The Drifter is a four part sci-fi serial I penned for The WOD Magazine. The first three parts have been published. You lucky readers of this blog can read all four parts. Just go to my page “Flash Fiction” and you can read it in its entirety. It is only 2,800 words total. It was a bit of a challenge to write flash fiction in four parts. I hope you find the story entertaining and thought provoking.
Filed under Humor and Observations, Writing
More cosplay pictures for your enjoyment.
Filed under Humor and Observations
This ring found in Bulgaria is believed to have been a medieval murder weapon. (Kavarna Municipality)
Archaeologists in Bulgaria have discovered a medieval ring thought to have been used to to commit multiple political murders.
The bronze ring is more than 600 years old and was found at the excavation site of Cape Kailakra, a place where 14th century Bulgarian aristocrats lived.
More than 30 other pieces of jewelry were also found at the site, including gold rings and pearl earrings but archaeologists say this ring is special.
Drilled into side of the ring is a small cavity, archaeologists say was used to hide poison probably used to murder friends of the aristocrats in the Dobrudja area.
Expertly and exquisitely crafted, the ring is thought to have been imported from Italy or Spain according to dig leader Bonnie Petrunova, deputy director of Bulgaria’s National Archaeology Museum.
“I have no doubt that the hole was deliberately set,” Petrunova said in a press release
. “The hole is made so…the poison can be added at any given moment.”
The ring would have been worn on the pinky finger of a man’s right hand. The cavity provided an easy way to pour poison into an enemies glass without being detected.
“This explains many of the unexplained deaths among nobles and aristocrats close to Dobrotitsa,” the press release reads.
Petronuva believes the discovery of the ring is the oldest proven case of serial murder.
Filed under Humor and Observations
Filed under Humor and Observations
A Georgia woman found a 110-year-old camera at a yard sale.
Karen Powell bought the 1903 Kodak field camera for only a few dollars at the sale, MyFoxAtlanta.com reported.
Inside the camera, Powell found a roll of exposed film, but has not been able to find anyone with the equipment to develop it.
“It could have some major historical value, or it could be blank,” she told MyFoxAtlanta.com. “But the challenge is to find a lab to develop the film so that we can see what’s finally on it.”
Powell collects dishes, bottles and baseball cards and describes herself as a “yard sale junkie.”
Filed under Humor and Observations
A model stands next to a newly developed personalised jetpack in Christchurch, New Zealand, pictured August, 2013. Authorities have issued a permit allowing manned test flights of the gadget. (AFP/Martin Aircraft Company Limited)
A personal jetpack developed by Martin Aircraft Company with a pilot strapped in place, pictured August 2013. The personal flying machines are to cost an estimated $150,000-$200,000 when they go on sale. (AFP/Martin Aircraft Company Limited)
Martin Aircraft chief executive Peter Coker said the certification was a significant milestone in the development of the jetpack, which the company hopes to begin selling next year.
“For us it’s a very important step because it moves it out of what I call a dream into something which I believe we’re now in a position to commercialize and take forward very quickly,” Coker told AFP.
The jetpack is the brainchild of inventor Glenn Martin, who began working on it in his Christchurch garage more than 30 years ago.
Inspired by childhood television shows such as “Thunderbirds” and “Lost in Space”, Martin set out in the early 1980s to create a jetpack suitable for everyday use by ordinary people with no specialist pilot training.
His jetpack consists of a pair of cylinders containing propulsion fans attached to a free-standing carbon-fibre frame.
The pilot backs into the frame, straps himself in and controls the wingless jetpack with two joysticks.
While the jetpack’s concept is simple enough — Time magazine likened it to two enormous leaf blowers welded together — fine-tuning it into an aircraft that is safe and easy to use has been a lengthy process.
Coker said the latest prototype, the P12, incorporated huge design improvements over earlier versions.
“Changing the position of the jetpack’s ducts has resulted in a quantum leap in performance over the previous prototype, especially in terms of the aircraft’s maneuverability,” he said.
Coker said a specialized version of the jetpack designed for the military and “first responder” emergency crews such as firefighters should be ready for delivery by mid-2014.
A simpler model aimed at the general public is expected to be on the market in 2015.
The price of your own personal flying machine is estimated at $150,000-250,000, although Coker said the cost was likely to come down over time.
It comes with a rocket-propelled parachute if anything goes wrong.
In May 2011, a remote control Martin jetpack carrying a dummy pilot soared 5,000 feet above the South Island’s Canterbury Plains as its creator watched anxiously from a helicopter hovering nearby.
