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10 BOOK GIVEAWAY! 3 DAYS ONLY!

Posted by Brandon Hill on March 6, 2015 at 3:30am

ATTENTION, BSFS!

My newest book, "Lifemates" is finally out!

It is a 3-story anthology, coauthored by my good friend and co-writer, Terence Pegasus. 



First Read the Plot, and then read the giveaway details below!  

Wild Space Saga is a massive, sprawling webcomic trilogy by Brandon Hill, author of From Slate to Crimson and The World of Five Nations series, and co-writer and artist Terence “Pegasus” Elliot, weaving an epic tale of mankind’s struggle to survive in a far-flung sector of space in the distant future, against impossible odds. 

The universe of Wild Space Saga has many tales to tell, fraught with adventure, romance, and tragedy. Tales of Wild Space brings to light the untold tales of this universe in times both past and present. 

The Hunter and the Tiger 

Ni’Linya, a indentured Feylan pleasure girl is the only friend in the life of Cole, a world-weary human assassin for the Second Imperium. For the past four years, each finished job takes him back to the penthouses of Xiao, and into the arms of his “Tiger”: the beautiful female to whom he pours out his heart, and whose bed he shares. As they indulge their nights, his Tiger sweetly calls him “Hunter,” and to his chagrin, refuses his money until the events surrounding one fateful mission to a hostile planet bring about revelations and changes in the small world of the star-crossed couple, both tragic and blessed. 


Combat Pay Blues 

Desperate for the considerable pay offered by a shady android, Isibar, a freelance spy for the Planetary Alliance and sometimes space pirate, takes on an assignment that no one has yet been brave (or crazy) enough to accept: infiltrating the reclusive world of Icona, the heart of the despotic, expansionist Second Imperium, in order to divulge their deepest, darkest secrets and ensure the safety of the free human worlds. Despite its initial ease, Isibar soon learns that this is a job that comes with far more hitches than he ever bargained for, and reveals far more sinister goings-on than he ever would have ever imagined. 


Her Hand in Mine 

Zynj used to be the shining capital planet of all human worlds until that fragile First Imperium fractured in a series of horrific wars. Now it is a burnt, polluted husk, with all humans living in underground cities and scrapping the once proud cities of the surface for raw materials to sell off-world. On this planet of provincial attitudes, Jules Galway, a lonely scrap hauler, reunites with Sar'vana Van, a Felyan friend from his childhood, who has returned with her people for routine maintenance on the systems that keep life for humans possible on the ruined world. The two happily continue their relationship where it left off ten long years ago, only to discover that in spite of the purist ways of Jules’s society, their feelings have grown beyond the puppy love of their youth. On a world that chafes under the fact that they live by alien charity, Jules and Sar’vana, having lived mutually peaceful lives until now, are exposed to internal and external perils they never thought would find them.

NOW HERE'S THE GIVEAWAY:


I'm giving away 10 copies of my book!  So the first 10 responders -no more, no less- to my blog will be given a choice between a free .mobi file of the book, compatible with the Kindle and Kindle app, or a free .pdf file.  

NOW HERE'S THE BONUS!  

Those who go to the book site on Amazon ( Lifemates ) and review the book will receive ANOTHER free copy of my story, "From Slate to Crimson" as a special "thank you" bonus!  This giveaway will end in 3 days (by 3/9/15), and there are only 10 slots, so space is very limited!  

So if you love to read sci-fi, and would like to get even more free books by doing a simple review, just PM me and tell me whether you want a .mobi or .pdf sent to you.  I will contact you by PM, and arrange the delivery!  All I ask is that in your Amazon review, you be honest, but kind.  I won't mind if you didn't like it, but just be civil.  And be sure to refer me to your review when you do it, so I can send you the next book!   Happy reading!  

-Brandon

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Dr. Nadya Mason...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on March 5, 2015 at 7:27am


Mayer                                            Mason


Topics: Carbon Nanotubes, Diversity in Science, Nanotechnology, Women in Science

Dr. Nadya Mason

University of Illinois, repost: 2012 Maria Goeppert Mayer Prize recipient

Citation:


"For innovative experiments that elucidate the electronic interactions and correlations in low-dimensional systems, in particular the use of local gates and tunnel probes to control and measure the electronic states in carbon nanotubes and graphene."

