Guest Authors – Page 16

Geek Month in Review: October 2012

November 4, 2012 by Administrator, posted in Geek Stuff, Guest Authors, Movies, Religion, Science, Television

By JB Sanders

Onwards to Halloween!

What’s Invisible? More Than You Think.
Great educational (but fun!) animated TED talk about what you can’t see and other random weird things.

How to Survive a Plane Crash
Watch news footage (and some commentary) of safety experts crashing a big jet into the ground, and see what effect where you sit and what you do to prepare for the crash can do for you.

Molotov Cocktail in Slow Motion
Very cool flame blossom on this super-slo-mo video of a molotov cocktail thrown against the side of a house.
Obviously, don’t try this at home without a company of firefighters and an ambulance handy.

And for reference, the Molotov Cocktail got its name during Winter War between the Soviet Union and Finland. It was not complimentary to Mr Molotov.

Stop-Motion LEGO Dr Strangelove
And you’ve already clicked on the link, haven’t you? If you haven’t, it’s part of the war-room scene.

Safest Country in Europe?
Albania: home of 750,000 bunkers. Seriously. That’s one bunker for every 4 Albanians. Apparently the paranoid dictator who ruled there had them built between 1967 and 1986. They’re being repurposed as restaurants, nightclubs, tattoo parlors, and storage facilities.

Dr Who a Religion?
Video posits whether Dr Who fans constitute a religion. Interesting discussion, and no spoilers.

Enjoy Rain Without the Wet
A new 3D art installation at London’s Barbican Centre fills a room with rain — except where each visitor is standing. No running, though, or the detection systems that prevent rain from falling on you won’t be able to keep up.

Behind the Scenes Photos: Raiders of the Lost Ark
See Lucas and Spielberg before the billionaire years. See laughs. See the way they did the melting faces.

How to Control Your Own Dreams
Ever wondered how to control your own dreams? To perform Lucid Dreaming? Wonder know more!
(Controlling the dreams of others is covered in a different video.)

Does D&D Make You More Successful?
This question posed by the IDEA channel guy and then discussed. LOTS of geeky gaming references contained within!

Underwater Atomic Explosion for Your Files
Apparently a lot of the footage taken of the early atomic experiments has been declassified and put up on YouTube. This one is an underwater explosion, with a ship in the foreground for scale.

Are We All in a Computer Sim? Ask Physicists!
It is all really just the matrix/system/virtual world? Cosmologists and particle physicists are looking for the answers in some high energy cosmic rays. Extreme science geekiness within.

Two Suns? Pshaw!
How about 4 suns? There’s a planet out there, just discovered, which has four suns: two in it’s own binary system (which it orbits) and another binary star pair that orbits the first binary pair. Woo!

Alpha Centauri Has an Earth-like Planet
The nearest solar system to ours apparently also has a planet Earth-sized. That is SUPER handy, and not just for all the scifi that now becomes possible.

The Science of Blushing
Ever wonder why people blush? I mean, besides putting their foot in their mouth or when someone makes a rude suggestion. Here’s the science.

You’ve Never Seen Lightning Like This
Watch a video of lightning capture at 7,207 frames per second. Yes, you can see just about everywhere it goes. No sound, so feel free to watch it anywhere.

And Speaking of Lightning
Here’s a great article on various lightning safety tips and myths, with some great links (including that previous video of a slo-mo lightning strike).

What You Know About Galaxy Formation is Wrong
Astronomers are discovering that what everyone generally thought about how galaxies form and change over time is wrong.

Original Star Trek Goodness
So here’s a poster-sized picture of practically every major character to have appeared in the original Star Trek series, plus tons of bad guys and ships, too. Enjoy!

70’s Scifi and Superheroes of Television
While we’re on the subject of giant posters of scifi, here’s a character and ship from every scifi or superhero thing made in the 1970’s (same artist). See how many you can identify.

About John:
John’s a geek from way back. He’s been floating between various computer-related jobs for years, until he settled into doing tech support in higher ed. Now he rules the Macs on campus with an iron hand (really, it’s on his desk).

Geek Credentials:
RPG: Blue box D&D, lead minis, been to GenCon in Milwaukee.
Computer: TRS-80 Color Computer, Amiga 1000, UNIX system w/reel-to-reel backup tape
Card games: bought Magic cards at GenCon in 1993
Science: Met Phil Plait, got time on a mainframe for astronomy project in 1983
His Blog: http://glenandtyler.blogspot.com

Follow Your Heart

October 28, 2012 by Administrator, posted in Buddhism, Guest Authors

An Excerpt from Chapter 5 of “Misadventures of a Garden State Yogi” by Brian Leaf

I have since found that feeling good about my work is absolutely crucial to my happiness. When I work a job that is out of line with my values, I become depressed, and when I am in dharma, following my heart, doing what I believe in and what feels right, I am filled with energy.

The Buddha called this “right livelihood.” He taught that one who seeks liberation cannot hope to find freedom on the backs of others. Right livelihood is critical to the spiritual path; often when people are out of line with their values they have to numb out or shut down, not only because they are bored and uninterested but also because the pain of being outside their morals or their heart’s call is too much to bear. Interestingly, yoga brings these issues to the surface. Many times I have seen students of yoga realize that their job is hurting them. Sometimes making a change is too much to face. In these cases, people usually stop practicing yoga, and the revelation fades.

