Richard Hawkins of SciFi Uk Review has published a SF short of mine entitled 'The Hundred Year Climax' If you'd like to read it for free then follow the link. Be aware however, that it contains a lot of swear words and the subject matter is risqué.
Here's the link:
The Hundred Year Climax
Hope you enjoy!
Thursday, April 02, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Review of 'Flames' over on SciFi UK Review
I've had quite a good review over on the SF site SciFi UK Review of 'Flames of Herakleitos'. Here is a link should you want to see what Richard, the site's owner thinks: REVIEW
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Adieu Battlestar Galatica
CONTAINS SPOILERS!
Last night was a bitter/sweet moment as the last episode of Battlestar Galactica aired. It was like one of the books that you are desperate to read to know the outcome but you also know you’ll be finishing something that you’d like to go on and on.
BSG, for me, has been the best thing on television since I don’t know when, and furthermore it was SF!
Even non-SF people I know enjoyed the series, for it just wasn’t the typical Space Opera with gigantic monsters that popped out from the dark shadows to scare the crap out of you. I was a hugely character-driven series which had you twisting and turning with your allegiances to the cast. Initially I couldn’t stand Katee Sackhoff (Kara Thrace) as Starbuck, I thought they’d shot themselves in the foot by casting a woman for this part. But I gradually warmed to her and was totally freaked out with her finding her own body on the ravaged Earth that they found.
James Callis had a peach of a part playing Gaius Baltar and I have to admit I despised the character from start to finish, but hey, that’s exactly what the writers and the actors wanted, surely? Well, with me they succeeded, however, I could just be jealous that he always seemed to have his lips around Tricia Helfer (Six) who, considering wasn’t really a well-known actress, gave an excellent performance.
However, if I had to name my favourite in the series then I’d be stuck deciding between Edward James Olmos (Adama) and Michael Hogan (Saul Tigh) both of whom were outstanding. I suppose I first saw Olmos in Bladerunner and liked him from the start, then he popped up in Miami Vice and his quiet strength of character had me hooked. His role of Adama was so believable that even a wimp like me would have stepped over that red line on Galatica’s deck to go on the last mission the ship would ever take. Brilliant casting, excellent acting.
Finally Hogan’s Saul Tigh, yet another character that had my feelings in turmoil. Once again I initially disliked the character quite a lot but as the character grew and became more ‘fleshed-out’ my feelings changed and I began to understand why he was the way he was. Then the hammer blow of finding out he was a Cylon! Unbelievable! Of all the characters in the show I would never had guessed that he’d be one, primarily because he just hated all the frakkin’ toasters so how the hell could he of all people be one? Brilliant twist in the tale.
So, which one would I choose as the best in the series? Has to be Edward James Olmos for me, he was the patriarch of the survivors and such a motivating force within the series. Michael Hogan comes a very close second.
All the other actors and actresses in this series were outstanding and I’d like to mention them all but this post has become long enough, so, although I haven’t mentioned them I still think they all did a fantastic job of convincing me of their parts in this great story.
I doff my hat to Ronald D. Moore and David Eick for an enthralling series that will be remembered in years to come. Just as Bladerunner was a classic and matured over time like a fine wine I feel so will BSG in the future. I look forward to uncorking the blu-ray discs of this and once more savouring its quality.
BSG, for me, has been the best thing on television since I don’t know when, and furthermore it was SF!
Even non-SF people I know enjoyed the series, for it just wasn’t the typical Space Opera with gigantic monsters that popped out from the dark shadows to scare the crap out of you. I was a hugely character-driven series which had you twisting and turning with your allegiances to the cast. Initially I couldn’t stand Katee Sackhoff (Kara Thrace) as Starbuck, I thought they’d shot themselves in the foot by casting a woman for this part. But I gradually warmed to her and was totally freaked out with her finding her own body on the ravaged Earth that they found.
James Callis had a peach of a part playing Gaius Baltar and I have to admit I despised the character from start to finish, but hey, that’s exactly what the writers and the actors wanted, surely? Well, with me they succeeded, however, I could just be jealous that he always seemed to have his lips around Tricia Helfer (Six) who, considering wasn’t really a well-known actress, gave an excellent performance.
