Not much to say about this one. It is currently in development and should be released soon and concerns a rehabbed serial killer who has his limits tested.
All Posts (6441)
Sort by
Got a guest blog posting on Christinaclir.com, afilliated with my publisher. It's an advertisement for my soon-to-be-released book, "The Hidden Meanings," complete with a plug for "From Slate to Crimson!" Come see what it's all about!
Christina Clair's Blog - "The Hidden Meanings"
 |
| ETH-Zurich researchers use x-ray tomography to screen lithium ion battery electrodes and can reconstruct the microstructure in high resolution. This helps to understand the discharging and charging process better and develop optimized electrodes. |
Mobile phone batteries that last longer, car batteries that enable you to drive further, storage that accumulates a lot of energy from wind and solar generators. Many applications require better batteries. The research essentially focuses on three aspects here: to increase the energy density – in other words, store more energy in a smaller battery, improve the discharging and charging speed by changing and controlling the material, shape and size of the electrochemically active particles and the structure of the battery electrodes in a targeted fashion, and work on the durability of the battery in general, by trying to understand the degradation mechanisms that shorten the life of batteries.
Martin Ebner, a doctoral student from the group headed by Vanessa Wood, a professor at the Department of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, has been examining the issue of the discharging and charging speed. In order to understand what influences it, he has been researching the microstructure of the electrodes of commercially available and home-made lithium ion batteries. Knowing this also enables us to understand the charging and discharging mechanism better and endeavour to produce optimised electrodes with more efficient batteries in mind.
ETH Zurich: Tortuous paths hamper ion transport
No, not him...
 |
| Star Wars Wiki |
Scientists in the US say they have found a dramatic new electrical-discharge mechanism that could explain how thunderstorms can produce flashes of gamma radiation. Called "dark lightning", the effect is silent, invisible to the eye and a potential threat to aeroplane passengers – at least according to the researchers' models. This is because such lightning has the potential to produce intense terrestrial gamma-ray flashes (TGFs) and could deliver a radiation dose equal to a full-body X-ray-tomography (CT) scan to nearby air travellers.
TGFs are extremely bright pulses of gamma rays emanating from the Earth's atmosphere. They last just a few tenths of a millisecond but are capable of temporarily blinding satellite-based instruments located hundreds of kilometres away. Scientists have known about TGFs since the early 1990s, when they were discovered by accident by instruments designed to measure gamma rays from distant astrophysical sources such as supernovae and black holes.
Physics World: Dark lightning sheds light on gamma-ray mystery
Hey, everyone! I saw "Oblivion" the other day, and made a review.
WARNING: I spoil the living crap out of the movie in it, so if you want to watch the movie first, don't watch the review! You have been warned.
I recently spoke to one of the founders of the start-up togather.com -- he's an sf author who was disappointed when he had some poorly attended readings, realized this was a common problem, and decided to see if he could create a new kind of venue. The idea is to create in-person or online meetups with authors where there's some level of audience committed in advance to attend and/or buy a book. He felt their best events were ones in which the author did a reading or signing and Q & A and all the attendees already had the book and had read it. (Their system can facilitate book sales in advance).
I think it's an interesting idea, but I was disappointed to note that aside from Tobias Buckell, who first brought my attention to the site with some posts on his blog, the (relatively small) set of sf authors they have signed up so far are all white, and most of them are male. I would love to see that change.
Go to http://www.togather.com/authors to see what I mean.
The site is in Beta right now, so I'm not sure how rapidly they are taking on new authors, but I wanted to bring it to wider attention in case folks here are interested in trying it as an additional way to promote your work and meet your fans. I'd be curious to see if sf conventions could pair up with Togather to try to improve attendance and other planning for readings at cons. Andrew was open to that idea.
So on my personal blog I take characters and situations from my series and either set the action to a specific song or incorporate the lyrics to the song in my writing. It is illegal to do that in my actual novels so I put it in my blog which I offer for free. This particular post doesn't have any scifi elements to it, sort of a beat between actual story events. but I thought it was actually pretty comical so I wanted to pass it on. Completely PG as well suprisingly. Also I typically abbreviate it SMFTM singles so if you see that it is one of these posts. lol hope you enjoy.
Beemer Benz or Bentley
“…I’m Fresh, I’m fly, I’m…” Lee looked over to see his father eyeing him in the rearview mirror. “…with this guy. Bout to have all them horses courtesy of that guy…” he sang from the back seat Ford sitting next to him laughing out the window. Paolo was enjoying the comforts of the passenger seat. Steve winked over at his brother as he noticed Lee’s eyes perk up as they drove past the Mercedes dealership.
“...whether Beemer, Benz or Bentley, I be moving I be moving, making movies Tom Cruising, If its action then I’m shooting, papa cosigned that wit uncle Paolo out here cruising, my car fox dot com connect told me Mexicans brought that new ish. and you know I’m bout to get it so let’s go introduce him, got a girl wit a car but its time to get a new chick, got a black chick that love music and a red head on her Lucy, gotta watch her cus she special call me Ricky trick is stupid. But she always ready to give me that Becky. Last line was so good Ford had to grab his belly…” Ford burst out laughing in earnest in the back seat. Tears began to stream down his face. Paolo chuckled in the passenger seat as well.
“You know your father used to do that too when we were young. But back then the guys rapped a lot slower. I don’t know if he could keep up with you at this point. You got some skills kid. We may have to put yo ass out on the corner make you earn your keep. “
“I’m not a slut. I’m not a slut.” As they stopped at the light in front of the BMW dealer.
“…Roxanne…” Ford sang from beside him.
“I got him Paolo. Bring that beat back,” Steve said chuckling to himself. Paolo pressed skip on the cd changer and the same beat came back on a little slower. “…Nissan Honda Chevy, Nissan Honda Chevy, Nissan Honda Chevy one of these is what you getting. In a hoopty that’s for certain. My pockets who I’m serving. Been driving, l mean swerving public menace put some work in. No you boys will not be flirting, don’t cry daddy did us dirty. So when you go see a girl park up the block or walk in person…”
“…Nissan Honda Chevy…” Paolo laughed out loud as he turned and slapped Lee on the leg.
