Monday, December 27, 2010

Excerpt from "Pillar of Salt" -- My Newest Novel


*This is following the main character, Jude, as he contemplates Time Travel, (Something that is incorporated in peoples every day lives). (Also, CTT's are the time travel machines, for clarity).

His flight, to Portland, Oregon would take two hours and he had brought along the book Slaughterhouse-Five; a favorite of his. He loved the play on consciousness traveling through time. Billy Pigrim, the main character in the story would not physically travel through time, but his consciousness would. He would enter his mind at different points in his life, experiencing them and always seemingly staying the longest as it followed his life in world war II. It almost seemed like there was a linear constant for his body that his consciousness would always revert to.

This was something Jude had a hard time with. He understood time travel enough to know that he was most likely not the oldest version of his self. If he traveled to some time, in the future or past he could possible run into an old man named Jude Tab who would be his own self; just a different version. This also led to multiple dimensional decisions all within one spacetime dimension. He never could wrap his brain around the concept. What he does now, does not mean that there aren't other possibilities.

He thought about how this would happen. When he had first called his professor after exiting the CTT in 2672 the first time his professor answered. Because of his interference with that, his own self who had tried to call his professor and had gotten no response very well could have turned around and gone home. Or FORCE could have captured him first and he could be somewhere completely different. It was somewhat worrisome to him that his roommate had never mentioned another him—another Jude—had come home. So did he never make it? he tHis flight, to Portland, Oregon would take two hours and he had brought along the book Slaughterhouse-Five; a favorite of his. He loved the play on consciousness traveling through time. Billy Pigrim, the main character in the story would not physically travel through time, but his consciousness would. He would enter his mind at different points in his life, experiencing them and always seemingly staying the longest as it followed his life in world war II. It almost seemed like there was a linear constant for his body that his consciousness would always revert to.

This was something Jude had a hard time with. He understood time travel enough to know that he was most likely not the oldest version of his self. If he traveled to some time, in the future or past he could possible run into an old man named Jude Tab who would be his own self; just a different version. This also led to multiple dimensional decisions all within one spacetime dimension. He never could wrap his brain around the concept. What he does now, does not mean that there aren't other possibilities.

He thought about how this would happen. When he had first called his professor after exiting the CTT in 2672 the first time his professor answered. Because of his interference with that, his own self who had tried to call his professor and had gotten no response very well could have turned around and gone home. Or FORCE could have captured him first and he could be somewhere completely different. It was somewhat worrisome to him that his roommate had never mentioned another him—another Jude—had come home. So did he never make it? he thought.

He didn't like the idea that his linear and current self could be somewhere else and not experiencing what he was currently experiencing. It was unnerving. Because he was currently experiencing and currently making his own decisions how could he be anything but the current linear version of his self. This reminded him of a simple line in the book. It came from the aliens Tralfamadorians, “Only on Earth is there any talk of free will.” He wanted to know if what he was currently doing was predestined by some more current linear version of his self? An old gray haired man, laying in bed dying who had determined that he'd see his parents at this time . . .

He stopped himself. People had dwelt on this problem for centuries. Even in 3127, a little more than two-hundred years from the CTT-End, they still had no way of telling who was current. This led to great debates as to the aspects of freewill. How could anyone account for their actions if there was an older version of their self’s dictating what they were eventually going to do. The notion of freewill was muddled and in a abominably wrong way they incorporate the God creation theory of possible worlds. Skewing it to say that with each alternating jump—like that of Jude jumping again, affecting his previous self who called the professor—a new possible world or linear current time line is created.

This was even scientifically studied for several hundred years, working on the theory that they should be able to track a person’s linear self starting at birth. They took a group of twelve infants and injected them with a certain protein stand that should eventually, through time, slightly alter their DNA. Mutating them into something inhuman but unrecognizable to anyone but those studying them. The results were inconclusive at best as the radiation from traveling through the CTT's—although it was slight—progressed or digressed the protein strand until there was no common ground to determine where the individual’s linear current self ended. It was also impractical to mutate the entire human race to keep track of their linear selves.

