Another interesting idea came my way today. While I was suffering from an hangover, I dreamed up a world where civilization is intentionally cast aside every five generations. Three generation later civilization comes back together, and continues its progress.
The society that developed is obsessed with improving the human race, and uses a brutal form of natural selection to accomplish it. When the society reaches the fifth generation, all institutions are abolished, and everyone is forced to fend for themselves. What follows is three generations of brutal combat that culls the weak and allows the smartest and strongest to rise to the top.
When the third generation is born, all fighting ceases, and the old institutions are brought back. Within a week society is functioning as it did before, with the gene pool of humanity improved slightly.
Technology progresses much slower because some knowledge is invariable lost during the anarchy times, and must be rediscovered. The benefits of the system are many though. Cancer doesn't exist, life expectancy is over 180 years, eyesight is perfect, and no degenerative diseases exist.
The brutal nature of the system has created a sect of people who refuse to abandon civilization. The completely different viewpoint creates a lot of tension, which breaks out in war just before the next cycle is about to begin. The sect is hit, with the selectors worrying that when they abandon civilization, the sect will strike at them.
The story will address the nature of an extreme dog eat dog system, and what happens when two extreme points of view come into conflict.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Friday, November 6, 2009
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Playing Dice With Investments
Dividends. Why do I insist on bringing them up as the only true investment? There are many experts that will tell you when you're young that you need to invest in risky stocks to get the best return while your young enough to be able to handle the risk. I have heard that and many variations of it for a long time. Putting your money in "risky" investments is the same as walking into a casino and plunking the money down at the poker table.
Why is investing gambling? Simple. The profit yielded from a stock sale comes out of the pocket of another investor, and investor that decided to buy the stock from you at that price. Like many have learned through the recent economic crises, everything that goes up, must come down. Eventually someone is going to be left holding the bag when the price goes down. Your profit has come at the expense of someone else. Someone always has to lose in this kind of arrangement.
Why are dividends any different? Because you are participating in the economic profit that a company makes. There is less risk, and such there is less immediate turn. Over time the dividend income, reinvested, will accomplish the wonder that is compound interest. The icing on the cake is the stock price. While you are still playing roulette, the chances of the end stock price being higher is relatively high.
Playing with money that should be invested in a casino is silly. When you invest in a dividend paying stock, you are participating in the profit that the company is creating. On an open exchange, buying and selling stocks based on prices creates no wealth, just transfers it around.
Of course I'm no expert.
Why is investing gambling? Simple. The profit yielded from a stock sale comes out of the pocket of another investor, and investor that decided to buy the stock from you at that price. Like many have learned through the recent economic crises, everything that goes up, must come down. Eventually someone is going to be left holding the bag when the price goes down. Your profit has come at the expense of someone else. Someone always has to lose in this kind of arrangement.
Why are dividends any different? Because you are participating in the economic profit that a company makes. There is less risk, and such there is less immediate turn. Over time the dividend income, reinvested, will accomplish the wonder that is compound interest. The icing on the cake is the stock price. While you are still playing roulette, the chances of the end stock price being higher is relatively high.
Playing with money that should be invested in a casino is silly. When you invest in a dividend paying stock, you are participating in the profit that the company is creating. On an open exchange, buying and selling stocks based on prices creates no wealth, just transfers it around.
Of course I'm no expert.
Inferno
Immense waves of heat slammed into his body, he felt as if he had been swallowed by a tsunami. Quivering legs attempted to betray him with every step he could bring them to make. Each new wave of volcanic temperatures singed hairs down to his skin, making him thankful for remembering to pack his goggles. This was truly the hell on Earth that those crackpots had been preaching for so long.
Trudging on through the streets, pushing against each blast of heat, he continued his pursuit. Bright columns of flames now raged where houses and businesses had stood the day before. His quarry would be close; the flame would have been long dead had the Archon moved on. There was no way to stop an Archon, all hunters knew this. Talking was the only weapon he had against a potential madman.
Rounding a corner he spotted a stone wall that had managed to survive to blaze. Commanding his legs to move, he managed to arrive at the wall before he collapsed to the ground. He pulled himself up and lay up against it, glad to be out of the battering winds. Raging fires all around made the air smoky, and hotter than a sauna. There could be little doubt this Archon had lost his mind.
After a quick drink he pulled out a number of small devices, carefully considering the readings each one was displaying. Another half-dozen machines built by some fool engineer, all in the hopes of detecting an Archon. Scientific devices had long given way to a crazed scramble to create something that would work. Twenty five years of mindless destruction. Twenty five years of no answers.
“Scratch these.” He mumbled to himself.
Sighing, he closed his eyes and rested his head on the wall. Thoughts filled his head of past Archons; each unique, but still similar. Some were thought of as great heroes, some terrible villains, and a few just vanished. Many sleepless nights filled his past; nights spent trying to make a connection. Mathematicians, physicists, statisticians, and any other imaginable kind of scientist had tried and failed to find a pattern in Archon appearances.
Explosions in the distance brought him back from the painful daydream. Bringing his watch into view he sighed loudly; every minute spent wasted in a daydream meant a minute for the Archon to escape. A flickering of light through the smoke caught his eye. Through the blackness he could see something moving toward him. Without thinking he sprang to his feet, fists up for the good they would do.
Through the smoke the flicker became larger. It seemed to be accelerating each moment, and moving straight towards him.
That's all for now! I have to get working on a few other things now. I will be finishing this either later tonight or tomorrow!
Trudging on through the streets, pushing against each blast of heat, he continued his pursuit. Bright columns of flames now raged where houses and businesses had stood the day before. His quarry would be close; the flame would have been long dead had the Archon moved on. There was no way to stop an Archon, all hunters knew this. Talking was the only weapon he had against a potential madman.
Rounding a corner he spotted a stone wall that had managed to survive to blaze. Commanding his legs to move, he managed to arrive at the wall before he collapsed to the ground. He pulled himself up and lay up against it, glad to be out of the battering winds. Raging fires all around made the air smoky, and hotter than a sauna. There could be little doubt this Archon had lost his mind.
After a quick drink he pulled out a number of small devices, carefully considering the readings each one was displaying. Another half-dozen machines built by some fool engineer, all in the hopes of detecting an Archon. Scientific devices had long given way to a crazed scramble to create something that would work. Twenty five years of mindless destruction. Twenty five years of no answers.
“Scratch these.” He mumbled to himself.
Sighing, he closed his eyes and rested his head on the wall. Thoughts filled his head of past Archons; each unique, but still similar. Some were thought of as great heroes, some terrible villains, and a few just vanished. Many sleepless nights filled his past; nights spent trying to make a connection. Mathematicians, physicists, statisticians, and any other imaginable kind of scientist had tried and failed to find a pattern in Archon appearances.
Explosions in the distance brought him back from the painful daydream. Bringing his watch into view he sighed loudly; every minute spent wasted in a daydream meant a minute for the Archon to escape. A flickering of light through the smoke caught his eye. Through the blackness he could see something moving toward him. Without thinking he sprang to his feet, fists up for the good they would do.
Through the smoke the flicker became larger. It seemed to be accelerating each moment, and moving straight towards him.
That's all for now! I have to get working on a few other things now. I will be finishing this either later tonight or tomorrow!
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Pointless Post. Enjoy!
Today, like many days, was boring. Some problems I touched on yesterday were solved before noon, as a result I spent the rest of the day trying to give myself new problems to tackle. Some minor improvements were made to my ASP application, mostly adding some new search functions for the database, ho-hum.
One small bit of excitement came my way when I got the meeting invite for out next big project coming up. Unlike previous projects were I came in at the middle and had to handle clean-up at the end, I'm now in it from the start. By start of course I mean when upper management stops talking and the real work can start being done. I'm very excited to be able to shape the process from the beginning. Talking to other team members would seem to confirm my idea for the process is the route we are going to take.
Since this blog is about my interests, which do tend to change daily, I suppose I should talk about what caught my attention today. AI. It's important to note that with our current level of software and hardware an actual consciousness could never come about. The linear nature of hardware and software negates the possibility of the feed-back loops required for complex thought. Try imagining your thought process having to take intermediate breaks every time you needed to pump your heart, or take in a breath, or regulate some minor function of your body.
Someday, maybe, when the hardware allows for something infinity more complex than we have today, we may see an AI emerge. It would seem very small organic elements all separate and connected may yield something interesting.
One small bit of excitement came my way when I got the meeting invite for out next big project coming up. Unlike previous projects were I came in at the middle and had to handle clean-up at the end, I'm now in it from the start. By start of course I mean when upper management stops talking and the real work can start being done. I'm very excited to be able to shape the process from the beginning. Talking to other team members would seem to confirm my idea for the process is the route we are going to take.
Since this blog is about my interests, which do tend to change daily, I suppose I should talk about what caught my attention today. AI. It's important to note that with our current level of software and hardware an actual consciousness could never come about. The linear nature of hardware and software negates the possibility of the feed-back loops required for complex thought. Try imagining your thought process having to take intermediate breaks every time you needed to pump your heart, or take in a breath, or regulate some minor function of your body.
Someday, maybe, when the hardware allows for something infinity more complex than we have today, we may see an AI emerge. It would seem very small organic elements all separate and connected may yield something interesting.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Gambling With Your Future
I took control of my 401k today, finally re-balancing it. Only time will tell if I made the right decisions, but investing always comes with risks. I do have a unique way of seeing investing, and I mean investing, not betting. If you invest in something and it's not sharing the profits with you, congratulations, you're in Vegas. I mean dividend stocks of course. Purchase a share of the profits, don't purchase a lottery ticket.
Soon I'll be converting an old 401k into an IRA and using it for direct investments, not the limiting 401k mutual fund options. There are some interesting investment strategies I've been batting around for a while, and I'm very excited to see how thhey turn out.
Dividends, dividends, dividends. I can't stress it enough.
Soon I'll be converting an old 401k into an IRA and using it for direct investments, not the limiting 401k mutual fund options. There are some interesting investment strategies I've been batting around for a while, and I'm very excited to see how thhey turn out.
Dividends, dividends, dividends. I can't stress it enough.
Time's Horizon
Why was he hiding it? All of the Archons had to know how the power came to them, and none of them had ever been this close to breaking, but still there was only mystery. All around the earth smoked, singed by the last throws of the now dying Archon.
Streaming tears flowed down his face; he knew he was about to die. Bruises covered his twisted face, but oddly there was no blood. The Archon tried to pick himself up off the ground, but each time his arms buckled under his own weight and he hit the ground with a soft thud. His breathing was becoming more labored by the moment, and with the sun touching the horizon there couldn't be much time now.
"You can still pay penance. Don't die with this stain of blood on your hands, wash it clean. Tell me what I want to hear and you will be absolved.", said the young man with a slight snarl.
"There is nothing to tell.", the Archon managed to say between coughs.
He could still lie with a straight face, amazing. For years his predecessors had tried and failed to understand the Archons, but they missed the plainly obvious; Science was no place to seek answers when concerning the Archons, only God could bring the power to the world in such a fashion. This fool, this dying fool couldn't see how he was an instrument through which God acted.
