posted September 05, 2007 12:29 AM         

1. To go on a major zombie walk (preferably for charity)

2. To one day get a black cat and name him/her Gink (as I've wanted to do ever since I was a little girl and read the Dorrie the Little Witch series--btw, I'm well known for wearing mismatched stockings which is based on Dorrie, and also Pippi Longstocking which I also loved as a child).

3. I'm hoping to get some property and build cob homes on it that will people who buy a lot will find it a reflective place where they can enjoy the last years & decades of their life in peace and beauty, and affordable enough to allow people who would otherwise be forced into really crappy & abusive old folks homes to get their own lot where they can help design & even build their own home. And cob is VERY cheap to work with, can be shaped without power tools though the hardware and roofing is more complicated, and I'm hoping to set it up that it will generate enough wind & solar power to sell a surplus back to the power companies, as is a growing trend in the Pacific North West. I'm thinking of using composting toilets, too.

It is my desire that my granny can retire there, too, and I may even put her in charge of it. It might even qualify as its own intentional community. There are, natch, details to be ironed out (one reason I'd like my granny's help as she spent years of her youth among beatniks and hippies, even living and doing the majority of work on a hippie commune--something my mom can recall since she was a little girl on that commune).

While I don't plan to turn a big profit on it, I do plan to turn a small one, just to show that it can be done. And I believe it can be. Not that I'll get a loan over it, nor will I start a revolution, though communities like this one could form a nucleus for a new society after this one collapses along with the energy crunch, etc.

I'd like to have my own place run much like this, but I'll want my own space on it. I'm weird enough that I don't like getting hassled over it.

4. To go on a spacewalk. If possible, I'd like to walk on the moon, or at least go on a space walk in between the Earth and the moon (I want to call Her "Luna"). I'm sure it would add to my moon gazing, something I enjoy doing.

5. Get some real work done on an original space opera I have in mind. (The main reason I do fanfics, besides that it's fun, is to get the experience to make it good.) While at this time I'm planning (but haven't fully decided) that when I do this, I'll post it for free on the net (as I think parts of it will be too cerebral to be appealing to the masses, and most publishing companies seem to prefer dumbed down drudge to sell the most books, so I might as well post it for free--maybe I can get donations like some web comic writers do), and that I may even allow other select authors to contribute to the story, I still don't want to give out too many details. All the same, if you're curious, I'll post an addendum to this with more info on it.

posted September 05, 2007 12:56 AM         

A little on my space opera.

My sci fi fic is a future of transhumanist hopes (and fears/nightmares) that take place in the early 23rd century.

America no longer exists (except for a combination of Canada and America--a lot of Canada is no longer Canada, too, and Alaska is an independent country that work to appease the Americans and the Russians both so that they don't get invaded by one or the other, and Hawaii is part of "Pacifica"). In the place of the USA & Canada (for the most part) are 5 different nations, each with a complex history of how they came to be, how they've changed, and so on.

Two such America's were fairly libertarian. One somewhat in the way of the Libertarian Party in the USA (but it turns out not to run as well as the LP thinks it would--and it's becoming more and more repressive and warlike), another in an almost anarchistic way (total drug legalization and other stuff).

The latter used technologies and had backers that opened the stars to humanity.... just before it fell at the stroke of a pen and became one of the most tyrannical police states in the world (but drugs are still encouraged--even doled out on welfare--which is "proof" of its libertarian tendencies, or so say the pamphlets by the Ministers of Information and Enlightenment).

What followed was an exodus of people wanting liberty, wanting to be left alone, or wanting to make a profit without worrying about continually paying off busybody governments. Since so many resources existed to get incredibly wealthy with no need of tax subsidies, plenty of entrepreneurs took this route.

In response, Earth's megacorporations, threatened by this free trade, paid the governments they sponsored to become more and more draconian in business dealings, thus creating black markets and even more money to be made offworld.