Jude had decided some time ago to not worry about it. He felt that what he did now, inevitable would affect his most current linear self and so he could argue that all instances of a person were linear and affecting each other to eventually bring about an end result.

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Reading

Here is a list of books that I have enjoyed this year in no particular order.

The Fall of Hyperion -- Dan Simmons
Endymion -- Dan Simmons
The Rise of Endymion -- Dan Simmons
Olive Kitteridge -- Elizabeth Strout
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? -- Philip K. Dick
Illium -- Dan Simmons
Olympos -- Dan Simmons
Slaughterhouse-Five -- Kurt Vonnegut
A Canticle for Leibowitz -- Walter M. Miller
The Hunger Games -- Suzanne Collins
Catching Fire -- Suzanne Collins
Mockingjay -- Suzanne Collins
A Short Stay In Hell (again) -- Steve Peck
A Brief History of Time -- Stephen Hawking
At the Mountains of Madness -- H.P. Lovecraft
Time Traveler -- Dr. Ronald L. Mallett

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

End of School . . . for now

So . . . I just turned in my last final. (I had to email it). I just felt like listing all I did for the finals because, (at least for my Philosophy of Religion class) it was a little nuts. And so, the list will comprise what the final was, and what I did to prepare for it.

1. PE Final -- studied
2. Math Final -- studied
3. Biology Final -- studied
4. Philosophy Analysis, 6-8 pages -- read four essays.
5. Philosophy of Religion Final Papers, 3 papers each 4-5 pages -- read a total of ten essays in preparation of the three papers.
6. Philosophy Summaries, 5 papers, 1 page each -- read five essays

So Philosophy of Religion takes the cake for the craziest final ever!!

*What's in store for next semester: 
1. Issues in Religion, Studies
2. Philosophical Paradoxes
3. Algebra
4. Geology

Monday, November 29, 2010

Editing Help

If there is anyone who would like to give me some help in editing my new book, Pillar of Salt please comment on this post, or email me and let me know and I will send you the story for you to edit.

If you suck at grammar, (like me), I would still like critiques. Issues with plot, or helping me make the dumb parts sound good.

Anyway... let me know. It would be greatly appreciated.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Pillar of Salt, the Novel

So, we're a little past the middle of the month and after about eleven days I finished the 50,000 word requirement for the NaNoWriMo. Very, very exciting stuff. I am continuing to write the book, only really aiming for about 2,000 to 4,000 words a day and hoping to finish sometime before the 25th of November. That's the goal anyway.

Pillar of Salt has surprisingly meant a lot to me. It deals with time travel. But more than that it deals with a society that had become detached and despondent. There is a lot of emotion and philosophical value, I feel, to this story that, for me, makes it worth the toil and effort to write. In fact, I would probably say that I like it better than God's Consciousness.


And let me take this time to underline how important I feel Science Fiction is. I think through it we can easily see visions of our future and what is to come. I feel that society has already made itself to be separate. We don't rely on each other or generally help one another. While the extents in Pillar of Salt are extreme, I feel that this is a real issue that we must face and over come. I bring up subjects dealing with God, and humans relationship to him; the evils and effects of torture on a person; and the philosophy of rebellion, it's effects towards people and it's morality.

These things and many many more are found in my book and I feel that it is important, when writing, to find some meaning that you wish to express. Allow the books emotion to relate the the audience and move them deeply. This is what I try to do in all of my writing but for the first real time ever I think I'm accomplished it in Pillar of Salt.


*If there is anyone that would like to help me edit this once it is finished at the end of the month please comment and let me know, or email me. Your help would really be appreciated. 

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

I apologize, but I will not be posting most of this month. I am currently competing in the contest NaNoWriMo. Basically writing a 50,000 word novel in one month. I'll be back once I reach 50,000.

Again. Sorry.

You can keep track of my progress:


Monday, October 11, 2010

The Secret Horse Neeehbors!!

I have a theory.

Let me explain. You see, every night between the hours of 8PM and 11PM, (if we are lucky) there is a lot of thumping from our up stares neighbors. I have spoken with them twice about this, but it persists. Now I complain to the office--which is very unlike me and doesn't help. Anyway . . . This banging doesn't stop. EVER!!! And I think, "man, do they all have concrete shoes or something?" No. I think the more likely explanation is that they are all secretly horses. Or unicorns, hard to tell by judging their walking.