With an pronounced effort the Archon roughly pushed himself into an ackward sitting position, staring straight into the setting sun, never blinking. Quietly the Archon sat, and he stood watching the setting sun. Turning his head slowly the Archon managed a strained smile at him.
"I have been hunted by your kind for six long months", the Archon said while slowly turning back toward the sun. "So many died trying to find out some secret I never had. All in the name of science they told me; for the greater good."
Nodding slowly, although not agreeing the young man continued his gaze into the sun.
"You think God gave me this power." he said smiling with all his teeth bared. "God would never have a hand in something so evil; no this power doesn't come from the divine."
"God works his will Archon, not even you can know his plan for us all."
Slowly the Archons eyes began to close, his breathe slowed, and his smile melted away. "I know this hunter, my poor fool. Your fate is to find the answer, but it will destroy you."
Slumping to the ground the Archon exhaled for the last time. Along the horizon the last slivers of light vanished behind the ground. Another Archon had already been chosen. Time was something he was always short of, time needed to find the next Archon, time to stop the world from being destroyed.
Quickly he pulled his cellphone from his pocket and dialed it. When the other end picked up he instinctively typed out a code on the keypad. When the voice came back "Confirmed" he raised the phone to his ear.
"Archon, code Thomas confirmed dead. Initiate search."
After a short pause came a mechanistic "Confirmed" from the cell phone. Soon he would be hunting the next Archon, with each one bringing the end of the world that much closer.
Streaming tears flowed down his face; he knew he was about to die. Bruises covered his twisted face, but oddly there was no blood. The Archon tried to pick himself up off the ground, but each time his arms buckled under his own weight and he hit the ground with a soft thud. His breathing was becoming more labored by the moment, and with the sun touching the horizon there couldn't be much time now.
"You can still pay penance. Don't die with this stain of blood on your hands, wash it clean. Tell me what I want to hear and you will be absolved.", said the young man with a slight snarl.
"There is nothing to tell.", the Archon managed to say between coughs.
He could still lie with a straight face, amazing. For years his predecessors had tried and failed to understand the Archons, but they missed the plainly obvious; Science was no place to seek answers when concerning the Archons, only God could bring the power to the world in such a fashion. This fool, this dying fool couldn't see how he was an instrument through which God acted.
With an pronounced effort the Archon roughly pushed himself into an ackward sitting position, staring straight into the setting sun, never blinking. Quietly the Archon sat, and he stood watching the setting sun. Turning his head slowly the Archon managed a strained smile at him.
"I have been hunted by your kind for six long months", the Archon said while slowly turning back toward the sun. "So many died trying to find out some secret I never had. All in the name of science they told me; for the greater good."
Nodding slowly, although not agreeing the young man continued his gaze into the sun.
"You think God gave me this power." he said smiling with all his teeth bared. "God would never have a hand in something so evil; no this power doesn't come from the divine."
"God works his will Archon, not even you can know his plan for us all."
Slowly the Archons eyes began to close, his breathe slowed, and his smile melted away. "I know this hunter, my poor fool. Your fate is to find the answer, but it will destroy you."
Slumping to the ground the Archon exhaled for the last time. Along the horizon the last slivers of light vanished behind the ground. Another Archon had already been chosen. Time was something he was always short of, time needed to find the next Archon, time to stop the world from being destroyed.
Quickly he pulled his cellphone from his pocket and dialed it. When the other end picked up he instinctively typed out a code on the keypad. When the voice came back "Confirmed" he raised the phone to his ear.
"Archon, code Thomas confirmed dead. Initiate search."
After a short pause came a mechanistic "Confirmed" from the cell phone. Soon he would be hunting the next Archon, with each one bringing the end of the world that much closer.
Buggy Script of DOOM!
There is one issue with VBscript that I was aware of, but didn't pay it much mind; it is nearly impossible to debug. When I got the script working on my PC and a few others I thought I was home free, oh how wrong I was.
I moved to another PC, confident that I would be able to quickly install the script and move on. I ran a test of the script, only to find it wasn't working. After some quick debugging I found the culprit line of code, which didn't make any sense. If it worked on a number of other PCs, why would this one not work?
Then I remembered some random update that came down a while ago that crippled another macro of mine. It changed the window to cause a cross-scripting error. I still don't know how this is possible because the window doesn't use any frames that I can find, but once I added the site to my list of trusted sites the problem went away.
My natural conclusion was that this was the problem. I added the site to the trusted ones, and even lowered a few cross-scripting rules along with some activeX ones just for good measure, and nothing. I played with the PC for about an hour, and nothing would work, the same line of code still bombed out.
Eventually I decided it was best to see how the settings do tomorrow. I've experienced in the past how IE settings can take a VERY long time to actually take affect. So I'm hoping that tomorrow the PC will work. I have one more security trick left, but otherwise I'm at a loss. I like to blame Microsoft, since it's easier than blaming me.
I moved to another PC, confident that I would be able to quickly install the script and move on. I ran a test of the script, only to find it wasn't working. After some quick debugging I found the culprit line of code, which didn't make any sense. If it worked on a number of other PCs, why would this one not work?
Then I remembered some random update that came down a while ago that crippled another macro of mine. It changed the window to cause a cross-scripting error. I still don't know how this is possible because the window doesn't use any frames that I can find, but once I added the site to my list of trusted sites the problem went away.
My natural conclusion was that this was the problem. I added the site to the trusted ones, and even lowered a few cross-scripting rules along with some activeX ones just for good measure, and nothing. I played with the PC for about an hour, and nothing would work, the same line of code still bombed out.
Eventually I decided it was best to see how the settings do tomorrow. I've experienced in the past how IE settings can take a VERY long time to actually take affect. So I'm hoping that tomorrow the PC will work. I have one more security trick left, but otherwise I'm at a loss. I like to blame Microsoft, since it's easier than blaming me.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Charity Case
I feel rather good at the moment. I just helped out a charity from half-way around the world be more efficient with their data processing. Good stuff I say.
Battle of the Archons
I've been thinking that the Archon story might be better in a mystery format. With a set of main characters trying to figure out where the power comes from. I think I'll create a list of possible causes and make whatever I present as evidence work for all of them.
The format should be short story, with each story about a new Archon, reaching a climax when one of the Archons survives the six month mark, and another Archon appears as expected. The new Archon becomes insane with rage at having to share the power, which sets of a titanic battle across the world. The main characters race to discover the secret of the Archons before the world is torn apart.
The format should be short story, with each story about a new Archon, reaching a climax when one of the Archons survives the six month mark, and another Archon appears as expected. The new Archon becomes insane with rage at having to share the power, which sets of a titanic battle across the world. The main characters race to discover the secret of the Archons before the world is torn apart.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Archons In Time
While sitting in class during a lecture I had the most interesting idea for a story, oir rather a series of short stories that builds up to a main arc I suppose. I really want to get it down here mostly because I know no one will ever read it, and if I do by some miracle end up writing the full story I won't have to worry about spoiling it for anyone.
Set in an alternate reality of the present day. For 25 years a few people have suddenly come into strange and powerful abilities. Only one person at a time ever exhibits the powers, and they only live for 6 months, after which time most die of a heart attack. Over the years many different type of people have the acquired the power. Some have used it for good and evil, while others chose to seclude themselves until they die.
Many people have studied the phenomenon with no answers. There are no apparent statistical trends, leading many to believe the power is completely random in its selection. The appears to be no bias in gender, race, or geographical location. Only a few differences have crept in over the years. Some have died prematurely, but only after extreme exertion.
I'll be writing more about this later as I go over my notes again, I wrote a lot in a short amount of time, but now it's bedtime!
Set in an alternate reality of the present day. For 25 years a few people have suddenly come into strange and powerful abilities. Only one person at a time ever exhibits the powers, and they only live for 6 months, after which time most die of a heart attack. Over the years many different type of people have the acquired the power. Some have used it for good and evil, while others chose to seclude themselves until they die.
Many people have studied the phenomenon with no answers. There are no apparent statistical trends, leading many to believe the power is completely random in its selection. The appears to be no bias in gender, race, or geographical location. Only a few differences have crept in over the years. Some have died prematurely, but only after extreme exertion.
I'll be writing more about this later as I go over my notes again, I wrote a lot in a short amount of time, but now it's bedtime!
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Scripts Everywhere, and not an App to Run
In another entry of my series on my novice attempt at programming, I will be talking about Vbscript. When looking for references and tutorials you will inevitably locate guides for internet related VBscript, while my need at the moment is decidedly system based.
Lucky for me I know enough about VBscript to get me started. I was able to create an executable Vbscript file that didn't crash or exit. It maintained a healthy non-invasive loop that did exactly what I needed it to do. Once I had that little issue out of the way, which I might say was no small feat, I moved onto my arch nemesis; Internet Explorer.
So now I have this working VBscript that handles the system side requirements, but I still need it to reach out an touch an active IE window. Once I discovered the way to get the collection of shell windows it was pretty easy to start running head on into the brick wall of IE.
I spent most of my day trying to get a stupid onclick event working. Of course you can't just add it as a damn attribute, which it is; you have you use a special method to add the onclick event, which of course isn't supported by Microsoft's own webcontrol. Great! I finally just had to inject some Javascript into the damn document to add the event.
What I learned is that Microsoft can't handle a process from its own method, you have to use a third-party solution. Microsoft continues to amaze me, and don't even get me fucking started on the cross-frame scripting issue. Why I can't access an Iframe that in IE from my own damn machine is beyond me.
Lucky for me I know enough about VBscript to get me started. I was able to create an executable Vbscript file that didn't crash or exit. It maintained a healthy non-invasive loop that did exactly what I needed it to do. Once I had that little issue out of the way, which I might say was no small feat, I moved onto my arch nemesis; Internet Explorer.
So now I have this working VBscript that handles the system side requirements, but I still need it to reach out an touch an active IE window. Once I discovered the way to get the collection of shell windows it was pretty easy to start running head on into the brick wall of IE.
I spent most of my day trying to get a stupid onclick event working. Of course you can't just add it as a damn attribute, which it is; you have you use a special method to add the onclick event, which of course isn't supported by Microsoft's own webcontrol. Great! I finally just had to inject some Javascript into the damn document to add the event.
What I learned is that Microsoft can't handle a process from its own method, you have to use a third-party solution. Microsoft continues to amaze me, and don't even get me fucking started on the cross-frame scripting issue. Why I can't access an Iframe that in IE from my own damn machine is beyond me.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Maximun Warp (XML style)
Thanks to my rather quick education in ASP yesterday, I was able to bypass my companies GUI in both queries and updates. I no longer have to worry about the Internet Explorer window crashing right in the middle of 10000 updates. The good news is I went from an average update time of 3-4 seconds to a consistent 70 milliseconds. A large improvement!
Sending the query to the server eats about 35 milliseconds. The server spits out a HTML page that is used for an IFRAME. I than have to turn this HTML junk into a usable XML string; this process eats up another 30 milliseconds. From here I make the update to the XML string, and then send it back to the server with an update tag attached; this only takes around 7 milliseconds!
