Steve's Science and Other Fun Stuff



"And rockets and comets and asteroids blah blah blah"

Hi everyone. Stephen Tremp here. I'm slowly making my way back into the blogging scene after taking the summer off to write Murcat Manor. I've missed you all and am glad to see you again! So let's highlight a few of the amazing man-made endeavors happening in our solar system that you can discuss around the water cooler at work. 

To Proxima Centauri and Beyond!

To Infinity, and Beyond! Well, at Least to Proxima Centauri: NASA has been testing new space travel technologies throughout its entire history, but the results of its latest experiment may be the most exciting yet — if they hold up. NASA indicated they had achieved a small amount of thrust from a container that had no traditional fuels, only microwaves, bouncing around inside it. 

If the results can be replicated reliably and scaled up — and that's a big "if," since NASA only produced them on a very small scale over a two-day period — they could ultimately result in ultra-light weight, ultra fast spacecraft that could carry humans to Mars in weeks instead of months, and to the nearest star system outside our own (Proxima Centurai) in just about 30 years. Reference 

The Space Police

Japan to Launch Military Space Force: Japan is planning to launch a military space force by 2019 that would initially be tasked with protecting satellites from dangerous debris orbiting the Earth. The move is aimed at strengthening Japan-US cooperation in space, and comes after the countries pledged to boost joint work on monitoring space debris. 

Thousands of pieces of debris -- including old satellites as well as pieces of rockets and other space equipment -- are orbiting the Earth and threaten to collide with functioning communications and reconnaissance satellites. Reference

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Rosetta Spacecraft Arrives at Comet: After a decade-long journey and clocking up 6.4 billion kilometers chasing its target, the European Space Agency's Rosetta, carrying three NASA instruments, became the first spacecraft to rendezvous with a comet. As many as five possible landing sites on the comet (how cool is that!!!) will be identified by late August, before the primary site is identified in mid-September.

 

Comets are considered to be primitive building blocks of the solar system and may have helped to "seed" Earth with water, perhaps even the ingredients for life. But many fundamental questions about these enigmatic objects remain, and through a comprehensive, in situ study of the comet, Rosetta aims to unlock the secrets within. Reference
 

The Query Commish Matthew MacNish

Finally: My query letter for Murcat Manor is up on Matthew MacNish’s the Quintessentially Questionable Query Experiment. I’d greatly appreciate it if you could check in and help with the critique. And you’ll get a good idea of what Murcat Manor is all about. Thanks in advance, and hope you enjoyed the tidbits today!

Question: What do you think of the Japanese teaming up with the U.S. to police outer space? Good idea, or are they really up to something else?
 

And don’t forget to stop by my blog (CLICK HERE) and say hello as I’m getting my blogging grove back again.

And if you feel this post is worthy, hit that Twitter button and add a hashtag or three. The universe thanks you!

Storyteller's Perspective: Tales from the East

Once upon a time, years and years ago (like, three whole years, you guys) I worked as a screenwriter on an online MMORPG based on the Arabian Nights. It was a wonderful project, and it gave me an excuse to dig deep into Arab and Persian tales. I have been in love with them ever since. Last week, while I was at a conference in Arizona, I found a book on a hidden shelf in a used book store. I was instantly transported back into the world of jinn, lost cities, and endless deserts.
With all that in mind, this week I wanted to give you a short list of some of my favorite books of Arab and Persian tales:

Fabled Cities, Princes & Jinn from Arab Myths and Legends
This is the book I found last week. While it is a gloriously illustrated picture book, it is definitely not written for children. It contains background information on Arab history and culture, as well as tales from many pre-Islamic and Islamic sources. Most of them were new to me, and they are all gorgeous. I especially liked that there were many tales about brave, clever and independent women.

Mirror of the Invisible World
A collection of tales by Nizami, my ever favorite medieval Persian author (yes I have a favorite medieval Persian author, did I mention I'm a storyteller? :). Contains, among other things, the Seven Wise Princesses, the story I based my A to Z challenge on this year. Also, gorgeous, absolutely stunning illustrations copied from Persian miniatures.

Falnama: The Book of Omens
I first came across the Falnama when the Smithsonian did an exhibition on it, and I happened to be in Washington D.C. just in time to visit. They also published the gorgeous (albeit expensive) book I linked above. While not exactly a story collection, it is worth a read just for the illustrations, and the stories behind them. Also, the rainbow-colored angles I can't get enough of.

Arab Folktales
Part of the classic Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library, this book is a collection of all the Arab stories you will ever want to delve into in one place. I treasure it as one of the folktale collections that included an unusually high number of tales I wanted to tell (normally a good collection has two or three - storytellers are picky).

The Romance of Antar
If you like medieval hero stories, you will love this one. Antar is born as the child of a black slave woman and the chief of an Arab tribe, and is raised as a slave. But through his strength, courage, and honor, he rises not only to become accepted by the tribe as their equal, but also becomes one of the most legendary heroes of the Arab middle ages. Oh, and also a poet. The romance exists in many translations. Take your pick.

Shahnameh, the Book of Kings
This is essentially THE Persian epic. Full of heroes, wonderful creatures, and also one of my top 3 favorite stories of all time, Zal and Rudaba (the earliest known version of the Rapunzel story type, except infinitely more badass). Definitely should be a part of common cultural knowledge.

And, of course, if you have not read the Arabian Nights yet: Read it. Definitely worth the three years, one night at a time :)

As usual, you can find Csenge (@TarkabarkaHolgy) at
The Multicolored Diary - Adventures in Storytelling
MopDog - The crazy thing about Hungarians...
Her new book, Tales of Superhuman Powers - 55 folktales featuring superpowers - is available on Amazon.

Here's An Idea!: The Shopping List (#atozchallenge)

Found shopping list (Photo credit: vidalia_11)

 
      In my June offering of Here's An Idea! I discussed the A to Z theme of using lists of favorites in the April Challenge.    Another blogger offered a tongue in cheek idea that actually sounds kind of like an interesting concept.   Here's what she had to say in her comment to my post:

Of course I am unsure of what to write many times.
I do like going through lists but don't make any except shopping lists.
But after the challenge I have started appreciating lists. Might even do a few.

       Sometimes what seems like an almost silly comment or just a passing thought can turn into a darn good idea.  I like this one!   Why not use a shopping list as a prompt for the A to Z Challenge?

        There are tons of possibilities with this idea.  You can start with a shopping list and apply your daily letters to anything from recipes to food histories.  Get creative with your presentation in the shopping list format and then run wild with it.

       You don't have to limit this idea to food either.  You can make up Christmas lists, Back to School shopping lists, or any other list that has to do with shopping themes.

        Our readers come up with the neatest ideas that really get my brain gears cranking.  How about you?  Do you read through the comments of the posts to see what other readers have to offer?   Let us know your ideas as well.   I'm sure there are some "list" ideas that you can think of.

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