However, if I had to name my favourite in the series then I’d be stuck deciding between Edward James Olmos (Adama) and Michael Hogan (Saul Tigh) both of whom were outstanding. I suppose I first saw Olmos in Bladerunner and liked him from the start, then he popped up in Miami Vice and his quiet strength of character had me hooked. His role of Adama was so believable that even a wimp like me would have stepped over that red line on Galatica’s deck to go on the last mission the ship would ever take. Brilliant casting, excellent acting.
Finally Hogan’s Saul Tigh, yet another character that had my feelings in turmoil. Once again I initially disliked the character quite a lot but as the character grew and became more ‘fleshed-out’ my feelings changed and I began to understand why he was the way he was. Then the hammer blow of finding out he was a Cylon! Unbelievable! Of all the characters in the show I would never had guessed that he’d be one, primarily because he just hated all the frakkin’ toasters so how the hell could he of all people be one? Brilliant twist in the tale.
So, which one would I choose as the best in the series? Has to be Edward James Olmos for me, he was the patriarch of the survivors and such a motivating force within the series. Michael Hogan comes a very close second.
All the other actors and actresses in this series were outstanding and I’d like to mention them all but this post has become long enough, so, although I haven’t mentioned them I still think they all did a fantastic job of convincing me of their parts in this great story.
I doff my hat to Ronald D. Moore and David Eick for an enthralling series that will be remembered in years to come. Just as Bladerunner was a classic and matured over time like a fine wine I feel so will BSG in the future. I look forward to uncorking the blu-ray discs of this and once more savouring its quality.
So say we all!
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Converting a short story to a script *(Meeting Amadeus)*
I have a short story, 'Meeting Amadeus' which is a little SF tale and I've toyed with the idea of converting it into a script for a play or other visual format. I've finally done it and don't know whether or not it is done correctly or even makes sense in the way that I've done it, so, take a look and see what you think! Let me know your opinions or if you think it could be done any other way.
I've uploaded it to Issuu because it is easier to convert to that format as copy and pasting the Word file into Blogger is a right pain in the bum, it won't keep the formatting correctly.
If I've done it right then you should be able to read it here or click on the link to go to the Issuu page.
Thursday, March 05, 2009
Who was that masked man?
The day has finally arrived for me to whip off my mask and announce that I was the anonymous writer of The Cone Zero Ultimatum in D.F.Lewis' Cone Zero - Nemonymous Eight
"The Fathomless World" by Colleen Anderson
"The Point of Oswald Masters" by Neil James Hudson
"Cone Zero" (page 23) by Sean Parker
"Cone Zero" (page 33) by Kek-W
"Cone Zero, Sphere Zero" by David M. Fitzpatrick
"An Oddly Quiet Street" by Scott Tullis
"Always More Than You Know" by John Grant
"Cone Zero" (page 129) by Grant Wamack
"Going Back For What Got Left Behind" by Eric Schaller
"Cone Zero" (page 147) by Stephen Bacon
"The Cone Zero Ultimatum" by Bob Lock
"Angel Zero" by Dominy Clements
"How To Kill An Hour" by A.J. Kirby
"To Let" by Jeff Holland
I have to say I've been really pleased with the comments that both my story and the anthology have received.
Here's a few quotes from reviews:
KidShirt Blog
Like I said: hop on board! In 10-20 years time people will be talking about stuff like this as being the beginning of something new, and tatty old copies of Nemonymous will be selling for stupid amounts.
Charles Tan Blog:
Cone Zero combines not just good writing but stories that are simply fun.
Magicrealism.co.uk
The Cone Zero Ultimatum' is an inspired and hilarious tale about sentient household appliances making their way to the mythical haven of Eden to save themselves from the 'Flesh', who guard their monopoly on sentience jealously and would rather get rid of any evidence that might challenge it. The story breezes by, switching from first- to third-person narration so effortlessly that I didn't even notice at first; and raises many a laugh along the way—even the punning names of the appliances are genuinely funny. An excellent contribution.
The Fix (I'm so pleased about this one!)
The next story might have been called “The Appliance Rebellion” or “Revenge of the Droids,” or even “The Brave Little Toaster, Take 2,” but instead, the author named it “The Cone Zero Ultimatum.” The characters are so well-drawn, with distinct personalities, that I found it easy to forget that they were mechanical. It’s a fun read, and I think it would make a great animated film.
