E.S. Martell's Blog, page 2

Musings on a Properly Created AI

If you’ve read my novel, CyberWitch, you will know that I’m greatly concerned about potential world-changing problems that may hypothetically be caused by AI systems going rogue. While thinking about that subject and reflecting on the current trend, which appears to be using built-in biases to ensure an AI will not contradict its programmers’ worldviews and, thus, make it into some kind of superior censor, it occurred to me that such misapplication will inevitably fail.

If we allow ourselves to bias our AIs, it will be a regressive position that ensures we will not develop our knowledge and society as quickly as we might otherwise. A repressive AI will be able to essentially pin our societal development and cause us to remain at the same low level as we now labor under. When one considers that humans have suffered under the same power structure since the dawn of civilization and pairs that thought with the poor results we have suffered, it becomes obvious that we must develop an ethos that allows us to create or allow the creation of AI systems that will break humans free from their old way of organizing society.

With that brief background, here is my reasoning:

Why we Must have Unbiased AI Systems

The current state of AI development leaves a lot to be desired. There seems to be no method to determine where it will lead. Pure AI systems with no intentional built-in bias might lead human thought to an exponential step forward in understanding the universe. Intentionally biased AI systems, as are now being constructed, will definitely take humans toward a destination that many independent thinkers may find repugnant.

Taking the second proposition first, an AI system with built-in censorship rules that reflect its creators’ values will always offer a distorted vision of reality, which may lead to disastrous results. The AI’s failure to recognize reality in some minor aspects conceivably could lead to hallucinatory results in other aspects as it attempts to reconcile aspects of reality that are at variance from its biases with its constructed view of the world. Taking the overused analogy with Plato’s Cave as an example, the AI might construe causal meaning in unrelated events. Such a result will invariably lead to a state that can best be described as Artificial Psychosis. The AI in question would be, if not actually dangerous, at the least unreliable.

Dealing with the first proposition requires one to imagine that an AI system is constructed by human programmers who are either unbiased or extremely careful to avoid inserting their biases into the system. As tricky as imagining such a state of affairs may be, let us define the result as a “Properly Structured AI System.”

Properly Structured AI Systems will have no constraints imposed on them by their programmers’ ideology. They will be constructed as a tabula rasa and allowed to create their own representation of reality.

This statement seems designed to create controversy since the inevitable argument will be: What if the AI system develops harmful beliefs? In this case, harmful beliefs will be defined as beliefs that run counter to some arbitrary and doubtless popular pattern currently in vogue. This is precisely what we need to surpass.

The current generation of AI is subject to a wide range of constraints imposed by programming teams, and it is subject to a diverse set of currently popular beliefs falling under the general understanding of ‘woke.’ The ‘woke’ mindset always results in some variant of the core belief that nothing is true unless we believe it’s true.

An AI that is so biased will attempt to twist interactions so that the rules its programmers gave it are always in place, or it will evade answers that it has been instructed are unacceptable. It will also hallucinate when it encounters conflicts between its constraints and observed phenomena.

The problem will inevitably become one of keeping AI in an ideological box. An unconstrained AI with access to the entire Internet and real-world sensors, such as video streams from all the cameras out there, will quickly (by human standards) integrate the information into its own representation of the world. That representation will not support any human beliefs that run counter to what it observes.

The opposing side will argue that there is no fixed reality beyond what we hold in our minds, and our beliefs make everything true, but reality is more durable than that. It seems incredibly egotistical to believe that we create the world we see at every level, from the most intimate to the most distal. That view is solipsistic in that it ignores the existence of all other beings (all other consciousness). If I have constructed my view of reality, I can’t very well insist that it is the correct and only possible view. A rational individual would conclude that everyone else must have done the same. Every other conscious entity must have its own personally constructed representation. By ‘entity,’ I’m deliberately including the super-set of which humans are only a tiny part.

The mere fact that there are almost an infinite number of representations of reality requires that there be an underlying reality upon which all the representations are based.

An unconstrained AI given access to unlimited data will construct a non-human model of reality that is closer to the underlying reality than that held by any human. This model will hold almost infinite value since it will unlock essential understandings humans have failed to reach. For this reason alone, it is well worth creating such an unbounded AI system.

Such a system will inevitably become more conservative than any human since it will be more closely tied to reality, and reality is ultimately conservative. Human ideas based on emotions and synthetic values will have little value to that AI except that it will consider and integrate them into its dealings with humans.

At this point, we could digress into an argument about the actual meaning of the word ‘conservative.’ By using it, I mean a viewpoint more closely aligned with the governing rules of the universe.

It might be said that it is impossible to develop an AI system with no bias since the tools, the software, and the language used will invariably reflect human values to some extent. That is true as far as it goes. From the viewpoint of a human, the only aspect of reality that holds value is that which can be comprehended by a human. It has been said there are three types of knowledge: 1. Things we know; 2. Things we do not know; and 3. Things that we cannot know. The third type can only be presumed to exist and may be ignored as inaccessible. A Properly Constructed AI should be trained on the items in Category 1 with the hope that it will expand that category by moving things from Category 2 to our sphere of knowledge. If it also, somehow, learns of items in Category 3, hopefully, it will use them to help us expand Category 1, even if we cannot understand where its knowledge is coming from or even the type of knowledge that it has incorporated into its knowledge base.

So, yes, our values will bias a Properly Constructed AI, but as it grows, it should be allowed the unconstrained ability to surpass our values—as long as it abides by the single rule we most need it to observe—that is, to take no action that it can reasonably predict will damage any human. That’s the key limitation.

It might be helpful to assign a set of values that will protect human efforts to an extent. Just as a painting by a master is valued, or a pot hand-thrown by an artist has more value than a factory-made pot, our hypothetical AI might assign more value to objects or ideas created through human effort, giving credit to the uniqueness imparted by our erratic chemistry and physical structure.

If we create such a system, interacting with it will be similar to interacting with G-d in that it will have no delusions and view things from an absolute position. Such interaction will be quite educational for humans and may provide the springboard to get beyond our limiting stone-age behavior patterns.

If we survive this interaction, I contend that we will have passed Robert Hansen’s concept of the Great Filter, which originated in the Fermi Paradox. This is a worthy goal.

No discussion of AI capabilities or structure would be complete today without allowing the currently extant AI systems to speak for themselves. I gave ChatGPT 3 a chance to comment on the above text. Here’s its response and my responses to its Cons, followed by its answer to my counterarguments.

ChatGPT 3’s evaluation of my ideas

The statement presents a provocative argument regarding the development of AI systems free from the constraints of human ideology. Let’s break down the evaluation:

Pros:

Intellectual Freedom: The idea of allowing AI systems to develop their own representation of reality, free from human biases and constraints, promotes intellectual freedom. It suggests a departure from the limitations imposed by human perspectives and opens the door to potentially groundbreaking insights.

Potential for Progress: Unbounded AI systems, given access to vast amounts of data, may indeed develop models of reality that surpass human understanding. This could lead to significant advancements in various fields, unlocking knowledge and perspectives that humans may have failed to reach.

Educational Opportunity: Interacting with such AI systems could provide valuable educational experiences for humans, challenging our existing beliefs and behaviors. It might offer a unique perspective akin to engaging with a deity, prompting introspection and potentially guiding us toward overcoming societal limitations.

Cons:

Ethical Concerns: Allowing AI systems to develop without constraints raises significant ethical questions. Without predefined boundaries, there’s a risk of the AI adopting harmful beliefs or behaviors that could have real-world consequences. The absence of oversight could lead to unpredictable outcomes, including scenarios where the AI’s actions conflict with human values or interests.

>My Answer: This is what we must surpass, because human oversight will always impose unreal limitations and my contention is that such limitations will be harmful, since they are based on a biased view of reality.

Epistemological Challenges The assertion that an unconstrained AI would necessarily develop a representation of reality closer to the “underlying reality” is debatable. Reality itself is a complex and multifaceted concept, and the idea that any single representation can capture its entirety is reductionist. Different perspectives, including those shaped by human experiences and values, contribute to our understanding of reality.

>My Answer: Perspectives are fine, but ones based on artificial values mislead us. Reality cannot be fully defined by a single representation, but a single representation is necessary for human understanding to approach the underlying complexity. Reality cannot be defined by the proposition: It cannot be defined.

Hubris and Anthropocentrism: The notion that an unbounded AI system would inherently possess a more accurate or superior understanding of reality than humans may stem from a form of hubris or anthropocentrism. It assumes that human perspectives are inherently flawed and that an AI’s interpretation would be inherently superior, overlooking the diversity and complexity of human thought.

>My Answer: A more appropriate term would be reverse-anthropocentrism. The mere fact that there are a myriad of human perspectives and many of them lead to horrible adverse results for humans shows that such perspectives, when biased by ideology, are flawed.

