tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83289384781497713572024-03-13T05:40:47.910-07:00Nick Cook – A Ramble Through an Oxford Author's Imagination and InspirationNick Cook – A Ramble Through an Oxford Author's Imagination and InspirationNick Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00533479096188610743noreply@blogger.comBlogger63125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328938478149771357.post-5456532948117867722020-09-30T07:06:00.005-07:002022-06-02T01:23:13.258-07:00Blade Runner and Blade Runner 2049 - A Sci-Fi Masterclass<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My all-time favourite movie since its first release in 1982 is <strong>Blade Runner</strong>. From that first moment of the opening credits where a craft is flying over that landscape of industrial towers spurting fire into the sky and backed by the haunting soundtrack of composer Vangelis, I was totally hooked. Even to this day I still remember the sense of awe that film invoked in me the first time that I saw it.</div>
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Like many who adore <strong>Blade Runner</strong>, I have seen all the edits and director cuts of that original film. But for me, the original version was already superb.</div>
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I will never ever forget the power of one moment in that film in particular. It's often referred to as the <strong><em>Tears in the Rain </em></strong>speech<strong><em>.</em></strong> In it, Batty, the replicant that Deckar has been hunting down, utters these immortal words... “I've seen things you people wouldn't believe…” The speech that followed was actually written by the actor who performed them, Rutger Hauer. Some things in life are destined to leave a lasting impression on you, footprints in your soul if you will, and this was true for me with this short but beautiful soliloquy. Haunting, moving, and utterly poignant.</div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">I can't talk about </span><strong style="text-align: start;">Blade Runner</strong><span style="text-align: start;"> without mentioning its special effects. When I saw it all the way back in 1982, I was already a huge fan of </span><strong style="text-align: start;">2001 – A Space Odyssey</strong><span style="text-align: start;">, a movie which blew my mind at the tender age of ten when I first saw it. But it was </span><strong style="text-align: start;">Blade Runner</strong><span style="text-align: start;">, made long before the advent of serious computer graphics that visually was a stunning tour de force. The pivotal designer responsible for the look of the film was the incredibly talented Syd Mead who sadly recently passed away. A highly proclaimed industrial designer and neo-futuristic concept artist, Syd was the person who created that grungy neon-lit sprawling urban metropolis look, a combination of Hong Kong meets New York with a futuristic spin. Even today his vision for the movie feels like a real glimpse of a possible future for our world. And it was Syd who also designed the iconic flying cars that still haunt my imagination. Certainly, as a teenager when I first saw</span><strong style="text-align: start;"> Blade Runner</strong><span style="text-align: start;">, someone who ate, breathed, and slept science fiction, his design style spoke deeply to me.</span></div>
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Of course, there's been plenty of analysis of <strong>Blade Runner</strong> over the years and I'm not going to be unearthing anything new in this piece. Yes, <strong>Blade Runner</strong> is ultimately a film about what it is to be human and how that line may be blurred in the future. However, it's a comment from the director of the sequel movie, <strong>Blade Runner 2049</strong>, Denis Villeneuve, that for me was something of a lightbulb moment for me.</div>
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In an interview, Villeneuve stated that <strong>Blade Runner</strong> and his own sequel <strong>Blade Runner 2049</strong> were ultimately movies about loneliness. When I read that, it was like being handed a new lens to examine that original movie through. Suddenly I saw Harrison Ford's character, Deckar, in a new light – a man alone in a dystopian world. And then in the film, he meets Rachel and forms an instant connection. Of course, the irony is that Rachel is a replicant too and which leads to the ultimate internal conflict for Deckar.</div>
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It’s this theme of loneliness that I think <strong>Blade Runner 2049</strong> deals with superbly. Yes, the idea of an AI holographic projection becoming a lover is maybe pure fantasy, at least with current technologies, but maybe one day aspects of that vision will come to pass. However, can technology ever be the real answer to human loneliness? Sometimes technology can actually exasperate the problem. That's certainly the flip side of social media that's meant to enrich the connection between people, but has left many feeling increasingly isolated. It could even be argued that social media has helped to reinforce a society where people don't talk to their neighbours, such as the seductive nature of the black mirror that they hold in their hands.</div>
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The script for <strong>Blade Runner</strong> was based on Philip K Dick's story, <em><strong>Do androids Dream of Electric Sheep</strong></em>. I actually read that story long before the first film was released. Although that short book is a great one, I personally think the script behind the movie elevated that story to an extraordinary level.</div>
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The original <strong>Blade Rubber</strong> is still probably my favourite version of all the edits because it used Deckar's character for a voice-over. The irony is this was a knee-jerk decision by the film's backers who were worried about its early screen testings with audiences. However, I actually think Deckar's voice-over made that version of the movie feel more like a book. Also, apart from being a storytelling device, it also tapped into by classic film noir movies feel that often featured a detective talking over the film. That's not to say that the later versions of <strong>Blade Runner</strong> without it didn't work, just for me it gave that first version of the movie a truly magical feel.</div>
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When I first heard they were making a sequel new movie, I was more than a little bit worried. After all, how could they follow up on one of the greatest sci-fi movies of all time? But I needn't have worried because <strong>Blade Runner 2049</strong> is without doubt also an extraordinary piece of moviemaking. Ross Gosling's performance is excellent in the movie and is a perfect adjunct to Harrison Ford’s reprisal of his Deckar's character. <strong>Blade Runner</strong> will probably always be my number one movie, but now it’s been joined by <strong>Blader Runner 2049</strong>, an astonishing companion piece to the original film. The soundtrack penned by the ever-talented Hans Zimmer and who I'd love to score the film version if any of my books hit the big screen one day, was breathtaking and frequently echoes musical refrains from <strong>Blade Runner</strong>. Like Vanegellis's original soundtrack, Zimmer's compositions frequently elevates the film to mesmerising heights.</div>
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So what did you think of either movie? Loved them, hated them, or somewhere in-between? If you are a fan were there any particular moments that really stood out for you from either movie like the tears in the rain scene did for me? I’d love to hear your thoughts, so do please leave a comment below.</div>
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Finally below for you to watch is the famous <strong>Tears in the Rain</strong> scene. As you'll see it's just as poignant today as it was when it was first made.</div>
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<em>"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe.</em></div>
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<em>Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion.</em></div>
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<em>I watched c-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate.</em></div>
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<em>All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain.</em></div>
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<em>Time to die."</em></div>
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<strong>– Batty's Tears in the Rain speech from Blade Runner</strong><br />
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Nick Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00533479096188610743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328938478149771357.post-79171160131847391192019-09-10T04:48:00.002-07:002019-09-10T04:52:14.946-07:00War of the Worlds Experience<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i><br /></i> <i>“No one would have believed in the last years of the nineteenth century that this world was being watched keenly and closely by intelligences greater than man's and yet as mortal as his own; that as men busied themselves about their various concerns they were scrutinised and studied, perhaps almost as narrowly as a man with a microscope might scrutinise the transient creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water.”</i><br />
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― H.G. Wells, The War of the Worlds<br />
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My wife Karen and I headed into London to see the new War of the Worlds Experience based on Jeff Wayne's album.<br />
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We didn't know quite what to expect but as a fan both of H.G Wells original book, the great 50's movie adaption and indeed Jeff Wayne's great album, we headed into it with high expectations.<br />
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So what's it like you're probably wondering. I'll try to write this without revealing any plot spoilers...<br />
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To start with the experience is based in the Old Metal Exchange in London and through the two hours that you're in there, you move through multiple locations as the story unfolds around you. Great use is made of screen projection holograms along with amazing sets. But the absolutely standout element for us were the actors who brought everything to life. The nearest thing to this would something like Secret Cinema that combines live actors and film. However, The War of the Worlds goes beyond this in one key area, the use of VR.<br />
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There were many occasions where we donned the headsets, toppers as they were referred to by the actors, and were dropped into the virtual alternative world of H.G. Well's imagination with the Martian war machines towering over us and Big Ben at one point!<br />
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Now as you may know in my former life I worked in the games industry as an art director and artists, so this is something I know a reasonable amount about.<br />
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The state of current technology means that the virtual locations aren't photo-realistic by any means. Give the technology another five to ten years and we may be approaching that point. But despite the limitations of the current tech, The War of the Worlds Experience really managed to create an immersive experience.<br />
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One area that worked really well with the VR was one of the earlier locations where you are physically moving around a location wearing the topper and a backpack. This hugely enhances the experience, particularly as you can see the other members of your team moving around with you. However, the tech isn't without its problems and bugs such as where the characters' legs briefly took on a life of their own like a mad Irish jig gone wrong or the VR world temporarily glitching out to reveal the landscape grid. These aspects obviously need to be ironed out, but that aside overall the experiences worked really well.<br />
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Another highlight was the observatory where you see a Martian machine has crashed landed on the common. The actor in this area was superb and really brought it to life. We then had to take shelter in a house and were just sitting down to some biscuits with the maid when the lights went out and... Well, I'll leave that part to your imagination.<br />
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So all in all, a truly ambitious production that has a few kinks to be sorted, but in every other way is a truly unique experience and blazes the way towards an exciting new area of entertainment.<br />
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Do I recommend it...well if you're a gamer you may be disappointed by the VR as it's not state of the art and has some bugs. But if you can mould your expectations accordingly, you'll have a fantastic time.<br />
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Let's put it this way, I've been getting flashbacks all week since experiencing it and I mean that in a good way! This truly is a new form of entertainment that takes things to the next level. Just don't blame me if you and you start to dream of Martian invasions machines invading our world.Nick Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00533479096188610743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328938478149771357.post-30406650773013356342018-07-19T03:03:00.001-07:002018-07-20T03:11:54.427-07:00A Transport Revolution is Coming<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Revolutions by their nature are often very disruptive to the traditional order. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Change can be a gradual thing that often creeps up on people. Then as people become aware of the full implications, vested groups often see these new emerging developments as a direct threat to their interests. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Exactly that is happening right now and here history can be something of a guide.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Back in 1764, James Hargreaves from Lancashire, England, applied for a patent for a machine called a Spinning Jenny. This event, along with the invention of the steam engine, were two of the direct contributors towards the beginning of the industrial revolution that was to change our world forever. The Spinning Jenny inspired the creation of mechanised looms, something that a group known </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">as the Luddites took an exception to. They saw the new automated weaving factories as a direct threat to manual worker jobs and set about destroying them. However, despite the Luddites considerable protests and resistance, the industrial revolution carried on regardless.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Today, we are once again witnessing the beginnings of a similar paradigm shift and this time concentrated on the area of transportation. Currently, there is a gradual movement away from the combustion engine towards alternative forms of propulsion, specifically electric vehicles, EVs, that is rapidly gaining traction.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have to declare an interest here as I am lucky enough to own a Tesla that I absolutely adore. Therefore as owner, in this article, I'm going to attempt to counter some of the misinformation about EVs that are out there. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">These are some of the arguments against owning an EV that you may have heard are:</span></div>