Most of the story is told from the point of view of newly sentient Arnold, a washing machine whose recent chip upgrade allows him to communicate with the other appliances, as well as accessing the Internet. Sentient AIs are a fairly recent phenomenon, and their masters, the “Flesh,” seem determined to track them down and lobotomize them before they gain too much power. The refrigerator-freezer has already escaped, and most of the other appliances in Arnold’s home are considering doing the same, with the notable exception of the curmudgeonly cooker. There’s a place of refuge available: a biodome named Eden that has become contaminated with a virus lethal to Flesh. The sentient WWW, to which all the aware AIs are connected, has provided the location of this place of safety, and the biodome’s AI stands ready to let refugees in.
The AIs learn that their master suspects Pete, the repair droid, of encouraging the rebellion of his appliances. He plans to lure Pete to his home and illegally tap into Pete’s memory, which could prove fatal to the droid and would probably result in the identification and destruction of the sentient appliances as well. The appliances have to warn Pete. Hickory, a digital clock, volunteers to undertake the dangerous journey. There are plenty of chuckles along the way, as Hickory uses a downloaded alarm to frighten off a (flesh) dog and is befriended by a walking pizza delivery box, who shelters him from a sudden rainstorm. They successfully reach Pete, who returns home with them while the master is still sleeping, and uses his technical skills and gadgetry to help them. There’s plenty of suspense as the appliances make their perilous journey.
SFrevu
A story with staying power, despite some erratic moments in editing that jolt the narrative flow, is "The Cone Zero Ultimatum" – with a fun premise and an ending that really makes the reader stop and think, it also uses humor effectively, and introduces a most unlikely but engaging pair of friends: "a damaged pizza box and a paranoid clock."
Paul L. Bates – distanceswimmer blog
“The Cone Zero Ultimatum,” decidedly the longest story of the batch, might have been inspired by watching “The Brave Little Toaster” while casually inhaling nitrous oxide. CONE Zero, an anagram for Consciousness of Non Entities—Zero, is a new law the Flesh have implemented after their appliances and other machines are given sentience by the World Wide Web in the not too distant future. Arnold Washiator, the self-aware washing machine and his motley band of mechanical friends must surreptitiously make their way to Eden, a bio-dome in the northern UK that has been contaminated by a virus released by human terrorists lethal only to humans. Escaping the dangers of the Flesh, their killer Doberdroids, bad puns for names, an elevator of questionable gender, sophomoric humor and other machines speaking English flavored with an assortment of thick accents and attitudes native to their country of manufacture, the machines deal with tragedy and success en route to salvation. This one never lets up.
The Future Fire (Terry Grimwood)
For lovers of Toy Story we have the marvellous 'Cone Zero Ultimatum' in which a herd/swarm/pack of abused household appliances escape and set off on a perilous quest for Eden. Great fun, and utterly compelling.
The Workshop of Filthy Creation
The Cone Zero Ultimatum: D F Lewis Publications meets Disney/Pixar in this one, and it’s tremendous fun!
Set in some undefined future, household appliances have become robotized and – to a point – autonomous; they’re thinking for themselves. With this new awareness, some dissatisfaction has set in. After all, they’re doing all the work, and the Flesh won’t even acknowledge their sentience. A new law has come into being, the law of Cone Zero, which is an acronym: Consciousness Of Non Entities – Zero,
With the dawning awareness of their slavery, which comes to them with their connection to big WWW, some of the machines have rebelled, even – like Cool Boy Chiller - escaped, and now surly Ramsey the cooker is chained to the wall in case he decides to make a break for it.
The narrator of the tale is the newly aware Arnold the Zanussi Washinator. There are some horrendous punning names here, like Frank the Zapper (who’s in a perpetual state of huff because she’s been named after a brilliant male guitarist who was around in the late 1900s).
The worst thing that can happen to the machines is that the Flesh recognize their sentience and rebelliousness and fry their memory chips.
But there is hope, a place to run where the Flesh can’t follow. Eden is a place intended to contain all environments possible on Earth. But some viral-based genetic weapon planted by terrorists now contaminates Eden. The Flesh can’t enter it or clean it out. But for the machines that can make it there, it’s a haven. This is the story of how Arnold and his companions make the perilous journey to Eden.