 

Additional note: The first photograph of a Maria Goeppert Mayor Prize recipient seems to be in 1996 with Dr. Majorie Ann Olmstead, most likely made a part of the site as society got comfortable with the Internet, advances in tools and what could be posted. The prize has been awarded by APS since 1986: "To recognize and enhance outstanding achievement by a woman physicist in the early years of her career, and to provide opportunities for her to present these achievements to others through public lectures in the spirit of Maria Goeppert Mayer." Dr. Mason seems to be - at first brush of the site - the first African American woman awarded this honor.

I attended her talk at the NSBP conference in Austin, Texas. Nobel Prize next, Dr. Mason!
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Dr. Maria Goeppert Mayer....

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on March 4, 2015 at 6:39am
Dr. Maria Goeppert Mayer, Nobel Laureate

Topics: Diversity, Nobel Prize, Nuclear Physics, Women in Science


Born: 28 June 1906, Kattowitz (now Katowice), Germany (now Poland)

Died: 20 February 1972, San Diego, CA, USA

Affiliation at the time of the award: University of California, La Jolla, CA, USA

Prize motivation: "for their discoveries concerning nuclear shell structure"

Maria Goeppert Mayer was born on June 28, 1906, in Kattowitz, Upper Silesia, then Germany, the only child of Friedrich Goeppert and his wife Maria, nee Wolff. On her father's side, she is the seventh straight generation of university professors.

She went to private and public schools in Göttingen and had the great fortune to have very good teachers. It somehow was never discussed, but taken for granted by her parents as well as by herself that she would go to the University. Yet, at that time it was not trivially easy for a woman to do so. In Göttingen there was only a privately endowed school which prepared girls for the "abitur", the entrance examination for the university. This school closed its doors during the inflation, but the teachers continued to give instructions to the pupils. Maria Goeppert finally took the abitur examination in Hannover, in 1924, being examined by teachers she had never seen in her life.

Maria Goeppert Mayer - Facts". Nobelprize.org. Nobel Media AB 2014. Web. 3 Mar 2015. http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1963/mayer-facts.html


Maria Goeppert Mayer Award

To recognize and enhance outstanding achievement by a woman physicist in the early years of her career, and to provide opportunities for her to present these achievements to others through public lectures in the spirit of Maria Goeppert Mayer. The award consists of $2,500 plus a $4,000 travel allowance to provide opportunities for the recipient to give lectures in her field of physics at four institutions and at the meeting of the Society at which the award is bestowed and a certificate citing the contributions made by the recipient. The award will be presented annually.

American Physical Society: Maria Goeppert Mayer Award

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Karen Torrejon...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on March 3, 2015 at 7:06am
Still from You Tube

Not sure where she is in the process, but hopefully she's close to completion if not already a PhD. There is no reason at all that there aren't more women in STEM fields except for bias and discouragement along their matriculation K-12 and post secondary. See last month's post: STEM and Other Biases. There are certain things we should discourage, as in our current obsession with living the lives of "reality TV stars," and encourage more of this. Otherwise, as I said in the post, we're shooting ourselves collectively in the foot, and wondering how the hole got there!

CNSE: College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering

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Dr. Marie Curie...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on March 2, 2015 at 7:54am
Image Source: Nobel Prize - Biographical (link below)


Topics: Chemistry, Diversity in Science, Nobel Prize, STEM, Women in Science

Synopsis


Born Maria Sklodowska on November 7, 1867, in Warsaw, Poland, Marie Curie became the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and the only woman to win the award in two different fields (physics and chemistry). Curie's efforts, with her husband Pierre Curie, led to the discovery of polonium and radium and, after Pierre's death, the development of X-rays. She died on July 4, 1934.

Early Life


Maria Sklodowska, better known as Marie Curie, was born in Warsaw in modern-day Poland on November 7, 1867. Her parents were both teachers, and she was the youngest of five children. As a child Curie took after her father, Ladislas, a math and physics instructor. She had a bright and curious mind and excelled at school. But tragedy struck early, and when she was only 11, Curie lost her mother, Bronsitwa, to tuberculosis.