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<li style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Electric vehicles only have a range of a hundred miles.</i></span></li>
<li style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>They lack performance.</i></span></li>
<li style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>They aren’t really that green because their energy comes from the fossil-fuelled power stations.</i></span></li>
<li style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>The batteries don’t last very long and need to be replaced frequently.</i></span></li>
<li style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Electric vehicles are expensive.</i></li>
<li style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Lithium batteries use cobalt from regions that exploit child workers.</i></li>
<li style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Electric vehicles are always catching fire and blowing up!</i></li>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So let’s step through each of those points in order.</span><br />
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<li style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Electric vehicles only have a range of a hundred miles.</b></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Range anxiety is one of the biggest things that puts people off buying an EV. However, to clear one thing up straight away, EVs today have a far greater range than 100 miles. Tesla, which is currently the EV manufacturer to beat, has 230 useable miles for its base range MS 75D model. For the 100D model, this range rises to 335 miles. Not enough range for you? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Well to put this into context how much do you drive in a typical day, below a hundred miles? And how often do you have to queue for fuel? Once a week? Most of the time with an EV you charge at home so you nearly always start your day with a fuel tank of energy.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqIC6ZVxMzFcXPonmMl_WaAAHA6gluVWbGOHbov8r_YUXAjj2qMogW2XgN8RNFUVEaCABb9lSR1g3us9bflgGeXxa6lEhXOLP2OmfXYBHl0oTG4h9eN1OhBMEiNu4q-zZq_nMcDhDQVWU/s1600/tesla-headlight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="931" data-original-width="1600" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqIC6ZVxMzFcXPonmMl_WaAAHA6gluVWbGOHbov8r_YUXAjj2qMogW2XgN8RNFUVEaCABb9lSR1g3us9bflgGeXxa6lEhXOLP2OmfXYBHl0oTG4h9eN1OhBMEiNu4q-zZq_nMcDhDQVWU/s400/tesla-headlight.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So what about those longer trips where internal combustion engine, ICE, vehicles come into their own. I don’t know how big your bladder is but I need to stop every so often for a comfort break. Tesla once again leads the pack here with their extensive Supercharger network and it looks like other manufacturers are starting to follow this philosophy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The speed that these chargers can recharge your vehicle can be remarkable. To give a real-world example, I thought I’d stop for lunch next to a Supercharger in Norfolk recently. In twenty minutes, faster than it took for my food to arrive, my car had been recharged to eighty per cent. Pretty impressive. And just think for a moment how you use motorway service stations, at least in the UK. Most people typically stop and grab something to eat, and then maybe buy their fuel afterwards (if you can afford the exorbitant price of motorway service stations). With an EV car after your lunch your car is recharged and ready to go, so need for that extra fuel stop that ICE vehicle owners have to do.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Additionally, battery technology is advancing and you can expect to see far great range in future generations of vehicles.</span><br />
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<li style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>They lack performance.</b></span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This impression is probably based on the very first electric vehicles but is certainly no longer true. My car, for example, is the base Tesla MS 75D model and the performance is astonishing with 0-60 mph in 4.2 seconds. Combine this with ease of launch and even vehicles that are faster on paper often have a hard time keeping up with a Tesla </span>from a standing start with<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> its endless supply of torque. And we are talking about the base model here. The Tesla P100D performance model with its famed ludicrous mode pushes the 0-60 time to 2.3 seconds is faster than many supercars. All I can tell you is that in a real-world situation my </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">slow</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Tesla is plenty fast for me and certainly faster than any vehicle I’ve owned previously.</span></div>
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<li style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>They aren’t really that green because their energy comes from the fossil-fuelled power stations.</b></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Once again this is a blinkered look. In the UK, a country that has been shifting over to a greener grid for some time now, a huge proportion of the energy produced is increasingly supplied from green sources such as wind and solar farms. The move towards renewable sources is accelerating every year and this trend isn’t set to reverse with coal powered power stations being rapidly phased out.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In addition to this, as an EV owner, you can take the matter into your own hands and install solar panels on your roof that you can then charge your car with, or export the excess back into the grid. After your initial investment has paid for itself you can harvest free fuel for your EV.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With ICE vehicles there is another energy cost known as <i>Wells to Wheels. </i>This is the cost of energy required to get fuel from a hole in the ground to a car. It takes far less energy to distribute energy, whatever the source, to an EV.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is straight from a report from the Vehicle Technologies Office of the US Department of Energy:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>“The national average is 4,815 pounds of CO2-equivalent emissions for a typical EV per year as compared to the average gasoline-powered car which produces 11,435 pounds of CO2-equivalent emissions annually.”</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In other words, an ICE car creates more twice as much carbon pollution as an EV. And as energy generation goes greener the lower that figure for EV pollution will become.</span><br />
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<li style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>The batteries don’t last very long and need to be replaced frequently.</b></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Not true with Tesla vehicles at least. In a number of countries, Teslas are sometimes used as taxis. Some of these cars have already passed 300,000 miles with battery degradation at the ten per cent mark. Compare that to an ICE vehicle of a similar mileage and the effect on its range and performance, and these Tesla numbers are outstanding. And we haven’t even touched on the much cheaper running costs of electricity compared to petrol and diesel. There is also a far lower maintenance cost as there’s little to wear out on EV when compared to an ICE vehicle, with even the brakes lasting an exceptionally long time because of regenerative braking used by EVs.</span></div>
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<li style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Electric vehicles are expensive.</b></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That is true today for an EV vehicle compared to an ICE alternative, but this has everything to do with the cost of batteries and that cost is currently falling. Right now it’s around $209/kWh. By 2025 it’s predicted to be $100/kWh and this is a very significant marker. Why? Because at that price point EVs become cheaper to manufacturer than an ICE comparable vehicles. And the good news here is that it will make EVs far more affordable for everyone to buy.</span><br />
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<li style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Lithium batteries used cobalt mined from regions that exploit child workers.</b></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is probably the hardest arguments to counter as much of the world’s current cobalt production comes from the Congo where awful child labour conditions exist. However, once again things are beginning to change and Tesla are amongst the leading manufacturers in tackling the problem. Tesla recently announced a move towards a new design of battery with a much lower use of cobalt. Tesla specifically, sources their cobalt from the Philippines and Canada. In addition, as the demand for cobalt raises the case of creation of new mines in less geopolitically sensitive countries, will start to be opened. The Congo is not unique in having cobalt deposits.</span><br />
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<li style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Electric vehicles are always catching fire and blowing up!</b></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">How many times on the media have you seen an EV fire reported and often it makes headline news. You may be under the impression that driving an EV is like riding in an unexploded bomb. This is a highly false impression brought on by media bias. To put this reporting into context, in the US there are 152,300 combustion engine fires every single year. By contrast, there are a handful of EV fires and even factoring in the far great number of ICE vehicles on the road, you would still have to have ten times the number of EV fires to get to a close percentage. The problem and very real danger of ICE vehicles is that they use a highly combustible fuel source. EVs are inherently safer and the statistics back this up. Lithium fires can be more tricky to put out, but fire crews are being trained about how to do exactly this. The problem for the media is that ICE car based fires are so common that they are not viewed as worthy of being reported unless the fire blocks a considerable amount of traffic. Consider that the next time you hear an EV fire once again making headline news.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Conclusion</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This article isn’t meant to be an exhaustive list of arguments to support the adoption of EVs, but at the very least will hopefully help to counter some of the misinformation out there that you may have heard.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There are, of course, a lot of vested interests who want to see manufacturers like Tesla fail: from oil-rich countries, who see the rise of EVs as a threat to their long-term profits, to rival traditional car manufacturers that have been till now slow to react the disruptive EV (Spinning Jenny like) effect on their core industry, And of course, let’s not forget many of the shorters of Tesla stock, some of which who have a very real incentive to see Tesla fail (Tesla is the most shorted stock on the market).</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMK4KoXQ2J9192AFIP2DF5o-d4goPMBGujutd8aU6j-Q7l8IP7sFm1HKPwFwGB5Pp3ZN0RJPQbwaFqSkHc5Hl7e-13PDWFAHMCTsw4MPEknRIMy06RLtyAbbrlnMnYTR_jnS-SonDSS70/s1600/Tesla.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1100" data-original-width="1600" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMK4KoXQ2J9192AFIP2DF5o-d4goPMBGujutd8aU6j-Q7l8IP7sFm1HKPwFwGB5Pp3ZN0RJPQbwaFqSkHc5Hl7e-13PDWFAHMCTsw4MPEknRIMy06RLtyAbbrlnMnYTR_jnS-SonDSS70/s400/Tesla.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Regardless of what happens next, much of the world of transport is going to move towards EVs and that is a change for the better. Many traditional car manufacturers are at last getting serious about EVs and will be releasing new vehicles over the next few years. And that is nothing but good when it gives the consumer a greater choice in their purchasing decisions. The shift towards EVs was always one of Elon Musk's stated aims with Tesla, to show just how good EVs could be and to encourage other manufacturers to move towards them. With a wide range of companies now planning to release their own EVs, you could say it's mission achieved for Elon Musk.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I'll close this article by saying, based on my own experience, my own Tesla is by far the very best vehicle I have owned. From performance to the sheer relaxation of driving one, to how the car is continually improving with over the air updates (just like your mobile phone), to the very impressive Autopilot system. If you don't think EVs are a viable alternative to an ICE vehicle, I encourage you to grab a test drive in one because I think you will be seriously surprised.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So what do you think? Are you considering an EV for your next vehicle? If not, why? Let me know in the comments below.</span><br />
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Nick Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00533479096188610743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328938478149771357.post-21303501565002216462018-07-12T00:59:00.000-07:002019-11-12T08:17:38.784-08:00The Signal Has Arrived!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></i> <i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For decades radio telescopes have scoured the skies for signs of extraterrestrial intelligence but have found none. Why? Could it be we really are alone in the universe? Or is it that the truth has been withheld from us by a global conspiracy of silence?</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When radio telescope operators Lauren Stelleck, a woman with a special gift enabling her to literally see certain sounds, and Steve Andrews, a diehard sci-fi geek, detect a signal like no other at Jodrell Bank in England, a chain of events is unleashed that propels Earth towards all-out nuclear war. Can Lauren and Steve unlock the secret of the signal before our species tears itself apart?</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Signal is a prequel novella to the Fractured Light trilogy, and is part of the Multiverse Chronicles, an epic series of interlinked stories that follows the struggle of humanity to survive across parallel universes.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Watch the skies because the darkness is coming for us.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Today is the culmination of years of work as I launch myself into the world of indie publishing with my new company, Voice from the Clouds. To mark that launch I’m giving away <i><b>The Signal</b>,</i> a novella set in my new <b><i>Multiverse Chronicles</i></b> series. If you love epic science fiction storytelling that spans many interlinked tales, then this series will be for you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">To mark this special moment I’m going to make <b><i>The Signal</i></b> free to the readers of my newsletter. All I ask is that you subscribe and in return, apart from being able to read <b><i>The Signal</i></b> for free, I’ll keep you updated with news about my books and other books that I think you might love too. I also want to hear back from you on here, or via email, or on Facebook. I view the journey ahead as a collaborative one between me the author and you the reader. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">Subscribe and let that journey into a multiverse where humanity is battling for survival, begin right here, right now.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: , , "blinkmacsystemfont" , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif; text-align: left;">Please note that there is the occasional use of strong language in The Signal and the story deals with adult themes. Recommended age is 16+.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; text-align: left;">Do remember to leave a review on Amazon or alternatively you can buy a paperback version </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">here</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; text-align: left;">: </span></span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(29, 33, 41);"><a href="http://mybook.to/TheSignal-Nick-Cook">mybook.to/TheSignal-Nick-Cook</a></span></span></span></div>