“…Beemer Benz or Bentley hell no you broke. ..” Steve finished as they pulled into Nissan dealership.
To Be Continued
Like spreading a thin layer of butter on toast, Cornell scientists have helped develop a novel process of spreading extremely thin organic transistors, and used synchrotron X-rays to watch how the films crystallize.
The experimental breakthrough for studying the structural evolution of organic transistor layers was reported by a joint team of scientists from Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS), including first author and CHESS staff scientist Detlef Smilgies. Other collaborators were from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) and Stanford University.
Their paper, “Look fast – Crystallization of conjugated molecules during solution shearing probed in-situ and in real time by X-ray scattering,” was featured on the March cover of the journal Physica Status Solidi – Rapid Research Letters (Vol. 7, Issue 3).
The coating procedure, called solution shearing, is like the buttering of a slice of toast, Smilgies said: The knife and toast need to be well controlled, as well as the speed that the butter is spread. Their actual materials were a solution of a semiconducting molecule called TIPS pentacene, a silicon wafer kept at a specific temperature for the substrate, and the highly polished edge of a second silicon wafer acting as the knife.
Cornell Chronicle: Ultra-thin transistors spread like butter on toast
I. Brother Lee
Lee was the most extraordinarily average boy you'd ever meet, at least that’s what he thought. In reality, Johnny Lee Belamo was a very different story. He was good looking, smart and athletic but he didn't stand out in a crowd. He stood at 5'7, 140 lbs with caramel skin and curly brown hair with an auburn patch above his eye that he kept styled in a low Caesar. The one thing people would notice about him was his eyes, twin pools of quicksilver, and incidentally that is the thing he hated about himself. He wore brown contacts to try to hide them. It didn’t help that his mother said that he had his father’s eyes.
Lee's mom, Erica, was a cop. Despite her small size, 5'2 and 110lbs , she
was hardly the person you wanted to cross. She kept her brown hair about shoulder length. It matched almost perfectly with her chestnut colored eyes. Even though she was in her late 30's, none of her friends could believe that she was old enough to have a teenaged son. Erica never kept information about Lee's father a secret but she never went out of her way to explain things to him either. "It's complicated and child support is a beautiful thing." was her typical response.
Lee was a pretty friendly kid, he could talk to anyone, if he wanted to. At school he was well liked, far from popular but made few enemies. Erica would always ask him why he never invited people over or why he never visited anyone. He would simply say, 'I don't want to clean up after they leave,' or, 'I don't feel like leaving home.' She tried her hardest to get him to go out and have fun.
On her way home from work one day she saw two boys robbing a grocery store. One boy was tall and slim and was wearing a black hoodie and a black cap that covered up his mess of blonde hair. The other boy was shorter, probably about 5'6” wearing jeans and a black tee shirt. He had raven hair pulled back into a ponytail that hung to his shoulders. Since she was off duty she called in the crime. About five minutes into the robbery the store owner started shooting. She leapt in to break it up and was able to subdue the shorter boy without a problem. The taller boy began to run and the store owner chased him. The kid was fast and the chubby store owner could barely keep up. His 43 years of bad eating and in activity had definitely taken its toll.
The cops came just in time to catch the boy. The store owner however wanted to punish the boy himself. The two had robbed him several times. The owner
pulled out his gun and began trying to shoot the boy while he was still in the cop’s grasp. The cop threw the kid onto the floor out of the way and then got cover for himself. The officer called for back up and began to return fire. As this was happening Erica was coming out of the store with the other boy. She saw the gunfire and decided to head back in when the store owner noticed her and the boy. He turned his fire on them. Erica tried to pull the boy out back but he ran the wrong way. She ran after him. The cop shot and killed the store owner, only to find that Erica had been hit by a bullet meant for the boy. She laid there groaning in a pool of blood. The officer's back up got there just in time to see her go down. The ambulance came and carted her to the nearest hospital.
Lee was called from school to the hospital. Steve, Erica's live in boyfriend, picked Lee up from school and drove him to the hospital. Lee arrived just in time for the doctors to tell him his mom would be paralyzed from the waist down. Lee was openly devastated but even more grateful his mom was still alive. He went in to see her but she was barely awake.
"I told you, you weren't Wonder Woman," Lee joked trying to hold back the tears.
"I was so, you didn't know Wonder Woman was in a wheelchair." she responded groggily.
"So, what are we gonna do?" he asked
"I don't know yet, I'm still working out all the details. As soon as I do know I will tell you," she answered
That was the last they spoke that night. Lee sat by his mother's side until the next morning when she made him go home and go to sleep. She came home from the hospital nearly a month after that. They got along pretty well under the circumstances. Erica hired a home attendant to stay with her while Lee was at school or Steve was away doing research, which he did quite often. Lee, Erica and Stacy, the home attendant, got along pretty well for the next year. Stacy was young, about 24, she was slender but toned. She was 5'6 with long dark hair that was contrasted by her sparkling blue eyes. Lee later found out she was half Japanese, half Irish. Lee tried pretty hard to hide the fact that
he had a crush on her.
Lee's grades improved, simply because his mom was able to watch him all the
time. He still hadn't made many friends but he had more than before the incident.
Lee's 15th birthday was on Saturday and his mother really wanted to do something nice for him. He had taken care of her for so long and so well that she thought he deserved a break. So she sent him to her friend's boarding school for the weekend, hoping he would like it and want to attend.
It was located in a small town called Hingham outside of Boston, Massachusetts. Anything you could ask for you could get in that place. It was a resort with classrooms. Lee got there at 5pm on Friday night and immediately felt out of place. He was greeted by one of the students on campus.
He was 17 or 18, about 6 '2“, 195 pounds, black hair, chocolate skin and naturally
gray eyes. Lee thought he might have been a football player by his size. The kid was all muscle and knew it. He was wearing a white button up shirt, blue tie and blue slacks. Everything was very neatly put together and overall added to his massive appearance. They walked around campus for awhile in silence, until they saw a dark haired girl named Janet.
