Matthew S. Williams's Blog, page 180

Poalo Solari and the Birth of Arcology

Arcology: noun (plural arcologies) an ideal integrated city contained within a massive vertical structure, allowing maximum conservation of the surrounding environment. Origin: 1969: blend of architecture and ecology.

The question of what to do about Earth’s growing population – 7 billion and counting – and the environmental impact it is having has been on the minds of city planners, environmentalists, and global leaders for qu9ite some time. Far from it being a simple matter of determining how we are going to feed new every mouth we create, there’s also the question of how to provide for their other basic needs.

In the 20th century alone, humanity grew by multiplication factor of six. Cities expanded, suburban developments went up, and inner cities were “rezoned” and redeveloped in order to make room for them. When horizontal space became an issue, vertical structure were adapted, incorporating sky scrapers and massive high-rises. In addition, cities, counties and entire nations needed to find more sources of fresh water to address their health and sanitation needs, more landfills to accommodate waste, and more green spaces to grow food. In time, it soon became clear that this increased output of human beings and their various wastes was casing irreparable harm to the planet.

By the turn of the century, the projections only became worse, thanks in large part to the ongoing industrialization of developing nations. In these parts of the world, where a full third of the human race resides, the impact of so many new power plants, urban developments, superhighways, and fossil-fuel burning cars could not be underestimated. The problem of providing space for our people and seeing to their needs in a way that is sustainable in the long term has only become more pressing as a result.

As it turns out, the answer may lie in a concept developed in the 1960′s by a man named Paolo Soleri. An architect of Italian descent who studied at the feet of architect Frank Lloyd Wright, he is credited with coining the term “arcology”, a new form of architecture that plotted the creation of three-dimensional hyperstructures that would be self-sufficient, and in some cases, self-contained. Primarily proposed as a means to combat two-dimensional urban sprawl, arcologies were also meant to economize on transportation, energy use, commerce and agriculture. All needs, which included the need to reduce waste and impact on the environment, were incorporated in his new designs. And on top of that, they would be beautiful as well as very, very big.

One of his first designs was for a city-structure named Babel (or IID as it’s officially designated). This design called for a flared cylinder of apartments sitting in a saucer-shaped base, complete with commercial, civil spaces, and public areas. The estimated population for this monster design was 550,000 people – the population of a major city – but placed in an edifice 1900 meters high and 3000 meters at its widest point.

Close-ups of the design show the immense attention to detail that Soleri’s featured in his drawings. From housing, to production centers to water treatment and waste disposal, nothing was overlooked. And just in case you’re having problems imagining the scale, he features a picture of the Empire State building for a size comparison.

And then there was Hexadredon, an incredible geometric mountain resting on three immense supports. Accommodating over 170,000 people, it measured a mere 800 meters by 800 meters (640 square km). On top of all that, it looks immensely artistic, incorporating such design features as massive pyramids, support columns, and rotundas. In reality, it looks more like an ancient temple than a three-dimensional city.

His many other concepts involved cities adrift on water, built into canyons, or on the side of cliffs. As far as Soleri was concerned, nothing was off limits. Any and all geographic features and landscapes, including the ocean itself, could be built into human habitats. Though it remained somewhat speculative for its time, Soleri’s ideas formed the basis for a great deal of speculative writing and urban planning.

For instance, in Japan, urban planners have proposed a future city development to deal with urban sprawl in Tokyo. As it stands, much of Tokyo Harbor is artificial, composed of fill in order to accommodate Japan’s growing population and industrial centers. This further expansion calls for the creation of a massive pyramid measuring 730 meters high, 8 square kilometers at the base, and capable of housing 750,000 people. All told, it would be roughly 14 times the size of the pyramid of Giza.

In addition, there is the proposed building project in Moscow known as “Crystal Island”. Measuring in at a whopping 2500 square kilometers at its base and 450 meters high, it will be the single largest structure on Earth, if and when it is completed. Shaped like a massive tent, the superstructure of the proposed design acts as a sort of second skin to the main building, creating a thermal buffer and shielding the interior from Moscow’s harsh weather.

In addition, this second skin will adjust with the seasons and sealed in winter to minimise heat loss, while opened again in summer to naturally cool the interior. Power would also be provided by built-in wind turbines and solar panel, as well as a series of renewable energy solutions. On top of all that, the design incorporates an existing park, which provides a range of activities, including cross-country skiing and skating. Construction was officially postponed in 2009 due to the economic crisis, but is expected to resume in the coming years.

Last, but not least, there is the planned community of Masdar City, which I wrote about in a previous article. Though not technically an arcology in the sense of a three-dimensional colossal environment, the design nevertheless incorporates all other aspects of Soleri’s concept. These include renewable energy sources, sustainable resource management, mass-transit, recycled water, and a range of other green technologies.

Today, the planned city of Arcosanti, which Soleri himself began construction on in 1970, remains an unfinished testament to his work and his genius. Located in central Arizona, just 110 km north of Phoenix, this work-in-progress incorporates Soleri’s unusual design features and, though uncompleted, remains a testament to his vision.

Check out this video from Arcosanti website, which featured Solari’s design for the mega-city Nudging Space:

Evidence of Ancient Streambed Found on Mars

More news from the Red Planet! At a press conference held just yesterday, members of the Mars Science Laboratory announced that Curiosity discovered some interesting gravel patterns in the Gale Crater which would seem to indicate that water once flowed there. What more, according to William Dietrich (Curiosity’s co-investigator from the University of California, Berkeley) the water would have been flowing for some time.

“Too many things that point away from a single burst event,” he said in the press statement. “I’m comfortable to argue that it is beyond the 1,000 year timescales, even though this is very early on in our findings.”

Specifically, what Curiosity found was outcroppings of layered rock that are the result of multiple deposits of gravel, which the science team claims could not have been laid by any other naturally occurring source, such as wind. What’s more, the sizes and shapes of stones offer clues to the speed and distance of a long-ago stream’s flow. Although initially classifying this as a “surprise”, the team inevitably claimed that they weren’t too surprised by the finding.

The location of the site lies between the north rim of the Gale Crater and the base of Aeolis Mons (aka. Mount Sharp), a mountain inside the crater. To the north of the crater, a channel named Peace Vallis feeds into the alluvial fan, where the abundance of channels between the rim and conglomerate suggests the presence of flowing water over a long period of time.

For some time, scientists have speculated about the existence of ancient rivers on Mars, based solely on observations from afar. In fact, the “canals of Mars”, as they were often known, have remained a source of inspiration for astronomers and fired the public imagination. The notion that there might be life on the Red Planet inevitably led some to suggest that there was such a thing as a Martian race that was responsible for their creation.

This, in turn, has led to generations of science fiction and storytelling, with images of little Martian men invading Earth in their terrible war machines (a la War of the Worlds) or as benevolent psychic begins who succumbed to disease and the onset of human colonization (i.e. The Martian Chronicles). Naturally, these fantastic notions died when it became known that the Martian surface is all but lifeless. However, evidence that Mars was once capable of supporting life remains; and thanks to Curiosity, continues to grow.