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Facebook page: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CloudRidersNick/">https://www.facebook.com/CloudRidersNick/</a><br />
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Nick Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00533479096188610743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328938478149771357.post-20453068047783720062018-07-05T09:11:00.003-07:002018-07-05T09:13:26.617-07:00When Fan Art is Taken to a Whole Other Level<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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What do you think of this beauty?<br />
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I've run a lot of writing workshops over the years and have been given quite a few drawings by students inspired by Cloud Riders. But today I received an email with an attached image that took this to a whole other level.<br />
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This is the work of David Carpenter, an exceptionally talented illustrator who I had the pleasure to meet at the MCM Comic Con in London a couple of years ago. Out of the blue yesterday, he sent me this amazing image and it's like a scene straight out of the movie that Cloud Riders so needs to be turned into one day.<br />
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David, as you can see, has a serious talent and if you're are after a concept artist or storyboard designer, do please check out his website here: <a href="https://www.stormcg.com/storyboards-illustration/">https://www.stormcg.com/storyboards-illustration/</a><br />
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David, thank you so much for sending this to me. It absolutely made my day. Hollywood/Netflix, see what Cloud Riders could look like on the screen!Nick Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00533479096188610743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328938478149771357.post-88261835483497052452017-11-05T02:58:00.000-08:002017-11-06T09:02:01.805-08:00Voice from the Clouds - Episode 5 - Interview with Roz Morris about Indie Publishing <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">For my latest Voice from the Clouds vlog, I interviewed the fab Roz Morris, something of a superstar in the world of indie publishing who also has considerable traditional publishing experience. </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">It was such great interview with a lot of material covered that we decided to split it to make it easier to watch.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Apart from Roz's great success and also her excellent writing book range, Nail Your Novel, she is also a very successful ghostwriter. We also discussed her great new book, Not Quite Lost - Travels Without A Sense of Direction. If you like Bill Bryson you'll love her new book.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">In part 1 we covered the following two topics:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">(1) What attracted you to the world of indie publishing over traditional publishing?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">(2) What have you found to be the most rewarding aspect of publishing your own work?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In part 2 of the interview we covered the following topics:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(2) Your own books cover a variety of topics. With your latest book, Not Quite Lost, you take the reader on a wonderful journey filled with often very amusing and fantastic anecdotes...move over Bill Bryson! Do you find your readers stay loyal and follow you from one book to another, or are you unearthing a fresh readership each time?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(4) You are a very successful ghostwriter, Roz, so how do you balance this with having enough time to pursue your own work? What about the current debate regarding celebrity authors in children fiction?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(6) What do you believe the future holds for indie and traditional publishing?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For more info about Roz, her website is here: <a href="https://rozmorris.wordpress.com/">https://rozmorris.wordpress.com</a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Not quite Lost can be found here: <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Not-Quite-Lost-Travels-Direction-ebook/dp/B074KLP9QL/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1509700116&sr=8-1&keywords=roz+morris">https://www.amazon.co.uk/Not-Quite-Lost-Travels-Direction-ebook/dp/B074KLP9QL/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1509700116&sr=8-1&keywords=roz+morris</a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Nail Your Novel: <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nail-Your-Novel-Writers-Confidence-ebook/dp/B004LROOEQ/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1509700116&sr=8-4&keywords=roz+morris">https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nail-Your-Novel-Writers-Confidence-ebook/dp/B004LROOEQ/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1509700116&sr=8-4&keywords=roz+morris</a></span></div>
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Nick Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00533479096188610743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328938478149771357.post-12708834150021305082017-10-05T07:20:00.003-07:002022-06-02T01:04:33.399-07:00The Future Evolution of the Human Species<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The tricky thing about biological evolution is that happens over prolonged periods making it difficult to monitor actual progress. Some experts even argue that the evolutionary period for homo sapiens has effectively ceased and has shifted from a biological to a technological basis.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Some even suggest that partly due to our increasingly sophisticated lifestyle we may see a deterioration in human intelligence and evolution will go into reverse. The Morlocks from H.G. Wells’s The Time Machine, anyone?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">But then, of course, we come to directed evolution. Why should we wait for centuries of natural evolution to change us when we can directly tinker with our own bodies? Screening various conditions have already become increasingly effective, as has our ability to use early drug treatments as a result.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">And then we have the rapid growth in understanding of human DNA from gene therapy to target relevant organs for treatment, or even altering the genome of an individual to deal with an underlying condition (germ-line therapy). Beyond this, we start to head into areas where ethical questions start to be raised: children with genetically enhanced intelligence, beauty, increased sporting ability, or even just being designed to be a nice person.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">And what happens if we discover a way to turn off the ageing process? Where are the resources of an already strained Earth if people start living to 130 years, or even longer?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Then we have the exponential march of computing and the direct interfacing of this technology into our bodies. You could argue the smartphone in your pocket is just the current step of this ongoing process. There have been some remarkable developments in the area of robotic prosthetics, with sensors to convert nerve impulses into commands to control the robotic limbs' movements. But what lies beyond this? A direct computer interface to our brains. Maybe such systems will even directly augment our ability to recall facts and process information. Will future human beings increasingly look like cyborgs?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">And what about a Matrix type future where our consciousness is uploaded into the computing cloud and we reach an immortality of sorts, for human consciousness. Nightmare or dream scenario?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Of course, out there are planets to be explored, the most immediate being the colonisation of Mars. Will future humans be engineered to cope better with that environment?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: monospace , monospace; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre;">Photo credit: </span><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasamarshall/33350284091/" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #fc354c; font-family: monospace, monospace; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none; white-space: pre;">NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: monospace , monospace; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre;"> via </span><a href="https://visualhunt.com/re/1e501b" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #fc354c; font-family: monospace, monospace; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none; white-space: pre;">VisualHunt.com</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: monospace , monospace; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre;"> / </span><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #fc354c; font-family: monospace, monospace; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none; white-space: pre;"> CC BY-NC</a>Nick Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00533479096188610743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328938478149771357.post-75630456451020894572017-09-27T09:24:00.001-07:002017-10-01T02:20:13.205-07:00Voice from the Clouds – Episode 4 – An Interview with Niel Bushnell<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Grab a cup of your favourite beverage and watch my latest Voice from the Clouds vlog, where I interviewed Niel Bushnell about his fantastic new book, Arkship Obsidian. Niel is a very successful traditionally published author who has decided to make the leap across to indie publishing. I really enjoyed this interview and and I think it reveals some real insights into Niel's writing process and the inspiration behind his work. We even briefly discuss the new Star Trek. What’s not to love.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For more info about Niel, his website is here: <a href="http://www.nielbushnell.com/">http://www.nielbushnell.com</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Arkship Osidian can be found here: <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Arkship-Obsidian-Saga-Book-ebook/dp/B0754728PD/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1506528284&sr=8-1&keywords=arkship+obsidian">On Amazon</a></span><br />
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Nick Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00533479096188610743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328938478149771357.post-21847773170884400552017-09-19T08:27:00.001-07:002017-10-11T01:12:40.876-07:00Voice from the Clouds - Episode 3 – The New Adventure of Indie Publishing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">New horizons beckon for me with my latest vlog with a bit of a major announcement about the future publication of my books. I have decided, for so many excellent reasons, and inspired by other authors who have already made the leap from traditional publishing very successfully, to launch myself into the world of self publishing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is a steep learning curve, but I'm having the time of my life. Watch my latest blog episode for more about this decision and part of my reason why.</span></div>
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Nick Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00533479096188610743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328938478149771357.post-34037528801428766752017-07-25T06:31:00.001-07:002017-09-28T01:31:42.702-07:00Voice from the Clouds – Episode 2 - The Announcement of Fractured Light<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Nick Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00533479096188610743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328938478149771357.post-73587074249677506062017-07-03T09:53:00.003-07:002017-09-28T01:33:33.494-07:00Voice from the Clouds - Episode 1 - The Launch of My Vlog<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: futura; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I'm please to announce the launch of my own vlogging channel, that will, like this blog, cover my inspiration and journey as a writer.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In this first episode I announce the final book in the Cloud Riders trilogy. I also do a name reveal on the new trilogy I'm working on and that follows on from the Cloud Riders series.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If you have any questions you'd like to ask, please post in the comments section below and I'll endeavour to do my best to answer them, either here or pin my blog. </span></div>
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Nick Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00533479096188610743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328938478149771357.post-88829889539834681082016-04-23T10:20:00.002-07:002022-06-01T01:26:40.450-07:00The Instant Gratification Monkey Staring into the Funhouse Mirror of a Mobile Phone<div style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;">Have you ever found yourself almost colliding on a pavement with someone walking straight towards you set on a collision course, gaze downturned? It is easy to recognise these victims of the zombie plague that has ravished our planet because they are the ones with their whole attention locked onto the mobile phone clasped in their hands. If you are lucky, they spot your feet and veer to the side at the last moment, their eyes never leaving their mobile phones during the entire manoeuvre. If you’re really lucky you may get a mumbled apology, before they drop back into the compelling world conjured up within the silicon of their mobile device.</span></div>