My queries should go a lot quicker now, I don't have to make an update or convert the HTML into XML. I could feasibly run queries that respond in 35 milliseconds, and considering this is through the httprequest method, that's not too bad at all! I could run through 10000 customer entries in under an hour!
Sending the query to the server eats about 35 milliseconds. The server spits out a HTML page that is used for an IFRAME. I than have to turn this HTML junk into a usable XML string; this process eats up another 30 milliseconds. From here I make the update to the XML string, and then send it back to the server with an update tag attached; this only takes around 7 milliseconds!
My queries should go a lot quicker now, I don't have to make an update or convert the HTML into XML. I could feasibly run queries that respond in 35 milliseconds, and considering this is through the httprequest method, that's not too bad at all! I could run through 10000 customer entries in under an hour!
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Automating a Dynamic Webpage
Today I created my first asp page. Nothing fancy of course, but it allows for some interesting manipulations of the HTML DOM. It makes what I do at work make a lot more sense now though.
Normally I just work on the client side of things. I became sick and tired of having to automate our GUI with basic webcontrol functions. I knew there had to be a quicker way. I eventually discovered how the form submit works, and reverse engineered how the client requested and updated the database through the GUI. I was able to build hundreds of scripts that allowed for very quick scraping and updating processes. But I really didn't know how the XML updates I was running were actually working.
Now that I've had time to play on my own ASP server, I can see how the GET and POST functions actually work. The SQL behind what I'm doing is still invisible of course, but knowing what's happening makes a lot of sense now.
I should be able to leverage this knowledge at work to further increase the speed of what I'm doing. I only which I could get the raw ASP page to see the SQL side of the request.
Normally I just work on the client side of things. I became sick and tired of having to automate our GUI with basic webcontrol functions. I knew there had to be a quicker way. I eventually discovered how the form submit works, and reverse engineered how the client requested and updated the database through the GUI. I was able to build hundreds of scripts that allowed for very quick scraping and updating processes. But I really didn't know how the XML updates I was running were actually working.
Now that I've had time to play on my own ASP server, I can see how the GET and POST functions actually work. The SQL behind what I'm doing is still invisible of course, but knowing what's happening makes a lot of sense now.
I should be able to leverage this knowledge at work to further increase the speed of what I'm doing. I only which I could get the raw ASP page to see the SQL side of the request.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
The Three Dimensional Illusion
How a one dimensional universe can appear to be three dimensional.
Imagine two particles; particle A, and particle B. From the vantage point of each particle, the other appears to be orbiting around it. There are two scenarios that would lead to this happening. One of the particles is either spinning, or one is rotating around the other.
With only two particles available, in a one dimensional setting, there is no way to determine how the particles are actually behaving without another reference. This leads to the concept of only two measurements; distance and spin. Meaning in our one dimensional universe, particles can only spin, and measure a distance to another particle.
By introducing a third particle we can now determine how the two particles are actually behaving in relation to each other. The behavior can be determined by measuring the distance of both particles. If neither is changing, than we know one of them is spinning. If one is moving, than we know that is the orbiting particle. Of course both could be moving, in which case a careful measuring of the change in distances would yield the relationship between the particles.
What we know have is a universe of one dimension, distance. Each particle would have a unique distance to each other particle along the one dimensional spectrum. This matrix of distances on a massive scale gives rise to the illusion of three dimensional space.
Now we have an interesting framework to describe how a one dimensional universe can look three dimensional. The only problem is that it isn’t complete. There are times when an array of distances will causes a particle to not match what we would expect to see in a three dimension space.
Assume particle A is 1m away from B, and 1m away from C, but C is 10m away from B. This would prevent a 3d illusion from forming within these particles. What might happen though is that the violating particle would simply vanish from sight. It still exists in the universe, but because it doesn’t follow the rule for an established 3d system it cannot be visible, but it could still interact.
This allows for there to be a vast number of particles all around you, but not visible because the distances between it and other particles don’t conform to the 3D rules. Because they are still particles though, they would exert a force on everything around them, like gravity and so on. This might be an explanation for dark matter. We can’t see it because it doesn’t behave correctly in the 3D rule set, but because it still exerts a force we can see its affects on other matter.
Imagine two particles; particle A, and particle B. From the vantage point of each particle, the other appears to be orbiting around it. There are two scenarios that would lead to this happening. One of the particles is either spinning, or one is rotating around the other.
With only two particles available, in a one dimensional setting, there is no way to determine how the particles are actually behaving without another reference. This leads to the concept of only two measurements; distance and spin. Meaning in our one dimensional universe, particles can only spin, and measure a distance to another particle.
By introducing a third particle we can now determine how the two particles are actually behaving in relation to each other. The behavior can be determined by measuring the distance of both particles. If neither is changing, than we know one of them is spinning. If one is moving, than we know that is the orbiting particle. Of course both could be moving, in which case a careful measuring of the change in distances would yield the relationship between the particles.
What we know have is a universe of one dimension, distance. Each particle would have a unique distance to each other particle along the one dimensional spectrum. This matrix of distances on a massive scale gives rise to the illusion of three dimensional space.
Now we have an interesting framework to describe how a one dimensional universe can look three dimensional. The only problem is that it isn’t complete. There are times when an array of distances will causes a particle to not match what we would expect to see in a three dimension space.
Assume particle A is 1m away from B, and 1m away from C, but C is 10m away from B. This would prevent a 3d illusion from forming within these particles. What might happen though is that the violating particle would simply vanish from sight. It still exists in the universe, but because it doesn’t follow the rule for an established 3d system it cannot be visible, but it could still interact.
This allows for there to be a vast number of particles all around you, but not visible because the distances between it and other particles don’t conform to the 3D rules. Because they are still particles though, they would exert a force on everything around them, like gravity and so on. This might be an explanation for dark matter. We can’t see it because it doesn’t behave correctly in the 3D rule set, but because it still exerts a force we can see its affects on other matter.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Self-Enforced Ignorance
Humanity was destined to break apart. It only took a few generations for the split to occur. The very moment it can be traced to was when the lower social classes created a culture that celebrated their lack of education and wisdom. For generations it was everyone's ambition to climb the social ladder, but when the lower classes cast away that ambition humanity could never be one again.
Classes morphed into castes within years. This new caste system was rigid, but not in the historical fashion. The lower caste despised those above, and any who were not born into the lower caste were shunned. Upper castes over the years merged into one caste as the educational system, hated by the lower caste, become perfected.
Nations fell away over the years, except for one. The lower caste threw away the democratic traditions of the hated "elites", and replaced it with a theocracy born of hate and ignorance. This new religious order preached the destruction of the heathen elites and only through their death would God bring about the rapture.
The theocracy had numerical superiority, while the democracy had a clear technological advantage. Small skirmishes were not uncommon along the border as members of the theocracy made food raids due to famine.
Over the top story? maybe...
Classes morphed into castes within years. This new caste system was rigid, but not in the historical fashion. The lower caste despised those above, and any who were not born into the lower caste were shunned. Upper castes over the years merged into one caste as the educational system, hated by the lower caste, become perfected.
Nations fell away over the years, except for one. The lower caste threw away the democratic traditions of the hated "elites", and replaced it with a theocracy born of hate and ignorance. This new religious order preached the destruction of the heathen elites and only through their death would God bring about the rapture.
The theocracy had numerical superiority, while the democracy had a clear technological advantage. Small skirmishes were not uncommon along the border as members of the theocracy made food raids due to famine.
Over the top story? maybe...
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Stories From Above
When I was a child I heard all of the stories. Passed down through the generations, slightly changed with each telling. Who knows how the stories were originally told in the way back time of before. Every story has the same theme, the great society is on its way. Stories told to placate the children, make them work for the perfect world they have all been taught is coming. There is a truth in those stories, but not the one that people think it is.
Perfection is not the truth in the stories, no, striving for perfection is truth that has been lost over the years. The divine will not drop perfection down upon us from the sky as a gift, all must strive to make our world more perfect than when they remember it being. The truth, which you will not hear out there in this world has become so twisted that it will never be found again.
Maybe the stories did come from the divine, or maybe some elders created them with a spark of hope, but it doesn't matter now. This world is now moving away from perfection, forced down the path of chaos by the people who preach about the coming perfect world. This is why I wander, this is why I have learned to make my own way; society will feed upon itself until only those who can provide for themselves will be left.
A personal favorite story of mine is 'Kafun the Noble Pauper' This is the first tale I remember being told. It focuses around an older poor man who gives away most of his earnings to the other poor, only to find out that the rich had been pretending to be poor in order to get his money. Instead of confronting the impersonator, the pauper continues to give away his money to the rich man. One day the rich man comes by and asks him why he still gave him the money when the pauper knew he was rich. The poor pauper smiles and says that if the rich man was willing to go through all of the trouble to appear poor to get his money, he must need it more than he did.
Perfection is not the truth in the stories, no, striving for perfection is truth that has been lost over the years. The divine will not drop perfection down upon us from the sky as a gift, all must strive to make our world more perfect than when they remember it being. The truth, which you will not hear out there in this world has become so twisted that it will never be found again.
Maybe the stories did come from the divine, or maybe some elders created them with a spark of hope, but it doesn't matter now. This world is now moving away from perfection, forced down the path of chaos by the people who preach about the coming perfect world. This is why I wander, this is why I have learned to make my own way; society will feed upon itself until only those who can provide for themselves will be left.
A personal favorite story of mine is 'Kafun the Noble Pauper' This is the first tale I remember being told. It focuses around an older poor man who gives away most of his earnings to the other poor, only to find out that the rich had been pretending to be poor in order to get his money. Instead of confronting the impersonator, the pauper continues to give away his money to the rich man. One day the rich man comes by and asks him why he still gave him the money when the pauper knew he was rich. The poor pauper smiles and says that if the rich man was willing to go through all of the trouble to appear poor to get his money, he must need it more than he did.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Men of Reason and Science
The flash was of great interest to the scientific community. An all inclusive brilliant flash of soft blue light. Without a warning and leaving no evidence behind, the flash came and went in a few seconds. The media filled their twenty-four hour news cycle with fantastical theories about the light. Every imaginable group received their fifteen minutes to explain what it meant.
The light heralded everything; the second coming of Christ, the rapture, Armageddon, alien contact, the beginning of a new dawn, and the end of days. All weighed in, and all knew they were right, except for the men of reason and science.
They were few, these men. Countless hours were spent analyzing every video from every camera that happened to be on when it happened, every scientific instrument that was taking measurements, and every account of strange happenings since was read and reread. There were no answers, only more questions.
Thousands of scientists and thinkers congregated together. Within the walls of the most advanced scientific facility of their day, these men toiled for answers. Every measurement was run and compared in massive super-computers, each result compared to another. An infinite number of calculations, yielding nothing but more questions.
Ethologists noticed the strange and chaotic behavior common animals started to exhibit. Botanists measured that the growth rate of plants was accelerating. Physicists grew concerned that a strange and pervasive energy field was being detected in all directions. Geneticists grew ever more troubled that the mutation rate in cellular division was growing rapidly. Chemists watched as long understood chemical processes began yielding completely new results.
