Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

Hardcover
256 pages
Tor Books
ISBN: 9780765317384


In Ender's Game it's the year 2250 and the human race is threatened by a third world war from an alien race. The governments have formed a World Goverment seperated into two parts: the Hegomony (Communist) and the Polemarch (Democrocy/Theocracy). To keep the earth's population controlled, by law, all families are restricted to having only two children. For the Wiggin's family, their first two children were highly skilled, yet Peter was much to selfish and Valentine, the daughter, too compassionate. For the government, these traits weren't suitable for their purposes so they allowed the Wiggins to have a third child. This child the parents named Ender and one who was exactly what was needed.

Ender is sent to military school where his talents surpass all other students'. At his Battle School Ender is trained in war tactics by using game simulations, though he doesn't like violent conflicts. His talent, above everyone else's is his capability to understand combat strategy and therefore wins every time. The Sci-Fi aspect only offers a setting and is likely not to influence the reader. This novel focuses on human emotions, who we are as both individuals and as a society. Among the characters are moral dillemas, rivalries, and thought provoking situations that we can all relate to.

An Invisible Touch for Mobile Devices

It seems easy enough to control mobile devices with just a touch of the screen, but research is finding that requires no use of a touch screen or keyboard to be functional. An "imaginary interface" is implemented during phone conversation by the speaker using hand or finger movements by tracing shapes into the air. "The idea of interacting with computers through hand gestures is nothing new.

Sony already sells EyeToy, a video camera and software that capture gestures for its PlayStation game consoles; Microsoft has developed a more sophisticated gesture-sensing system, called Project Natal, for the Xbox 360 games console." Andy Wilson, a senior researcher at Microsoft, notes that the interface draws on the fact that people naturally use their hands to explain spatial ideas. "That's a quite powerful concept, and it hasn't been explored," he says. "I think they're onto something."

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Writing Discipline

Sitting down and making yourself write is not always fun and even in the process of writing it still isn't always enjoyable. Writing is work, but with practice and patience it can develop into a rewarding experience that becomes less difficult. A good strategy is to write a certain number of pages a day or have a goal of a number of words each day. Whether these pages turn out great or not so great, the fact is that they were written and can always be improved.

Another goal can be to write a chapter or two a week and in several months a novel will be on its way to completion. There are countless ways of achieving writing goals and just like with writing, these strategies require creativity and then the discipline to see them through. It might even require switching strategies on a weekly or monthly basis. If this can be done, then your writing will get done.

Green Health Optimal for Good Mental Health

A new study in the American Chemical Society's journal Environmental Science & Technology is investigating "how much 'green exercise' produces the greatest improvement in mood and sense of personal well-being?" The answer is the right one for people who have little tim ein their schedule's to exercise. It only takes as little as five minutes of being outdoors, whether on a nature trail, gardening, or bicycling to benefit mental health.

Jules Pretty and Jo Barton explain in the study that "green exercise is physical activity in the presence of nature. We know from the literature that short-term mental health improvements are protective of long-term health benefits," Pretty said. "So we believe that there would be a large potential benefit to individuals, society and to the costs of the health service if all groups of people were to self-medicate more with green exercise," added Barton.

Although economic benefits could be substantial, policy makers have the challenge of adopting outdoor physical activity as public policy. Even if it consists of five minutes. "Policy frameworks that suggest active living point to the need for changes to physical, social and natural environments, and are more likely to be effective if physical activity becomes an inevitable part of life rather than a matter of daily choice."

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Complete What You Write

It's always fun to start a new writing project but what at first seems exciting can quickly turn into work. With the lack of enthusiasm, boredom can set in. There is no substitute for diligent work and keep focused on the goal of completing a manuscript. Writing is a lot of work and can be rewarding, but not without the effort and determination to see the project completed. It also takes strategy to overcome the boredom and lackluster task of writing page after seemingly endless page. Always think of a different approach and mindset when you start that next page or need to finished that chapter.

If you're bored with your story, so will the reader find themselves skipping to the exciting scenes. And never neglect the middle of the story, because it hold as much importance as the beginning and end. It takes discipline to sit and create those sentences that seem elusive or difficult to get into the right wording. With time this becomes easier as more practice is achieved and the writing goals toward and within the story are realized. Also, don't wait for inspiration to strike because you'll be waiting quite a long time to finished the story if you mostly rely on this. And the muse usually happens when you're already writing and in the flow of the words and scene. Remember this the next time you sit and start typing away.

New Fingermark Analysis for Crime Scenes

Just when you think that CSI can't get any more advanced, this article tells that, "A new technique to analyse fingermarks from crime scenes has the potential to give crucial additional details about a suspect such their medications, diet and the time at which they accidentally left the fingermark."

It goes on to say, "These extra details can be important background information in a criminal investigation, especially if the suspect's fingerprint is not on the police database. It is hoped the technique will compliment current fingermark detection techniques and assist in criminal investigations.

"A fingermark is made up of material from the surface of the skin and from gland secretions, which can be detected and analysed. Conventionally, fingermarks found at the scene of a crime are lifted, often using a powder, and are compared with prints on a police database to identify a suspect."

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The Adventures of Langdon St. Ives by James Blaylock

Hardcover
Subterranean Press
Pages 500
ISBN: 9781596061705


Jacketflap description:
So begins the first chronicle in the long and often obscure life of Langdon St. Ives, Victorian scientist and adventurer, respected member of the Explorers Club and of societies far more obscure, consultant to scientific luminaries, and secret, unheralded savior of humankind. From the depths of the Borneo jungles to the starlit reaches of outer space, and ultimately through the dark corridors of past and future time, the adventures of Langdon St. Ives invariably lead him back to the streets and alleys of the busiest, darkest, most secretive city in the world -- London in the age of steam and gaslamps, with the Thames fog settling in over the vast city of perpetual evening. St. Ives, in pursuit of the infamous Dr. Ignacio Narbondo, discovers the living horror of revivified corpses, the deep sea mystery of a machine with the power to drag ships to their doom, and the appalling threat of a skeleton-piloted airship descending toward the city of London itself, carrying within its gondola a living homunculus with the power to drive men mad....

This omnibus volume contains the collected Steampunk stories and novels of James P. Blaylock, one of the originators of the genre, which hearkens back to the worlds of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells, a world where science was a work of the imagination, and the imagination was endlessly free to dream.

Tips for Critiquing

Critiquing is similar to editing, but doesn't have to be as in-depth a process and usually is done by someone else. Some of the aspects to look for when critiquing is the POV (point of view), consistency, characterization, plot, sentence structure, dialog and dialog attribution, active and passive voice, pacing, and so on. There are many things a reader can find in a manuscript that needs to be improved, but once the writer becomes familiar with these, it won't seem as a challenge to correct. Critique or writers' groups are a great way to have both your writing improved and your knowledge of critiquing methods strengthened.

Keep a consistent POV for one character in each scene. Sometimes I've heard to have one POV per chapter. Either one is good, but just have one character's view at a time so as not to confused the reader.

Throughout the manuscript make sure that the scenes, events and characters are consistent with the flow of the storyline. All aspects should make sense.

For characterization, the characters should be believable and that their actions and words/dialog match what type of character they are. Dialog attribution such as "said" or "asked" is commonplace and should be used instead of descriptive words that are best left for the action.

The plot should remain consistent throughout the story. The first chapter should begin in the middle of the action or at least not begin from the beginning. Good sentence structure is written to match the pacing of the story such as using short sentences for quick and action driven scenes. The descriptive scenes can be longer for a slower pace, yet always moving the story forward.

Using active voice instead of passive voice when possible is a great way to keep the readers' interest and the pacing quick.