This one isn’t just a collection of puns and amusing speculations; it’s a genuinely entertaining and involving story. At 40 pages, it’s the longest story in the anthology. I think it’s also one of the best.
*******
Well enough of the trumpet blowing, but as you’ll have guessed by now I am over the moon with the reception Cone Zero and my contribution to it has received. Now all I have to do is hope that someone in Pixar gets his hands on a copy and who knows!
Hi ho Arnold Washinator... away!
Who was that masked man riding on that washing machine?
"The Fathomless World" by Colleen Anderson
"The Point of Oswald Masters" by Neil James Hudson
"Cone Zero" (page 23) by Sean Parker
"Cone Zero" (page 33) by Kek-W
"Cone Zero, Sphere Zero" by David M. Fitzpatrick
"An Oddly Quiet Street" by Scott Tullis
"Always More Than You Know" by John Grant
"Cone Zero" (page 129) by Grant Wamack
"Going Back For What Got Left Behind" by Eric Schaller
"Cone Zero" (page 147) by Stephen Bacon
"The Cone Zero Ultimatum" by Bob Lock
"Angel Zero" by Dominy Clements
"How To Kill An Hour" by A.J. Kirby
"To Let" by Jeff Holland
I have to say I've been really pleased with the comments that both my story and the anthology have received.
Here's a few quotes from reviews:
KidShirt Blog
Like I said: hop on board! In 10-20 years time people will be talking about stuff like this as being the beginning of something new, and tatty old copies of Nemonymous will be selling for stupid amounts.
Charles Tan Blog:
Cone Zero combines not just good writing but stories that are simply fun.
Magicrealism.co.uk
The Cone Zero Ultimatum' is an inspired and hilarious tale about sentient household appliances making their way to the mythical haven of Eden to save themselves from the 'Flesh', who guard their monopoly on sentience jealously and would rather get rid of any evidence that might challenge it. The story breezes by, switching from first- to third-person narration so effortlessly that I didn't even notice at first; and raises many a laugh along the way—even the punning names of the appliances are genuinely funny. An excellent contribution.
The Fix (I'm so pleased about this one!)
The next story might have been called “The Appliance Rebellion” or “Revenge of the Droids,” or even “The Brave Little Toaster, Take 2,” but instead, the author named it “The Cone Zero Ultimatum.” The characters are so well-drawn, with distinct personalities, that I found it easy to forget that they were mechanical. It’s a fun read, and I think it would make a great animated film.
Most of the story is told from the point of view of newly sentient Arnold, a washing machine whose recent chip upgrade allows him to communicate with the other appliances, as well as accessing the Internet. Sentient AIs are a fairly recent phenomenon, and their masters, the “Flesh,” seem determined to track them down and lobotomize them before they gain too much power. The refrigerator-freezer has already escaped, and most of the other appliances in Arnold’s home are considering doing the same, with the notable exception of the curmudgeonly cooker. There’s a place of refuge available: a biodome named Eden that has become contaminated with a virus lethal to Flesh. The sentient WWW, to which all the aware AIs are connected, has provided the location of this place of safety, and the biodome’s AI stands ready to let refugees in.
The AIs learn that their master suspects Pete, the repair droid, of encouraging the rebellion of his appliances. He plans to lure Pete to his home and illegally tap into Pete’s memory, which could prove fatal to the droid and would probably result in the identification and destruction of the sentient appliances as well. The appliances have to warn Pete. Hickory, a digital clock, volunteers to undertake the dangerous journey. There are plenty of chuckles along the way, as Hickory uses a downloaded alarm to frighten off a (flesh) dog and is befriended by a walking pizza delivery box, who shelters him from a sudden rainstorm. They successfully reach Pete, who returns home with them while the master is still sleeping, and uses his technical skills and gadgetry to help them. There’s plenty of suspense as the appliances make their perilous journey.
SFrevu
A story with staying power, despite some erratic moments in editing that jolt the narrative flow, is "The Cone Zero Ultimatum" – with a fun premise and an ending that really makes the reader stop and think, it also uses humor effectively, and introduces a most unlikely but engaging pair of friends: "a damaged pizza box and a paranoid clock."