Stay tuned for more news from Curiosity! As of yesterday, it moved on from the Garland Crater and began its longest journey yet towards the Glenelg area, where it will begin taking soil samples and performing test drills. The goal here will be to find samples of preserved organic carbon, another step in the long mission to determine whether Mars really did support life in the past. Exciting times!

New Look!

Hey all and good morning. Do you like what I’ve done with the place? Yes, after months of wanting to spruce up my blog’s appearance, I finally got around to some house cleaning, tidied things up a bit, and finally put my awards up where you could see them. Good thing too, I was getting worried people would come by and think that the only one who appreciated all my rambles was me. That seem right to you?

Also, I’m thinking of a new theme. Months back, I picked the one you see, Chapters, from a lineup because I thought it was conducive to displaying samples of my writing. However, given the fact that you can only pick from the last 20 posts, I find it a bit frustrating now. As anyone who knows me is undoubtedly aware, I go through a lot of posts on this site, and I mean A LOT! For that reason, I insist on being able to scroll back a ways, and I’d like my viewers to be able to do the same.

Anybody know about a theme that is good for that, not to mention putting up images of a sci-fi nature? I’ve been dying to use some images, like the one featured at the top here – “Aurora Rising”, a Blade Runner inspired image by fmacmanus at deviantART. Lovely isn’t it? Click on it to get a full-screen view. Trust me, it’s awesome!

Now if you’ll excuse me, I got some more chapters to write and some article to pen. Big news in the world of exploration, sci-fi and other such things. Williams away!

Whiskey Delta – Chapter 22

“AIM towards the Enemy.”

-Instructions printed on US rocket launcher

The street was blessedly clear, one of the benefits of their being no two-way traffic in the city anymore. Beyond the downed chopper’s site, their was a string of empty parking spaces, the occasional large vehicle, like a street sweeper or a mail truck, that looked like they had been abandoned during the height of business hours.

The beeping kept pace with their speed, the sound having reached a crescendo now that they were withing five klicks of the target. They were getting closer still, but in a roundabout way. Right now, Braun’s main concern was retracing what was sure to be the exit of whoever had been aboard that chopper.

When they came to the spot where it landed, Braun ordered Whitman to halt and drop the ramp. He ran to the rear of the cabin and began issuing orders for a quick deployment and sweep.

“Gear up! I want three covering our rear, two in the front. Mill, you’re on me. We’re checking that downed bird.”

“Right, sir!”

Weapons were cocked, helmets put on, and the everyone save for Whitman was deployed a second later. Keeping their engine going, he shifted to the commander’s seat and began rotating the turret about, checking all sides for any sign of Whiskeys.

On the ground, Braun and Mill left the Stryker behind to approach the Sea King while Dezba and Cobb watched their fore. It occupied most of the street’s left lane, its landing gears collapsed against the asphalt, but the fuselage still looking relatively intact. Ten meters away, Braun raised his fist to Mill and ordered an all stop. Checking to make sure his optics were wired to his suit, he raised his weapon and got a close-up view on his HUD.

The small screen appeared in the center of his faceplate. Everything his scope was looking at, magnified by a factor of three, appeared in crystal clarity. He could see the lettering on the side more clearly now. DHS, and the department’s logo. He also spotted a pilot slumped over in the front left seat, his face obscured by his hanging helmet.

Dead, beyond a shadow of a doubt.

He could also make out the chopper’s alpha-numeric designation, but that was useless to him right now.

Or was it?

He keyed the commline. “Private, do these suits have up to date info on all our military units?”

“Not sure, sir. The Colonel said they were got updates from the defense network, but that’s not been in use for awhile.”

Braun nodded. There was no sense in not checking. Raising his arm, he flipped open the keyboard above his wrist and selected the search function. His HUD changed to what looked like an internet search page, except the only logo was the one of the DoD. In the search bar, he began inputting the numbers and letters. He hit Return.

Sikorsky SH-3. United States Secret Service. Virginia Field Office.

All but the very last line of that was useless, but the rest…

“Son of a bitch,” he said to the insides of his helmet. He keyed his comm. “Private, this bird came all the way from the East Coast.“

Mill moved closer and inspected it with his own scope. “Really? What were they doing all the way out here.”

Braun didn’t answer, but inside he felt a hunch grow stronger from the nourishment it just received. It was always good when a theory came together…

“Move up. Let’s check the interior.”

They closed the distance with a few quick strides. Braun came to the open side door and noted the gun mount, which was currently empty. But the telltale signs of gore around it spoke volumes. He raised his gun towards the cockpit but got nothing but an obscured view.

“Check the pilot,” he ordered. Mill jumped aboard and disappeared inside. Braun turned his weapon towards the front end of the street and waited. Most would say it was pointless to check, but they did anyway. You never left a man behind, not unless you knew they were finished. And if they weren’t, you had the good grace to do it yourself.

“He’s dead, sir,” Mill radioed. “Looks like he took a bite around his neck, but the coup de grace seemed to come from himself.”

Braun keyed his comm. “What’s makes you say that?”

“Well, sir. He had a bullet wound to his left temple, exit wound on the other side of his head. What’s more, I can see the gun in his left hand. He used his service weapon, most likely after he got bit.”

“Good man,” Braun replied. “Any signs of the rest of the crew?”

“No, sir, but I trust you saw the gun mount?”

Braun looked back to the door. Chances were, the gunner got ransacked, most likely as they were trying to take off. One probably slipped on board once they were airborne, bit the pilot and then gone took in the face from h9is side arm. After bringing the chopper in for a gentle crash, he finished himself off, rather than go through the agony of turning.

There were making progress. Now all they needed to know was where the rest of the crew was.

*                    *                    *

The road opened up ahead, a park to their front left and buildings on the right. A minor pile-up appeared, a couple cars which came together at the intersection. A passing look at the park showed some telltale signs of a fight too. Here and there, blackened patches marked the grass and foliage, and what looked like a few bodies strewn about.

“Watch that pileup, Private. Take the curb.”

“There’s room on the right.”

“Take the curb, Private. Don’t scrape us unless you have to.”

“What are we, in a fucking cab here?”

“No, but we aint in one your mom’s monster trucks neither. Now mount the fucking curb.”

Whitman did as he told and brought them up onto the sidewalk. They got a minor bump as they came around it and landed back on Asphalt. Braun was pleased the two up front were bantering like old times, it showed that whatever Dezba had going on upstairs, the mission was at least providing some distraction. Strange that mocking Whitman’s heritage would prove to be a good sign, but it there it was.

Keeping his hands on the rails and watching their left side, Braun saw a flash of brown amidst the park’s greenery. He strained to see it through the trees that were beginning to obscure their view, and was only moderately sure they weren’t seeing a Whiskey at work.