They are secretive, though. Dressing up in their human costumes when I see them out side or knock on their door. Sneeky sneeky.

I feel that this explanation makes sense though. Like a horse they do not stop moving or walking except to eat and sleep. They all (parents and kids) must fall asleep around 11 because that is when the constant stomping stops.

It is a good theory.

God's Consciousness is Here!!!


God's Consciousness, (formerly known as Sad Robot) is now available to purchase!!!

The Hardback book is currently $22.99!!!.

Also available in digital format for $2.99!!!

Coming soon is a cheaper paperback version.
-Will be out within the next few months.

Please show your support for local artists and writers!! :)
Get it now and save with Free Summer Shipping!!

*Click on the picture on the right to go to where you can purchase your own copy!!

*Thank you for your support. It is difficult getting started and any help would be greatly appreciated. 

Monday, October 4, 2010

Three Years With My Love



Look at this smokin' hot lady!!! Today marks the day, three years ago when I married this amazing woman!!! I can't express how lucky I am to have her in my life. She means everything to me and is my best friend. I am so grateful for her in my life. I still don't know how I could ever have gotten so lucky to marry such an amazing and wonderful (and very good looking) wife. But I sure am glad she said yes when I asked her to marry me.

It's been a great three years!!!

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Poetry in Binary.

010100100110010101101100011000010111010001101001011101100110100101110100011110010010000001101001011011100010000001000110011000010110110001101100011010010110111001100111



01000010011101010111010000100000011110010110111101110101001000000110000101110010011001010010000001110100011010000110010100100000011000010111001101110100011100100110111101101110011000010111010101110100
010001100110000101101100011011000110100101101110011001110010000001101001011011100010000001110100011010000110010100100000011001100110000101100011011001010010000001101111011001100010000001110011011000110110100101100101011011100110001101100101
01010100011101010111001001101110011010010110111001100111001011000010000001110100011101010111001001101110011010010110111001100111
010101000110100001100101001000000111001101110101011011100010000001101000011000010110010000100000011000100110010101100111011101010110111000100000011101000110111100100000011100110110100101101110011001110010000001111001011011110111010101110010001000000111010001100001011011000110010100101110

010010010010000001110111011010010110110001101100001000000111010001100101011011000110110000100000011101000110100001100101011011010010000001100001011011000110110000100000011110010110111101110101001001110111011001100101001000000111001101110000011011000110100101110100001000000111010001101000011001010010000001100101011101100110010101101110011010010110111001100111
010101000110111100100000011100110110100001101111011101110010000001111001011011110111010100100000011000010111001001100101001011000010000001101001011011100110010001100101011001010110010000100000011011110111010101110100001000000111010001101000011001010111001001100101
0101001101110000011011000110100101110100001000000111010001101000011001010010000001110011011101000110000101110010
010000010010000001100110011000010110110001101100011010010110111001100111001000000111001101110100011100100110010101100001011010110010110000100000011000010010000001100011011011110110110101100101011101000010110000100000011000010010000001100010011001010110000101100011011011110110111000101110

Friday, September 10, 2010

Wanting to Write, but . . .

So, I have been wanting to write a story on time travel for some time and it is driving me nuts. I have all of my theories worked out and have studied a lot in regards to paradoxes and how the people would travel, how one would overcome the grandfather paradox, as well as the time periods that would take place. The time traveling theories are that of Ron Mallett--a physicist who has been working on a time machine. He has several papers published on his theories.

Basically, the idea comes from observing frame dragging caused by rapidly rotating black hole. This frame dragging causes closed-loop time-lines. Basically looping time. From these observations he theorized that light, (because it effects space therefore effecting time) would have the same effect as the black hole. By circulating the light, causing the light to spiral up like a slinky, causing closed-loop time-lines, theoretically one can travel to different points in the loop. You could go forward and backward in time as long as the machine is left on.

