In my new novel, EXTRAPOLATION, I take a look at current trends and project them into the future. Does anyone still doubt that global warming is real? Does anyone doubt that the political process is controlled by the megacorporations, and that the politicians are their humble servants? "Globalization" of trade has rewoven the fabric of every society on Earth. There are positive consequences to be sure. Backward countries are finally getting a bite at the apple, which is good. However the downside is if the fabric tears on one side of the globe, the rip can run all the way around the world at the speed of the internet. What happens when all the low cost labor markets are finally exploited, when the Earth's natural resources are consumed. Where do "free markets" go from there?
EXTRAPOLATION takes a look at the possibilities surrounding the attempts to colonize other worlds in order to provide relief from the immanent catastrophe about to befall Earth, owing to our lack of good stewardship. The science is currently fiction to be sure, but stranger predictions have come true. The problem of sending biological humans into deepspace has been known for decades, and yet to be solved. Machines have been roving deepspace for decades with great aplomb. It would therefore be logical to assume that if the intelligence of humans could be combined with the robustness of machines, space travel and colonization would become a much simpler proposition. Then there is still gravity to deal with. Gravity is our good friend, except when it is not. The ability to control gravity or failing that, the ability to control the mass of an object acted on by gravity is the final missing piece of the puzzle. We will never escape the bonds of gravity in any scalable way until we can control it's effects. Until we can, it is just too hard to send any meaningful mass away from Earth, which is essential for transferring the material needed to create infrastructure elsewhere.
Read EXTRAPOLATION to see what the interaction between science, geopolitics, and the human spirit might bring in the not too distant future.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Saturday, September 25, 2010
21st Century Education
By 2014,50% of all commercial book sales are projected to be
in digital ebook form. Ereaders are now $139 each and will
continue to drop in cost. Why don't we sieze this paradigm
shift and put Ereaders in the hands of school kids?
How much money goes into textbooks every year, and how quick do
they wear out, become obsolete, or get lost? What is the cost of
stocking and staffing and housing all the dusty old school
libraries with books rarely read?
Half the reason kids don't want to do their homework is the hassle
and sheer weight of lugging around all those heavy books all day.
Have you seen the way any kid at any age will take to anything
with a dynamic display on it?
Why can't we negotiate download royalties from the textbook
companies like video rentals? Their print costs are so high
they'd jump at a $3.00 royalty/download fee on a $30.00 textbook.
This is a win/win for kids, school budgets, and content providers.
Let's leverage off the shelf technology to bring U.S. Education
into the 21st century!
You can do something about it. Write your local newspaper a
Letter to the Editor, write a letter to President Obama at
http://www.whitehouse.gov/. Speak up if you care!
P.S. Invest in eReader for your child instead of an Xbox or
Nintendo; an eMind is a terrible thing to waste.
in digital ebook form. Ereaders are now $139 each and will
continue to drop in cost. Why don't we sieze this paradigm
shift and put Ereaders in the hands of school kids?
How much money goes into textbooks every year, and how quick do
they wear out, become obsolete, or get lost? What is the cost of
stocking and staffing and housing all the dusty old school
libraries with books rarely read?
Half the reason kids don't want to do their homework is the hassle
and sheer weight of lugging around all those heavy books all day.
Have you seen the way any kid at any age will take to anything
with a dynamic display on it?
Why can't we negotiate download royalties from the textbook
companies like video rentals? Their print costs are so high
they'd jump at a $3.00 royalty/download fee on a $30.00 textbook.
This is a win/win for kids, school budgets, and content providers.
Let's leverage off the shelf technology to bring U.S. Education
into the 21st century!
You can do something about it. Write your local newspaper a
Letter to the Editor, write a letter to President Obama at
http://www.whitehouse.gov/. Speak up if you care!
P.S. Invest in eReader for your child instead of an Xbox or
Nintendo; an eMind is a terrible thing to waste.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Inital Post Labor Day 2010
Welcome to the inaugural posting!
I'm ready to give ePublishing another shot. My last attempt was ten years ago when I uploaded a Microsoft .lit file to various obscure ebook "malls". Needless to say, both my ebook and the "malls" remained in total obscurity. I went back to writing.
Then several things happened; (1) I got better at writing, (2) the print publishing world finally ate too many of their own kind, and pushed away too many up and coming authors, (3) distribution power houses like Smashword, Amazon, B&N, Borders, etc., etc., etc, came up with an inclusive business model which treats everyone fairly, and bypasses the good old boy network zealously defended by the behemoth print publishing industry.
One more thing happened, the reading public gained immediate and convenient access to a universe of authors and writings the likes not seen since Gutenberg first cranked up his press. Viva La Revolucion !!!
Log in from time to time to keep tabs on all the developments, and if you haven't already done it, give your kids an eReader for Christmas instead of an Xbox. Pick one up for yourself too. They are cheap, convenient, and you can download ebooks for less money than you'd spend on gas to go to the library.
I'm ready to give ePublishing another shot. My last attempt was ten years ago when I uploaded a Microsoft .lit file to various obscure ebook "malls". Needless to say, both my ebook and the "malls" remained in total obscurity. I went back to writing.
Then several things happened; (1) I got better at writing, (2) the print publishing world finally ate too many of their own kind, and pushed away too many up and coming authors, (3) distribution power houses like Smashword, Amazon, B&N, Borders, etc., etc., etc, came up with an inclusive business model which treats everyone fairly, and bypasses the good old boy network zealously defended by the behemoth print publishing industry.
One more thing happened, the reading public gained immediate and convenient access to a universe of authors and writings the likes not seen since Gutenberg first cranked up his press. Viva La Revolucion !!!
Log in from time to time to keep tabs on all the developments, and if you haven't already done it, give your kids an eReader for Christmas instead of an Xbox. Pick one up for yourself too. They are cheap, convenient, and you can download ebooks for less money than you'd spend on gas to go to the library.
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