M. Short's Blog, page 11
December 6, 2020
Life Lesson #32
The Ass & the Load of Salt
A Merchant, driving his Ass homeward from the seashore with a heavy load of salt, came to a river crossed by a shallow ford. They had crossed this river many times before without accident, but this time the Ass slipped and fell when halfway over. And when the Merchant at last got him to his feet, much of the salt had melted away. Delighted to find how much lighter his burden had become, the Ass finished the journey very gayly.
Next day the Merchant went for another load of salt. On the way home the Ass, remembering what had happened at the ford, purposely let himself fall into the water, and again got rid of most of his burden.
The angry Merchant immediately turned about and drove the Ass back to the seashore, where he loaded him with two great baskets of sponges. At the ford the Ass again tumbled over; but when he had scrambled to his feet, it was a very disconsolate Ass that dragged himself homeward under a load ten times heavier than before.
The Moral of the Story: The same measures will not suit all circumstances.
Don’t forget to check out my Science Fiction four book series: A Saga of Dogs of War-A Story of Mercenaries. Paperback is available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B08JQRR122 My eBooks are available at Books2Read at https://books2read.com/u/4Dglpg . They make great gifts for only .99 cents each. what a great Christmas present for the Science Fiction reader in your family or in your circle of friends. You can’t buy a coffee for that.
Remember! A donation of likes and follows keeps me feed. Thank you all for your support.
Excerpts from Cry Havoc
Cry Havoc by M. Short
Cry Havoc in my first book in the series A Saga of Dogs of War-A Story of Mercenaries. The book starts as the Earth starts to heal from a cataclysmic event that ravaged the planet for 60 years. Before the Earth fell victim to the cataclysm, it was governed by six large multi-national corporations referred to as the Big Six. As the Big Six assessed their fate on Earth they turned to Mars for resettlement of their corporations. The Big Six as on Earth controlled the land and its employees that lived, fought and died on Mars and its nearby moons.
The books follows a Mercenary Clan that came to be known as “The Dogs of War” as they begin there mission in 2235 to reclaim Earth from their newly established base on the earth’s moon.
Here is a short excerpt when the Mercenary Clan was born.
The Clans next step was the choosing of a name for the clan. Names were bounced around for some time when Commander Stone, a Earth history buff, suggested a line from a 15th century play “Julius Caesar” by William Shakespeare that read, “CRY HAVOC and let slip the dogs of war.” From that line in the play the name Dogs of War was chosen and was adopted on May 20th 2235.
As they discussed the plans for the clan’s conduct it was felt that a guide in their endeavors would require a Clan Moto. They once again went back to the 15th century play and adopted the moto “CRY HAVOC.” Cry Havoc in William Shakespeare’s parlance was a signal given to the English forces in the middle ages to direct the soldiery to conduct pillage and chaos. No quarter was to be given to their adversaries.
The second addition of Cry Havoc will go on preorder on the 1st of January 2021.
Don’t forget to check out my Science Fiction four book series: A Saga of Dogs of War-A Story of Mercenaries. Paperback is available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B08JQRR122 My eBooks are available at Books2Read at https://books2read.com/u/4Dglpg . They make great gifts for only .99 cents each. what a great Christmas present for the Science Fiction reader in your family or in your circle of friends. You can’t buy a coffee for that.
Remember! A donation of likes and follows keeps me feed. Thank you all for your support.
December 5, 2020
The Disdain of Technology
When I was growing up there were no computers, cell phones or online games. My children however did benefit from early computers with floppy disks that were inserted into a drive that would produce what would be considered now limited results.
My youngest Daughter, when she was learning her multiplication tables we purchased an Apple I compute 1976. At that time the games on floppy disks were basically like the pong games, very simplistic. In an effort to help both my daughters we began purchasing educational games to help develop their computer skills and education at the same time. On such game we purchased was a game that had small meteor like objects falling from above. The metros contained a multiplication problem, like 2X2 and so on. Below the falling meteors was a spaceship where you would enter the answer and then shoot the meteor to prevent it from crashing into the ship and destroying it.
Now that she has a family of her own, I noticed that when the grandchildren were learning their multiplication tables, she had purchased the old fashion flash cards on which her older sister had learned her multiplications tables. My curiosity got the better of me and I asked, “Sweetheart, why are you using flashcards when they can learn them on the computer?”