Within those walls these few became cut-off from the rest of the world. So engrossed in research had they become that the terrible reality unfolding outside had gone unnoticed. The facility provided every need, and the research provided for the want. Days melded into weeks, which melted into months, which grew into years.
Pursuit of the truth became a generational drive. New questions drove them on, and new evidence wet their collective appetite for knowledge. Earth and the rest of humanity became lost to them, as surely as they had been lost to all of humanity.
Among all of the evidence collected, the most startling piece had been over-looked. These few were changing into something else. It had gone unnoticed as it happened over the generations, but had one only looked back instead of forward, it would have been all to clear.
The few, who had become many, were human no more.
The light heralded everything; the second coming of Christ, the rapture, Armageddon, alien contact, the beginning of a new dawn, and the end of days. All weighed in, and all knew they were right, except for the men of reason and science.
They were few, these men. Countless hours were spent analyzing every video from every camera that happened to be on when it happened, every scientific instrument that was taking measurements, and every account of strange happenings since was read and reread. There were no answers, only more questions.
Thousands of scientists and thinkers congregated together. Within the walls of the most advanced scientific facility of their day, these men toiled for answers. Every measurement was run and compared in massive super-computers, each result compared to another. An infinite number of calculations, yielding nothing but more questions.
Ethologists noticed the strange and chaotic behavior common animals started to exhibit. Botanists measured that the growth rate of plants was accelerating. Physicists grew concerned that a strange and pervasive energy field was being detected in all directions. Geneticists grew ever more troubled that the mutation rate in cellular division was growing rapidly. Chemists watched as long understood chemical processes began yielding completely new results.
Within those walls these few became cut-off from the rest of the world. So engrossed in research had they become that the terrible reality unfolding outside had gone unnoticed. The facility provided every need, and the research provided for the want. Days melded into weeks, which melted into months, which grew into years.
Pursuit of the truth became a generational drive. New questions drove them on, and new evidence wet their collective appetite for knowledge. Earth and the rest of humanity became lost to them, as surely as they had been lost to all of humanity.
Among all of the evidence collected, the most startling piece had been over-looked. These few were changing into something else. It had gone unnoticed as it happened over the generations, but had one only looked back instead of forward, it would have been all to clear.
The few, who had become many, were human no more.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Trickster Among us
The many beings that could be classified as deities are as diverse as any group found in the world. Due to their mortal origins they have each had unique childhoods and experiences before discovering their abilities. There are deities who grew up as farmers, the offspring of rich lords, and even an orphan or two. These diverse backgrounds create vastly different approaches to how and why they use their powers in the mortal world.
Deities are forbidden from directly interfering with world events by an edict created long ago by the strongest amongst them. Failure to adhere is an instant death penalty. This absolute rule still leaves a large amount of latitude for which a deity can operate. They can guide events to make it seem like chance or luck, use the weather to aid or harm, appear in visions, pretend to be a lower being in order to influence, or anything else which a mortal will not see it as a deity directly interfering.
Among the ranks of deities are those who influence for peace, for war, don’t influence at all, some who are tricksters, some that only concern themselves with nature, but there is one among them who has a completely different goal. His only goal is to experience everything possible for a mortal to experience.
He has no name that he can recall, and the other deities either don’t know who he is or are uninterested in his exploits. Among his brethren only 3 are older, and only the oldest is ever interested in hearing his stories. He has lived countless lives throughout the world and will never be satisfied until he feels he has lived them all.
There is little doubt he is the world’s greatest actor. He will throw himself completely into the part, and then do his very best to think of an interesting way to exit the part. An expert at faking his own death he normally takes a grandiose approach to ending a character.
Deities are forbidden from directly interfering with world events by an edict created long ago by the strongest amongst them. Failure to adhere is an instant death penalty. This absolute rule still leaves a large amount of latitude for which a deity can operate. They can guide events to make it seem like chance or luck, use the weather to aid or harm, appear in visions, pretend to be a lower being in order to influence, or anything else which a mortal will not see it as a deity directly interfering.
Among the ranks of deities are those who influence for peace, for war, don’t influence at all, some who are tricksters, some that only concern themselves with nature, but there is one among them who has a completely different goal. His only goal is to experience everything possible for a mortal to experience.
He has no name that he can recall, and the other deities either don’t know who he is or are uninterested in his exploits. Among his brethren only 3 are older, and only the oldest is ever interested in hearing his stories. He has lived countless lives throughout the world and will never be satisfied until he feels he has lived them all.
There is little doubt he is the world’s greatest actor. He will throw himself completely into the part, and then do his very best to think of an interesting way to exit the part. An expert at faking his own death he normally takes a grandiose approach to ending a character.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Nothing to Write About
Today is one of those days where I can't get the creative juices flowing. I attribute this to the type of work I do. On a busy day I need to be very logical and carefully analyze a lot of complex problems. I find my brain isn't terrible creative after a tough day of rigid logical thinking. Although I solved a large series of problems, and was able to improve on a critical process, I am always depressed when I can't think of something interesting to write about.
So here I am, writing about nothing in particular, mostly because I promised myself I would keep posting as often as I could here. I don't want this to become just another site I've made that has vanished into nothingness. So far I've been very active, but this is simply because I haven't limited myself to one topic.
Recently I've been focusing on a fantasy world I've written about before, and have though about a lot over the years. I really don't know how long I'll keep that going. I love expanding the world, but I move in phases when it comes to my desire to write about. I might move into some photoshop projects later, or maybe something else.
I am going to Maryland next month I hope. Should be an interesting time. I get to see a good old friend, and she knows how to have a great time, so I can't wait to hit the scene over on the East Coast. Later this summer I am hoping to head to San Fransisco for a week or so. I really don't travel much, so this should be a hell of a lot of fun!
One thing I know for sure is that no matter what I do, I can never be satisfied because of that stupid drive within. Although I did read a study that there are far more women than men out East, so who knows!
Well, enough with this particular post, something is bubbling up from the depths of my mind. When it takes shape I'll get it down here.
So here I am, writing about nothing in particular, mostly because I promised myself I would keep posting as often as I could here. I don't want this to become just another site I've made that has vanished into nothingness. So far I've been very active, but this is simply because I haven't limited myself to one topic.
Recently I've been focusing on a fantasy world I've written about before, and have though about a lot over the years. I really don't know how long I'll keep that going. I love expanding the world, but I move in phases when it comes to my desire to write about. I might move into some photoshop projects later, or maybe something else.
I am going to Maryland next month I hope. Should be an interesting time. I get to see a good old friend, and she knows how to have a great time, so I can't wait to hit the scene over on the East Coast. Later this summer I am hoping to head to San Fransisco for a week or so. I really don't travel much, so this should be a hell of a lot of fun!
One thing I know for sure is that no matter what I do, I can never be satisfied because of that stupid drive within. Although I did read a study that there are far more women than men out East, so who knows!
Well, enough with this particular post, something is bubbling up from the depths of my mind. When it takes shape I'll get it down here.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
The Last Words of the Unknown Wanderer
These are the last thoughts of a wanderer that happened to be holding a magical scroll that was able to capture what was going through his mind just before his death. We don't know who he was, but because this scroll suddenly stops like it does we know he is no longer living. If anyone knows who this person might be, please contact us so we can notify the family.
'... Come on! You damned lock open!
I can not believe that I've come all this way through the Wild Lands to be stopped by a rusted lock. One more twist... YES! finally.
Careful, careful. No traps, good. Carefully push the door open now, not too fast.
There does not seem to be anything living here, I suppose that lock kept the bigger animals out all this time. Slowly now, wait for the eyes to adjust. No reason to make it this far and be killed by a silly trap on the inside.
Timor will beg me for weeks to know where this place is. I can not wait to keep him dangling about this place.'
...
'Gods of legend protect me. An orb? It's so small. No traps around the orb, this is not right. The orb must be trapped itself. No mage would go to all this trouble to have a simple lock protecting it. There are no other rooms here, nothing else of value, this must be what I was told about, but it's so small...'
'This spell detection amulet better have been worth the gold. Here I go, not too close now, slow... slow.... Nothing, no active spells. There must be a spell! The orb is glowing, there must be a spell. Damned amulet, just junk.
Simple plan, take the bag and put it over the orb, push it into the bag and get out. It has worked before, and this time is no different.
Put the bag over the orb... done... now push the orb off the pedestal... done... time to go!
'This orb is damned strange. No apparent spells, but it glows. How am I going to sell this piece of junk with no enchantments! I'll have to find a diviner again. I should be able to find a cheap one on the way to the bazaar.
What was that?!'
"Who's there! Show yourself!"
'This damn place has me on edge. If someone was around I would know.
I bet I could sell this to one of the old mages I know, they are always looking to study this old enchanted junk. The glow will make them think there is some secret hidden within, a secret worth a lot of gold!'
"I heard you! Quit hiding and come out now!"
'Enough of this game. Someone must have followed me out. It came from the South West, I'll circle around and catch him from the back. This location is empty now, so I don't have to fight him about the secret.
Fast, come on faster!
This should be far enough, now to start curving back toward the campsite.
Odd, this is where the sound was coming from... No tracks either... Even the grass isn't disturbed.
Someone has to be out there, I suppose it could be a beast... No.. it wouldn't be toying with me if it were. I'll hide here for a moment and see if he makes another mistake.'
'Damnit! Still hiding is he?! Or maybe I'm just driving myself crazy... I have been out in the Wild Lands for a long time, maybe I'm just getting too jumpy out here. Sleep ought to get me in the right mind tomorrow.'
...
"Muh... huh..... What! Stop, come back!"
'Who the hell was that! He was in my pack, he must have been after the orb. He wants to take it and sell it himself, bastard!'
"Come back scum! Face me in honor, don't run you coward!"
'I know I saw him run this way. He must be nearby, waiting to ambush me no doubt. If I stay low he won't be able to see me. Where are you bastard.
Somewhere near here, he must be!'
"Damned thief! My dagger aches for your blood! Show yourself!"
'He's hiding again... I better make sure he doesn't double-back and take the orb. All the way out here and someone managed to track me the whole way without me noticing. And now I'm having to play a stupid game of hide just like a child.
Good the orb is still here, bastard was too slow. I better keep it on me, he'll have to get close if he wants to try it again.
I can't sleep now, it's just what he is waiting for.
Maybe I should pretend to sleep and draw him in. Perfect! He'll get close and I'll run him through. The scum doesn't deserve to live the way he is skulking around.'
...
'Closer.... closer.... I hear you... closer.
Sneaking up so slowly, you have no idea your life is about to end. Just a little closer scum.'
"Die scum!"
'Impossible! How did he dodge my strike. He moved so fast, but I saw his hand was reaching for the orb, now I know he is after it!'
"Bastard! Thief! I will run you through!"
'He's close, I can hear him running through the grass. The dark will not save you this time.
Slowing down it would seem, soon I'll be rid of this thief for good.'
"You're not far, and you won't get away this time scum!"
'Close now, I can smell him! There is nowhere for him to hide!
