...a black hole is, after all: a sun.
HubbleSite.org: Explore Astronomy
NASA: What Is A Black Hole?
World Science Festival: Icarus at the Edge of Time
All Posts (6527)
Sort by
This has been a great year! I have so much I want to reveal to you but I can't, not just yet. Contracts. Lawyers. Etc. So, please take advantage of this offer now, b4 it changes. Download "Rage of the Mamba". Be sure to comment and review with links to your books and web sites. We need to support each other. I will add links to you all on my websites. I will mention you at my speaking engagements.
I really appreciate my Black speculative fiction family for helping me to get this far. And I really appreciate the Black Science Fiction Society for promoting our works. We need this!! We must support this.
Hollywood, Hot tubs, limos!!! Everybody is welcome to join in. But I digress.
On November 5, 2012; they will probably tell me to stop this offer :<(
Go to:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/236580
Promotional price: $0.00
Coupon Code: RY87Q
Expires: November 3, 2012
This will be a blast!!!
A Gift to My Friends at BSFS
I am offering my ebook Rage of the Mamba for FREE to all my friends at the Black Science Fiction Society.
This is a great place to be. I am excited and happy, Thank you! I have been lucky. I will make some big announcements soon.
However, grab a copy of my book for free before the price really goes up.
Go to:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/236580
Promotional price: $0.00
Coupon Code: RY87Q
Expires: November 3, 2012
Just a tiny little fic but eh
****************************************
Noni looked up from her algebra homework and stared out the sliding doors. The blinds were pulled closed but she could see a faint glowing light through cracks between the blue vinyl slats. She glanced up the stairs and at the microwave beside the stove. The panel blinked 3:37 am. She wasn't even supposed to be downstairs, but she had to finish her homework before morning and didn't want her mom to know that she hadn't really done it all the night before.
The bushes outside the sliding doors rustled and Noni jumped to her feet. Should she go upstairs and tell her parents there was someone or something outside? She put her pencil down on the table and walked over to the doors. The glowing light she had seen before was flickering and dimming now but she could still hear rustling and what sounded like tiny foot steps in the grass. Noni put one hand over her mouth and slowly turned the lock on the sliding door with the other. The footsteps paused and she could here them on the patio. But still far away, she told herself. Far enough away to look and see what was going on. Probably just a cat or that dog that kept coming because Mom fed it breakfast scraps sometimes. She slowly pushed the door open, as quietly a possible. The footsteps paused. I should probably close the door and go upstairs. I should probably just finish my homework tomorrow I should—
a tiny had wrapped around Noni’s wrist and pulled her out onto the patio. She tripped and fell and screamed but another hand covered her hand over her mouth and smothered the sound. The underside of her arm throbbed where it had scraped the cement patio.She scrambled to her feet and yanked her arm away from the hand holding it. By the light of the kitchen she could see two figures that didn't even come to her waist. Her eyes flicked back tot he kitchen to make a run for it but both figures seemed poised to chase her into the house, and she couldn't let them into the house. Out of the corner of her eye she could still see the the dim flickering blue light in the bushes.
“Who are you?” Noni whispered. “What do you want?” The figures both titled their heads. The longer she stared the more they came into focus, but she didn't think that what she was seeing was what they really looked like. Before they had just been figures with head, maybe arms. Definitely arms and hands since that’s what they’d grabbed her with. Now she could see grayish green skin and large black eyes and spindly little legs, like every movie alien ever. She didn’t think that’s what they really looked like at all. The two figures titled their heads the other direction, both staring without blinking. Noni took a step back towards the kitchen. Then another. Then another, until she was half in the kitchen and half outside. The aliens (the figures, the things, whatever they were) didn’t move.
“Antonia! What in God’s name do you think you’re doing!?” Noni whipped around to her mother standing in the kitchen in her faded pink bathrobe, her hair braided up in sections and rolled in small black rollers. Noni glanced back outside but the figures were gone and so was the blue light in the bushes.
“I— nothing, Mama, I just thought I heard a cat outside.” Mama just looked at Noni for a moment.
“And you thought going outside at four in the morning would be a good idea because… ?” Noni shrugged and quickly closed the sliding glass door behind her. Mama sighed and folded her arms. “It’s way to early in the day for this nonsense. Go put up your unfinished homework,” Noni glanced at the table and bit her lip. How did Mama always know these things? “and get back to bed. You have to get up in two hours and I don’t want to hear any complaining.” Noni picked up her homework sheet and pencil and raced up the stairs.