“Sergeant, bring the gun around to two-seven-zero.”

“You can just say nine o’clock sir.”

“Shut up Tango boy, men are talking.”

Braun watched the display screen move and tried not to laugh. Yes, everybody was getting on like old times. Almost made him think they might get this through this with just a few scrapes. The turret reached their left site and began broadcasting a picture of the park. There, amidst the lower bushes, was what he thought he saw alright…

“That’s a Black-tail,” said Dezba.

“Sure is, Sergeant,” he replied, equally impressed. “Not something you see in the city. At least… not this far into the core.”

Whitman himself snuck a look. “Are we thinking venison?”

Braun shot him a look, but then thought it over for a half a second. They could look forward to nothing but C rations for the next few days; was it so crazy to plan on adding a little fresh meat to the mix? At the moment, yes, he decided. There would be plenty of time for that once they had secured Pappa Zulu.

“Fucking Tango, no appreciation for wildlife.”

“Oh, I appreciate it! With steak sauce and taters! Mmmm-M!”

“Just hit the gas.”

A loud screech rung out, followed by a hard thud on their left side. The cabin rocked and they veered to the right.

“Fuck! What was that?”

Braun looked to the left side porthole. A stream of smoke was still visible cutting across their path. Only one conclusion.

“RPG! Hang on!”

Another screech sounded out, followed by a more distant thud. He looked up just in time to catch its point of origin. Beyond the park, a tall building that looked like it might also have been a hotel, once upon a time. His sharpened eyed picked up movement up on one of the balconies too.

“Sergeant, target bearing three-zero-zero, elevation oh-three-zero. Target only.”

Dezba brought the gun around and up and caught a view of the building. Whitman was moving them too fast to keep in view for long, but he saw the same movement. The enhanced optics caught a trace of mottled green uniforms and a few faces.

“What’s the call, LT?” asked Whitman.

“Hard right,” he said, aiming ahead. “Pull us into that side street, where they can’t pop off rockets at us.”

Whitman obliged, this time without discussion. Moving them half a block further, he pulled a hard right onto one of the side streets, smashing through an idle car at the corner. When they were just beyond the turn, Braun slapped Whitman’s shoulder.

“All stop here. Get ready to drop the ramp.”

“Sir?” he said, securing the controls and turning around. “What the hell was that? Are they shooting rockets now?”

He might have laughed had the situation not been totally fucked. “No, Private. But I think we just found our missing DHS team. At least that’s my feeling. Be ready to open the back, we’re gonna deploy by the numbers and take them alive.”

“Right on, sir,” said Dezba. Shutting down his own station, he grabbed a hold of his SCAR and slung it. Braun wasn’t sure if he should tell him to stay and man the gun. Whether or not it was necessary, he was sure he would take it as an order to sit this one out. That too was a question of necessity, one which he didn’t have time to ponder.

“You two sit tight,” he said finally. “There might be more of them out there, and I don’t want them taking out our ride. You keep her ready to move Private. Sergeant, stay on the gun and shoot anybody who pops out of the woodwork.”

“Right, sir,” said Whitman. Dezba seemed less pleased, but snapped out a curt nod.

Braun patted them both on the shoulder and went to the rear. Not a face amongst them wasn’t frazzled or freaked out. It had been some time since any of them had had to deal with enemy fire. Some of them had never witnessed it at all.

“Okay, squad, switch your comm boxes on and be ready to deploy. There’s a military unit out there, and they don’t seem to be taking kindly to our presence.”

“Who the hell are they, sir? I thought we were the only ones here.”

“Not so, Private,” he said to Mill. “Seems some folks from the DHS, possibly some other federal task force got grounded here. Who knows, they might be stranded, delirious, thinking anything that moves is hostile. Which is why we’re gonna deploy by the numbers, get into that building, and see if we can’t change their minds.“

The squad followed him out and moved into the street quickly. He centered the tall building in his HUD, zoomed in on the overhang which covered the entrance. To his sides, Cobb, Mill, Saunders and Kobayashi all stood, their weapons arrayed, each and every one of them ready to move.

“Sir?” said Mill through the comm. “What happens if we can’t convince these guys of our benign intent?”

Braun didn’t have to consider that one for long. “Then we let them know just how poorly we take to friendly fire.”

Bender’s Anti-Piracy Ad

I just came across this on Youtube, which appeared on the Bender’s Big Game DVD right before the movie. Naturally, it features footage from the movie and uses Bender, the most unlikely spokesperson for respecting property rights, as its spokesperson. Very funny, in an admittedly ironic kind of way. Enjoy!

Robot Cars in Five Years?

Could it be, that after decades of failed predictions, especially where flying cars were concerned, that science is finally making good on its promise of robot cars? Well, according to Google co-founder Sergey Brin, that’s what’s going to happen. Just two days ago, Brin was on hand for the signing of a bill in the California legislature which establishes safety and performance standards for cars operated by computers on California roads and highways. As the third state to pass this law – Nevada and Florida have already signed similar provisions – California will now allow licensed drivers to use automated vehicles, once they become commonplace.

Apparently, Google has been testing the concept quite extensively. Several prototypes have been developed, and over 300,000 miles worth of driving have been conducted for the sake of testing the software. Brin admits that their are bugs that still need to be worked out, such as improving the sensors and hardware failure supports for the technology. In addition, there are the big challenges of adapting the vehicles to “tricky situations”, such as weather conditions, temporary construction, and emergency vehicles. In any and all of these cases, the robots need to be able to interpret the situation and respond accordingly.

However, Sergey and Larry are confident, stating that “Our vehicles, of which about a dozen are on the road at any given time, have now completed more than 300,000 miles of testing. They’ve covered a wide range of traffic conditions, and there hasn’t been a single accident under computer control.” And, unless science fiction and futursist have been lying to me all this time, the robot cars are likely to come with manual control as well, just in case the driver feels the need to take the wheel and do a little hands-on driving! After all, the purpose of this technology is ensure our safety and comfort right? And what’s more comfortable than turning on the autopilot?

Source: CNET News

Absolution Gap

Good afternoon all – or morning or evening, as the case may be – and welcome to the final installment in my Revelation Space review. Today, I shall be covering the third and final installment in the trilogy, otherwise known as Absolution Gap. As the conclusion to the series, it brought together the apocalyptic trends established by the first two and wrapped them up pretty nicely, while also introducing some ideas and threads of its own.

These included the threat of the Inhibitors, the attempts by Neville Clavain and his rogue group of Conjoiners, Hyperpigs and refugees to stop them, and the growing awareness of those within the universe at large of their approaching doom. And, true to form, Reynold’s also tells the story through multiple threads which seem unrelated at the beginning, but ultimately come together to reveal a single plot arc that brings everyone and everything together.

