tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57470038654286536462024-03-13T08:40:29.847-07:00Mythik ImaginationAstounding tales beyond belief, from distant dimensions to the far out future.Jon Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07245548447359053971noreply@blogger.comBlogger77125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5747003865428653646.post-84610517927726288332013-05-01T21:30:00.000-07:002013-05-01T22:06:35.131-07:00Wild West Fest at Calico Ghost Town<br />
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After a somewhat longer than usual absence, I thought I'd restart the ol' Mythik blog with a little trip to the <a href="http://www.wayneevents.com/#!wild-west-fest-2013/cieu" target="_blank">Wild West Fest</a> at <a href="http://cms.sbcounty.gov/parks/Parks/CalicoGhostTown.aspx" target="_blank">Calico Ghost Town</a>. In light of the ongoing post-production of the movie <a href="https://www.facebook.com/GoldRushthemovie" target="_blank">Gold Rush</a>, a weird west thriller written by yours truly, and an upcoming Steampunk project, I thought a visit to a Steampunk festival at a ghost town would be a good way to spend a Saturday afternoon.<br />
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Calico (the official state Silver Rush Ghost Town) is about 3 miles north of Barstow, CA. In it's heyday in the 1880s, miners in the Calico area worked 500 mines and dug up more than $20 million of silver. When the price of silver plummeted a few years later, folks moved away. Entering the "Bust" part of the typical "Boom and Bust" mining town cycle, Calico became a ghost town.<br />
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Fast forward over 50 years later, and Walter Knott (of Knott's Berry Farm fame) restored many of Calico's buildings to bring back the Silver Age feel of the 1880s.<br />
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While its buildings don't have the more authentic "state of arrested decay" of its ghost town rival, Bodie (or so I'm told,) Calico still has a lot of interesting things to see.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A handy "portable" steam engine for all your mobile power needs.</td></tr>
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The Wild West Fest's theme is "Where The Wild West Meets Steampunk!" and there seemed to be an interesting mix of Steampunk enthusiasts, old west re-enactors, and "normal" people who seemed surprised to find Steampunky paraphernalia in a ghost town.<br />
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Among the attractions was a Quick Draw competition.<br />
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The shootin' iron of choice seemed to be the trusty old Colt 45 "Peacemaker" six shooter.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-S1URSU36CoQ/UYHjI7q4F7I/AAAAAAAAA6U/t48W6Mgx9N0/s1600/14.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="183" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-S1URSU36CoQ/UYHjI7q4F7I/AAAAAAAAA6U/t48W6Mgx9N0/s320/14.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I did break out the vintage 35 year old Russian Helios 58mm lens. It's not really an easy choice for "quick" action, due to its manual operation and narrow depth of field, but I got lucky with this shot. Wide open at f2, it has a unique and cool way of rendering the out of focus background.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Other attractions included Poplock Holmes the Gentleman Rhymer:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Poplock had a cool Steampunk-style rap to the tunes of a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theremin">Theremin</a>. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">There was a lot of interesting mining machinery, of course, and I did a little lens comparison test:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The picture above is with the 18-55mm kit lens. The image below is with the 58mm Helios. It blurs the background into an abstract mix of colors.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The only problem of the day was the fact that it was very hot, and Calico is built on a hill, which I must have walked up and down a couple of dozen times. So unfortunately I got worn out before I had a chance to get more pics of the Steampunk people. Oh well, there's always next year, right?</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I was also lucky enough to meet the writer of <b><a href="http://www.bostonmetaphysicalsociety.com/index.html">Boston Metaphysical Society</a></b>, a very interesting and cool graphic novel. Anything that has Nikola Tesla and Houdini must be awesome, right? When I got back home, however, disaster struck. I was fumbling with a ton of photography equipment (most of which I did not use,) and somewhere along the way from my car to my apartment, my newly purchased Boston Metaphysical Society books must have fallen out. When I later retraced my steps in an effort to find the missing books, they were gone of course.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">All in all, it was a good little trip for a combination taste of the Old West and Steampunk style. And it was good to help me get into the groove for my upcoming Steampunk project which will feature a city in the sky, flying cars, mad scientists, crazy inventions, exotic martial arts, and the wickedest villainess you've ever seen ;)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I'll leave you with one last shot of the climactic shootout between the US Marines and the gunslingers of Calico.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">If you're feeling adventurous, you can see <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151666662163060.1073741827.64507843059&type=1">more pictures</a> on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/JonMacWriter/app_106171216118819">Facebook</a>.</span></div>
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Jon Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07245548447359053971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5747003865428653646.post-32490698450714367102012-08-26T10:00:00.000-07:002012-08-27T18:13:06.510-07:00Summer Vacation Part-2<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-huj8F6bTtnQ/UDmREyC2__I/AAAAAAAAAwk/C5p3S1-tpq4/s1600/red_tent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-huj8F6bTtnQ/UDmREyC2__I/AAAAAAAAAwk/C5p3S1-tpq4/s400/red_tent.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sleeping under the stars. Our tent, Joshua Tree and Milky Way at Walker Pass Campground.</td></tr>
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Most Sc-Fi fans probably like looking at the stars. I'm no exception, and have a particular interest the night sky and telescopes and cameras. Living in Los Angeles, however, doesn't exactly make for very good stargazing. You're lucky to see a couple dozen stars at best. So I used the <a href="http://www.jshine.net/astronomy/dark_sky/" target="_blank">Dark Sky Finder</a> to find a spot relatively close to LA to see what we could see, and try out a telescope, camera, and a few lenses. Check out <a href="http://mythikimagination.blogspot.com/2012/08/summer-vacation-part-1.html" target="_blank">Summer Vacation Part-1</a> if you missed it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sdVDKhcFiac/UDmcbIjBFOI/AAAAAAAAAyc/vVAggzMU0Hc/s1600/viv_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="207" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sdVDKhcFiac/UDmcbIjBFOI/AAAAAAAAAyc/vVAggzMU0Hc/s400/viv_500.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1960's vintage Vivitar 500mm f/6.3. I got this from Goodwill! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Qv7lIV58Ivw/UDmcEbxbQHI/AAAAAAAAAxc/6JmQonLgHfQ/s1600/IMG_2070_peaks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="202" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Qv7lIV58Ivw/UDmcEbxbQHI/AAAAAAAAAxc/6JmQonLgHfQ/s400/IMG_2070_peaks.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rugged peaks between Walker Pass and Chimney Creek.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QiI-S1anyfA/UDmcFeOxpGI/AAAAAAAAAxk/2H5aeSnasw8/s1600/IMG_2117_telescope.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="301" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QiI-S1anyfA/UDmcFeOxpGI/AAAAAAAAAxk/2H5aeSnasw8/s400/IMG_2117_telescope.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My friend's NexStar 6SE telescope.</td></tr>
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We went to Walker Pass Campground, which is about 2.5 hours from LA and is one of the closest really dark spots. We got tons of good views of star clusters, nebulae, and galaxies through the scope, and I fooled around with some wide angle pics with my camera and kit lens.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qrOp2eXJQas/UDmRDvsiuuI/AAAAAAAAAwU/GHxCd973dX4/s1600/alien_joshua_tree_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="151" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qrOp2eXJQas/UDmRDvsiuuI/AAAAAAAAAwU/GHxCd973dX4/s400/alien_joshua_tree_3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We played with a green laser pointer, which was very fun. It was so dark, you could actually see the beam of the laser. It looked just like a lightsaber!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jUkNdGQfJLg/UDmg2rxZs4I/AAAAAAAAAy0/Me3P4jOWkzU/s1600/sky_laser_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jUkNdGQfJLg/UDmg2rxZs4I/AAAAAAAAAy0/Me3P4jOWkzU/s400/sky_laser_2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Milky Way and laser.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-l05H6QhPk_o/UDmREMzO6RI/AAAAAAAAAwc/VMi4WXa7C_0/s1600/andromeda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-l05H6QhPk_o/UDmREMzO6RI/AAAAAAAAAwc/VMi4WXa7C_0/s400/andromeda.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The fuzzy object in the center is the Andromeda galaxy.</td></tr>
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I still have a lot to learn about astrophotography, but it was a lot of fun. In the daytime, I was able to get a few pics of more earthly objects.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AZHFbQcwOrA/UDmcQkrxZXI/AAAAAAAAAyE/2FW-wRkBMUE/s1600/IMG_2225_moss.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AZHFbQcwOrA/UDmcQkrxZXI/AAAAAAAAAyE/2FW-wRkBMUE/s400/IMG_2225_moss.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I couldn't remember which side of the tree the moss is supposed to grow on...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RPd_IfTIJXA/UDmcSPJ_7tI/AAAAAAAAAyM/5H38N1ooar4/s1600/IMG_2245_rocks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="321" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RPd_IfTIJXA/UDmcSPJ_7tI/AAAAAAAAAyM/5H38N1ooar4/s400/IMG_2245_rocks.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This pile of rocks was on the Pacific Crest Trail. I'm convinced it a signal by Sasquatches.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pt-yzw4JzUQ/UDmcHezwBhI/AAAAAAAAAx0/SGH6DJwX7IE/s1600/IMG_2314_red_rock_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="220" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pt-yzw4JzUQ/UDmcHezwBhI/AAAAAAAAAx0/SGH6DJwX7IE/s400/IMG_2314_red_rock_2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is Red Rock Canyon, which might be the destination for the next trip :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0JPRKrr9mao/UDmcIhYSx_I/AAAAAAAAAx8/sdZWFi_OTTo/s1600/IMG_2327_red_rock_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="202" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0JPRKrr9mao/UDmcIhYSx_I/AAAAAAAAAx8/sdZWFi_OTTo/s400/IMG_2327_red_rock_4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A closeup of Red Rock through the Vivitar 500mm lens.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vG02QIwc-RU/UDmcGUw-PZI/AAAAAAAAAxs/vXE1b2Xn13o/s1600/IMG_2309_tin_roof.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vG02QIwc-RU/UDmcGUw-PZI/AAAAAAAAAxs/vXE1b2Xn13o/s400/IMG_2309_tin_roof.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A lonely road and crumpled tin roof.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cWwuj_vE2jA/UDmhXkhWwyI/AAAAAAAAAy8/hwl2SXgfylg/s1600/101_0076_red_rock_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cWwuj_vE2jA/UDmhXkhWwyI/AAAAAAAAAy8/hwl2SXgfylg/s400/101_0076_red_rock_3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red Rock Canyon has campsites that are right next to the rocks. I want to shoot a short Sci-Fi film there. Hmm, or maybe adapt one of the Mythik Imagination stories...</td></tr>
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It was sure nice to be able to see all the stars and even the Milky Way. Also very inspirational :) I have a lot of #amwriting and #amediting to do, so I better get back to it.</div>
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How was your summer?</div>
