instead.

That may be about to happen thanks to the work of Kasper Jensen at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark and a few pals who have developed a way to easily measure the magnetic fields associated with electrical signals in nerves. The technique could pave the way for a new generation of diagnostic tools for spotting diseases linked to nervous function and for understanding the basic function of nerves.

Physics arXiv:
Non-invasive detection of animal nerve impulses with an atomic magnetometer operating near quantum limited sensitivity
Kasper Jensen, Rima Budvytyte, Rodrigo A. Thomas, Tian Wang, Annette Fuchs, Mikhail V. Balabas, Georgios Vasilakis, Lars Mosgaard, Thomas Heimburg, Søren-Peter Olesen, Eugene S. Polzik

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What We Value...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on January 27, 2016 at 7:23am
Image Source: The Daily Show, skit


Topics: Commentary, Nobel Laureate, Nobel Prize, NSBP, NSHP, Steven Weinberg


I can say I've met a Nobel Laureate in Professor Weinberg, and potential ones in my life (one of his students in particular, he and his wife personal friends). I can state I haven't been disappointed in them as people, warm, approachable and knowledgeable about physics and life. I lament I am too young to not have lived when Einstein was alive.

Open carry became law in the state of Texas this month on January 1st; August 1st for the campuses. Some businesses have the ability to mitigate them as likely, their customers don't want to think about weapons next to their groceries or lattes...

Dr. Weinberg - in the brief time I met him at the NSBP/NSHP conference in Austin - probably doesn't do "too much fuss" well. He likely endures it, but would rather not.

There is not one scintilla of evidence that a "good guy with a gun" thwarts a bad guy. There's more data that flying lead tends to have an exponential multiplier effect, and that sometimes tragically with trained law enforcement personnel...and citizens.

So, this is a very bold stance, but an important one: what do we value as a culture? Is it knowledge, as in the competitive knowledge needed for 21st Century employment in a global economy, or macho John Wayne/G.I. Joe fantasies of shootouts with cap pistols/paint balls, and a cartoon (no death) reset?

Everyone in this country has the right to every single amendment of the Constitution. We tend to overlook this:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. I'd think part of that happiness is coming home in the same shape you left in.

A professor: any level, anywhere - Nobel Laureate, Tenured, Assistant, Associate, Teacher K-12 - has to teach with a certain impunity to tell the student sometimes hard things, such as you didn't master the material. That's usually known as drop before the last date, or accept the less-than-"C" grades. No one wants to feel held hostage in their classrooms. Hormones and hurt feelings: what could POSSIBLY go wrong?

Hopefully, a flagship university values having a Nobel Prize winner as part of their science research faculty. If not, I'm sure any other campus will welcome him with open arms and demands met, or as he has alluded, he might retire. Other scientists, engineers and other fields might follow the example of his exodus.  It could possibly be a great loss to the university, to science; the epitome of a Pyrrhic Victory.

Entropy - the tendency of systems to go from order to chaos/disorder - is how we came to measure something called time and its changes; it claims us all eventually.

It just needn't be as sudden as our current national asylum.

Texas Tribune:
Nobel Laureate Professor: I'm Banning Guns in My UT Classroom, Matthew Watkins
Nobel Laureate Becomes Reluctant Anti-Gun Leader, Madlin Mekelburg

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Closing Bell's Loopholes...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on January 26, 2016 at 7:52am


Figure 2. The locality loophole arises from the possibility that hidden signals between Alice and Bob can influence the results of their measurements. This space–time diagram represents an entangled-photon experiment for which the loophole is closed. The diagonal lines denote light-speed trajectories: The paths of the entangled photons are shown in red, and the forward light cones of the measurement-basis choices are shown in blue. Note that Bob cannot receive information about Alice’s chosen basis until after his measurement is complete, and vice versa.

Citation: Phys. Today 69, 1, 14 (2016); http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/PT.3.3039



Topics: Bell's Theorem, Entanglement, Modern Physics, Quantum Mechanics, Theoretical Physics

The predictions of quantum mechanics are often difficult to reconcile with intuitions about the classical world. Whereas classical particles have well-defined positions and momenta, quantum wavefunctions give only the probability distributions of those quantities. What’s more, quantum theory posits that when two systems are entangled, a measurement on one instantly changes the wavefunction of the other, no matter how distant.