And last, but not least, this book also brought the series full circle in terms of the quasi-religious motifs that play an important role in the story. As I mentioned in a previous post, concerning sci-fi and religion, Alastair Reynolds was not one to shy away from the subject of spirituality and religion. One look at the titles in this series (Revelation Space, Redemption Ark, Absolution Gap) are proof enough of that. However, Reynolds went a step beyond, weaving a narrative which begins with knowledge, proceeds to contrition, and then culminates in a sort of forgiveness for all humanity. In the end, the acts of the few who would risk all to save others provides the whole with a sort of reprieve, a second chance for them to contemplate their ambiguous future.

I also should mention that, much like in Redemption Ark, Reynolds chose to include characters and/or elements from his short stories and prequels into this book. In Redemption‘s case, this involved bringing Sky Haussmann back in the form of H, the man who helped Clavain and his friends find their way to Resurgam in time to witness the Inhibitors at work and help save the population. Here, we see hints of how the Revelation Space universe will end, which comes to us from the short story “Galactic North” which is to be found in the collection of the same name. But more on that later! In the meantime, let’s get into this book from the beginning…

Plot Synopsis:

The story opens in 2615, with aboard a lighthugger known as the Gnostic Ascension, a freelance treasure-hunter which is run by a sado-masochist named Jasmina. After waking her crewman Quaiche from reefersleep, she informs him that his attempts to lead them to valuable artifacts have failed for the last time. In order to ensure his success during their next stop, a planet in orbit of 107 Piscium, she places his lover Morwenna (an Ultra and fellow crewmember) in a scrimshaw suit on the outside of his exploratory ship until he returns with some goods.

While surveying a moon in orbit of the gas giant Haldora, he discovers what appears to be an alien bridge in a chasm, but is then attacked by automated defense systems. He then crashes on the planet and sends out a distress signal, knowing that since his ship is on the other side of Haldora, it will not be notified in time to save him. He begins to succumb to an indoctrination virus which he has been carrying for some time, and then notices a miracle has occurred. His shuttle has arrived in time to save him, tough the acceleration has killed Morwenna. During recovery, he realizes it was because Haldora disappeared for a fraction of a second, allowing his radio signal to reach his ship directly…

In the second thread, events take place on Ararat in 2675, twenty three since the crew of the Nostalgia for Infinity landed on the planet. After receiving a capsule from space, Scorpio seeks out Clavain, who has withdrawn from society and left him in charge. This was apparently due to the death of his daughter Felka, who wandered into the sea to contact the Pattern Jugglers and never returned. They discover that the capsule is from Ana Khouri, whom they have not seen since events around Resurgam took place.

Ana informs them that they are fighting the Inhibitors using advanced tech that they have retrieved with the help of Ana’s daughter, Aura. Having come into contact with the Hades Matrix, the alien moon which was an actual data storage device, she now has visions and is able to convey alien technology to their forces which they have begun to incorporate. Unfortunately, Skade has returned from where they had left her last time and kidnapped Auna from Ana’s womb, and is now holding her hostage. After being attacked by Inhibitors, her ship crashed on Ararat.

Making their way to the ship, Skade demands that they kill Clavain in exchange for Auna. Clavain agrees and asks Scorpio to do it for him, since he trusts him as a comrade as arms. He also asks that his body be thrown into the ocean so it might join with Felka and Galiana, his daughter and wife. After killing Clavain and rescuing Auna, the ship is attacked by Inhibitors, but they are saved by the Conjoiner Remontoire who defends them from orbit.

Back at the colony, the leaders decide that its time to load up the Nostalgia and leave the planet and confer with Captain Brannigan (now part of his ship) who reveals that he has been preparing to do so for some time. Apparently, he has been aware of what’s been going on in space, the mounting fight between Inhibitors and their allies, and knew the day would come when he had to lift them off Ararat. Bringing what colonists they can with them, they break for orbit and are met by Remontoire who helps outfit them with their new weapons.

After debating their ultimate destination, they decide to go to Yellowstone to help evacuate the people there before the Inhibitors lay it to waste. Aura tells them to go to a moon called Hela, though they don’t understand why and choose to ignore her advice. When they arrive at Yellowstone, they find the planet overrun and few, if any, ship attempting to depart the system are uninfested by Inhibitor machinery. As a result, Scorpio’s leadership is challenged and a new council is formed, which elects to go to Hela as Aura suggested.

In the third and final thread, the place is Hela and the year is 2727. On this world, a young 17 year old named Rahsmika Els runs away from home to find her long lost brother Harbin, who joined the “Cathedrals” long ago. This is basically a mobile city made up of religious institutions that travel the planet, keeping its eyes on the sky so they may witness what their leader – Quaiche – witnessed many years ago. The disappearance of Haldora, which is the basis of their faith, is something they are waiting on, and all initiates are injected with Quaichist blood to receive the same virus that converted him.

When Quaiche becomes aware of her, he becomes very interested. Els apparently has the ability to discern lies from truth. What’s more, her principle interest lies in xenoarchaelogy, and her theories on the extinct insectoids which were indigenous to the planet (the Scuttlers) are quite fascinating. Apparently, this race was also wiped out by the Inhibitors, and their whereabouts are another subject of fascination for the cult that has grown up around Quaiche. Because of all this, he lures her to his Cathedral and takes her on as an apprentice, never revealing that her brother is in fact dead.

Meanwhile, Els becomes plagued by nightmares about a race known as the “Shadows”, a people that live in a brane (dimension or universe) parallel to our own. In the course of speaking to them through her dreams, she learns that their universe was consumed by a rogue terraforming agent and they are trying to pass through into our own. Eons back, they had showed the Scuttlers how to build a machine that could bring them across, which was apparently hidden inside Haldora. Hence, the gas giant is not a natural planet, but a giant cloaking field which sometimes malfunctions. Hence its disappearance from time to time.

Shortly thereafter, the Nostalgia shows up and begins entering into negotiations with Quaiche to protect the planet. While this is happening, he attempts to seize the ship, but Scorpio and his people defeat them. He then takes Khouri and Els hostage, who we now learn is actually Aura (now 17 years old). Her identity was a cover to infiltrate the planet and learn all she could about their society, and her gifts the result of her enhanced mind. Quaiche then reveals that he wants the Nostalgia to anchor itself to Hela and stop it from rotating, so that he may watch Haldora permanently. Brannigan agrees and lands the ship, but also deploys a Cache Weapon which fires on Haldora, destroying its cloaking field and revealing the machine within.

A fight ensues, in which Quaiche is killed and Nostalgia/Brannigan is destroyed. Aura and Khouri are rescued and reunited with the crew. However, the question remains of what to do about the Shadows. When a digital envoy enters into a scrimshaw suit and begins to speak to them, it claims the offer to destroy the Inhibitors is still open. However, Scorpio claims that their is a better way. He claims that materials found on Ararat match ones found on Hela, which they originally took to be massive seashell deposits, but which turned out to be advanced building materials.