Jon Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07245548447359053971noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5747003865428653646.post-54740468577399242802012-08-25T20:34:00.000-07:002012-08-27T18:12:15.607-07:00Summer Vacation Part-1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The summer is nearly over, but it was fun while it lasted. Most of my time was busy with work, writing, and working on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/GoldRushthemovie" target="_blank">Gold Rush</a> film project. But I was able to sneak away for a couple of extracurricular activities.<br />
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In the beginning of August, I was fortunate to attend Planetfest 2012, and watch as the <a href="http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/" target="_blank">Mars Science Laboratory</a> successfully landed on Mars. It was pretty exciting to be with a crowd of about 2000 people all on the edge of their seats, waiting to see what would happen. Scientists from NASA were on stage, giving an ongoing commentary of the events as they unfolded. Everybody was thrilled to see a successful landing.</div>
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Planetfest had a lot of displays, including full size models of the Space-X's Dragon capsule and Xcor's space-plane:</div>
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Other than the Curiosity landing, I thought the most interesting presentation was by Mars Society President Robert Zubrin. I got an autographed copy of his book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0684835509/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0684835509&linkCode=as2&tag=mythikimagin-20">The Case for Mars: The Plan to Settle the Red Planet and Why We Must</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=mythikimagin-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0684835509" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
In it, he lays out a very detailed, thoughtful, and I think quite possible roadmap for human Mars exploration in the very near future. If you liked the <a href="http://mythikimagination.blogspot.com/2011/09/how-to-build-spaceship-part-4.html" target="_blank">How To Build A Spaceship</a> tutorials, you will love this book :) It has all the juicy details of delta-vee, specific impulse, rocket equations, mass ratio etc. But much more than the geeky stuff, it is an easy to read and very enjoyable book.</div>
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If you want to explore Mars right now, check out the Mars Society website, where you can volunteer to take part in their Mars Desert Research Station, which is a real-life scientific simulation of a habitat on Mars.</div>
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In Part-2 we'll go from Mars, back to Earth, then out to the stars :)</div>
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Jon Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07245548447359053971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5747003865428653646.post-70057626768823577702012-08-03T22:47:00.002-07:002012-08-03T22:47:06.362-07:00Planetfest 2012 And Curiosity Landing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's an exciting time to be a fan of space exploration. <a href="http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/" target="_blank">The Curiosity Rover</a> is on schedule to land on Mars in just two days. If you happen to be in the southern California area, you might want to check out <a href="http://www.planetary.org/get-involved/events/planetfest-2012/" target="_blank">Planetfest 2012</a> in Pasadena:<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"><b>"A two-day celebration for all ages of the real-time landing of Curiosity on Mars. You’ll get play-by-play narration during the spacecraft’s descent and landing, plus a peek at the first images returned from the mission."</b></span></blockquote>
The event is Saturday & Sunday, August 4th & 5th. There will be many speakers and activities, not to mention a live feed of the actual landing with expert commentary. Hopefully the Martians won't say "Sorry, this is a no parking zone!"<br />
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It should be a lot of fun, and I'm looking forward to it. I'll have a full report and pics next week :)Jon Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07245548447359053971noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5747003865428653646.post-26012537529938955392012-07-25T07:08:00.000-07:002012-07-30T02:37:10.983-07:00Weird Wednesday - Message From Mars<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sBTlVth9OtA/UA91GTkHmgI/AAAAAAAAAvM/wQK5P6Ojjlo/s1600/mars-planet-of-the-solar-system_w725_h545.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sBTlVth9OtA/UA91GTkHmgI/AAAAAAAAAvM/wQK5P6Ojjlo/s200/mars-planet-of-the-solar-system_w725_h545.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mars</td></tr>
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The <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/index.html" target="_blank">Mars Curiosity Rover</a> is due to land on the red planet in just a few days. Very cool, you might think, but not exactly something for Weird Wednesday. But among many other expected scientific discoveries, Curiosity just might get to the bottom of one long forgotten mystery: The <a href="http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F60E14FB3F5D14738DDDAB0894D1405B818EF1D3" target="_blank">Mysterious Mars Messages</a> discovered by Guglielmo Marconi over 90 years ago. And that, of course, is perfect for Weird Wednesday.<br />
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A Nobel Prize winner, Marconi was a pioneer in the early development of radio. In the early 1920s, Marconi believed he received signals from another world.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K7SOGyxipZk/UA9113WQawI/AAAAAAAAAvU/oYK5q8MgSUg/s1600/Marconi_at_desk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="173" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K7SOGyxipZk/UA9113WQawI/AAAAAAAAAvU/oYK5q8MgSUg/s320/Marconi_at_desk.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guglielmo Marconi</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Using a special experimental apparatus on his Yacht, the </span><i style="background-color: white;">Electra</i><span style="background-color: white;"> in the </span><span style="background-color: white;">Mediterranean</span><span style="background-color: white;">, Marconi received radio waves of a much greater wavelength than any produced on Earth at the time. This wasn't without controversy, and many experts believed the so-called signals were caused by natural storms on Mars, or perhaps some other, mundane earthy source.</span><br />
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But what fascinated Marconi about the signals was the fact that they seemed to repeat the Morse code for the letter "V." It seemed highly unlikely to him that a natural source would use Morse code. In fact, Marconi himself had used Morse code for the letter "V" many years previously in one of his first wireless tests. Could the strange signals be sending his own code back to him?<br />
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Unfortunately, the mystery was never resolved and was soon forgotten. Who knows, maybe Marconi did just receive some perfectly natural, but as yet unidentified transmission. Or... Perhaps the unknown senders of the signal just gave up. Maybe soon after the Sky Crane gently lowers Curiosity to the surface of Mars, a long dormant signal will spark to life. If a strange Morse coded letter "V" interrupts Curiosity's experiments, we'll know there was more to the story, after all.<br />
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We'll find out in a couple of weeks!<br />
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What do you think?Jon Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07245548447359053971noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5747003865428653646.post-4222917698141665702012-07-22T15:49:00.001-07:002012-07-24T22:03:50.504-07:00Mt. Wilson's 60-Inch Telescope<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Like many sci-fi fans, I've always been fascinated by space, astronomy, and telescopes. Last weekend I was lucky enough to spend the night looking through <a href="http://www.mtwilson.edu/" target="_blank">Mt. Wilson's</a> 60-Inch Telescope, located in the Angeles National Forest, north of Pasadena, CA.<br />
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Special thanks to the Keith and Alex for making this possible! And thanks to Reggie for starting the ball in motion and helping put it all together. Also a huge thank you to Tom The Telescope Operator and <a href="http://www.astronomyoutreach.net/index.php?title=Shelley_R._Bonus" target="_blank">Shelley Bonus</a>, our Session Director. They both were extremely knowledgeable and helpful and had our group laughing and learning all night long. You can also catch Shelley speak at The Planetary Society's <a href="http://www.planetary.org/get-involved/events/planetfest-2012/speakers.html" target="_blank"><i><b>Planetfest 2012</b></i></a> in Pasadena. <b><i>Planetfest</i> </b>is a two-day celebration of the Curiosity rover's landing on Mars.<br />
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Some of the amazing objects we looked at are: Mars, Saturn, Neptune, M5 globular cluster (I think it was M5 - whichever it was, it looked really cool,) Cat's Eye Nebula, Ring Nebula, and Blinking Planetary Nebula.) One of the things that really stands out in such a big telescope is the amazing color in the nebulae and the details in the globular clusters.<br />
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The 60-Inch Telescope at Mt. Wilson is the largest telescope in the world open for public viewing. The "60-Inch" part refers to the aperture, or how big the mirror is. To get an idea how special this is, consider that the average backyard amateur astronomy telescope probably has an aperture of 3 to 8 inches.<br />
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The Mt. Wilson 60-inch design is a bent-Cassegrain reflector with a 60-inch diameter primary mirror which weighs 1900 pounds. The focal length is 960 inches (80 feet, or 2438cm) with a focal ratio of f/16. It has two 4-inch diameter eyepieces of 100mm and 50mm focal lengths. Those are mighty big eyepieces!<br />
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The Mt. Wilson 60-Inch telescope is the brainchild of famous astronomer George Hale. The <a href="http://www.mtwilson.edu/Simmons3.php" target="_blank">history of the 60-Inch</a> is fascinating, and the scope used very cutting edge technology for its time. In 1907 it was the largest telescope mirror in the world. The base, polar axis, and fork of the mount weigh over 16 tons. The mount used an ingenious design which supported over 21 1/2 tons of the telescope by floating on 650 pounds of mercury.<br />
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The great San Francisco earthquake of 1906 caused a shipping delay of the telescope itself, and over 150 tons of material for the building and dome were pulled to the top of the mountain by mule teams. The new wonder of the astronomical world was finally operational in December of 1908. It was the first telescope to photograph stars in other galaxies. It also took photographs of Halley's comet in 1910. The 60-Inch became "one of the most successful and productive telescopes in history."<br />
