I'm an Olde Pharte that loves to share stories of all kinds. I've recently retired to the old family homestead in Martin County, Florida. Look for me at science fiction and fantasy conventions in the southeast.
My mother gave me a science fiction paperback when I was about ten years old. I’ve been consuming books at an average of one a week, ever since. Over the years, I’ve been inspired by many people. Here’s just a few of them. I’m sure I’ll remember others after I post this. Futurists Stewart Brand … More Inspiration
Recently, my wife encouraged me to go ahead and get myself a belated holiday present. I’ve been jonesing to try one of the new breed of NUC computers for some time now. An NUC, short for “Next Unit of Computing”, is a small box-shaped computer that often won’t measure more than a few inches across … More New NUC
Recently, Jay Leno mentioned that a Tesla Model S has very low maintenance costs. This got me thinking (dangerous, I know) and I did some research. My research on Electric Vehicles (EVs) made me realize that in five years, most vehicles sold will be EVs and inside of ten years, only wealthy collectors will be … More The Real Cost of Electric Vehicles
This post is going to be long and bittersweet.My oldest friend passed away from Covid, this week.The news hit me very hard. Let me explain why.Back in 1963, I was on an annual vacation in Mexico City with my grandmother.Her husband was a contractor that built several apartment buildings and we had a small, top-floor … More COVID SUCKS!
Wow! What a ride!If, like me, you enjoy hard science fiction mixed with military and political action, Star Gods should be on your required reading list.While I thought it started a bit slow, the novel quickly picked up the pace and I found myself spending every spare minute jumping back into it. Ian Douglas is … More Review: Star Gods by Ian Douglas
One of the first major unskilled industries to feel the effects of robotics will the the migrant farm-worker community. Within the next decade, 90% of jobs currently filled by migrant workers will be replaced by robots.Here are links for just a few of the firms that form the tip of the iceberg. https://techxplore.com/news/2020-10-alphabet-lab-mineral-sustainable-food.html https://www.agrobot.com/
I love these books! Memorable characters and locations coupled with an engaging story line are the things that bring me back to an author’s work. Megan Mackie delivers all of these with the Lucky Devil series of books. I’ve read the first three out of five novels. They are “The Finder of the Lucky … More Review: The Lucky Devil Series
MeWe can look sparse when you first create an account and log on. The trick is to join a couple of groups and add some friends. Unlike FaceBook, it doesn’t push a bunch of unwanted stuff on you. They value your time and privacy so you can configure it as you wish. You can also … More MeWe Newbie!
Ken Bebelle and Julia May Vee have created a blending of history, legend, and language that I’m sure will be recognized as a major work. While the story itself is a rousing sword-and-sorcery adventure, I was greatly impressed with the flow of languages. As someone who speaks Spanish as well as English, I know it … More Review: Ebony Gate
It’s a mess out there now. Hard to discern between what’s a real threat and what is just simple panic and hysteria. For a small amount of perspective at this moment, imagine you were born in 1900. On your 14th birthday, World War I starts, and ends on your 18th birthday. 22 million people perish … More Maybe we don’t have it that bad?