He now knows that these were left behind by a race known as the Nestbuilders, an ancient species which move unseen throughout our galaxy to elude the Inhibitors. He suggests appealing to them for help against the Inhibitors, rather than trusting in these Shadows. He advised Remontoire to tell Aura and Khouri of this, and they escape the Cathedrals before it is destroyed. Scorpio, injured and having gone through cryogenics too many times, dies out on the planet surface…

In the epilogue, the year is 3125 and the place is a Pattern Juggler planet. This brings the story full circle, back to the beginning where this same woman was standing on the world right before it was to be evacuated. She reflect on everything that has happened and realizes Scorpio was right. After finding the Nestbuilders, which had been hiding between stars, they used their weaponry and eventually pushed the Inhibitor menace back. The war is still not over, but victory seems assured. However, in doing so, they created a greater problem: the so called “Greenfly” machines. These are a self-replicating race of terraformers that programmed to destroy every object in a solar system and reorganize them into trillions of vegetation-filled habitats.

Apparently, the Inhibitors had kept them in check, but without the Inhibitors, the Greenfly are now out of control. This is very similar to what the Shadows described as having destroyed their own universe, which leads Aura to conclude that they were not from a parallel brane, but from the future. As such, humanity is evacuating towards the Pleiades, but before they leave, Aura decides that she will swim with the Pattern Jugglers one last time. In so doing, she hopes to warn and warn the people they have assimilated about what is coming, and enters the water just as the story ends…

Summary:

I should start this last section by stating that this was my least favorite book of the three. This does not mean I didn’t enjoy it, but as usual, there were the elements I had come to know and expect from Reynolds which detracted from the overall story. These include his use of convoluted plots, multiple twists, and some rather weird and out there concepts.

For starters, Clavain and Skade are both killed off pretty quickly in the beginning in a way that suggests that they were simply being done away with. In reality, Skade’s involvement in the story pretty much ended in book II when her ship blew up. Bringing her back and having her take Clavain with her just seemed like a way to write Clavain out, which I really didn’t see the need for (aside from making him a Jesus-like figure). Also, the concept of Ana’s daughter, which is the source of their ideas for fighting the Inhibitors, also seemed a bit weird. I mean a psychic, talking baby?

The Hades Matrix being a source of valuable information I could see, but why not just have it that they went back there to get as much information as they could in the intervening 23 years? And if they were going for a messiah-type figure in her daughter, why not let her grow up before she becomes this impressive psychic figure. It would go a long way to furthering the Judea-Christian elements that are prevalent in the story.

Which brings me to the next issue, that of the many plot twists. For starters, why was it necessary to blank out Aura’s mind so she could pretend to be a 17 year old native to Hela? Why not just send her in as is, posing as a religious convert who had come from off world? All kinds of people came to Hela everyday for this exact reason, so why not simply slip her in with them? Or, why didn’t they simply contact Quaiche directly when they got there instead of going through all this cloak and dagger? Things really didn’t materialize until they did anyway, so why go through all that? Granted, it tied the threads together quite succinctly, but by the time it is revealed, I began to feel that the story was trying to do too much.

And finally, there is the matter of the twist ending. At the time of reading, I felt like it came out of nowhere. Who were these Nestbuilders? Why hadn’t we heard of them until now? And why the last minute introduction of them? Naturally, I would later learn that the Nestbuilders did not so much come out of nowhere, but were instead an adaptation of something from an earlier work. Essentially, they are a species who make an appearance in “Galactic North” and who are related to the “Slugs” from Chasm City - i.e. the species that had taken to hiding between star systems to avoid the Inhibitors. This made sense and wrapped things up nicely by tying it back to his previous work. But much like with the character of H in the Redemption, I felt that things had not been explained fully.

What’s more, this does not explain how Scorpio was able to discern their existence and learn all he needed to know – like the fact that they could trust them or they would be able to help them beat the Inhibitors – from one tiny shard of shell they left behind. Perhaps if he revealed that Felka told them as much after meeting with the Pattern Jugglers one last time, or that Galiana had conveyed some hints in one of her visions before dying. But as I recall, no explanations were made and we’re simply handed this solution shortly before the book ends. Again, not well explained, and kind of comes off as a third act twist that feels contrived.

And now for the things I liked! As usual, Reynold’s characteristic knack for combining cool technology, hard science, a gritty take on the universe, and some interesting conceptualizations of alien civilizations proved very interesting. On top of all that, there was a rather intriguing commentary on organized religion and apocalypticism which ran through the entire story, which achieved a truly artistic climax in the way he envisioned the “Cathedrals”. I am forced to wonder if he adapted that from somewhere, or it was a Reynold’s original. Either way, very cool!

And in hindsight, I actually appreciate the way he managed to weave elements from Chasm City and Galactic North into this story. The way it ended on a note of uncertainty, due to the fact that their universe was beginning to resemble the very one the Shadows had told them about, really brought the story home and gave the impression of a tightly knit universe. Lastly, the way Reynolds took this opportunity (again) to get into some hard scientific concepts, most notably membrane theory (aka. M-theory), was quite welcome. Much like how he incorporating Galactic Collisions in volume two, it was not only educational but enjoyable to see real scientific theories being adapted into fiction.

All in all, I consider the Revelation Space trilogy to be one of the most influential and poignant series I have ever read. While it might not rank up there with Dune or LOTR, it remains a source of inspiration and ideas for me. Hell, Reynolds practically taught me all I know about nanotechnology, not to mention time dilation and relativistic space travel. Without his hard scientific  influence, I would still be believing in a universe where FTL had to happen in order for good sci-fi to occur!

Note: Alas, I have yet to read the Prefect, the fifth and final novel in the Revelation Space universe. And in point of fact, several short stories make up the universe as well, some of which I believe I have yet to read. So really, I cannot say in all honesty that I’ve read the entire series or have commented on it fully. However, the novels of Revelation Space, Redemption Ark, and Absolution Gap are the only ones in the series that have a common plot and characters, hence why I refer to them as a “trilogy” and treat them as a contained set. And in that respect, I have finished with the Revelation Space Universe and my review thereof. Anything else at this point would just be gravy…

Whiskey Delta – Chapter 21

“Sometimes, in the trenches, you get the sense of something, ancient. One trench we held, it had skulls in the side, embedded, like mushrooms. It was actually easier to believe they were men from Marlborough’s army, than to think they’d been alive a year ago. It was as if all the other wars had distilled themselves into this war, and that made it something you almost can’t challenge. It’s like a very deep voice, saying; ‘Run along, little man, be glad you’ve survived.”

― Pat Barker, Regeneration

The sun was beginning to set when they reached the junction. A four lane highway became a single thread in a mass of tangled ropes. Empty vehicles were everywhere, and not all of them had come to before they had been abandoned. Under the overpass, they saw a few which had apparently fallen, their crushed remains strewn in piles across the road, front ends or rooftops smashed flat.

Whitman began to slow down. Dezba turned from his panel and noticed the way he was staring up.

“Why are you slowing down, Private?”