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Here are some pics from the trip. Click the image to view full size:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2LfeCCG6BD4/UAx13mNvcrI/AAAAAAAAAt8/oRcONmOrsB8/s1600/IMG_1552.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="175" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2LfeCCG6BD4/UAx13mNvcrI/AAAAAAAAAt8/oRcONmOrsB8/s400/IMG_1552.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful views on the way up to Mt. Wilson.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SO2hL7xB-3o/UAx14VJOU_I/AAAAAAAAAuE/OWRgXyVeDMI/s1600/IMG_1555.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SO2hL7xB-3o/UAx14VJOU_I/AAAAAAAAAuE/OWRgXyVeDMI/s400/IMG_1555.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 60-Inch dome.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HLz4UMZYhJM/UAx15yFrD6I/AAAAAAAAAuU/mWmB81DzCZU/s1600/IMG_1576.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HLz4UMZYhJM/UAx15yFrD6I/AAAAAAAAAuU/mWmB81DzCZU/s400/IMG_1576.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The telescope at twilight.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O00stX2G5eE/UAx16XGe8VI/AAAAAAAAAuc/6rCptzroGIU/s1600/IMG_1578.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O00stX2G5eE/UAx16XGe8VI/AAAAAAAAAuc/6rCptzroGIU/s400/IMG_1578.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Get ready for some amazing views!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-N1xKUoPb77s/UAx16x6hNFI/AAAAAAAAAuk/-ZjRTOWnOYc/s1600/IMG_1596.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-N1xKUoPb77s/UAx16x6hNFI/AAAAAAAAAuk/-ZjRTOWnOYc/s400/IMG_1596.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saturn, taken with the camera hand-held up to the eyepiece. It was hard to get a good shot, and it doesn't really do justice to what the actual view looked like.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y9r5T_7A0H0/UAx17qKeCHI/AAAAAAAAAu0/osnt4lKy-Jw/s1600/IMG_1632.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y9r5T_7A0H0/UAx17qKeCHI/AAAAAAAAAu0/osnt4lKy-Jw/s400/IMG_1632.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I should have brought a tripod! A shaky, hand-held long exposure. After dark, all the lights inside the dome are red, to preserve night vision.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8i2dcRFnxr4/UAx18O9herI/AAAAAAAAAu8/_X8nONa154E/s1600/IMG_1637.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8i2dcRFnxr4/UAx18O9herI/AAAAAAAAAu8/_X8nONa154E/s400/IMG_1637.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Now that's an eyepiece! I wish I had this in my backyard. Oh wait, it sort of already is ;)</td></tr>
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Here's a little comparison of the Mt. Wilson 60-Inch and the 8-Inch reflector I used to have:<br />
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Mt. Wilson 60-Inch:<br />
Aperture - 1524mm<br />
Focal Length - 24,380mm<br />
Focal Ratio - f/16<br />
4-Inch Eyepieces<br />
100mm Eyepiece Magnification = 244x<br />
50mm Eyepiece Magnification = 487x<br />
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Dobsonian 8-Inch:<br />
Aperture - 203mm<br />
Focal Length - 1200mm<br />
Focal Ratio - f/5.9<br />
1.25-Inch Eyepieces<br />
25mm Eyepiece Magnification = 48x<br />
9mm Eyepiece Magnification = 133x<br />
9mm + Barlow Magnification = 267x<br />
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Check out the original <a href="http://www.mtwilson.edu/60-inch/AdvancedAmateurInfo.pdf" target="_blank">1906 engineering drawing</a> for more specs on the 60-Inch. Visit the <a href="http://www.mtwilson.edu/" target="_blank">Mt. Wilson website</a> (www.mtwilson.edu) for more information about viewing through the <a href="http://www.mtwilson.edu/60in.php" target="_blank">60-Inch Telescope</a>.<br />
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Coming next week: The return of Weird Wednesday and a long overdue behind-the-scenes update on the making of <b><i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/GoldRushthemovie" target="_blank">Gold Rush</a></i></b> - a paranormal feature film!<br />
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What's your telescope story? Have you had a chance to view through a super-duper scope? Or, maybe you have a fun backyard 'scope story to share. Comment below :)Jon Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07245548447359053971noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5747003865428653646.post-54144400248026214472012-06-08T16:20:00.001-07:002012-07-30T02:39:03.285-07:00Gold Rush Press Release<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Coming soon I'll have some more updates for those interested in a behind the scenes look at the script to screen process. Here is the press release for <i><b>Gold Rush</b></i>:
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:</blockquote>
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Independent thriller shoots in haunted Gold Country</blockquote>
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HOLLYWOOD, CA – June 8, 2012 – Pre-production for a paranormal thriller feature film is under way and the filmmakers are going the extra mile for authenticity.</blockquote>
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“Gold Rush,” will begin shooting at the end of June on a 40 acre property in the heart of Gold Rush Country-- Grass Valley, CA. The location is a private property that has preserved artifacts from the Gold Rush era.</blockquote>
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“There’s no need for us to create props and sets because everything you’ll see is a remnant of history,“ said director Debbie Bledsoe. “Whether it’s the antique six-shooter Merwin-Hulbert revolver or the old poker table and other wild west artifacts from the Gold Rush era, everything is a genuine piece of a forgotten time.”</blockquote>
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Written by Jon Mac, the premise of “Gold Rush” surrounds a modern day team of paranormal experts that goes missing one by one while investigating an evil presence at an estate filled with antiques from a gold mining ghost town.</blockquote>
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In real life, the Travel Channel show “Ghost Adventurers” recently covered how locals believe the ghosts of deceased gold miners haunt the entire Gold Country area.</blockquote>
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“When you step inside, you literally feel like you’re stepping back in time. It certainly has a haunting feel,” said Bledsoe. “We’ll also be sleeping here every night, so it will be a unique experience, that’s for sure.”</blockquote>
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The cast and crew plan to shoot the majority of the film in one weekend using inventive techniques that will increase efficiency and elevate production values.</blockquote>
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“Most films shoot with a single camera, but we’re shooting with four, which will complete the shoot four times as fast without compromising quality,” said Bledsoe.</blockquote>
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The cast of fresh faces on the rise includes Angel Oquendo, Dexter, House MD, Oceans 13, Kristin DeLuca, Femme Fatales, William Mark McCullough, The Trialls of Cate McCullough, as well as Debbie Bledsoe, Lydia Castro, Desmon Heck, Michael John Lane, Valerie Lucas, Maria Picaso, Richard Scott, Caroline Beilskis, Shelly Insheiwat and Michael Buonomo.</blockquote>
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The film is expected to be released the beginning of 2013.</blockquote>
For more info, you can check out <a href="http://www.goldrushthemovie.com/">www.GoldRushTheMovie.com</a>Jon Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07245548447359053971noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5747003865428653646.post-81949237673423390452012-05-29T02:16:00.001-07:002012-07-24T22:05:56.499-07:00Gold Rush Table Read<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V6vI0204y00/T8SL1RuGOII/AAAAAAAAAo4/sHBxw7uIiK4/s1600/gold_rush_logo_23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V6vI0204y00/T8SL1RuGOII/AAAAAAAAAo4/sHBxw7uIiK4/s320/gold_rush_logo_23.jpg" width="302" /></a></div>
I've been working hard on the script of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/GoldRushthemovie" style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Gold Rush</a>, which is why the poor ol' Mythik blog has been a bit neglected. But here's the latest: We had a table read on Saturday. Most of our main characters were able to attend, and it was awesome :)<br />
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A table read is pretty much exactly what it sounds like: the actors sit at a table and read the script out loud.<br />
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I had a very long Friday night working on the latest draft and had it ready just in the nick of time. It still needs a few revisions, but seems to be coming along nicely.<br />
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The actors did a tremendous job bringing the characters to life. With this cast, the movie should be really amazing. Not only are the actors really good at acting, they are a fun bunch of people, too.<br />
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Here are a few pics of the event:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, it's okay to laugh in a horror movie!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e8genj0IF4c/T8SPogUZexI/AAAAAAAAAp4/LmlnDuyVQsM/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e8genj0IF4c/T8SPogUZexI/AAAAAAAAAp4/LmlnDuyVQsM/s400/1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-26YKt7jN4Qg/T8SPfH3B8CI/AAAAAAAAAps/KWaR6jTKE9k/s1600/6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-26YKt7jN4Qg/T8SPfH3B8CI/AAAAAAAAAps/KWaR6jTKE9k/s400/6.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am sneaking out. The actors were awesome. Hearing the lines I wrote gives me (more) gray hairs. They deserve much more than Cherry Gatorade for getting through that monster script. The final shooting script will be much shorter. And better. Ha ha.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xoDa0DAMj74/T8SPqBRamVI/AAAAAAAAAqY/Matd9xQ2OuQ/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="197" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xoDa0DAMj74/T8SPqBRamVI/AAAAAAAAAqY/Matd9xQ2OuQ/s400/5.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The "solemn old west" photo.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NuvbunsRDLo/T8SPpm2jHtI/AAAAAAAAAqM/5hniFHpvCiw/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="186" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NuvbunsRDLo/T8SPpm2jHtI/AAAAAAAAAqM/5hniFHpvCiw/s400/4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you can't guess, I'm the goofy looking one. Cool T-shirt, eh?</td></tr>
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Well, I've been working all weekend and am very tired, so I'll post more later with proper names for our cool cast members and more info etc. Our shoot date is the end of June, which is rapidly approaching. We're going to be trying a lot of new and hopefully innovative techniques with this film. I think we're off to a good start so far :)<br />
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P.S. - Check out the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/GoldRushthemovie" target="_blank">Facebook Page for Gold Rush</a>. The producers will soon be filling it up with all kinds of cool stuff. If you like, "Like" ;)<br />
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<br />Jon Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07245548447359053971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5747003865428653646.post-42390462050781072572012-05-07T07:30:00.000-07:002012-05-19T22:09:02.997-07:00The Backworlds<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XpbM9eCtQbc/T6dFLOppcKI/AAAAAAAAAoQ/xyweyHYCVxs/s1600/Backworlds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XpbM9eCtQbc/T6dFLOppcKI/AAAAAAAAAoQ/xyweyHYCVxs/s200/Backworlds.jpg" width="125" /></a></div>
Today is the release date of <i><b>The Backworlds</b></i> by M. Pax. I've been a fan of M. Pax for a long time. Check it out :)<br />
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<b><i>The Backworlds</i></b> is here!</div>
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The first story in the Backworlds series by M. Pax. A vision
of how humanity might colonize the galaxy some day in the distant future.</div>
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<b><i><u>The Backworlds<o:p></o:p></u></i></b></div>
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<i>After the war with
Earth, bioengineered humans scatter across the Backworlds. Competition is
fierce and pickings are scant. Scant enough that Craze’s father decides to
hoard his fortune by destroying his son. Cut off from family and friends, with
little money, and even less knowledge of the worlds beyond his own, Craze heads
into an uncertain future. Boarding the transport to Elstwhere, he vows to make
his father regret this day</i>.</div>
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Available from: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007Y6LHAA">Amazon</a>
/ <a href="file:///-%20https/:www.amazon.co.uk:dp:B007Y6LHAA">AmazonUK</a>
/ <a href="http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/150519">Smashwords</a> / <a href="http://www.feedbooks.com/userbook/26485/the-backworlds">Feedbooks</a></div>
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Other links to more outlets can be found at either <a href="http://mpaxauthor.blogspot.com/p/backworlds-series.html">Wistful Nebulae</a>
or <a href="http://mpaxauthor.com/the-backworlds-series/backworlds-the/">MPax</a>
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The Backworlds is an ebook and a free read. All formats can
be found at Smashwords and Feedbooks.</div>
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It’ll take a few weeks to work its way down to free on
Amazon Kindle. It will also be available on B&N and iTunes. Sign up for M.