“Hey, how's it going?" Janet asked. "Oh, who's this? Are you two related?"
It hadn't occurred to them that they looked similar to each other before this. The only
differences between them were eye color, which without contacts was identical as well, and size.
"No this is that kid from New York that Dr. B told us about." he responded.
"What is his name?" Janet asked as of the boy as if Lee wasn't there. Then the boy realized he had not bothered to find out anything about Lee.
"Uhh "
"It's Lee. What's yours?" Lee asked facing them both.
"Well my name is Janet and this is Brian. It is nice to meet you. Are you going to school here?" Janet responded.
"I don't think so. I could never afford this place." Lee answered.
"No one sees this place unless they can afford it" Janet replied.
"No I think he is right, he is just here for the weekend." Brian replied with a hint a jealousy.
"Whatever. Nice meeting you." Janet said as she walked away.
"So where are we going?" Lee asked his guide.
"To Dr .B's office. He wants to see you."
It was a long walk back and they walked it in silence. When they arrived Dr. B had them sit in two plush leather chairs in front of him. Dr. Barter was a tall man probably 6'3 or 4. He was close to 200 lbs. He looked like he had worked out every day of his life. Lee would have thought he was in his late 30's if he hadn't started going gray. Even his beard was flecked with gray strands. His gray eyes were hidden behind a pair of Gucci frames that made him seem like he was an actor playing a high school principal rather than being one in real life. He was about to begin speaking when he received a phone call. As he listened his face grew solemn and he focused in on Lee. As he was about to hang up, he fanned Brian away. Lee turned to leave also.
"No not you, just him. Sit." the doctor said in a very commanding voice. Lee obeyed him as if he were the man's wayward son about to get it.
"I've got very bad news," he began. "Your mother was killed in fire today shortly after you got onto the plane."
"What?!?! What the fuck?! Why would you say that? You're a
fucking liar. You're lying!" Lee screamed.
"First off, why would I lie about that? Second, don’t curse at me again." Dr. Barter answered calmly.
"Your lying, the hospital would have called my cell phone." he retorted. Through that movie magic kind of irony at that exact moment his phone rang. He checked the caller ID and refused to answer.
"No. Please be lying!" he whispered knowing where the call was coming from. He began to cry.
Dr. Barter never lost his composure but was able to calm Lee with the warmest hug. It was almost as if Lee couldn't feel anything. Then his brain started to kick in. He shoved away from Dr. Barter.
"Why did they call you first? How did they know I was here? And how did you know my mom? And why am I here?" Lee asked in a storm of questions he knew the doctor could answer.
"Not now. I will explain soon but you need your rest now." Dr. Barter responded almost lifting the anxiety from Lee.
He personally escorted him to a room where he would stay the night before he went home the next morning. He couldn't think of his mother as being dead it just didn't click in his head. All he could think of was the paternal voice playing in his memory saying the answers would come soon.
II. Happy Birthday
The next morning Dr. Barter took Lee to the airport himself. They drove the short distance to Logan airport in Boston and prepared for their flight. Lee wasn't ready to go back. It couldn't be true. His mother was strong and tough and she would never die on him like that. She wouldn't leave him.
As Lee sat more questions entered his mind. Where am I gonna live? Where am I gonna get money? Who's gonna cook? Who’s gonna plan the funeral? How am I supposed to do this?
His heart raced and he looked around the airport as if trying to find answers. There were none in sight. The only things he could find were more questions. How did the fire start? Where was Stacy? Why didn't she try to get out? Why wasn't I home? Why did she leave me like this? His brain was on overload. His heart was ready to burst. He could no longer process what was going on. He was about to pass out when Dr. Barter placed his hand on Lee's shoulder.
"Calm down. Everything will be fine. Just sit down. I'm gonna go get you some water and a sandwich. Turkey is ok right?" Dr. Barter said in that voice that stripped Lee of all fear and worry. He felt like a little kid who was lost in a mall, not a boy who had just lost his mother. When he heard that voice he knew everything was really ok.
"Now first things first, we have to call and notify the rest of your family.“ Dr. Barter said handing him the sandwich and bottle of water.
"I don't have any family. She never talked about any family. I don't even know who my dad is." Lee responded sadly.
"What did I say? Calm down and eat. I will handle everything. She did have family, they just didn't speak very often." Dr. Barter said.
"How did you know her?" was the only response that Lee could think of.
"Your mother and I were old friends. We kept in contact all these years because of…" He answered. "As for those other questions you must have..." Lee was very confused now. How could Dr. Barter always know what he was thinking?
"I have been an educator for nearly 20 years. I know how kids think. We also have some things in common. Half the questions you have, I had when my mom died. I was about your age, maybe a little older. But as I grew older I learned there is always a reason for things. Don't worry about anything, your mother wouldn't want you to have all that stress," Dr. Barter answered.
There was a long silence while they waited for their plane. They began to board and they still remained in silence. Lee was glad. He didn't want to talk. He didn't know what to say, and every time he thought of something to say it turned out to be more questions. He wanted to ask them but he didn't want to disobey Dr. Barter. He felt comfort in everything Dr. Barter said. It was strange. He'd never felt so at ease with anyone before.
As they settled into their seats on the plane Lee began to daydream about fun times he had with his mother. He was beginning to tear up but stopped himself because he didn't want Dr. Barter to see him cry again. He felt like he had to be strong around him. He was drifting off to sleep when another question popped in his head. This one he could not ignore no matter how much he wanted to.
"Where are we going?" He blurted out. Before Dr. Barter could answer Lee started asking a barrage of question. "Wasn't there a fire? I have no house. Where am I going to live?" The flood gates opened and he couldn't stop. "Who will support me? Will I have to get a job? You said you're gonna do the funeral stuff, right? Do you know where Steve he isn’t answering his phone? Will I have to live with one of those relatives you told me about? What if they don't like me? What-"
"- Just calm down. We are going to New York and I will explain everything else once we get there. So just try and get some sleep. We will be there in a little while so I will tell you then. If you are sleeping the time will pass more quickly." Dr. Barter said with a hint of frustration.