Might those counterintuitive effects be illusory? Perhaps quantum theory could be supplemented by a system of hidden variables that restore local realism, so every measurement’s outcome depends only on events in its past light cone. In a 1964 theorem John Bell showed that the question is not merely philosophical: By looking at the correlations in a series of measurements on widely separated systems, one can distinguish quantum mechanics from any local-realist theory. (See the article by Reinhold Bertlmann, Physics Today, July 2015, page 40.) Such Bell tests in the laboratory have come down on the side of quantum mechanics. But until recently, their experimental limitations have left open two important loopholes that require additional assumptions to definitively rule out local realism.

Now three groups have reported experiments that close both loopholes simultaneously. First, Ronald Hanson, Bas Hensen (both pictured in figure 1) [see link below], and their colleagues at Delft University of Technology performed a loophole-free Bell test using a novel entanglement-swapping scheme.1 More recently, two groups—one led by Sae Woo Nam and Krister Shalm of NIST,2 the other by Anton Zeilinger and Marissa Giustina of the University of Vienna3—used a more conventional setup with pairs of entangled photons generated at a central source.

Physics Today: Three groups close the loopholes in tests of Bell’s theorem
Johanna L. Miller

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Snowzilla...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on January 25, 2016 at 7:00am
Image source: Slate.com - Bad Astronomy


Topics: Climate Change, Global Warming, Weather


I'm grateful for the many who called or text messaged to see how my wife and I were doing. We've learned from Texas to New York the fine art of "hunkering down," whether tornado or winter storm.

I'm loathe to express every weather event as climate change. However, the point of making a fuss about it - climate scientists, the Department of Defense et al - is the time to engage is not when the Earth has become the Sahara Desert: the next step at that point is illustrated quite well by Venus.

The following is a Scientific American article written in future tense for the then pending storm. Thankfully, it didn't quite impact upstate New York like it did say, Yonkers. The full term technical is Anthropogenic Climate Disruption, meaning don't expect to get what you've grown used to.

In case you haven’t heard, Washington, D.C., and other parts of the Mid-Atlantic region, are about to get walloped by a major storm that could bury the city in a record-breaking amount of snow.

The storm is expected to bring snows that could top 2 feet in the D.C. area and has already resulted in thousands of cancelled flights. While snows may not be quite as impressive further north, the storm’s fierce winds could whip up significant coastal flooding.

Part of the reason this Snowzilla storm is expected to dump so much snow is because it is pulling abundant moisture. As the planet warms because of excess heat trapped by human-emitted greenhouse gases, the atmosphere can hold more moisture. Scientists already expect heavy downpours to increase because of that. But there’s been little research into what that means for “epic blizzards” like this one.

Scientific American: The Future of Epic Blizzards in a Warming World
Andrea Thompson

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Finally got a new blog post!

Posted by Brandon Hill on January 24, 2016 at 7:53pm

So, yeah. I finally got off my tuckus and finished a new blog post in preparation for my next YouTube book review.  What makes me happy about this one is that the author featured in it actually liked it.  :) So, for those who are interested, you can find a link here:  

My Thoughts on the Saga of the Skolian Empire by Catherine Asaro

Happy reading!  

-Brandon

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Utopia...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on January 22, 2016 at 7:00am
Image source: Utopia, Loyalty Books (audio book)


Topic: Existentialism, Philosophy


We just passed the anniversary two Thursdays ago of what would become the first terrorist attack in Paris on Charlie Hebdo. Many cries went out "Juis Suis Charlie," which prompted this post by me.

Six months earlier, I posted this, seeing common cause in the movements around the world authoritarian, rigid, disdaining of change and fairly apocalyptic; in many cases racist and xenophobic.

Utopia: entered into our lexicon by Sir Thomas More (1516) in a book by the same name. Before that, humans used a similar words: heaven; nirvana, paradise. Benjamin Sisko used the term in an episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine in reference to Earth in the 24th Century. In his mind, there was no better picture of perfection*.

* Captain Sisko: I don't get much time to spend on Earth. And it is so pleasant here, with a Starfleet officer on every corner. Paradise has never seemed so well armed.