I find this all fascinating, but I am really struggling with writing a book about time travel. I don't know where to start--if I should start from the beginning, or start in the middle of the story and let it unfold. The latter seemingly more fitting as this story will take place in multiple time lines . . . h'mmm.

Also, the paradox problem . . . not sure if I like my work around. So here are possibilities I can use. Let me know what you like best:

1. There simply are multiple versions of you. Because you are jumping onto another time line you cannot be killed if something (Because someone else time traveled) happens to yourself in another time line. (This one I like, but because of the complexities of laws of Matter, etc. I can't see how you could have two versions of yourself in one time line... but that bring even more questions).

2. When you time travel you travel into a different universe or dimension. This will eliminate your previous self starting a new time line. Everything would be exactly the same, but this would take the multiple version scenarios out. It would be less complicated. (While this would work with th despondent feeling of the book, it still seems... I don't know... weak? I'm thinking of making it true, but revealing it later on. Something like, most people don't know they are travelling into another dimension).

Anyway. Lots of stuff to work out and it makes me sad. Hopefully soon I'll have something workable.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Hyperion Cantos & Endymion




By far some of the best books I have ever read!! Hyperion, The Fall of Hyperion, Endymion and The Rise of Endymion by Dan Simmons take place from 2700 AD - 3100 AD following those members of the "Shrike Pilgrimage" in the first two, and Aenea and Endymion in the last two. The story is intriguing and original on so many levels and will leave the reader with a sense of wonder, horror and amazement. It is a series you don't want to end!!

A brief overview:


Hyperion

Hyperion has the structure of a frame story, similar to Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales and especially to Giovanni Boccaccio's Decameron. The story weaves the interlocking tales of a diverse group of travelers sent on a pilgrimage to the Time Tombs on Hyperion. The travelers have been sent by the Shrike Church and the Hegemony (the government of the human star systems) to make a request of the Shrike. As they progress in their journey, each of the pilgrims tells their tale.
*Winner of the Hugo & Nebula Awards.

The Fall of Hyperion

This book concludes the story begun in Hyperion. It abandons the frame structure of the first novel, instead using a more conventional chronological narrative (although several jumps in time take place).

Endymion

The story commences 272 years after the events in the previous novel. Few main characters from the first two books are present in the later two. The main character is Raul Endymion, an ex-soldier who receives a death sentence after an unfair trial. He is rescued by Martin Silenus and asked to perform a series of rather extraordinarily difficult tasks. The main task is to rescue and protect Aenea, a messiah coming from the distant past via time travel. The Catholic Church has become a dominant force in the human universe and views Aenea as a potential threat to their power. The group of Aenea, Endymion, and A. Bettik (an android) evades the Church's forces on several worlds, ending the story on Earth.

The Rise of Endymion

This final novel in the series finishes the story begun in Endymion, expanding on the themes in Endymion as Raul and Aenea battle the church and meet their respective destinies.


There are heavy literature references throughout the books, touching on Keats, Crane, and many others. The titles of the books taken from poems by John Keats. (Hyperion being an unfinished poem, The Fall of Hyperion, Keats second attempt in writing about Hyperion the Titan-God of the Sun. Endymion based on the myth of Endymion, the Shepard beloved by Selene, the Moon Goddess).

The inventiveness of the tales show a massive future that is complex in technology, politics, religion and many other themes. The three main groups of beings being The Hegemony, The Ousters, and the Technocore, (The Hegenomy being replaced by the PAX in the last two books).

Much of the appeal of the series stems from its extensive use of references and allusions from a wide array of thinkers such as Teilhard de Chardin, John Muir, Norbert Wiener, and to the poetry of John Keats, a famous English Romantic poet of the 19th century, and the monk Ummon.

Heavy themes include empathy's power in the universe, what it means to truly die as well as live, Gods purpose and what constitutes God.

A wonderful read!!! A series that will be read over and over again!!

Slaughterhouse-Five




Slaughterhouse-Five while dabbling in speculative fiction is highly philosophical and enlightening. Written by Kurt Vonnegut the novel in a humorous, lighthearted and still haunting way speaks of anti-war. The surprising thing I had found was Vonnegut did not scream the evils of way, or protest the gruesome and terrible parts of war, but more called to the readers attention the mild stumbles of war.