That was the last thing spoken for the rest of the ride. Lee still kept coming up with questions but didn't dare ask them, at least not yet. They touched down at Newark Airport at about one that afternoon. Dr. Barter rented a car for them and they drove to a hotel in the city where they would be staying. He got a suite that had a bedroom and a lounge area that contained a pull out couch. He figured since it had a door they would feel like they were in two different rooms but he would still be able to check on Lee if he felt he needed to. Dr. Barter made a few calls while they were at the hotel. Lee didn't know who he was talking to or what they were talking about. He wanted to take a shower so he went to his bag and realized those were the only clothes he had. It was once again time for questions.
"Hey Dr. B. I don't have any clothes besides these. When are we going home? Wait, is there anything left? When am I going to see my mother? When are you gonna answer my questions from the plane?" Lee started his torrent of questions again.
"Ok. I did tell you I would answer your questions. First, your mom didn't get burned in the fire, she died of smoke inhalation. The firefighters got her out but it was already too late. Your room was the worse burnt. So I don't think you have any clothes left. I will buy you more, don't worry about that. Ok what else was there? You will not have to get a job; your father will support you. You will live at my school as a student until college. I have set up most of the funeral arrangements. The cops are still looking for Stacy. And as for seeing your mother, we are going there as soon as you get ready to leave." He responded. Dr. Barter thought this would be the end of the questions but it only inspired more.
"Where's my father? Who is he? Why hasn't he ever come to see me? What about Steve?" Lee asked
"It didn't start in the kitchen. It started in her bedroom. The police think Stacy was responsible for the fire. Your mom got trapped in her room when it started." He responded. Lee took a moment to think. He knew Dr. Barter had ignored his question but the answers he was willing to provide were pretty good too. Finally he made up his mind.
"Why would Stacy try to kill us? This doesn't make sense." he questioned back.
"I have a question for you, what do you really know about Stacy, or your mother for that matter?" Dr. B questioned.
"What? What the fff...hell are you talking about? What does me knowing anything about Stacy have t-"
"-Just answer me one question and I will explain what it has to do with anything. Do you have any special abilities?"
"I can read fast."
"I'm very serious Jonathan. Answer my question. DO YOU have any special gifts?" he said but much more demanding this time. Lee stopped and looked him in the eyes before answering.
"Yes. I can control fire but what the hell does that have to do with anything? I
didn't start the fire. I was with you, and no one knows I can do it. Well except mom,
Dr. Steve and Stacy."
"Your mom, that man and who?" Dr. Barter said trying to convey his point.
"Stacy," Lee said finally seeing the point. "But why would she want to kill mom
because of my powers?" Lee said still a very lost.
"Your mom didn't tell you much at all did she?" He sighed and looked away for a moment before he began again. "Well, there are groups of humans that don't like people with special abilities. They try to kill them off. Especially if their research deems them as a potential threat."
"What the hell does that have to do with me? I can barely use my powers. They always shoot out of control and cause things to catch on fire. And why did she kill mom?"
"Your mother was also a special person. Most people call themselves mutants. I don't really like the way that sounds though. But your mother was a mutant, a very powerful mutant at that. She was a target since before you were born. Her sister was one of these mutant hunters. I think for Stacy you would have just been a bonus kill. However, your mother began to suspect that Stacy was up to something, so she sent you to me for protection."
"Ok, so all of this is getting really complicated and I'm still very, very lost. Why did she send me to you? What the hell is her sister a mutant hunter for? And what the fuck is going on?"
"Watch your damn mouth."
"NO, you guys have been fucking lying to me my entire fucking life. My mother who I thought told me everything didn't tell me shit, her nurse whom I trusted with my life is trying to kill me and I am stranded here with you Random man number 1 who gives all these bullshit, cryptic answers that only cause me to have more questions!" Lee screamed nearly crying.
"I think you need to calm down and just take a breath. Your mother was simply trying to protect you. And as for Stacy it is no one’s fault but hers that she turned out the way she did. And you being with me was your mother's choice and I think that you should respect her wishes." Dr. Barter replied in a surprisingly soothing voice.
"You're hiding something, aren't you? I can feel it. You are lying and trying to keep something from me."
"I am trying to get you to calm the hell down. Everything I have told you has been the truth."
There was a long pause. Lee looked around still confused, sad and angry.
"Your right, I'm sorry. You have been really helpful and really honest with me." There was a short pause in his speech. "But you have continued to avoid the question of why you? Why your school? Why, if you and my mother were so close did she never mention you, ever?"
"I have told you several times how your mother and I knew each other. I have also told you how and why she sent you to me. So why do you keep insisting I am hiding something?"
Lee stopped asking for a moment and just began to stare almost blankly into the face of Dr. Barter. Dr .B stared him directly back into the eyes as if he could see right through Lee. This connection lasted only a few seconds but it gave Lee his final and probably the most important question he could think of.
"Who's my father?"
Dr. Barter was shocked by the directness of this question. He wasn't at all prepared for it and had to take a moment to evaluate the question again.
"It's a simple question. I think you should be able to answer since you and my mother were so close. Since you know everything else about her and about me. Since she felt safe enough to send her only son off to be with a stranger instead of Steve. Since she obviously told you things about me that she didn't tell most people. You seem to know a lot to be Random man number 1.” There was another short pause before Lee continued. "You know what you don't have to answer that question. I don't need to know right now. Let's just go see mom. You can tell me all about it later." Lee stared into Dr. Barter's eyes for a moment. "I didn't notice before but you have gray eyes. I bet people notice that all the time. Did you know I wear brown contacts. My mom used to tell me that I had my dad's eyes. But whatever I wanna go see her."
Lee began to walk out of the door. He stopped and looked back at Dr. Barter who seemed a bit rattled.