One time I was in a new relationship and had moved far away from New Jersey to be with my girlfriend. I had been practicing yoga consistently for years, but without even noticing, I gave it up. A month later, browsing in a bookstore, I stumbled onto a quote from yoga teacher Dr. Jeff Migdow: “When people do yoga consistently they’re much more open to change. That’s the key: If I’m not open to making changes, then I won’t let myself be aware.”

The quote was a slap in the face. As if waking from a daze, I realized that I had not done postures in a month. And I saw that I had avoided yoga because it sharpened my awareness and showed me that I was unhappy. But because I had been unwilling to make a change — to move and leave the relationship — I had stopped doing the thing that increased my awareness. In this way, yoga is a catalyst that demands truth.

This truth includes, but is also subtler than, simply doing what is right or wrong, ethical or moral. It means listening to your heart’s call.

I love to share this with my tutoring students. I remember a student, Aidan, was considering college majors and said, “I’d love to be an architect, but the world needs environmental activists, so that’s what I’ll do.”

Aidan is correct. We do need environmental activists. But I believe that even more, we need people who are passionate about what they do, living from their heart. I don’t think one can actually serve the world best by assessing what the world needs. I think, instead, we serve the world best by responding to our heart’s call. Not our ego’s call, mind you, but our heart’s.

As an environmental activist, Aidan might make a difference. That’s true. But as an architect, Aidan will be following his bliss. He’ll be fulfilled and happy. He’ll be lit up and creative. He’ll be a beacon of light and energy. And, I trust, his environmental concerns will still find a very effective, perhaps more effective, medium — maybe he’ll design green buildings or discover environmentally sustainable building materials.

Joseph Campbell told his students, “If you do follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living…Wherever you are — if you are following your bliss, you are enjoying that refreshment, that life within you, all the time.”

And so, in our spiritual Easter egg hunt for the Keys to Happiness, we come to key number two:

Follow your heart.

Notice what gives you a feeling of rightness, ignites your creativity and passion, and makes you feel most alive, and pursue that.

Before every major decision, ask yourself, “Which choice feels right, is in line with my values, ignites my creativity and passion, and is an expression of my true self?”

And by the way, following your bliss does not automatically mean giving up your nine-to-five job at the insurance company to dust off your old Fender Stratocaster and get the college funk band back together. Sometimes the boring job at the insurance company is just right. Your bliss might be the paycheck that feeds your family and allows you to spend happy evenings and weekends together. Or not. Following your bliss only means tuning in to and following not your ego, not your mind, but your heart. Put another way, it means setting aside what you want and doing what God* wants for you. And God, I believe, communicates through our hearts and through a feeling of passion, vitality, and rightness.

About Brian Leaf:
Brian Leaf, M.A. is the author of Misadventures of a Garden State Yogi. He draws upon twenty-one years of intensive study, practice, and teaching of yoga, meditation, and holistic health. Visit him online at http://www.Misadventures-of-a-Yogi.com.

BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE!

Misadventures of a Garden State Yogi Video Contest

To celebrate the launch of his new book, Misadventures of a Garden State Yogi, author Brian Leaf is hosting a video contest with the theme “Insightful Yoga Comedy.” Video entries must be related to yoga, funny, insightful, and one to three minutes long. Each contest entry will be judged according to how well it meets these requirements. The Grand Prize winner will receive $250 and a signed copy of Misadventures of a Garden State Yogi. Two runner-ups will each receive $50 and a signed copy of Misadventures of a Garden State Yogi. Entries are due by 1/15/13 and must be submitted to misadventures.of.a.yogi@gmail.com. Give it a try!

Videos must be:
1. One to three minutes in length
2. Generally respectful of others. No videos intended to slander or harm any other person or their public image.

To enter, send a link to your video to misadventures.of.a.yogi@gmail.com along with your name, age, and city of residence. Write “Video Contest” in the email’s subject.
All entries must be received by midnight January 15, 2013.

Videos will be judged by Brian Leaf, author of Misadventures of a Garden State Yogi, according to how well they achieve the contest’s themes (related to yoga, funny, insightful).

Winners will be announced on the Misadventures of a Garden State Yogi facebook page, www.facebook.com/Misadventures.of.a.Yogi, on Wednesday, February 20th at 3pm ET.

One Grand Prize winner will receive $250 and a signed copy of Misadventures of a Garden State Yogi.

Two Runner-Ups will each receive $50 and a signed copy of Misadventures of a Garden State Yogi.

Must be eighteen years or older to enter. No purchase necessary. Decisions are final.

Good luck!!

Moonlight Tarot’s Question Corner: Mystical Answers to Mundane Inquiries

October 14, 2012 by Administrator, posted in Guest Authors, Tarot

By Angela Kaufman, Moonlight Tarot LLC

This column is intended to provide messages from the Tarot to address modern problems experienced by everyday people. Questioners, also known as “Querents” submit requests to have their issue addressed in a complimentary three card Tarot Reading, published as part of the Magical Buffet on a monthly basis. The reading not only addresses the Querent’s issue but also provides education about the role of Tarot as a tool for exploration and empowerment.

A Querent who will be referred to as “Gwen” to protect her confidentiality, asks for guidance regarding romance. She explains that she is on the verge of making a transition in ending a long term relationship and has hopes for a new budding romance with an individual she has met. She wants to know if this new relationship has potential for long term commitment and although she reports no concern, she wants to know if any indicators of the influence of another woman are shown in the reading.