Pax’s mailing list to be notified the day it does go free on Amazon, and when
the book becomes available at other outlets. You’ll also receive coupons for
discounts on future publications. <a href="http://mpaxauthor.com/newsletter/">NEWSLETTER</a>
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M. Pax’s inspiration comes from the wilds of Oregon,
especially the high desert where she shares her home with two cats and a
husband unit. Creative sparks also come from Pine Mountain Observatory where
she spend her summers working as a star guide. She writes mostly science
fiction and fantasy, but confesses to an obsession with Jane Austen. She blogs
at her website, <a href="http://www.mpaxauthor.com/">www.mpaxauthor.com</a> and
at <a href="http://mpaxauthor.blogspot.com/">Wistful Nebuae</a>. You’ll find
links there to connect on Twitter, Goodread, FB and other sites.</div>
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The sequel, <b><i>Stopover at the Backworlds’ Edge</i></b>,
will be released in July 2012. It will be available in all ebook formats and
paperback.</div>
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<br /></div>Jon Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07245548447359053971noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5747003865428653646.post-60866250032921690392012-05-04T16:56:00.000-07:002012-05-19T22:08:33.573-07:00Weird Friday - Weird Vehicles Part 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This week's special Friday edition of Weird Wednesday features another excursion into the Weird Vehicle Garage (<a href="http://mythikimagination.blogspot.com/2012/01/weird-thursday-weird-vehicles-part-1.html" target="_blank">check out Weird Vehicles Part-1</a>) - not to be confused with the <a href="http://pinterest.com/jonmac/mythik-garage/" target="_blank">Mythik Garage</a>, which is slowly being filled with cars from the stories of Mythik Imagination; but that is a tale for another day.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BgmU6b_Pe80/T6RaFLtIT8I/AAAAAAAAAoA/Eou-uB6nm_M/s1600/ORBITER_AT_CHARLOTTE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BgmU6b_Pe80/T6RaFLtIT8I/AAAAAAAAAoA/Eou-uB6nm_M/s320/ORBITER_AT_CHARLOTTE.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Top Speed: 70mph Land - 10 knots Sea</div>
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First up is the <a href="http://www.dobbertinhydrocar.com/Dobbertin%20Surface%20Orbiter.html" target="_blank"><b>Surface Orbiter</b></a>. Made from a 1958 milk tanker (there are such things as milk tankers??) the Surface Orbiter is designed to circumnavigate the globe. Self sufficient and capable of traveling over land and sea, it has ventured over 33,000 miles on land and 3,000 miles at sea in the quest to travel around the world.</div>
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It took four years and 14,000 hours to build, and was able to travel through 28 countries and two continents before the around-the-world quest was cut short due to lack of funding. It kind of reminds me of the Landmaster from <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075909/" target="_blank"><i>Damnation Alley</i></a>.<br />
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Next up, from the "What Were They Thinking??" part of the Garage is the <b><a href="http://www.diseno-art.com/encyclopedia/strange_vehicles/goodyear_inflatoplane.html" target="_blank">Goodyear Inflatoplane</a>:</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RmuMCpAK7Ps/T6RaEo5nzwI/AAAAAAAAAnw/Wi-Prdgr0ak/s1600/Goodyear_Inflatoplane.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="210" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RmuMCpAK7Ps/T6RaEo5nzwI/AAAAAAAAAnw/Wi-Prdgr0ak/s320/Goodyear_Inflatoplane.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top Speed: Umm, don't want to find out</td></tr>
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If you're in the army and want to fly over enemy territory, what better way than in an <i>inflatable </i>plane, right? Developed in the 1950's and 60's, the idea was to have a lightweight, easy to transport plane used for observation. Unfortunately, it had a fatal crash during a test flight when the propeller chopped up one of the wings, and it deflated. The Inflatoplane makes my idea of a personal dirigible seem sane.<br />
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Finally, we have the <b><a href="http://bionic.wikia.com/wiki/Lifting_Body" target="_blank">Northrop M2-F2 Lifting Body</a></b>:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-N_Unk3-Hxto/T6RaE9lsG6I/AAAAAAAAAn4/O0zViPdJviA/s1600/Northrop_M2-F2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="184" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-N_Unk3-Hxto/T6RaE9lsG6I/AAAAAAAAAn4/O0zViPdJviA/s320/Northrop_M2-F2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top Speed: Probably classified...</td></tr>
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If it looks kind of familiar, it may be because you remember it from the opening of every episode of <i>The Six Million Dollar Man</i>. This is the ship Colonel Steve Austin crashed, which caused him to be "...a man barely alive." I've always thought this was one of the coolest looking spaceships, even if in reality it wasn't really a spaceship. The TV series actually used real-life footage of the M2-F2 and another Lifting Body ship, the HL-10.<br />
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The cool thing about these aircraft is that they don't have wings. The whole body of the ship is essentially the wing, which was (and still is) a pretty radical idea. The problem was, aside from the cool looks, it could be very unstable. The M2-F2 was subject to something called "Pilot Induced Oscillation" and crashed in spectacular fashion. It was footage of this crash that was on the <i>$6M Man</i> open and actually inspired the novel <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyborg_(novel)" target="_blank"><i>Cyborg</i> </a>that the TV series was based on. Luckily the real-life pilot survived, although seriously injured.<br />
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In a "more things change, the more they stay the same" kind of way, this same Lifting Body concept is now being used by the <a href="http://www.spacedev.com/space_exploration.php" target="_blank">Dream Chaser Space System</a>, which is on the verge of being the next (and possibly only) alternative to Soyuz for getting astronauts to the International Space Station, now that NASA is out of the picture.<br />
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There's more in the Weird Garage, but this will do for now. So, who wants to go for a ride in the Inflatoplane?<br />
<br />Jon Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07245548447359053971noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5747003865428653646.post-44854366075436018262012-04-29T09:35:00.000-07:002012-05-04T17:00:21.848-07:00Gold Rush and Hunger Games<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XfDBoi0FZWQ/T51icQZMjQI/AAAAAAAAAng/r6RndVBXjA0/s1600/Gold_Rush_Logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XfDBoi0FZWQ/T51icQZMjQI/AAAAAAAAAng/r6RndVBXjA0/s400/Gold_Rush_Logo.png" width="400" /></a></div>
Hello Blogworld, this is Jon.<br />
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Hopefully there are still some Mythik Readers out there ;) So here's the deal: April has slipped away in the blink of an eye, just like March did, because my schedule has been extremely busy. I did finish a screenplay for a paranormal thriller and have been doing multiple re-writes. Writing for the silver screen is a bit different than writing a novel, of course. The rewrites aren't just for plot or characterization, but also fall along the lines of "our special effects department needs more info to make the <i>blank</i>" or "we can't afford to do that" etc. But it is definitely fun.<br />
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The movie is called Gold Rush and is a high-tech paranormal thriller about a team of experts who investigate the Sunshine Mining Camp, a location with over 100 years of haunted history filled with mystery, murder and curses. It takes a headlong plunge into the depths of the nature of belief, reality and the powers of the human mind. It's in pre-production now, and shooting will begin in June. I'll be posting updates here, and soon it should have it's own blog. It's pretty exciting, because it will be using special cinematic techniques to produce a very cool "look" to emphasize the story and characters.<br />
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In other news, I've been very busy at the day job. Among a ton of projects (including one of my favorites, <i>Breaking Bad</i> Season 4) I just wrapped up encoding the HD video for the <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1071875/" target="_blank">Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance</a></i> 3D and 2D Blu-ray discs. The directors Neveldine and Taylor (who also did the <i>Crank</i> series and <i>Gamer</i>) always come up with innovative filming techniques. The special commentary on the 2D version is really cool and shows just how they accomplished a lot of the stunts and effects.<br />
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My schedule is going to get crazy again for the upcoming Blu-ray release of <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1392170/" target="_blank">The Hunger Games</a></i>. I know, it's a pretty obscure little movie that nobody has heard of ;) I must admit, I am one of less than a dozen people on Earth who hasn't read the books, but I did really like the movie. Much better than the usual Hollywood Blockbuster Adaptation. Coming to the story blind, I thought they did a good job setting up the world and characters. I dug the whole retro-future look of it all. The train ride was cool: "That is mahogany!" So, there you have my 10-second review. The Blu-ray should have a lot of great stuff on it.<br />
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Finally, in between the movie stuff, I am determined to get the next Mythik Imagination out. I'm only almost a year behind schedule ;) Oh, and <i>Land of Lor</i> is coming along nicely. And by "nicely" I mean "mish-mash of Sword & Sorcery, High Fantasy and <i>something</i>-punk, with crazy minor characters coming out of the woodwork and creating chaos." Ah, the joys of the writing process.<br />
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And I pledge to be a better blogger...<br />
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<br />Jon Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07245548447359053971noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5747003865428653646.post-47303603621541896712012-02-29T22:39:00.000-08:002012-02-29T22:39:20.363-08:00ScreenplayI blink my eyes and next thing I know, all of this extra long month of February has gone by. I have been typing furiously for most of the month on a movie script. February 29th is my deadline (at least for the first draft) and I am almost done. I've got 126 script pages done, and am working on rewriting the story.<br />
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So, I have regressed in my social media commitments, but made very good writing progress. I need to catch up with a lot of stuff, but will get back into good blogging form soon. Hopefully.<br />
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Well, I still have a few hours left until my writing deadline is officially here, so I better get back to work :)Jon Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07245548447359053971noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5747003865428653646.post-71387500808092004642012-01-31T21:37:00.000-08:002012-02-29T22:41:00.082-08:00Action, Thriller, Comedy, DramaI think, when people talk about genres, most people think of them in terms of what the story is about. Instead, I think a <i>genre</i> is really much more about who the audience is for a particular story.<br />
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I recently came across a fascinating analysis of spec script sales by genre from the <a href="http://gointothestory.blcklst.com/2012/01/2011-spec-script-sales-analysis-genres.html" target="_blank"><b>Go Into The Story</b></a> blog by Scott Myers. A "spec" script is when a screenwriter sells a script "on spec," which means they weren't hired to write a specific story; instead, they write whatever they think will be marketable and then hope to sell it to a producer. They are speculating, gambling their time and effort in hopes of a future sale. It's always interesting to see what kinds of stories Hollywood thinks will make them money. What I find particularly interesting, is to see the breakdown by the four major Hollywood genres: Action, Thriller, Comedy, and Drama.<br />
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Now, this kind of analysis is not an exact science, especially when you are dealing with the murky interior of a Hollywood crystal ball. Having said that, it is useful to get a generalized idea of what kind of stories are "hot," or at least were in 2011 (which, given the lead time of production, won't hit the theaters - if they ever do - until 2013 or 2014.)<br />
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Overall, there were 110 spec script sales in Hollywood in 2011. Quick side note: Think about that for a minute, all you aspiring screenwriters. Imagine all the thousands of scripts that studio readers probably had in their slush piles. Studio execs read hundreds of scripts a year. Their assistants and people whose job consists almost entirely of reading, read hundreds more. So the percentage of spec script purchases, verses the total number of scripts floating out there is pretty low. I'm not trying to be Debbie Downer here, I just think it's interesting.<br />