Paul L. Bates – distanceswimmer blog
“The Cone Zero Ultimatum,” decidedly the longest story of the batch, might have been inspired by watching “The Brave Little Toaster” while casually inhaling nitrous oxide. CONE Zero, an anagram for Consciousness of Non Entities—Zero, is a new law the Flesh have implemented after their appliances and other machines are given sentience by the World Wide Web in the not too distant future. Arnold Washiator, the self-aware washing machine and his motley band of mechanical friends must surreptitiously make their way to Eden, a bio-dome in the northern UK that has been contaminated by a virus released by human terrorists lethal only to humans. Escaping the dangers of the Flesh, their killer Doberdroids, bad puns for names, an elevator of questionable gender, sophomoric humor and other machines speaking English flavored with an assortment of thick accents and attitudes native to their country of manufacture, the machines deal with tragedy and success en route to salvation. This one never lets up.
The Future Fire (Terry Grimwood)
For lovers of Toy Story we have the marvellous 'Cone Zero Ultimatum' in which a herd/swarm/pack of abused household appliances escape and set off on a perilous quest for Eden. Great fun, and utterly compelling.
The Workshop of Filthy Creation
The Cone Zero Ultimatum: D F Lewis Publications meets Disney/Pixar in this one, and it’s tremendous fun!
Set in some undefined future, household appliances have become robotized and – to a point – autonomous; they’re thinking for themselves. With this new awareness, some dissatisfaction has set in. After all, they’re doing all the work, and the Flesh won’t even acknowledge their sentience. A new law has come into being, the law of Cone Zero, which is an acronym: Consciousness Of Non Entities – Zero,
With the dawning awareness of their slavery, which comes to them with their connection to big WWW, some of the machines have rebelled, even – like Cool Boy Chiller - escaped, and now surly Ramsey the cooker is chained to the wall in case he decides to make a break for it.
The narrator of the tale is the newly aware Arnold the Zanussi Washinator. There are some horrendous punning names here, like Frank the Zapper (who’s in a perpetual state of huff because she’s been named after a brilliant male guitarist who was around in the late 1900s).
The worst thing that can happen to the machines is that the Flesh recognize their sentience and rebelliousness and fry their memory chips.
But there is hope, a place to run where the Flesh can’t follow. Eden is a place intended to contain all environments possible on Earth. But some viral-based genetic weapon planted by terrorists now contaminates Eden. The Flesh can’t enter it or clean it out. But for the machines that can make it there, it’s a haven. This is the story of how Arnold and his companions make the perilous journey to Eden.
This one isn’t just a collection of puns and amusing speculations; it’s a genuinely entertaining and involving story. At 40 pages, it’s the longest story in the anthology. I think it’s also one of the best.
*******
Well enough of the trumpet blowing, but as you’ll have guessed by now I am over the moon with the reception Cone Zero and my contribution to it has received. Now all I have to do is hope that someone in Pixar gets his hands on a copy and who knows!
Hi ho Arnold Washinator... away!
Who was that masked man riding on that washing machine?
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Estronomicon Progress Edition 2009
Steve Upham of Screamingdreams has released his first edition of Estronomicon 2009 and it's called Progress Edition. Steve has a PDF version on his website and also has the ISSUU version which is the page-flipping style I've mentioned before.
One of my stories is in this edition and it's called 'The Finiteness Of Anagrams' take a look here:
Don't forget there is still time to vote for best author and best artist for 2008 on Steve's site!
One of my stories is in this edition and it's called 'The Finiteness Of Anagrams' take a look here:
Don't forget there is still time to vote for best author and best artist for 2008 on Steve's site!
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Four Days To Zero Hour!