My Daughter with a look that could kill said, “Dad. I have a great disdain for computers. Ever since that stupid multiplication game on that first computer you had, my hatred has grown for technology. The kids get too much screen time now. I’m going back to the old way of doing things. No more screen time. They need human interaction.”
As I heard my daughter speak my thoughts went to the fears that people have about technology. The science fiction movie TRON. A 1982 movie in which a computer engineer was drawn into a computer was the first that came to mind. Then Resident Evil with that evil little AI girl. There are over a dozen science fiction movies that are really scary concerning computers and other technology. The disdain and fear of technology is real. It is as real as the love for it and the benefits it produces But as Glenn Ford said in the first Spiderman movie, “With great power comes great responsibility.” Technology is a great power and with it we need to exhibit great responsibility in the use of that power.
Don’t forget to check out my Science Fiction four book series: A Saga of Dogs of War-A Story of Mercenaries. Paperback is available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B08JQRR122 My eBooks are available at Books2Read at https://books2read.com/u/4Dglpg . They make great gifts for only .99 cents each. what a great Christmas present for the Science Fiction reader in your family or in your circle of friends. You can’t buy a coffee for that.
Remember! A donation of likes and follows keeps me feed. Thank you all for your support.
December 4, 2020
How to keep the plot believable in Science Fiction writing.
Science fiction is like myths and legends, it requires a bit of truth. This small amount of truth gives the reader that connection in his or her mind to see how that could possibly exist. Here again we are referring to that nasty time consuming word research.
My research for my books comes from scientific theory and speculation. For an example magnetic pulse. In today’s technology it is used to take out electronics and magnetism levitation allows monorails at Disney to speed along a single rail. Therefore my magnetic pulse engines on my Starships traveling at 15 times the speed of light, while in reality not possible now has enough truth to make it a possibility 200 years from now. Just enough truth and the reader can do the rest.
The plot of my series A Saga of Dogs of War- A Story of Mercenaries, Is leading the reader through the series to the conclusion of the origins of existence. Now in doing so I am using the very myths and legends that we grew up with in our ancient history classes in high school and college. All of which are in our mind and can be accepted as a possibility. That is what science fiction is possibilities not probabilities.
Map out your book and find where you can link a smidgen of truth to the plot. To me as a retired pilot a bee with it’s large body and small wings is science fiction, but it still flies.
Don’t forget to check out my Science Fiction four book series: A Saga of Dogs of War-A Story of Mercenaries. Paperback is available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B08JQRR122 My eBooks are available at Books2Read at https://books2read.com/u/4Dglpg . They make great gifts for only .99 cents each. what a great Christmas present for the Science Fiction reader in your family or in your circle of friends. You can’t buy a coffee for that.
Remember! A donation of likes and follows keeps me feed. Thank you all for your support.
December 3, 2020
Life Lesson #31
The Astrologer
A man who lived a long time ago believed that he could read the future in the stars. He called himself an Astrologer, and spent his time at night gazing at the sky.
One evening he was walking along the open road outside the village. His eyes were fixed on the stars. He thought he saw there that the end of the world was at hand, when all at once, down he went into a hole full of mud and water.
There he stood up to his ears, in the muddy water, and madly clawing at the slippery sides of the hole in his effort to climb out.
His cries for help soon brought the villagers running. As they pulled him out of the mud, one of them said:
“You pretend to read the future in the stars, and yet you fail to see what is at your feet! This may teach you to pay more attention to what is right in front of you, and let the future take care of itself.”
“What use is it,” said another, “to read the stars, when you can’t see what’s right here on the earth?”
The Moral of the Story: Take care of the little things and the big things will take care of themselves.
Don’t forget to check out my Science Fiction four book series: A Saga of Dogs of War-A Story of Mercenaries. Paperback is available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B08JQRR122 My eBooks are available at Books2Read at https://books2read.com/u/4Dglpg . They make great gifts for only .99 cents each. what a great Christmas present for the Science Fiction reader in your family or in your circle of friends. You can’t buy a coffee for that.
Remember! A donation of likes and follows keeps me feed. Thank you all for your support.
Do as I Say not as I Do
I taught both of my Daughters how to drive a stick shift. I do view this as a major accomplishment, much like climbing Mt Everts. It was a time consuming and arduous task that I had taken. It was tenuous at times, but myself and my Daughters survived to ordeal.