The "spacers" and "pioneers" all merged in a collection of pirates, entrepreneurs, raiders, individualists, neophiles, visionaries, and exiles that was as dangerous in its own way as the increasingly repressive and xenophobic governments and religions of "Old Earth." (Slavery exists in all its forms on both the collectivists of Old Earth and the individualists of the Pioneers and Spacers.)

One thing that frightens Old Earth are the nanotech bioenhancers and alterators.

Using nanotech and drugs (often drugs within the nanotech), people can change their health and even their physical characteristics, at the genetic level. Race is fairly irrelevant. Even gender can be changed back and forth by those who are willing to deal with the pain or the time spent in stasis. (M2F can even be altered to give birth to children.)

This is frequently used by outlaws and smugglers and are considered a menace to Old Earth (many assassins use them to assassinate leaders and escape, in addition to many lesser crimes). These methods even defeat tests that ID people by their DNA. And even a skin or hair sample can create false bioscanners used by thieves (and worse).

In addition are the enhancers. That these methods can make for the highest level of health and recuperation is taken for granted. But plenty don't just want to be fit and healthy--they want to be the strongest, fastest, smartest, etc specimen of transhumanity.

And where's there's demand there's a market. Many of these methods don't work or are used to enslave people (by making the user dependent on the source or usurping control of the endorphins by a cult leader, government, or exploiter).

Even the most honest and true methods that work hold unknown side effects. Plenty die of such side effects, either slowly or quickly. These methods were used by Old Earth military personell, but the side effects made even the governments of Old Earth avoid using them (beyond safe levels). The long-term risks (which include insanity and homicidal/suicidal tendencies) just weren't worth the short-term benefits. Though there are always expendables kept for suicide missions that are maxed out by these enhancements when the time comes to expend them.

These methods have inspired heated philosophical debates on what it means to be human--or male, female, or anything else that were once considered a part of a person's inherent identity. There is even rising incidents of violence on all sides of the debate that suggest a war between The Enhanced and The Apathia (those who feel righteous to oppose cybernetic and chemical enhancements to human functioning and transformation).

New religions are being born, including those that include becoming cybernetic or even attempting to download your psyche into a computer (becoming an AI so to speak).

I'm told by a couple that the politics, religion, and new disciplines sorta reminded them of Dune (a series I haven't read yet myself, though I did see the video Children of Dune).

Everything from Wicca to Thelema and Satanism still exist and have evolved (and I even go into how Wiccans call the corners/elements/guardians in outer space and in other star systems), as have the older religions. The Eastern Orthodox and Catholics also have some new saints to venerate, and there are new sects of Christianity that would seem bizarre today. Taoism (and Discordianism) is also featured.

*****
I also plan to explore many little things, like why people seem to do really crazy things that don't make any sense at all to bystanders. For example, a merc in a death squad hired to kill a xenolinguist that has spent time among aliens not so hostile (just wary) of humanity who is VERY important to my story. But in the attack, he'll suddenly turn on the other members which allows her time to escape.

To better understand this, you should know that I have the Russian Orthodox Church under the Patriarch of Moscow, with the support of the rest of the Eastern Orthodox (not counting the Ukrainian Orthodox, but they're just spiting the Moscow patriarch), increase the pressure on reassimilating the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad (that is, outside of Russia, formed after the Soviet Communists splintered the faith, and the two paths still aren't reconciled, with a lot of distrust against each other--not to be confused with the Orthodox Church of America and other groups in communion with the Moscow patriarch, though even that gets complicated). Several ROCA emigrate and form colonies and missions on new worlds.

The problem is that so many others also left Earth as fugitives, refugees, and exiles that there's plenty of hostility for the powers that be on Earth... and the strongest traditional religious elements have remained on Earth and really taken part in the new tyranny on Earth. This has led to some hating religion with a passion. One such group, formed of several smaller groups, decide that religion is the cause of much pain and tyranny and go about becoming the monster they seek to fight. The ROCA settlement is one of many that suffers terrible losses and insane brutality.