The New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority said the jetpack had now been issued with an experimental flight permit for development test flying, which allows someone to pilot the aircraft.
It said the test flights would be subject to strict safety requirements, with flights not allowed any higher than 20 feet above the ground or 25 feet above water.
The flights are also limited to test areas over uninhabited land.
Filed under Humor and Observations
Ok, several pressing things to say about Episode 2 of Heroes of Cosplay.
1) Victoria the bitchy drama queen – I am so tired of hearing her whine and take credit for Jinyo’s work. A Tron dress? I have seen a good dozen of those very similar and it’s not ‘Jinyo’s design’ anyway. Not original and Jinyo should dump Victoria. Seriously bro, get a pair and find a gf that is not crazy.
2) Ya Ya Han telling Monika Lee not to dress sexy like Jessica Nigri? That’s because Ya Ya Han never had fake boobs installed and pushes them out for everyone to see in every costume? Did I miss something? Ya Ya Han sells sexy cosplay pictures for a living just like Jessica Nigri. I’ve met both of them, and Jessica is much nicer and much better known. I sincerely hope they paid Jessica Nigri for her appearance and did not just trash her without permission. What a really mean thing to do. Does Jessica make her own outfits? Yes she does. Recently gaming companies have put together some for her, so what? Monika Lee came off as a spoiled brat in that episode. If I were her, I’d be pissed at the producers. We don’t need to create conflict in cosplay -it’s about fun.
Yeah, Ya Ya never does sexy cosplay and shows cleavage…whatever
Do we really need to classify ourselves as ‘real cosplayers’, real outfit makers, sexy cosplay, booth babes, in it for the money, in it for the competition, or anything else? All these classifications do is make someone feel superior over someone else. If you show up and have fun – you win. If you show up and act all caddy and put down others – you’re a loser.
Monika Lee in her Steampunk Poison Ivy did not come across well on TV.
3) The best and by far the worst moment – Thank God for Chloe, the cute but anorexic show host who said everyone should be able to dress however they want. Chloe Dykstra is 5’9′ and weighs just 122 pounds. That is a body mass index of 18 which is underweight and not allowed to model in certain countries that are enforcing BMI standards to reduce anorexia. And yet, she is the only one defending normal or overweight cosplayers. Chloe’s father is John Dykstra. He invented the first computer-controlled motion sensor to film Star Wars. At the bottom of this post, I will list just his visual effects movie credits. Check him out on IMDB. So Chloe’s nerd credentials have to be strong growing up with her dad. With a background like that and great looks, it was really refreshing to see her be down to Earth and really get that cosplay is about having fun.
I was SHOCKED that the other superficial participants perpetuated the opinion that only skinny women can play parts and only fit, muscular men can play superheroes. Little tiny anorexic girls condemning normal plus sized people. Welcome to the Ambercrombie and Fitch gutter of superficial trash. Where do you think cosplay, geeks and nerds started? Was it size zero sixteen year old girls? Hell no! All of us normal and overweight people started cosplay and sci-fi. Yes, we like it when someone looks good, like any other part of society, but if you don’t want above size 2, you will have crickets chirping at your self starved events.
Chloe Dykstra at 5’9″ and just 122 pounds was the only defender of normal and plus-sized cosplayers.
I was so offended. Unfortunately, instead of sticking with her guns, Chloe thinks she is ‘over her head’ with the professionals. Not even. There is nothing professional about putting down other people. Chloe thankfully picks a real outfit, not one to show off she is really pretty. She picks a Betelgeuse cartoon cosplay that involves dead face paint and a bulky outfit. Good for her. Don’t get me wrong, I like all types of cosplay – from Jessica Nigri modeling fanboy friendly outfits, to people dressed as gigantic blobs.
4) Jesse needs to stop saying every five seconds he is looking to quit his job and become a full time costume maker. We get it – you are asking the whole audience to employ you. Even your girlfriend is bored with it.
5) Jesse is also not ‘a loser again’ because he did not get a top three prize. Last week, and this week, his costumes rocked. Steampunk Stormtrooper was great. Comparing and selecting winners over so many different genres is pretty random and subjective.
6) Riki did a great job on her Hell Girl cosplay. I know women who do full body paint instead of the body suit. But you have to get sprayed and you can only wear it for so long. I didn’t care and I don’t think the judges should have. I was surprised just how tiny she looked next to Monika Lee, given that Monika Lee is not very big.