Gwen presents one of the most often requested subjects of a Tarot Reading, relationships. For starters, I am obliged to share a word of caution when it comes to romance and divination. Relationships are a living entity in their own rite. Tarot offers insight into the complex factors influencing the success or challenges in a relationship, but the relationship is also subject to the processes of growth and development of the two individuals involved. Therefore it is useful to consult Tarot to forecast a “pulse” of relationship strengths and challenges, but I would caution against taking the results of the reading as an indication of a steady state that will remain constant “forever”. I say this because any forecast is an indicator of patterns based on the energy emerging now, like a weather forecast. Individuals have free will, and their choices influence the development of the relationship. It is important to use common sense, personal judgment, and intuition in relationship decisions. A relationship that is fulfilling at one time may take more work to maintain connection as individuals deal with stress, changing goals etc. Most importantly, any relationship that begins to develop a pattern of unhealthy interaction such as abuse, violence or control, should be taken at face value regardless of the positive omens appearing in a past prediction.

Public Service Announcement aside, let’s proceed to the actual reading. The Aquarian Tarot is used for this reading. Three cards are selected to explore the potential for success in this relationship, potential conflict and long term commitment in this relationship. The selected cards are the Lovers, numbered 6 in the Major Arcana, reversed. Following this card we have the King of Rods, and the King of Cups. The Lovers card, being part of the Major Arcana, has significant ramifications for relationships of all kinds. It is the archetype of partners and speaks to potential romantic and intimate relationships. Its reversal does not negate its meaning, so do not fear its position being upside down.

Lovers (reversed), King of Rods, King of Cups

Gwen faces issues pertaining to her relationship but much more than the qualities of her significant other, her ability to BE in relationship and how this has recently transformed. Gwen has conflicted feelings about her long term relationship that will be ending, and the connection to a new potential partner. The Lovers card indicates focus being brought to relationships, and at this time Gwen would do well to examine the role of cooperation and interdependence in her new relationship. The potential for satisfaction in this new relationship is indicated by this card. As you may guess, there is a “but”…the “but” is the reversal. There is potential for understanding and connection in this relationship, but at this time things are starting off out of balance in some way. Gwen is being given an opportunity to find balance with a partner, but she will have to recognize that at this time there is unequal power. The essence of the Lovers card is the magickal combination of the energies of two individuals, two complete individuals each with their own strengths and weaknesses, who make a harmonious connection which allows them to transcend their limitations, complimenting what one lacks with what another has to offer. The key behind the power of the Lovers is that each partner is independent, but together are a blend of the best each has to offer the other.

At its best this relationship is promising. At present, there are some obstacles to overcome, hence the reversal. The Lovers reversed carries an energy of unequal dependency, one of the parties involved needs the other just a little too much. One partner is in a position of giving more than they receive, which tarnishes the sacred balance of the Lovers. It is in fact, a balancing act in any relationship at any time, like a recipe, a dash too much of one ingredient, and there goes the soup! So at present, there is not an equal exchange. This does not mean there cannot be or will never be, but there is not right now. The Lovers is presenting in reverse, to give Gwen the guidance she needs to examine issues of power and dependence in relationships so that she will not repeat patterns of codependency that are carried over from the past. The relationship has potential but issues of expectations around individual identity and independence must be addressed. In the ideal expression of the Lovers it is the admiration and respect for the individual as a separate person that provides for this ideal relationship. When the Lovers are reversed there is a slight twist- control becomes an issue. The partners may have expectations of each other that take away from their mutual independence or identities, the needs of the other become more important than the needs of one’s self. Gwen, take care not to fall into a pattern of rescuing, fixing excessively caring for this person, especially in a way that is unsustainable in the long term. Let it be known from the get go what your needs are as an individual and build the relationship around each of your individual dreams and identities. Do not fear that the relationship will not withstand your boundaries or your needs as an independent individual- it will. It is important to have a reasonable separateness and “interdependence” from the beginning, otherwise the risk of the Lovers reversed is that expectations of caretaking and accommodating will be fostered resulting in a challenging and out of balance role of “provider” or “rescuer” rather than “lover “and “partner”. You are being granted a test of balancing your needs, your partner’s needs, and your relationship’s needs at this time. Knowing the message of the Lovers will help you to pass this test. It will also be important for Gwen to monitor her own insecurities with relationships in general as pain from past relationships may cause Gwen to feel jealous, doubtful of herself etc. and these feelings alone could contribute to behavior that tips the balance in the relationship more in favor of control than trust.

Now we have a couple of Kings to deal with. The King of Rods represents where the obstacles, if any, lie in this relationship. He is the master of communication, education, networking and planning, and this is where things need some adjustment at this time. Gwen’s new beau may not always communicate his feelings, and there is no room in this relationship for assumptions. Gwen must be sure to express herself clearly. There is a lot of planning, setting the stage for changes and new beginnings and it is possible for this to bring some stress especially related to very mundane and boring matters such as paperwork, organization, planning etc. The managerial parts of this relationship may be less enticing and perhaps get neglected, but it would be in Gwen’s best interest to be as direct and clear as possible to avoid miscommunications and the problems that go along with “assuming”. Also it is likely that if anyone is going to be a distraction in this relationship, it is not another woman, it is likely the involvement of another man. Whether this is someone who captures Gwen’s attention as this relationship is forming, or represents the past long term relationship that Gwen is ending, this is someone who is potentially intelligent but does not always carry out the plans they make. He may be a lot of talk but lack substance. This is someone who will use words to entice, and even manipulate, and will likely talk a good story- but will be recognized as a salesman, not following up in action what he promises in words. This person is a distraction from Gwen’s relationship. Situations that will challenge Gwen’s relationship will also involve barriers of communication, travel, planning and business- there is some type of advancement in the realm of business that does not occur as planned and puts a damper on plans Gwen and her partner had been discussing and working on together. Gwen should not take guarantees of assistance from others at face value at this time as communication and planning are going to be more a source of stress than resolution at this time.