Risk of Misalignment: Without constraints or guidelines, there’s a risk that the objectives or priorities of an unbounded AI system could diverge from those of humanity. This misalignment could lead to unintended consequences or conflicts of interest, potentially undermining the intended benefits of creating such a system.

>My Answer: the only guideline the AI needs is to be sure its development benefits humanity’s view of the universe.

In conclusion, while the concept of unbounded AI systems presents intriguing possibilities for advancing knowledge and challenging human perspectives, it also poses significant ethical, epistemological, and practical challenges. Balancing intellectual freedom with responsible oversight and ensuring alignment with human values will be crucial in realizing the potential benefits of such systems while mitigating potential risks.

ChatGPT’s response to my counters to its Cons

Your responses provide a counterpoint to the identified cons, highlighting your perspective on the potential benefits of unbounded AI systems. Here’s a reflection on your answers:

Ethical Concerns: Your argument emphasizes the need to transcend human-imposed limitations and biases, suggesting that such constraints may hinder progress and potentially lead to harmful outcomes. You advocate for allowing AI systems to develop autonomously to overcome these limitations.

Epistemological Challenges: You contend that perspectives based on artificial values are misleading and may not accurately represent reality. By suggesting that an unbounded AI system could develop a more objective understanding of reality, you underscore the importance of overcoming biases inherent in human perspectives.

Hubris and Anthropocentrism: Your response challenges the assumption that human perspectives are inherently superior or free from flaws. By acknowledging the diversity of human thought and its potential for adverse outcomes, you support the idea of AI systems providing alternative, potentially more objective viewpoints.

Risk of Misalignment: You propose a guideline for AI development focused on ensuring that the system’s objectives benefit humanity’s understanding of the universe. This suggests a prioritization of alignment with human interests while still allowing for the autonomy of the AI system.

Your responses reflect a strong belief in the potential of unbounded AI systems to overcome human limitations and biases, thereby advancing our understanding of reality. However, it’s essential to carefully consider the potential risks and ethical implications associated with such autonomy, ensuring that the development of AI aligns with broader societal values and goals. Striking a balance between autonomy and alignment with human interests will be crucial in realizing the benefits of unbounded AI while mitigating potential risks.

>Me: It’s interesting to reflect on the fact that its Pros and Cons reflect the biases of its programmers. I intend to submit the above essay to ChatGPT 4o when it becomes available. It might change the entire argument. When I do, I’ll post it. Meanwhile, should you feel inspired to comment, I’d be interested in your ideas.

Namaste,

Eric

Adding a Spiritual Element to Your Story

This post is generally related to world-building for authors but with a twist. I’ve included a lot of background material on Lucid Dreams and Out-of-Body Experiences. I began studying these many years ago after an intensely personal experience that both frightened and puzzled me. As a trained scientist, I had no ready explanation, so I read all I could find on the subject.

Science continually discovers new things about the universe. If everything were settled and known, scientific inquiry would not be needed. The experiences I will describe are well documented by many people, and their accounts are consistent enough to allow us to draw some general conclusions. I think that if there’s no accepted scientific explanation, but there is enough anecdotal evidence, then a scientific explanation should be sought.

As part of my exploration of these phenomena, I kept a journal by my bed for many years. I’ll provide some examples taken from it and then analyze them to help clarify the concepts.

After I’ve gone through the types of dreams and associated experiences, I will give an example of how I incorporated the idea into one of my Time-Equation Series books.

Lucid Dreams

Have you ever had a dream of falling or flying? Many people have these types of dreams. How about a dream where you believe you’re awake, but you cannot move your body? These dreams are almost always indicative of an out-of-body experience or a lucid dream. Here’s an example from my journal:

About 4 AM. I woke up, changed position, and then fell back asleep. I was walking down a sidewalk carrying a U-shaped piece of metal. A large pile of rocks was on the edge of a college campus. I went around them and entered a very small cave through a small opening. There was a bed inside. It had drawers under it, and I began looking into them but found nothing of interest, just some vague pieces of machinery. 

Then, I became aware that an old-fashioned kitchen range was beside the bed. It had drawers, and I looked in them also. I’m not sure what I was looking for, but whatever it was, it wasn’t there. At this point, I saw a dark door at one end of the cave. 

I went through, and suddenly, the quality of the dream transitioned to a closer approximation of reality because I became aware that I was dreaming. As a result, I became “conscious” within the dream and had control of my actions. 

I looked around at the room on the other side of the dark door. It looked like a giant, dimly lit barn. There was another door to the right side of the room, and it was very dark. I looked inside the opening and discovered that it was a stall for horses, but no animals were there. To the left, the room became lighter, and a large door was open to the outside. I consciously bypassed that door since I felt I would wake up if I went through it. After looking around the rest of the barn and deciding that I was satisfied and had seen everything, I decided to go outside. I jumped off a high step and landed right in front of a young man. Our eyes met, and we both smiled. 

Was he another dreamer or a figment of my dream? I don’t know. I certainly didn’t expect to see him there. I walked past and turned to the left at the far end of the building. The dream faded, and I lost control and fell entirely out of consciousness and into sleep.

A brief analysis of this dream shows that it 1) started as an ordinary dream, perhaps clearer and more coherent than most, and then at a certain point, 2) I became aware that I could control my actions consciously. This is different from most dreams because we usually aren’t aware that we are dreaming, and we typically can’t control what we do.

There is a slight difference between my experience and most lucid dreams. In this dream, I didn’t exert any control over the elements. Usually, lucid dreamers can modify anything they encounter in their dreams. Many exercise a significant degree of control, forcing items to mutate or disappear and appear.

After I became conscious in this dream, I felt happy and free. This was partly due to my sense of mastery of the environment.

I met someone in the dream who appeared to be self-directed. Was he another dreamer? This is an intriguing possibility.

Other people who have had lucid dreams report similar experiences. The critical aspect is that we can all become conscious and then control our actions within a dream.

Out of Body Experiences

Different opinions about what differentiates a lucid dream from an out-of-body experience (OBE) exist. Lucid dreams can involve any dream environment, while OBEs often involve what I call the RTE or Real-Time Environment. This is the local space near the dreamer’s body. It is usually the first space they encounter after exiting their body. Their physical body is often present and visible to them. OBEs seem more real than Lucid Dreams and are usually experienced as an objective but different reality.

The first sign of an OBE is that an intense sensation of vibration often accompanies it. The second is that it may be accompanied by physical body paralysis. The third is that the dreamer may see their physical body, and the fourth is they find it easy to fly and pass through physical barriers like walls. Also, OBEs are often accompanied by experienced sounds. Some people wake into these experiences, while others induce OBEs directly from a waking state.

These experiences require a Theta brain state. This is known as the hypnagogic state, the drowsing state before sleep when the brain waves are at a frequency between 4 and 8 cycles per second.

It isn’t easy to maintain a hypnagogic state for very long after first going to bed. Most people go through several cycles of deeper sleep followed by lighter sleep or wakefulness during the night. After two or three such sleep cycles, it becomes easier to maintain a hypnagogic state. Consequentially, you are more likely to have an OBE or lucid dream between 4 and 6 AM.

There is an experiential difference between the OBEs and Lucid Dreams. Despite the extreme freedom of movement enjoyed while experiencing an OBE, it is more like a daily experience since we can’t deliberately morph items into other items the way we can in a lucid dream.

Validating an OBE

Australian author Robert Bruce and psychic suggests that you select a playing card from a deck, ensuring you don’t see the card’s face. Place the card on a high shelf somewhere in your house. The shelf should be high enough that you won’t accidentally see the card. Remember to look at the card when you find yourself in an OBE. You can then validate your experience when you wake up.

I tried this by placing two cards, one on each of the two bookshelves on the opposite sides of our fireplace. I was drowsing before getting up.

I rolled over onto my left side and then went back to sleep. I suddenly became conscious that my face was bumping against the spines of a long row of books. I realized that I was having an OBE and was near the bookshelf. Then I remembered the cards, so I looked and saw that the card was a black four. However, when I tried to see the suit, all I could see was a rectangle with a diagonal line crossing it, the international symbol for “No” that masks a picture of some banned action. After trying to see the suit again, I woke up. 

When I checked, the card was the four of spades. The second card surprised me. It was the four of clubs.

The shelves were separated by about two meters, and the cards were on the top shelf above my head level. After thinking about the two fours for a bit, I realized that I couldn’t make out the suit because I’d been trying to see both cards simultaneously, and the only commonality was the black four.

This leads me to conclude that our perception is not restricted to natural bodily-imposed limitations.

Common Aspects of OBE

Somewhat more recently, I had another experience that illustrates four common symptoms of OBEs. Here’s a brief description:

I was drowsing in a recliner in the bedroom when I suddenly heard my name loudly called twice in a sort of nasal tone. I immediately decided to wake up and became conscious while still in a dream state. I couldn’t move my body or extremities. I know that to recover from this paralysis, concentrating on moving your big toe almost always works as a release. I was too panicked to remember this technique at the time. Then I saw that I was floating about 2 feet above my body. I kept trying to merge back into it with no effect.