"Hey Dad" he said. Dr. Barter raised his head to acknowledge him and then realized what he had just done.
"Wow. You looked me in the face and lied. Are you proud of yourself? You not only ignored my questions but you lied to me. You fucking asshole. You've known all this time about everything and you just let me feel stupid. You told her not to tell me didn't you?"
Dr. Barter just lowered his head in shame. He just stood there and allowed Lee to rant.
"Nooo, don't get all quiet now. Answer my damn question. DID YOU TELL HER NOT TO TELL ME?" Dr. B continued to stand there in silence.
"Answer me. ANSWER ME, ANSWER ME!" Lee screamed with tears streaming down his face.
"It's complicated, but its not…"
"Excuse me? It's comp... So what, I'm just the good Doctor's little fucking secret. His extramarital consequence. What a great man. Everyone must love you. So, how 's the wife? Any kids? Anymore people being lied to?"
"She died. "
"That doesn't explain why you're still lying to me. And you never seem to want to answer all of my questions. How many other kids do you have?" This assault seemed to give Dr. B back some of his old control of the situation.
"First off, if you believe you are my son then you need to know then next time you curse at me I will slap the shit out of you. Second, we are done questioning me. If you
want to see your mother, get your shit on and let's go or else go to your room and shut the
fuck up. Those are your options. Chose carefully because you only get one chance to
choose."
"I hate you. Take me to see my mother." Lee couldn't feel anything but anger at this point. He felt the anger rising and had to struggle hard to keep his power in check.
"You can hate me all you want. Just remember what I said. And I put some work in your bag for when you get back. Have it done by Monday. And learn to control your powers before I control them for you."
When Dr. Barter looked up again, Lee was firing sparks from everywhere. It was all pouring out of him. The carpet at his feet began to burn and melt. Carpet fibers flew, like animals running from a forest fire. The flames started to grow behind him, but only behind him. They were echoing his fury, a fury his body had never felt in all of his 15 years. They danced and leaped like the cape of the devil. His other powers were also starting to surge. He had even less control over these since he never used them. He could barely look at anything without lightning striking it. Lightning leaped from his eyelashes with every blink and swarmed around and through his hair. His fingertips were an inversion of the New York skyline on the fourth of July. Gray sparks that matched his eyes snaked down his legs. Chairs, a desk, the mattress, and the TV levitated around him. He was using powers he didn't know he had and quickly losing the battle for control.
"Get them under control now! You've got 'til the count of three. 1. 2 thr-"
This sent Lee beyond the edge and he just lost all control. He felt his mind reach out and attempt to attack Dr. B, he saw all the chairs head at him and he felt the flames spreading around the room. He felt energy coursing through his body. And then
He felt nothing.
Note: I did not blog yesterday due to Internet solidarity against CISPA.
 |
F. L. Bowles/Univ. of California, Davis, Caged. A water molecule bestows electric polarity on the fullerene sphere that surrounds it, allowing the structure to be guided by an electric field, even though it remains electrically neutral. |
Fullerenes are large molecular cages built entirely of carbon atoms, and researchers have been able to modify their properties by trapping other atoms inside the cage. Writing in Physical Review Letters, two theorists offer an analysis of a more recent invention, a fullerene containing a single molecule of water. They show that it responds in a surprising way to an electric field, allowing the whole structure to be driven in either direction through a narrow channel. Although it’s not completely clear why an object with no net charge should respond in this way, the researchers suggest that their discovery could have practical applications, such as delivering drugs by guiding molecules that carry them.
The most-studied fullerene is C60, a roughly spherical molecular shell made of 60 carbon atoms. Two years ago researchers used organic chemistry “surgery” to open C60, insert a water molecule, and seal the incision, creating a structure designated H2O@C60.
Baoxing Xu and Xi Chen of Columbia University in New York City have now used computer simulations to explore the properties of this structure. Their simulation captures all of the interactions between the carbon atoms and the three atoms of the water molecule. The researchers treated the C60 as a rigid structure, undistorted by its cargo, because the 1-nanometer-diameter cage is so much larger than H2O. They then placed the simulated H2O@C60 inside an 8.2-nanometer-diameter carbon nanotube.
American Physics Society: Pushing a Fullerene Through a Nanotube
After weeks in space, Pandora 001 and her new crewmates take some much deserved liberty down on the 'Super Earth' AIPOTU. But, are the tropical world's citizens ready for the galaxy's most advanced interactive Android Companion and the crew of DROMEDARY? Is Pandora ready for all her crewmates have planned for her? Twenty-four hours might not be enough time for the smoke to settle by the time they are done! Standby for 'fun' at max thrusters in the season finale of The PAnd0RA Ultimatum EPISODE 5: Ultimatum Part I!
The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to “increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.” With this goal as a starting point, the Fulbright Program has provided almost 300,000 participants—chosen for their academic merit and leadership potential — with the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.
 |
| Emmanuel Johnson |
At 22 years old, Emmanuel Johnson stands before us drenched in the makings of the “American Dream.” Johnson is a first generation college student who has defied the odds to become the first North Carolina A&T State University Student Fulbright awardee. With the funds that come with the prestigious award, he will pursue a master’s degree in robotics at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom.
The pomp and circumstance that can come with the honor of being a history maker has led Johnson to reflect on how far he has come. It’s difficult to believe that the senior computer engineering student was once a high-school class clown frequenting the in-school suspension room.
As he prepares to graduate in spring 2013 with more stoles and accolades than the majority of his peers it’s even harder to believe that a former teacher could muster up the audacity to tell a young Johnson, “You will never amount to anything in life.” Luckily for Johnson, the words of his high-school mentor hold true, “Success is not based on your past or your current state it’s how hard you’re willing to work.”
North Carolina A&T: Emmanuel Johnson First Student Fulbright Awardee
I wanted to add another story. After this one I will add Enter Cypher Team i02 to continue with the little bit of SoveReign. I hope the stories are enjoyed. This is them before script mode and I hope it gives a bit of idea of the direction I am taking things. All constructive critiques are encouraged and accepted. Thanks BSFS Fam!