A top student in her secondary school, Curie could not attend the men-only University of Warsaw. She instead continued her education in Warsaw's "floating university," a set of underground, informal classes held in secret. Both Curie and her sister Bronya dreamed of going abroad to earn an official degree, but they lacked the financial resources to pay for more schooling. Undeterred, Curie worked out a deal with her sister. She would work to support Bronya while she was in school and Bronya would return the favor after she completed her studies. [1]

1. Biography.com: Marie Curie
2. American Institute of Physics: Marie Curie: Her Story in Brief
3. NobelPrize.org: Marie Curie - Biographical

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New Book Release! Tales of Wild Space - Book 1: "Lifemates"

Posted by Brandon Hill on March 2, 2015 at 1:32am

Wild Space Saga is a massive, sprawling webcomic trilogy by Brandon Hill, author of From Slate to Crimson and The World of Five Nations series, and co-writer and artist Terence “Pegasus” Elliot, weaving an epic tale of mankind’s struggle to survive in a far-flung sector of space in the distant future, against impossible odds. 

The universe of Wild Space Saga has many tales to tell, fraught with adventure, romance, and tragedy. Tales of Wild Space brings to light the untold tales of this universe in times both past and present. 

The Hunter and the Tiger 

Ni’Linya, a indentured Feylan pleasure girl is the only friend in the life of Cole, a world-weary human assassin for the Second Imperium. For the past four years, each finished job takes him back to the penthouses of Xiao, and into the arms of his “Tiger”: the beautiful female to whom he pours out his heart, and whose bed he shares. As they indulge their nights, his Tiger sweetly calls him “Hunter,” and to his chagrin, refuses his money until the events surrounding one fateful mission to a hostile planet bring about revelations and changes in the small world of the star-crossed couple, both tragic and blessed. 


Combat Pay Blues 

Desperate for the considerable pay offered by a shady android, Isibar, a freelance spy for the Planetary Alliance and sometimes space pirate, takes on an assignment that no one has yet been brave (or crazy) enough to accept: infiltrating the reclusive world of Icona, the heart of the despotic, expansionist Second Imperium, in order to divulge their deepest, darkest secrets and ensure the safety of the free human worlds. Despite its initial ease, Isibar soon learns that this is a job that comes with far more hitches than he ever bargained for, and reveals far more sinister goings-on than he ever would have ever imagined. 


Her Hand in Mine 

Zynj used to be the shining capital planet of all human worlds until that fragile First Imperium fractured in a series of horrific wars. Now it is a burnt, polluted husk, with all humans living in underground cities and scrapping the once proud cities of the surface for raw materials to sell off-world. On this planet of provincial attitudes, Jules Galway, a lonely scrap hauler, reunites with Sar'vana Van, a Felyan friend from his childhood, who has returned with her people for routine maintenance on the systems that keep life for humans possible on the ruined world. The two happily continue their relationship where it left off ten long years ago, only to discover that in spite of the purist ways of Jules’s society, their feelings have grown beyond the puppy love of their youth. On a world that chafes under the fact that they live by alien charity, Jules and Sar’vana, having lived mutually peaceful lives until now, are exposed to internal and external perils they never thought would find them.



Come and enjoy the anthology of adventure and romance by me and Terry!  


Lifemates - Amazon Link

Read more…

Showcasing

Posted by Patricia L Graham on March 1, 2015 at 6:30pm

So I put some poetry up on Poetry Soup - here's a link to my page in case you want to take a little journey - and it is free.

 

http://www.poetrysoup.com/poems_poets/poems_by_poet.aspx?ID=41163

 

And here's the beginning of a short story I published in 2013.  I'd done a project with the UK National Archives and it prompted me to write the story with a Jamaican theme.

 

THE GALLERY OF LIFE

 

Ella found herself in a room full of black and white pictures taken around the 1950’s.  She guessed the images were from across the West Indies.  It was confusing, uncertain as she was about how she had come to be in the gallery.  However, the photos captivated her interest, drawing her to speculate on whether she recognised anything.

   There were scenes of people working in cane fields, women carrying loads on their heads, children bathing in a cove, fishermen: one of alligators thrashing their tails in a river, sweeping up a spray of water.  As she moved along the elongated room, the images gradually phased into colour and became more vivid, alive; whispering tantalising secrets locked in the portrayal of tones, hidden in full view.

 

   She halted before one exhibiting a Jonkonnu in explosive colourful progress.  A man on stilts wore the head of an alligator and sporting a red bow tie while smoking a large cigar.  Panning across from him was a lady dressed in a powder blue suit and framed sunglasses.  The image held Ella’s eye.  She shifted uneasily to the next picture which depicted near enough the same scene.  On closer inspection, the woman was in fact holding a little girl’s hand.  As she studied the scene, she recognised the woman to be none other than her own mother and the child, herself.  This realisation was a shock.  She gasped: froze.