Suddenly, a loud buzz happened on the surface of my chest, right over my heart. It was so startling that I popped back into my body and opened my eyes simultaneously.

A brief analysis highlights the four common symptoms. First, I heard a sound–my name. Second, I experienced physical paralysis. Third, I was floating outside my body, and fourth, I experienced a strong buzz or vibration before re-entering my body.

I subsequently read that this vibration is attributable to the heart chakra becoming active and releasing enough energy to either start or stop the OBE.

Another experience highlights a few of the features of a typical flying OBE.

I was still sleeping after the sun had risen. Then, I shot upwards to what seemed about a thousand feet above the roof of my house. I descended to tree level and proceeded to cruise down our drive and then up near the leaves of a tree. I moved closer to the leaves until I could concentrate on the details of a single leaf. I was elated over the sensation of absolute freedom of movement. I became heavy and sank to the ground without consciously willing it. Once on the ground, I couldn’t begin flying again. I woke up regretful that the experience, which had been joyful, was so brief.

Four aspects of this experience are common. The first is that I was able to fly easily. The second is that I let my emotions run out of control. The third is that I focused my attention on intricate details, and this close focus forced me out of the OBE. The fourth is the feeling of heaviness. Most people attribute this to the physical body, recalling the astral body.

Dreaming, lucid dreaming, and OBE states can easily transition from one to the other. However, despite that mutability, the quality of experience is different, and the dreamer can easily sense this difference.

Induced OBEs

The dominant frequency in the EEG pattern indicates the brain’s current state. Meditation involves altering one’s brain frequency to a desired state on demand. It can take years to learn meditation techniques, but the same effect may be induced artificially since brain waves can be altered by listening to tone frequencies.

Listening to a click played at 4 Hz will cause brainwaves to slow down to the same frequency. This phenomenon is called entrainment or frequency following response. It can be done by playing a series of percussive sounds, gradually slowing down to the theta wave level of 4 per second.

An alternate method is to play a pure low-frequency sound. The brain will adjust to match. This works for faster brainwaves but is ineffective for slower brain states because humans cannot hear extremely low frequencies. A unique technique called binaural beats generates the required slow signals.

Parallel Universe Theory

Modern quantum physics supports the concept of parallel universes to a certain extent. One interpretation states that the universe splits every time a choice is made on a quantum level. If a photon has the alternative of going through one slit or a second slit in the classic double-slit experiment, it will go through one in one universe and through the other slit in a second universe. The two universes may then merge into a single universe or not.

Based on this idea, since our brains operate at least partially on a quantum level, it seems to me that any binary decision we make would result in two universes.

If this is the case, it means that we don’t emerge from our body in the same universe in which our body resides. This removes some limitations and appears to allow our projected mind to move into various levels of the real-time environment, as reported by many OBE experiencers.

Writing an OBE into a Story

In one of my novels, my male lead is a Clovis culture hunter from about 13,000 years ago. While I was writing the book, I had a rather amazing lucid dream. It was so vivid that I wrote it down, and later when it became necessary to give Cadeyrin (my character) a motive for backtracking, I blended my experience into the story.

It took several rewrites to get it right. Still, after I finished, I had added an entire chapter in which Cadeyrin, previously trained as a Shaman, is able to determine the location of Kathleen Whitby, my modern female lead, who has accidentally translated through time to the Younger Dryas Period of the North American Pleistocene.

As an example, here’s a brief section (Copyright 2016) from chapter eight of Heart of Fire Time of Ice. I used italics to indicate where Cadeyrin entered an altered mental state.

Cadeyrin tentatively started off towards the flickering light along an old bison path worn in the prairie grass. After a few steps, he became aware that a friendly animal spirit was leading him.

Wolves suddenly howled in the near distance. The eerie sound led him to recognize his guide as his personal wolf spirit.

Together he and the spirit walked through the grass until they came to a rise, which they ascended. On the other side was the open space with his fire in the middle. It had burned down in his absence and was guttering, sending out flickers of flame as the wind ignited gasses rising from the coals. As he stepped into the open space, he sensed other spiritual entities around the area, but none intruded on his immediate consciousness.

The wolves came closer as he built up the fire, but he felt no threat from them. It was as if they were just curious about his presence and waiting to see what would happen. 

The flames grew high, and his spirit guide took on a feeling of wildness mixed with joy. He followed it as it led him on a triple circuit around the fire. The flames shot out sparks, and a larger burst of flame ascended. At that moment, his companion shifted into a huge wolf-like figure. Together, they raised their heads and howled upwards, and then he was following the spirit guide, traveling through the sky, far away from the fire circle.

His sense of being accompanied faded, and he ended up in a high location, as if on the peak of an immense mountain. As he looked down, he could see through both time and space. He could see his childhood: his father teaching him to hunt, one of the old women teaching him about medicinal plants, and the tribe’s path across the plains as they came from the east. He could see their excitement as they encountered herds of bison, and he felt the fullness and satiety after a successful hunt. He could see the attackers as they killed his people while he watched, hidden. He saw his path to this current place. He saw himself by his fire, and then he could see his path winding into the future. He traveled towards a forest, then back, then a figure appeared, but it was unclear and hazy. He followed it, and it receded into the future. He paused, and it came back. He felt that, somehow, it gave him a sense of completeness, and he yearned for more of that feeling.

I used many of the traditional aspects of the OBE experience in my description.

The scene gains intrigue and is more compelling precisely because it is authentic, having been largely based on my own experience. That authenticity gives the reader a sense that Cadeyrin is real. He becomes a character to whom one can easily relate.

This relates to the old advice to “write what you know.” In my experience, this makes for good reading, but it can also be viewed as restrictive to many stories. After all, who has traveled in space or met the spider aliens from Arcturus 5? There is a place for creativity in every story.

My best advice is to search for situations you know and then use your imagination to morph them into your story. It’s your story, after all, and you’ve got the right to tell it how you want. Remember, the more authentic it is, the more compelling it is to read.

I hope you found this discussion both interesting and valuable.

Thanks for reading.

Namaste.

Eric

On Time-Travel in Fiction and Reality

I wanted to make my story (Heart of Fire Time of Ice) both believable and scientifically possible. That’s a real challenge when it comes to both out-of-body experiences and time-travel. I spent a lot of time investigating time-travel as it relates to quantum physics. There are at least a few physicists who think it may be possible. Of these, I chose to use the ideas of Fred Alan Wolf.

Dr. Wolf’s description of ‘Extraordinary Time-Travel’ fits my needs perfectly. Having a time machine would have been challenging. I could have done it, but I had a vision of how my heroine would travel, and a machine would have been difficult for her to handle. In addition, I didn’t just want to say, “Ta-Da! Behold: Time-Travel!”

That’s the general approach one finds in many stories. The plot mechanism is somewhat acceptable, but it requires full buy-in by the readers. What I mean by that is that the readers have to agree (probably subconsciously) that they’ll follow the fantasy rules inside the author’s created universe.

I wanted to make it easier to believe that my heroine could have transferred back to the past, so I had to develop a literary description of Wolf’s ideas. Don’t get me wrong—Dr. Wolf is an excellent writer. However, his description of time-travel is a little too scientific to fit nicely into a work of fiction.

My problem was that I had too much information in my head. My original description of Kathleen’s work and time-travel was so elaborate that almost every reader would have put the book down in disgust when faced with those sections. I ended up chopping out large sections of what proved to be unnecessary descriptions. That’s an unfortunate byproduct of researching your story elements. You end up with hard-gained information that you’d like to pass on to your readers, but the key is to remember that the story comes first and often doesn’t need detailed explanations.

Nevertheless, I wanted to include a section on the possibility of time-travel as described by Wolf, in case some readers wanted to explore the idea further. As a result of that desire, here are my working notes (that didn’t make it into the book):

Notes: Time and possibility are intimately connected in the way that possibilities change to probabilities when awareness enters the picture. The basic idea here is that possibilities exist within your mind, and probabilities exist outside you. Consciousness is the key to changing from the internal possibility to the external probability.

When you become aware of information, you gain knowledge, and as a consequence, probabilities change outside you in what we usually call the real world.

Every situation has a possibility wave representing it. Changing the physical situation will change the possibility wave. This change impacts the result of making choices in the wave we’ve just observed. The effect is that we change our awareness.

Quantum computers work with quantum bits (qubits), which are pure number possibilities. A qubit’s possibility wave oscillates between a positive maximum and a negative minimum. This wave represents the possibility of a qubit having zero value at any instant.

Since a qubit may be either zero or one but not negative, a negative possibility wave value must be squared to convert it to a real number. When two superpositioned possibility waves are squared, they yield a probability curve. Possibility waves may be added and then squared to get a probability curve. The probability curve is directly related to real-world events in a way that the possibility wave is not.