There he is! He can't escape me now.
Keep running, run... run....
Almost there, I see him, only a few steps ahead. It's been so long since I've had to kill another wanderer, so long. Scum, try and steal from me!'
"Gods of Legend save me!
Stay back! No! Stop! Friend, save me! Help!
Damn you beast! I will not be your meal this night!
Come to me beast! I will skin you!"
"GAh! Mhmfmfm...."
'... Come on! You damned lock open!
I can not believe that I've come all this way through the Wild Lands to be stopped by a rusted lock. One more twist... YES! finally.
Careful, careful. No traps, good. Carefully push the door open now, not too fast.
There does not seem to be anything living here, I suppose that lock kept the bigger animals out all this time. Slowly now, wait for the eyes to adjust. No reason to make it this far and be killed by a silly trap on the inside.
Timor will beg me for weeks to know where this place is. I can not wait to keep him dangling about this place.'
...
'Gods of legend protect me. An orb? It's so small. No traps around the orb, this is not right. The orb must be trapped itself. No mage would go to all this trouble to have a simple lock protecting it. There are no other rooms here, nothing else of value, this must be what I was told about, but it's so small...'
'This spell detection amulet better have been worth the gold. Here I go, not too close now, slow... slow.... Nothing, no active spells. There must be a spell! The orb is glowing, there must be a spell. Damned amulet, just junk.
Simple plan, take the bag and put it over the orb, push it into the bag and get out. It has worked before, and this time is no different.
Put the bag over the orb... done... now push the orb off the pedestal... done... time to go!
'This orb is damned strange. No apparent spells, but it glows. How am I going to sell this piece of junk with no enchantments! I'll have to find a diviner again. I should be able to find a cheap one on the way to the bazaar.
What was that?!'
"Who's there! Show yourself!"
'This damn place has me on edge. If someone was around I would know.
I bet I could sell this to one of the old mages I know, they are always looking to study this old enchanted junk. The glow will make them think there is some secret hidden within, a secret worth a lot of gold!'
"I heard you! Quit hiding and come out now!"
'Enough of this game. Someone must have followed me out. It came from the South West, I'll circle around and catch him from the back. This location is empty now, so I don't have to fight him about the secret.
Fast, come on faster!
This should be far enough, now to start curving back toward the campsite.
Odd, this is where the sound was coming from... No tracks either... Even the grass isn't disturbed.
Someone has to be out there, I suppose it could be a beast... No.. it wouldn't be toying with me if it were. I'll hide here for a moment and see if he makes another mistake.'
'Damnit! Still hiding is he?! Or maybe I'm just driving myself crazy... I have been out in the Wild Lands for a long time, maybe I'm just getting too jumpy out here. Sleep ought to get me in the right mind tomorrow.'
...
"Muh... huh..... What! Stop, come back!"
'Who the hell was that! He was in my pack, he must have been after the orb. He wants to take it and sell it himself, bastard!'
"Come back scum! Face me in honor, don't run you coward!"
'I know I saw him run this way. He must be nearby, waiting to ambush me no doubt. If I stay low he won't be able to see me. Where are you bastard.
Somewhere near here, he must be!'
"Damned thief! My dagger aches for your blood! Show yourself!"
'He's hiding again... I better make sure he doesn't double-back and take the orb. All the way out here and someone managed to track me the whole way without me noticing. And now I'm having to play a stupid game of hide just like a child.
Good the orb is still here, bastard was too slow. I better keep it on me, he'll have to get close if he wants to try it again.
I can't sleep now, it's just what he is waiting for.
Maybe I should pretend to sleep and draw him in. Perfect! He'll get close and I'll run him through. The scum doesn't deserve to live the way he is skulking around.'
...
'Closer.... closer.... I hear you... closer.
Sneaking up so slowly, you have no idea your life is about to end. Just a little closer scum.'
"Die scum!"
'Impossible! How did he dodge my strike. He moved so fast, but I saw his hand was reaching for the orb, now I know he is after it!'
"Bastard! Thief! I will run you through!"
'He's close, I can hear him running through the grass. The dark will not save you this time.
Slowing down it would seem, soon I'll be rid of this thief for good.'
"You're not far, and you won't get away this time scum!"
'Close now, I can smell him! There is nowhere for him to hide!
There he is! He can't escape me now.
Keep running, run... run....
Almost there, I see him, only a few steps ahead. It's been so long since I've had to kill another wanderer, so long. Scum, try and steal from me!'
"Gods of Legend save me!
Stay back! No! Stop! Friend, save me! Help!
Damn you beast! I will not be your meal this night!
Come to me beast! I will skin you!"
"GAh! Mhmfmfm...."
Terrain Across the Lands
There are many different types of lands, some familiar, some strange. There are large swaths of farm land, prairie, rolling hills, and other travel friendly types of terrain. Within these hospitable lands are places few go, and those that do either vanish or return with horrific stories. These terrible places are dark and foreboding, and all are taught the signs to look for when entering an unfamiliar place.
Among the most common avoided places are large forests. Every large forest has stories tied to it of lumber crews entering and never coming out again. People can recognize a dark forest by the sound. A forest that is not to be entered does not emit one sound. No bird songs, no rustling off leaves by the wind, only a pervasive and deadly silence. These forests are considered cursed and anything that is said to come from them is also considered cursed.
There are also a number of swamps in the lowlands. Many are normal swamps, which are avoided purely out of them having no use, but there are a few that are truly terrifying to travel through. These swamps are were the dead rise. Many travelers have drowned when passing through swamps, and their lifeless bodies are destined to forever drag others down with them. The only way to know if the swamp you are about to travel through in tainted is the smell. Although all swamps have a pungent order, a dead swamp has a particularly terrible smell that causes someone to smells it for the first time to vomit.
Mountains are normally a nightmare for your average traveler. Sheer cliffs, powerful winds, and freezing temperatures are only some of the troubles that need to be dealt with on an average mountain. When traveling over a mountain great care must be taken to avoid golems. A specific breed of golem wanders mountains randomly, its only mission is to seek out and destroy invaders. Any mountain can have a golem crossing it at any given time. There numbers are not large, but they are believed to be responsible for many deaths over the years.
There are other dangerous locales dotting the land, some with a specific and known danger, and others that are mysteries because no one ever returns from them. Many places that were once safe become deadly destinations for reasons completely unknown, and known danger sometimes vanishes for no reason.
Among the most common avoided places are large forests. Every large forest has stories tied to it of lumber crews entering and never coming out again. People can recognize a dark forest by the sound. A forest that is not to be entered does not emit one sound. No bird songs, no rustling off leaves by the wind, only a pervasive and deadly silence. These forests are considered cursed and anything that is said to come from them is also considered cursed.
There are also a number of swamps in the lowlands. Many are normal swamps, which are avoided purely out of them having no use, but there are a few that are truly terrifying to travel through. These swamps are were the dead rise. Many travelers have drowned when passing through swamps, and their lifeless bodies are destined to forever drag others down with them. The only way to know if the swamp you are about to travel through in tainted is the smell. Although all swamps have a pungent order, a dead swamp has a particularly terrible smell that causes someone to smells it for the first time to vomit.
Mountains are normally a nightmare for your average traveler. Sheer cliffs, powerful winds, and freezing temperatures are only some of the troubles that need to be dealt with on an average mountain. When traveling over a mountain great care must be taken to avoid golems. A specific breed of golem wanders mountains randomly, its only mission is to seek out and destroy invaders. Any mountain can have a golem crossing it at any given time. There numbers are not large, but they are believed to be responsible for many deaths over the years.
There are other dangerous locales dotting the land, some with a specific and known danger, and others that are mysteries because no one ever returns from them. Many places that were once safe become deadly destinations for reasons completely unknown, and known danger sometimes vanishes for no reason.
Knights who Channel
Of all the people able to tap into the energy flow, the Channel Knight is the most common. These men and women can enhance their combat abilities by casting spells on themselves. These spells use molds just like a mage would, but these molds are far more restricting. No Channel Knight can cast a spell on anyone besides themselves.
Channel Knight spells do not backfire due to the simple fact that they can't access enough power to cause a mold to fail. The most common spells are strength enhancements and defensive shields. More experienced Channel Knights are able to increase their speed and reflexes.
The ranks of lords are filled with Channel Knights. The reasons behind this are many, but mainly due to mages being more concerned with profit than control of lands and people. Knights can sell their talents, but most find it difficult to make large profits just being mercenaries. More powerful Channel Knights tend to try and carve out a territory for themselves to establish their own fiefdom.
Channel Knight spells do not backfire due to the simple fact that they can't access enough power to cause a mold to fail. The most common spells are strength enhancements and defensive shields. More experienced Channel Knights are able to increase their speed and reflexes.
The ranks of lords are filled with Channel Knights. The reasons behind this are many, but mainly due to mages being more concerned with profit than control of lands and people. Knights can sell their talents, but most find it difficult to make large profits just being mercenaries. More powerful Channel Knights tend to try and carve out a territory for themselves to establish their own fiefdom.
New Background
I just spent about 30 minutes creating the new background in Photoshop. It's some very simple layering effects using the clouds render tool, various blurring techniques and even a few textures for good measure. Oh, and a gradient just because I didn't want the image being too large.
I've been staring at it for a while now, and so far I still like it, which is a good sign. I'm decided when I created the blog to slowly transform its look over time vs one large update. In this way the look of the blog will actually grow, and not be something that looks to be planned well in advance. It is really just something I'm looking to feel my way around on until i have a completely different look
I've been staring at it for a while now, and so far I still like it, which is a good sign. I'm decided when I created the blog to slowly transform its look over time vs one large update. In this way the look of the blog will actually grow, and not be something that looks to be planned well in advance. It is really just something I'm looking to feel my way around on until i have a completely different look
Objects and Spells
All mages can cast spells on inanimate objects, but only vessel mages can permanently imbue an object with an active spell effect. The vessel mage can link a magical mold to an object, creating an active spell within the object for as long as that object exists.
In most cases the spell is not very powerful because the mage has to cast the spell affect at the same time as they move to mold to the object. This is a very energy intensive process, and there is usually not much power left to create the spell affect once the mold has been moved.
This method also can be used to create trap items. A mage will attach a weak mold to an object, and design it to push through too much power when the item is activated., usually through touch. These spell traps are linked to weapons and armor that people are likely to grab for during combat. These traps are also used to protect treasures from thieves.
Another popular use of linking spells with objects is creating permanent levitation spells that are used in airships. Only a handful of mages over the generations have been able to create objects able to levitate whole ships, and those few objects that still exists are primarily stored in private collections due to their rarity. Currently there are only three operating airships known.
A vessel mage that has demonstrated an ability to link powerful spells to objects is a mage that will be taken care of for the rest of their life. Their services bring massive fees, and often create bidding wars between the lords wanting their services.
In most cases the spell is not very powerful because the mage has to cast the spell affect at the same time as they move to mold to the object. This is a very energy intensive process, and there is usually not much power left to create the spell affect once the mold has been moved.