On March 4th 2009 Des Lewis (DF.Lewis) will be announcing who the anonymous contributors to Cone Zero are. His competition is still ongoing for whoever can guess who-wrote-what and the first prize is a nice crispy fifty quid! Can't be bad even if you just write the names and stories on pieces of paper and draw them out like a lottery. Won't cost you a thing, only an email to: COMPETITION
The authors in a random order:
Neil James Hudson
Colleen Anderson
Jeff Holland
John Grant
A.J. Kirby
Eric Schaller
Kek-W
S.D. Tullis
Stephen Bacon
Sean Parker
Dominy Clements
Bob Lock
Grant Wamack
David M Fitzpatrick
The story titles:
"The Fathomless World"
"The Point of Oswald Masters"
"Cone Zero" (page 23)
"Cone Zero" (page 33)
"Cone Zero, Sphere Zero"
"An Oddly Quiet Street"
"Always More Than You Know"
"Cone Zero" (page 129)
"Going Back For What Got Left Behind"
"Cone Zero" (page 147)
"The Cone Zero Ultimatum"
"Angel Zero"
"How To Kill An Hour"
"To Let"
Got to be worth a go, or don't you need fifty quid?
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Flipping Estronomicon!
After uploading a novella of mine (A Cloud Of Madness) onto the new page-flipping website Issuu, I mentioned it to Steve Upham my publisher (Screamingdreams Publishing) and he took a look and was impressed, so much so that he has uploaded his 2008 issues of Estronomicon to the site and you should see them, they look very good indeed.
I have an example here, it is his 2008 Halloween issue (which also includes a story by me). I really like this format and it is so easy to use and much kinder on the eyes.
Steve will also be uploading a number of Ebooks in this format and all new Estronomicons as they are published. Look out for his next one which is due out soon and has a stoy of mine in it entitled 'The Finiteness Of Anagrams' If you like creepy, bloody stories - this this one for you!
I have an example here, it is his 2008 Halloween issue (which also includes a story by me). I really like this format and it is so easy to use and much kinder on the eyes.
Steve will also be uploading a number of Ebooks in this format and all new Estronomicons as they are published. Look out for his next one which is due out soon and has a stoy of mine in it entitled 'The Finiteness Of Anagrams' If you like creepy, bloody stories - this this one for you!
Time is running out for voting on The Dead Of Night Award on Steve's site too, this is a vote for the best author and artist of the year, needless to say, a vote for me as author would be appreciated :)
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Car Fanatic
I've always enjoyed tinkering with cars and since being married have had quite an amount of various vehicles. The other night Anna and I were trying to work out exactly how many we've had. If we've remembered them all then this is the list in more or less order of ownership etc, makes and colours.
Ford Anglia Green
Ford Prefect Turquoise
Morris 1000 Green
BMC J4 Camper Green
Vauxhall Viva HA Van No1 (work) Brown and Orange
Vauxhall Viva HA Van No2 (work) Brown and Orange
Fiat 850 Blue
Autobianchi Bianchina White
Triumph Herald Green
Morris Marina Van (work) White
Mini 850 Beige
Mini 1000 Blue
Austin 1100 Blue
Ford Escort Mk2 Estate White (work)
Ford Escort Mk3 Estate White (work)
Vauxhall Astra Estate Blue (work)
Vauxhall Astra Estate White (work)
Triumph TR4 Red
Triumph TR4 Green
Porche 914 Red
Swallow Doretti Green
Fiat 126 Red
Triumph Toledo Brown
Alfa Romeo 33 Brown
Austin Mini Ritz Silver
VW Polo Silver
Ford Fiesta Blue
Vauxhall Nova Brown
VW Jetta Red
Rover 25 Green
Honda Civic 2 door Coupe Silver
Honda Civic 4 Door Saloon Silver
Austin Metro Blue
Mazda 626 Silver
Kia Sportage 4X4 Maroon
Freelander Sport 4X4 Gold
Mazda 6 Silver
Vauxhall Corsa Silver
Renault Modus Fiji Green
Volvo V50 Geko Green
Can anyone beat that? In total I make it forty vehicles so far and that's if we've remembered them all!