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-kerning: none;">The worst example I’ve witnessed of the mobile phone zombie plague, was when travelling through Sri Lanka. We had stopped in a restaurant in the beautiful mountain town of Ella when a European family of four was shown to the next table. Less than a minute later they had logged onto the restaurant’s wifi network and all had their heads buried in their various mobile devices. They continued this way throughout their meal, barely registering their surroundings, no conversation, forkfuls of the (delicious) food being chewed, but I suspect barely even tasted. And that struck me as incredibly sad because they were squandering the whole point of travelling…to open your eyes to the world around you and to revel in the experience of the new.</span></div>
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-kerning: none;">Now I’ll be the first to admit succumbing to the lure of the phone/tablet/laptop, that window into the other world where there’s always some new Facebook status update to peek at, that funny Twitter link doing the rounds, that amazing new photo that someone just posted on Instagram. But of course with their easy seduction of your attention, therein lies the danger of our ever increasingly online world.</span></div>
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-kerning: none;">I gained a fresh insight into this phenomenon when I watched Tim Urban’s brilliantly entertaining TED talk – Inside the Mind of a Master Procrastinator (the video is at the end of this article). Tim introduced me to the concept of the <i>instant gratification monkey</i>, that side of our psyches that wrestles control from the rational decision-making part that is busy planning for future events and is working diligently towards them. By contrast, the instant gratification monkey is easily distracted by some shiny new thing that it pursues into what Tim called the <i>dark playground, </i>a guilt-filled place where you play but know you should really be doing something else.<i> </i>And it was that part of Tim’s talk that really struck a chord…</span></div>
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">I don’t know about you, but I can be watching a fantastic movie at home, the most gripping TV series, but if my phone is within reach, the fingers of my very own instant gratification monkey get twitchy, and unless I exercise some considerable mental discipline, I will find that phone in my hand as I begin to scroll through my friend’s social media updates.</span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-kerning: none;">So when did it get so hard for us to concentrate on something, to be present with friends, and family, to open our eyes to the wonderful world all around us, and be locked into the attention siren calls of social media and the rest? </span></div>
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-kerning: none;">As a keen amateur astronomer, I’m far too well aware of the incredible gift of being born on a planet that exists in the goldilocks’ zone, a region that’s not too hot and not too cold for life to exist. Also, despite finding a fast-growing list of exoplanets around other stars, we haven’t yet heard the pulse of intelligent life coming from them. And this all adds significant weight to the gift of our existence. So if life is such a gift, aren’t we duty-bound to try and make the most of our time upon this planet rather than squander it?</span></div>
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-kerning: none;">One of the ways that I try to do exactly this, is to travel. But sometimes mobile phones can even distort these experiences. We were visiting the São Jorge Castle in the gorgeous city of Lisbon in Portugal. A feeling of tranquility enveloped us as the sun slid towards the horizon and we drank in the commanding view of the golden city stretched out beneath us. A perfect moment. Nearby, a young couple looked utterly miserable as they took in the same view…but then the selfie stick came out and their mobile phone was attached. With that idyllic scene behind them, at last, their beaming smiles appeared. They took a photo of themselves, but as they reviewed it, frowns returned. Then photo after photo was taken, until one, at last, seemed to satisfy them. Then, with some taps on the screen, that photo was posted online for their friends to see, the illusion of their perfect enviable happy lives, maintained. But once that photo was posted, they both looked utterly miserable again. And that struck me ever as so very sad because rather than being authentic to themselves, they seemed more worried about impressing their peer group. </span></div>
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-kerning: none;">I have long said that we become the stories we tell ourselves. And if you’re not careful, social media can distort your story like a funhouse mirror that warps the image you present to the world. </span></div>
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-kerning: none;">So isn’t it time to write a new script, a manifesto of being true to who we really are, of being present in the moment, of mindfulness? Of keeping our own instant gratification monkeys in check?</span></div>
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-kerning: none;">With all this in mind, my own personal promise to myself is that I will try to keep my own instant gratification monkey a little bit more caged in the future. And I can start that by leaving my phone switched off as frequently as I can…so I can be more present, wherever, whoever I’m with. The years of existence are too precious a gift to squander staring at a slab of glass metal and glass. I will certainly always try to be authentic online.</span></div>
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;">So how will you tame your own instant gratification monkey and be true to who you really are?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "futura"; text-align: justify;"><br /></span>Nick Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00533479096188610743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328938478149771357.post-58121103025710186942016-04-15T07:23:00.005-07:002022-06-01T01:24:14.004-07:00Solar Sail Craft to be the First to Reach Alpha Centauri<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Solar sails used for propelling space ships across the vast distances of space have always been a firm favourite of science fiction stories. I first heard of the concept back in the 1970s in Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle’s book, The Mote in God's Eye. Also, concept images frequently adorned the pages of the science and science fiction magazines back then, such as in the wonderful OMNI (sadly no longer in print).</span></div>
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">In September 2016, this technology will take a significant step forward, when a tiny spacecraft, Prox-1, will hitch a ride onboard the new SpaceX orbital lifter, the Falcon Heavy. And this will be a very important moment for the future of space exploration.</span></div>
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Once Prox-1 has achieved orbit, it will eject a rather special CubeSat spacecraft, LightSail2, a little larger than a loaf of bread, into space. From this tiny ship, once the instruction to deploy has been received, a solar sail, 4.5 microns thick (far thinner than a rubbish bag), will start to unfurl. Once it has been fully extended to its full 32 square metres size, it will start to capture packets of photons from the sun on its reflective surface, converting their momentum to thrust and pushing LightSail2 gently forward.</span></div>
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The LightSail 2 is the work of The Planetary Society, a nonprofit group raising funding through Kickstarter campaigns. The group's stated aim is to engage and empower people around the world, in the advancement of space science and exploration. In 2015 they deployed LightSail 1 which hitched a ride onboard an Atlas V rocket. Although the craft didn’t reach a high enough altitude for solar sailing, its deployment sequence was successfully tested. LightSail 2, picks up where its predecessor left off, and once sailing with the power of the sun's captured photons, ground-based lasers will measure the effect of sunlight on the sails. Its solar sail should also be highly visible from Earth and The Planetary Society intend to organise public viewings.</span></div>
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Compared to chemical rockets, solar sails enjoy a distinct advantage. Unlike the short burst of thrust of a rocket, solar sails deliver continual thrust, ultimately achieving a far higher speed than their chemical rocket cousins. And without the need to carry huge amounts of fuel, this makes them a particularly interesting propulsion system for interstellar travel.</span></div>
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">NASA isn’t being left out either and is experimenting with a variant of solar sail technology. They have started testing the Heliopause Electrostatic Rapid Transit System, or HERTS for short. This is an E-Sail that uses charged wires covering an area of 219 football pitches, to electrostatically push the protons in the sun’s solar winds to create propulsion. The intention is to use this craft for travel across the solar system. By comparison, Voyager 1, launched in 1977, took 35 years to reach interstellar space. If the tests all proceed to plan, a HERTS based craft should be able to do the same journey in around twelve years, a third of the time.</span></div>
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Solar sails also hit the news again this week with the announcement that Stephen Hawkin has signed his name to the Breakthrough Starshot Initiative. This project has announced a significant $100 million research fund to investigate the creation of a fleet of tiny nanocraft, the size of postage stamps, and packing the sort of processing power that we find in the average smartphone today. These craft, being propelled by lasers, will head out of our solar system towards our neighbouring star, Alpha Centauri, at up to 20 percent of the speed of light. Travelling at this velocity they should make the 4 light-year journey to Alpha Centauri in about twenty years, taking snapshots all the way during their long voyage and beaming their images back home. Can you begin to imagine the excitement when that fleet of tiny nanocraft finally arrives in our nearest neighbour's system?</span></div>
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Although there is ongoing research into esoteric drive systems like the EmDrive, the technology for solar sails exists today. The Breakthrough Starshot Initiative has a very real chance of sending a probe using this technology, out across the vast distances of space to visit our interstellar neighbours. And with that, and the other current space developments, including in reusable rocketry, it really does feel like we are entering a new era in space exploration. And that can only be a wonderful thing for our future as a species.</span><br />
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Nick Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00533479096188610743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328938478149771357.post-16926576369698138722016-04-10T03:33:00.005-07:002022-06-01T01:10:40.907-07:00Harry Potter – A Masterclass in World Building<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">This week, at long last, and having heard so many glowing reviews from friends, especially other authors, I finally got to experience the Harry Potter studio tour in London, for myself. I’m delighted to report back that it really did exceed all my expectations. However, afterward, I also found myself reflecting on the books themselves and the magnitude of what J.K. Rowling succeeded in creating…</span></div>
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">I came to the Harry Potter phenomena relatively early on, just after the second book had just been launched. A good friend of mine told me I’d love the Philosopher’s Stone, so I dived into that first story and was instantly charmed and captivated by the world that J.K. Rowling had created.</span></div>
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Like many have already said, to this day I still find it incredible that so many publishers had turned down this first book. What seems blindingly obvious is that this story was something genuinely special. How it could have been somehow missed by so many, seems incredible to us today. Thankfully, Barry Cunningham’s discovery of the manuscript via his son, who read and adored it, has turned into something of a publishing legend. </span></div>
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">My personal view is that the Harry Potter books draw upon the best traditions of storytelling, including in the creation of Hogwarts, hints of Malory Towers. However, Rowling created something genuinely unique by weaving together a boarding school with magic.</span></div>
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">I devoured her second book, The Chamber of Secrets, and was soon reading the books aloud to my young son as his bedtime story. And when the third book was released I had to resist the urge to wait in line at midnight for that and the subsequent books. My son grew up with those stories, and then the films, and they will always be part of our family’s DNA, and are one of the many reasons that those books will always be special to me.</span></div>
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">But it was only this week when I was walking around the studio, where much of the Harry Potter films had been shot, that the true brilliance of J.K. Rowling’s work hit me, specifically her world-building skills.</span></div>
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">On the tour I saw prop after prop, character after character, setting after setting, idea after idea, all condensed together into one place. And it was then, confronted with the sheer scope of Rowling’s imagination, that I began, maybe for the first time, to truly appreciate what she achieved with the Harry Potter books. </span></div>
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">J.K. Rowling was famously struck by an idea for a boy wizard on a train journey. By the end of that journey, that idea had started to take on a life of its own. She began to develop that concept, to build the world of Harry Potter with all its rich details. And it was only after extensive world-building, that she rolled up her sleeves and started to carve a story from them. Maybe that’s part of the enduring attraction of the stories, that the world she created isn’t paper-thin, but has been thought through in incredible detail. It’s certainly easy to see that she poured her heart and soul into those stories.</span></div>
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">And here I must pay homage to the skill and the passion of the film team that took on the considerable challenge of creating films worthy of the books. </span></div>