Billy Pilgrim is unstuck in time--travelling forward and backward in time sparatically. Through this, and through discovering or becoming acquainted with an alien race that sees all time as one instance he finds that no one really dies. That there are only dead in one period or time but are not in many others. Through this the author shows how fleeting and pointless war is . . .

He as well touches much on humanity--what is the worst and best of humanity and what it is that brings that out in a person. I found it interesting that through the book Billy Pilgrim seems mildly unaffected by the death around him and the suffering from those he meets. But it is when, (after the bombing of Dresden--which is the surrounding theme about the book) he is chastised by German civilians who notice the horse that he and his buddies are using to pull their wagon is badly injured that Billy breaks down.

War brings about needless suffering . . .

There are many great insights in this book and is definitely worth the read. It shows the beauty of life or of a persons life throughout their existence. The simplicity of living and evils or war. Vonnegut shows amazing wisdom in one of his finest books.

Download the audio book and/or PDF of Slaughterhouse-Five!!!

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?




Philip K. Dick, in his novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? helps us understand the importance and power of empathy, as well as defining, or rather, un-defining what it means to be human.

The book follows Rick Deckard, a bounty hunter who is hired to "retire" six androids who have assumed human identities. Through events--including being unable to distinguish an android from a human in empathy tests, and vis versa. And also sleeping with an android who seems to be completely human and although he knows she is an android he chooses still to sleep with her, among other things--Deckard becomes confused about humanity, morality and empathy.

The interesting view of life and the breaking of the lines that define what humanity is are, for me, the key points in the novel. I found it interesting that those who are human and clam to have empathy are the ones taking a "drug" (for lack of a better word), or injection to determine the mood they wish to be in are what we consider humane, where as the androids, who have personalities, and are able to feel empathy are considered non-empathetic.

So who is truly humane? And how does the futuristic technology change the boundaries of humanity and empathy. These types of issues are addressed in such a moving way it will leave the reader wanting to read it over again upon finishing the novel.

Download the audio book and/or PDF of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep!!

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Major- Minor

So... it's official.

As of this semester I am a Physics Major and a Philosophy Minor.

What?

Yup. And I am proud of it.

Friday, August 20, 2010





Time Traveler by Dr. Ronald L. Mallett whose theories on time travel I am using in my next book is a book dealing with bending space with laser beams which would essentialist bend time, allowing someone to cross the bend and go back in time.

For some info on this go to: http://www.phys.uconn.edu/~mallett/main/book.htm

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

God's Consciousness is Here!!!

God's Consciousness, (formerly known as Sad Robot) is now available to purchase!!!

The Hardback book is currently $22.99!!!.

Also available in digital format for $2.99!!!

Coming soon is a cheaper paperback version.
-Will be out within the next few months.

Please show your support for local artists and writers!! :)
Get it now and save with Free Summer Shipping!!

*Click on the picture on the right to go to where you can purchase your own copy!!

Monday, June 21, 2010

My Major

So it would seem after much pondering, and talking about this with my wife, dad and other family, that I am going to be changing my major back from Physics to English/Lit. It was at the beginning of last semester that I decided I would like to major in Physics as there would be more job security, possible better pay and it would still be something I loved doing. However, as I've gone through that semester and half of my summer I have come to find that I like physics only as a hobby, and would not enjoy it as a career. My heart lies in English/Lit.

So here are a few of the things I would like to do with the major. My first goal would be to teach. I love teaching and having discussions and would love to be able to teach at a college education level. I realize this field is hard to get into, however I am willing to put in the work to get to the top.

I also have been considering Publishing or Editing. My love of books, and reading I feel has pushed me to look into this as a career choice. I don't know much about it yet, but am looking into it's possibilities.

I am also considering teaching High School or going into journalism. (Journalism, dwindling as it is probably won't happen). Anyway. These are some of the possibilities I've been considering. It's a scary change, not knowing what lies in store and what I am going to be doing with an English degree, however, I know that it will work out if I put the effort in. There are more jobs out there involving English Majors than I originally thought. Teaching college, while that career choice is slowly declining by the time I am done could pick up. Teaching high school would be relatively easy to get a job. We'll see. Everything may change and I'll major in something totally off the wall like dance.