He kept staring upwards. “Shit man, those people fell from up there.“

Braun looked at the overpass. He was right. The guard rail was broken, and a smashed bumper was hanging over the edge.

“Looks like they got shoved off. People probably driving in a panic.”

“Guess they didn’t feel like stopping.”

Dezba pointed to a gap on the left. “Take the shoulder, we got room.”

Whitman checked it, shook his head. “No, too narrow. What kind of vertical climb does this thing have?”

Dezba searched his memory. “Forty-five degrees, easy enough. But we’re carrying a lot of weight, Private.”

Braun looked back and checked on the grunts. They were all strapped in now, a necessary precaution once the ride started getting bumpy. Quick deployment took a back seat as soon as they realized they might start picking up remains in their wheels. Under the circumstances, a little climbing wouldn’t hurt them.

“Do it, Private! Let’s see what this baby’s got!”

Whitman nodded and revved the engine a few times. He looked over his shoulder.

“You might want to strap in too, sir.”

Braun jumped into his seat and attached the restraints, just in time for Whitman’s little charge on the pile up. A loud crunch sounded through the cabin, followed by several more. The engine squealed a few times as Whitman adjusted the wheels and gave her more power. Braun felt every lurch from his seat, which seemed to be strategically poised to take the worst of it. By the time he was sure his guts were hemorrhaging, they reached the summit and things began to shift to the rear.

“Here comes the drop!” Whitman yelled. Everyone grabbed a handful of something and hung on for dear life. The front end began to dip and they felt the full force of gravity pulling them down. When they landed, the front tires bounced a few times, absorbing most of the force. Everyone was about to breath a sigh of relief, until Whitman hit the gas again. The final push cleared their rear wheels, and the resulting fall made everyone’s guts jump into their throat.

“We’re clear!” said Whitman, and gunned the engine again. With their guts now firmly back in their stomachs, Mill was sure to lob some expletives their driver’s way.

“Billy, you cock-faced prick!”

“Tell it to the LT, man!” he said with a raised finger.

Braun straightened his helmet and checked his nose for blood. He looked back at the twelve angry eyes who were staring at him. He didn’t bother to apologize. One of the perks of being the LT was you never had to explain yourself to underlings. Of course, if they blew out a tire before reaching their objective, he was sure he’d be answering for it one way or another.

*                    *                    *

The beeping had become a constant presence. Louder and louder it had become, until Saunders deployed the laptop and began tracking it actively. They were still a few kilometers out, but every inch of ground they crossed felt like a marathon. Nothing to do but listen to the approaching sound.

The skyline was directly in front of them now. Traffic had thinned out this close to downtown, which made sense since that was precisely where everyone was trying to flee when it hit. Whiskeys were drawn to heavy concentrations of flesh, hitting the cores and sending everyone to the peripheries. He could only imagine what they’d find it they took the time to wander out to Anaheim or Long Beach. Houses boarded up, strip malls and convenience stores raided for supplies, the signs of a people going to ground and cocooning in their homes. And in the end, it made little different. The scourge still found them.

Perhaps they’d find some survivors, but odds were that anyone clever enough to survive wouldn’t be easily found. Bomb shelters were one precaution that came in mighty handy under the circumstances, as were panic rooms and sealed studies. The only problem was, they had to come out sooner or later. And if no one was there at precisely the right time to find them, they usually took to wandering. Poor fools always thought they could find their way to safety…

The carnage was impossible to avoid now. Even Braun found himself getting mesmerized with it. From a distance, the wrecked skyscrapers that occupied downtown were quite the sight. Shattered, craggy things that looked like some kind of messed up fractal art. Beautiful, if in a totally messed up kind of way.

Up close, there was nothing beautiful about it. Burned out recesses, cratered holes, columns and entire sections hanging by bent steel beams and girders. It had the effect of taking one’s breath away. It was like looking at a killing field, but worse in some ways in that no bodies were visible. One could only imagine the terrible loss of life and feel a creeping sense of dread about it.

He noticed the grunts in the back were looking at it too. Sooner or later, they’d all be getting an eyefull of it, and some perspective might come in handy.

“Remember folks, most of what you’re seeing out there was done by our units. One-fifty-fives and cluster bombs, HEAT rounds and guided munitions. The only ones who suffered were the Whiskey.”

A few heads nodded. They knew what he was trying to say. The enemy had no done this. They had only been the reason for it. They were not to be credited for all the carnage that was out there, only blamed for it. He wasn’t sure it helped him much to put it in those terms, but he hadn’t said it for his own sake. All that mattered was when they deployed, they not feel overwhelmed by the scenery and miss their objective.

He noticed they were beginning to slow down a bit. Whitman’s instinctive response to the noise coming from the back. He must have thought they were coming into the ballpark.

“Range, Corporal?” he said to Saunders.

“Five klicks, north by north east.”

“Gun it, Private! We’re still five klicks out.”

Whitman obliged and hit the gas. They continued to move down the highway, taking to a slope and proceeding between two major buildings. Braun unclicked himself and headed to the side port. He could just make out the ostentatious sign at the top of the brown brick one on their right.

Hotel Rosseyn. He was sure that name had meant something at some time. Now, it was a pockmarked surface. From the looks of it, it had been an armored column that had turned it into Swiss cheese, peppering the sides with 20′s and 105′s in the hopes of taking out a nest.

Such highrises always did become nests, the perfect example of how human instincts led inevitably to bad tactical situations. Those who found themselves inside during an attack always thought they’d be safe from the carnage below. Then, when it finally came for them, they were trapped, nowhere to go but to the roof, where they would be stranded and forced to wait for help. Perhaps some came, in the case of this particular building. More than likely, no one was left alive when the armor moved in , prompting them to open fire on it with everything they had.

Failure to plan ahead… always the thing that did the civvies in. It made him wonder if perhaps men like Haynes were right, that maybe the fault lay in not dropping the bombs soon enough. Hell, if they dropped THE bomb, turned LA into glass, the virus might never had spread. A terrible deed, but what price had they paid for holding back in the end?

He shook that thought off. There was no way to be sure that the virus wouldn’t have found its way out anyhow. Speculating on what ifs and I told you sos were what made men like Haynes into the unbelievable hard asses they were in the first place. And Braun was going to be damned if he -

“Private. Halt!”

Whitman hit the brakes, nearly sending Braun into the back of Dezba’s seat. Naturally, he turned his head to see what was going on.

“Sir, what’s going on.”

“Sergeant,” he said, straining to see clearly the distant object clearly through the porthole. “Bring the turret around to ninety-degrees and zoom in.”

Dezba did as he was told. The display terminal slowly panned to the right, moving from the mottled grey surface of the hotel to the white and grey picture of the side road they had just passed. A strange, bright white shape lay to one side of it, and Dezba stopped there.

“That, sir?” he said, pointing to it. Braun moved up behind him and looked closely at it.