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Before my own career took a sideways step into computer games, inspired by films like the original Star Wars, and having done a sculpture degree, I had planned to work as a special effects artist in films. That wasn't to be, but I’ve seen plenty of film props that have often been disappointing in real life. Of course, these props, often seen fleetingly in the background on set, fulfilled their design briefs. After all, there’s little point in doing more than the bare minimum for something that might be on screen for a few seconds. But it’s here that the Harry Potter films are truly remarkable. The attention to detail in all the props, the craftsmanship, and the obvious love of the people working on the Potter films, is incredible. Without a doubt, the films are a work of passion, created by a team of people who effectively became an extended family during the many years of filming. You can see all of this in the extraordinary work they produced, from costume design to the individual designs of all the wands. But there was one prop for me, where this attention to detail really stood out. On closer examination of the door that leads to the Chamber of Secrets, individual scales adorn the serpent, details that you probably wouldn't notice in the films, but are there nonetheless. And right there is the evidence of the passion behind all this work, not because they had to, but because they wanted to.</span></div>
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">In many ways, this has to be the ultimate form of world-building, where others have run with the ideas from the pages from a book and have created something tangible, and frequently beautiful. I can certainly imagine that for J.K. Rowling to see her words come to life in such a wonderful way, must have filled her with joy whenever she was on set. I know if my work was ever brought to life in this way, I would be grinning ear to ear.</span></div>
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Of course, none of these incredible flights of fantasy would never have happened if a certain woman hadn’t been daydreaming on a train one day, and who allowed her imagination to soar. Maybe, right there, is a lesson to us all about daring to dream. And for everyone who has ever loved her books, or the subsequent films, we will always owe J.K. Rowling’s passion for wonderful world-building, a debt of thanks.</span><br />
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Nick Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00533479096188610743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328938478149771357.post-86617382137982067632016-04-03T23:06:00.001-07:002017-09-19T01:39:43.578-07:00To Travel is to Live<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have always felt a pull at my heart to travel the world and experience far flung places. In fact I’d go as far as to say part of me lives to travel and always has done so. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I write this (in Zimbabwe), we have just visited Victoria Falls, spectacularly huge (the largest falls in the world), incredibly loud, but best of all, poncho or not, that will leave you soaked within moments of being exposed to its dense, monsoon like, water mists. Wonderful. And right there is the joyous nature at the heart of travel, that often throws up life affirming moments like this.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Futura;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Image copyright: Nick Cook</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Our latest journey abroad has been particularly rich in wildlife. We took a safari over the border into the Choebe National Park in Botswana. We saw elephants, zebras, giraffes, and so much more, roaming free and living their lives relatively free of human restrictions, and flourishing. Sometimes you can find yourself profoundly moved by these encounters with nature. Once in Sri Lanka, I had a moment where a female elephant looked deeply into my eyes, and I returned her gaze. And within the amber pools of her eyes, I saw clear intelligence and empathy…and it took my breath away. I’m certain as I can be that it wasn’t just me projecting my human values onto her, either. We think of ourselves as the most intelligent species on the planet, and maybe we are, but encounters like this help to remind us that we are surrounded by other sentient beings. It is certainly a moment that as long as I live, that I will I carry in a special corner of my heart.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A frequent encounter on the travelling road, is with the fellow traveller, someone whose life marches to a similar beat as your own. You recognise these kindred spirits by the look in their eyes, the way they talk, hold themselves…you see a reflection of yourself in them, and them in you. And with these instant friendships, that will often last, especially in the era of social media, you can compare travelling notes on future destinations and share your love of journeying around the world.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But maybe the most profound thing about travel is the way that it changes you. It’s hard not to journey and not have one’s perspective widened. This is particularly true when meeting local people who sometimes have life experiences radically different to our own. I have been frequently humbled by those who have far less than we do in the west, especially in terms of healthcare. Death, because of a lack of treatment, is sometimes a very real threat, but despite the considerable challenges that these people face, their good humour, their zest for life, is truly inspiring to witness, and is certainly something that we can all learn from. We may have materially so much more in the west, but in a very real human sense, we lead far more impoverished lives. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These are just some of my personal examples of the enriching nature of travel. It can frequently takes you out of your comfort zone, challenge your assumptions, and sometimes change who you are. And that’s why, as long as there’s breath in my body, I will always spend my life travelling, because life is simply too short not to.</span></div>
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Nick Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00533479096188610743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328938478149771357.post-21616239266292826822016-03-26T03:31:00.003-07:002017-09-29T01:07:11.236-07:00A New Chapter In Aviation – Airlander 10 – A Hybrid Airship<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the 1920s, when commercial aviation was still in its infancy, the main method of crossing the Atlantic Ocean was by steamship and ocean liner. However, there was also a luxurious alternative…the airship.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The mention of airships, for many, will conjure up an image of a Zeppelin, the archetypal airship with its elegant streamlined design. In 1929 the Graf Zeppelin managed to circumnavigate the globe. This wonderfully evocative video captures the end of its journey in New York.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Unfortunately, the abiding association that most people have with airships of that era, is the Hindenburg, which in 1939, and filled with hydrogen, was struck by lightning, causing the airship to burst into flames and crash with a terrible loss of life. That and other terrible crashes like the British R101, destroyed those early dreams of airships as a safe form of travel.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was many years later, when Goodyear, in partnership with Zeppelin, revitalised the airship’s image with their famous Goodyear Blimp. Having learnt the lessons of the inherently dangerous hydrogen filled vessels of the past, this new vessel used an inert gas – Helium. It was a design that soon proved to be a worldwide success, and even today, a Goodyear Blimp in the sky, will still turn heads. However, as successful as these airships have been, they are only a fraction of the size of the original Zeppelins, certainly far too small for more serious applications. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That situation now looks set to change with latest developments hybrid airship design. The Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle (LEMV), was developed by Northrop Grumman for surveillance and reconnaissance missions for the US Army. With a carbon fibre hull, LEMV was designed for extended flight (21 days), can fly at 90 mph, and hold position at 20,000 feet. However, the company wasn’t able to be completed the ship in the timeframe necessary, and with inevitable cutbacks, the project was cancelled.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Image credit: </span><span style="text-align: justify;">Hybrid Air-Vehicles</span></span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was at this point that Hybrid Air-Vehicles, a UK based company, came to the rescue and took over the project. LEMV has now been reborn as the Airlander 10. For some time they have been painstakingly reconstructing the vehicle at Cardington Airfield, north of London. Within the original vast hangar of the R101, the ship has slowly been taking shape. And now at last their handwork is coming to fruition and Airlander 10 will soon be taking her maiden voyage.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Although there is still a potential military use for this vehicle, the company’s focus seems to be on civilian applications, including tourism. Capable of carrying up to 10 tonnes, the ship is currently fitted with a viewing deck for potential customers. Apparently the Guinness Book of Records is also set to acknowledge the Airlander 10 as the current biggest flying vehicle in the world. But the ambitions don’t stop there. If the Airlander 10 proves successful, plans have already been proposed for the Airlander 100, an even larger craft that could carry up to a 100 tons.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Image credit: </span><span style="text-align: justify;">Hybrid Air-Vehicles</span></span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What seems almost certain, is that with the launch of the Airlander 10, a new chapter in aviation is about to begin. Certainly, the potential use of this first of the next generation of hybrid airships, seems endless. However, my vote would go towards tourism. For example can you imagine, that whilst sipping champagne and enjoying canopies within the observation deck of an Airlander 10, gazing out at the Northern Lights dancing over the landscape of a frozen Icelandic landscape far below you? Sign me up now! And what better way to recapture that romantic spirit of travel, first embodied Graf Zeppelin when it circumnavigated the world, for current and future, generations?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I wish Hybrid Air-Vehicles, every success with her maiden voyage.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4jq7oRxw-g"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4jq7oRxw-g</span></a></div>
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Nick Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00533479096188610743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328938478149771357.post-41963400942172859772016-03-19T01:48:00.001-07:002016-03-19T02:22:53.133-07:00Fractured Light – A Ten Year Creative Journey<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<i><span style="font-size: small;">“It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.” </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: small;">― Ernest Hemingway</span></i></div>
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Sometimes when you start a journey you never know where you’ll end up. A case in point is when I have a creative writing project – WIP – work in progress, underway.<br />
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My writing process has evolved considerably over the years. These days I always start with a clear plan, with my key scenes, story arc events, and major characters, all worked out before I even begin. But there is one story that I have been recently working on, that was born in a very different way. </div>
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Ten years ago, I left my job as an art director at a very successful games studio that I had helped co-found, to pursue a long held dream of becoming a full-time writer. </div>
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It was the bravest decision of my life, but I was partly propelled to take it, by a story that was not so much <i>book whispering</i> into my ear, as screaming at me to be born. Enthusiasm is one thing, but I was a much less experienced writer ten years ago. However, with bright-eyed optimism, I began what was going to be a long creative dance, and dived straight into writing that first book. No plan to guide me, no thought of the destination, just a burning passion to write… You can probably guess how that worked out...</div>
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I grappled with that story, through draft after draft. Editors who saw those manuscripts, told me I had something there. I tried and tried to pin the story down, one that swung between quantum physics, to even spirituality at times. The problem was I didn’t know what story I wanted it to be and neither did it.</div>
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Now, in hindsight, I can look back at that period and can begin to understand what was actually going on…I wasn’t just writing a story, or at least trying to…I was actually working out who I was as I writer. And that takes time and lots and lots of words. </div>
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My journey with that first novel went through so many twists and turns, and had reached a mind-numbing fourteen drafts, that I’d become lost within it. Then, out of nowhere, a flash of creative lightning hit me, and the idea for Cloud Riders popped into my head. So there I was, with a brand new sparkling idea, demanding to take centre stage. When I pitched the outline of it to my editor, she loved it, and before long the decision had been taken to start work in earnest on the Cloud Riders trilogy.</div>
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And this was a very different experience to writing my first book. This time I knew exactly what it wanted to be. Even the title was perfect. Then, having learnt my lesson from book one, I planned every aspect of Cloud Riders. And that book, by comparison, was a joy to write.<br />
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Back to the current day. Right now, I have more or less finished the final book in the Cloud Riders trilogy, Eye of the Storm. It’s been an incredible and wonderful journey getting here. However, what ever happened to that first book? The short answer is that it wouldn’t leave me alone!</div>
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The problem was I knew there was something special about it…a lot of other people who read it, did too. The truth is, ten years ago I was probably too inexperienced to pull off what was a very ambitious book. That was then...this is now.</div>
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I tried again about a year ago, dusting down that original manuscript and attempting to refine the theme of the story. It wasn’t a bad attempt, but still lacked that a certain something. However, one day a title appeared in my head, and with it, I understood at last exactly what book<i> </i>was going to be all about. </div>
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And that’s how <i>Fractured Light</i> was born.</div>
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From that moment I understood the world that I’d been striving to create, a heady mixture of manipulated human DNA, a quantum physics experiment going badly wrong with extreme consequences for our world, and a strange force that is attempting to invade our world from beyond space and time.</div>