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Okay, let's break down some numbers. I have taken the liberty of combining some of <b><a href="http://gointothestory.blcklst.com/" target="_blank">Mr. Myers</a></b> figures. I combined Action with Science Fiction, since it seems to be a rare Hollywood SF movie that is more cerebral than action oriented (although <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1182345/" target="_blank"><b>Moon</b></a></i> by <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1512910/" target="_blank"><b>Duncan Jones</b></a> is a very refreshing exception.) Also, in Hollywoodland, Fantasy and Science Fiction are interchangeable, of course. I also combine Thriller with Horror because, well, that's just the way producers think ;) So it breaks down like this:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Action - 42</li>
<li>Thriller - 28</li>
<li>Comedy - 19</li>
<li>Drama - 14</li>
<li>Other - 7</li>
</ol>
<div>
The overall trend is unsurprising in that Action is king. Just look at the top <b><a href="http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/domestic.htm" target="_blank">all time box office</a></b> numbers and count how many action movies are in the top 25. If you broaden the action brush to include science fiction and fantasy animation, then they are almost <i>all</i> action, with the three exceptions being high concept, larger than life Dramas.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In 2011, only 14 sales out of the countless thousands of spec scripts were Dramas. That doesn't bode well for your coming of age tale about the struggles of a farm boy set in the 1930s dust bowl. Better change the location to a desert planet and add a mysterious mentor, a space princess and an evil galactic empire. Or elves.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I'm kidding. Mostly. I think it's pretty funny that in the fiction book world, "genres" generally play second fiddle to "literary" fiction, while in Hollywood it's just the opposite. However, right now the top three spots in the Kindle Top 10 are <i>Hunger Games</i>, so go figure ;)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Hollywood's conventional wisdom has been that their biggest demographic is young males (although this very insightful post disagrees, and says <b><a href="http://womenandhollywood.com/2010/03/11/guess-what-women-buy-more-movie-tickets-than-men/" target="_blank">women actually buy more tickets</a></b>) aged 13-24. What Hollywood thinks the young male demographic wants to see most is giant robots, lots of explosions and lots of lasers and/or gunfire. And elves and/or hobbits. And young wizards. So we can define the action genre as an audience of mostly teenage boys who like explosions. And sequels. I think that is going to all change. Probably sooner, rather than later, too.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Without going into some pretty boring statistics and research data, I think it is safe to say that what this boils down to is that you must know the audience you wish to reach and work back from that to tailor your genre to that specific audience. We live in rapidly changing times, and YouTube, eBooks and other yet - but no doubt soon - to be invented technologies are revolutionizing and revitalizing the industries of storytelling.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I'm not predicting that giant robotic explosions and sequels will go away, but I do think they will take a more creative form that dares to step away from more traditional Hollywood formulas and classifications. As truly "independent" (and by "independent" I mean <i>really</i> independent, not the "smaller studio with smaller big budget" type of independent) filmmakers and independent publishers/authors have more opportunities to showcase their stories to the world, we'll see new audiences enjoy genres that would have otherwise rarely been given the spotlight.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
What are your favorite (new or old) genres? What kind of stories do you like?</div>
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<br />Jon Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07245548447359053971noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5747003865428653646.post-48384722059874891162012-01-26T06:30:00.000-08:002012-01-31T21:40:13.697-08:00Weird Thursday - Weird Vehicles Part 1Today's weirdness is a day late, but is hopefully worth the wait. We've got a garage full of odd sci-fi conveyances that are (or have been) real, believe it or not. It ended up being rather crowded in our Weird Garage, so this is Weird Vehicles Part 1.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-guypraqz_Ac/TyEAMqXdbjI/AAAAAAAAAgc/chH7YLG-i1o/s1600/land_train.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="147" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-guypraqz_Ac/TyEAMqXdbjI/AAAAAAAAAgc/chH7YLG-i1o/s320/land_train.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top Speed: 20 mph</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
First up is the <a href="http://landtrain.net/land-train/overland-train-mk-ii/" target="_blank"><b>LeTourneau Overland MkII Land Train</b></a>. It is like the <a href="http://mythikimagination.blogspot.com/2011/05/weird-wednesday-antarctic-snow-cruiser.html" target="_blank">Antarctic Snow Cruiser</a> on steroids. Perfect for hauling much needed supplies across the Martian tundra (or across earthly deserts,) the Overland MkII was as long as two football fields. It had 54 electrically powered wheels and could carry 150 tons of cargo. Each wheel was over 11 feet tall. The idea was that it would be used by the Army to deliver goods to inhospitable and remote locales, but by the time it was ready for action in 1962, it was rendered obsolete by newly developed aircraft technologies. Sadly, most of the Land Train has been sold for scrap, although you can still see the restored lead car at the Yuma Proving Grounds Heritage Center.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XaBEvT9q840/TyEFSccuTwI/AAAAAAAAAgk/JjODE2bCOHA/s1600/blimp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="293" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XaBEvT9q840/TyEFSccuTwI/AAAAAAAAAgk/JjODE2bCOHA/s320/blimp.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top Speed: Estimated 12 mph</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The internet is great for finding all the brilliant things you may have thought you alone dreamed up, but have already been invented by somebody else. As a certain unnamed someone can cringingly attest to, the idea of a personal blimp has long been a dream of mine. Imagine skimming a few dozens of feet off the ground in majestic silence as you soar over some impossibly beautiful, normally inaccessible, scenery. I still haven't completely given up on my idea of a small one-person helium dirigible, but the <a href="http://personalblimp.com/" target="_blank"><b>Personal Blimp</b></a> is the closest thing I've found in the meantime. The airship <i>Alberto</i> gets its lift from hot air rather than helium, and is umm, somewhat more expensive than I'd like my blimp to be, but hey that's a small price to pay for one cool steampunk ride. Oh, the internet also showed me I was into steampunk before I even knew what it was. Thanks a lot, internet.<br />
<br />
We're going to round out this edition of Weird Vehicles with the <a href="http://www.sakakibara-kikai.co.jp/products/other/LW.htm" target="_blank"><b>Sakakibara Kikai Landwalker</b></a>. It may look like a fitting opponent for Iron Man, or a way for the Empire to finally put down those pesky rebels, but you can actually take the Landwalker for a spin today. The price? only 36,000,000 yen. Let see, that comes to about $461,834.68. Shipping is probably extra. Oh, it also is armed with a canon that shoots foam balls. Score one for the Empire.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yNLFEShtEb4/TyEMza6tHoI/AAAAAAAAAgs/OC3HDc61akI/s1600/LW3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yNLFEShtEb4/TyEMza6tHoI/AAAAAAAAAgs/OC3HDc61akI/s320/LW3.jpg" width="234" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top Speed: Looks like about 1/4 mph.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So, have you seen any weird vehicles in your travels?<br />
<br />
<br />Jon Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07245548447359053971noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5747003865428653646.post-79020315216326487632012-01-21T13:14:00.000-08:002012-01-22T01:39:15.664-08:00Fantasy Map TutorialThere's a lot of talk these days about "World Building," which helps create a realistic and interesting story setting. But after you have carefully crafted your world of wonder with believable geographic and geopolitical details, you probably want a nice picture of it, right?<br />
<br />
I'm going to show you how to make a cool looking fantasy map.<br />
<br />
What you will need:<br />
- a graphics editing program (I used Photoshop.) There is also a free program called <a href="http://www.gimp.org/" target="_blank">GIMP</a>.<br />
- a public domain image of an old map. Some good sources for public domain images are: <a href="http://www.publicdomainsherpa.com/public-domain-maps-resources.html" target="_blank">Public Domain Sherpa</a> and <a href="http://historicalcharts.noaa.gov/" target="_blank">NOAA's Office of Coast Survey Historical Map & Chart Collection</a>. The NOAA site is a gold mine. It takes some searching, but you can even find maps of old west towns, forts, and battles!<br />
<br />
What we are going to do:<br />
We are going to take an existing public domain map and modify it to look like the imaginary world we have in our head.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
First, here is the public domain map we'll use for this tutorial:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6jH48lxbK9o/TxsXcmVEUFI/AAAAAAAAAeE/yy6OJaUOQ7c/s1600/1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="251" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6jH48lxbK9o/TxsXcmVEUFI/AAAAAAAAAeE/yy6OJaUOQ7c/s320/1.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Public Domain Map</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I picked this one because it was pretty old, looks hand drawn, and has a cool textures and colors.<br />
<br />
Next, we'll make an outline of our world:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qdwIowX6xX8/TxsXj87Fq3I/AAAAAAAAAeM/HSiCQ2fnB7w/s1600/2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="280" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qdwIowX6xX8/TxsXj87Fq3I/AAAAAAAAAeM/HSiCQ2fnB7w/s320/2.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outline Guide</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I just scribbled this out quickly. It won't be the exact final shape, but we'll use it as a guide.<br />
<br />
Now we'll overlay the guide over the map and see if we can move and/or resize things a bit to match any of the coastlines with the outline guide:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PSCLwrzZm8s/TxsYs9o5ldI/AAAAAAAAAeU/rT3Nuchkoxk/s1600/3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="296" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PSCLwrzZm8s/TxsYs9o5ldI/AAAAAAAAAeU/rT3Nuchkoxk/s320/3.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The northwest coast matches up pretty well, so I'll leave that there. We're going to duplicate the map layer, and then copy a selection of the map so we can modify it to match the guide:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rr4e1xWcfng/TxsZfU_eNpI/AAAAAAAAAec/B2gzHfJGkBQ/s1600/4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rr4e1xWcfng/TxsZfU_eNpI/AAAAAAAAAec/B2gzHfJGkBQ/s1600/4.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Select the Marquee Tool</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="282" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oyiL8dFaFlc/TxsZfzZW1fI/AAAAAAAAAek/fqFwTKdGlYw/s320/5.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Select the part of the map we want to modify.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oyiL8dFaFlc/TxsZfzZW1fI/AAAAAAAAAek/fqFwTKdGlYw/s1600/5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oyiL8dFaFlc/TxsZfzZW1fI/AAAAAAAAAek/fqFwTKdGlYw/s1600/5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Mr4sCj8rnXQ/TxsaOpZ_nxI/AAAAAAAAAes/zppB5AXZt-Q/s1600/6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="281" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Mr4sCj8rnXQ/TxsaOpZ_nxI/AAAAAAAAAes/zppB5AXZt-Q/s320/6.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Right (or Control) click and select "Layer via Copy."<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PH1ThWvB4Ag/TxsaPPl1Z8I/AAAAAAAAAe0/8-77Ph-yP5E/s1600/7.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="199" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PH1ThWvB4Ag/TxsaPPl1Z8I/AAAAAAAAAe0/8-77Ph-yP5E/s320/7.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Move the new layer into position and rotate.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Next, we'll start erasing the background:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mwZ8Cv1Xwsc/TxsdORJXc6I/AAAAAAAAAe8/qP-knzlQZpU/s1600/8.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="186" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mwZ8Cv1Xwsc/TxsdORJXc6I/AAAAAAAAAe8/qP-knzlQZpU/s320/8.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Use the erase tool with a big brush.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I82E0idJUgk/TxsdO96IVsI/AAAAAAAAAfE/xECHKMe1c48/s1600/9.