Cypher Team i01 ©2009-2015
Reactivation Commence!
“Kishu no arashi sutairu: Raitoninguurufu.” Static unleashed into the atmosphere as energy left her finger tips. The dry crackle of electricity caught the interest of zenith and humans in Reaper suits as they looked her way.
She stood ready, in a lowered stance as she held her wakizashi in her right hand with it placed snuggly to her back, the hilt at the small of it as the blade stretched up the middle. Her left hand, the firing hand, faced the group fingers outstretched as a ball of current formed itself into visibility. A howl, not that dissimilar from a wolf, echoed through the area.
“Korosu,” she spoke as the energy discharged heading to its destination, the electricity took the form of a wolf as it hit the ground running. Its electrical tendrils spread out touching the first wave as it ran through the middle of the masses, stunning those in its path. Combating zenith and humans in range felt the static as it caused the hairs on their bodies to stand and then, it sent a shock through their bodies causing their muscles to spasm as they shook uncontrollably. Those out of range that were untouched turned their attention towards the kunoichi, totally forgetting the fact that in the beginning they had been fighting one another.
Cautiously they tip-toed their approach towards her, which caused her to repeat the same words she had spoken before. Jagged lines of electricity, again, began to arc at her finger tips as another ball of current began to build up in the palm of her outstretched hand. “That wouldn’t be the smartest move, for any of you.”
“Lt. Reign!” The Madame's southern accent blasted through the sky as Sanjera suddenly became surrounded by the rest of her team. Col. Reign hit the ground his fist charged with a glowing aqua colored energy, his face sneered as he looked on to the mob that had now set their sights on his cousin who was more than ready for the challenge.
Alchemy and PyreBlade followed suit, Alchemy’s arms were changed over to two largely built and extremely sharp blades. Her husband had ignited his bastard sword, the blade glowing red and orange as flames licked out at the sky.
“I thought I said no casualties?” The Madame asked, hovering above the group as she looked down at Galisto.
“There are none Madame. That was just a stunning bolt. Unfortunately, I wouldn’t have been able to say the same for these fools,” she gestured to the oncoming group.
“Well, you started it Lieutenant.” Alchemy spoke to Sanjera, pure distaste in her voice. It was obvious that Alchemy didn’t have any type of positive feelings for the girl. The reason for that was, she wanted to be the infiltrator but, Sanjera had beaten her for the position which stuck her as back-up.
“Be as it may,” Sanjera calmly spoke, turning her attention to Alchemy, “Your’ LZ is clear.”
Alchemy smirked; she had no choice but to show some type of smile. The girl was right, her offensive attack did clear the LZ and that was what they needed. She turned her attention back to her husband dropping the half assed smile as she whispered to him, her British accent coming forth even stronger with her anger. “How the bloody hell was she able to do that, I thought she didn’t have any powers.”
Elias snickered a bit over hearing Alchemy ask PyreBlade something he couldn’t have possibly known the answer to. He answered for him, scaring Alchemy a bit since she had no idea he’d heard her. “You’re right, she doesn’t have powers but she has done something all humans are capable of. She has managed to gain control over her inner chi energy…there is no Zenith gene anywhere in her DNA. The techniques she uses are family traits, something she is only capable of, since she is the last one left.”
“Colonel, I apologize…I wasn’t trying to…I know she’s your cousin.”
“No worries Captain…just be glad she doesn’t care…because I’m sure she heard you.” He grinned.
“Let’s cut the chit-chat Lions. I was hoping to thwart this with words…but, it doesn’t look like that’s going to be an option.” The Madame spoke pointing to the mob as they gained more steps towards them. “All attentions on us now. If you don’t have to kill them, please don’t…Sanjera!”
“Roger that Madame…I’ll set my wakizashi to stun.” She joked, the rest of the group laughed with her gag. Even the Madame had to laugh, it wasn’t too often she said something funny.
“Smart ass.” The Madame cackled, “Get in your teams. Move out and remember to keep an eye out for the Angels of Anarchy, they would love to get into this.”
The team broke apart moving into the masses as the masses emerged their way. The Phenosapiens they were up against weren’t that strong and for the Team getting them to stop or stopping them forcefully would be easier than most would think.
The Team is composed of five level 5 members. One zenith, Colonel Reign. Three who use magic as the source of their powers; Alchemy whose family was enchanted, Pyreblade who married into that family and The Madame who got her powers from a gem she found in the amazon on an excavation. Finally, there was Sanjera, the kunoichi. Who was just, good...damn good. They all were mastered in their gifts, and excelled in what they did. This Team was the leading team of the Black Lions, the “A” team if you will. If they were sent in, there was obviously more to worry about than the bout between the lowly leveled phenosapiens and P.O.M.
Which is why they watched while they fought, and why The Madame warned before they set off into their frenzy. The real worry was the group known as the Angels of Anarchy. A team that was once on the same side as T.E.M.P.L.E. They weren’t lions, but they were in the conglomerate, one of the first Zenith hero teams formed.
Unfortunately, they weren’t on the side of good anymore, well not the side that most would consider good. Their idea of what was right and what was wrong was now tainted. Blurred together in the design of rage. A rage that was set about some time ago when an Elementary school, filled with phenosapien and human children of workers in T.E.M.P.L.E, was blown up by the Protectors of Mankind.
That day, the Angels of Anarchy made a decision that they felt was right. To them the war between mankind and zenith would never end, it would only get worse. Zenith needed to be protected by someone who would go past the morality line, they needed angels, avengers. That day, the Angels of Anarchy became the avenging angels they felt their people needed.
If any, this was the perfect time for them to drop in. They had P.O.M and Zenith that they felt had sold out, all in one area.
The Madame grit her teeth as she looked down through the crowd, picking up a couple of people as she held them in place with her mind. She’d found a metal rod, long and strong enough to wrap around the small group and she did just that.