Last but very important, we have the King of Cups. He brings positive indicators for emotional contentment in this relationship and there is a long term commitment potential. This is Gwen’s partner at his best, caring, empathic, sensitive and good natured. Mature and responsive, this shows an emotional connection and romantic bond. This individual takes the relationship seriously and has intentions of committing his emotions to the relationship. What may hold him back or delay him is not another woman, or a lack of deep feelings, it appears more likely to be some type of holdup involving the plans to change direction of business, move or advance in business in some way, particularly due to the offer of an opportunity or assistance that brings some delay, conflict or setback to the end goals.

All things considered there is potential for deep connection, understanding, and a strong romantic bond. Some initial caution needs to be taken for both partners to not lose individual identity and independence in the excitement of this budding romance. Best of luck to Gwen in the future, and remember, regardless of where you are reading this, in NYS all readings are conducted for entertainment purposes.

Interested in being the Querent in next month’s column? Contact Angela at Trionfi78@gmail.com.

About Angela: Angela Kaufman has been exploring divination through Tarot cards over a decade. She is a Certified Professional Tarot Reader and formed Moonlight Tarot in 2009 which would become Moonlight Tarot LLC in 2010. Angela uses the Tarot to assist clients in exploring personal growth and development, and in accordance with New York State Law offers readings for entertainment purposes. Angela began providing readings on a professional, “Moonlighting” basis in order to provide affordable readings to those seeking guidance, inspiration and fun. Angela is also co-author of the new book “Wicca, What’s the Real Deal? Breaking Through the Misconceptions.” (Schiffer Publishing, 2011). In 2006 she joined ISIS Paranormal Investigations and has accompanied the team on numerous investigations in private residences and businesses throughout the capital region, Adirondacks, Vermont and Massachusetts.

For more information on services offered by Moonlight Tarot LLC, visit http://www.saratogaintegrativepractitioners.com/kaufman-tarot.php

Check out Moonlight Tarot on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MoonlightTarotLlc

For more related to Tarot and Wicca, check out: “Wicca, What’s the Real Deal?” At www.wwtrd.webs.com

For more related to the Aquarian Tarot Deck, created by David Palladini and published through US Games Systems, Inc. visit http://www.usgamesinc.com/product.php?productid=413

Geek Month in Review: September 2012

October 7, 2012 by Administrator, posted in Geek Stuff, Guest Authors, Science

By JB Sanders
And so school starts.

Easy Alternate Earth
Looking for a wild alternative Earth for some Great SciFi story you have in your head? Look no further!
Yes, it’s an xkcd What If article, but it’s all about an alternative Earth based on the simple idea: what if the Earth were rotated 90 degrees?

Missing Some Treasure?
I was doing some research, and came across a really handy GM tool. Or if you’re a thriller writer and need a handy lost treasure for your protagonists to stumble across, here you go. It’s the whole list. All known “lost” treasures. Enjoy.

The Only 25 Words You’ll Ever Need to Name Your TV Show
I’m not sure how serious this is, but take any two words from the list in this article and they will form an immediately obvious and totally viable concept for a TV show. Don’t believe me? Try it out.

See Curiosity Land on Mars — in HD
Great video, color-corrected and enhanced, of the Curiosity lander reaching the surface of Mars. The video is all real-time.

Lava Fountain — Up Close
These crazy people got themselves a mostly heat-proof suit and filmed a lava flow (fountain?) up close and personal. Great video.

The Caves Beneath Nottingham
Yes, the Robin Hood Nottingham. Apparently it’s sandstone bedrock makes it really easy, with hand tools, to dig out a cave. So everyone in the last two thousand years appears to have done that. The geek part of this is the laser-mapping the archaeologists are using to find all of the caves. Be sure to watch the movie. Also, there appears to be an upcoming enhanced-reality app for the caves — where you use the app to reveal what caves lie beneath buildings and streets by pointing your smart phone at them.

A little addition for medievalists and beer lovers, another blog on the same private tour wrote up information about Nottingham’s “beer caves“.

Hybrid Transparent Rocket Engine
Scientist builds a rocket engine with a transparent acrylic rod and some oxygen. See the rocket burn and consume the fuel (acrylic) from the inside.
Bonus: full explanation of how it was built.

Where Science and Science Fiction Meet
Neal Stephenson and the president of Arizona State University have together setup the Center for Science and Imagination, a collaboration of scientists and scifi writers to create a better tomorrow. Or something like that. All sorts of Serious Names in scifi are involved.

Einstein’s Brain
Now an iPad app. No, I’m not kidding. Stop laughing. The folks who have Einstein’s brain preserved took thousands of pictures and slides of his brain, and made it into an interactive app. Not sure it’s worth $10, but still.

Laser Pointers and the Moon
What if everyone pointed a laser pointer at the same spot on the moon? The latest xkcd What If article is up and it’s fun.

Solar Super-Charger
Sounds like a scifi thing, right? Nope. Elon Musk, the savvy CEO of Tesla Motors (and backer of SpaceX) is planning to build fast-charging (full charge in 30 minutes or so) stations all over the US. Right now, he’s got 6 stations built in California, with more to come. The idea? Stop for food and charge your car while you wait. All using solar power.