 

(Excerpt from: The Gallery of Life © 2013 – Flight of Fantasy Collection

***

 

 

 

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Leonard Nimoy

Posted by Rasheedah Prioleau on March 1, 2015 at 9:00am

Just when you thought you were done crying over the loss of Leonard Nimoy.  You read this:

Leonard Nimoy's Advice To A Biracial Girl In 1968

FEBRUARY 27, 2015 7:19 PM ET
GENE DEMBY

It wasn't supposed to be "Leonard Nimoy + Biracial Kids Day" here at Code Switch, but the news takes you where it takes you.

BuzzFeed's Leonora Epstein uncovered this blog post from the blog My Star Trek Scrapbook, which features a letter from a 1968 issue of the defunct teen magazineFaVE! In a letter addressed to Mr. Spock, a young biracial girl laments that she doesn't fit in with either her black or her white peers.

"I know that you are half Vulcan and half human and you have suffered because of this," the girl named F.C. wrote. "My mother is Negro and my father is white and I am told this makes me a half-breed. ... I guess I'll never have any friends."

Nimoy was so moved by the letter that he responded at length in the next issue. "[Spock] said to himself: 'Not everyone will like me,' " Nimoy wrote. "But there will be those who will accept me just for who I am."

Read the whole exchange below:

A young girl with a white father and a black mother wrote to the half-Vulcan, half-human Spock for advice on fitting in.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/codeswitch/2015/02/27/389589676/leonard-nimoys-advice-to-a-biracial-girl-in-1968?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20150227

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Mary Graham...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on March 1, 2015 at 9:00am
Image Source: Link Below

Topics: Diversity, Diversity in Science, Nanotechnology, Women in Science


I believe her title these days is Dr. Mary Graham. If we want more women in STEM fields, this needs to be encouraged in the K-12 levels and post secondary, not when our collective backs are against the wall as a nation. A quote from "Capital in the 21st Century," Thomas Piketty:



"Over a long period of time, the main force in favor of greater equality has been the diffusion of knowledge and skills."

World News: SUNY NanoCollege welcomes record number of interns

CNSE: College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering

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Sorry, Ebooks. These 9 Studies Show Why Print Is Better

Posted by William Hayashi on February 28, 2015 at 10:44pm

Don't lament the lost days of cutting your fingers on pristine new novels or catching a whiff of that magical, transportive old book smell just yet! A slew of recent studies shows that print books are still popular, even among millennials. What's more: further research suggests that this trend may save demonstrably successful learning habits from certain death. Take comfort in these 9 studies that show that print books have a promising future:

Click here for the full story

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New "Godzilla Planet" Is 17 Times Heavier Than Earth

Posted by LN Gibson on February 28, 2015 at 10:43pm

Among the haul of hundreds of new planets discovered by the Kepler Space Telescope, many have qualified as super-Earths -- worlds that are several times larger than Earth, are rocky like our own, and reside in the habitable zones of their stars. But never before had scientists detected a world like Kepler-10c, a "mega-Earth" that looks a lot like home but is 17 times heavier than our planet.

When Kepler first spied this new planet, astronomers measured its diameter to be 29,000 kilometers, or about 2.3 times larger than Earth's. That would have been remarkable, but not recording-setting. However, when scientists from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) looked at Kepler-10c using the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo in the Canary Islands, they measured the planet's mass and found it to be so heavy that it must be made of rocks and other dense materials.

Read more...

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On Genre

Posted by Patricia L Graham on February 28, 2015 at 3:22pm

Basically I just put pen to paper when I begin to write but I would say I mostly write in the vein of Sci/fantasy, time travel (which probably allows me to touch on almost everything anyway), soft and certainly metaphysical.  Naturally I have the Diaspora element in there - as active and reflective.

With "First Lost Risen" - which came out of a poem I wrote - I wanted to bring Jamaica into sci/fantasy.  Guess I touched a lot of nerves in one book ...

Thanks for the "chat" the other night guys.  It helped me to focus some.

Looking forward to listening to Genesis on You Tube! A lot going on here.