This method also can be used to create trap items. A mage will attach a weak mold to an object, and design it to push through too much power when the item is activated., usually through touch. These spell traps are linked to weapons and armor that people are likely to grab for during combat. These traps are also used to protect treasures from thieves.
Another popular use of linking spells with objects is creating permanent levitation spells that are used in airships. Only a handful of mages over the generations have been able to create objects able to levitate whole ships, and those few objects that still exists are primarily stored in private collections due to their rarity. Currently there are only three operating airships known.
A vessel mage that has demonstrated an ability to link powerful spells to objects is a mage that will be taken care of for the rest of their life. Their services bring massive fees, and often create bidding wars between the lords wanting their services.
My New Camera in Action
Here is the coolest picture I've taken so far with my fancy new camera!
No idea what setting I used, but it looks like the flash was active.
No idea what setting I used, but it looks like the flash was active.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Used World
The world is old, and the civilizations have been around for countless generations. Nothing appears old though, and few buildings are worn down or look aged. The primary reason behind this is that lands are always changing ownership, and the new masters of these lands frequently tear down anything that reminds them of the previous owner.
Few castles are more then a few generations old, and border towers are never over fifty years old. The oldest buildings around are generally family houses, lived in from generation to generation. There are exceptions to these common practices.
Near the center of the continent is an old castle. This is a place where lords come to meet frequently, and plots are created. The castle sits on a small square of neutral territory. No one knows who built it, and is poorly maintained.
Some wanderers tell stories about old castles that house terrible spirits in the Wild Lands, but no one takes them seriously.
Few castles are more then a few generations old, and border towers are never over fifty years old. The oldest buildings around are generally family houses, lived in from generation to generation. There are exceptions to these common practices.
Near the center of the continent is an old castle. This is a place where lords come to meet frequently, and plots are created. The castle sits on a small square of neutral territory. No one knows who built it, and is poorly maintained.
Some wanderers tell stories about old castles that house terrible spirits in the Wild Lands, but no one takes them seriously.
Molds of Magic
Within this world there are fabulous magics. A mage must create molds to force energy through to produce the desired spell effects. The molds are not physical, and only exist in the mages mind. Once a mold has been formed in the mages mind it can have energy pushed into it.
A severe danger to young mages is forcing too much energy into a mold that isn't designed to handle it. When more energy is forced into a mold that is not designed to handle it, there are a few possible outcomes. The spell may work, but have a more powerful effect on the target. A more likely scenario is that the mold will fail under the pressure of the extra energy. When the mold fails in can cause a minor backfire, which causes the spell to fizzle, or a major backfire. A major backfire, depending on the amount of power, could cause small injuries all the way up to death of anyone near the caster. The final possible outcome is a rupture. When a rupture occurs a physical transfer point is created between the physical world and the energy flow. A rupture will kill the caster and destroy virtually everything in a massive radius.
There are no limits to the number of available molds. Most mages are schooled in the basics of creating a mold, but all mages must create their own. This creates mages with specialties. Some mages are experts at elemental magic, while others focus on attribute enhancements.
No two mages are alike.
A severe danger to young mages is forcing too much energy into a mold that isn't designed to handle it. When more energy is forced into a mold that is not designed to handle it, there are a few possible outcomes. The spell may work, but have a more powerful effect on the target. A more likely scenario is that the mold will fail under the pressure of the extra energy. When the mold fails in can cause a minor backfire, which causes the spell to fizzle, or a major backfire. A major backfire, depending on the amount of power, could cause small injuries all the way up to death of anyone near the caster. The final possible outcome is a rupture. When a rupture occurs a physical transfer point is created between the physical world and the energy flow. A rupture will kill the caster and destroy virtually everything in a massive radius.
There are no limits to the number of available molds. Most mages are schooled in the basics of creating a mold, but all mages must create their own. This creates mages with specialties. Some mages are experts at elemental magic, while others focus on attribute enhancements.
No two mages are alike.
LapTop Stand
Today I'm going to try to build a standing height lap top stand. Why would I want to make something like this you ask? It's very simple, I cut my own hair, and using a web cam I can do by back a lot easier. Cutting the hair on the back of your head is very difficult, even with two mirrors. Using available technology I will be able to get a view of the back similar to what a professional would have. Freakin' sweet.
A Great Many Ways
There are a great many ways to go through life in the world I have created in my mind. The strict caste system does not allow certain paths in life, but there are still many ways a person can make a good living.
The majority of people make a simple living as farmers or craftsmen, but there are people who thrive on seeing places no one has ever seen before. These few make their living as traders of rare items. Without any powers to speak of these wanderers have to use their wits to survive in the Wild Lands.
Wanders are territorial and only share their information with their proteges, and some will kill to protect a lucrative place in the Wild Lands. Some of the most prized possessions in the world were rare trinkets brought back by wanderers that died before passing on the location they found them at.
Among the items brought back by the wanderers are spices, gems, metals, fruits, and strange pieces of jewelry.
The majority of people make a simple living as farmers or craftsmen, but there are people who thrive on seeing places no one has ever seen before. These few make their living as traders of rare items. Without any powers to speak of these wanderers have to use their wits to survive in the Wild Lands.
Wanders are territorial and only share their information with their proteges, and some will kill to protect a lucrative place in the Wild Lands. Some of the most prized possessions in the world were rare trinkets brought back by wanderers that died before passing on the location they found them at.
Among the items brought back by the wanderers are spices, gems, metals, fruits, and strange pieces of jewelry.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
The Drama Filled World
I lead a relatively drama free life. Whenever I sense someone is trying to start something I generally try to ignore it. My life is busy enough, and interesting enough (to me anyway) to not have to bother with pointless conflict for the sake on conflict. There is a large segment of the population that lives on it in various ways.
The most common appears to be living vicariously through other people's conflicts. The most obvious being people that obsess over celebrities lives. This type of person thrives off of the media sensation that surrounds their target. There is always the feeling that the media isn't treating the target fairly, and it creates a conflict within the person's mind. Although this is a sad type of drama seeking behavior, it is mostly benign because the only downside for the people around this person is having to hear the boring stories about the unfair treatment of the target.
Another more insidious form is the type of person that causes conflict with family and friends purely on the basis of the desire for conflict. This person will create arguments out of anything available. A simple phone call about what they are doing the next day can quickly escalate into a fight about how that person is never left alone by the caller. Perhaps the saddest aspect of this sickness is that they attract each other. People who thrive on conflict seek out other people who thrive on it because only people with the same sickness can last.
There is no cure for this illness. The only thing the sane person can do it limit their exposure to the conflict driven, and make sure you don't vote them into public office.
The most common appears to be living vicariously through other people's conflicts. The most obvious being people that obsess over celebrities lives. This type of person thrives off of the media sensation that surrounds their target. There is always the feeling that the media isn't treating the target fairly, and it creates a conflict within the person's mind. Although this is a sad type of drama seeking behavior, it is mostly benign because the only downside for the people around this person is having to hear the boring stories about the unfair treatment of the target.
Another more insidious form is the type of person that causes conflict with family and friends purely on the basis of the desire for conflict. This person will create arguments out of anything available. A simple phone call about what they are doing the next day can quickly escalate into a fight about how that person is never left alone by the caller. Perhaps the saddest aspect of this sickness is that they attract each other. People who thrive on conflict seek out other people who thrive on it because only people with the same sickness can last.
There is no cure for this illness. The only thing the sane person can do it limit their exposure to the conflict driven, and make sure you don't vote them into public office.
Life in the Cage
The world I have had in my mind for years is really just a prison for the inhabitants. All who have ventured out into the world have never returned.
To the west are the Wild lands. Rolling hills, massive forests, dry deserts, and other inhospitable lands. Many attempts have been made to colonize the Wild Lands, all have failed. The creatures that roam the lands are only described in myth, and all are described as death incarnate. To the distant west are the Elf lands.
The rest of the lands are surrounded by vast seas, and no expedition has returned. The common thought is that there are sea monsters that swallow the ships whole. In reality a race of water breathing humans destroys the ships and places the ship's crew on a safe island. They feel that land humans are trespassing, and the other lands are populated with horrors that no human should ever have to face.
To the west are the Wild lands. Rolling hills, massive forests, dry deserts, and other inhospitable lands. Many attempts have been made to colonize the Wild Lands, all have failed. The creatures that roam the lands are only described in myth, and all are described as death incarnate. To the distant west are the Elf lands.
The rest of the lands are surrounded by vast seas, and no expedition has returned. The common thought is that there are sea monsters that swallow the ships whole. In reality a race of water breathing humans destroys the ships and places the ship's crew on a safe island. They feel that land humans are trespassing, and the other lands are populated with horrors that no human should ever have to face.
The Origin of My World
While I was at work it struck me, a way to explain where the magical powers came from. I had always intended for my fantasy world to exist on Earth, just in some different time. it may be cliche, but it gives a sense of connection to the fantasy realm.
The basic premise is that the stories take place in the far distant future, and all evidence and knowledge of our civilization is long gone. Long ago people built massive underground thermal power generators. The massive amount of power generated was transmitted through the air, and used by specially designed machines to convert the power into usable electricity. The machines were designed to be self-maintaining, and were designed to run for as long as Earth existed.
A plague of unknown origins spread across the world, killing billions. In order to survive, small communities of people completely shut themselves off from the rest of the world. These small groups of humans in time lost all of the great knowledge gained over countless centuries.
With intense selective pressures a terrible reality, humanity began to rapidly change. New species of humanity emerged. Some became incredibly long lived, others moved into the seas, while some groups shrunk many times over. A particularly large group evolved a very unique trait.
Over time their bodies developed the ability to tap into the massive amount of unused power flows in the air. The tapped power manifested itself into the magical powers described elsewhere.
The basic premise is that the stories take place in the far distant future, and all evidence and knowledge of our civilization is long gone. Long ago people built massive underground thermal power generators. The massive amount of power generated was transmitted through the air, and used by specially designed machines to convert the power into usable electricity. The machines were designed to be self-maintaining, and were designed to run for as long as Earth existed.
A plague of unknown origins spread across the world, killing billions. In order to survive, small communities of people completely shut themselves off from the rest of the world. These small groups of humans in time lost all of the great knowledge gained over countless centuries.
With intense selective pressures a terrible reality, humanity began to rapidly change. New species of humanity emerged. Some became incredibly long lived, others moved into the seas, while some groups shrunk many times over. A particularly large group evolved a very unique trait.
Over time their bodies developed the ability to tap into the massive amount of unused power flows in the air. The tapped power manifested itself into the magical powers described elsewhere.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
The Berserker's Trial
There are many reasons why being a berserker is truly a curse. There is no one that does not fear you for who you are. Every day is a test to stay in control of the demon within. In the world of the berserker there is always work as a mercenary. The only people not openly fearful of a berserker are the lords willing to hire them.
The general fear of the berserkers is founded in reality. If a berserker becomes over-emotional a massive torrent of raw energy comes to the surface. There are many historical accounts of a single berserker leveling entire towns. When in a rage there are no friends or foes, just targets.