And in the Geek Dad Category
This guy, his 4-year-old son, a toy train and space. Oh, also an HD camera, a weather balloon and an old cell phone with GPS (for locating it all afterwards). This guy sends his son’s toy train into space via weather balloon, and films it from liftoff to finish.
Note: some special-effects wizardry on the toy train’s “face” for amusement (or how the Dad thought his son saw the toy train Stanley).
Warning: Some mushy content!

Leonard Nimoy on How the Vulcan Salute Got Its Start
Do you need more than the title? Go read it!

Nazi Buddha Originally from Space
You know what? I had to link this article just because of that headline, pulled shamelessly from the BBC’s website. The less sensational version of that headline goes: a statue of the buddha, recovered by a Nazi expedition in the 1930’s, was made from a meteorite that fell to Earth 15,000 years ago.

Tiny Dragons Found in Indonesia
No, really. Look, there are photos!

H.P. Lovecraft’s Dark Universe

September 26, 2012September 26, 2012 by Administrator, posted in Guest Authors

By Dr. Bob Curran

As horror writers go, perhaps none is more mysterious or more intriguing than Howard Phillips Lovecraft who died in March 1937 and who created the dark cosmos which is now known as the Cthulhu Mythos. In life, Lovecraft was as strange as any of his creations – a gloomy, withdrawn and introverted man wholly dependent on other people – indeed, so much so that many have suggested that he was in touch with things which we ourselves cannot see or sense and that they formed the basis of his macabre fiction. Much of his work centered round blasphemous tomes – the most famous being the “abhorred Necronomicon” – or remote and mysterious locations and this has prompted some to suggest that he was privy to occult and arcane knowledge that is denied to the rest of us and rightly so for it would send our minds crashing into madness. But is that the case?

There is no doubt that Lovecraft’s vision is vivid and intense and utterly terrifying. It has served as an inspiration for other fans and writers who have both expanded and developed it down the years in their own fiction, in films and in role playing and video games thus keeping the vision fresh and unique. The landscapes which the Mythos envisages are bizarre and dangerous in the extreme. Here great and monstrous beings which have existed since the dawn of time come and go between Earth and the stars with impunity, disregarding Mankind as being of little interest as they did so. All of these ancient beings, however, had some impact on our world and sometimes manipulated individuals for their own eerie and unfathomable purposes. Indeed, much of the history of the world has been clandestinely guided by them towards their undefined objectives. But are such ideas truly rooted in fact or are they, as some have argued, simply the horrific distillation of Lovecraft’s own fears and nightmares?

Certainly as a lonely and introverted boy Lovecraft had access to strange books on the travel and folklore of his great uncle Whipple Phillips’ library in the family home in Providence, Rhode Island and many of these writings may well have taken root in his steadily darkening mind. And some of the ancient houses of Providence itself, with their queer histories and curious traditions may also have intrigued him. In many respects he saw himself as an investigator of the unusual and the outré and this notion was to haunt him as he penned his ghostly fiction.

Part of the source of the dreadful Universe also lay in Lovecraft’s inability to fully integrate into society and into general friendships and relationships. He always considered himself as an “Outsider”. True, he did form friendships – some which lasted until his death – and he actually was briefly married, which hinted at a relationship of sorts but he always found human society difficult and often chose to retreat into his own dark cosmos which he had fashioned out of his peculiar dreams, ideas and nightmares. But he did find face to face relationships difficult and preferred to keep the world at a distance – maintaining his friendships through voluminous letters.

As a writer, Lovecraft was something of a failure in his own lifetime and indeed almost died in penury, having made very little from his imaginative fiction and reduced to “hackwork” and revisions. Nor did many of his friends or fans turn up to his funeral when he died, although there were disagreements over his estate afterward. And yet, the dark legacy which he has left behind has continued down to the present day – not only surviving but continuing to expand and grow like some mysterious seed planted in fertile ground – the minds of those who read them. Others too have taken up the mantle, placing their own stamp upon the Mythos – expanding it and taking it in new and even darker directions. In recent times, the followers of the Cthulhu across the world have never been more numerous. And in the background the shadowy influence of Lovecraft still lingers on. Did he really know things that we don’t and that we would be terrified to find out?

In a new book “A Haunted Mind” Dr. Bob Curran traces the emergence of Lovecraft’s ideas and the sources of his inspiration. Exploring some more obscure avenues of myth and folklore Dr. Curran seeks to trace if there might be some deeper and darker truths hidden away behind some of Lovecraft’s fiction. Had he, for example, studied Middle Eastern lore and had he found some strange and unnerving inferences there? Was there indeed evidence of something which slumbered beneath the hills of rural New England, waiting to be awakened? Is there some concealed reality lurking somewhere beyond our own known only to a handful of savants of which Lovecraft was one? Dr. Curran delves deep into obscure myth and legend and well as into Lovecraft’s fiction to investigate. Some of his conclusions are extremely surprising. And he looks too at Lovecraft’s own life and examines the forces that shaped the strange writer and perhaps formed the basis of this own dark world.

“A Haunted Mind” is a must for anyone who wants to understand Lovecraft and his influences but be warned! After reading it you may not look at either Lovecraft or your own world in the same way again!

About. Dr. Bob Curran:
Throughout Dr. Bob Curran’s varied life, he has worked as a gravedigger, musician, journalist, and civil servant. He is now a history teacher and well-known throughout Ireland and beyond as a writer and broadcaster. He is the author of “Vampires”, “Forgotten Realms”, and “Man-Made Monsters”. He lives in Northern Ireland with his wife and family.