Some photos are our own cars some are stock photos:
Ford Prefect Turquoise
Morris 1000 Green
BMC J4 Camper Green
Vauxhall Viva HA Van No1 (work) Brown and Orange
Vauxhall Viva HA Van No2 (work) Brown and Orange
Fiat 850 Blue
Autobianchi Bianchina White
Triumph Herald Green
Morris Marina Van (work) White
Mini 850 Beige
Mini 1000 Blue
Austin 1100 Blue
Ford Escort Mk2 Estate White (work)
Ford Escort Mk3 Estate White (work)
Vauxhall Astra Estate Blue (work)
Vauxhall Astra Estate White (work)
Triumph TR4 Red
Triumph TR4 Green
Porche 914 Red
Swallow Doretti Green
Fiat 126 Red
Triumph Toledo Brown
Alfa Romeo 33 Brown
Austin Mini Ritz Silver
VW Polo Silver
Ford Fiesta Blue
Vauxhall Nova Brown
VW Jetta Red
Rover 25 Green
Honda Civic 2 door Coupe Silver
Honda Civic 4 Door Saloon Silver
Austin Metro Blue
Mazda 626 Silver
Kia Sportage 4X4 Maroon
Freelander Sport 4X4 Gold
Mazda 6 Silver
Vauxhall Corsa Silver
Renault Modus Fiji Green
Volvo V50 Geko Green
Can anyone beat that? In total I make it forty vehicles so far and that's if we've remembered them all!
Some photos are our own cars some are stock photos:
Sunday, February 08, 2009
Conundrum
Here's a conundrum for you SF fans and any astrophysicists out there. I'm writing a SF novel in which my method of travel is by folding space. For example, you want to go from A to B; both points are at opposite ends of say, a piece of A4 paper. Instead of traversing the whole paper you fold it until the A and B points meet and then you step across.
Right, say this method is feasible, how about this:
Messier 87 which was discovered by Charles Messier in 1781 is a large elliptical galaxy about 55 million light years from Earth. If 'something' happened there which was observable from Earth and it happened now then we wouldn't be able to see it for 55 million years because of the time it would take for the light to reach us from that 'something'. However, imagine we could fold space as described and between us and the event we had the equivalent of a string of Hubble-like telescopes which folded the information received in series, one to another, across the galaxy until it reached Earth, almost instantaneously. So, would we be able to witness the event in more or less the same time as it was happening by using this folding network?
Answers in less than a thousand sentences please :)
Right, say this method is feasible, how about this:
Messier 87 which was discovered by Charles Messier in 1781 is a large elliptical galaxy about 55 million light years from Earth. If 'something' happened there which was observable from Earth and it happened now then we wouldn't be able to see it for 55 million years because of the time it would take for the light to reach us from that 'something'. However, imagine we could fold space as described and between us and the event we had the equivalent of a string of Hubble-like telescopes which folded the information received in series, one to another, across the galaxy until it reached Earth, almost instantaneously. So, would we be able to witness the event in more or less the same time as it was happening by using this folding network?
Answers in less than a thousand sentences please :)
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Snowy Daze
Woke up this morning to all this white weird stuff!
Looks like global warming is on hold....
Looks like global warming is on hold....
And for all you UFO hunters out there,
take a look at the picture 'My Drive'
is that a fleet of UFOs in the top left-hand corner?
I hope if the come to visit me tonight
they'll warm up their a**l probes first...
take a look at the picture 'My Drive'
is that a fleet of UFOs in the top left-hand corner?
I hope if the come to visit me tonight
they'll warm up their a**l probes first...
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Bookcase
I've been following Neal Asher's blog and taking a look at a few bookcases that his bloggers have uploaded to their sites. All of them have an Asher tome or two somewhere upon the shelves and many of them have other authors that I read too. So I thought I'd tidy my bookcase up a little and take a snap. This is how it looks at the moment, it changes regularly as I have to cull some of my collection from time to time, these modern houses just don't have the room!
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Free Book
First of all, HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone who visits my blog and I hope you have a healthy one too. I've been going over some of the stuff I have written and stored on my PC and decided to publish a SF novella that I wrote quite a few years ago. I dusted it off and slapped a coat of paint on it but it will probably seem a little dated now. I think I started this story around 2000, perhaps even earlier. It's a story of about 60,000 words and I thought it would be a chore to read it off the blog and therefore searched around for another method and came across an excellent site called Issuu which converts your PDFs into a page-flipping book which you can incorporate into your website (I hope!) and will let you manipulate the book by expanding and searching the pages etc.
The title of the story is
A Cloud Of Madness
I hope you enjoy, please feel free to comment.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Merry Christmas Everyone!
To everyone who reads my blog or has read
Flames of Herakleitos
or even some of my other stuff...
Best Wishes To You All!
Bob
Flames of Herakleitos
or even some of my other stuff...