Star Trek is incredibly Utopian Science Fiction, the majority currently Dystopian have us as a species hanging on by our nails over a cliff festooned with deserts and cannibals that used to be our neighbors. Trek gave us warp drive, time scales we could live with to explore the stars and green exotic alien women for nerds to fantasize themselves with (as Captain James T. Kirk, of course).

We seem to reach for this perfection that we have no evidence of ever existing. Humanity is noble and cruel; wondrous and petty. We're both enamored with some past perfection that never was, and a future for which its Calculus is myriad, cloudy, or to put it in biblical terms: "in a mirror, darkly." That has never stopped the inane practice of end-of-the-world "predictions" that has a long track record of missed proclamations.

We thus map this desired perfection on our leaders; we give them a script they must parrot to comfort us and sooth our dissonance - cognitive and fearful - with empty rhetoric and faux flourish. Facts, reason or truth are all unnecessary.

Many have recently taken arms and sewed the seeds of sedition. In inner cities they are gangs; abroad terrorists and in bird sanctuaries: militants. Each expressing a kind of "aggrieved fundamentalism" (There were links too numerous popped up in a Google search. They could be applied to enlighten or insult; I chose not to do the latter.)

In this American election silly season, we are quaintly "looking for [a] Jesus" purity; an Avatar - when like humanity, democratic republics are simultaneously noble and cruel; wondrous and petty. Perhaps the most suitable definition for utopia need not lead us down a dark path of an undesirable Dystopian future, but summed up such that we no longer buy the snake oil sold by our politicians professing themselves as the "purist" of their respective bunches; taking responsibility for an ever-coming future in our hands we have yet to make, and realize our vaunted dreams of utopia for what they are, to:

"Nowhere place."
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Fukushima Robot...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on January 21, 2016 at 6:19am
A previous incarnation on Geek.com, taken offline apparently.


Topics: Fukushima Daiichi, Robotics, Nuclear Power


TECHNOLOGY REVIEW: When an earthquake and tsunami devastated Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in 2011, causing a catastrophic meltdown and radiation leak, plans to use robots to perform much-needed repairs were quickly dashed. The environment simply proved too complex and unstable for any normal robot to venture into.

The Japan Times now reports that Toshiba, which manufactured the worst-hit reactor and is helping with the cleanup, has made a two-armed submersible robot that will float into reactor 3 to try to remove debris and retrieve some of the reactor’s fuel rods. The effort shows that, in contrast to all the fancy robots tested at the DARPA challenge, a simple, custom-made machine is sometimes the best solution for a given task.

Technology Review: The Underwater Robot That Will Repair Fukushima, Will Knight

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Caveat Emptor...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on January 20, 2016 at 7:12am
Technology Review: Project Loon


Topics: Commentary, Economy, Futurism, Jobs, STEM


The expansion of Internet access is motivated largely by profit motives: i.e. the more consumers online, the more products sold, the Internet of Things, etc. I will say I don't think with Amazon Prime, Hulu and Netflix, cable television has much breath left in it. However, the unintended consequences of extended opportunity online seems to be the expansion of inequality, or the "Information Superhighway 2.0." This without the impact of net neutrality.

On page 18 of a very extensive report by the World Bank:

So, the internet can be an effective force for development. But as the Report documents, the benefits too often are not realized, and the internet sometime makes persistent problems worse. Why? The key insight is that for complex occupations, business activities, or public services, the internet usually can make only a portion of tasks cheaper, more efficient, or more convenient through automation. Another portion still requires capabilities that humans possess in abundance but computers do not. Many traditional tasks of an accountant or bank teller are now automated, such as making calculations or processing withdrawals. Others require complex reasoning or socioemotional skills, such as designing tax strategies or advising clients. Likewise, many public services involving provision of information or routine permissions can be automated. But others, such as teaching or policing, need a high degree of human discretion, tacit knowledge, and judgment.

Many problems and failures of the internet surface when digital technology is introduced but the important analog complements remain inadequate. What are these complements? The main ones are regulations that ensure a high degree of competition, skills that leverage technology, and institutions that are accountable (figure O.13).

• When the internet delivers scale economies for firms but the business environment inhibits competition, the outcome could be excessive concentration of market power and rise of monopolies, inhibiting future innovation.