Bless

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‘Fantastic Four’ Reboot: Why The Characters Needed To Be Updated

Posted by LN Gibson on February 28, 2015 at 2:02pm

Since rumors and reports first revealed that director Josh Trank was looking at a non-white actor to play Johnny Storm a.k.a. Human Torch in Twentieth Century Fox’s reboot of Fantastic Four, the project – which already had a stiff uphill climb against expectations – has unavoidably been a subject of controversy. It didn’t help skeptical fans that the FF marketing campaign didn’t begin until a few weeks ago (with good reason though – see why here).

Josh Trank began early Fantastic Four development even before his first feature Chronicle (which got him the FF director’s chair) opened in theaters, and his original ideas for a modern take on the FF and casting remain largely intact. The plan was always to reboot the franchise by using the Ultimate Fantastic Four comics as a source of inspiration, especially when it comes to the younger team dynamic and science fiction aspects of it. The other part of the plan was to cast Miles Teller andMichael B. Jordan as Mr. Fantastic and Human Torch, respectively.

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Study Suggests Dark Matter Could Have Contributed To Mass Extinctions On Earth

Posted by LN Gibson on February 28, 2015 at 1:42pm

More than 99% of all the species that have ever lived on our planet are now extinct, and while the majority of these die-offs can be attributed to competition or failure to adapt, many perished during dramatic cataclysmic events. The fossil record shows us that these mass extinctions seem to occur periodically in cycles of approximately 26 to 30 million years—which, interestingly, is similar to the amount of time it takes our sun to bob up and down through the galactic disc and cross the center line of the Milky Way.

This region, known as the galactic plane, is crowded with clouds of dust and gas which could disturb space debris within our solar system and send some hurtling towards our planet, which would fit in with some of the mass extinctions. However, according to new research, there could be something else at play: dark matter.

Read more....

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The Point...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on February 28, 2015 at 8:21am
Brainy Quotes: Frederick Douglass, above and other quotes at Good Reads

Topics: #BlackLivesMatter, Denouement, Diversity, Diversity in Science, Women in Science

...or, women for that matter!

To the point: it is quite obvious by expectation, (some) low educator motivation that many of us are subtly "herded" into what was once challenged vocations - sports, for example - and away from science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields. Such puts one in the position to literally "lift themselves [by their own academic] bootstraps" out of poverty, into prosperity, self-worth, and yes: power. "Knowledge IS power," and thus you are not encouraged to take Advanced Placement classes - though anyone can request them - you're stressed out over ACT/SAT/Standardized ________ to graduate from high school. Dr. Lani Guinier's article should be a breath of fresh air and an eye-opener. Such hurdles can be prepared for, and overcome (links below).

Personal note: I have worked in the semiconductor industry since 1989. In 1974, my middle school science teacher - upon my asking him a question on linear expansion - called me a "dummy." My parents asked him to explain himself, which he did in sweaty apology in front of the principal to save his job. In 1979, my high school counselor was pretty adamant that I should "graduate early" and go into the military; that I did not have the academic preparation to major in engineering in college, as it seems she advised most of my African American classmates (only). I visited my high school in 1983 a college AFROTC junior and an alumni Air Force JROTC graduate. I had been a cadet colonel and Brigade Commander of the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County school district, a position in my high school freshman year in 1976, the BC then said: "your kind will never get to this rank!" (I was also personally threatened by the Klan via passed crude letter: first, for "getting to the rank," then with showing up for the citywide Brigade Review parade, my last function as cadet commander. This was of considerable concern as I wasn't too far in time or mileage from their infamous shootout in Greensboro.) Upon seeing her, I reminded my counselor of our conversation: that she suggested I graduate early; that I wasn't prepared to be an engineering student. I told her I was a in my junior year in Engineering Physics at North Carolina A&T State University, and that I was going to be a commissioned officer. She quickly found something else to do, and like the Neanderthal my freshman year, found herself quite wrong and at a loss for words. How many have been discouraged by words of ignorant and unqualified judges to jettison their dreams? Don't let ANYONE steal your dreams from you.

I have spoken hopefully, to the young and given them pride, a sense of history and accomplishment. I have hopefully spoken to their appreciation of diversity, as many have friends outside of their culture without the overt impediments of previous generations (we could all follow your example).