“Bunt edges!” she yelled at Alchemy, causing the silver colored woman to role her eyes.
“Bunt edges...” she mumbled mockingly, displeased as she turned her blades into rods looking similar to extractable batons.
Sanjera continued, shocking and tasing those that she came across. Easily knocking them out as she continued her non-lethal approach. Elias followed suit but, instead of electrocuting he used is energy as a concussion grenade, disorienting those in range as he fired at the ground.
“This is boring...fire’s not non-lethal.” Pyreblade growled, swinging on a human in a reaper suit with the flat side of his bastard sword, flames no longer ignited on it.
The reaper fell to one knee, his suit sparking as he looked up to Pyreblade. Pyreblade looked down at him his teeth gnashed as he told him to stay down. The reaper didn’t listen and instead got back up.
“Come on man!” he yelled as he watched the reaper come back to his feet.
Pyreblade shook his head as he let his free hand ignite with flames. There was only one way this guy was going to stay down and using the flat side of his sword wasn’t going to do it.
“You asked for it.” He spoke as he held his hand out to the reaper only to see him quickly fall back to his knees, two silver rods on each side of his neck.
“Bunt edges!” Alchemy yelled her accent flaring but flirty and with a wink she smiled at her husband.
Pyreblade pointed to his sword, “Bunt edges my ass. How about I just get back in the Manta?”
Alchemy laughed at him as she began to walk towards him, “Now what are you gonna do there love.” She turned one of the rods back into her hand as she placed it to his chest.
She looked up at him and smiled, “You’re not gonna let me have all the fun, are you?” In the background the roar of a wild cat filled the air causing an uncomfortable feeling to creep up their spine. The two of them stopped talking and looked around. “What the hell was that?” PyreBlade asked as he looked back to his wife, only to hear the roar again. This time closer as the two of them were pushed off their feet and some yards back.
They both hit the ground and slid farther as the silhouette of a woman with a tail appeared where they were and quickly disappeared. The Madame had eyes on and was scanning the area as she saw the woman leap into the air just as fast as she had moved from the previous point. Her body was covered in spots that resembled the pattern of a cheetah. However, they changed over quickly, disappearing as the fur that coated her physique changed to a golden color, the tip of her tail gained a bit of hair as she began to look more similar to a female lion than the cheetah she was.
“Feline!” The Madame gasped. “Get out of there, now!” she yelled to Pyreblade and Alchemy as the cat like zenith appeared, her fist driving into the ground as she dropped in where the two were laying. The force of the punch caused the ground to crater open sending asphalt flying through the air.
“Sanjera, go back up those two!” The Madame directed.
“On it!” She responded, disappearing with lightning speed as she headed towards the corporate The Madame had called, Feline.
The Madame looked at Sanjera and quickly lost track of her as she sped off and then she cast her attention to Elias. “How the hell did she do that, didn’t you say she didn’t have pheno genes.”
Elias laughed, “That I did. I’ll check her DNA again.”
In the distance a rush of wind sounded through the air causing The Madame to look over in its direction. The gust came from the side where the majority of P.O.M were, the area where Sanjera dropped in. She watched as Reapers made their way to another woman who was slowing walking towards them.
The woman walked calmly as she approached. White leather wrapped her body, the tails of her trench coat danced behind her. Her stride was model like as The General watched. The woman stopped as the reapers continued their pursuit and slowly she began to take a deep breath.
The men closer to her began to drop like flies as cars in their area and other objects began to crumble and crush like tin cans. Windows in the buildings around the woman began to shatter as she continued to breath in, causing the structures to slowly fragment in on themselves as bricks chipped away. She was sucking the air particles out of everything. As The Madame watched, her expression changed to worry.
“Breather.” She whispered.
“Who?!” Elias asked, hearing the name she spoke but astonished that, that name was even spoken.
“Everyone!” The Maddam yelled, speaking to humans and zenith alike. “Get out of the area, NOW!”
I have to thank Coursera for forcing me to step outside of my literary comfort zone, and, explore the legacy of science fiction in Western literature.This has expanded my understanding of speculative fiction, and I believe this will make me a better writer. I suggest we all take advantage of Coursera (and perhaps create our own on-line courses).
I discovered the book Little Brother by Cory Doctorow online at Coursera. This was a fantastic read even though it was Young Adult (YA) and Black people were not the central focus. It still is a good book. Black people need to read it. The author offers a tale of San Francisco teenagers who battle a corrupt U.S. government that illegally has kidnapped and tortured American citizens after a terrorist bombing. I am reading the sequel, Homeland, now. (Both books are available free on the Internet).
According to the website, Coursera is a social entrepreneurship collective that partners with the top universities around the world to offer courses online for anyone to take, for free. They envision a future where the top universities are educating not only thousands of students, but millions. Talented professors teach tens or hundreds of thousands of students.
The Fantasy and Science Fiction: The Human Mind, Our Modern World started January 22, 2013, and ended on April 9, 2013 (another course begins soon). We read books and short stories. I delved into the fantasy, fairy tale, and science fiction of many different authors from the 1800s to present day. There was a lot of discussion among people in different nations, who spoke different languages and had various cultural backgrounds.
The course required that students submit reviews of their readings as well as analyze what other students had written. Each week, I reviewed five essays and received up to five reviews of what I had written. The rating scale was from 1 (the lowest ranking) to 3 (the most highly regarded). I never got a 6, but I receive many positive and helpful comments about my writing.
Our teacher was Eric S. Rabkin. Each week after we submitted our essays and reviews of our fellow students, Rabkin posted short video lectures about the works we had just read. Each video was a lesson about a specific aspect of our reading. This was enlightening and encouraging for anyone considering writing sci-fi for a living.
I had the pleasure of discovering the original Frankenstein, Dracula, Invisible Man, John Carter of Mars and others. I was immersed in great (and not so great) literature written by masters of the art. We were told that to be a good writer, you have to be a voracious reader.
