At least, medicinal leeches are. The ones clinging to your legs after you go swimming in a prairie slough…maybe not.
Writing Diary: June 29, 2004
A productive day, I think–I sent off the genetics book proposal, and hope to have good news on that front shortly. I prepared my science column and sent it to the newspaper and posted it to the blog (scroll down). And I got in another good hour and a half or so on the novel. …
Whatever happened to virtual reality?
Whatever happened to virtual reality? In the 1980s, we were assured it was just around the corner–computer-generated worlds indistinguishable from reality, like the holodeck from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Virtual reality (VR) first popped into the headlines in the late 1980s because computing power–and the ability of computers to create realistic-looking images–had reached a …
A space elevator in 15 years?
Looks like the Associated Press is reading Discover Magazine, since this story about space elevators is practically just a precis of the Discover cover story on the topic, but, hey! It’s a great idea, and can use all the publicity it can get. I say, build that sucker!
June 28, 2004: Writing Diary
This being Monday, I had to devote a couple of hours to preparing my science column for the week. The column starts off at about 1,300 words for CBC Radio; then I edit it down to 750 words for my e-mail subscribers and the Red Deer Advocate; then I edit it down to about 470 …
Four Cassini stories
Sue Kientz of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory recently e-mailed me to express her appreication for my article on Cassini-Huygens. She also tipped me off to four children’s stories she wrote about the mission, explaining it in “non-techy (and fun!) terms.” (She previously wrote some illustrated web stories for the Galileo mission.) Writes Sue, “These stories …
Aboriginal science
In 2000, Buffy Sainte-Marie, the Saskatchewan-born singer, artist, teacher and Academy Award-winning songwriter, was presented with an Honorary Doctorate of Letters Degree by Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario. During her convocational address, she mentioned some of the breakthroughs of aboriginal peoples in science and technology. Inspired by her address, Lakehead University shortly thereafter set …
Week of June 25: Reading Diary
In addition to the writing diary I started one post down, I plan to post a reading diary, probably just once a week or so. Sometimes I might write a bit of a review, sometimes it’ll just be a “what-I’m-reading” kind of thing. I just finished reading Ruled Brittania, by Harry Turtledove. I enjoy alternate …
June 25, 2004: Writing Diary
Here’s something I’ve been planning to add to the blog for a while: a daily note on how much writing I got done, and what I’m working on. What’s that? You say you’re not really interested? Well, don’t worry about it–it’s not for you, it’s for me. I kinda hope that if I post something …
A smile, a palpable smile!
The “Morning Smile” in the Globe and Mail usually leaves me cold, but I did get a kick out of this one: Unfortunately, due to CRTC regulations, Michael Moore’s new film Fahrenheit 911 will be released in Canada as Celsius 488. Ed Wheeler.
Counting Arctic fishies
This is a very cool–downright icy, in fact–project. It will be interesting to see what they turn up; let’s hope it’s not all gone in a few more decades.
No, he’s not from Krypton
He’s not really Super Boy, but an unusually strong youngster born in Germany has revealed a gene mutation that leads to mighty muscles.
My latest live walk and vlog
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