7) I wish they could leave the petty crap out of it, but I guess that is reality TV for you. I also wish they would not end every show with a contest, as if that matters. I would be happy just to see the preparation that goes into their costumes and then see the final product.
8) The scene missing from every episode – Where the cosplayers actually have fun at the convention. That is what I see at cons, lots of happy people having fun. Not people stressing out over their costume in a hotel room. If you go to the events to get stressed out, you are really going for the wrong reasons.
John Dykstra – Video Effects Movie Credits
Filed under Humor and Observations
More random humor to cheer you up on this Thursday afternoon.
Filed under Humor and Observations
I found this site online and it is really cool. For free, you can listen to old radio programs. Before television, all the cool shows were done on the radio. They have an amazingly extensive library including dramas, comedies, science fiction, just about anything. Check it out.
Welcome to OldRadioWorld.com! Here at OldRadioWorld.com you will find some of the most popular radio programs of the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. Before television, radio provided entertainment by presenting radio plays and programs of mystery, intrigue, and comedy. Of course, news was present as were many soap operas.
I have been a big fan of Old Time Radio over the years and my preferences for programs have evolved, but one thing still amazes me, the sound effects and how the sound men created them. The nine minute video, “Back of the Mike“, begins with a child listening to the radio and his imagination is put on the screen. The camera then goes to a 1930s era radio sound studio where the program is originating. This video gives you an insightful look at how those intriguing and astonishing sounds were created.
Radio has been around for a long time and although there are more commercial radio stations on the air than ever before, there isn’t really much worth listening to unless you like lots of commercials and little creativity.
Filed under Humor and Observations
Though a connection between the Celtic high priests and England’s Stonehenge has never been reliably established, many people who identify as modern-day Druids still gather at the mighty monument every midsummer. (Credit: Andrew Dunn/Wikimedia Commons)
Ancient Greeks
According to certain iterations of the Greek calendar—they varied widely by region and era—the summer solstice was the first day of the year. Several festivals were held around this time, including Kronia, which celebrated the agriculture god Cronus. The strict social code was temporarily turned on its head during Kronia, with slaves participating in the merriment as equals or even being served by their masters. The summer solstice also marked the one-month countdown to the opening of the Olympic games. Ancient Romans
In the days leading up to the summer solstice, ancient Romans celebrated the Vestalia festival, which paid tribute to Vesta, the goddess of the hearth. Rituals included the sacrifice of an unborn calf remove from its mother’s womb. This was the only time of the year when married women were allowed to enter the sacred temple of the vestal virgins and make offerings to Vesta there.
Ancient Chinese
The ancient Chinese participated in a ceremony on the summer solstice to honor the earth, femininity and the force known as yin. It complemented the winter solstice ritual, which was devoted to the heavens, masculinity and yang. Ancient Northern and Central European Tribes Many Germanic, Slavic and Celtic pagans welcomed summer with bonfires, a tradition that is still enjoyed in Germany, Austria, Estonia and other countries. Some ancient tribes practiced a ritual in which couples would jump through the flames to predict how high that year’s crops would grow.
Vikings
Midsummer was a crucial time of year for the Nordic seafarers, who would meet to discuss legal matters and resolve disputes around the summer solstice. They would also visit wells thought to have healing powers and build huge bonfires. Today, “Viking” summer solstice celebrations are popular among both residents and tourists in Iceland.
Native Americans
Many Native American tribes took part in centuries-old midsummer rituals, some of which are still practiced today. The Sioux, for instance, performed a ceremonial sun dance around a tree while wearing symbolic colors. Some scholars believe that Wyoming’s Bighorn medicine wheel, an arrangement of stones built several hundred years ago by the Plains Indians, aligns with the solstice sunrise and sunset, and was therefore the site of that culture’s annual sun dance.
Maya and Aztecs
While not much is known of how exactly the mighty pre-Columbian civilizations of Central America celebrated midsummer, the ruins of their once-great cities indicate the great significance of that day. Temples, public buildings and other structures were often precisely aligned with the shadows cast by major astrological phenomena, particularly the summer and winter solstices.
Druids
The Celtic high priests known as the Druids likely led ritual celebrations during midsummer, but—contrary to popular belief—it is unlikely that these took place at Stonehenge, England’s most famous megalithic stone circle. Still, people who identify as modern Druids continue to gather at the monument for the summer solstice, winter solstice, spring equinox and autumn equinox.
Filed under Humor and Observations
Michael Bradley - Time Traveler 