Almost 40 years later I was driving with my youngest daughter Kellie and I drove across the lane markings in a shopping mall parking lot. My Daughter in amazement said, Dad what did you just do? You drilled into my head that you never cross lane markings anywhere. You told me repeatedly that lane markings where put there for a reason and that reason was safety. Now I see you crossing the lane markings. What’s up with that/”
I looked at my daughter thought for a minute and then replied, “The reason I told YOU to never cross the lane markings was because one day when I am old and cannot see well I will cross the lane markings and I don’t want you to crash into me crossing the lane markings from the other direction.”
Don’t forget to check out my Science Fiction four book series: A Saga of Dogs of War-A Story of Mercenaries. Paperback is available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B08JQRR122 My eBooks are available at Books2Read at https://books2read.com/u/4Dglpg . They make great gifts for only .99 cents each. what a great Christmas present for the Science Fiction reader in your family or in your circle of friends. You can’t buy a coffee for that.
Remember! A donation of likes and follows keeps me feed. Thank you all for your support.
December 2, 2020
Life Lesson
Mercury & the Woodman
A poor Woodman was cutting down a tree near the edge of a deep pool in the forest. It was late in the day and the Woodman was tired. He had been working since sunrise and his strokes were not so sure as they had been early that morning. Thus it happened that the axe slipped and flew out of his hands into the pool.
The Woodman was in despair. The axe was all he possessed with which to make a living, and he had not money enough to buy a new one. As he stood wringing his hands and weeping, the god Mercury suddenly appeared and asked what the trouble was. The Woodman told what had happened, and straightway the kind Mercury dived into the pool. When he came up again he held a wonderful golden axe.
“Is this your axe?” Mercury asked the Woodman.
“No,” answered the honest Woodman, “that is not my axe.”
Mercury laid the golden axe on the bank and sprang back into the pool. This time he brought up an axe of silver, but the Woodman declared again that his axe was just an ordinary one with a wooden handle.
Mercury dived down for the third time, and when he came up again he had the very axe that had been lost.
The poor Woodman was very glad that his axe had been found and could not thank the kind god enough. Mercury was greatly pleased with the Woodman’s honesty.
“I admire your honesty,” he said, “and as a reward you may have all three axes, the gold and the silver as well as your own.”
The happy Woodman returned to his home with his treasures, and soon the story of his good fortune was known to everybody in the village. Now there were several Woodmen in the village who believed that they could easily win the same good fortune. They hurried out into the woods, one here, one there, and hiding their axes in the bushes, pretended they had lost them. Then they wept and wailed and called on Mercury to help them.
And indeed, Mercury did appear, first to this one, then to that. To each one he showed an axe of gold, and each one eagerly claimed it to be the one he had lost. But Mercury did not give them the golden axe. Oh no! Instead he gave them each a hard whack over the head with it and sent them home. And when they returned next day to look for their own axes, they were nowhere to be found.
The Moral of the Story: Honesty is the best policy.
As my Father always said, The truth can make itself worth telling. Lies bring no long term reward, only loss.
Don’t forget to check out my Science Fiction four book series: A Saga of Dogs of War-A Story of Mercenaries. Paperback is available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B08JQRR122 My eBooks are available at Books2Read at https://books2read.com/u/4Dglpg . They make great gifts for only .99 cents each. what a great Christmas present for the Science Fiction reader in your family or in your circle of friends. You can’t buy a coffee for that.
Remember! A donation of likes and follows keeps me feed. Thank you all for your support.
A Fish Story
As a pilot you will spend hours waiting for passengers. The same is true when flying helicopters in the gulf of Mexico. Sometimes in the summer to break the boredom and the heat, I would take a pair of swimming shorts with me to swim off the platform while the maintenance crews worked .
One summer’s day I decided not to take a swim but to do a bit if fishing, looking forward to hooking a mackerel or some sea bass for dinner that night. There was a ski rope that had three large hooks on it so I used some of my lunch to catch some smaller fish that I would use as bait for the larger fish. Once I had done so, I was ready to go for the gold. As a good fisherman I put two small sized bait on two of the hooks and one larger piece of bait on the third to insure a catch on one or two hooks to lure in a larger fish like a Mackerel to take the bait of the third.
