Martian geysers

Speculative Science

These lovely geysers reminded me of the fun I’ve had plotting all the things that can go wrong after a colony ship reaches a new planet and gets settled in. Imagine a lovely Martian morning: rising, stretching.  Heating up a cup of cocoa to celebrate the survival of your first month on Mars, then- voomp!  A geyser bursts

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Appeasing the gods

The Human Condition

From a writer’s perspective, I was really struck by this article about the Nepali women plowing naked to appease the rain gods.  I sense a brainstorm coming on . . . just thinking of the story possibilities has me reaching for pen and paper.  But then again, when I list all the things people have done to garner favor

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Suspicion of guilty money

Rumblings

Here’s an interesting link, Federal Appeals Court: Driving With Money is a Crime, that ought to get the attention of every person who uses an atm.  I am not saying I know exactly what was going on in this situation, but I do know: Our laws hold that a person is innocent until proven guilty.  This is fundamental

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On man and native

Rumblings

I’ve been thinking how interesting it is that we label the efforts of certain hunters as ‘apropriate’ and ‘acceptable’, while the efforts of those same hunters would be disgraceful to most civilized populations if you changed the tool in his hands.  Rather than set off some war amongst the factions, I’ll avoid using modern day

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Fire walking

The Human Condition

Here’s an article at Live Science that makes my professors look boring, warmed over and buried alive.  I mean, this professor really knows how to heat things up in the classroom. 😉

Are dolphins just happy fools?

Speculative Science

Recent studies done by Paul Manger from Johannesburg’s University of the Witwatersrand indicates that dolphins may not be as bright as they’ve been given credit.   Without jumping into the fray and taking sides on the issue (I’ve never spent much time with dolphins, myself), it did get me wondering. How often do people really like smart animals?  Within dog breeds, it is

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Craft: Starving

Crafting Pieces

Peter shifted in his seat.  His stomach felt knotted and empty, and his legs were restless from their long confinement. He kept his eyes on Ms. Watson, at the head of the class, but in his fingers the pencil moved swiftly over the paper.  An image of a hotdog took shape.  A slice of pizza, complete

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Slow-motion student

Home in the Rookery

Have I mentioned I’m a student?  Probably not.  And the reason, if you must know, is that I forget between times that I’m supposed to be in school. See, I take independent study online classes, and have a year to complete them from the date I pay for the course.  This means that I work

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Having a mutant musing moment

Movies

The first X-Men movie was pretty good, and the second was also, but I still haven’t seen the third.  Partly just busy, but partly wary due to so-so reviews.  Having just re-watched the second I’m in the mood for more mutants, so I’ll probably go get the third.  But whichever mutant movie I’m watching, and I’ll

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