“That’s the one,” he said, wrapping him on the shoulder. “Zoom in again and tell me what that looks like.”

Braun was sure to cycle the camera this time, not wanting to repeat that old mistake. The image switched from IR, to negative IR, and then to enhanced camera display. With this last mode, the digital representation of what they were seeing was unmistakable.

“Is that a Sea King?” Dezba asked.

“Looks like. And if those marking on the side are right, it’s DHS.”

“Sir, what are you talking about?” Whitman was practically leaning across his lap at this point, trying to get a clear view himself. Dezba noticed and shifted ever so slightly to his right. Braun explained.

“That’s a Homeland Security chopper, from the looks of it. Secret Service were most likely using to fly an HVI out of here.”

“Yeah, and then they went down. Which means whoever they picked up is either dead or was marooned out here.” Dezba zoomed in on various parts of the chopper, trying to assess the damage. It didn’t look too severe, more like the result of an emergency landing than a crash.

“And if their escort survived, we might have DHS personnel and one HVI in the area still.”

There was a moment of silence as Braun pondered their options. Whitman waited anxiously, looking back and forth between his controls and the display screen. No one liked to be sitting idly in the middle of a combat zone, least of all the driver. He eventually said something.

“Sir, if they went down, wouldn’t they have a transponder going? Someone was sure to already get them by now.”

“Right you are, Private. But not if they crash landed after the battle here was over and the last of our forces pulled out. Then there’d be no one to rescue them because no one bothered to come this way. Hell, aside from the tag team that came in here looking for Papa Zulu, do we know of any units that still conduct patrols this far out?”

“Fuck no,” said Dezba.

“Yeah, but that’s because we’re grunts and we don’t know shit as it is.”

Braun smiled. Whitman had a point there. The Mage always played his hands close to his chest, and outisde of their own ranks, they really had no fucking idea whatsoever what other military units were up to. All of that shit had been filed under a need to know basis long ago. What’s more, they had been given precise instructions, and any diversions would cost them valuable time. But still, something told him the sight of a DHS helicopter, still intact this close to their target area, was not to be treated idly.

“Lieutenant?” Saunders called. Braun turned to look back at her.

“What is it, Corporal?”

“It’s the target sir, it’s on the move.”

Braun came to her side. In the commotion, he had failed to notice that the laptop was beeping louder. He checked the display screen, noted that the overhead map showed that the Papa Zulu designate had closed position since they stopped moving. Curious.

A thought hit him quite suddenly, thought it would have been more accurate to describe it as a searing burst of revelation. He couldn’t be sure, but that was they way of such things. He wouldn’t know until they investigated further. And Papa Zulu was making it easy for them with the way it was behaving.

“Private, take a right turn and start heading East. Papa Zulu is Oscar Mike.”

Whitman gave him the thumbs up and hit the gas, happy to be moving again. Bringing them into a nice, civilized turn, he put them on the same road as the wrecked chopped and they took off. Braun looked back to the display and watched the indicator blink. A throbbing red light, waves of red extending out from it with every beep. A strange sense of deja vu was coming over him, the feeling of once again breaking with their regularly scheduled orders in order to pursue something else. However, this time around, all he really had was a hunch…

“Sir, isn’t that a little of course?” whispered Saunders. Braun smiled and shook his head.

“Maybe, but I got a hunch there’s more going on here than we know.”

“What do you mean?”

Braun wasn’t sure he could explain. It was still fresh in his head, but it didn’t long to distill. A sign that this was a good hunch rather than a misguided effort.

“Just wondering,” he replied, staring intently at the red indicator, “if maybe we’re not the only ones out here looking for this fella.”

Anthology Sample: The Torch (part II)

Hello again from the world of writing! As some people may recall, I published a section of my other contribution to my group’s anthology a few days back. Entitled “The Torch”, it introduces a near-future scenario where an ecological engineer named Magid Muktari proposes launching an exoplanet colonization program. As the prologue to the anthology, it’s kind of important, in that it sets up the entire story and gets the ball rolling on the whole plot.

Hence why I wanted to do it myself. As the editor, you kind of have to put your money where your mouth is, otherwise you’re just a big fat delegator! And what good are those? In any case, the first section presented the introduction of the idea. In this second part, I wanted to get into the early like of Muktari, presenting his estranged wife from later in the book, but at a time when they were still partners and lovers.

Since she too was the creation of fellow anthologist Khaalidah, I thought she deserved a mention and a thorough treatment of all she accomplished in her lifetime. I hope I did her justice, and in the meantime captures some shred of what it will be like for a couple in the mid 21st century who are trying to make ends meet, and save the world at the same time! Hope y’all enjoy and remember that feedback is most welcome

*                    *                    *

The lights were already on when he came home. The nighttime creatures were about, singing their evening songs and tending to their nocturnal rituals. He felt the reassuring calm spread over him as soon as the wheels stopped in his driveway, the engine quieting down from its long run. The door raised itself for him and he put his tired feet to the ground, letting out a deep sigh.

“Home again, home again…” It took some effort to get him the rest of the way out. The steps were even harder to manage. It confounded him, how travelling could still be such a draining experience when machines generated all the motion. Perhaps their minds had not kept pace, still interpreting distance in terms of physical expenditure.

He paused on the front stoop and waited for Empathy to scan him. A quick flash hit his eye, discerning his retinal pattern, then projecting a kind greeting in his visual field.

Hujambo, Magid! it said. He laughed. Firdaws had toyed with the settings again. Of all the languages he had picked up in the course of his training, Swahili was the one that still alluded him. It was the one thing he she maintained over him for all these years; he suspected she relished it too.

“Hujambo, my dear!” he said as soon as he stepped into through the front door. No footsteps came to greet him. On a hunch, he wandered through the living annex and found her in her office. He paused at the entrance and sighed at her.

“Dining on ashes, dearest?”

She raised her finger to him. He spotted the jewel in her ear and the distant look in her eyes. Apparently, she had brought her work home with her again. Always the solemn and grave sort, her. Never shying and never blinking in the face of interminable change. He waited as patiently as he could while she finished her discussion with the person on the other end, and tried not to pass out against the wall.

“That’s not an offer, Tikhon, it’s an insult… No, don’t recommend this as a compromise, if we do, we’ll be doing nothing but until the project is realized. If they want the rights to drill, they need to meet the local’s demands and the EA’s demands… Alright, thank you. I’ll talk to you in the morning.”

She leaned back and sighed. She looked at him for the first time since his appearance on her step. She also removed the jewel and the contacts from her eyes, signaling the end of her day.

“How was your trip, dear?”

“Long and exhausting,” he replied. “And how goes the good fight?”

“The same,” she said, rising from her seat and proceeding to give him a kiss. “I trust your stopover was worth the extra travel time?”

“Ah, not exactly, no.”

She took his face in her hands. They felt lovely and cool against his skin. “Well, you can only do so much. I did say that it was an unlikely possibility as it was.”