(As irony, the Patriarch of Moscow sees this as God's judgment and holds them up as an example of what happens to those who defy God--that is the patriarchs--and has the churches conduct more anathemitizing ceremonies in which the militant atheist elements are indirectly given the blessing by the church elements on Earth that inspired their hatred of Christianity and other religions in the first place. Oh, yeah, other religions also do the same for the refugees that also fled, like the ROCA, but continued to embrace their religion otherwise.)

The ROCA mission ends up forming a resistance and an intense bond of kinship with each other, but it's a hopeless fight. They just manage to ultimately escape (leading to more missions that later convert many superstitious miners and the like and so become an even more prevalent force beyond Earth's solar system, with several missions, all of them that swell to bigger than what the first mission originally was, with new saints and martyrs added over the decades that were killed in the fighting....yes, I LOVE irony.)

Afterwards, one of those Russian Orthodox resistant fighters has found he couldn't leave fighting behind. He just never could readapt, especially with his entire family and girlfriend murdered before him (among other brutalities he witnessed). So he became a soldier that was prepared to fight against the faction that cruelly treated him and his fellows. He marries, but it ends badly.

Decades later, he's injured in combat and reassembled with cybertech (but not very good quality), and later becomes something of a merc. But he tries to stay on the side of, or at least within, the law (though the law is a very iffy thing on the frontier). He's also very harsh, cynical, and bitter, but he's still a Christian and he still has an intense bond with ROCA members, especially those who were dispersed by the cruel attacks against them. Plus, he's bitter and paranoid about those that destroyed his family and settlement, and entertains the many conspiracy theories about them (some government propaganda, some media hype, some other types of trash, and some actually true, but how to tell what's what?).

Then in some down and out desperate times, he takes up a contract against what he believes are spies from the people he hates so much (this is a lie told to him to manipulate him when he first balks about the job, given the many details that he's uncomfortable with). He joins some other cut throats and assassins to do the dirty deed. When they do their hit, it's more of a massacre...the merc is wondering how the spies ever passed spy/saboteur school...

His gun takes down the man that had been ineffectively shooting back at him (his armor protected him easily). The wounded woman next to him grabs at a little boy that rushes to the dying man, grabs him, and then looks up at the barrel of the merc's heated gun only a meter away from her face....she sees the cold hatred in his eyes and knows without a doubt that she and her son are about to die. Still holding her son in one hand, she crosses herself in the tradition of her faith, the ROCA, and accepts that she and her son are about to be reunited with her now dead husband.

Upon seeing her cross herself that way, the merc's jaw drop in shock and his eyes widen in pained and angry realization that he's been lied to! These are NOT the godless agents that destroyed his community when he was still in his teens! His paranoid mind instantly comes to the conclusion that those he hated HIRED him to take out his own kind as a cruel joke, and with minimum risk to themselves. (Though only one family among the targets are ROCA.)

He turns on the rest of his squad with complete surprise. While he is eventually killed himself, he does enough damage that the rest of the survivors among the targets are able to escape. But the survivors (which includes a fugitive xenolinguist that is a main character, and also the primary target though the ones who hired the death squad don't want that to be known) don't know why the man who had been killing them all suddenly went wild with insanity and turned on the other killers.

But the woman who crossed herself as she faced the murderer of her husband just as he was about to kill her and her son knows. It was God intervening, answering her silent prayer as she crossed herself, that drove the man mad and caused him to turn on the other killers. If only she had crossed herself sooner, her husband would still live, as would many others. She is absolutely convinced, as is her son (though he doesn't blame his mom for not crossing herself sooner as she blames herself), though the others think she and the little boy are being silly.

But who's to say she's wrong?
******

There's also a PGV (Pan Galactic Vikings) group that is mostly made up of Heathens of all types (Asatru, Vanatru, etc). They are essentially the best human ship makers in the known galaxy, and the can claim the most colonies which they settle or sell the right to (making them incredibly wealthy).

Most of them are also stubborn individualists, which makes many people (other than other individualists and Heathens) not trust them. And it's true that they're not ALL "on the side of the angels," as many can be mercenary freebooters (even bullies and thugs) as others are freedom loving rogues (even idealistic freedom fighters).