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="138" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I82E0idJUgk/TxsdO96IVsI/AAAAAAAAAfE/xECHKMe1c48/s320/9.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Then use a much finer brush to erase the new layer along the coast.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UPryQp33l8c/TxsdPTaOhaI/AAAAAAAAAfM/DObLex3bK-s/s1600/10.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="143" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UPryQp33l8c/TxsdPTaOhaI/AAAAAAAAAfM/DObLex3bK-s/s320/10.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Then just carefully continue erasing.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7uYwe-Tv3D8/TxseJFA-AMI/AAAAAAAAAfU/-a6LOYVliLU/s1600/11.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7uYwe-Tv3D8/TxseJFA-AMI/AAAAAAAAAfU/-a6LOYVliLU/s320/11.png" width="124" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Merge the new layer with the background, and keep erasing.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Now we'll use the same "Layer via Copy" technique to modify the west coast:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6cWhs5-8dN8/TxsfbYpRriI/AAAAAAAAAfc/9nVl-kOqjpk/s1600/12.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6cWhs5-8dN8/TxsfbYpRriI/AAAAAAAAAfc/9nVl-kOqjpk/s320/12.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2N3143ccVNY/Txsf7b0SZsI/AAAAAAAAAfk/CvAobxCnwTg/s1600/13.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="249" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2N3143ccVNY/Txsf7b0SZsI/AAAAAAAAAfk/CvAobxCnwTg/s320/13.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Then erase, merge, and keep erasing.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZAT0ALMAwm8/Txsf8TVrQRI/AAAAAAAAAfs/wYabVGFl36A/s1600/14.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZAT0ALMAwm8/Txsf8TVrQRI/AAAAAAAAAfs/wYabVGFl36A/s320/14.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our world is starting to take shape!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Then we want to use the Clone Tool to get rid of the words and also fill in the interior:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7i3gIdlGby8/TxsgnefpadI/AAAAAAAAAf0/XvqcUm02b8o/s1600/15.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7i3gIdlGby8/TxsgnefpadI/AAAAAAAAAf0/XvqcUm02b8o/s320/15.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Normally, we'd just rinse and repeat until we'd filled in all of our coast lines. (Remember to Select Layer via Copy from the original map layer to get new coast line material.) But for now, I'm just going to skip ahead to the background step:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tsFCIFAxAmg/TxshuOLEe8I/AAAAAAAAAf8/72MFN2XqQTk/s1600/16.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="251" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tsFCIFAxAmg/TxshuOLEe8I/AAAAAAAAAf8/72MFN2XqQTk/s320/16.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I found the background from the NOAA web site above.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gapItFfpuWg/TxshvIwAFQI/AAAAAAAAAgE/HdQzLi20HB4/s1600/17.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="259" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gapItFfpuWg/TxshvIwAFQI/AAAAAAAAAgE/HdQzLi20HB4/s320/17.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I add a semi transparent color layer between the map and the background.<br />
Play around with layer composite settings and filters and effects.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-le9rWxzPK4I/Txshv4pPf6I/AAAAAAAAAgM/_ZWKQT72_DQ/s1600/19.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="254" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-le9rWxzPK4I/Txshv4pPf6I/AAAAAAAAAgM/_ZWKQT72_DQ/s320/19.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So here's what we have created so far.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I've used this technique for my own work in progress, the fantastical <i>Land of Lor</i>:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8lqw1AXsRAE/Txsi-RoKPJI/AAAAAAAAAgU/9GaW0l-M-Xw/s1600/20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8lqw1AXsRAE/Txsi-RoKPJI/AAAAAAAAAgU/9GaW0l-M-Xw/s320/20.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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It is still very much a work in progress and needs to be broken up a bit (looks too rectangular right now,) but you can see how this technique can be used to create just about any map shape you want. Then it's just a matter of tweaking it and adding rivers, lakes, mountains etc. You can add sea monsters, "Here Be Dragons," mermaids, sailing ships etc. <a href="http://karenswhimsy.com/public-domain-images/" target="_blank">Karen's Whimsy</a> has a lot of good public domain images for that kind of stuff.<br />
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Now what are you waiting for? Go create some worlds!<br />
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I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. Please find me on line to say hi, talk about SF & Fantasy, or whatever :)<br />
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Jon Mac on <a href="https://twitter.com/JonMacWriter" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mythik" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/106663797518928310094/about?tab=XX" target="_blank">Google+</a>, <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/jonmac" target="_blank">Goodreads</a><br />
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Thanks for reading!<br />
JonJon Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07245548447359053971noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5747003865428653646.post-67191067212125744452012-01-18T23:00:00.000-08:002012-01-21T13:16:54.940-08:00Weird Wednesday - Phaistos Disc and Rongorongo<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--b0SbDca34E/Txe1KLwnCKI/AAAAAAAAAcI/7RZXYUuw39I/s1600/Crete_-_Phaistos_disk_-_side_A.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="187" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--b0SbDca34E/Txe1KLwnCKI/AAAAAAAAAcI/7RZXYUuw39I/s200/Crete_-_Phaistos_disk_-_side_A.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Phaistos Disc - Side A<br />
(click to supersize)</td></tr>
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For some reason, I am fascinated by mysterious, undeciphered writing (check out <a href="http://mythikimagination.blogspot.com/2011/05/weird-wednesday-voynich-manuscript.html" target="_blank">Weird Wednesday - The Voynich Manuscript</a>.) Today, we have not one, but two good mysteries from the <i>Mythik Story Idea List And Weird Things File</i> :)<br />
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The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phaistos_Disc" target="_blank">Phaistos Disc</a> is, oddly enough, an approximately 3600 year old disc-shaped clay artifact discovered in Crete in 1908. Although the dating is imprecise, and some archeologists do think it is a hoax, it is generally accepted by the scientific community as the real deal.<br />
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It has symbols or "signs" in a spiral pattern on both sides. There are 45 unique signs that make up its "alphabet," and there are a total of 241 "tokens" made up of the signs. Many of the signs seem to represent people, faces, and objects such as weapons and tools. The signs have been compared to the symbols in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linear_A" target="_blank">Linear A</a> and Anatolian and even Egyptian <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hieroglyph" target="_blank">Hieroglyphics</a>. There is even a theory that it may be the result of the world's first printing press. But so far, nobody has been able to come up with a conclusive translation.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0YOH7mlOEic/Txe4_NWWusI/AAAAAAAAAcQ/ghKlJ_m-l_4/s1600/Crete_-Phaistos_disk_-_side_B.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0YOH7mlOEic/Txe4_NWWusI/AAAAAAAAAcQ/ghKlJ_m-l_4/s320/Crete_-Phaistos_disk_-_side_B.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Phaistos Disc - Side B<br />
What do you think? Is it a recipe? A board game? The headpiece to the Staff of Ra?<br />
Or perhaps an Anti-Gravity Pyramid Builder Instruction Manual?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
That doesn't mean everybody and their dog hasn't <a href="http://users.otenet.gr/~svoronan/phaistos.htm" target="_blank">attempted to decipher it</a>, though. So go ahead, get out your handy Indiana Jones Ancient Language Decoder Book and give it a shot. Let me know what you come up with :)<br />
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If you get stuck with the Phaistos Disc, you can always try your hand at decoding <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rongorongo" target="_blank">Rongorongo</a>. This mysterious script comes from the equally mysterious Easter Island. It first became known in the late 19th century, but by then it seems anybody who knew how to read it had died off (or been killed.)<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--BlUtmPJ7Lk/Txe8Nx0r1mI/AAAAAAAAAcY/v3eEVFIbkqE/s1600/Rongo-rongo_script.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--BlUtmPJ7Lk/Txe8Nx0r1mI/AAAAAAAAAcY/v3eEVFIbkqE/s320/Rongo-rongo_script.jpg" width="242" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rongorongo</td></tr>
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To make matters worse, the pieces of wood containing the writing were often used as firewood or used to wind fishing lines. If you want to take a crack at reading it, it is theorized that you read from left to right, beginning at the bottom, then rotate it 180 degrees and continue the next line.<br />
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Some of the characters appear to be people and animals, and the writing was engraved with a shark's tooth. Nobody knows for sure how to read it, of course, but one surviving fragment is believed to be a lunar calendar.<br />
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What do you think?Jon Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07245548447359053971noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5747003865428653646.post-53927453983161659752012-01-14T23:08:00.000-08:002012-01-18T23:17:04.952-08:00Jon Mac On The RadioToday I was on the <a href="http://www.premrad.com/shows/view/leo_laporte.html" target="_blank">Leo Laporte</a> show, a nationally syndicated radio program about all things tech and geek ;) I've always loved listening to Leo and it was great fun to speak with him.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-j5Yywhy4NeA/TxJ0CjuqrmI/AAAAAAAAAXU/zhTub4fRz6Y/s1600/Kiron_28_f2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="178" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-j5Yywhy4NeA/TxJ0CjuqrmI/AAAAAAAAAXU/zhTub4fRz6Y/s200/Kiron_28_f2.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
We talked about using older, manual focus lenses with new DSLR cameras. What does that have to do with writing, you ask? Heh, well I like to think of this blog as being about stories as much as writing, and A) storytelling is important in photographs and movies, and B) Using older lenses that are high quality and 1/10th the price of new ones is definitely in the Indy Author Spirit, and C) I'll be adapting some of the Mythik stories into movies using this technique ;)<br />
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Here's the snippet from the radio:<br />
<script src="//www.gmodules.com/ig/ifr?url=http://hosting.gmodules.com/ig/gadgets/file/101762205312958577209/nplayer17_0.xml&up_file=http://k002.kiwi6.com/hotlink/459l6z51jf/jon_kfi.mp3&up_wmode=transparent&up_bgcolor=%23ffffff&up_as=0&synd=open&w=180&h=37&title=Jon+Mac+on+Leo+Laporte+Tech+Guy+Show&border=%23ffffff%7C3px%2C1px+solid+%23999999&output=js">
</script>
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A lot of people are taking advantage of this combination of new and old tech in a lot of creative ways. It's definitely a fun pairing of retro and future :) Whether you're a reader, watcher, writer, or filmmaker, the "democratization" of creative technology only makes the world a better place.
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It occurs to me that I do seem to talk a lot about living in the future. It's not just because I like science fiction stories. It is because the future has turned out to be pretty cool, and I like being in the world that would have seemed like science fiction to somebody living 20 years ago. I used to work on the fringes of the tech industry, and for years the biggest buzzword was "convergence." The idea was that soon all kinds of different technologies would merge together to make something completely new and unexpected. One example the experts often liked to use was that your refrigerator would connect to the internet and would automatically buy milk when you ran out. Ha, my fridge is still embarrassingly dumb, but my phone is smart. And Kindles, Nooks, iPads, smartphones and YouTube are blurring the lines between readers and writers and audiences and film makers. I think the long awaited convergence has converged, and we are already to the point where anybody can really do anything if they put enough thought, time and hard work into it.
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So, Mythikal People, have you tried this out? Or do you have any other "out of the box" techniques you've tried? It doesn't need to be photo or movie related - it could be how you write a different way or interact differently or even the way you encounter stories (however they may be presented) in a new way.
