Reshaping Reality

July 6, 2021

My Open Letter to City Designers

I originally wrote this email for the Des Moines City Council. For the past year, I’ve adjusted the verbiage to reflect what I’ve heard in their City Council Meetings with the Public. I also adjust the bullet points and actions I (and others) wish to see them take. Otherwise, most of the letters are verbatim Continue reading

activism, Author, disability, Race, transgender

ableism, access, accessibility, Accessible Cities, disability, disability justice, Disability Pride, Fight Ableism, Homelessness, No More Ableism
January 12, 2014

Review: Neutrino Hunters

At the turn of the century, physicists grappled with a persistent and quite nefarious problem: beta decay in radioactive materials seemed to be missing energy, as in the experimental results did not match up with theory. This upset the laws of conservation of energy, and left many a physicists concerned as to the laws validity Continue reading

Science, Writing

neutrino, neutrinos, nonfiction, particle physics, review
January 10, 2014

Review: Time Travel And Warp Drives

As a science fiction writer, I find examining science’s current stance on futuristic ideas, such as time travel, warp drives, and other possible technological advances to be fascinating and insightful. This book by Allen Everett and Thomas Roman takes the reader on an incredibly thorough examination of the science of time travel, the paradoxes of Continue reading

Physics, Science

physics, review, science, science fiction, time travel, warp drives, wormholes
January 7, 2014

Astronomical Events

The UniverseToday did an excellent job of compiling 101 astronomical events to keep an eye out for the year of 2014. For most, all you’ll need is a clear sky away from city lights, but for a few you may need binoculars and/or a telescope as well. For those of you interested in such things, Continue reading

Science, Writing

astronomical events, Carl Sagan, character development, Cosmos
January 2, 2014

The Year of 2014

And so a new year begins. Interestingly enough, there really is no significance as to this date starting the new year, other than historical references. Astronomically, this date doesn’t signify anything; the winter solstice is slightly more significant astronomically, since it signifies when the days start to lengthen again rather than shorten. This is all Continue reading

Author, Blogging, Physics, Science

2014, astronomy, bad astronomy, new year, year
December 23, 2013

Quark Versus Robotbug

Yes, this is a video I took of my cat playing with a tiny nanobug. I don’t remember where the little robot came from — it’s quite possible that it was a stocking stuffer one Christmas. Took this video three months ago. Enjoy~! Continue reading

Writing

cat, quark
December 19, 2013

Update

I’m taking a break from my blog and will reconvene in January. It’s been a harsh two months for me, and I need the time to recuperate. In the meantime, here’s a photo for your enjoyment: Continue reading

Writing

blogging, cat
December 3, 2013

Writing about the Near Future

Writing about the near future can be a challenge, especially when writing short stories. When I set out to write a short story today, one I had planned the night before, and then dreamed about as I slept, I realized that I had to think about how technology might differ from today a good sixty Continue reading

Science, World Building, Writing

climate change, designing cities, near future, short story, technology
November 30, 2013

NaNoWriMo: Finished Hunting Snow

It’s over. Today I validated my word count at the NaNoWriMo site itself and the final count is 50,123 words. My book is finished, and I feel a sense of relief and exhaustion. Writing an entire novel in one month is certainly doable, but this one served to be quite a pain. All I had Continue reading

Writing

fairy tales adapted, NaNoWriMo, novel
November 25, 2013

Seattle: EMP, a Ferry, and my Final Day

Seattle is not only home to a mixture of traditional architecture and new, but also home to artwork. There is actually a provision in the construction law, where part of the land on which a building is built must be devoted to artwork. Due to this, nearly every newer building in the downtown area had Continue reading

Author, Writing

adventure, plane flights, Seattle, travel
November 21, 2013

Seattle: University of Washington and the Chocolate Factory

Seattle is known for its rain. Locals often joke about the unceasing rain, and yesterday was certainly a good example of the drizzling, low-key rain that often blankets Seattle. All expeditions were postponed until late afternoon, when the rain let up and the fog settled in with the wet cold that is so characteristic of Continue reading

Author

sculpture, Seattle, Theo chocolate factory, travel, university of washington