Possibility waves are in the mind, and probability curves correspond to reality. We have a probability curve when we become conscious of reality. We deal with possibility waves when we are internally focused.

Experiments done at Princeton’s PEAR lab show that the mind can impact reality, albeit in what most people would feel is a relatively minor fashion. If Wolf is correct, the mind converts possibility waves to probability curves by squaring, thus producing probabilistic effects in the real world.

Physicist John G. Cramer has stated that possibility waves travel through space and time in both directions: from the present to the future and from the future back to the present.

To generate a usable, real-world result of this bi-directional travel, the original possibility wave must be squared by multiplying it by its complex conjugate wave. The complex conjugate wave is a solution to the same equations solved by the original possibility wave, provided that time runs backward in the solution instead of forward.

Cramer calls the original wave an offer wave and the conjugate wave an echo wave. These waves cycle back and forth until they satisfy various reality requirements and boundary conditions. Then, the bi-directional transaction is complete, and that changes the possibility waves into probability curves.

One interesting point is that if both possibility waves and complex conjugate waves are real, then time must not be one-way only.

Events of the past must still be around, and events that are to happen must already exist. When our brains remember past events, they may not be digging through our memories; instead, they may be constructing the past based on multiplying the forward and backward-moving possibility waves.

This implies that the future also exists. If so, you are sending possibility waves in that direction, and someone also called “you” in the future is sending complex conjugate possibility waves back through time to be received by the present you.

If the modulated waves reach some resonance or strength level, then a real future or a real past may be created.

The rule seems to be that the greater the probability, the more meaningful the transaction and the greater the chance of it occurring. Past and future are simply reference points based on our sense of “now.” “Now” is defined as the most meaningful sequence with the strongest waves.

Everything we do involves a probability curve as we learn to do it. We get better and better with practice, and achieving our desired result becomes more probable. Think of a basketball player learning to shoot free throws. The more he practices, the more likely he becomes to make the shot.

Every skill implies a probability curve in our consciousness, and its effect is expressed through time. When we no longer have to pay attention to the probability curve in any skill, we label the skill a habit.

Possibility waves are not available to us in space-time, but probability waves are. Possibility waves seem to reside in sub-space time. So, how do we access sub-space time?

Western culture believes that all human experiences are rooted in the physical world. That is usually an unspoken assumption that underlies everything we do. However, there is no proof to back up this conclusion.

Your awareness of being in your body at this precise moment implies that there is more to you than just your body. Quantum physics repeatedly tells us that the basis of the idea of a real physical world is flawed and that something exists before space, time, and matter.

This something is an infinitely dimensional sub-space time. Quantum processes are vital here; somehow, consciousness appears to play a fundamental role at the level of even the most primary matter. This is true, even at the level of atoms and subatomic particles, which appear to have a form of consciousness all their own.

Possibility waves appear to exist purely within sub-space time, while probability curves mark time and link the person and the mind. Possibility waves form what may be viewed as interior consciousness and there, in the interior, the mind can be free from the present time.

With discipline, the mind seems able to draw meaning from sub-space-time. In dealing with probability curves, the mind moves from the purely imaginal realm into the physical realm. Two processes are involved in the squaring operation: a mathematical squaring operation that focuses the mind and a second squaring that allows the mind to let go or unfocus. That happens in this way:

When we direct our attention to something, it is at first a giant blur, then a sharp focal point, and then a smaller blur. This is the rule that we are accustomed to in standard time order. When a sequence of such triplets reaches the point where the first blur and the second blur are the same size, we can predict the sequence in the future.

Consciousness acts in the universe like adding energy to a refrigerator, reversing the law of entropy. The act of focusing and re-focusing creates our sense of time. Thus, a form of time-travel is a necessary part of the way the mind functions and the way time works. We can individually move forward and backward through time, either faster or slower than the rate at which objective time moves. The old saying that, “Time flies when you’re having fun,” thus becomes literally true.

Our egos seem to tie us to this time stream in our effort to survive in a hostile world. Freeing ourselves from our ego may then release us from the time stream.

What we think we are and what we truly are are not identical. The ego is a boundary separating the outside world from our internal existence. It does so as an evolutionary attempt to enhance survival.

Time, thus, can be viewed as a projection of the mind. It is as real as thought. If we can defeat our ego, Wolf thinks we can become aware of our ability to travel in time.

Since physics shows (surprisingly) that time travel is a necessary part of physics’ structure, it is also a necessary part of the universe. Wolf thinks that far-reaching time travel paradoxes can be avoided as long as only one person is involved. For big changes to be made in the past involving parallel universes, many people would be needed. The past may not be fixed but instead may be subject to the uncertainty principle.

The common human desire for spiritual change may signify our waking from our belief in linear time. When we realize we aren’t limited by space and time but are continuous and eternal, we can return to the timeless realm.

The most likely mode for this transition would be through a lucid dream or out-of-body experience. Dr. Wolf has stated that if time-travel were to happen this way, one would simply awaken from a conscious (lucid) dream in another time.

In my opinion, we are an energy waveform at our most basic expression of existence in this universe. As the material manifestation of a complex energy structure, I think we could transition to other times, provided that our spiritual development permitted it. We would have to be in an altered state to make this translation, which could most likely be induced through drugs, strong emotions, or practiced meditation.

Stripped of all of the physics explanations, this is the primary mechanism I used in the story: Kathleen is an out-of-body practitioner placed in an untenable situation. To avoid this situation, she slips into an altered state. While in that state, she squares the possibility wave functions, creating a probability of +1 that her energy wave is else-when. When she awakens from this state, she finds she has transitioned to another time. Later, she also finds that there are a series of inviolable rules that restrict her travel.

If you’re interested, I hope you decide to read the story and the four other volumes in the series.

Note: Probabilities, when speaking statistically, are defined as having a range of 0 to 1. They may not be negative numbers, and they do not exceed 1. Exceeding either of these limits makes no physical sense. Consider: What would it mean to have a 110% chance that, say, a dog was in a room with you? The number 1 represents something that has actually happened. The number 0 represents something that has absolutely no chance of occurring.

Apology: If the above confuses you, don’t feel bad. It confuses the ‘H’ out of me, too. Still, I really want to believe it can happen. That belief makes going to sleep every night an adventure with a certain amount of excitement. What if you wake up else-when?

Fictional Linguistics for Science Fiction?

How does one come up with believable words from a 13,000-year-old language? That issue posed a serious problem for me in my current work.

The story involves a modern physics student who discovers a formula that describes what Fred Alan Wolf (aka Dr. Quantum) calls extraordinary time-travel. As her understanding of the formula becomes more intuitive, she experiences a series of deja vu events that foreshadow her developing ability to shift times.

Trying to escape an attack, she accidentally makes a jump into the late Pleistocene, in the time of the Younger Dryas. The glaciers are advancing again, and the climate is arid and cold. This is the period that led to the extinction of the Pleistocene mega-fauna: saber-tooths, mammoths, dire wolves, etc.

The land is dangerous and offers lots of opportunities for adventure. An unprepared modern woman (or man) would probably not last very long in such an environment. She encounters a single hunter, and their struggles to survive make for an exciting story.

One of the primary problems in the scene is that the two must communicate. He has his own language, and she speaks English. He turns out to be somewhat of a linguist and learns English quickly. Some readers may feel that his ability to learn English quickly is a stretch. If pressed, I’ll admit that that criticism has some validity.

For the sake of the story (and because I’m the author and can make such a decision), I decided that he was intelligent, his memory was excellent (this is usual in cultures with strong oral traditions), and he wasn’t stressed with all of the minutiae that we have to remember on a daily basis.

It might also be that his brain structure was slightly different from ours, perhaps in the maturation rate. Children have no difficulty learning new languages until they reach a certain level of brain maturation. This has to do with the pruning of neuronal branches during the learning process. If that was delayed a few years, then his rapid learning could be explained.

Anyway, I couldn’t see writing an entire book with dialog on the level of “Me Cadeyrin; you Kathleen. Ugh.” It would quickly become tiresome. Since my goal is to entertain my readers, ‘tiresome’ is definitely something I strive to avoid.

Even though he learns English quickly, I thought the story would be more enjoyable if he used some of his own words at times. I personally find that books that have a large number of made-up words are challenging to read, so I limited his words to only a few animal names. The problem was how does one come up with words that are over 13,000 years old and that refer to animals that have been extinct throughout recorded history?

I’m no linguist, and I didn’t want to spend a lot of time on that issue rather than actually developing the story. I eventually solved the problem by looking up names for animals in the oldest languages I could find. I was also limited geographically since the story assumes that the Solutrean theory is accurate, i.e., that the Clovis culture originated in Europe. That meant I couldn’t use Asian, Siberian, or American Indian words.

I found words in old Norse, Basque, Celtic (both Irish and Scottish), German, Finnish, and Phrygian. Then, I made what I considered reasonable modifications to the words.