As I monitoring the fishing line I felt the first catch of the day. I did not pull up the ski rope in hopes the struggling fish would attract other fish to the line. As I watched the line it suddenly became taught. I thought to my self, “Michael you have a nice Mackerel on the line time to reel him in.”
I reached up to pull the line up, but when I reached through the hand rails to pull up the ski rope it would not move. My efforts were not moving the line. Then I decided to put my feet on the lowest hand rail and then pull the rope with all my strength. With my feet on the railing and pulling with all my strength, soon the line moved once again throwing me to the hard metal grating floor of the platform. The ski rope was now hanging from the hand rail. I thought that the fish must have gotten away. I grabbed the rope again and started to pull it in when a large hammer head shark broke the surface of the water and then dived back toward the bottom on the ocean. This time when the ski rope went taught it then bent the hand rail, followed by the ski rope snapping a few feet from the bent handrail.
Needless to say after that I gave up fishing and swimming off of any offshore platform.
Don’t forget to check out my Science Fiction four book series: A Saga of Dogs of War-A Story of Mercenaries. Paperback is available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B08JQRR122 My eBooks are available at Books2Read at https://books2read.com/u/4Dglpg . They make great gifts for only .99 cents each. what a great Christmas present for the Science Fiction reader in your family or in your circle of friends. You can’t buy a coffee for that.
Remember! A donation of likes and follows keeps me feed. Thank you all for your support.
December 1, 2020
Life Lesson # 29
A Raven, which you know is black as coal, was envious of the Swan, because her feathers were as white as the purest snow. The foolish bird got the idea that if he lived like the Swan, swimming and diving all day long and eating the weeds and plants that grow in the water, his feathers would turn white like the Swan’s.
So he left his home in the woods and fields and flew down to live on the lakes and in the marshes. But though he washed and washed all day long, almost drowning himself at it, his feathers remained as black as ever. And as the water weeds he ate did not agree with him, he got thinner and thinner, and at last he died.
The moral of the story: A change of habits will not alter nature.
It is also said, “You can’t make a silk purse out out a sow’s ear.” Just like the Raven a sow’s ear is still a sow’s ear and a Raven is always going to be a Raven no matter how much you wish other wise.
Don’t forget to check out my Science Fiction four book series: A Saga of Dogs of War-A Story of Mercenaries. Paperback is available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B08JQRR122 My eBooks are available at Books2Read at https://books2read.com/u/4Dglpg . They make great gifts for only .99 cents each. what a great Christmas present for the Science Fiction reader in your family or in your circle of friends. You can’t buy a coffee for that.
Remember! A donation of likes and follows keeps me feed. Thank you all for your support.
November 29, 2020
Life Lesson #28
The Travelers & the Purse
Two men were traveling in company along the road when one of them picked up a well-filled purse.
“How lucky I am!” he said. “I have found a purse. Judging by its weight it must be full of gold.”
“Do not say ‘I have found a purse,'” said his companion. “Say rather ‘we have found a purse’ and ‘how lucky we are.’ Travelers ought to share alike the fortunes or misfortunes of the road.”
“No, no,” replied the other angrily. “I found it and I am going to keep it.”
Just then they heard a shout of “Stop, thief!” and looking around, saw a mob of people armed with clubs coming down the road.
The man who had found the purse fell into a panic.
“We are lost if they find the purse on us,” he cried.
The Moral of the Story: “No, no,” replied the other, “You would not say ‘we’ before, so now stick to your ‘I’. Say ‘I am lost.'”
The old adage of misery loves company is not lost here. But what is also on display in this story is, “If it is good, I did it. If it is bad, we or even YOU did it. Another display of the unwieldiness to be accountable for our own actions.
If something turns out badly and you use the word “WE” check to make sure you have a mouse in your pocket.
Don’t forget to check out my Science Fiction four book series: A Saga of Dogs of War-A Story of Mercenaries. Paperback is available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B08JQRR122 My eBooks are available at Books2Read at https://books2read.com/u/4Dglpg . They make great gifts for only .99 cents each. what a great Christmas present for the Science Fiction reader in your family or in your circle of friends. You can’t buy a coffee for that.
Remember! A donation of likes and follows keeps me feed. Thank you all for your support.