They also have some pirates among them, but the pirates try to be the swashbuckler type (regardless of how honorable they actually are, they want to APPEAR honorable in any case) that fight the growing oppression of new and old governments, and they also have to struggle against other pirate factions that are much more evil.

This gets them into a lot of trouble when the expanding new government "liberating" the galaxy from pirates and "petty warlords" (with a new doomsday device) begins to try creating a collectivised human government through space to deal with all the internal and external (alien) "menaces." (see below)

Mixed in with all of this are conspiracies (nothing too grand, just ways to worm one's self into power somewhere or get fabulously wealthy by robbing someone else "legally") and assassinations..... and the question of the ET's.

The cosmos, as it turned out, are filled with ET civilizations (but not as we envision in Star Trek and Babylon 5--and there is A LOT of room), and they are almost all unknowable and hostile to humans, and typically far advanced in technology.

As it turns out, some aliens (of their own volition) have their own conspiracies to wipe humanity out by simply giving some humans the means of their own destruction, which the humans will use in a bid for power (in their own conspiracies).

This leads, for example, to an interstellar human corporation to "defend" itself and put down an ambitious Earth general (who really is a menace with a human engineered superweapon) by wiping out all life on Earth (down to the last DNA) with such a device (nanotech based doomsday device)... and then becoming the new government with plans that weren't so benevolent after rather than "defending freedom and liberty for all." I kinda see them as Umbrella Corporation in Resident Evil.

A major compnonent of its new plan is to put the doomsday device through all of human space, thereby holding everyone in terror (but it's dressed up in the most benevolent of terms, of course!).

What the new government doesn't understand is that the device is NOT under their control, it's under the control of the alien faction that gave it to them.... and they're just waiting for it to be installed everywhere before they activate it all at once.

It's a gythia (priestess) of Freyja and her Kindred that figures out how the new corporation turned government got its new weapon, and why they were given it... and the doom that awaits them all if they should succeed in getting their new weapon through all of human space. Not that they're believed by many other than some pirates and freedom fighters she's with (and some of them just want to usurp control of the alien weapon themselves).

In the middle of all this are a team of xenolinguists that have been accepted into alien cultures and have found the means to finally understand them by understanding why their language is so radically different. They return to share their findings and suddenly find themselves the targets of assassins of nearly every faction (including an alien one with advanced technology) imaginable, even the ones they were sure would help them. The few who survive find themselves outlaws in the frontier of space trying vainly to civilize humanity.

[The Freyjan gythia and her Kindred turn out to be an unexpected ally of the xenolinguists, but the gythia doesn't care one way or another about them other than trying to figure out how aliens think and why everyone else are trying to kill the scientists.]

Why?

That's the REAL story! Not to mention why there's a faction of aliens trying to exterminate every human in the galaxy, and even every Terran DNA molecule.... and to understand it, you have to have at least a basic understanding of human linguistics, and the alien linguistics I'm inventing for my story.

I've already made many changes and will probably make many more changes before I'm done--which is one reason I'm not worried too much about sharing what I have, especially as the REAL crux--the reason for many aliens being hostile to humans, and even Terran DNA--is still hidden (even the xenolinguists don't know it).

posted September 05, 2007 01:03 AM         

The plan was not as brilliant as Heinrich von Hugenberg, advisor to the General, claimed. It totally failed to consider the possibility of things going really wrong.

Hugenberg gave statistical analysis that no one but another statistician could understand to prove¯ that the objections raised by anyone below the rank of lieutenant general were without foundation; but to the experienced eye, and Jim Eklund knew without self flattery that his eye was experienced, it had holes in it a new navigator could sail through without hitting anything solid.

All right, he allowed, the basics were simple and right on the money. The large amounts of iridium discovered in the asteroid belt had allowed major improvements in propulsion and weaponry. Everyone knew this.