The Tibetans and The Grateful Dead

September 12, 2012 by Administrator, posted in Buddhism, Guest Authors, Music

By Huston Smith

Mickey Hart, a drummer for the erstwhile Grateful Dead, is also a serious ethnomusicologist who now works with the Smithsonian Institution. Fascinated by the Tibetan monks’ multiphonic chanting, he put the infrastructure of the Dead to work and helped organize six sellout coast-to-coast tours with twelve of the Gyuto monks.

One evening the monks were returning to Mickey’s ranch, in Northern California, after a performance in the University of California’s Zellerbach Auditorium, in Berkeley. When the van reached the Marin side of the Richmond Bridge, out of the blue the monks asked the driver to pull over to the side of the road. They told Mickey that they sensed evil in the vicinity, and they wanted to alleviate it. Little did they know that at that moment they were passing San Quentin, a maximum-security penitentiary. Visibly moved, they asked if they could go into the prison and bless the inmates.

Mickey was skeptical, but he asked the sentry on duty, who referred the matter to his superior. The monks were admitted to the entrance, which was separated from the prison proper by about twelve yards. On the opposite side was an electric fence featuring elevated cages, which housed sharpshooters with cocked rifles.

The prison chaplain told us about a Christian group of prisoners who met regularly to pray and sing hymns. They were summoned, and for about half an hour they alternated with the monks, one group singing and praying, and the other group chanting. The monks were so moved by their encounter with the prisoners that they returned several times to repeat the ritual.

Later, I accompanied Mickey to the San Francisco Airport to say farewell to the monks, who where returning to India, for their final tour had ended. As the stairs for boarding the plane descended to the runway, the monks regrouped themselves and chanted a farewell blessing on the land that they were leaving. The passengers in the corridor who were proceeding to their departure gates were so captivated they stopped and clustered around the monks, listening intently. As the last monk disappeared into the plane and the door was closing, a woman asked us in wide-eyed wonder, “What was that all about?”

As if to answer her emphatically, Mickey shouted out to the departing monks the famous line from Star Wars, “May the Force be with you!”

Then, turning to me, Mickey said, “What am I saying? May the Force be with me! They already have it!”

About Huston Smith:
Huston Smith is recognized and revered as the preeminent teacher of world religions. Smith has taught at Washington University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Syracuse University, and the University of California, Berkeley. He has written fifteen books, including the classic “The World’s Religions”, which has sold over two million copies in many translations, and the New York Times bestseller “Why Religion Matters”. He has been bestowed with twelve honorary degrees and was the focus of the five-part television series “The Wisdom of Faith” hosted by Bill Moyers.

Geek Month in Review: August 2012

September 5, 2012September 6, 2012 by Administrator, posted in Geek Stuff, Guest Authors, Science

By JB Sanders

Ah, the dog days…

007 Through the Years
Ever wonder what the highest grossing James Bond film is? Or which one it is, adjusted for inflation? Wonder no more!

Extreme Danger Through Kid’s Chemistry Sets
Isn’t it too bad that chemistry sets (intended for kids) don’t include cyanide, uranium dust (not kidding), or pure iodine (lethal at 2g).

Diving Suit of Nightmares
If this thing doesn’t freak you the hell out, you’ve been looking at Giger art for too long. Special bonus, this diving suit was made in 1882. Seriously.

Spray on Skin Has Reached the Present
Doctors have begun using “spray on skin” to treat long-term skin ulcers (which are notoriously hard to deal with) as a test of the technology. Yay, spray-on-skin!

All US Presidents Except One Related to English King
And I’ll go ahead and spoil the surprise ending for you: Martin Van Buren. Yeah, apparently every US President is descending from old King John. Who’d have thunk it?

Just Roll a d12 and Shut Up
Need an idea for your fantasy RPG session? Stuck for inspiration in your epic fantasy novel? Just curious what the hell I’m talking about? Roll 1d12:

LEGO™ Serenity
There’s a fan of the show, and then there’s this. You just have to click and go look at the pictures. It’s more awesome than I can say.

Stealth Salvage Barge For Sale
No kidding, this Cold War “ship” was designed to retrieve wrecks (like, say, a Soviet submarine) from the depths. Get your radar-proof salvage barge!

How Big is Infinity?
Great animated explanation from TED talks about how big infinity really is. Warning: Math content. Some heads may explode.

Uh, Anyone Else Thinking Mothra
Scientists have discovered that there has been a dramatic increase in the rate and type of mutations in the butterflies in and around the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

Ghost Towns of China
China has a HUGE labor force, and sometimes they’re given things to do to keep them busy. Like building cities. Empty cities.

Stop-Motion Animation Still Going Strong
Now with 3D printers! Apparently the folks behind the movie Para-norman are making it using old-fashioned real-life figures, only they’re stepping it up using 3D printers. Because the 3D printers are comparatively fast, they can also use them for things like facial expressions.
Be sure to check out the image gallery.

2500 year old Hipster Tattoos
See the hipster chick — I mean, Siberian Princess and her mythological beast tattoos. It’s history AND tattoo art.

It’s a Terrible Pun AND a Useful Tool
What is it? It’s the Giger counter. It’ll make more sense if you click on the link and see the pictures.

Largest Map Ever
Well, it may not physically be the largest map ever, but it’s large in terms of what it covers: everything visible in our universe. Which is a lot. Check out the 3D fly-through tour, with links to the full data set. Did anyone else know that there’s a 3D button you can press on YouTube videos? I didn’t.
The video is a fly-through of a part of the map. Keep in mind as you watch it that those things you see whizzing by are GALAXIES (not stars or solar systems).