When she was back in her room she looked out her window that overlooked the backyard. Nothing. No short alien figures no glowing in the bushes. Like nothing had been then there. She could still feel the hand on her wrist though. Mama started coming back up the stairs, so Noni closed the curtain and crawled into bed. She thought about telling Mama what had happened out in the yard, but before she could figure how to explain it all, she was asleep.
 |
| CARBON CAPTURE: Fuel cell technology might be able to capture a power plant's carbon dioxide emissions while also generating more electricity. Image: Flickr/glasseyes view - back again |
Armed with new Department of Energy money, a Connecticut company announced this week it is moving forward with a carbon capture project that it thinks could revolutionize the technology.
FuelCell Energyis one of a handful of companies investigating how to address one of the biggest barriers in trying to capture carbon dioxide from coal plants for later storage underground, an unproved concept. The problem is called parasitic load. It refers to the phenomenon that a typical carbon capture system requires a great deal of electricity and thus saps power from a power plant and can cause electricity costs to spike by 70 percent or more.
The Danbury company's potential solution for this problem is fuel cells. The company says that fuel cells have the potential to essentially reverse parasitic load and cause a carbon capture system to generate as much as 40 percent more electricity for a power plant, rather than take away power.
Scientific American: Fuel Cell Technology Could Help Cut CO2 Pollution
Check out some art, a trailer and an exclusive director's quote for the short animated sci-fi, "Project G"! All available at http://www.alverseent.com/project-g.html
 |
| Credit: Institute of High Performance Computing |
Case Western Reserve University researchers have won a $1.2 million grant to develop technology for mass-producing flexible electronic devices at a whole new level of small.
As they're devising new tools and techniques to make wires narrower than a particle of smoke, they're also creating ways to build them in flexible materials and package the electronics in waterproofing layers of durable plastics.
The team of engineers, who specialize in different fields, ultimately aims to build flexible electronics that bend with the realities of life: Health-monitoring sensors that can be worn on or under the skin and foldable electronic devices as thin as a sheet of plastic wrap. And, further down the road, implantable nerve-stimulating electrodes that enable patients to regain control from paralysis or master a prosthetic limb.
Thinking bigger, the team believes the technology could be used to crank out rolls of thin-film solar panels that stand up to decades in the elements. Current thin-film panels are plagued with short life spans due to seepage between layers.
Phys.org: Effort to mass-produce flexible nanoscale electronics
Purple dreams
and hot dish water steam
the walk to the corner store
its mean
The way I see it
aint the way it is
a world of positive reflection
for me, ronnie, and her kids
We got feelings too
and sometimes I'll just spray it
I look for it hard everytime at the billboards 
but they dont ever say it
Our voice is missing
So we decide to put it in
bet Rapunzel and Kareem from down the block will be inspired
let the 7 train imagination begin
More from Robert Trujillo aqui carnal.
W'sup! I've got this new short animated film being shipped out for film fest submissions right now. Wanted to link the Black Science Fiction Society to the official page for it. You'll find the trailer, lil bit of a sypnosis and some concept pics. Check it out!
 |
| Engineering.com: Emma w/WREX (Wilmington Robotic Exoskeleton) |
Explaining the Future: 3D Printing
While it takes just a few keystrokes and mouse clicks to post a tweet on Twitter or "friend" someone on Facebook, it may require thousands of lines of code to accomplish the task.
Dog, a new programming language, could make it easier and more intuitive to write all sorts of social applications—anything from peer-to-peer question-and-answer sites to online dating. And because Dog incorporates natural language, this may make it easier for newbies to learn to code, too.
MIT Media Lab professor Sep Kamvar, who developed Dog with the help of some graduate students, hopes to release the language in a private beta version in the next few months, and offer a public release of it in the spring.
Technology Review: New Programming Language Makes Social Coding Easier
I really have a hard time when it comes to names for my characters. No I'm not talking about all my charcters from the main ones to the ones that only make one appearance. I'm just talking about the main characters, the ones we are supposed to be following. My Problem mostly stems from the incredibly inflexible naming convention that I use whenever I have to name characters.