But Hugenberg claimed to represent a mad scientist who had twisted formulas and developed a super gun based on the new technology. If these super guns performed as well in service as they did in tests, even a small fleet would be able to take over most planet-based governments. For sure, he grinned sharply, a government like Mars Colony, which had nothing going for it but guts and dumb luck.

If. That was the first problem. Sure, a prototype had been exhibited, but not demonstrated. Instead, they'd seen some recorded test. Why not demonstrate this one, had asked, and been given some nonsense that boiled down to it doesn't work quite right yet.

But the General believed and who was he to doubt. Right.

Hugenberg insisted that with a larger supply of iridium his pet scientist would have the last of the bugs worked out in no time and his private weapons manufacturer would begin turning out super guns. All of them for the General's fleet.

And the General believed him.

Eklund bit his lip and shook his head. In his 27 years as an independent operator -- most folks called him by the older term, pirate -- he'd seen plans fail through betrayal, stupidity, and plain bad luck.

What if Hugenberg's associates were giving the same spiel to Earth and Mars Colony governments? Or why stop with the governments? Who knew how many other little would-be revolutionary groups were hiding out, gathering followers, looking for the edge that would let them take over?

Hugenberg could be promising service for all of them. He could be a government agent, trying to smoke them out. He could be paid by one of the General's enemies to bring the General and his group down.

Eklund shook his head. And that was just the beginning. Then there was the stupidity. Assuming that Hugenberg was absolutely up front with them, assuming that the new weapons worked as he insisted they would, trying to take over the private mines was still just stupid. Hell, he was an independent himself. He knew independent miners weren't going to keep on working like good slaves when his boys showed up and pointed guns at them.

Namby pamby civil servants, sure, they'll keep working not matter who controls the government, so long as their credits get deposited on time, but independents? No way.

And he knew his troops would see him damned before they'd take over the actual mining. There was a reason they were pirates rather than miners, even though, in the long haul, miners frequently ended up with larger accounts. Even in space, mining was dirty, dangerous work. An asteroid would impersonally kill you quicker than the most heavily armed, thoroughly irrate merchant ship.

Was the General being stupid on purpose? Had he been mentally hiding out in the bunkers so long he'd forgotten how the real world works?

Or was it something else? Eklund went still. How did he know the General was being stupid? That would be clever: give the pirates some big song and dance about aiding the restoration of proper government, with promises of lots of profit and a share in the power; then have a fleet waiting just beyond sensor range, ready to swoop in and catch them when the miners scream for help.

The General could claim afterward that he took his responsibility to the little people who make up the Republic very seriously; he had staff keeping track of what went on in many out-of-the-way spots that most of the General Staff overlooked; he'd been especially monitoring activity in the Belt, it being essential to the economy; and because it looked like trouble might be brewing, he'd had a battalion nearby, just in case. No, no, he was just doing his duty.

The pirate whistled through his teeth. That was a brilliant plan. If the General didn't make president on it, he'd be surprised. And if the old boy really did have access to super iridium guns, and manipulated circumstances correctly ... Eklund chewed his lower lip thoughtfully. The General-*** -president could certainly make himself dictator, in fact although probably not in name, and just might be able to pull off the final unification of all Earth governments. Maybe he'd even get Moon and Mars Colony too.

Or was he just being paranoid? Maybe what he needed was to sleep on this.

Ten hours later, back at his desk with coffee at hand, Eklund again considered the report. Hugenberg must get paid by the word, he thought ruefully. The man had gone into historical precedents back to a Queen Elizabeth (the hereditary ruler of some little kingdom) and a Sir Francis Drake (a pirate who agreed to attack the queen's enemies in return for not being hanged if he got caught), demonstrating the long tradition of legitimate governments employing less than fully legitimate means of obtaining and holding power. Not that that had anything to do with the situation under consideration.

He still couldn't see why Hugenberg insisted they must take over the mines. If all his scientist needed was more iridium, they could buy the damn stuff. It was for sale on the open market after all. Right now it all went to Lockheed because Lockheed, a government subsidiary, offered the highest price for it.