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What do you think?<br />
<br />Jon Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07245548447359053971noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5747003865428653646.post-64735189441140421442012-01-12T16:47:00.000-08:002012-01-14T23:09:15.080-08:00The MoonAs you can see from the incredibly creative title of this post, today we'll be talking about the moon. Not just <i>any</i> moon, but earth's moon. We love our moon so much, we didn't even bother to give it a real name and just call it "The Moon." It's kind of like naming your dog, "Dog." But whatever, I guess it gets the job done.<br />
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If you've read this far, you're now probably expecting some amazing little known science facts about our nearest heavenly neighbor, or maybe some comical old superstitions or moon hoaxes. Nope! Instead, I'm going to make you look at a picture. (Click the images for full size)<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UYuXiSqyJto/Tw9rkAlVZtI/AAAAAAAAAVg/FaEmqy_R3p4/s1600/moon1_stack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="391" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UYuXiSqyJto/Tw9rkAlVZtI/AAAAAAAAAVg/FaEmqy_R3p4/s400/moon1_stack.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Moon - Taken with Canon T3i + Vivitar Series 1 70-210mm f3.5<br />
Notes: 210mm and 2X extender, plus 3X "lossless" center crop, f22, ISO 1600<br />
Shot as 1080p video @ 30fps - image is about 100 stacked frames</td></tr>
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<a name='more'></a>I wanted to test out my camera and lens and see how close I could come to duplicating an amazing picture by NASA of the <a href="http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/crew-30/html/jsc2012e017827.html" target="_blank">Moon and the International Space Station</a>. Yes, I do realize that my picture happens to be missing the amazing part, which is the ISS. But other than that, I was pretty happy with how it turned out. Here is a comparison:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mExOKSke75E/Tw9uFyK7MdI/AAAAAAAAAVo/OGz6FjGGCW0/s1600/moon2_nasa_comp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="207" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mExOKSke75E/Tw9uFyK7MdI/AAAAAAAAAVo/OGz6FjGGCW0/s400/moon2_nasa_comp.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">NASA on the left ---- Mythik on the right</td></tr>
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Oooh, darned your budget, NASA! My pic pales in comparison. But... It was my first try, <i>and</i> NASA took their pic when the Moon was in a different phase, which makes better shadows for much better details. My Moon was nearly full, which makes it look a lot more flat. (Is it just me or does that last sentence seem a bit odd?)</div>
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Now, the whole point of this isn't to show off the fact that I can aim a camera at a giant celestial body in the sky and snap a pic. Instead, the point is to show you what <i>you</i> can do, if you are interested.</div>
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I used a Canon T3i and a 30+ year old lens I bought from <a href="http://www.shopgoodwill.com/" target="_blank">Goodwill</a> for about 50 bucks and a $10 adaptor to make the old lens fit the camera. One cool thing about the T3i is a feature that can zoom the image when you are shooting HD 1080p video. Through some kind of magi-tech process, it does this allegedly without any loss of quality at 3X. I also used a 2X extender that came with the lens. So the total focal length ended up being 210mm X 2 X 3 = 1260mm! That's fairly close to the NASA photog's 600mm lens plus a 2X extender. Ha, I'm pretty sure their 600mm lens cost more than 50 bucks, though. Ok, before I get too smirky, here is a frame from the video I shot:</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-C_Ck6JhVOiI/Tw93iVtUE5I/AAAAAAAAAVw/2dsHGNcZTVY/s1600/moon1_stack_before_processing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="391" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-C_Ck6JhVOiI/Tw93iVtUE5I/AAAAAAAAAVw/2dsHGNcZTVY/s400/moon1_stack_before_processing.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What?? Frame from 1080p video before processing.</td></tr>
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What?? Here's the scoop: There were whispy clouds that night, and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astronomical_seeing" target="_blank">seeing</a> wasn't very good. Seeing is when the atmosphere "boils" and causes things in the sky to look blurry. But it changes from moment to moment, so one second it might be clear, then the next second it is more blurry. So I exported the video to a sequence of 150 frames and processed them with a program called <a href="http://keithwiley.com/software/keithsImageStacker.shtml" target="_blank">Keith's Image Stacker</a>. This program is awesome and free! It allows you to cull out the blurry frames, and it "stacks" the good frames, which equalizes the brightness and lowers the noise and enhances the details and a ton of other cool things. Then you can sharpen the detail and voila:</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UYuXiSqyJto/Tw9rkAlVZtI/AAAAAAAAAVg/FaEmqy_R3p4/s1600/moon1_stack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="391" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UYuXiSqyJto/Tw9rkAlVZtI/AAAAAAAAAVg/FaEmqy_R3p4/s400/moon1_stack.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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So if you like photography or astronomy or both, give it a try. All you need is a video capable DSLR, an old lens (or a new one,) a tripod and some free software. Here's my setup:</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9Emov15Krzo/Tw977kU1Q0I/AAAAAAAAAV4/SxyK-nGPsUU/s1600/t3i_vivitar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9Emov15Krzo/Tw977kU1Q0I/AAAAAAAAAV4/SxyK-nGPsUU/s320/t3i_vivitar.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">T3i + Vivitar Series 1 70-210mm f3.5 circa 1979</td></tr>
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Also check out M Pax at <a href="http://mpaxauthor.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Wistful Nebulae</a> who works at a real observatory in the summers and takes cool astro photos. Thanks for the inspiration M Pax!</div>
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So, who here likes looking up at night?</div>
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<br /></div>Jon Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07245548447359053971noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5747003865428653646.post-19267124480958846492012-01-10T06:00:00.000-08:002012-01-10T15:14:05.333-08:00Storytelling Is Time Travel<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rRILsSkc4VA/Twvs1KoI3_I/AAAAAAAAAVQ/1mJgHid18jM/s1600/future-city-stock3084.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="160" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rRILsSkc4VA/Twvs1KoI3_I/AAAAAAAAAVQ/1mJgHid18jM/s200/future-city-stock3084.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is why there is so much construction<br />
on the freeway of my daily commute.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I'm the last person who would tell somebody how to write stories. But I was (sort of) asked. So here goes:<br />
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We're already 10/365ths (or 0.027397260 for you math whizzes) into the new year. So most of the yearly future predictions have already been predicted (December is that magical portal in-between the "Top-[<i>insert number here</i>]" lists of what has already happened and the "Top-[<i>insert number here</i>]" of what might happen - the internet loves lists even more than usual at this time of year.) How does this possibly relate to writing stories, you ask?<br />
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My thought is that all storytelling is essentially about time travel. It doesn't matter if it is a literary classic from Sophocles or Shakespeare or Hemingway or genre tales from Tolkien or Stephen King or the latest important "literature" you must have on your new Kindle or Nook. The <b>story </b>is all about one question: What happens next?<br />
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No matter what style is used to present the story, the most important thing is the emotional progression the reader goes through on their journey through time as they follow along. It's "A real page turner," right? Like the fine print in an investment sales pitch, "past performance is not an indicator of future returns." So we have that mystery of what the future of the story will hold, despite (or maybe because of) our expectations from what we have read so far.<br />
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Hmm, I won't use any more terms like "emotional progression" (for that, you need to listen to a real writing expert,) so instead, I'll use what I think is the best example of good storytelling: it's called "real life." Despite a prevailing healthy dose of boring-routine-rat-race angst, we really don't know what will happen in the future. (See <a href="http://mythikimagination.blogspot.com/2011/09/flying-cars-jetpacks-and-video-phones.html" target="_blank">Flying Cars, Jetpacks, And Video Phones</a>.) Tomorrow, something unexpected can happen, ranging from the bad ("Gee, I wish I had looked both ways and seen that bus before I stepped into the street,") to the good ("Wow, I won the lottery!")<br />
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Of course, there's always the possibility of a Twilight Zone-ish twist in the next real life chapter: "That's right, kids, I met your mom when she pushed me out of the way of a speeding bus!" or "That lottery ruined my life when I blew all my winnings <i>and </i>previous<i> </i>life savings in Vegas and then owed money to Big Bubba <i>and </i>ended up living under a bridge."<br />
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Our memories are our time machines to the past (as are history books and 99% of Google.) To get to the future, all we have to do is wait. The future, though, is always full of surprises. Science fiction writers may seem to have the living-in-the-future market cornered, but they also end up with a lot of <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Zeerust" target="_blank">Zeerust</a>. It's the small details that nobody realizes will end up important that help make the future so mysterious.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wVm0kHzWBNA/Twv_JIgdiKI/AAAAAAAAAVY/zizpW4PviMg/s1600/FileTRS-80_Model_I_-_Rechnermuseum_Cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wVm0kHzWBNA/Twv_JIgdiKI/AAAAAAAAAVY/zizpW4PviMg/s200/FileTRS-80_Model_I_-_Rechnermuseum_Cropped.jpg" width="161" /></a></div>
Back when I was playing Chess on a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRS-80" target="_blank">TRS-80</a>, I don't think any SF stories were predicting that if you could one day connect all the computers in the world, you could type a few words and instantly find out almost anything about anything. No sci-fi hero was using their phone to take HD video of the villain's secret lair. Back then, <a href="http://www.cbs.com/shows/csi/" target="_blank">CSI </a>would have been sci-fi, not police drama.<br />
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Storytelling is about time travel, because it is those little details that surprise the audience, but were there all along. They saw them, but didn't realize how important they were. But when they <i>do </i>realize it, they remember and go "Aha!" They have traveled back in time in their memory, then return to the present (which used to be the story's future,) and it all comes to a satisfying conclusion.<br />
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Or, it's not quite done yet, and they will hopefully be eager to see what <i>else </i>will happen next ;)<br />
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That's my "storytelling is time travel" theory, anyway. What do you think?<br />
<br />Jon Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07245548447359053971noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5747003865428653646.post-68832742222090710332012-01-05T21:19:00.000-08:002012-01-10T01:30:49.312-08:00A Mythik New Year<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ip5xT9TeodM/TwZ7t15YRPI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/ss__5I5VqDs/s1600/lor_map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="145" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ip5xT9TeodM/TwZ7t15YRPI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/ss__5I5VqDs/s200/lor_map.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Happy New Year, everybody! The ol' Mythik Blog has been neglected for a while, but the Underwater Cave-dwelling Sea Monkeys who write this stuff are back to work and have their typewriters warmed up and ready to go.<br />
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November was very busy with <a href="http://www.nanowrimo.org/">NaNoWriMo</a>, and although I didn't "win," I did get 45k or so words, which I considered a success and a very good start to the <i>Land Of Lor</i> novel. It is shaping up to be a very fun twist on classic, personal Sword & Sorcery combined with an overall Epic Fantasy feel. Although the main characters and plot lines have been in my head for many years, it has already taken a few unexpected turns resulting in several painted-in plot corners, ha ha. I was so busy writing, I didn't keep up with the planned blog updates. Oh well, it's a trade-off I'll accept :)<br />
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December was busy with lots of work at the day job and, of course, family and holiday time. I was able to do a test shoot of video for an upcoming Weird West Thriller.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1D5kb_hVumc/TwZ-E_T6BRI/AAAAAAAAAUs/uMO9aE5I-gI/s1600/truck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1D5kb_hVumc/TwZ-E_T6BRI/AAAAAAAAAUs/uMO9aE5I-gI/s320/truck.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Screen grab from video test shoot. T3i camera with 30 year old Kiron 28mm lens @ f2.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another frame from the test movie. The six shooter is a rare Merwin & Hulbert, the "Cadillac of Revolvers," a now mostly forgotten competitor to the Colts, Smith & Wessons and Remingtons of the old west.</td></tr>
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January will be busy too, since I'll be finishing up the long awaited <i>Mythik Imagination #2 </i>as well as working on <i>Land of Lor</i> and pre-production (and more tests) for the movie.<br />
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New Year's resolution is to not neglect the blog and to write more!<br />
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Thanks for reading and stay Mythik :)<br />
Jon<br />
<br />Jon Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07245548447359053971noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5747003865428653646.post-31427477816438873812011-11-09T06:30:00.000-08:002012-01-10T01:30:00.389-08:00Weird Wednesday - Flying Humanoids Over Mexico<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Today's Weird Wednesday is a special guest post from M. Pax, a talented SF&F writer who also enjoys the occasional bit of weirdness. Be sure to check out her always interesting blog posts at</i> <a href="http://mpaxauthor.blogspot.com/">Wistful Nebulae</a> <i>and her</i> <a href="http://mpaxauthor.com/">website</a>, <i>which has tons of cool stuff. Let the weirdness begin, M. Pax:</i></div>
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Reports have been cropping up of terrifying encounters with
flying “humanoids” in Mexico. One of the most fascinating reports comes from a
police officer in Monterrey. He says he was attacked in January 2004 by a
flying entity draped in black.</div>
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Here’s an excerpt from the newspaper article entailing the
incident:</div>
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Appeared in <i>El
Norte</i> on Saturday, January 17, 2004<br />
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"A municipal police officer testifies that he
saw what looked like a 'woman in a black gown' descend from the trees as he was
patrolling his beat in a squad car in 'la zona.' The descent was slow he said.