A berserker rarely lives passed their early twenties due to the harsh lifestyle and near constant battle. Berserkers also often die of extreme exhaustion during prolonged battles. Older berserkers eventually learn a level of control that makes them the deadliest warriors in the world. A master berserker cannot be defeated by any single opponent on an open field of battle.
An organized effort to locate berserkers at a young age is active in all lands, but no system is perfect and some simply slip by. Those that go unnoticed usually end up dying in an explosion of power. The few survivors normally become hunted wanderers, and can only find work in the criminal world.
The general fear of the berserkers is founded in reality. If a berserker becomes over-emotional a massive torrent of raw energy comes to the surface. There are many historical accounts of a single berserker leveling entire towns. When in a rage there are no friends or foes, just targets.
A berserker rarely lives passed their early twenties due to the harsh lifestyle and near constant battle. Berserkers also often die of extreme exhaustion during prolonged battles. Older berserkers eventually learn a level of control that makes them the deadliest warriors in the world. A master berserker cannot be defeated by any single opponent on an open field of battle.
An organized effort to locate berserkers at a young age is active in all lands, but no system is perfect and some simply slip by. Those that go unnoticed usually end up dying in an explosion of power. The few survivors normally become hunted wanderers, and can only find work in the criminal world.
Thanks Computer!
The previous post actually had a lot of information in it, but now it's gone. Maybe it's a sign?
My Imaginary World
I can safely say my mind is often somewhere else. Normally when I'm not at work I'm wandering around the possible worlds I envision myself living in. Sometimes they are in a science fiction setting, other times a magical setting. The one common thread is that I am an important person.
It makes sense that I picture myself being important in another life. There is nothing terribly special about me, and if I had never existed the world would look exactly the same as it did now. I imagine people who are very important might dream about leading a boring less intense life. A common theme though is that I never picture myself being a leader, more of a sought out adviser.
The idea of being any kind of political leader makes me sick. Who wants to be king of fools I would ask? Being someone who people come to for advice and help is something that appeals to me greatly though.
A land of many nations that wars continually over the limited farmable lands. A vast open expanse to the west that can't be tamed. Political intrigue redraws the borders as hundreds of lords shift loyalties to further their own interests.
The people of these lands live in a strict caste system that has developed because abilities run strongly in families. Great warriors give birth to great warriors, and likewise with mages. When someone with powers is born into a lower caste family, the child is swept away and forbidden to have contact with his or her family ever again.
Berserkers are born at random. When identified they are drafted into a special unit of the military, and kept away from the general public because of the danger they represent. They rarely have children because of the social stigma that surrounds them.
The lords consist of both men and women, Channel knights and Mages. only the most powerful are able to maintain their rank of lord. The lords often form loose alliances to further their interests, but they normally fall apart after the goal is accomplished.
Although most lords shift their loyalties frequently, the most powerful lord families have more permanent loyalties, forming more stable nations. These nations attract many people who enjoy the protection the stable lands provide.
It makes sense that I picture myself being important in another life. There is nothing terribly special about me, and if I had never existed the world would look exactly the same as it did now. I imagine people who are very important might dream about leading a boring less intense life. A common theme though is that I never picture myself being a leader, more of a sought out adviser.
The idea of being any kind of political leader makes me sick. Who wants to be king of fools I would ask? Being someone who people come to for advice and help is something that appeals to me greatly though.
A land of many nations that wars continually over the limited farmable lands. A vast open expanse to the west that can't be tamed. Political intrigue redraws the borders as hundreds of lords shift loyalties to further their own interests.
The people of these lands live in a strict caste system that has developed because abilities run strongly in families. Great warriors give birth to great warriors, and likewise with mages. When someone with powers is born into a lower caste family, the child is swept away and forbidden to have contact with his or her family ever again.
Berserkers are born at random. When identified they are drafted into a special unit of the military, and kept away from the general public because of the danger they represent. They rarely have children because of the social stigma that surrounds them.
The lords consist of both men and women, Channel knights and Mages. only the most powerful are able to maintain their rank of lord. The lords often form loose alliances to further their interests, but they normally fall apart after the goal is accomplished.
Although most lords shift their loyalties frequently, the most powerful lord families have more permanent loyalties, forming more stable nations. These nations attract many people who enjoy the protection the stable lands provide.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
It's About That Time
I often feel strange later in the day. It has nothing to do with my health, I think it is something emotional/psychological. It's this strange feeling like there is a massive weight on my heart, and my energy level goes through the damn roof.
All I want to do is run around as hard as I can until the odd feeling goes away. In fact I normally do just that, otherwise I am unable to sleep at night because this extreme level of excited energy will not go away unless I do something about it. i can be magnificently creative when I'm in this state, or explosive, but it is always an extreme of some sort.
Right now I feel like typing as fast as I can. I'm hoping that by just blurting this garbage out, I will be able to get out whatever it is that is making me feel this way. I really don't know what it is. Today was a boring and trying day, and maybe that's what causes it. The people I work with did a good job of getting under my skin today, and since I keep myself muted at work this might be another reason why I'm like this later in the day.
I imagine that if I could fly, when in this state I could move at super sonic speeds.
When I'm alone and able to just sit and think the strangest thoughts come to me. There is always the desire to live somewhere else, to start new. I have nothing I want to escape though. I have a good life where I am, and good friends and good family. I don't really even like to travel, but just being somewhere away from everyone I have ever known has a certain appeal to me that I can't explain.
Another familiar thought comes to me. The feeling of being lonely and repressed. I'm not an open person, and I keep myself closed off from every once except my two closest friends, and even they don't know me as well as I wish they did. The reason I keep myself locked up is because of the darkness inside of me. What I feel is powerful, and dangerous. Anger is my very first reaction to anything, and I would prefer to throw my fists in anger than talk something out.
The good news for everyone around me is that I have created a very elaborate filter for my emotions and actions. It causes me to appear distant at times, but I really need it to prevent me from acting out in destructive ways. I don't hate the filter, in fact I love it for how it allows me to see the world. I am able to carefully and logically reason everything I am exposed to. But still, I am distant because of it.
Even if I wanted to open up more, I'm not sure what would be involved. I'm sensitive, so the natural fear is that opening up would make others easily able to hurt me.
Alright, enough of this garbage. That heavy feeling is moving away for now.
All I want to do is run around as hard as I can until the odd feeling goes away. In fact I normally do just that, otherwise I am unable to sleep at night because this extreme level of excited energy will not go away unless I do something about it. i can be magnificently creative when I'm in this state, or explosive, but it is always an extreme of some sort.
Right now I feel like typing as fast as I can. I'm hoping that by just blurting this garbage out, I will be able to get out whatever it is that is making me feel this way. I really don't know what it is. Today was a boring and trying day, and maybe that's what causes it. The people I work with did a good job of getting under my skin today, and since I keep myself muted at work this might be another reason why I'm like this later in the day.
I imagine that if I could fly, when in this state I could move at super sonic speeds.
When I'm alone and able to just sit and think the strangest thoughts come to me. There is always the desire to live somewhere else, to start new. I have nothing I want to escape though. I have a good life where I am, and good friends and good family. I don't really even like to travel, but just being somewhere away from everyone I have ever known has a certain appeal to me that I can't explain.
Another familiar thought comes to me. The feeling of being lonely and repressed. I'm not an open person, and I keep myself closed off from every once except my two closest friends, and even they don't know me as well as I wish they did. The reason I keep myself locked up is because of the darkness inside of me. What I feel is powerful, and dangerous. Anger is my very first reaction to anything, and I would prefer to throw my fists in anger than talk something out.
The good news for everyone around me is that I have created a very elaborate filter for my emotions and actions. It causes me to appear distant at times, but I really need it to prevent me from acting out in destructive ways. I don't hate the filter, in fact I love it for how it allows me to see the world. I am able to carefully and logically reason everything I am exposed to. But still, I am distant because of it.
Even if I wanted to open up more, I'm not sure what would be involved. I'm sensitive, so the natural fear is that opening up would make others easily able to hurt me.
Alright, enough of this garbage. That heavy feeling is moving away for now.
No One Like Me
I'm a serial creator. There is always something I'm writing, drawing, or dreaming up. The trouble is I get bogged down in details when I'm trying to actually create something interesting. Be it some musical piece I feel a scene needs, or I'm unhappy with some dialogue; I end up spending obscene amounts of time on one detail, at the expense of everything else.
There is also the problem at me not being a professional at anything. I'm a decent artist, but not good enough to be paid for it. When I sit down to create something, the other parts of the project distract me from the most important parts of the project, like the artwork.
Maybe it's that I just can't finish anything. I wish I had someone as insanely zealous about a project as I can be. It would be fantastic to have someone working on a project with me, keeping me interested in it simply because they are also just as interested. I have yet to meet anyone like that, no one that can see a bigger picture, a picture where through collaboration a beautiful project can come into being loved by many.
Oh well, in today's world it's hard to find people with true drive.
There is also the problem at me not being a professional at anything. I'm a decent artist, but not good enough to be paid for it. When I sit down to create something, the other parts of the project distract me from the most important parts of the project, like the artwork.
Maybe it's that I just can't finish anything. I wish I had someone as insanely zealous about a project as I can be. It would be fantastic to have someone working on a project with me, keeping me interested in it simply because they are also just as interested. I have yet to meet anyone like that, no one that can see a bigger picture, a picture where through collaboration a beautiful project can come into being loved by many.
Oh well, in today's world it's hard to find people with true drive.
Magical Matrix
A while back I created a different style magic system. I had originally created it with the intent of writing a story. Sadly though that never got off the ground, although the idea was great, but I'll get to that later.
The magic system in this fantasy world revolved around there being 3 types of magic, and 3 types of levels they were used at. The first dimension had Channel, Vessel, and Hybrid magic. People that channeled magic tapped into the flow of energy around them. People who used Vessel magic tapped into the energy within them. People who use Hybrid magic could do both but be masters if neither.
The second dimension revolved around adeptness in a particular type of magic. The first level allowed for spells only to be cast on the mage. The second level allowed a mage to cast spells outside of themselves. The third level allowed for almost total control of the magical energies and allowed the caster to appear to be a god.
This creates a 3 by 3 matrix of abilities.
The Channel Knight. A warrior who casted spells on him or herself to increase their combat ability.
The Vessel Warrior. Similar to a berserker, with their abilities only being summoned under duress.
The Channel Mage. Mages that can use magic for long periods of time. They must force energy they channel into mental molds to create spell effects.Attempting powerful spells before the mage is ready can lead to death.
The Vessel Mage. Mages that can cast the most intense of spells, but cannot cast for long periods of time. They are also able add near constant effects to lifeless objects. Only this mage power has this unique ability.
Deities work in similar fashion to the mages, but without the restrictions of mental molds being required to create spell effects. Anything they can image to happen can happen.
The Hybrids are only in legend, and although it's said they have the abilities of both types, no one can confirm this.
I had created a story using the above powers to explain how a strange legend came true. A lord that was widely loved by the people, and hated by his fellow nobles was asked to go subdue a raging berserker. When he confronts the rogue berserker he learns that the whole incident was created by a conspiracy of nobles to kill the lord.