For example, lets say that I had to give a name for this warrior like character. First I have to take into consideration the personality of the character I'm creating. Most warrior type characters usually have that lone- wolf serious-faced personality (E.G. Sauske from Naruto, Hiei from YuYu Hakusho) while other characters have that have that fierce joy for fighting; A contrast to the later type.
Next I have to think of name that means something close to that personality or character. This can be done in two ways.
1. Depending on the character; I think of name that matches the roughness of it's personality. For instance! My Character; Jyssica's name uses a hard c at the end of her name. Now I'm not an English Major or anything but if you have a hard constant (I think that's how you spell it... AGAIN NOT an English Major) doesn't make the name sound rougher. Well in Jyssica's case it kinda works, seeing how she's kinda rough herself. Now If I named her something like Dawn, it wouldn't really have the same effect. A Dawn (like the ones in the morning) signify the start of a new day, and while the may be empowering they are also calm... And Jyssica is nowhere near calm.
2. Finding names that means exactly what I'm looking for via the internet. This is my last resort when I can't think of anything for a name and honestly the results are damn near impressive. Honestly if you type up "names by meaning" in Google you will find hundreds of entries in general and come out with at least 10 name ideas for your specific characters. So If I could do that, does this make the process easy right? ... NOPE! Because when it comes to names I'm just damn picky!
I want the name of character to fit that character perfectly, to reflect the personality and struggle that character is going through. So when I have a 6ft tall, war experienced samurai kung-fu robot panda and I name him "Bill" I'm just gonna keep thinking to myself "Wow! that name sucks!"
What are Your naming conventions for Characters?
That's about how my life has been going since February. Depression sucks. The meds are working, though, and I don't find it so difficult to get things done. Still far to go on that road, but making progress is encouraging. PES is still on the back burner, not completely abandoned. I need to get a biz plan written up before I can move forward with it, in any case. Hope all here at BSFS are having prosperous times in 2012.
 |
| Scientific American |
UNOBTAINIUM
The idea of a space elevator has set the heart of many engineers aflutter. But all eventually run into the same obstacle—the so-called unobtainium problem, or the need for a material that does not exist. A space elevator is a theoretical structure that reaches from the Earth's surface into space, balanced by its own mass and the outward centrifugal force from the spinning Earth. The physics is sweet—complicated enough to be interesting, simple enough to seem doable, and the space elevator’s intrigue has grown exponentially since Arthur C. Clarke gave it a fictional treatment in his 1979 novel The Fountains of Paradise.
The only material that could pull it off is from Carbon Nanotubes, which the article writer gives the derisive descriptor "akin to a pile of soot." As of yesterday, at least one egress has been accomplished.
Scientific American: Space Elevator Enthusiasts Push On
At the stroke of midnight, the closet door swung open. Bright moonlight streamed across the floor. Lazare’s squat body was silhouetted in the portal. Tiny, iridescent bodies danced on each of his broad shoulders.
“Do her first,” the troll whispered, pointing to the sleeping form of Carlotta.
Two faeries flew from Lazare to the sleeping woman: one the color of tofu, and clothed in violets; the other midnight shaded, wearing white roses. Together they sprinkled golden dust over Carlotta’s face. As it settled the dust twinkled across the dark room.
“Not too much, eh! You don’t want to put her in a coma! Then we’ll have to a fetch a prince to wake her up.” The faeries giggled: their laughter like the sound of tiny bells.
“Now do those other two but just enough so they can go across.”
The faeries split up: one took Henry, the other Glenda.
They soared back through the doorway.“Don’t be long!” their squeaky voices sang in unison.
Stepping around Henry, Lazare timidly shook Glenda. “Wake up child…”
Glenda opened her eyes… the first thing she saw was Lazare’s orange ringed eyes. She opened her mouth to scream and he clapped his big hand over her mouth. “None of that now! I’m not going to harm ye! I’ll take my hand away but no caterwauling. Fair? Nod if ye agree.”
Glenda nodded yes. Lazare lifted his hand, and Glenda had time to let out a yelp, before he put his hand back up again.
Lazare wiggled his purple brows in frustration, “Come on child, ye must cooperate! We’re taking a trip and we only have so much time fore ye Mum wakes!”
At this, Glenda glanced over at the sleeping Carlotta. No wonder Mama can sleep through this! He drugged her! She snatched Lazare’s hand down— more angry now than afraid.
