The Cyclical Earth in 2010.

  Erosion: caused by weather and water, and the consequences of  tectonic plate movements, are the two primary  forces that have built the landscapes we enjoy everyday.
  My wife and I flew over the Grand Canyon during our honeymoon. To me, it looked like a mammoth gravel pit with a stream running through it. Actually, its just that.
  The great Rocky mountains were made after two tectonic plates collided.
  Our planet is geologically active. The surface or Crust is always changing. Think of the Earth's surface as the film that builds on a cooling pot of freshly cooked pudding, (I like butterscotch). Volcanoes are the warm gooey pudding oozing out a weak spot in the film. Kinda like that.
  This post was inspired by the story on the link to the right. The top ten disasters of 2010.
  Is a natural shifting of the planet, or a phenomena caused by it's atmosphere considered a disaster if no human life or property is involved? Disasters always rise up where people live.
  Headline: "...the disaster happened in an area hundreds of miles away from any witnesses. Nobody was killed or injured. The officials estimated the damage to be near nothing." Have you ever heard this on your morning news?
  Yes, disasters happen every year and people do die. Aren't scientist doing their best to understand, predict and warn the public about these natural events? But doesn't civilization congregate in some of the most dangerous areas on the planet?
  The next trip my wife and I are planning is to Yellowstone National Park. Its a Super Volcano.
  I hope it doesn't blow while we're there; that would be a disaster. What are the odds?

Controversy! You want controversy?

  OK here it is.
  I told you I talk to the guys at work. Last night shift, the conversation turned philosophical, as it usually does when I and my toughest critic Paul are in the same room. Some of the guys are Men of faith; Paul and I are Men of science. With the holiday season at our doorstep, naturally the true meaning of Christmas came up. After that, the existence of God, and then the evolution of Man were discussed. As you can imagine, there were conflicting opinions.
  Because there is a great deal of respect among us for each other, the discussion remained civil. We agreed to disagree.
  I would never try to change one's faith, so when we came to impasse, the conversation gradually changed to another subject.
  With this post, I have an audience who may share more of my ideas, because they choose to be here looking at my ramblings, I suspect they need to know the facts of proof just as I do.
  I cannot say I am not a man of faith, because I have faith in the scientist who pick apart the data. Don't I have faith in the results being delivered by the super computers in which most theorems are based?
  In a sense we are all people of faith in one way or another.
  My Christmas wish: (or Holiday wish, or whatever you believe or don't believe. Does it really matter?) is we practice being more tolerant, wear the other guys shoes for a minute. Understanding only takes a few minutes of listening.
  My advice for the new year: Give your children chores and discipline. Then give them a pat on the back, acknowledge they're there. And last: Contribute to society, don't sponge off it; pull your own weight.
  The world can change, it has in the past, it will again: as can our appreciation for it.
  Check out the link to the right, "DNA says new human relatives..." These studies are where my beliefs come from.
  Have Happy Holidays. Peace to all Mankind.

Twas four nights before Christmas...

  December 21st. There are plenty of things about Dec. 21st worthy of a spot on my calender.
  The most important, and I don't need a reminder for this one. My sister will turn one year older on that day. Please, if you get her a birthday gift; do not wrap it in Christmas paper.
  Another thing about Dec. 21st: it is the shortest day of the year. The winter solstice signals winter's beginning in the northern hemisphere.
  Second most important on the list will be the total eclipse of the Moon. (Check out the link on the right to learn how to watch.) Earth will completely block any direct sunlight from reflecting off our only natural satellite. The light making the surface visible, will be strained through Earth's atmosphere, giving not only unpredictable colors, but casting our planet's shadow on a place it seldom falls. Contrary to popular belief, the phases of our Moon are not caused by the shadow of our planet, but by the angle it receives the Sun's light.
  The Mayan's calender ends two years from this date, and some believe the world will come to an end, (if you choose to follow the hype). I still have a shelter to build, but my wife has such a long to-do list, I don't know when I'll get to it.
  Oh yes, one more thing, you'll only have three more shopping days till Christmas, because you stayed out to watch the moon disappear, while you could have been shopping. I'll see you at Walmart.
  Happy and safe holidays to everyone. Peace to all Mankind.

  Thought for the New Year: What if we ended every letter and document with the phrase, "Peace to all Mankind." Would that be enough to change attitudes?

I'm a nature writer, damn it!

  A good friend of mine said, "You look at the strangest things." When I tell people that my genre is speculative sci-fi they immediately inquire what the aliens look like, or say something like 'Oh, that space stuff with monsters or robots" Some day in a future work, I may use robots, but any aliens will be of the type that could evolve in the conditions provided by it's own planet. Chances are it will not resemble humans in any way. Writers must think outside the box. My box is limited due to pressures I put on myself. Although some might think the subject matter here may be strange, I assure you it is real. Science not only studies the farthest reaches of outer space, but also the realm of the infinitely small.
  This is all nature. To tell a story about how Mankind is effected by nature, I need to get as many facts right as possible. Even though I write fiction, the amount of research time needed far outweighs the actual time spent writing. I find it interesting, and have since I was seven years old. Now if you want to talk about how much time it takes to get published, that's a whole other thing.
 Answer this question: Don't you find yourself watching the "Discovery Channel" or the "History Channel" more now than you did when you were ten years younger? Now answer this one: What will those shows be about in one hundred years...two hundred?
That is exactly the question I am trying to answer.
Thanks.

What intrigues you?

  OK, now you know what floats my boat.
  I need to know what kind of science or what type of science fiction you would like to read about. Just to warn you, I won't write about anything that isn't scientifically possible, I'll research as much as I can to make the story believable. Realize, when I start dealing with parallel universes, almost anything is possible.
  My subtitle is "Sci-fi for the Working Guy". The people I bounce my ideas off, are the guys I work with. It has nothing to do with your employment or lack there of. The people I work with seldom follow science news. (I'm the geek of D-crew). I see them reading during breaks, or lunch. They know my interest, and hobbies. We talk.
  I know how they think, now I want to know how other readers think. What would you like to see, ask or postulate. Constructive criticisms are welcome too, I have thick skin. How will I learn if I don't listen?
  The most difficult hurtle for me to clear was defining my genre. I write about the human species' reaction to situations that occur in other universes, but I insist; I am a nature writer. We are just learning what the possible definition of nature could be. When I say "We", I mean the human species.
  What kind of a mess would you put us through in the future?
  Original is a nearly impossible concept, but achievable.
  I thank all of you for looking in. 1000 hits today. I'm having fun, are you? Don't be afraid to comment, especially you Paul, (a Working Guy). Don't be afraid of being a follower, you'll still be cool.

We're not all that special.

  So, we've discovered a new life form. Not alien life from another planet, not intelligent life, but life different than anything we've ever known before. Some say "What's the big deal? It's just bacteria, more money wasted studying pond scum".
  "Life as we know it." I've heard it a million times. Now I wonder what we'll say when we speculate about life on other planets.
  Extreamophiles are proving life can spring up using elements toxic to "Life as we knew it". Where we, and every other living thing on the planet, (up until this discovery was made) use phosphorus as part of our building blocks, this new bacterium uses arsenic instead of phosphorus.
  I can imagine some Sci-fi writer is at his computer right now developing a story about an intergalactic war between the Phosphorites and the Arsenicians. Gee, I hope the Phosphorites win.
  I can bet once we learn about the waste gases of this new life form, we will search for an abundance of this element on other planets and moons. I also bet this isn't the last unique form of life we find living on our own planet; we've just begun to learn where to look.
  I say it's money well spent.
  Check out the link and read the story that inspired this post. Thanks.