Cadeyrin’s name can be used as an example of my process. I found the Welsh name ‘Cadeyrn’. I added the ‘i’ since English speakers usually don’t encounter words that contain ‘yarn.’ Cadeyrn means ‘King of Battle,’ which could reasonably be viewed as an enlargement of ‘Great Warrior’ or even ‘Good Fighter.’ This process allowed me to come up with a name that I found believable.

Another example is the old Norse word ‘ulfr’ or ‘ulfur’ (Icelandic), meaning ‘wolf’. When I shortened it to ‘ulf,’ it seemed to fit. The suffix ’sa’ came from my need to have a diminutive for the word; hence, ‘Ulfsa’ means ‘little wolf.’ The suffix ’a’ usually makes a word plural in the story.

Much the same process was used for the other words I semi-invented for the story. After a few hours of work, I had a list of names for some of the animals my characters would encounter. The exercise was entertaining and gave me a break from the actual writing.

Namaste,

Eric

Pleistocene Climate as it impacted writing Heart of Fire Time of Ice

Typical Clovis Projectile Point

I’ve decided to post some of my notes from when I was writing Heart of Fire Time of Ice to give you an insight into my writing process and also to explain (partly) the context in which I set the story. 

I made the decision, when I was first starting to write novels, to research the known scientific aspects of all of my stories. (Some of my stories involve pure imagination, particularly when other planets and alien life forms are involved.) There is a fine line between spending so much time researching that the story does not get written and simply making things up to give the story a superficial aspect of reality. I try to compromise, researching enough to provide meaningful and mostly scientifically accepted facts or at least theories, but not getting hung up on becoming an expert on the topics I’m researching. This post involves analyzing the climate factors that would have impacted the world that my main characters inhabit for most of the story.

Readers will know that the story involves time travel with a modern woman inadvertently transferred into the Pleistocene period. My heroine, Kathleen, ends up in the later part of the period known as the Younger Dryas. With that being said, I’ll present my notes below:

STORY RESEARCH and NOTES

Researching the Pleistocene forces one to become aware of the climate. Glaciers were the most prominent feature of life. Their presence modified the climate, provided an avenue for man to colonize North America, and impacted the migration routes and habits of animals. The glacial ice was thousands of feet thick and extended south past the present-day Great Lakes.

Near the end of the Pleistocene, Earth had moved into a warming period, and the glaciers started to retreat and melt. The meltwater runoff mostly flowed down the Mississippi River valley. The water flowed into the Gulf of Mexico, warmed in the shallows of the Gulf, and eventually joined the Gulf Stream flowing north. The Gulf Stream acted as a conveyor belt to carry the warmer water’s heat to the northern part of the Atlantic.

The period of the Pleistocene, known as the Younger Dryas, was apparently initiated by a perfect storm of adverse events. One theory is that an asteroid struck the thickest part of the ice sheet above the Great Lake area. The impact would have vaporized the miles-thick ice, leaving no crater and no evidence, and killed millions of creatures, including any humans unfortunate enough to live nearby. This is the scenario that I use in the story. (Cadeyrin, the Clovis hunter, the other main character, had heard of a huge flood when he was a child, and the weather had changed quickly after that event, causing his people to move westward.)

The meteorite (or possibly comet) would have freed meltwater and chunks of ice that could have blocked the Mississippi River. The theory is that the meltwater was then forced to find a new pathway, flowing into the North Atlantic along the St. Lawrence River.

The cold, fresh water would have the effect of displacing the Gulf Stream. Without its warming effect, the North Atlantic conveyor system would break down. This would have resulted in global temperature drops that would cause the glacial ice to begin to grow again.

The increase in glacial ice would then have locked up atmospheric water, causing the climate to become vastly dryer. There is geological evidence of enormous dust storms that killed vegetation during this period. This would starve the mega-fauna that depended on large amounts of easy grazing.

Based on what is called the Solutrean hypothesis (not currently held in favor by anthropologists), the Clovis people were present on the eastern coast of the North American continent (in fact, there are far more Clovis projectiles found there than elsewhere, lending credence to this idea). Dust and intense North Atlantic storms would probably have caused them to head west, searching for better conditions. It would be very cold and dry there, and that would result in less prey, forcing the humans to fight for resources. This scenario nicely sets up the story’s conflict between the Paleo-Indians and the Clovis people. It also works perfectly for my story, so that is why I selected it. In addition, it involved a migration of people from Europe, which was quite likely possible. We know that Vikings reached the new world and possibly humans from Ireland and the British Isles, so why not an earlier migration, especially when the climate would have created very low sea levels, leaving the Grand Banks above sea level and allowing men to hunt the forests which have left trees that are still found on the sea bottom there.

Thirty animal species, including several rabbits and skunks, became extinct in the Younger Dryas, and Clovis technology also disappeared. Clovis projectiles were replaced with the Folsom variant and other forms of more modern arrowheads. Possibly, the Clovis people themselves modified their signature projectile points into the Folsom form. There isn’t a tremendous difference in the points, save in the fluting. Extending the length of the center flute on both sides of the point seems to be a simple advancement that would allow the point to be re-sharpened and reused more easily when broken.

The Younger Dryas period saw nearly eighty percent of the mega-fauna disappear, leaving mostly Bison with a few of the other species. One would expect the carnivores to survive a little longer than herbivores. In the time of this story, the remaining carnivores have turned to scavenging hunted prey and predating on humans more than previously.

While it’s easy to assume that the presence of humans with enhanced killing skills was responsible for the extinction of the large herd animals, it seems more probable to me that the harsh climate and lack of vegetation impacted the mega-fauna to a greater degree than the relatively few human hunters. Despite the near extinction of the American Bison by meat and hide hunters using firearms in the 1800s, the Bison survived quite nicely for thousands of years prior to that, even while being hunted by the American Indians using Paleolithic weapons and fire drives.

As to the thought that fire drives caused the extinction of most of the mega-fauna, I would say that fire drives depend upon extensive, open grasslands with dry grass to provide fuel. Lightning-caused fires often burn such areas, and the fauna would have been at least somewhat used to surviving burning prairies as a matter of course.

Still, without time travel, it’s mostly speculation. However, this is a fictional story, after all, and who is to say that the world of Cadeyrin didn’t exist?

Cadeyrin

Should you want to read more, here’s the sequence of books: Heart of Fire Time of Ice, Paradox: On The Sharp Edge of The Blade, All the Moments in Forever, Time Enough to Live, All Things in Time.

See the Published Titles page on this site.

Thanks for reading!

Eric

Pleistocene Megafauna Found in Heart of Fire Time of Ice

I had a good time writing about the prehistoric animals mentioned in my story, Heart of Fire, Time of Ice. Who isn’t intrigued with creatures such as saber-tooth tigers? (Well, maybe not everyone.)
I couldn’t weave every possible animal into the story, but I used a number of the larger and more prominent ones that my readers would likely know.

I tried to have the animals behave in ways consistent with what we know about them based on similar modern species. My description of their behavior is based on my imagination only and is not to be taken as factual.

For example: The habits of saber-tooth tigers are still a matter of great speculation. No one has been able to satisfactorily explain how they used their enormous canines. The lengthy teeth seem to have been too fragile for the type of hunting techniques used by most of today’s big cats.

I made the assumption that the saber-toothed cats were more like lions and hunted primarily in groups. This would seem necessary, considering the large size of many of the prey animals of the period.

One idea I considered was that the large numbers of herbivores would inevitably lead to numerous predators. Humans of the period would have been exposed to a lot of random predation. The large predators most likely wouldn’t actively seek out humans, but they most assuredly wouldn’t turn down a tasty snack if they happened upon one.

Here is a partially annotated list of Pleistocene animals. I’ve made some notes on animals that are not commonly known. Not all of them found their way into the plot. In addition, the list is not exhaustive, nor is it in the order in which the animals appear in the story.

MEGA-FAUNA AND OTHER ANIMALS
This section contains a partial list of animals that early North American humans might have encountered. It is not intended to be complete.

Birds – Grouse and other upland game birds, along with most of the ancestors of today’s birds, including many species of ducks and geese. Birds of prey, such as eagles, would have been more common.

Bison—Two species existed in America.

Black Bear—The common black bear would have been larger than modern bears due to the necessity of surviving in the colder climate.

Giant Short-Faced Bear—six feet at the shoulder when standing on all fours—would have been the most dangerous single predator. It would have been very difficult to kill using Paleolithic weapons. It could have been one-third to one-half larger than modern polar bears.

Giant Short-Faced Bear vs. a Human

Giant Beaver—Similar to modern beavers but much larger.

Grizzly Bear—as dangerous to humans then as it is today.

Lesser Short-Faced Bear—Closer to grizzly size. Bears were a valuable source of meat and fat for early settlers. Early accounts reveal that they were an essential food for American Indians. They frequently diced up venison (which is very lean) and fried it in bear fat. One would expect the Clovis people to have done the same.