• When the internet automates many tasks but workers do not possess the skills that technology augments, the outcome will be greater inequality, rather than greater efficiency.

• When the internet helps overcome information barriers that impede service delivery but governments remain unaccountable, the outcome will be greater control, rather than greater empowerment and inclusion.

I said so much in Luddites. There is a societal powder keg we've lit, and the fuse is burning.

Technology Review:
Sadly, the Internet Isn’t Making the World a Better Place, Will Knight
Who Will Own the Robots? David Rotman

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Backseat Driver...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on January 19, 2016 at 7:02am
Image Source: Figure 4 System Overview in paper


Topics: Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Robotics


TECHNOLOGY REVIEW: Buy a new car these days and the chances are that it will be fitted with an array of driver-assistance technologies. These can match the speed of a car ahead, manage lane changing safely, and even apply the brakes to help prevent a collision. So an interesting question is how much better these safety systems can become before the inevitable occurs and the car takes over completely.

Today we get a partial answer thanks to the work of Ashesh Jain at Cornell University and a few pals, who have developed a system that can predict a human driver’s next maneuver some three seconds before he or she makes it. This information, they say, can then be used to identify and prevent potential accidents.

The approach is straightforward in theory. Jain and co point out that a comprehensive knowledge of the driving environment, both inside and outside the car, can be used to make a pretty good guess at the driver’s immediate intentions. For example, drivers usually check the lanes next to them before making lane changes. So monitoring driver head movements helps predict whether the driver intends to change lanes in the next few seconds.

Physics arXiv:
Brain4Cars: Car That Knows Before You Do via Sensory-Fusion Deep Learning Architecture
Ashesh Jain, Hema S Koppula, Shane Soh, Bharad Raghavan, Avi Singh, Ashutosh Saxena

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Plasmon Laser...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on January 18, 2016 at 6:50am
Schematic of the tunable terahertz laser, which is built upon a semiconductor substrate (thick grey slab). The salmon-pink region is the waveguide that is topped by a layer of gold and then graphene. The slits in the gold are shown as a red glow. The graphene is topped with an electrolyte (also shown in gold). (Courtesy: University of Manchester)

Topics: Graphene, Laser, Optical Physics, Quantum Mechanics, Semiconductor Technology

A new type of semiconductor laser has been created using the unique electronic properties of graphene. Designed in the UK by researchers at the University of Manchester, the prototype operates in the terahertz band and can be easily tuned to output radiation at specific wavelengths. The team says that its research could lead to the development of compact devices for a variety of different applications, from security scanning to medical imaging.

Coherent terahertz radiation can be created using quantum-cascade lasers, which were invented in 1994. These devices contain multiple quantum wells with energy bands that are split into subbands and minibands. When a bias voltage is applied to the laser, a periodic cascade of intersubband transitions is established. The population inversion necessary for terahertz lasing is then achieved through electrical injection.

Physics World: Plasmons call the tune in new graphene-based terahertz laser
Tim Wogan

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How do we fix the comic book world?

Posted by KENNETH E JAMES on January 17, 2016 at 4:56pm

We need to stick to our guns and work together no matter what. We all know that Marvel or DC wont do it. And what they have been doing is straight up embarrassing to see. The ethnic characters have all gotten the same treatment being relegated to the back of the bus and made it into lame second rate heroes. So what would happen if we did it right? What do you think?

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What now?

Posted by KENNETH E JAMES on January 17, 2016 at 4:38pm

Where have you been and what are you up to now? It's a question i have been asked too many times to count lately. What have i been up to writing my heart out and loosing my imagination and soon i will unleash it all for everyone to read. I hope everyone enjoys it as well as spreads the news of it coming. I made the decision after a long time to build an entire world of the books i wrote. This blossomed into a company and a philosophy behind the story as well. Soon life happend as it does with everyone and things slid to a grinding halt. Cancer sucks my wife was diagnosed and it made me mad. This is our dream together this publishing company we are building and about to put in motion. In time i am going to invite others to join in on the movement to change the face of comics forever by not only supporting each other but taking it further than that. Our first book will be a TPB and a novel. I am going to go at it from all angles and i will be using every thing at my disposal to make it work. You are going to love this just wait for the next couple of months to come I plan to shake up the world so hop on board when you see the train coming!!!