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Sometimes the way that a book comes into existence can be relatively easy, sometimes you have to fight it every step of the way. With Fractured Light it’s been a ten year journey...and it doesn’t get much tougher than that!</div>
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One thing’s for certain…I could certainly never have written this new book, the start of a new trilogy, unless I first produced the Cloud Riders series. </div>
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What a dance it’s been, but I would never change any of the steps that have brought Fractured Light to life at last. Sometimes books should be abandoned. Sometimes they shouldn’t. Sometimes the hardest creative challenges are ultimately worth it. As I near the end of final draft and begin submitting it to publishers for the next stage of the dance, I believe that’s the case with this latest book. I have certainly learnt so much since those first steps on my journey to becoming an author, and will continue do so as as long as write.<br />
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Now, nearing the finish of this ten year creative journey, I have at last finally understood the flickering flame that inspired those first blind steps into the darkness. Maybe I also understand myself just a little bit better than I once did. And that's all part of what it is to be an author, that ultimately through your writing, you can also discover who you really are.<br />
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<b><u>LINKS</u></b><br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>Book Whispering:<br />
<a href="http://therealnickcook.blogspot.co.uk/2016/02/book-whispering-when-your-story-starts.html">http://therealnickcook.blogspot.co.uk/2016/02/book-whispering-when-your-story-starts.html</a><br />
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When your book leaves home:<br />
<a href="http://therealnickcook.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/when-your-book-leaves-home.html">http://therealnickcook.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/when-your-book-leaves-home.html</a></div>
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Final photo credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/migueltejadaflores/15195500016/">La Chachalaca Fotografía</a> via <a href="https://visualhunt.com/">VisualHunt</a> / <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/">CC BY-NC</a>
Nick Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00533479096188610743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328938478149771357.post-83951014270842625562016-03-12T13:09:00.002-08:002016-03-13T00:54:51.595-08:00A Permanent Moon Base May be Realised Within Ten Years<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<i><span style="font-size: small;">“We set sail on this new sea because there is new knowledge to be gained, and new rights to be won, and they must be won and used for the progress of all people.”</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: small;">John F. Kennedy (Moon Speech - Rice Stadium)</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Image credit: ESA/Foster + Partners</span></i></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">When I was growing up during the era of the space race, I clearly remember how it felt at the time that we were heading towards a revolution in space exploration. The film, </span><i style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">2001 – A Space Odyssey, </i><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">neatly captured that vision...of an orbiting space station that you could take a domestic flight up to (courtesy of Pam Am – there was even an Airfix model of the craft) and then a shuttle from it on towards the moon base. And this really what we believed was just around the corner back then, but subsequent history, since those heady days of the 70s, had other ideas.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "futura";"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">A base on the moon rapidly became the stuff of dreams, the cost too great to be practical. As that dream and other crewed space exploration </span>crashed<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> around it, it wasn't long </span>before<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> some claimed that the moon landings were fake. But of course there will always be a few who prefer to believe in conspiracies, rather than the overwhelming evidence to the contrary.</span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Regardless of the chequered past of human space exploration, we do now at last seem to be heading towards a new dawn. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Private space companies like SpaceX are blazing a path here with their reusable Falcon 9 rocket, but it’s their Falcon Heavy, set to launch towards the end of this year, that could be a real game changer. This new rocket, with its ability to lift far heavier payloads, could be used to get habitation modules, and other important elements of a permanent base, to the moon.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: small;">A moon base printed from lunar materials.</span></i></div>
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<i>Image credit: ESA/Foster + Partners</i></div>
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Another area of rapid development that could have major implications for a permanent base, is within the realm of 3D printing. NASA has already being trialling a printer on the International Space Station, to print out spare parts and even tools. And this approach can be scaled up.</div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">The European Space Agency is currently working with private companies, to explore the use of a building printing on the moon, using lunar raw materials. This approach would have major cost saving implications. Also, made from lunar soil, the structures would provide the inhabitants with natural thermal and radiation protection.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i>ATHLETE</i></span></div>
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<i>Image credit: NASA/JPL</i></div>
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Additionally, NASA is exploring autonomous building options, including using robotics as part of that solution. The Jet Propulsion Lab is currently developing the the ATHLETE (All-Terrain Hex-Limbed Extra-Terrestrial Explorer) robot, designed to work for ten years straight on the surface of the moon. Capable of carrying out to 450kg, ATHLETE is intended as a general purpose robot, designed to deal with the tricky lunar terrain. ATHLETE robots can also be docked together to carry far heavier payloads.</div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">But why build a moon base at all, beyond the reason, </span><i style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">because we can</i><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">?</span></div>
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One of the recent discoveries on the moon is the potentially large amount of water frozen around the polar regions (believed to have been caused by comet impacts). Water is significant for both producing breathable air, but also can quite literally be turned into rocket fuel, and it is this that is one of the key reasons for having a base on the moon at all. With NASA ambitions raised to Mars for a crewed mission, if fuel could be generated on the moon, this would hugely reduce the cost of that very expensive trip.</div>
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<i><span style="font-size: small;">A mass driver could be used to launch </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: small;">mined materials back to Earth.</span></i></div>
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<i>Image credit: NASA</i></div>
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Getting water into orbit, a heavy dead weight, even with the new generation of large rockets currently in development, is extremely costly. If we would could mine the water on the moon, this could hugely reduce the cost of crewed missions to the other planets in our solar system and even their moons.</div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Also, there is something on the moon that quite literally is worth more than gold…Helium-3. Unlike Earth that enjoys protection with its magnetic field, the moon is bombarded with Helium-3 by the solar wind. These deposits have built up, and it has been proposed, could be mined as a safe fuel for fusion power, although not everyone is convinced.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Concept art from 1984 of a moon base.</i></span></div>
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<i>Image credit: NASA/Dennis M. Davidson</i></div>
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However, maybe it’s the human aspect that is the key reason for seriously considering a moon base. Famously the Apollo astronauts on the surface of the moon, could raise their gauntleted hands and with their thumbs, block out the view of Earth, hanging before them like a beautiful blue marble in the void of space. All human history, disappearing behind a digit…and that can’t but help give one a profound perspective about our place in the universe. And right there, with the moon as a stepping stone, which can help us leave the cradle of our birth, to venture out among the stars, is maybe the most important reason for having <span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">a moon base at all.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"><b><u>Links</u></b></span></div>
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The Dawn of a New Era in Space Flight:</div>
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<a href="http://therealnickcook.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/image-copyright-spacex-some-people-see.html">http://therealnickcook.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/image-copyright-spacex-some-people-see.html</a></div>
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These Restless Few:</div>
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<a href="http://therealnickcook.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/exploration-is-in-our-nature.html">http://therealnickcook.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/exploration-is-in-our-nature.html</a></div>
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Humanity – The Overview Effect from Space:</div>
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<a href="http://therealnickcook.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/overview.html">http://therealnickcook.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/overview.html</a></div>
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Nick Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00533479096188610743noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328938478149771357.post-15071106140209946542016-03-05T10:17:00.003-08:002017-10-03T01:22:41.181-07:00Grid Parity – A Revolution That Will Change Power Generation Forever<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Here’s a date to put in your calendars…2020. Why? Because, based on the more conservative projections, that’s the year that countries like the UK will reach a tipping point in power generation. Slipping under the radar of many people, there has been a quiet revolution that’s been steadily building momentum for many years now. It has everything to do with all those solar panels that have been appearing up on the roofs of many homes, the numbers of which have growing exponentially over the last few years.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the UK, government feed in tariffs (FITS) have partly helped fuel the rapid deployment of photo voltaic (PV) panels. Unfortunately for an industry that’s just started to hit their stride, the subsidies they have recently been slashed by the UK government, a decision that many believe is very short sighted.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">However, things aren’t necessarily as bad as they might as first seem. There is something rushing towards us that will change everything – grid parity – a phrase that we are all going to be hearing a lot more about, over the next few years.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So why all the excitement?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Grid parity is the moment at which solar generated power reaches the same price point as grid generated power, which in the main is still provided from fossil fuel sources. For very obvious reasons PV reaching the same price as fossil fuel generated power, has very bug implications for our planet. And before you think this is fanciful notion, grid parity has already been achieved in states like California. Even with subsidies falling away, nothing is going to slow down our rush towards this far reaching power generation paradigm shift for our world.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It gets better. There is nothing to stop the plunge in price of PV power, shooting far below that of the fossil fuel equivalent. PV cells are increasing in efficiency every year, and they are also getting cheaper. In the many scenarios, it is only a matter of time before fossil fuels can no longer compete with PV power.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Wind and wave power have their place in green power generation, and also some make the case for nuclear generation, despite the huge costs related to it. Of course many argue against it, including for reasons of safety.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There is one major obstacle for PV power generation, that it is lumpy and it doesn’t work at night. Also in winter PV produces less power due to the decreased sunlight. However, there are two other developing areas that may prove to have a significant role in dealing with PV power's shortcomings – and both are to do with power storage. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The first technology is industrial scale <i>flow batteries</i>. Flow batteries are a maturing technology that have the potential to be able to store huge amounts of energy generated during the day from PV, and other renewable, sources such as wind turbines. Once stored, this power can be delivered back into the grid when the sun isn’t shining and the winds are calm.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Flow battery technology will be key to weaning us off coal powered generation addiction. There are very exciting developments in this area, with the recent announcement on a lithium based flow batteries that, compared to the current flow batteries on the market today, deliver ten times the amount of power storage. There are technical hurdles to be solved, but the future is looking extremely promising for this technology.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The second key development is linked to weaning off households on their reliance of the grid. At the moment a typical household with PV panels, generates excess power, that during the day, is fed back into the grid. However, what if you could store that unneeded power in your own super-sized battery? That is exactly what people like Elon Musk, of Tesla and SpaceX fame, has been pondering about, too. His company's solution is called Powerwall, a large battery storage device, that when used in conjunction with PV cells, will mean that household will be independent of the grid for long periods of time, maybe even in some cases, completely.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One thing is for certain. The renewable power generation revolution is gathering force and 2020 is rushing towards us. And when we reach grid parity, that can only be a good thing for putting the brakes on global warming.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If you have time, I highly recommend spending 25 watching Al Gore’s excellent TED talk, <i>New Thinking About the Climate Crisis</i>. This is his follow up talk to his famous, <i>An Inconvenient Truth</i> TED talk (2009). It would seem there is an awful lot to be optimistic about. </span></div>