There is much more to do in astronautics, astrophysics, architectural and civil engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, environmental engineering, industrial engineering energy independence, food consumption, medicine, ophthalmology, physics, robotics and nanotechnology. We need your minds; we need your brilliance, we need your energy: we need your confidence. Think of the barriers you've seen over the month surmounted during times when we couldn't even drink at a decent drinking fountain, or voting could get you killed. Look at the archives of previous February postings. Think of your own recent history: Trayvon Martin; Jordan Davis; Renisha McBride; Eric Garner; Michael Brown. Marching and now, posting to social media is a kind of activism that temporarily makes you feel good: the other is to tackle the books. As Richard Feynman and his fellow students did, quiz one other on your understanding of all your subjects, science and math definitely. "Outsourcing" should be a last resort in a global economy, and you don't want to make it easy to do so by not being prepared to compete.

Register to vote when you turn 18, vote in midterm and presidential elections and don't let anyone stand in the way of your well-fought for, blood-spilled for right of citizenship, or tell you "it's not worth it"; "it doesn't matter"; "the election is already decided." Active democracies should have elections decided by mere hundreds of votes in close elections; elected officials should not be cowed by 5:1 lobbyists with wheelbarrows of cash, or violent mobs with torches and pitchforks, but with voter registration cards constituents are willing to use to hold them accountable. It stops mattering when you allow the moneyed few to dictate the direction of the nation, and the dreams of the many: on a personal level, a lot "dreams deferred"* may sadly, (indefinitely) be yours and this nation's. Spend less time on social media and million player games and master science, technology, engineering, mathematics and above all: critical thinking to question those in authority. You can do it! This country needs you: the WORLD needs you...to straighten your backs, and step out into the light.

Ending the month how we began it:


"Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle. And so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom. A man can't ride you unless your back is bent."

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr - and, a seldom-quoted riff (embed) below...

*What happens to a dream differed?

Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?

Or, fester like a sore, and then run?

Does it stink like rotted meat,

Or crust and sugar over like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags like a heavy load...

...or does it explode? Langston Hughes

Don't explode: ascend, and give light to your dreams!

Kaplan: Kaplan SAT Test Prep
Khan Academy: SAT Test Prep
Edrolo: Online SAT Test Prep
SAT College Board: SAT Practice
Magoosh: GRE Prep and Practice
ETS: Prepare for the GRE General Test
          GRE Subject Test Tools
My GRE Tutor: Practice General Exams
Manhattan Prep: Top 5 GRE Study Tips

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Tribute...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on February 28, 2015 at 8:14am
Image Source: Memory Alpha Wiki

Topics: Boldly Go, Civil Rights, Leonard Nimoy, Science Fiction, Space Travel, Star Trek

In memory of Leonard Nimoy: March 26, 1931 - February 27, 2015.


"Memory Alpha": When you lived in the designated reservation also known as a ghetto, there are "norms" that your very existence defied: it's not "normal" to have an interest in science and math; to watch documentaries, Mr. Wizard; Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom; The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau. And, by gosh, you didn't watch Star Trek nor the moon landing.

Now, we have web sites that celebrate black nerds. There's even a word for it now: blerds. Not so in the 60's. You were then just weird, oddball, outcast, different: the "other."

Despite the demonstrably miraculous technologies your fictional century had mastered, there was still an obvious prejudice even between space faring species Gene Roddenberry and the scriptwriters couldn't ignore. Part of the attraction and charm of Star Trek (especially for Dr. King) is we might just learn to get along with one another and survive as a species; that we might tolerate differences especially when it is solidly in our faces with bowled haircut; arched eyebrows; pointed ears and green-tinged skin. You played a half-human: Vulcan and Earth coursed in your copper veins; your character balanced and respected two cultures because of the parents Spock loved (though logic wouldn't let him admit it). You were "diversity" before the word was re-purposed in the lexicon.

You will be lauded, celebrated and missed by Star Trek fans worldwide. I know the totality of your body of work is far beyond the franchise as poet, director; writer, song writer and more. It's not uncommon nor unfair for actors to not wish to be typecast, i.e. known for only one role. However sir, this role was significant to straightening the backs of many: you were the "other," a man artistically crafted between two worlds to struggle with what than meant, and we struggled with you. You allowed those of us that felt "different" to feel that it's OK to be that way. That our nerd culture was beyond Melanin or for many, sexual orientation: all our values, our histories, ourselves have purpose and meaning for our brief time as blades of grass in the light. We thoroughly enjoyed your time and your talents in it with all of us.

As you attain escape velocity, and warp to meet Gene, Majel Barrett and James Doohan, know that "I have been, and will always be"...your fan.