Also in the course, I was happy to see that speculative fiction is a global event. It involves many different aspects of what the future could be. African, Asian, European and other ethnic/geographic writers have their own views of the future and how we all will play a role in it. According to the New York Times, "Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) are often free, non-degree programs that have been drawing top professors. Some courses may attract nearly a 100,000 participants."
Your classmates could become your best customers.
Links to my essays and peer reviewers from Coursera can be found at staffordbattle.com
The course starts again in July. It is free and you may learn something that helps you to sell better books.
Peace out!
MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. -- NASA's Kepler mission has discovered two new planetary systems that include three super-Earth-size planets in the "habitable zone," the range of distance from a star where the surface temperature of an orbiting planet might be suitable for liquid water.
The Kepler-62 system has five planets; 62b, 62c, 62d, 62e and 62f. The Kepler-69 system has two planets; 69b and 69c. Kepler-62e, 62f and 69c are the super-Earth-sized planets.
Two of the newly discovered planets orbit a star smaller and cooler than the sun. Kepler-62f is only 40 percent larger than Earth, making it the exoplanet closest to the size of our planet known in the habitable zone of another star. Kepler-62f is likely to have a rocky composition. Kepler-62e, orbits on the inner edge of the habitable zone and is roughly 60 percent larger than Earth.
The third planet, Kepler-69c, is 70 percent larger than the size of Earth, and orbits in the habitable zone of a star similar to our sun. Astronomers are uncertain about the composition of Kepler-69c, but its orbit of 242 days around a sun-like star resembles that of our neighboring planet Venus.
Scientists do not know whether life could exist on the newfound planets, but their discovery signals we are another step closer to finding a world similar to Earth around a star like our sun.
NASA: NASA's Kepler Discovers Its Smallest 'Habitable Zone' Planets to Date
Well, it finally happened.
Yesterday I went to Walgreens to refill a prescription, and upon locating my name from my birth date, the women behind the counter asked, "Do you write books?"
I said that I did. She then said, "I thought so, I recognize your name."
Okay, no big deal to a Stephen King, or a Jackie Collins, although I can't imagine her picking up her own prescriptions (don't really know why). But a first for me!!
No big deal in the grand scheme of the universe, but it was my first time; thank God she was gentle...
WmH
 |
| Planck Space Telescope |
Evidence of supersymmetry (SUSY) could be lurking in the cosmic microwave background (CMB), according to a UK-based physicist who has calculated how the theory could affect fluctuations in the CMB. The claim comes just a few days after the latest CMB observations were released by the team running the Planck space telescope – results that suggest that evidence for SUSY may not be forthcoming from the CMB. However, if these latest calculations are correct, the CMB could offer a window into dark matter and complement the search for SUSY at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) when it starts up again in 2015.
Back in March, the team behind the European Space Agency's Planck telescope released the most accurate map to date of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) – the relic radiation left over from the Big Bang. As well as putting tighter constraints on the age of the universe and its contents, the findings also strongly support the idea that the early universe underwent a rapid growth spurt known as inflation. In the first tiny fraction of a second, the infant universe swelled by a factor of 1078. Physicists' simplest explanation is that a single field – the inflaton – provided the mechanism for this exponential increase. Natural quantum fluctuations within the inflaton would have been blown up too and are now imprinted as the speckled temperature variations seen in Planck's CMB map.
Physics World: Are there signs of SUSY in Planck data?
 |
| Quantum optical setup used in this experiment - IQOQI Vienna, Jacqueline Godany 2012 |
In everyday life it is only natural that the properties of objects exist independent of being observed or not. The quantum world on the other hand is ruled by other laws: the property of a particle may be defined not until the instant it is being measured, and two entangled particles seem to be connected in a non-local way over large distances.
Various experiments worldwide have proven this fundament of quantum theory. However, up to now last doubts could not be ruled out completely. Advocates of “local realism,” by which the classical world is governed, refer to several “loopholes” which have been identified in order to save their world view. Now, physicists from the group of Prof. Anton Zeilinger at the Institute of Quantum Optics and Quantum Information (IQOQI) in Vienna, Austria, have closed an important loophole in photonic experiments which use quantum entanglement to rule out a local realistic explanation of nature.
The work got theoretical support from Dr. Johannes Kofler from the group of Prof. Ignacio Cirac at the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics (MPQ) in Garching, Germany, and experimental assistance from researchers at the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) in Braunschweig Germany, as well as the National Institute of Standards (NIST) in Boulder, USA. The results are published this week in Nature.
R&D Mag: Physicists close loophole for entangled photonic systems
 |
| Theory dot GSI dot De |
Like Schrödinger’s cat, it was only supposed to be a thought experiment to elucidate the strange mathematics of quantum mechanics.
Now, the 46-year-old Kochen–Specker theorem, which describes the quantum dance of observer and observed,has passed its toughest test yet in the real world. The test, published in February (V. D’Ambrosio et al. Phys. Rev. X 3, 011012; 2013), is indicative of growing interest in the theorem, triggered by new capabilities for manipulating photons and cold atoms (see ‘A quantum revival’).
“We can test things that until now were just mathematics,” says Adán Cabello, a physicist at the University of Seville in Spain, and a co-author of the paper. “We’ve been waiting for the technology.” Although his team has focused on the pure maths of the theorem, follow-up work may eventually find practical use in defending encrypted conversations against attack, and in improving random-number generators.
The theorem, first published in 1967 by the mathematicians Simon Kochen and Ernst Specker, shows that it is incorrect to assume, before measurements are made, that the results of a quantum mechanics experiment are already determined (S. Kochen and E. P. Specker J. Math. Mech. 17, 59–87; 1967). That assumption is valid in classical physics; for example, the heat content of a cup of tea is unaffected by the thermometer measuring it. But it breaks down in quantum mechanics, where measurements change their subjects in ways that depend on what else is being measured — as if a set of thermometers conspired to create the heat that they measure.
Nature: Photons test quantum paradox
Physics arXiv:
Proofs of the Kochen-Specker theorem based on a system of three qubits