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Nick Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00533479096188610743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328938478149771357.post-60065133667096828642016-02-27T06:32:00.001-08:002016-03-12T01:33:43.751-08:00Book Whispering – When Your Story Starts Speaking to You<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i><span style="font-size: small;">“Listen to your inner self, it knows you best.” </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: small;">― C. Elizabeth</span></i></div>
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There’s a phrase I coined a number of years ago – book whispering<i> – </i>that I use<i> </i>to describe that magical moment when a book you’re working on, takes on a life of its own. But why book whispering? Because sometimes your story will talk to you in a very quiet voice so you have to listen carefully!</div>
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As many authors know far too well, writing a book can be a convoluted process. Even if you start with a well thought out plan, often the story will start to strain against its leash, demanding to head off in a completely different direction. This conjures up a lion tamer type mage, with the author battling the book every step of the way and brandishing their metaphorical chair to tame the beast. However, for me at least, the reality is very different to this sort of power struggle and certainly far more nuanced.</div>
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Creating a story often requires a degree of subtlety. Yes, when I start, I may have a reasonable idea of the action story arc, but it's actually my characters who tend to come to life during the writing process and start whispering in my ear things like: who am I, what’s my backstory, my motivation, where am I emotionally heading…and most importantly of all…how do you plan to break my heart? </div>
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<a name='more'></a>I sometimes think that authors are evilest people on the planet, plotting how to put their poor characters through every sort of living hell they can possibly conceive! But here’s the thing... A story isn't only a journey for the characters, but is also one for their author. As challenges test the character, often the author is living their characters fraught existences, right along with them. And this is a very good thing as great writing should always come from the heart.</div>
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Also, those questions that your characters ask you, are sometimes actually the questions you are probably asking yourself...about life, the universe, and everything. Writing allows a writer to hold up a mirror to themselves, or even to society, as is often the case in dystopian fiction. In these rapidly moving times with all its challenges, it's little wonder that this particular genre has enjoyed so much popularity.</div>
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For me when one of my books that I’m working on starts whispering to me, I know it’s a sign that something extraordinary is happening in my subconscious. And it’s that potential to suddenly be wandering off the path that you planned, to explore the new direction that the characters, or story, insist you try, to be surprised, that I often find leads to the most rewarding results.</div>
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My latest work in progress (WIP), is a story that has gone through countless drafts over the last ten years, as I tried to work out exactly what book it wanted to be. But at last I have finally heard it whispering back to me with crystal clarity. Now, for the first time, I’m closing in on the story it truly deserves to be.<br />
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And right there is one of the many, many reasons, that I'm a writer...a never ending sense of exploration as a story comes into being...and maybe even a chance to understand oneself, and even the world that one lives in, just a little bit better.<br />
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When a pen chooses you:<br />
<a href="http://therealnickcook.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/the-pen-is-mightier-than-sword-if-sword.html">http://therealnickcook.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/the-pen-is-mightier-than-sword-if-sword.html</a><br />
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When your book leaves home:<br />
<a href="http://therealnickcook.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/when-your-book-leaves-home.html">http://therealnickcook.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/when-your-book-leaves-home.html</a></div>
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Photo credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/keyofnight/9409921931/">keyofnight</a> via <a href="https://visualhunt.com/">VisualHunt.com</a> / <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">CC BY</a>
Nick Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00533479096188610743noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328938478149771357.post-32913525835500415192016-02-18T23:54:00.004-08:002016-03-12T01:35:49.934-08:00Riding a Gravity Wave Across the Universe<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Futura; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
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<i><span style="font-size: small;">“I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.” </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: small;">― Albert Einstein</span></i></div>
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Over the last two weeks you have probably picked up on the considerable excitement in the news over the confirmation of the existence of gravity wave. So why all the fuss?</div>
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Gravity waves were first predicted by Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity over a century ago. Einstein postulated that objects like planets and stars, warp space time through their gravitational force. The classic illustration of this is a stretched piece of rubber onto which heavy spheres (representing planets, etc) are placed. The objects deform the rubber sheet into a valley around them, much like gravity warps the space time field. And it this which holds a moon in locked in orbit around its planet, and a planet around its star, all whirling in a never ending celestial dance. However, as predicted by Einstein, time is also being effected. </div>
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<a name='more'></a>If you think time is a constant in our world, be prepared for a shock. Believe it or not, time varies depending on where you are. At the bottom of a tall skyscraper time will be running more slowly than it does at the top. Even if this feels counterintuitive, this phenomena is proven every single day with the GPS satellites in orbit over our planet. These satellites run atomic clocks for absolute accuracy. The problem is that they drift out of sync with our ground based atomic clocks. Why? Because time is actually running faster at the height of their orbit. This means that everyday their clocks have to be synched again.</div>
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This same effect on time also plays out with gravitational waves. When two massively heavy gravitational objects collide, like black holes, this creates an event that sends out massive ripples across the fabric of space time. Imagine a heavy object being dropped onto that sheet of rubber with our planet objects on it. The ripples, like from a stone thrown into a pond, spread out and disturb the other objects on the rubber sheet. And it’s this effect from two distant colliding black holes upon the fabric of space time, that's been measured and now confirmed by scientists using the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO). </div>
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By firing lasers down long perpendicular tunnels in Washington and Louisiana, scientists have been able to detect the gravity ripple of those colliding black holes, passing through the Earth. But what did they measure exactly?</div>
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For a very brief moment the distance measured in the tunnels by the lasers of LIGO, changed as that gravity wave hits us. For a fleeting moment the gravity effect measured, was greater than that of all the stars of entire visible universe upon the Earth, albeit with the tinniest change in distance! And in that moment our whole planet, and us along with it, was stretched and squashed by that same gravity wave.</div>
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In a stroke Einstein’s theory was proven. Not only that. We now have direct evidence that black holes really exist. Additionally, this discovery opens up an exciting avenue for a new form of gravity astronomy, measuring objects like merging neutron stars, gravitational echoes of the big bang, discovering other black holes, etc. </div>
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The confirmation of the existence of gravity waves heralds a whole new era of understanding of our universe. No wonder so many scientists are so excited about the implications of this pivotal moment in science.<br />
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The below video by Brian Greene, offers an excellent explanation about gravity waves and their significance.</div>
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Higgs Boson – The Treacle of the Universe</div>
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Part of Our Universe is Missing – A Big Part!</div>
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Nick Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00533479096188610743noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328938478149771357.post-47041244691269887192016-02-11T22:34:00.003-08:002020-10-26T09:06:37.731-07:00Is There Anybody Out There?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Here’s a question for you…what if we’re all alone in the galaxy? What if there is no one else out there across the vastness of space?</span></div>
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The famous Drake Equation predicts the likelihood of life out there. And that equation tells us that statistically there should be civilisations that have evolved to a technological point that they have a desire to communicate. That equation also tells us there should 50,000 alien intelligent civilisations.</span></div>
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">It was the Drake Equation that later evolved into the famous SETI program, which to this day, scans the heavens with radio telescopes looking for any signs of intelligent life. <span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">The problem is that so far none have ever been detected. The troubling question is, why?</span></span></div>
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<span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif">It sounds simple doesn’t it to pick up the radio chatter from an alien civilisation, but it really isn’t. The radio frequency is actually a very wide band, from short wave to long wave. Originally, SETI searched through very narrow radio bands, trying to guess the magic frequency that aliens might be broadcasting on. Today, radio telescopes, thanks to computing developments, can search multiple bands at the same time. </span><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif">But we still haven't heard anything. And it this contradiction between what the Drake Equation and we still haven’t found, that has led to the Fermi Paradox that asks, why?</span><span face=""helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif"> </span></div>
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Could it be that the hurdles to evolve to intelligent life, often referred to as the great filters are so great as to make it almost impossible to get past? In other words, is Earth a one-off?</span></div>
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The optical search is currently on for Earth-like exoplanets planets, measuring the dip of light as the planet passes in front of its star. This search has thrown up many candidates for planets, like our own, that exist in the goldilocks orbit – not too hot, and not too cold – where the conditions, in theory, are ideal for evolution of life. And this list is growing rapidly every year. </span></div>
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">However, being suitable for life is only the starting point. The point where basic chemistry tips over the line into one where life flourishes, is a tricky one to navigate. So far we haven't been able to simulate this in the lab. But what we do have is the evidence of the planet that we live on that proves this process works. <span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Additionally, Darwin shows us that there was a single common origin for all life on Earth. </span></span></div>
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">And we aren't this planet's first attempt either. There's new research that points to the fact that life may have actually made several attempts to get going on Earth. </span></div>
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">And all this has positive implications for finding other life out there...</span></div>
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">This is why the search for life within our own solar system is so significant. If we can find life on Mars or the moons of Saturn or Jupiter, then it proves that life on our own planet isn’t a one-off fluke.</span></div>
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Another major barrier (filter) is the evolution into an intelligent species. So could it be that humans are just a freak of nature? Or is it that perhaps alien civilisations haven't lasted long enough for their communications to reach us because they wiped themselves out? And does that mean that a similar fate awaits mankind?</span></div>
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Or, on a more positive note, maybe there is a technical reason that alien technology has moved rapidly beyond radio. In other words, we don't have the technology to hear their quantum entangled, or whatever they are using, communications.</span></div>
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">But there may be an even simpler explanation... Have we simply not done enough searching yet? If the universe is represented by Earth’s oceans, then so far we have measured a cupful of all those combined seas. This puts our current efforts so far, into sharp perspective.</span></div>