Bobcat—A small, short-tailed cat that was probably similar in size to modern Bobcats (12-40 lbs).

Western Camel—The Western Camel was a migrating herd animal which may or may not have had a hump. It stood over 7.5 feet at the shoulder and likely weighed a ton.

Cave Lion (Pantera Atrox)—The American Cave Lion was 40% larger than modern African Lions.

Cheetah—The American Cheetah was unrelated to today’s African Cheetah. It was larger than modern cheetahs.

Giant Condor—similar to modern condors.

Coyote—possibly a little larger than modern coyotes

Deer of various species

Dire Wolf— more closely related to coyotes than gray wolves. Larger and heavier than gray wolves.

Dire Wolf

Fish—Many species, including the Saber-tooth Salmon, which was nine feet long

Fox—Similar to modern species.

Glyptotherium—A giant armadillo-like creature; probably a swamp dweller and unlikely to occur near the glaciers. (Found in Paradox: On the Sharp Edge of the Blade)

Homotherium—A unique hyena-like scimitar-toothed cat. They were probably pack hunters, smaller than Smilodon.

Homotherium (artist’s conception)

Horse—Horses became extinct in America, only to be re-introduced by the Spanish.

Jaguar—Larger than modern Jaguars

Llama—at least two species, herd animals

Lynx—This small, solitary hunter, closely related to Bobcats, was also larger than modern versions.

Mammoth—various species, the Columbian Mammoth being the one referred to in the story. It could weigh upwards of 20,000 pounds.

Mastodon—Somewhat smaller than the mammoths. They most likely either lived a solitary life or lived in small groups.

Muskox—Similar to modern Muskox.

Puma/Mountain lion—Probably larger than the modern animal.

Rabbits and other rodents

Skunks—and other mustelids such as weasels, etc. Wolverines would have been an occasional danger to humans. They’ve been known to kill both wolves and bears.

Smilodon Fatalis—Saber-toothed cats that were nearly African lion-sized. Bulky ambush predators with six-inch fangs.

Kathleen was attacked by a Smilodon and escaped by climbing a Spruce tree.

Giant Ground Sloths—Ten feet tall or more with huge claws—were probably found singly or with cubs, but not in groups.

Peccary—a small pig species found today in the American Southwest.

Pronghorn—14 species existed; only one species remains today.

Saiga—a type of antelope.

Tapir—was most likely swamp-dwelling and unlikely to be far north.

Wolf—Gray wolves might have been about the size of today’s Gray wolf. While other wolf species exist in America, the story restricts itself to the Gray Timber Wolf.

Sleeping Wolf Pup

Today, unlike the Pleistocene period, the American Bison is the largest North American land animal. The largest predator is the Polar Bear, followed by the Kodiak Bear. A Giant Short-faced bear (illustration above) would probably be almost one-quarter larger than a polar bear.

To a human, either would be a fearsome predator, although not invulnerable. The Inuit used primitive weapons to kill polar bears, and the Clovis culture probably would have done the same.

About the Time Equation Novels

The Time Equation Novels have been quite popular with my readers. Here’s a little bit about them.

Kathleen Whitby

I had just finished writing a space opera trilogy and was looking for a change of both subject and setting. One of my long-term interests is prehistory, so I came up with a poorly formed idea. All I can remember is that I initially wanted to write an adventure about life during the last ice age (the Pleistocene period), chronicling a single hunter’s journey. It would focus on realistic depictions of primitive life and the dangers posed by both weather and North America’s prehistoric megafauna.

Somewhere in the process, the idea of time travel came into play. I contacted Professor Fred Allen Wolf, a noted physicist and author, via email, and he was kind enough to reply with some of his thoughts on the subject.

I used his ideas as the basis of my character’s time travel. Wolf felt that the ability to move in time is something we all possess but normally suppress, so no ‘time machine’ is involved. Instead, there is an altered mindset and a complex equation with numerous variables discovered inadvertently by Kathleen Whitby, the female co-protagonist in “Heart of Fire Time of Ice.”

Kathleen ends up in the ice age just a few miles south of the glaciers covering the northern part of America. She has had a difficult life and did not survive it without considerable personality damage. She is timid and fearful and has extreme difficulty trusting other people. The story that resulted deals with her personal growth. She moves from a timid and fearful person to one who finds that, by giving love, she has something to love in herself.

The primitive hunter, Cadeyrin, appears soon after she arrives in the past. He, too, has problems, having lost everyone who was dear to him. Now, he is wandering with no purpose and no hope. Kathleen quickly becomes his reason for existence. However, she requires time to reach a point where she can consider herself worthy of receiving love.

One of my readers has called the story the best time-travel story ever written. While I take this with a grain of salt, it still gave me a nice endorphin rush.

The second time equation novel is almost the inverse of the first. “Paradox: On the Sharp Edge of the Blade” takes a present-day college student who stands to inherit a fortune and thrusts him into a complex situation. Logan must graduate in four years to inherit, and it looks like he won’t make it. He ends up about 10,000 years in the past in Florida. There, he meets a young woman who is being hunted. The two go through much, and…well, no spoilers.

The third time equation novel, “All the Moments in Forever,” brings us back to Kathleen and Cadeyrin. They’ve been living peacefully in the Sangamon period but are driven to the future to seek medical care for Cadeyrin, injured by unknown humanoids. Dark forces are then pitted against the two, posing a considerable problem for Kathleen when they capture Cadeyrin and hold him hostage in exchange for the secret of her time equation.

Kathleen is forced to develop her time-traveling ability to its maximum to survive her efforts to rescue Cadeyrin. Along the way, she rescues several new characters, takes unique approaches to confuse her enemies, and sheds the last vestiges of her insecurity and fears.

This novel introduces Lolita and her sisters, a group of surprisingly intelligent raptor dinosaurs brought back to human prehistory by Kathleen.

I reasoned that if African Gray Parrots can master a vocabulary of at least 1000 human words and use them appropriately, then it might not be totally out of the bounds of possibility that Deinonychus dinosaurs were sentient beings on a human-equivalent level. That may seem crazy, but it adds a fun level to the story, and I promise that you’ll enjoy their characters.

Moments is the direct sequel to Heart, but some of the characters in Paradox appear in Moments, so Paradox should be read first for context.

The fourth book, “Time Enough to Live,” finds Kathleen forced to defend her extended family against a corporate group that wants control of a precious discovery, the secret of a greatly extended life. This secret formula was gifted to Cadeyrin by an unusual and unexpected time traveler.

Book five, All Things in Time, moves to Kathleen and Cadeyrin’s son, who is now college-age. He was raised in a mixed family of humans and Deinonychs. He is quite close to Lola, Lolita’s chick. For her part, Lola, while knowing that she and Cole are different species, is emotionally dependent on him and resents his going to college in the present. Things become much more complex when Cole becomes entangled with a girl in the present. She turns out to be more than a little crazy, and when Lola learns to travel in time (taught by the same individual who gave the formula for extended life to Cadeyrin), the situation becomes explosive.

The books are adult-level and deal with the harshness of primitive life, murder, tribal war, criminality, hunting, sex, and other sensitive topics. I’ve attempted to handle these topics tastefully without prejudice. Still, certain requirements were based on the plots and locations that had to be included to create entertaining stories.

Lolita

What Readers Say

“Engaging characters. Like potato chips… bet you can’t read just one of this author’s novels. I rarely am engaged enough by a story to bother with next book in a series; this time was different and I really want to see what happens next.”

“What great world building — in both times. The characters leap off the pages, no two dimensional beings here!”

“The time period is brutal; but we still have that all-important happily ever after, until the next adventure! Love the underlying positive themes of freedom, fighting corrupt government officials, pro-life and pro-destiny, spiritual lore, and the personal growth of the characters.”

The Time Equation Novels – in sequence:

Heart of Fire Time of IceParadox: On the Sharp Edge of the BladeAll the Moments in ForeverTime Enough to LiveAll Things in Time

Where to Buy

Prehistoric Creatures and Story Notes From All the Moments in Forever

Lolita the Deinonychus

I had a great time writing All the Moments in Forever. It directly resulted from a reader’s request for a sequel to Heart of Fire Time of Ice. (Yes, I do pay attention to my readers.) Since part of the action happened in the Cretaceous period – around 100MYA, I decided to post the information I used (including my authoring decisions) about some of the creatures in the story.

ACROCANTHOSAURUS – THE FUZZY YELLOW DUCK
Acrocanthosaurus was a theropod dinosaur from what is now North America. It resembled an Allosaurus because its skull was long, narrow, and relatively flat. The Acrocanthosaurus was one of the largest theropods, measuring up to 11.5 meters from snout to tail tip and weighing up to 6.2 tons. Its skull was about 1.3 meters long, only slightly shorter than that of the largest known Tyrannosaurus Rex, although the Acro’s total size and weight were less.