The lord and the berserker escape to the north. The berserker, feeling he owes a debt for being part of the conspiracy, vows to help the lord get back to his people. When they reach a large mountain range, a strange guide appears and offers to show them a safe path across the mountains.
Anyway, the story goes on with some interesting twists as the characters slowly come to realize who each other really are, and the mysterious stranger is found to be someone beyond belief.
I had a comic book type design set up for telling this tale. Using PowerPoint I created a number of scenes telling the tale. There was music for setting the mood of the scene, and active dialogue bubbles so a whole conversation could happen in one scene.
Things were moving along, with my artistic ability improving with each new scene. Sadly my trial version of Office expired, followed by a meltdown of my old laptop, leading to the shelving of that project. The desire to create a comic-book style electronic experience still resonates with me though.
The magic system in this fantasy world revolved around there being 3 types of magic, and 3 types of levels they were used at. The first dimension had Channel, Vessel, and Hybrid magic. People that channeled magic tapped into the flow of energy around them. People who used Vessel magic tapped into the energy within them. People who use Hybrid magic could do both but be masters if neither.
The second dimension revolved around adeptness in a particular type of magic. The first level allowed for spells only to be cast on the mage. The second level allowed a mage to cast spells outside of themselves. The third level allowed for almost total control of the magical energies and allowed the caster to appear to be a god.
This creates a 3 by 3 matrix of abilities.
The Channel Knight. A warrior who casted spells on him or herself to increase their combat ability.
The Vessel Warrior. Similar to a berserker, with their abilities only being summoned under duress.
The Channel Mage. Mages that can use magic for long periods of time. They must force energy they channel into mental molds to create spell effects.Attempting powerful spells before the mage is ready can lead to death.
The Vessel Mage. Mages that can cast the most intense of spells, but cannot cast for long periods of time. They are also able add near constant effects to lifeless objects. Only this mage power has this unique ability.
Deities work in similar fashion to the mages, but without the restrictions of mental molds being required to create spell effects. Anything they can image to happen can happen.
The Hybrids are only in legend, and although it's said they have the abilities of both types, no one can confirm this.
I had created a story using the above powers to explain how a strange legend came true. A lord that was widely loved by the people, and hated by his fellow nobles was asked to go subdue a raging berserker. When he confronts the rogue berserker he learns that the whole incident was created by a conspiracy of nobles to kill the lord.
The lord and the berserker escape to the north. The berserker, feeling he owes a debt for being part of the conspiracy, vows to help the lord get back to his people. When they reach a large mountain range, a strange guide appears and offers to show them a safe path across the mountains.
Anyway, the story goes on with some interesting twists as the characters slowly come to realize who each other really are, and the mysterious stranger is found to be someone beyond belief.
I had a comic book type design set up for telling this tale. Using PowerPoint I created a number of scenes telling the tale. There was music for setting the mood of the scene, and active dialogue bubbles so a whole conversation could happen in one scene.
Things were moving along, with my artistic ability improving with each new scene. Sadly my trial version of Office expired, followed by a meltdown of my old laptop, leading to the shelving of that project. The desire to create a comic-book style electronic experience still resonates with me though.
Monday, June 15, 2009
The Final Version of the Internet
The Internet is an interesting medium. It offers vast amounts of information and entertainment. There are many beneficial, and detrimental aspects of the world wide web. It has moved passed the novelty stage and is now moving into being viewed as a utility, something everyone needs. There is one terrible problem with the Internet, one that can be easily seen since its inception, fragmentation of society.
Before the Internet, people lived together in communities based on general attributes; such as color, religion, and place employment. Because there were still large variations of people within those populations, extremist viewpoints were muted, and only powerful hatred of others created smaller segmented groups. Then the Internet came into being.
With the Internet, anyone with a certain viewpoint can easily seek out others of the same mind, and in doing so have their own viewpoint validated. This can be something as simple as a group of people thinking that their particular favorite brand is the greatest product of its type, or something dangerous like new hate groups forming around ideas the are easily reinforced by others.
The Internet creates islands of people with similar mindsets. On these islands they are able to emotionally separate themselves from people of different opinions and ways. When the island of opinion is formed around something negative, this creates a dangerous combination that can more easily lead to violence than in the past.
The future of the Internet is something far grander than most can picture. There will be a day soon when we become plugged into the Internet, but not the Internet as you think of it today. It will be a connection of minds. A joining of billions of intellects working for one common purpose, the bettering of humanity.
When everyone is connected the idea of harming someone else becomes impossible. The idea of ownership also vanishes. All of society ills start to disappear as a new reality comes about. With billions of minds connected, scientific advancement enters a completely different level of acceleration.
This idea has been rolling around in my head for a few years, and I hope to hash it out in more detail.
Before the Internet, people lived together in communities based on general attributes; such as color, religion, and place employment. Because there were still large variations of people within those populations, extremist viewpoints were muted, and only powerful hatred of others created smaller segmented groups. Then the Internet came into being.
With the Internet, anyone with a certain viewpoint can easily seek out others of the same mind, and in doing so have their own viewpoint validated. This can be something as simple as a group of people thinking that their particular favorite brand is the greatest product of its type, or something dangerous like new hate groups forming around ideas the are easily reinforced by others.
The Internet creates islands of people with similar mindsets. On these islands they are able to emotionally separate themselves from people of different opinions and ways. When the island of opinion is formed around something negative, this creates a dangerous combination that can more easily lead to violence than in the past.
The future of the Internet is something far grander than most can picture. There will be a day soon when we become plugged into the Internet, but not the Internet as you think of it today. It will be a connection of minds. A joining of billions of intellects working for one common purpose, the bettering of humanity.
When everyone is connected the idea of harming someone else becomes impossible. The idea of ownership also vanishes. All of society ills start to disappear as a new reality comes about. With billions of minds connected, scientific advancement enters a completely different level of acceleration.
This idea has been rolling around in my head for a few years, and I hope to hash it out in more detail.
Residential Wind Power
I've been in love with the idea of generating your own electricity for many years. The problem of course is the fact that it isn't easy. The one idea I keep coming back to is wind power. It is beautifully simple and elegant, yet is still difficult to make work.
The one concept I can't understand is why there is no gearing involved with today's smaller windmills. Wind power created high torque, low speed work power, and you need high speeds to get a useful current out of a generator. Why not use some creative low friction gearing to get the high torque, low speed movement, into a high speed low torque movement. You will lose some power to friction, but I have always thought it is a practical solution to the problem of low wind speeds.
I can imagine a length of helix shaped lightweight plastic moving in low wind speeds, moving some light plastic gears that gear up the speed of the rotating magnet in the copper coil. It may not work at all, but the small home made generators I see that can be homemade require higher speeds to generate useful current. I really want to try this one day, but I have to build a simple generator first. Sadly I never seem to take the time to do it, a real regret of mine.
The one concept I can't understand is why there is no gearing involved with today's smaller windmills. Wind power created high torque, low speed work power, and you need high speeds to get a useful current out of a generator. Why not use some creative low friction gearing to get the high torque, low speed movement, into a high speed low torque movement. You will lose some power to friction, but I have always thought it is a practical solution to the problem of low wind speeds.
I can imagine a length of helix shaped lightweight plastic moving in low wind speeds, moving some light plastic gears that gear up the speed of the rotating magnet in the copper coil. It may not work at all, but the small home made generators I see that can be homemade require higher speeds to generate useful current. I really want to try this one day, but I have to build a simple generator first. Sadly I never seem to take the time to do it, a real regret of mine.
A Day, Like Many
Overall today was a good day. I didn't work too hard as I have many scripts I've created to do my job for me. I did get in one prolonged dispute with a programmer, which got me rather flustered. This time though I was wrong. I hate being wrong, and to be fair to myself I lacked a critical piece of information that would have led me to the correct answer.
I've been reading a large amount of blogs, news, and tweets about the whole Iranian event. It is truly impossible for someone in my position to amass a necessary amount of information about the situation to form a solid opinion about the event.
I am saddened by the loss of life that has already occurred, and will likely continue. There is something sickening though by the subtle language I see/hear media outlets using in referring to the young man's death. 'At least one is dead' This is a loaded phrase, and it carries with it a certain assumption that the audience is likely to make. People hearing this phrase might assume that there will be more deaths to follow. It's a 'stay tuned for more' kind of phrase that I find repugnant.
Some are calling the Iranian dispute a 'Coup', or 'Revolution'. If either are actually true I can find no evidence that it is organized in any way. There is a 'leader' of sorts when referring to the 'losing' challenger, however this person does not appear to have any control over the protesters.. This easily leads to the conclusion that there is no plan. If the actions of the protesters were to bring the government of Iran down, the question would have to be asked 'What now?'. This is a simple question that I doubt anyone involved with the protests would be able to give a coherent answer to.
In any revolution there needs to be an endgame plan. There needs to be people ready to assume certain social roles in order to prevent society from descending into complete lawlessness from which it can not escape in a timely manner.
I've been reading a large amount of blogs, news, and tweets about the whole Iranian event. It is truly impossible for someone in my position to amass a necessary amount of information about the situation to form a solid opinion about the event.
I am saddened by the loss of life that has already occurred, and will likely continue. There is something sickening though by the subtle language I see/hear media outlets using in referring to the young man's death. 'At least one is dead' This is a loaded phrase, and it carries with it a certain assumption that the audience is likely to make. People hearing this phrase might assume that there will be more deaths to follow. It's a 'stay tuned for more' kind of phrase that I find repugnant.
Some are calling the Iranian dispute a 'Coup', or 'Revolution'. If either are actually true I can find no evidence that it is organized in any way. There is a 'leader' of sorts when referring to the 'losing' challenger, however this person does not appear to have any control over the protesters.. This easily leads to the conclusion that there is no plan. If the actions of the protesters were to bring the government of Iran down, the question would have to be asked 'What now?'. This is a simple question that I doubt anyone involved with the protests would be able to give a coherent answer to.
In any revolution there needs to be an endgame plan. There needs to be people ready to assume certain social roles in order to prevent society from descending into complete lawlessness from which it can not escape in a timely manner.
Why I'm Doing This
I have created many blogs over the years, and each one of them is now lost and forgotten forever. I came to realize that the problem was that I always tried to apply a theme to each blog. I really have no 'theme', nor do I want one. I am interested in far too many topics to chain myself down to one specific subject.
This is ensures that I will never create a popular blog, but that's not what this specific blog is about. Because my interests change on a near daily basis, I can never bring a thought to fruition. I hope to spend my time on this blog hashing out an idea as far as I am able to take it before something else catches my fancy.
My hope is that someday I'll either come back to an idea and try to complete it, or hope that someone else discovers something interesting here and decides to run with it themselves.
This is ensures that I will never create a popular blog, but that's not what this specific blog is about. Because my interests change on a near daily basis, I can never bring a thought to fruition. I hope to spend my time on this blog hashing out an idea as far as I am able to take it before something else catches my fancy.
My hope is that someday I'll either come back to an idea and try to complete it, or hope that someone else discovers something interesting here and decides to run with it themselves.
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