He grumbled. She had indeed, and meant it as an indictment on the wisdom of his superiors rather than his plan. But it did him little good right now. In his current state, any tough love only seemed to drive the failure home.

“Shall I make us some dinner?”

He frowned and checked it his chrono. “You haven’t eaten yet?”

She shook her head and looked at the pile of display sheets that lay on her desk. No explanations were necessary. There was no time or schedules amongst workaholics.

“Sure, why not? Anything will do.”

“Good, because we’re having kofte. I was kind enough to pick some up on the way back from work, even though I knew there was a good chance you might not make it in before I went to sleep.”

“How considerate,” he said, bowing his head to offer thanks.

Punching him in the shoulder, she took off past him and headed for the kitchen. Taking a seat at the island stove, he watched while she prepared pieces of spiced meat and yoghurt from the cooler, intermixed with select greens from their crisper. She grabbed a tub of prepared rice from the bottom shelf and began spooning some into two bowls.

“Nothing like fresh,” he said, taking in the aroma. Firdaws insisted on doing things Halal, he knew. And the local authorities were yet to sign of on the compiled version. Luckily, their professions afforded them such luxuries, religious exception being a somewhat expensive pleasure these days.

“Are you going to ask about my day?” she asked finally.

“I thought I did.”

She laughed. “There are details, if you care to hear.”

“Of course,” he said with a sigh. Though he knew he wouldn’t be able to follow, and would incur her wrath if she turned around too soon.

“Well, it was hard enough getting the firm and the Emir to sit down together. He was unwilling to negotiate any lease on the land unless they agreed to a long-term commitment. The company asked what he meant by this, and he replies that fifty years would suffice. That nearly torpedoed everything. But once we got past that issue, the company started making its own demands. After surveying the land in the region, they announced they wanted to expand their lease to include an entire hillside range. They want resource exploitation rights, the whole lot…”

Muktari hummed thoughtfully, even though he wasn’t entirely sure the path she was taking with this. He heard a loud clink inside the cooler.

“So the Emir starts accusing them of sending in covert surveyors, which he claimed was in bad faith. That nearly caused the company to walk out again. However, they did say that they will resume negotiations if and when the Emir agrees to sign over the resource rights in the area to them.”

“I see…” though he didn’t.

“Now we’ve got to make a recommendation. Our boss wants to dangle the offer in front of the Emirs nose in the hopes that it might move things along, but as usual, he’s being an idiot.”

“Won’t be long before you are running things, dear.”

She chuckled. “In any case, I told him we should recommend a joint survey, find out exactly what the company found in those hills, and then conduct a separate negotiation. No sense in letting them exploit something until the locals have been notified of their rights and the government knows exactly what they are giving up.”

“Hmmm, and all this for a few hundred kilometers of sand.”

She turned suddenly. “That sand will hold one of the largest solar arrays to date. Every country in the region is already looking to buy up rights to the power it generates.”

“You’d think the Emir would want to conclude things.

Firdaws stroked a lock of black hair from her face. “His mistrust is… less than rational, but its working in his favor. Astral will make a meal out of his country if he lets them. The energy business is still the same, no matter what technology they employ.”

“And so the dance continues,” Muktari said with a chuckle. He was surprised that he had managed to get through it. His semi-delirious mind had somehow managed to take it all in and still managed to stay interested. Not all of it registered, but at least he grasped the salient points.

A loud clink signaled the presence of his bowl in front of him. He breathed in the warm steam of a lovely meal, felt his stomach ache with sudden anticipation. As usual, he hadn’t realized the extent of his own hunger until the food was in front of him.

“So…” she said. “What now?”

He looked up at her with a frown.

“You’re plan? Are you going to drop it, or take it to a more receptive audience?”

Muktari chewed slowly and considered the question. He had pondered that very question himself during the trip home, but to no avail. Short of going behind Zimmerman’s back and risking his entire career, he wasn’t sure how he could possibly move ahead with it anymore.

“Unclear,” he replied. “I might need to keep it close to my chest for now.”

“And let it die a natural death?”

Muktari cleared his throat. How like her to challenge him so. “I won’t let that happen. Sooner or later, I’ll find a receptive audience.”

Firdaws nodded and turned to close cooler unit. “It’s up to you, koca. But after the time and energy you’ve dedicated to this, I’d hate to see you lose faith just because your current boss said no.”

Current boss, he thought. Was she anticipating something, or making a possible suggestion? It was always so hard to tell with her!

The Future Of Education

Hi all, and welcome to the third and final installment in the “Envisioning Technology” series. Today, it’s the “Future of Education Technology” that’s up for all to see. Much like their speculative work on Future Tech and the Future of Medicine, they present us here with an infographic that shows the interrelated fields of educational technology and how growth in one will inevitable lead to change in others.

On the one hand, we see a gradual transition from the Classroom (i.e. traditional educational environment) to the Studio environment, where a peer and group dynamic becomes the focus, rather than classic teacher-student transmission. In the final environment, learning becomes Virtual, divorced from any specific geographical context – i.e. it happens wherever you are, not just in a classroom or academic institution.

Also, through an incorporation of various education and education-related technologies, six steps are discerned within this process. As usual the entire process is traced from the present day to 2040, with many of the necessary technologies already in existence or in the process of development.

As a teacher, I was rather fascinated to see this, as it illustrates much of what was being espoused when I was still in teacher’s college. Back then, the concept of the post-modernist classroom was all the rage, even though there were many who insisted that this movement had passed.

Intrinsic to the concept was the deconstructing the traditional learning paradigm and even the classroom environment. Openness was the new rule, individuation the new philosophy and building on a student’s existing knowledge and experience, rather than simply handing them the curriculum and evaluated their assimilation thereof.

Naturally, many of us felt the same about all the concepts and ideas that were being thrown at us, in that they seemed highly idiosyncratic and theoretical. Missing from just about all the articles, studies and lectures we heard on the subject was mention of how this was to be done. Lectures on applied technology and new methods, on the other hand, seemed much more effective. Whereas the theory seemed to be commenting on trends that were happening, or still needed to happen, these lectures seemed to be showing us how.

Kind of makes you think… and in a way, I’m reminded of what men like George Orwell said. In 1984 (Goldstein’s Manifesto, to be specific), he claimed that the advent of modern industry and education had removed the basis of class distinction and elitism. By the 20th century, when totalitarian philosophies emerged, humanity was closer to the state of true equality that Marx predicted than ever before. Granted, that road has been fraught with bumps and attempts at subversion, but the general trend seems pretty clear.

Perhaps we’re seeing something of the same thing here with the emergence of IT and what people like Foucault, Derrida and Habermas predicted. The breakdown of singular standards, the opening of discourse, the plurality of perspective and opinions. Perhaps they weren’t just speaking off the cuff or stuck in an esoteric bubble. Maybe they were just picking up on trends which were yet to come to true fruition.

Makes me think, at any rate. But then again, that’s the point isn’t it?