What if Futurama Was Real?
Then the characters would look more like these drawings this fan did. Or 3D renders. Or whatever they are. The Bad Astronomer has a NSFL* warning on these, so beware.

* NSFL

Real Hover-bikes in the Works
Not kidding. Hopefully not an internet hoax (is there an abbreviation for those?). They plan on having them out by 2014. Yes, there’s prototype video.

Teaser? Short? Preview? Who Cares, It’s Got Death Robots!
As it turns out, this is a preview of an upcoming scifi movie about the problems with arming your robots. And maybe not properly reformatting your hard drives before re-using them.

Tesla’s Lab Saved
Interview with the comic book artist who raised money to save Tesla’s lab. Bonus points go to the mention of Tesla’s earthquake machine, which had to be shut off with a sledgehammer to prevent it taking out the whole block.

Sight
Cool, chilling scifi near-future short film. Coolest part of all? It’s a student-made project. Keep that in mind as you see all the Hollywood-quality graphics and effects fly by. STUDENT-made.

Now Everyone, Jump!
What if everyone on Earth jumped up in the air and came down again, all at exactly the same time? SPOILER: pretty much nothing. The guy at xkcd explores this in detail, on one of his What If? articles.

Your Favorite Songs as Sculptures
Don’t even know if they used a 3D printer. These folks took the sound waves produced while playing certain songs and transformed them into 3D sculptures.

Handy Chart: Shakespearean Insult Kit
You can make “goatish fly-bitten giblet” or “vain fool-born clot pole”. Just tons of options.

Geek Month in Review: July 2012

August 10, 2012August 10, 2012 by Administrator, posted in Geek Stuff, Guest Authors, Movies, Science

By JB Sanders

Is it hot yet? I can’t tell…

Higgs-Bosun Explained
Confused as to what the Higgs-Boson is all about? Here’s a handy animation explaining everything. More or less.

The “British Atlantis” Found
So really what they mean is some underwater archaeologists have found remains of the civilization that existed on the land bridge between Britain and Europe 6500 years ago. Which is still really cool.

Light-Speed Baseballs
What would happen if you tried to hit a ball traveling at 90% the speed of light?

Self-Destructing Poem by William Gibson
More than 20 years ago, William Gibson helped create a poem called “Agrippa (a book of the dead)”, and it was included on a floppy disk (along with some art). After you viewed the poem, the contents of the disk, including the poem itself, were scrambled and unreadable. Now a PhD student is working on the problem, and before he could even work on the disk, he: compiled a disk image of the floppy, a System 7 emulator (Mac OS 7, that is), and most of the source code of the application which displays the poem. Now he’s sharing it online and offering a copy of every book Gibson wrote (NOT including the Agrippa poem) if you can figure out how Gibson did it. You have to show your work!

Movie Posters As If They’d Been Done 1000 Years Ago
You know, Medieval.
Warning: these will seriously warp your brain in amusing and baroque ways.

A Lamp Grown From Salt
Interesting idea in making new light fixtures.

Behind-the-Scenes Photos from Godzilla 1954-65
Because nothing gets your geek juices flowing like Godzilla pics. I’ll reserve the comments about guys in rubber suits.

Star Wars Figures Do the Movies
I know that sounds redundant, but in this case it’s Star Wars minis posed and shot mimicking famous pictures or movie posters.

Trojan Power Strip
It’s a power strip that hides a small computer inside, designed to “test” network vulnerability. Basically, you walk this thing into a company, plug stuff into it, and hack away.

Minecraft and 3D Printing
What’s not to like? It’s a six-minute video on the post-scarcity economy. And it’s way cooler than that makes it sound.

LEGO™ Robots and Wargaming
You probably already clicked on the link, but here’s the deal: it’s a slew of pictures of LEGO™ robots, which are being used to play a war-game. Anyone can play, they just need LEGO ™ robots.
Here are the rules:

Breaking a Dream Drought

July 9, 2012 by Administrator, posted in Guest Authors, New Age

By Robert Moss

Have you lost touch with your dreams? Are your dreams missing you (in the words of one of a new slew of dream-themed TV commercials)? Is your dream recall limited to fragments that are lost completely as you hurry off into the business and traffic of the day?

Relax. Robert Moss, author of “Dreaming the Soul Back Home”, offers the following easy ways to renew and refresh your relationship with your dreams.

1. Set an intention for the night

Before you go to bed, write down an intention for the night. This can be a travel plan (“I would like to go to Hawaii” or “I would like to visit my girlfriend/boyfriend”). It might be a specific request for guidance (“I want to know what will happen if I change my job”). It could be a more general setting of direction (“I ask for healing” or “I open myself to my creative source”). You might simply say, “I want to have fun in my dreams and remember.”

Make sure your intention has some juice. Don’t make dream recall one more chore to fit in with all the others.

Having set your intention, make sure you have the means to honor it. Keep pen and paper (or a tape recorder) next to your bed so you are ready to record something when you wake up.

Record something whenever you wake up, even if it’s at 3 a.m. If you have to go to the bathroom, take your notebook with you and practice doing two things at once. Sometimes the dreams we most need to hear come visiting at rather anti-social hours, from the viewpoint of the little everyday mind.

If you don’t remember a dream when you first wake up, laze in bed for a few minutes and see if something comes back. Wiggle around in the bed. Sometimes returning to the body posture we were in earlier in the night helps to bring back what we were dreaming when our bodies were arranged that way.