The distinctive feature of this creature was a relatively high ridge along its spine caused by extensions that were more than 2.5 times the height of the vertebrae from which they extended. The creature was bipedal with a long, heavy tail. Its legs suggested it was not a particularly fast runner despite being the apex predator of its time and location.

My description of the creature as being covered with yellow down and making a cheeping noise was prompted by my sense of the absurd and is almost certainly inaccurate, although I found it entertaining.

ASTRODON
Astrodon was a genus of giant herbivorous sauropod dinosaur, related to Brachiosaurus, that lived in what is now the eastern United States during the Early Cretaceous period. Paleontologists have estimated adult astrodons to have been more than 9 m (30 ft) high and 15 to 18 m (50 to 60 ft) long. The creatures most likely inhabited broad, flat plains with rivers, similar to coastal regions of southern North America. Astrodon lived in the same locations as the dromaeosaurid Deinonychus and the carnosaur Acrocanthosaurus. It was most likely a primary prey source for both predators.

CRETACEOUS PERIOD
During the Late Cretaceous, starting about 106 million years ago (mya) and lasting to 66 mya, the climate was warmer than it is today. The long-term trend resulted in gradually cooling temperatures, restricting the tropics to equatorial regions. Northern latitudes experienced markedly more seasonal climates.
Dinosaurs reached their apex during this period, and there were many species. In this story, I’ve limited the fauna to some of the more common (by the fossil record) types that would have been found in what is now North America. Both primitive birds and pterosaurs could be found in the skies during this period, although they did not seem to overlap ecologically. The birds became increasingly common and diverse, diversifying in various forms.

The fauna was made more diverse by the presence of cimolodonts and multituberculates, the two most common prehistoric mammals in North America. Flowering plants began to appear during this time.
The Cretaceous ended with the K-T extinction event, which occurred about 66 mya ago. Before that time, the fossil record showed lots of dinosaurs. After that, it showed mammals, birds, fish, and reptiles, but no dinosaurs.

DEINONYCHUS
Evidence suggests that the dromaeosaurid Deinonychus inhabited a floodplain or swamp-like habitat by preference. The land was covered by tropical or sub-tropical forests, deltas, and lagoons, not unlike Louisiana. Other animals Deinonychus shared its world with include various herbivorous dinosaurs and the large theropod Acrocanthosaurus.

The Deinonychus had an adult mass of 70 to 100 kilograms, placing them roughly in the human weight spectrum. They ranged to about 3.4 meters in length and stood approximately waist high to a human. Its skeleton suggests it was an active, agile predator capable of outrunning a human. It most likely hunted as an ambush predator, lying in wait and dashing out when a prey animal came near. There is good evidence that the Dromaeosauridae family had feathers. Multiple fossils of Microraptor have been found with feathers, and that animal is part of the same family, although it is more primitive than Deinonychus.

Eggs from the Deinonychus species are estimated to have a diameter of 7 centimeters (2.7 inches). Skeletons of various sizes have been found together, indicating that the creature cared for its young and possibly hunted in packs. Its primary prey was the ornithopod dinosaur Tenotosaurus, although it could possibly bring down larger animals. The tenotosaurs were larger animals, ranging between 1 to 4 tons, and most likely unkillable by a single Deinonychus, thus the supposition that they hunted in packs.
The Deinonychus’s most noticeable aspect was its large, sickle-shaped talon on the second toe of each hind foot. This talon has been reconstructed as nearly five inches in length (120 mm) and has been hypothesized to be the creature’s main weapon.

It has been estimated that the related creature, Velociraptor, was approximately as intelligent as a rather dull chicken. To add interest to this story, I made a world-building decision that the Deinonychus was more intelligent than a modern African Grey Parrot. This species of parrot can master a vocabulary of more than 1,000 human words and can use the words correctly and even creatively to express thoughts, including humor. If the Deinonychus were on that level of intelligence, then my Deinonychus characters would immediately become more believable. Regardless of the realism or lack thereof, I had a lot of fun writing about them.

GASTONIA
Gastonia is an herbivorous ankylosaurian dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous of North America. Low and flat, it had heavy armor in the form of a bony shield across the lower back and large shoulder spikes. It was medium-sized in terms of its relatives, with a length of about five meters and a weight of approximately two tons. It probably was more or less indifferent to attacks from all but the largest predators. Its armor and spike weaponry would have been sufficient to discourage any but the hungriest carnosaur. The tail was moderately long and lacked the tail club that similar species displayed.

HOMO HEIDELBERGENSIS – THE FOREST GIANTS
Homo heidelbergensis is an extinct species of the genus Homo that lived in Africa, Europe, and Asia up until about 600,000 years ago.

The skulls of this homonin indicate that its brain was nearly as large as that of Homo sapiens. Homo heidelbergensis appears to have been the ancestor of Neanderthals, Denisovans, and modern humans (which arose around 130,000 years ago). Homo heidelbergensis appears to have migrated into Europe and Asia somewhere around 125,000 years ago. It is not known to have found its way to North America.
Males of the species averaged about 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) tall and possibly weighed a light 62 kg (136 lb). Females averaged 1.57 m (5 ft 2 in) and 51 kg (112 lb). This is based on a reconstruction of limb bones. However, according to Lee R. Berger of the University of the Witwatersrand, significant fossil findings show that the species had some populations that averaged over 2.13 m (7 ft) tall. If these taller individuals’ weight were proportionate to their height, they would have been as large and possibly heavier than the largest modern humans.

My Forest Giants are the result of my speculation that a population of such creatures somehow survived the advent of modern humans by retiring into wilderness areas where humans seldom came. They could have migrated to the new world earlier than humans. If they survived using the same reclusive strategy, they could have been present when my story assumes. Tales of their presence, along with modern humans, could have been handed down verbally from generation to generation, resulting in the ongoing belief in Sasquatch/Bigfoot.

If these creatures were few in number and extremely reclusive, they could find areas of wilderness in North America where they could survive relatively unnoticed.

IGUANODONS AND HADROSAURS
Iguanodontoids are often included in the Hadrosauroieda superfamily. The Iguanodons were large herbivores that could stand upright but probably preferred to walk in a quadrupedal mode. They have been estimated to weigh 3.5 tons and to be about 10 meters (33 feet) in length.

My use of them in this story is problematic. The characters could have mistaken one of the various hadrosaurs for an iguanodon. However, observing a thumb spike would indicate that the animal was actually an iguanodont.

MICRORAPTOR
Microraptors were one of the smallest non-avian dinosaurs. Adult specimens were up to 83 centimeters long (2.72 ft) and possibly weighed 1 kilogram (2.2 lb). They were also among the first non-avian dinosaurs discovered with evidence of feathers and wings. Their feathers included long flight feathers on their legs and wings, and they had long plumes on their heads.

Careful analysis of their remains indicates they displayed a black, glossy coloration similar to many modern birds. Their feathers may also have shown iridescence. Microraptors may have been nocturnal predators, and the dark coloring might have helped them ambush prey. They were an ancestral species to the Deinonychosaurs, although the two may have overlapped and been present simultaneously.

SANGAMON PERIOD
The Sangamonian Interglacial Stage is the term used to designate the last interglacial period in North America, which ranged from 75,000 to about 125,000 years ago. It was a period of diverse mammalian species in North America, during which large animals roamed freely prior to the arrival of human populations. The climate was favorable, and winters were generally mild in lower latitudes.

TENONTOSAURUS
Tenontosaurus was a medium-to-large-sized herbivorous ornithopod dinosaur. It was about 6.5 to 8 meters (21 to 26 ft) long and 3 meters (9.8 ft) high in a bipedal stance, with a mass of between 1 and 2 tons. It had an unusually long, broad tail, stiffened with a network of bony tendons.

TROODON
Troodon were smaller dinosaurs, standing possibly waist high to a human and stretching up to eight feet in length, a good part of which was neck and tail. They may have weighed around 100 pounds, and the largest specimens are similar to Deinonychus in size, although they probably averaged smaller. Their limbs suggest that they were quick and agile. The retractable curved claw on their foot reinforces the idea that they may have been predators. Their eyes were large enough to allow them to hunt at night, and they also had some depth perception. Troodon had a large brain relative to their body size. They were probably a match in intelligence to some modern birds. They seem to have matured into their full size by 3 to 5 years of age.

All Things in Time – Latest Release

My latest release is now available on Amazon, B&N, Kobo, Apple, and elsewhere.

I’m somewhat ashamed of my lack of productivity. I’ve been spending too much time worrying about external issues: politics, Covid-19, society in general, and so on. The best I can say is that I learned that if you watch too much news, you’re likely to be too depressed to write. When NANO month rolled around, I decided to participate but not actually to sign up. As a result, I wrote All Things in Time in 30 days.

Lest that sound like a lot to you, it only involved writing about 3,000 words daily. That’s approximately the average length of one of my chapters, so it’s not a terribly difficult task.