As if it was floating."<br />
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"She was wearing a black gown (or robes) and
had large, completely black eyes with no pupils."<br />
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"When this 'witch' started to make a move at
me, I immediately contacted my fellow patrolmen by radio and I summoned
assistance."<br />
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"The situation was intolerable and caused the
officer to lose consciousness."<br />
<br />
"I saw it walking toward me and I put the
patrol car into reverse gear. I saw it start to tumble and fly. It impacted on
the windshield of the car. As I continued to look at it, I raised my hands and
fainted.”</blockquote>
Later, it was said the mysterious flying humanoids were men on some type of jet pak contraption. Personally, I like the idea of flying aliens better. Real or not, it’s fodder for the imagination.<br />
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What about you? Skeptic? Believer? Hey-it’s-great-funner?<br />
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<o:p></o:p><br />
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<i>M. Pax has recently released a Space Opera novellette called Semper Audacia, which I enjoyed a lot.</i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AavsslNqukg/Trn9si_OsNI/AAAAAAAAATs/YVNVfD5Ng4s/s1600/Semper77o2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AavsslNqukg/Trn9si_OsNI/AAAAAAAAATs/YVNVfD5Ng4s/s320/Semper77o2.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005QB25H4">Semper Audacia</a></td></tr>
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You can find it at: <a href="http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/92160">Smashwords</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005QB25H4">Amazon</a>, <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/semper-audacia-m-pax/1106579795?ean=2940011534737&itm=4&usri=m%2bpax">B&N</a>, and <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/semper-audacia/id471784803?mt=11">iTunes</a><br />
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<b>Description:</b> Alone. Leda is the last living member of the brigade, the sole
defender of her world. War took everyone she knew, leaving her in the company
of memories and ghosts. Or is it madness?</div>
The siren blares. The enemy is coming. Or is it? The approaching vessel
isn't a friendly design, but it answers with the correct code. Leda must figure
out whether the arrival is reinforcements or the final assault. In an aging
flyer, she ventures out to meet her world's fate, the last stand.<br />
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<b>Details:</b> 99 cents. Space Opera. Novelette. 13,200 words.</div>
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<b>About M. Pax:</b> Inspiring the words I write, I spend my
summers as a star guide at Pine Mountain Observatory in stunning Central Oregon
where I live with the husband unit and two loving cats. I write speculative
fiction mostly and have a slight obsession with giant, man-eating reptiles and
Jane Austen. I know, they don’t really go together, but it’d be interesting to
insert Godzilla in the middle of Pride & Prejudice.</div>
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For more info, you can go to her blog and website:</div>
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<b>Blog:</b> <a href="http://mpaxauthor.blogspot.com/">http://mpaxauthor.blogspot.com</a></div>
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<b>Website:</b> <a href="http://www.mpaxauthor.com/">www.mpaxauthor.com</a></div>
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<i>Thanks for stopping by, M. Pax!</i></div>
<br />Jon Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07245548447359053971noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5747003865428653646.post-6129572642384218952011-11-01T23:37:00.000-07:002011-11-01T23:37:58.533-07:00NANO Day 1Well it was a busy weekend and even busier last couple of days. Here's the first day of #NaNoWriMo, and I'm already exhausted ;)<br />
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But did get over 2k words written :)<br />
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Don't worry, I won't post every day, just milestones haha.Jon Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07245548447359053971noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5747003865428653646.post-7509252105568159952011-10-30T12:29:00.000-07:002012-01-10T01:29:27.714-08:00NaNoWriMo Oh No!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have officially decided to do the <a href="http://www.nanowrimo.org/">NaNoWriMo</a> thing. If you haven't heard of NaNoWriMo (I hadn't until recently,) it is sort of a competition where the goal is to write a novel in one month. So, it is NAtional NOvel WRIting MOnth. Get it? In this case, the goal is 50,000 words. The competition is with yourself, and if you achieve the goal, you win! It's not exactly going to be easy adding to an already busy schedule, but what the heck, right? It should be fun. If anybody wants to add me as a buddy, here is my <a href="http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/participants/jon-mac">NaNoWriMo page</a>.<br />
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So what shall I write about? Hmm. How about a down and out princess who goes on the road to find adventure in a mystical magic land? It's a strange place where pirates are good guys and dragons talk with funny accents and magic spells are obsolete almost as soon as they are created. There will be plenty of daring do, with swords and sorcery and punks who don't follow any of the Wizard Guild's rules. We'll see all this and more, in <i>The Land of Lor</i>.<br />
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Of course, all that might change once the real writing begins ;) But I do have a bunch of characters and the setting and a lot of story ideas. The genre is going to be Epic Fantasy Sword & Sorcery Magipunk. So, take that, Genre Police!<br />
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The Land of Lor is actually something I've had in my head for a long time. So this is the perfect time for it to fully come out. I even have a map of Lor I drew, umm, too long ago. All I have to do is weed out all the dumb parts and come up with an exciting story. That's all, ha ha.<br />
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I'm going to construct it like a movie. It will have three acts and twelve chapters. Three chapters for Act 1, six chapters for Act 2, and three chapters for Act 3. At about 5,000 words per chapter, the total will be around 60k words. So, lets say by the end of November I'll have 50k words and "win" NaNoWriMo. Then another month for rewrites and the last 10k words. Then another month for more rewrites. Then a month of editing and polishing. That puts the release date at March 1st. Mark your calendars!<br />
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Lor is a pretty big world with lots of history and people and places, so there's a ton of story material there. The first book will be self contained, but will also be the beginning of a three part series. All told, there will eventually be a trio of trilogies.<br />
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So, there ya have it. So it is written so shall it be done, ha ha. Now I better get back to revising Mythik Imagination #2, since the NaNo thing starts in a couple of days. I figure the Mythik Imagination series will be good breaks from the novel and #3 will have a short story from the Lor universe.<br />
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Stay tuned for NaNo updates right here. It should be a fun ride :)<br />
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Is anybody else out there doing the NaNo thing?Jon Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07245548447359053971noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5747003865428653646.post-55261672901316781472011-10-28T23:39:00.000-07:002011-10-30T15:04:37.344-07:00Pulp Science Fiction from USPSToday the print version of <i>Mythik Imagination #1</i> finally came in the mail :) It's a collection of three short science fiction stories in pulp magazine format of the 30s & 40s. If you wanna check it out, you can find it at <a href="http://www.indyplanet.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6157">Indy Planet</a> for only three bucks. If you want the free eBook version, there is a handy graphic in the sidebar to your left with links to all eBook formats (including <a href="http://issuu.com/jonmac/docs/mythik_imagination_1">Issuu</a>, which is basically an on-line version of the printed pages.)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1XX9D3bm7Rc/TquamaxL9NI/AAAAAAAAAP0/6v27eTABNqs/s1600/m1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1XX9D3bm7Rc/TquamaxL9NI/AAAAAAAAAP0/6v27eTABNqs/s200/m1.JPG" width="196" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look what's peeking out of the envelope.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uOd3b2CJPxw/TquamzOx8XI/AAAAAAAAAP8/Jp7ZPstSHPs/s1600/m2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uOd3b2CJPxw/TquamzOx8XI/AAAAAAAAAP8/Jp7ZPstSHPs/s320/m2.JPG" width="271" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hey why does my new magazine look all old and worn out?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OVwYb2sbwBU/TquanYZZq1I/AAAAAAAAAQE/bmJLRWxZkj8/s1600/m3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OVwYb2sbwBU/TquanYZZq1I/AAAAAAAAAQE/bmJLRWxZkj8/s320/m3.JPG" width="224" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hmm, who writes this stuff??</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fRcCuPaJb7E/Tquan55hjxI/AAAAAAAAAQM/NflCF7FXSgA/s1600/m4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fRcCuPaJb7E/Tquan55hjxI/AAAAAAAAAQM/NflCF7FXSgA/s320/m4.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front and back covers in futuristically full color!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a4mwiUj6Ht8/TquaoVbs-vI/AAAAAAAAAQU/RLv6pjK9CW4/s1600/m5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a4mwiUj6Ht8/TquaoVbs-vI/AAAAAAAAAQU/RLv6pjK9CW4/s320/m5.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, you are looking at an ad for this blog in a picture on this blog. I hope that doesn't cause a closed loop-vortex in the space-time continuum.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0tDqQVNrwzY/Tquao2-KweI/AAAAAAAAAQc/8N3AOR5wmDU/s1600/m6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0tDqQVNrwzY/Tquao2-KweI/AAAAAAAAAQc/8N3AOR5wmDU/s320/m6.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And here's an ad for #3. Gee, maybe I should finish #2! Well at least it does say "coming soon."</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think the underwater cave monkeys in the Mythik typesetting department did a pretty good job ;)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-f_iNA5g0HN0/TquaqZKuBuI/AAAAAAAAAQs/abAEvbhyHMA/s1600/m8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-f_iNA5g0HN0/TquaqZKuBuI/AAAAAAAAAQs/abAEvbhyHMA/s320/m8.JPG" width="270" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Now I can sign it and sell it on 3D eBay in 20 years for $1.27 million ;)</td></tr>
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Well, I better get back to work on #2. Thanks for reading!Jon Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07245548447359053971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5747003865428653646.post-29366885307745455312011-10-26T22:05:00.000-07:002012-01-10T01:28:48.412-08:00Keeping Up With The MythikWell, I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that I have been neglecting the blog - although some might consider that the good news ;) The good news is that the reason I have been neglecting the blog is because I have been busy writing and working on cool projects.<br />
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Any day now I shall have the print version of Mythik Imagination #1 in my hot little hands. That's right, good old-fashioned, read-under-the-blankets-with-a-flashlight, paper pages all bound up in magazine format. Even better news is that it will only cost three bucks!<br />
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I have also been revising Mythik Imagination #2 a bit more than I had expected. But it is just around the corner. Really.<br />
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I've also recorded a podiobook twice, but didn't like the reads and continue to work on it. Hopefully, third time's the charm :)<br />
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And finally, I've been toying with the idea of doing the #NaNoWriMo thing. Is that the right acronym? I think it is. Anyway, I am kind of intrigued by the structure of it, but also have a bit of an inner rebel in me that is not so thrilled with the idea. I also have a (perhaps incorrect) thought of potential readers thinking "What, you threw this book together in 30 days and expect me to read it??" I realize the 30 day part is just for the rough draft and the whole idea is to just get the words down on paper then revise, etc. But still... Anyway, I just might do my own, personal non-official version of NaNoWriMo and show you the behind the scenes story of writing a book. It'll be almost as exciting as <i><a href="http://www.eonline.com/on/shows/kardashians/index.html">Keeping Up With The Kardashians</a></i>!<br />
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Stay tuned...Jon Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07245548447359053971noreply@blogger.com4