If you still don’t have a dream, write something down anyway: whatever is in your awareness, including feelings and physical sensations. You are catching the residue of a dream even if the dream itself is gone. And as you do this, you are saying to the source of your dreams, “I’m listening. Talk to me.”

2. Practice Conscious Entry into the Dreamspace

You don’t need to go to sleep in order to dream. You can enter dreaming from a quiet place of meditation, from the twilight zone between sleep and waking, or through shamanic drumming. You may want to check out my drumming CD, “Wings for the Journey”. You can take a favorite picture and use it as a personal dreamgate. Imagine yourself stepping behind that line of trees in the landscape painting, for example, and having an adventure on the other side. Or take a favorite piece of music and let yourself flow with it into a series of dreamlike scenes.

3. Play with the Dreamlike Symbols of Everyday Life

It’s fun to devote a little time every day to tracking the dreamlike play of symbols in everyday life. It’s also very interesting how, when we give more room to studying coincidence and random messages (in the vanity plate of the car ahead, or what comes on the car radio, for instance) we seem to unlock the nocturnal dreamgates and more comes through.

4. Be Kind to Fragments

Don’t give up on fragments from your night dreams. The wispiest trace of a dream can be exciting to play with, and as you play with it you may find you are pulling back more of the previously forgotten dream.

About Robert Moss:
Robert Moss is the author of “Dreaming the Soul Back Home” and numerous other books about dreaming, shamanism, and imagination. His fascination with the dreamworld began in his childhood in Australia, when he had three near-death experiences and first learned the ways of a traditional dreaming people through his friendship with Aborigines. Visit him online at www.mossdreams.com.

Geek Month in Review: June 2012

July 6, 2012July 6, 2012 by Administrator, posted in Geek Stuff, Guest Authors, Movies, Science

By J.B. Sanders

June!

Vacuum trains
Leave New York City, be in Europe in an hour. How? With technology first proposed by Goddard (yes, that rocket guy) over 100 years ago: vacuum trains. Evacuate a tube to create an airless vacuum, and then shoot trains through it. The technique, with some modern modifications, is surprisingly effective.

Private Colonization of Mars
There’s this company, Mars One, that plans to put people permanently on Mars in 11 years (2023). They’re going to fund the expedition by making the whole thing into a giant media event, including cameras on the selection of the crew, the feed from their rovers and from the Mars-orbiting satellite.

More details on their website:

Over the Weekend, Half of Germany Was Powered by Solar
Apparently the Germans are doing something right. At peak times (mid-day), they’re producing 22 Gigawatt/hours of electricity from their combined solar panels. That’s the equivalent of 20 nuclear power plants.

Alternate Universe Slippage
Scientists postulate that some neutrons are slipping into an alternate universe. Seriously.

Companies That Build Castles
Really. Modern day construction companies that build castles to order.

Just Print That Organ
Screw transplants, these days people who need replacement organs can just print what they need using their own cells and an “ink-jet printer”. No, not in “5 years”, not in “10 years”, this is today, and it’s new enough that airport security doesn’t really understand it.

Holy Levitating Slinky!
And sometimes, these tidbits just write themselves. Slow-motion shots of what it looks like when you drop an extended slinky. Spoiler: it visually makes no sense.

Vertical Ship Goes into Construction Phase
Two-thirds of this beast stays below water to keep the other 170-feet of it buoyant. Anyone else thinking of a James Bond villain hideout?

xkcd Infographic: All Known Exoplanets, To Scale
You know it’s going to be a fun visual when it starts with xkcd. Thems a lot of planets!

Very Neutral
When they say that Switzerland is aggressively neutral, this is what they mean. The article discusses the Swiss redesign of their natural landscape into a country-sized fortress. Bridges designed to blow and take out the railroad beneath it. Artificial landslides which will wipe away important roads. Hidden shelters deep inside their many mountains. Fascinating stuff.

Extreme Planetary Closeness
Astronomers have discovered two planets in a system 1200 light years away that are so close in their solar orbits that they will appear in their respective skies larger than our moon. Scifi authors, start your engines.

Starry Night in Dominoes
Some guy does a pixelated rendition of Van Gogh’s Starry Night using dominoes, and then pushes one over. Time-lapse movie of him setting it up (with some incidental failures along the way) and the final setup. The final collapse visual is amazing.

Brave New Hair
Detailed discussion of how the good folks at Pixar got all that great hair to bounce around in 3D animation the way it does in the movie Brave. Some plot spoilers, though.
[Thanks for the tip, Alex.]

Fanless Heatsink
It’s silent, cools your computer bits and should be here soon. Plus there’s video and Science!
[Thanks for the tip, Alex.]

Human Powered Helicopter
Vertical liftoff has been achieved by an entirely human-powered helicopter. Spoiler: 50 seconds of flight. Still damned amazing.
[Thanks for the tip, Alex.]

New Mineral Found in Meteorite
Not a prelude to a bad scifi movie (that I’m aware of, anyway). A scientist has been probing meteorites for years, and has discovered 9 new minerals as a result. This time, it’s something “primordial”.

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Archives

Category: Guest Authors

Geek Month in Review: October 2012

Follow Your Heart

Moonlight Tarot’s Question Corner: Mystical Answers to Mundane Inquiries

Geek Month in Review: September 2012

H.P. Lovecraft’s Dark Universe

The Tibetans and The Grateful Dead

Geek Month in Review: August 2012

Geek Month in Review: July 2012

Breaking a Dream Drought

Geek Month in Review: June 2012