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Indie Author Interview Series

Posted by Rasheedah Prioleau on January 16, 2016 at 5:52pm

Hello Everyone!

I hope 2016 is treating you well so far.

I have been thinking about starting a new interview series for my blog at www.rasheedahprioleau.com and I want to invite you all to participate. I would like to collect a series of interview with the Indie Speculative Fiction Authors. I will send you interview questions, you have to answer them on camera in a setting that is dark and mysterious, the more theatrical the better.

For example you could set up a bathroom situation where you stand in the dark in front of a mirror with a flashlight under your face and answer the questions amid bump in the night noises... Have fun with it.

The interview would be between 3-5mins long. I would like to do one every week. So there is plenty of room!

- R. Prioleau

Reply below or inbox/PM me with your e-mail address and I will be in touch.

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the temple cat

Posted by Arnold L. Johnson on January 16, 2016 at 1:56pm

There was a big commotion about the king who took f-o-r-e-v-e-r to die. His friends and relatives gathered in the divvy of his stuff including his prized temple cat. It, the cat, fell to his only niece, Ona. The cat didn't have a real name the king called him 'Cat' and all the household referred to him as "the Cat". He was hairless, temperamental and on his best day looked like he missed the bus on a rainy day. Ona was pissed at everything and was doubly so at her kind uncle for leaving her only "the Cat". She had her eye on a car or the resort cabin on the lake, but the cat. He wasn't even a good cat she said every time you pet him he'd run off to a corner and hack up a hairball. "What kind of no brain talent is that?"

Her uncle told her every pet has a talent else why keep it. Ona's heart matched how the cat appeared to her just to let you know. The cat was a comfort to her uncle. He'd pet him especially when troubled or angry until he felt better. The cat would then run off and hack. When he was a younger man the cat delivered formidable cleanup challenges. As they aged less and less so. He told his fussy niece, "be patient, learn to discipline yourself, you'll overload the cat and he'll make a mess you'll need help with".

She took the cat back to her suite, still fuming inside. "You damn cat, what good are you?" Her hand jutted out and like instinctual magic the cat's back caressed her fingers. Ona screamed, aaagh!, withdrew her hand, sat on the edge of her chair so hard the legs creaked. The cat casually licked himself, walked off to the corner and hacked on que. The silence was imposed upon as the jettisoned hairball became a shadowy mass. It grew and loomed and stunk and called Ona's name, "you made me, come live with me, we are one!" A housekeeper came to the door with a message and left, didn't see the ugly form or hear the voice. Ona still in fear's grip learned all uncle's cautions in one hard swallow. "I am sorry I am not grateful or appreciative for all you've done for me uncle, I'm sorry." The thing shrunk to a little skuzzy hairball again. The Cat became a close pet for Ona, no one but her handles him and the hairballs are small.

What, lame story? I have six cats, I........better stop listening to them. 

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Umbilical Cord...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on January 15, 2016 at 6:39am
NUNNOVATION: Renewable energy can help create jobs


Topics: Alternative Energy, Green Energy, Green Tech, Nuclear Fusion, Nuclear Power


Gas prices are falling ($1.95 in New York), and has nothing to do with the current president or any of the 43 previous. Prognostications of $6/gallon have been highly exaggerated.

However, there are more than a few financial posts regarding how lower prices at the pump are hurting, not helping the economy (albeit a biased opinion). There are obvious ties to war and retail grocery prices, for example. In a global economy where the manufacturing jobs of yesteryear have been outsourced to other countries, solar has outpaced coal in employees. Employment is a good way to stabilize a society.

It makes it quite obvious that as a species, we're not ready to let go of the umbilical cord to fossil fuels. Our economy is the numerator; dead dinosaurs its denominator. Old money has been created pretty much by Jed Clampett's "black gold"; "Texas tea."

There will sadly, be as legion a resistance to nuclear fusion once it is possible as there has been against solar power. I hope the decision of how we proceed centers on survival rather than "trickled-up" profits. Personifying the economy as a tree: If the trunk burns, usually the canopy will inexorably  follow.

Investopedia: How Gas Prices Affect The Economy, Jean Folger
National Funding: How Gas Prices Affect Small Business and the Economy
Wall Street Journal: The Effects of Lower Oil Prices

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