Monday, June 7, 2010

Falcon 9 Launch Inspires

On June 4th, Space X, an independent space transport company founded by PayPal co-founder Elon Musk, lunched their first rocker, the Falcon 9. Their first attempt was a success and the rocket made it into orbit.

There are a few impressive aspects of this feat:

1. It was done by an independent company.
2. it cost a total of 200 million dollars where as NASA's latest cost 70 billion
3. Made orbit on it's first attempt.

Those with Space X are hopeful to launch another rocket, manned by people within three years.

This is an amazing advancement in space travel and space exploration.

Way to go Space X!!

Monday, May 24, 2010

Sad Robot, Maybe/Hopefully/Possible Coming Soon... Again

Hey, So if anyone, (and I mean anyone) has been wondering, "hey, didn't he have his book Sad Robot available to buy? Where'd it go?" Well... it has been undergoing some changes/edits/revisions, and will soon be back. If I am rich in the very near future I will buy people copies, but it looks as if most of you will have to buy your own. (Sorry). I am hoping to get the edits back from those editing here soon and I will not sleep until all is corrected and it is back up on Lulu.

I will keep you informed. As for now, think about the amazingness of the story so that when it is re-released you can buy it right away. Thanks!

Friday, May 21, 2010

Paradox

Here is some dialogue on time travel. This is from my book, "Pillar of Salt", once entitled "Travel Back--2062".


“The problem with the paradox theories is that they assume that throughout time travel the chain of events is still current. They treat non-linear time as linear.” Professor Bush was the most sought after quantum physicist in the 13-span. She studied in Princeton University in 2248 under Raul Stalmar, the inventor or the cylinders. She was what most people referred to as a linear. She had chosen, after finishing her doctorate and receiving her Ph.D that she did not wish to travel through the cylinders, seeing the detachment is caused in humanity. She had lived in her own linear time for years, teaching and studying quantum physics—her dissertation and area of expertise was time travel, more specifically the paradoxes it caused. She lived in 2802 when she received several threats of death. Fearing the age old paradox truth of one’s grandparents being killed to prohibit any chance of their grandchild being born she travelled back in time, one hundred years. She spoke of this exact truth during her lecture today.

“The fact of the matter is that when you travel back in time you create a new timeline—one that has already been created in the future. It is as if we are all suckers to fate. Therefore, if someone was to go back in time and kill both of your grandparents or even you; as long as you had broken that linear time-line by traveling at some point back in time you sever all connections with your previous time-line. You essentially are born again each time you travel through the cylinders.”

“But wouldn’t that mean that there are multiple copies of yourself?” a girl, I had guessed was in her early twenties and asked, her hand up above her but not waiting for the professor to call on her.

“Yes. Exactly. Have any of you ever run into yourself when you were younger? Been curious as to how you were raised or how you acted as a kid?” There were several murmurs of acknowledgment.

“But how would your mass be in two or three places at once?”

“Because your mass is not associated with the space-time entanglement that has become a part of this world. This is why there are issues today of over population—people are in so many places at once. I’ll admit it is confusing to understand at first.

“Having such a fluid time line has some very obvious disadvantages—detachment from society is the biggest. I’m sure all of you have experienced it. Because the future is so fluid, if you leave it and move towards the past the future you return to could be completely different. Your friends don’t know you, your family has different views of you, or in cases of attempted murder your family doesn’t even know who you are.

“But we have to remember the good in the cylinders have brought. For example, who here knows when the last murder up to this year occurred?” There was no answer from the glass. They thought about it but no one knew.

“I don’t even know,” Prof. Bush admitted. “It is almost impossible to murder someone. People like myself or other linear’s are easier targets. It is easy to know where our present is. But those that travel regularly, it is near impossible to know where your present is. They cannot know where you will be going or if the version of you that they see is the current one.”

“So now killing has become more of an addiction,” I spoke up from the back of the class.

“Exactly. Why is that Saul?”

“Well. They can kill a person over and over if they know where they are going to be at, at some point in time. They find them kill them, and then travel back several minutes, killing them again; and so on. It’s attempted murder.”