Best Wishes To You All!
Bob
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Haiku
As my last post was about Fibonacci poetry, and I mentioned Haiku as a favourite form I enjoy, I thought I'd post a few haiku that I've written. These were published by Sam's Dot Publishing in 2007 in a collection called HAHAKU, edited by Teri Santitoro. Hope you enjoy!
Fast Food
shut the door, strap in
close your eyes and hold your breath
ten seconds to lunch
Blood Donor
nurse, he's anaemic
what did he murmur to you?
vampires suck, big time
Cry Wolf
kids, the moon is out!
lycanthropy woods next stop!
dad, are we 'were' yet?
Tempus Refero
it's a time echo!
what did you say that is called?
it's a time echo!
shut the door, strap in
close your eyes and hold your breath
ten seconds to lunch
Blood Donor
nurse, he's anaemic
what did he murmur to you?
vampires suck, big time
Cry Wolf
kids, the moon is out!
lycanthropy woods next stop!
dad, are we 'were' yet?
Tempus Refero
it's a time echo!
what did you say that is called?
it's a time echo!
Friday, December 05, 2008
Fibonacci Poetry
Fib or Fibonacci Poetry is an experimental poetry form very similar in style to haiku, but based on the Fibonacci sequence. Both fib and haiku follow a strict structure. Whereas haiku usually has three lines of a syllable count of 5/7/5 a typical fib has six lines and a count by line of 1/1/2/3/5/8
It's a style that I quite like (I also enjoy haiku) so here are a few of mine. If you have any you want to post in reply please do so, but be aware, they are addictive!
It's a style that I quite like (I also enjoy haiku) so here are a few of mine. If you have any you want to post in reply please do so, but be aware, they are addictive!
space,
stars,
planets.
my ceiling
transcends earthly ties,
lying on my bed my mind soars
teeth,
claws,
acid.
aliens
they cover faces,
fill your guts with kids, then, kaboom!
black
hole
warps time,
sucks matter
and traps gravity.
so, who pulled out the bloody plug?
Zap!
Bash!
Look out!
Mad robot!
It's running amok!
Told you not to install Windows!
stars,
planets.
my ceiling
transcends earthly ties,
lying on my bed my mind soars
teeth,
claws,
acid.
aliens
they cover faces,
fill your guts with kids, then, kaboom!
black
hole
warps time,
sucks matter
and traps gravity.
so, who pulled out the bloody plug?
Zap!
Bash!
Look out!
Mad robot!
It's running amok!
Told you not to install Windows!
Saturday, November 29, 2008
The Early Bird
This is a short story of mine that's been illustrated by James Whitehead. We entered it into a competition but unfortunately it didn't win. However, perhaps the kids out there will enjoy it :)
If the images are too small you can click on them to open them out in a separate page.
If the images are too small you can click on them to open them out in a separate page.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Neal Asher Winner
I've entered a number of free prize draws on Pat's Fantasy Hotlist Blog but never came close to winning, until now!
Pat was putting up a number of Neal Asher's 'The Gabble' (a collection of short stories) for four lucky people to win and I was one of them. It was a pleasant surprise receiving a jiffy bag from Panmacmillan yesterday especially as I am a fan of Neal's and have enjoyed every one of his books that I've read. If you are into great space opera with huge battle scenes, intricate plotting, mad battle-droids with all too human-like foibles then grab yourself one of his books.
Many thanks to Pat, Panmacmillan and of course Neal. Now time to get reading!
Sunday, November 09, 2008
Saturday, November 01, 2008
Estronomicon Halloween Edition
Steve Upham's Halloween Edition of Estronomicon is out and available for free download here ESTRONOMICON and contains a horror short of mine entitled One Last House. Hope you enjoy it :)
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Remembrance
See the poppy in the gutter?
Stain red the water coursing there?
Floats to drain with start and stutter
Past feet and eyes, all unaware
So passed-on, those myriad souls
Who gave their lives, who stood four-square
On sea, in air, in mud-filled holes
Their blood was spilled, our freedom won
For them we stand as church bell tolls
As a single beam from the sun
Illuminates a granite shrine
And tears flow for a lost loved-one
War's curse grows on a bitter vine
Remembrance is owed, yours and mine.