“I’m not going anywhere with you! You’re a troll and everybody knows trolls eat children!”
Lazare looked amazed “Who’s been filling ye head with such nonsense? Trolls love children!”
“Yeah to eat!” On the floor beside them, Henry stirred in his slumber.
“That’s not true child! I love to play with children— I’ve been playing with such as ye for 300 years.”
Glenda gawked at him. “You’re 300 years old?”
“Aye,” Lazare grinned proudly, “and I don’t think I look a day over 200, if I do say so meself.”
At this Glenda took a good look at the troll. His violet eyes were honest almost innocent and she felt no danger from him: only calm and sweetness. Now she spied the open portal over his shoulder… Beyond it was a moonlit sky, with blossoming trees.
It looks wonderful! She pointed to the doorway. “Is that where we’re going?”
“Why of course child! Where else? Not wake ye brother for me.”
Glenda swung her legs to the floor, kneeled beside her brother and shook him. “Henry! Henry wake up!”
“Wha…” Henry murmured sleepily. He opened his eyes saw Lazarus and came full awake: clutching his sister. “It’s him, he’s back—!”
“It’s okay Henry, he won’t hurt us!”
“You crazy?! Look at him!” By now he scooted against the wall, and was tugging at his sister’s arm.
“I’m very handsome for a troll,” Lazare said indignantly. “Why in my village I’ll have ye know, child, I always have a dance partner for the fair.”
Glenda giggled. “You see? I told ya! Come on!” She pulled him to his feet.
They followed Lazare through the door…
The children crossed over and stepped on to a cobbled path, bordered on either side by trees of flowering tulips, roses, orchids and daffodils. As they walked past the trees whispered: “Welcome little ones…” and Henry and Glenda’s faces stretched in goofy half-smiles.
Lazare led them to a beach with golden sands and an indigo ocean. Above three moons shined down upon rippling waves. A dark body broke the surface of the sea— they caught a glimpse of a dark female body, braided hair and a spotted green tail before she plunged back into the water.
“Oh— a mermaid!” cried Glenda. She and Henry clapped their hands in delight. As they watched more mermen and women leaped out of the water headed skyward and dived back down.
At that moment a centaur galloped down the beach toward them: his hair hung in dreds about his shoulder. His upper body was light brown and muscular, his lower body ending in the mahogany colored hindquarters of a horse.
“Jules!” Lazare greeted him with a smile. “Come to join the fun?”
“Aye!” the centaur grinned back. “Who wants to ride first?” his voice was a melodious baritone.
“Me!” said Henry.
“Me first!” Glenda echoed.
“The lass shall be the first to ride,” Jules said. He lowered his body so that Glenda could mount his back, as Henry looked on wistfully.
But at that moment, five more centaurs clopped toward them— centaurs ranging in color from butter yellow to the darkest of midnight.
Henry climbed on to the back of a fair colored female centaur, Lazare on to another and they raced...
At length, the troll led them back into the forest, to a mushroom table with three toadstool chairs.
Lazare sat down with them and four faeries brought over a plate of the tiniest, most delicious cookies Glenda and Henry had ever tasted; along with a fruity, green liquid in tulip shaped cups. “Faery juice,” Lazare said with a wink.
No sooner then they’d finished eating, a murmur began throughout the trees: “Isis… Isis…Isis…”
And she appeared before them: a tall woman with brown sugar skin, close cropped hair, pointed ears and slanted eyes. She was dressed in a green jerkin and trousers made from leaves.
Lazare stood and inclined his head: “My queen…”
Queen Isis put a slender hand on his shoulder: “Lieutenant Lazare, you have done well!” Lazare grinned broadly.
The children gazed at her: speechless. Except for her ears and skin tone she was their mother’s twin!
Isis greeted them: “Princess Glenda… Prince Henry…” she shook their hands.
Prince?
Princess?
“Oh yes,” said Isis as if she could read their thoughts, “you have stout hearts and brave souls too! You will be great leaders in your world. And so it falls to all of faeryland to watch over you and keep you safe.”
“Lieutenant Jueles, their gifts please.”
Jueles appeared and handed Glenda and Henry each a volume of Black history, and another book with blank pages. The covers of the blank books were inscribed with the words:
“Write your own story.”
“Thank you Queen Isis,” breathed Henry.