“That is correct. It is almost a game. They know they are not killing the present or current most version of an individual. Although it may be in the future it is in the individual’s personal time lines past. In fact, killing someone’s present self would still not kill them. This is because they have previous selves that can be warned and would then follow a different path. That type of murder cur-attempt murder has a heavier sentence, however—”

“I’m sorry,” a voice came from the back. It was a tall man who was raising his hand waiting for Prof. Bush to acknowledge him. She nodded towards him. “I’m sorry, but I don’t understand how it is possible to travel back and not screw up your . . . uh . . . analogous self. If you go back and stop your parents or grandparents from meeting than your analogous self is never born, therefore you never travelled back in time . . .” he trailed off at the end, unable to find the right words.

“This is an important thing to understand,” as she spoke she walked over to the large white board and began drawing a diagram. I was interested. These things I had simply accepted, having grown up in these conditions, but I did not understand why it worked. She drew a fork with two branches, lettering certain areas of the branches:



“One of the important things to remember is that we are traveling through space-time, not only time—our matter is transferred. If a traveler from point c returns to space-time point b where they did not exist before and causes a new branching, one where their parents never meet and travels down this new branch they are then free to bring about the non-existence of their analogous self on timeline b-e-f.

“Now what you are saying is that if they interrupted the causal chain that happened on b-c-d, which had brought about that persons own existence; and if this interruption resulted in her nonexistence of her analogous self, the person would than cease to exist—that person then will not journey into the past from point c therefore that person would not have travelled back in time and now ceases to exist at point b or after.

“However, interrupting one’s own timeline in no way affects the existence of the time traveler who left at point c—only the possibility of development of their analogous self.”

“Hmm . . .” the student looked slightly confused, but the professor continued.

“This gets messier when you consider the multiple time travels and time travelers; this allows multiple branches all intertwined into one, all going back as far as point b, or to the year 2062. These multiple branches allow multiple versions of yourself that even after you left those versions can be altered by you or someone else interrupting the linear time flow.

“I know it’s all a bit overwhelming.”

Monday, April 26, 2010

Chapter One, Travel Back--2062

Hey, here is the first chapter of my book I am writing. (I just started today). It is the very first draft so it will most likely change a bunch, but I thought I'd get some feedback. Thanks!



What year were you born?

3124.

What year were you born?

Thirty-one, twenty-four . . .



“Why, Mr. Spektor do you insist on lying to us?”

“You know that I am not.”

The shaded figure on the other side of the thick glass window sighed. He shut the microphone off and turned towards another who was completely out of sight. It was silent in the man’s booth. He ignored the questions. They were not important. His booth consisted of the glass window, a small desk connecting to the window. The walls were cinder blocks painted over in white. Directly opposite the window was a large steel door which clicked loudly when shut, letting the occupant know he was stuck. The sealing was a bio grid—it monitored the patient to see whether they were lying or if they were planning some form of escape or suicide, it monitored any bio-signature they could leave.

He was not crazy like they thought he was. He had some less than sane habits which he had developed over the last seven years being in this place, but he was not crazy. He knew the risk of coming back at such a distant past. A past where the cylinders were not made public—a week before they would have been made public.

His thoughts were interrupted.

“Why did you come from this future, eh . . . 3124?” the voice was tired. they were going in circles.

“I did not come from the year 3124. That was the year I was born. I came from the year 2967.” He had tried lying to them at first, saying he was only a terrorist but after recognizing that he would never be released he began telling the truth. He had no reservations when it came to explaining where he was from. He spoke all he knew.

“2967 then . . . Why did you come back?”

“To prevent the cylinders from ever going public,” the man said, tiredly. They had asked him these questions countless times before and they were growing old. He knew why they did this, though: it was in hopes to find some error in the story. Some minor detail in his answers would tell them that he was lying. He thought this method to be humorous. After all, a crazy person believes their reality to be real—making up often time’s complex scenarios to compensate for incongruence’s with their reality. If he was crazy like they believed there would be no flaws in one telling or another in his story; nothing more than the average human’s variations of a story that is.