There's more to life than credits. Go directly to an independent miner who has a fair deposit of iridium. Bargain with the guy, find out what he really wants. All Lockheed can offer is credits; Eklund could give him whatever he wanted: blonde, brunette, redhead, any age, any shape, any quantity. And some credits so he doesn't have to work at mining for a while. Maybe some toys to help him enjoy not-mining. Word spread among the miners, the General might get a monopoly on iridium.

He'd suggested that. Some fat idiot had told him he had a dirty mind, that they were above such slimy tactics. The General had looked as if he might have had a different opinion, but he hadn't said anything.

Eklund commed Joe, his second. "Get in here, we gotta make a decision." Joe was younger, but he had a good head and had seen action.

Together the pirate leaders considered one last time the operation. They'd already gone over what they disliked about it; they already knew that the General wasn't going to accept any of their objections or suggestions.

"So, we go for it?"

Joe cocked his head. "We don't have any better offers right now."

"What if it's a trap?"

"Well," Joe shrugged, "the advantage of a small fleet. All our ships are new design. Even if we wait till the big guys come into sensor range we can get away from them. And I was thinking, if we send a couple of scouts out first, that would extend our range, give us a head start if we need it."

Eklund grinned. "I knew there was a reason for keeping you around. I'm still thinking in terms of how we've always done things, I keep forgetting what the new ships can do. You're right."¯ He squared his shoulders in an imitation of military attention. "Make it so."

After all the planning, the scouting, the careful approach to the independent¯ side of the Belt, the old pirate was majorly annoyed when his first troops reported back. "Nobody here, Boss."

"What? That's impossible! Gliknur reported fifty or so. They can't have just disappeared."

"Well, they're not here. We can't be sure there's no one out on the rocks, but we're at Billy's and local time it's 2330 Saturday night. Place is powered down and there's nothing here but some exercise equipment in a back room and junk on the walls in the bar. No bottles, no food, no personal stuff, nothing. Bit creepy. Here, in case it means something, I'm getting a record of one of the walls. I'll bring it to you when we get up."

Later, Eklund stared at the image the troop leader had recorded. It showed a dark room; on the wall a trail of squiggles of green light shone in a pattern that looked as if it ought to mean something.

Then a message inscribed in Terran underneath the green light became clear as a flare was brought close to it. When Eklund, who couldn't help but be as superstitious with some odd paranormal experiences under his belt like many other spacers, felt his flesh crawl when he read the message:

posted September 05, 2007 10:05 AM           

This is what I want to do;

1. Travel around the world
2. climb a mountain
3. Jump in a parachute
4. write a book
5. Get a family + lots of pets

posted September 05, 2007 09:44 PM         

And Jessica, what would you like to do in India? And what would you want to do with telepathic abilities?

The idea of being telepathic is intriguing to me. And if I could get into telepathic "chats" with people regardless of distance...or even time...whoa, the idea intrigues me so much!

Though did you ever see the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode where Buffy becomes telepathic? It was cool at first, but her abilities kept getting stronger and she started psychically drowning and it was obvious she was going to go insane unless she was cured. Pretty cool ep, IMO, with some real funny moments. (It almost didn't get aired because just before Buffy's telepathy got too bad for her to function, she got the thought that someone was going to kill everyone at school the next day--and as it turned out, one had brought a gun, though it turned out to be a false lead, but the Columbine massacre happened a few days before the ep was to air and they canceled it for that reason--I'm glad that it was just temporary as I think it was one of the better eps.)

I've wondered why Star Trek didn't use telepaths more since that series became more martial. Can you imagine Betazoid tactical and security officers, for example? (I read a Star Trek novel about a Betazoid serial killer that used his telepathic abilities to kill, and to enhance his own enjoyment of the killing. That same book also had Cardassians and those shapeshifting invaders from the Delta Quadrant enslaving Betazed and conducting ghastly experiments to create telepathic super soldiers.)

In another series, there was another telepathic killer, but he somehow got others to kill for him using telepathic suggestions. It was a society aware of psionics though, and the cause was eventually uncovered.