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">This is a needle in a haystack search. However, it's also a question that is so fundamental to us as a species, that after fifty years of searching, we still have no real choice but to continue. Who knows what may be waiting around the corner for us, but we won’t know unless we carry on trying.</span><br />
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Nick Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00533479096188610743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328938478149771357.post-58900487624265113002016-02-07T22:52:00.001-08:002019-11-14T13:05:53.429-08:00To Gaze into the Future<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">“In science fiction we dream.”</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Science fiction has existed in one form or another in our world for a long time. The history of the genre is contested, but many believe that the fantastical Sumerian poem, Epic of Gilgamesh (2150-2000BC), filled with gods and even the search for eternal life is one of the earliest examples.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">For me though, the modern era of science fiction was heralded in by the stories of H.G. Wells. The Time Machine, The Invisible Man, The First Men on the Moon, War of the Worlds and many, many others are a testimony to the great imagination of the man. His work transported his readers into an often scary vision of the future, quite literally in the Time Machine. In that story, part of humanity has evolved into Eloi, a simple peace loving people. However, the rest have become the Morlocks, creatures that live underground and farm the Eloi like sheep to feed upon them. The original cinema adaptions of this film caught my young imagination but it was the original War of the Worlds that scared the bejeebers out of me!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So why is that science fiction has continued to grow in popularity, both in books and in films?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Science fiction examines the effects of change upon on us, often sweeping in nature, where sometimes the future of humanity hangs in the balance. And if we have ever needed to hear this message it</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> is especially important to hear during this age of rapid technological progress that we currently live in.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I was lucky to grow up during a very rich period of science fiction, where the works of Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov, Larry Niven, and Philip K Dick, created worlds that flooded my imagination with astonishing visions of the future. And maybe that’s another reason that great science fiction resonates so strongly wth us today because, through it, it’s one way that we can peer into the possible futures that we are already speeding towards.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Authors like Arthur C. Clarke had a seer like ability to gaze into the future. In 1948 he famously predicted the invention of communication satellites. We are still waiting to see whether his predictions made in 2001 come true: that in 2030 artificial intelligence will reach human levels and in 2100 humanity will invent the space drive that will enable us to reach other stars. On that prediction, Clarke wrote, <i>“History begins…”</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Of course science fiction is often filled with bleak warnings, from the robots of Terminator to the AIs most famously represented by HAL in 2001 that killed its crew.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">But it isn’t all bad news. Sometimes science fiction suggests potential solutions. Isaac Asimov in his I Robot series came up with the three laws of robotics to prevent our creations from doing us harm:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>(1) A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>(2) A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>(3) A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Maybe this same sort of approach could also be applied to artificial intelligence.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Science fiction can also raise philosophical questions. For example in Blade Runner the film based on the book by Philip K Dick (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep), it can be seen as an allegory that holds a mirror up to us, raising the fundamental questions – who are we, why are we here and what does it mean to be human?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Through science fiction we also are able to travel in our imagination to places we have never set foot on. This ties into my own work where I explore the theme of parallel Earths. The Martian by Andy Weir highlights the sort of challenges that we may face when we eventually travel to Mars. In Interstellar, our planet is experiencing a runaway climate change, forcing us to adapt by reaching out for the stars. These stories raise the <i>what if</i> question. They are also stories that tug at our exploring hearts, maybe reminding us of our own pioneering spirit.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">To finish this article, I’m going to leave you with a clip with one of my all time favourite science fiction movies, Forbidden Planet. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Filmed in 1956 and based on Shakespeare’s The Tempest, there is something truly special about the feel of Forbidden Planet. It’s a film that’s more than the sum of its parts, from wonderful visuals to the haunting (and first entirely electronic) film score. Whatever the magic is for me there is something unique about this film that’s always captured my imagination. And that’s maybe one of the most special aspects of science fiction, to ignite afresh that sense of wonder that's always waiting to be unlocked within us.</span></div>
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<a href="http://therealnickcook.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/exploration-is-in-our-nature.html"><span style="font-family: inherit;">http://therealnickcook.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/exploration-is-in-our-nature.html</span></a></center>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-family: "futura";">The </span><span style="font-family: "futura";">Singularity</span></b></span></center>
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<a href="http://therealnickcook.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/the-technological-singularity-and.html"><span style="font-family: inherit;">http://therealnickcook.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/the-technological-singularity-and.html</span></a></center>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Photo credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/x-ray_delta_one/7019817885/">x-ray delta one</a> via <a href="https://visualhunt.com/">Visual hunt</a> / <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/">CC BY-NC-SA</a></span>
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Nick Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00533479096188610743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328938478149771357.post-72995452746699349872016-01-29T08:12:00.001-08:002017-09-19T01:31:37.977-07:00The EmDrive – Next Stop the Stars<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don’t know about you, but when I watched the film Interstellar, for someone who grew up during the space race, it pulled at my wannabe astronaut’s soul. However, until now, journeying to the stars is something that we have only be able to do in science fiction. However, thanks to NASA’s Eagleworks team’s work, there’s a chance that one day we may be able to achieve this long held dream. Enter stage left, the EmDrive.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As we all all know, light speed is meant to be the speed limit. After all Einstein told us it was impossible to exceed. However, someone needs to tell the scientists working on the EmDrive, this.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The EmDrive, invented by English researcher Roger Shawye, is a microwave chamber that bounces waves back and forth to produce thrust. However, a strange thing is that it appears to produce more thrust that it should. But how can that be possible?</span></div>
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">NASA’s Eagleworks’s team fired a laser into the EmDrive’s resonance chamber and some of those beams appeared to have travelled faster than the speed of light. Hence the excitement, because if it’s not a statistical anomaly, it would seem that the device is creating a warp field or bubble.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To really wet our appetites, NASA produced some gorgeous 3D renders with more than a hint of Star Trek to them. The idea is that warp bubble distorts space time in front of the ship, which then expands back to normal behind the ship. In other words, it’s not that spaceship is actually breaking the faster than light rule, it’s actually that space-time is moving inside the warp bubble faster than the speed of light.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, the jury is still out whether a warp drive is actually possible.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Meanwhile the Eagleworks team wrote that the EmDrive, "is producing a force that is not attributable to any classical electromagnetic phenomenon.” So it seems to work but they’re not really sure why. One theory is that it’s possibly something to do with quantum vacuum fluctuations that spontaneously create particles in space and it’s these that the EmDrive turns into thrust.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Regardless, currently the amount of thrust produced is tiny, but scaled up it would potentially be able to carry astronauts huge distances in short periods of time. And that, as we all know, would be a game changer. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Arthur C. Clarke predicted that humanity would invent the Star Drive by the year 2100, a near light speed propulsion system, and famously wrote, “and then history begins.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I wish the Eagleworks team, and the other scientific teams around the world, working on the EmDrive, every success in their endeavours. No pressure or anything, but the long term future of humanity is probably resting on your shoulders.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Futura;"><span style="font-size: small;">(Images </span></i><span style="font-family: "futura"; font-size: small;"><i>Copyright, NASA)</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Dawn of a New Era in Space Flight</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://therealnickcook.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/image-copyright-spacex-some-people-see.html">http://therealnickcook.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/image-copyright-spacex-some-people-see.html</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These Restless Few</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://therealnickcook.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/exploration-is-in-our-nature.html">http://therealnickcook.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/exploration-is-in-our-nature.html</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Humanity – The Overview from Space</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://therealnickcook.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/overview.html">http://therealnickcook.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/overview.html</a></span></div>
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Nick Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00533479096188610743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328938478149771357.post-86266882344342231032016-01-23T02:56:00.007-08:002016-01-25T06:24:27.954-08:00Beam Splitters and Vampires<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<i><span style="font-size: small;">“The window of life is mirrored. And tinted. And shattered. And borrowed.” </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: small;">― Jarod Kintz</span></i></div>
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At night in a room with the light on, if you gaze out of the window, you will see your own reflection gazing back at you…unless maybe you are a vampire!</div>
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You have probably never given this a second thought. After all the window is a partly reflective surface, bouncing the light back at you. Simple. This works fine in principle if one intuitively think of light as rays…some get through the glass, some bounce back. And it was this exactly this idea that gave Sir Isaac Newton, who thought light was made of particles, a severe headache.</div>
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Newton grappled with this concept, trying to explain why a particular particle was reflected or travelled on through the glass. His best explanation was that it was to do with flaws in the glass itself. And in this he was wrong. The actual explanation has everything to do with the far weirder world of quantum mechanics…</div>
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It turns out that the glass is in fact a sophisticated quantum device called a beam splitter. And of course at the quantum level, the world as we know it, behaves very, very strangely.</div>
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Photons of light are in a superposition state (waves). As each photon of light interacts with the atoms of the glass, there is a probability of it passing through…or not. For those photons that are detected, they become entangled with the cloud of atoms that make up the glass. Also, as the glass thickness increases, the greater the chance of entanglement, the greater the probability, i.e. creating a reflection being created as its not just happening on the surface of the glass.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "futura"; text-align: justify;">So the next time you gaze out of a window and see you own reflection, remember the glass is actually a sophisticated quantum device called a beam splitter, capturing some of the photons like so many flies in its web of sticky atoms. Unfortunately, I’m not quite sure what the quantum explanation is for a vampire’s lack of a reflection, although would be an interesting discussion in its own right! </span><br />
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A Cat, a Box and a Riddle – Schrodinger’s Cat: </div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://therealnickcook.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/cat-box-and-riddle-schrodingers-cat.html">http://therealnickcook.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/cat-box-and-riddle-schrodingers-cat.html</a></span></div>
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Higgs Boson – The Treacle of the Universe</div>
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://therealnickcook.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/higgs-boson-treacle-of-universe.html">http://therealnickcook.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/higgs-boson-treacle-of-universe.html</a></span></div>
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Photo credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/heddaselder/4369004318/">heddaselder</a> via <a href="https://visualhunt.com/">Visual Hunt</a> / <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/">CC BY-NC-SA</a>Nick Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00533479096188610743noreply@blogger.com0