Dif-tor heh smusma, Spohkh.

For your Katra, peace, and long life...live long and prosper, Leonard Nimoy.


\\//_
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5G Cellular...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on February 27, 2015 at 8:44am


To support wireless communications at higher frequencies offering more channel capacity, NIST engineer Kate Remley led development of this new 94 gigahertz calibrated signal source for testing receivers and other devices. Credit: NIST

Topics: Electrical Engineering, 5G Cellular, Wireless Technology, Women in Science


Smartphones and tablets are everywhere, which is great for communications but a growing burden on wireless channels. Forecasted huge increases in mobile data traffic call for exponentially more channel capacity. Boosting bandwidth and capacity could speed downloads, improve service quality, and enable new applications like the Internet of Things connecting a multitude of devices.

To help solve the wireless crowding conundrum and support the next generation of mobile technology—5G cellular—researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) are developing measurement tools for channels that are new for mobile communications and that could offer more than 1,000 times the bandwidth of today’s cell phone systems.

Like pioneers who found land by going west, telecom researchers can find open spectrum by going up—to higher frequencies. Mobile devices such as cell phones, consumer WiFi devices and public safety radios mostly operate below 3 gigahertz (GHz) (see infographic). But some devices are starting to use fast silicon-germanium radio chips operating at millimeter (mm) wavelengths above 10 GHz. Researchers at NIST and elsewhere are eyeing channels up to 100 GHz and even beyond.

New NIST Tools to Help Boost Wireless Channel Frequencies and Capacity, Laura Ost

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Speculative Futures #12...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on February 27, 2015 at 8:30am


Topics: Dark Matter, Diaspora, Science Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Women in Science and Speculative Fiction

Song of Blood & Stone:
Earthsinger Chronicles Book 1
By Leslye Penelope


Orphaned and alone, Jasminda is an outcast in her homeland of Elsira, where she is feared for both the shade of her skin and her magical abilities. When ruthless soldiers seek refuge in her isolated cabin, they bring with them a captive – an injured spy who steals her heart.

More at: http://blacksciencefictionsociety.com/page/book-of-the-month
Author site: http://lpenelope.com/books/song-of-blood-and-stone/



Amazon.com Review

Dark matter: the nonluminous matter, not yet detected, that nonetheless has detectable gravitational effects on the universe.

Dark matter: the Afro-American presence and influences unseen or unacknowledged by Euro-American culture.

Dark Matter: the first anthology to illuminate the presence and influence of black writers in speculative fiction, with 25 stories, three novel excerpts, and five essays.

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Though Black women's literature spans every genre imaginable, the visibility of Black women in speculative fiction is often low. These women create work that not only speaks to their experiences but imagines new worlds and possibilities. Their stories take us on journeys. And while though the work may offer temporary moments of escape, when we return we're better able to interpret our own place in the world. If you're interested in taking the trip, you'll want to check out these Black women science fiction writers. For Harriet
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Neo Négritude...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on February 26, 2015 at 7:17am
Hughes and Damas
#1953511
Photographs and Prints Division, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, The New York Public Library.
The writers of the Harlem Renaissance, such as Langston Hughes and Claude McKay, who lived in France in order to escape American racism and segregation, influenced the founders of the Négritude movement. Many years later, Léon-Gontran Damas, cofounder of Négritude, and Langston Hughes share a moment.
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Topics: African Heritage, Civil Rights, Négritude Movement, Star Trek

Bertrade Ngo-Ngijol Banoum –Lehman College


Négritude is a cultural movement launched in 1930s Paris by French-speaking black graduate students from France's colonies in Africa and the Caribbean territories. These black intellectuals converged around issues of race identity and black internationalist initiatives to combat French imperialism. They found solidarity in their common ideal of affirming pride in their shared black identity and African heritage, and reclaiming African self-determination, self–reliance, and self–respect. The Négritude movement signaled an awakening of race consciousness for blacks in Africa and the African Diaspora. This new race consciousness, rooted in a (re)discovery of the authentic self, sparked a collective condemnation of Western domination, anti-black racism, enslavement, and colonization of black people. It sought to dispel denigrating myths and stereotypes linked to black people, by acknowledging their culture, history, and achievements, as well as reclaiming their contributions to the world and restoring their rightful place within the global community.

Sourced from
"Africana Age: African & African Diasporan Transformations in the 20th Century," New York Public Library

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