“Yes, thank you, my Queen,” said Glenda.
“My pleasure... and now it’s time for you to go.
“No!”
“Not, so soon!”
“But you must!” said Isis. “Your mother,” at this the corners of the queen's lips twitched in smile, “will awake soon. And it would not do to have you missing.”
“Can we come back?” asked Glenda
“Please?” Henry pleaded.
“Of course!” Isis smiled. “I’m looking forward to it…”
Copyright 2010, 2012 Valjeanne Jeffers all rights reserved. This story has been published in LuneWing Anthology and Genesis Science Fiction Magazine
Valjeanne Jeffers is a poet, writer and the author of the Immortal, Immortal II: The Time of Legend, Immortal III: Stealer of Souls, The Switch II: Clockwork (includes The Switch 1 and 2) and Immortal IV: Collision of Worlds. Her work has been published in numerous anthologies including 31 Days of Steamy Mocha, Genesis: An Anthology of Black Science Fiction, Griots: A Sword and Soul Anthology, Griots II: Sisters of the Spear, Possibilities and Steamfunk! Anthology (in press). Her books are available at Eljay's Used Books, Pittburgh PA; Nubian Bookstore, Morrow GA; The Wild Fig Bookstore, Lexington KY; Barnes and Noble and Amazon.
You can also preview or purchase Quinton Veal's and my titles here
From: StopBullying.Gov
Children at Risk of Being Bullied
Generally, children who are bullied have one or more of the following risk factors:
Are perceived as different from their peers, such as being overweight or underweight, wearing glasses or different clothing, being new to a school, or being unable to afford what kids consider “cool”
Are perceived as weak or unable to defend themselves
Are depressed, anxious, or have low self esteem
Are less popular than others and have few friends
Do not get along well with others, seen as annoying or provoking, or antagonize others for attention
However, even if a child has these risk factors, it doesn’t mean that they will be bullied.
Nerd (Google): 1. A foolish or contemptible person who lacks social skills or is boringly studious: "one of those nerds who never asked a girl to dance". 2. An intelligent, single-minded expert in a particular technical discipline or profession. Synonyms: fool, booby, goof.
The very definitions - I noticed - might as well be bullying too.
Reminds me of being bullied for liking science:
"When you have an interest outside of sports, a talent for science, math, writing, thinking, literature, you know who 'Jacques Cousteau' is, and up on his weekly undersea show, you might get labeled: weird or “white boy.” Cute girls ignore you, your solace being books, tools, a microscope; a telescope and a junior chemistry set.
"Making some academic attainment, you end up in areas where you are “the one” or “the first” to arrive. That’s not entirely true, just that a concentration of members in the National Society of Black Physicists or National Society of Black Engineerstypically happens at conventions or local chapters; not companies. Getting on elevators illicit purses shifting; catching cabs proves difficult despite lacking any criminal record."
Sadly, I know bullying quite well from personal experience. I recall receiving a head butt in line in the 5th grade - I almost blacked out; being choked with a purple rubber hose in a ninth grade art class - I turned blue and my assailant laughed hysterically even as he was being escorted away by authorities. Both gentlemen (and I use that term loosely) thought their acts were "funny," and I the derided fool, booby; goof. Hence, my - and apparently a lot of nerds - attraction to and participation in martial arts.
I also see it played out in our incalcitrant governance and its inability to make reasoned, logical decisions. So much for The Enlightenment. We'd prefer apotheosized Founding Fathers, mythologized historical political figures, and the only thing they can agree on across the aisle: pay raises (for themselves).
Yet, as a nation we want to remain "number one" technologically. "Magic thinking" won't do it.
"What has happened is that in the last 20 years, America has changed from a producer to a consumer. And all consumers know that when the producer names the tune...the consumer has got to dance. That's the way it is. We used to be a producer – very inflexible at that, and now we are consumers and, finding it difficult to understand. Natural resources and minerals will change your world. The Arabs used to be in the 3rd World. They have bought the 2nd World and put a firm down payment on the 1st one. Controlling your resources will control your world."
B Movie, Gil Scott-Heron
It's concerning also we cannot see what damage -- individually and nationally -- bullyings' myriad forms are taking on us as a whole.
The Scarlet Recluse
Jamal Jones (Dark Spider)
Lily Brooks (Suc-U-Babe)