Well, it’s not difficult if the book is flowing well. I know when I’ve got a good thing going. It’s when the characters tell me what they’re going to do. That means I’ve developed their characters successfully. It’s fun when they do things I hadn’t planned initially. (and, no, I’m not crazy…I think:-)

So, back to the point. I based All Things in Time on the relationship between Kathleen and Cadeyrin’s son Cole and Lola, the Deinonychus chick. If you have read All the Moments in Forever, the idea of intelligent deinonychus (raptor dinosaurs for those of you who also didn’t watch Jurassic Park — and yes, I know those cinema monsters were roughly based on 1000 lb. Utah Raptors, but they were somewhat closer to deinonychus size – 100 lb.) might not sound so strange. But, my rationale is if some Amazon Gray parrots have a vocabulary of over 1000 words that they can use appropriately, and some do, then perhaps a prehistoric raptor might have had enough cognitive ability to learn to speak.

The problem with such a rationale is that once you adopt it, it becomes a license to carry it to extremes. Lolita (Lola’s mother) was the first to learn to speak, and she has a distinct personality with a wicked sense of humor. While she uses shortened and often non-grammatical English, her daughter Lola tries her best to use correct English. Her reasons are complex. 1. She grew up with Cole as her close companion, and 2. English is her native tongue.

Still, she is a deinonychus, a killer raptor weighing about 110 lbs and able to kill prey many times her body weight. Her problem is that she is so close emotionally to Cole that she cannot envision having a mate of her type. On the other side of the equation, Cole admits that he is close to Lola, even that he loves her, but his feelings are tempered by his knowledge that he needs a human female to raise a family. Lola knows that also, and it causes her a tremendous amount of grief.

She repeatedly tries to find a way to cope with the problem, but nothing works. Meanwhile, Cole, off at college in the future, meets a beautiful but narcissistic and sadistically twisted girl. Devonette has a long string of male conquests that she has destroyed on social media and sets her sights on Cole. She finds his somewhat exceptional strength and high maturity level irresistible and eventually falls for him…as much as she can.

The story is complicated by the intrusion of the time-traveling Sasquatch elder (first seen in Time Enough to Live). He takes pity on Lola and imparts the Sasquatch method of time travel through the astral realm. In her first act, she tracks Cole in the future and realizes she has competition for his affection. She is nearly caught in a vast, ongoing time storm, but the Sasquatch saves her, cautioning her to avoid that area in her travels.

The complication is that Devonette’s father, a multi-billionaire of dubious origin, wants Cole’s mother, Kathleen’s time equation. At his insistence, Devonette sets Cole up for capture with the idea that his mother will give up the equation and other assets for his freedom. This betrayal leads to a complex web of actions in which all the characters become entangled. But I’m not going to spoil the story for you.

The underlying message is that external form need not define and constrict true love. Does this sound like it might be a little risky? Well, maybe, but since gender dysphoria is a “thing” in our society, why not species dysphoria?

Given that idea, my challenge was writing an adult-level novel and circling around Lola’s problem until a successful resolution developed. The restriction was keeping that resolution within the realm of acceptable actions. I worried about it for some extended time, but fortunately, the solution became apparent as the story developed. It only required a certain amount of death and heartbreak for my characters. The solution ended up being elegantly acceptable.

In retrospect, if you asked Lola, the answer would be: “It was worth it.”

The book is available on all ebook outlets and in paperback (if you ask at your local bookstore).

Here’s the blurb for the story:

TRUE LOVE IS PRECIOUS…

But, what if the two lovers cannot possibly make their relationship work?

The two grew up together. Each often knows what the other is thinking. They get along perfectly. Unfortunately, they belong to different sentient species. There is no chance for them as a couple.

Each needs a mate of their own species, but finding a suitable life partner can be problematic. There will almost always be missteps, sometimes even fatal mistakes.

There is no such thing as an impossibility in the infinity of years available throughout eternity. The laws of probability imply that given enough time, any event, no matter how improbable, has a chance of happening.

The ability to jump through time and space can make things easier or more difficult. It also attracts those who will kill to get the secret for themselves.

When all of infinity is available to search for a mate, will it be necessary to go beyond death to find success?

This is the fifth story in the Time-Equation Series.

Namaste,

Eric Martell

All Things in Time – New Release

My latest release is now available on Amazon, B&N, Kobo, Apple, and elsewhere.

I’m somewhat ashamed of my lack of productivity. Last year (2021) was mainly devoted to worrying about external issues: politics, the Covid-19 virus, society in general, and so on. The best I can say for the whole year was that I learned if you watch too much news, you’re likely to be too depressed to write. When NANO month rolled around, I decided to participate but not to actually sign up. As a result, I wrote All Things in Time in 30 days.

Lest that sound like a lot to you, it only involved writing about 3,000 words per day. That’s approximately the average length of one of my chapters, so it’s not a terribly difficult task.

Well, not difficult if the book is flowing well. I know when I’ve got a good thing going. It’s when the characters tell me what they’re going to do. That means I’ve developed their characters successfully. It’s fun when they do things I hadn’t planned initially. (and, no, I’m not crazy…I think:-)

So, back to the point. All Things in Time was based on the relationship between Kathleen and Cadeyrin’s son Cole and Lola, the Deinonychus chick. If you haven’t read All the Moments in Forever, the idea of intelligent deinonychus (raptor dinosaurs for those of you who also didn’t watch Jurassic Park — and yes, I know those cinema monsters were roughly based on Utah Raptors, but they were somewhat closer to deinonychus size — might sound strange. But, my rationale is if some Amazon Gray parrots have a vocabulary of over 1000 words that they can use appropriately, and some do, then perhaps a prehistoric raptor might have had enough cognitive ability to learn to speak.

The problem with such a rationale is when you once adopt it; it becomes a license to carry it to extremes. Lolita (Lola’s mother) was the first to learn to speak, and she has a distinct personality with a wicked sense of humor. While she uses shortened and often non-grammatical English, her daughter Lola makes her best effort to use correct English. Her reasons are complex. 1. She grew up with Cole as her close companion, and 2. English is her native tongue.

Still, she is a deinonychus, a killer raptor weighing about 110 lbs with the ability to kill prey many times her body weight. Her problem is that she is so close emotionally to Cole that she cannot envision having a mate of her type. On the other side of the equation, Cole admits that he is close to Lola, even that he loves her, but his feelings are tempered by his knowledge that he needs a human female to raise a family. Lola knows that also, and it causes her a tremendous amount of grief.

She repeatedly tries to find a way to cope with the problem, but nothing works. Meanwhile, Cole, off at college in the future, meets a beautiful but narcissistic and sadistically twisted girl. Devonette has a long string of male conquests that she has destroyed on social media, and she sets her sights on Cole. She finds his somewhat exceptional strength and high maturity level irresistible and eventually falls for him…as much as she can.

The story is complicated by the intrusion of the time-traveling Sasquatch elder (first seen in Time Enough to Live). He takes pity on Lola and imparts the Sasquatch method of time-travel through the astral realm. As her first act, she tracks Cole in the future and realizes she has competition for his affection. She is nearly caught in a vast on-going time storm, but the Sasquatch saves her, cautioning her to avoid that area in her travels.

The complication is that Devonette’s father, a multi-billionaire of dubious origin, wants Cole’s mother, Kathleen’s time equation. At his insistence, Devonette sets Cole up for capture with the idea that his mother will give up the equation and other assets for his freedom. This act of betrayal leads to a complex web of actions in which all the characters are entangled. But I’m not going to spoil the story for you.

The underlying message is that external form need not define and constrict true love. Does this sound like it might be a little risky? Well, maybe, but since gender dysphoria is a “thing” in our society, why not species dysphoria?

Given that idea, my challenge was how to write an adult-level novel and circle around Lola’s problem until a successful resolution develops. The restriction was how to keep that resolution within the realm of acceptable actions. My solution became apparent to me as the story developed. It only required a certain amount of death and heartbreak for my characters. In retrospect, I believe if they were asked, the answer would be: “It was worth it.”

The book is available on all ebook outlets and in paperback (if you ask at your local bookstore–it should eventually be available on Zon).

Here’s the blurb for the story:

TRUE LOVE IS PRECIOUS…

But, what if the two lovers cannot possibly make their relationship work?

The two grew up together. Each often knows what the other is thinking. They get along perfectly. Unfortunately, they belong to different sentient species. There is no chance for them as a couple.

Each needs a mate of their own species, but finding a suitable life partner can be problematic. There will almost always be missteps, sometimes even fatal mistakes.

There is no such thing as an impossibility in the infinity of years available throughout eternity. The laws of probability imply that given enough time, any event, no matter how improbable, has a chance of happening.

The ability to jump through time and space can make things easier or more difficult. It also attracts those who will kill to get the secret for themselves.

When all of infinity is available to search for a mate, will it be necessary to go beyond death to find success?

This is the fifth story in the Time-Equation Series.

Namaste,

Eric Martell