“And what are the cylinders?”

“How many times do I need to explain this before you get it through your damn thick skulls?”

“Just answer the question.”

He was silent. He was done. I will not do this again. Not today, or ever again, he thought, remaining silent. Three hundred and fifty-four! This is the three hundredth and sixty-fourth time we’ve gone over this. I can’t, I can’t, I can’t. No!

“Alright, Mr. Spektor, I’ll see you next week for our session.” The man stood, his bald head gleamed in the small point of light shining through the glass. Before the man Spektor stood he was given a small paper cup with two pills in it. He swallowed them and was escorted back to his room, where he would be left for the remainder of the week, until his next visit. He would get there, gag himself to throw the dissolving pills back up and lay on his cot, reading whatever piece of literature they had given him that week.

There was a meal waiting for him when he arrived—eggs, bacon and ham—all still hot. He ate it greedily having skipped dinner the night before. His sessions started at six at night and would occasionally run long; hours and hours long—the same questions in the same way; it was absurd. He finished his meal and stuck the dishes into the small drop box built into his white wall. There was a single large sky light in the center of the room, which let in the early morning light from the rising sun. He laid down on his cot, his hands behind his head and stared up at the sky. Exhaustion took him and staring up into the blue sky he drifted into a deep and peaceful sleep.



They allowed them books and movies as entertainment. It helped calm the patients down and keep them generally mellow. As far as Saul Spektor knew, he was the only one who ever ordered books. The constant background noise of the various movies being played around him nearly drove him crazy—they were left on overnight. They were constant; drowning out any peace he could have had. After a year or more of this he had did not hear the background noise. He could not hear it.

He became obsessed for a full two years with books on time travel. The administration, in hopes that he would incorporate aspects of the books into his own stories of time travel allowed this. It would give them the proof they needed to verify his insanity. He read from such authors as: H.G. Wells, Connie Willis, Madeleine L'Engle, Kurt Vonnegut and many others, role playing the different parts as he read them. He spent the better part of a week as an Eloi from The Time Machine—doing nothing but laying in his bed and relaxing, he would pretend he could not read by holding the book upside down, licking it; trying to discover what it was he was holding—but he ultimately did not care what it was.

He experienced the books in a new way. He was the books. He was the characters –the protagonist and the antagonist, the love interest the doomed soul. He did not care if this made him seem crazier. It didn’t matter, their minds were made up—he was not from the future.

He couldn’t blame them, though. He was sure there were others in this place that thought they were from the future, but they were not. Only he had survived as far as he knew. But he did not know much and he knew it. Once he had been arrested all hope of escape was gone, all hope of outside contact was gone. No—this was not true—all hope was gone only if he succeeded. If he and the others had failed he was sure he would not be in this place. He was sure he would be free.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Early Morning

A poem I wrote for my wife on Dec. 16, 2009:

There is a cold--dead silence in the early morning.
Winter treads its sky with barely visible sky.
They will be gray.

Silently, I roll our of bed, eyes closed involuntarily
It's early and I want to sleep
You make a noise you your sleep

I am a blur. A brief memory as I dress in near darkness
Trying to keep my cold shutter in.
The cold takes me

Still sleeping, with no cares--you move.
Turning to your side to face me, your breath heavy
"Goodbye," I whisper and kiss

The air outside is cold, matching the gray light
I think of my wife almost every morning
Wishing I was there with her.

She doesn't know. And she may never
Still I wait for the few days a week
Hoping to stay until dawn.

I love her so so much.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

5 Copies of Warp & Weave

So I promised the first 5 to comment on my post Lemon Crates that they will get a free copy of the journal it was published in. Don't worry, I am still going to be getting you those, but it may be a little while, (a month or so) because I am poor. But do not worry. You will get them.

Also, please remember to buy my book, Visions Enough in Days. The link is on the post before this one.

Thanks for everyone's support!

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Order the Book

Order: Visions Enough In Days: 30 Short Stories written within 30 Days at

http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/visions-enough-in-days/8624249.

This contains all of the short stories I have written and posted on my blog over the last 30 days. Paperback: $9.00, ebook download: $2.00.