Sable Aradia's Blog, page 68
June 29, 2017
What is Grimdark Fiction?
By C.T. Philips
Grimdark is in the eye of the beholder.
On a more simpler term, grimdark is a term which was initially bandied about by the gaming community of science-fiction and fantasy as an insult for books which were “trying too hard to be taken seriously.”
The term originally comes from the over-the-top hardcore dystopian science-fiction/fantasy setting Warhammer 40K. However, something (black) magical happened when a lot of fans who enjoyed the titles so referred started to use it as a positive descriptor of the fantasy they like. Grimdark, to the horror of grimdark hipsters everywhere, became mainstream.
Read the full article at the United Federation of Charles.
June 28, 2017
Is the Brain Multi-dimensional?
Neuroscientists have discovered that the brain contains multi-dimensional geometric structures, up to 11 dimensions. The scientists are talking about algebraic topology, and how it describes neurons connecting into ‘cliques’, and that the description requires higher-dimensional geometric objects. This is a mathematical concept, and they are not claiming to have measured higher dimensional space-time objects (after all, how would they have done that?).
However, this brings up something very interesting. Although their description is a mathematical topology that can be described in ordinary space-time (3 spatial and 1 time dimensions), it can result more naturally in a higher dimensional space-time. This may seem academic, until you consider that the canonical description of space-time in M-Theory (or string theory) is eleven dimensional (ordinary space-time plus 7 ‘curled’ dimensions). For those unfamiliar, M-Theory is currently the best candidate for a unified field theory to describe the universe.
So turn this around. If M-Theory is…
View original post 163 more words
June 27, 2017
5 Years Away from Lab-Grown Meat
I am ready for the vat-meat! I tried to be a vegetarian several years ago because I strongly disapprove of the way we treat animals in the industrial farming industry, but with gluten sensitivities and lactose intolerance I just couldn’t make it work. Not on my budget, anyway.
I think it would be a marvelous thing for us to grow meat in a vat, spawned from stem cells just like in the womb or the egg, with no nerve cells and therefore, no necessity of bringing harm to another living creature. That would be awesome!
Not to mention how much better for our planet it would be. And how much healthier for us, with so many less additional hormones and antibiotics being ingested. I can see potential problems that I think they’ll have to solve, like maybe we won’t get enough trace minerals and vitamins or natural microbes to build our resistances with that way, and those issues, whatever they are, will have to be addressed.
A lot of people seem uncomfortable with the idea, but I think this stems from either misunderstanding or disapproval of the technology. But growing vat-meat might potentially resolve many of our world hunger issues and make the settlement of space truly possible, so I say bring it on! What do you think?
GOING MEATLESS
The concept of lab-grown meat isn’t new, and several companies are hoping to perfect the process. Memphis Meats is developing a way to create meat without slaughtering animals, Tyson Foods has launched a venture capital fund investing in the future of meatless meat, and Mosa Meat hopes to serve the first lab-made burger in just five years.
But the challenge isn’t necessarily creating the best looking and tasting meatless alternative — it’s pulling down the cost of production so that consumers will see it as a viable alternative to the real thing.
Read the full article at Futurism.
June 26, 2017
We Need to Ditch the “Strong Female Character”
Clickbait title. Also, I disagree with her premise. We have to ditch the strong female character because most mainstream writers seem to f*ck it up? No. We need to teach them what it means. But otherwise, the article is very good, and makes a lot of excellent points.
Growing up, I loved hearing the words strong female character (“SFC”). By the time I’d hit middle school I was boiling with anger. Not just because of awkward adolescence, but because I was sick and tired of seeing the same old damsels in distress and sexualized romantic interests in my favorite movies and series. I wanted more Mulans, but instead I got a truckload of Sleeping Beauties. And occasionally, an action movie or sci-fi book would deliver my semi-regular SFC.
Except they didn’t. As I grew older and better at writing stories myself, I began to notice a problem with the “strong female character.”
They weren’t characters at all.
Read the full article at Dragons, Zombies and Aliens: the Blog.
June 25, 2017
The Invention of Boredom
[image error]
June 24, 2017
June 23, 2017
What is Science Fantasy?
I’m delighted to announce that an except from Showdown will be featured in July’s issue of SciFan Magazine, and the entirety of my Toy Soldier story, Survivor, will be featured in the August issue! And yes guys, you can get these in PRINT!
SciFan Magazine is a publication devoted to “science fantasy” as a genre. So what is science fantasy? They explain on their website in the following article. And don’t forget to check out the footnotes, because they provide some extremely useful information!
I would say that quite a lot of what I write is probably “science fantasy,” including the Wyrd West Chronicles and the Toy Soldier Saga, and even my work for Tales of the Stellar Deep. Other science fantasy authors include but are not limited to: Jack Vance, L. Sprague de Camp, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Andre Norton, Terry Brooks, S.M. Sterling, and Anne McCaffrey.
“Science fantasy is a mixed genre within the umbrella of speculative fiction which simultaneously draws upon and/or combines tropes and elements from both science fiction and fantasy. It also sometimes incorporates elements of horror fiction.” [1]
Science Fantasy (SciFan) is a genre that is often ignored. Not too many people are familiar with the genre, but it was originally coined in the late 1930’s by John W. Campbell, Jr. in his magazine that was (ironically) entitled Unknown.
The Science Fiction genre is often defined as the improbable made possible, whereas the Fantasy genre is commonly defined as the impossible made probable. So then, what is Science Fantasy (SciFan)?
Read the full article at SciFan Magazine.
June 22, 2017
Schrödinger’s Cat-Box Reaches Record Size
Hey guys! Check this out! We’ve invented a primitive Ansible! Was so excited I just had to share!
A new distance record has been set for entangled communications. Entanglement is what Einstein referred to as “spooky action at a distance.” When two quantum particles are entangled, their states are then paired. An action on one particle will immediately affect the other, regardless of how far they are separated. If it occurs to you that this can result in a violation of the speed of light, then you’ll understand why Einstein was so perplexed by it. Nevertheless, entanglement does exist and we have to deal with it.
Well a new article in Science demonstrates satellite-based distribution of entangled photon pairs to places on Earth separated by 1203 kilometers. This breaks the old record by an order of magnitude! This is especially interesting to me because my novel, The Last Butterfly, proposes a far-future consequence of entanglement over very large distances. I guess it just goes to show that…
View original post 15 more words
Warfighter: Middle Earth
What a wonderful analysis! I love looking at fantasy and sci-fi battles with an eye to strategy and tactics grounded in realism. I think I have found a new Twitter account to follow.
When I think of the six warfighting functions I always think of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.
What, you don’t?
Let’s be honest, one does not immediately think of fantasy or science fiction when conversations turn to Army doctrine. Most vignettes that are used to make the subject understandable to the lowly minds of company grade officers are either historical or situational. And while there is nothing wrong with this technique, are we perhaps overlooking a missed opportunity for providing a broader understanding of our doctrine?
Bear with me here.
Most of you know of my affinity for all things Star Wars, and how – as a military conflict with socio-economic and political undertones – it can actually be used to make doctrinal concepts more relatable to the average Soldier. Star Wars also has the benefit of being a significant part of American culture – more…
View original post 1,961 more words
June 21, 2017
The Five Readers You Meet in Publishing
Great article on the types of readers that a self-published indie author is especially likely to see.
As an author, you will encounter many different types of readers over the course of your career. Some will turn into adoring fans; others might remain a mystery. Here are five types of readers you’ll probably come across:
Read the full article on Goodreads.
