The Three “Questions” Of Science Fiction
Posted by Buy essay Blog | Uncategorized | Posted on June 15th, 2009
There is a great deal of misunderstanding about what that particular branch of literature called “Science Fiction” actually consists of. Is it space-ships and monsters? Time machines? Galactic empires? Well, its all of those things, and often none of them.
Science Fiction, broadly speaking, is story-telling that deals with the impact of organized knowledge on human beings. Usually, this means technology, and the way it changes us&ndashand reveals about us. After all, most technology is an extension of our senses, attributes and desires: computers are brains, cell-phones are voices and ears, cars are legs, planes are the dream of flight.
Many classic S.F. films and books take place in worlds identical to ours, except for the creation of some new device, or the appearance of a new life-form. Others take place in worlds so apparently foreign that only the most dedicated and experienced reader can understand what is going on!
But at the core, there are three questions or musings most often asked or explored in any work with the “Science Fiction” label. Those three are:
1) What if?
2) If Only…
3) If This Goes On…
Although these three “questions” overlap considerably, the first, “What If?”, is the most essential of the three. “What If the Martians attacked?” “What If eternal life was available at a price?” “What If we knew an asteroid would hit Earth in a year?”
The second adds a bit of longing to the equation. “If Only President Kennedy hadn’t been assassinated…” is the kind of question that leads to sociological and historical speculation, or the “Alternate History” branch of S.F. which has become tremendously popular in the last decade. “If Only the gene for generosity (or anger, or bigotry) could be mapped…” “If Only we could selectively prune bad memories…”
There is an emotional quality to the “If Only” questions, and they often speak to a sense of missed opportunity, roads not taken.
The third question, “If This Goes On” is tailor-made for cautionary tales. “If we continue to pollute the environment…” “If one party continues to dominate American politics…” “If more women enter the management class…” “If the space program continues to Privatize” “If human beings become better at modifying their physical characteristics…”
These questions are starting places for speculation. While it is easy to use any of them for trivial or absurd (and entertaining!) questions like “What if a 300-foot radioactive lizard attacked Tokyo?” they can also address profound issues, as in “how would humanity change if we gained incontrovertible proof of intelligent alien life?”
By concentrating on the question, or proposition, at the core of your story, it becomes easier to keep it from becoming a CGI-fest. Ask yourself how YOU would react to a given situation. How your family would react&ndashyou know them well. Then friends. Political adversaries. Other nations, and people of other groups. Dig into the meat of it. Study history, and begin to grasp the way societies change in response to technology, for instance the Automobile, or Printing Press, or Computer.
The more deeply you delve, the more likely you will be to create a unique question with unique answers. Then people your world with breathing, believable characters responding as intelligent, feeling people have since the beginning of time. Your work will blossom and reach new levels…
Even if it IS about a 300-foot radioactive lizard!
The Three “Questions” Of Science Fiction
Posted by Buy essay Blog | Uncategorized | Posted on June 15th, 2009
There is a great deal of misunderstanding about what that particular branch of literature called “Science Fiction” actually consists of. Is it space-ships and monsters? Time machines? Galactic empires? Well, its all of those things, and often none of them.
Science Fiction, broadly speaking, is story-telling that deals with the impact of organized knowledge on human beings. Usually, this means technology, and the way it changes us&ndashand reveals about us. After all, most technology is an extension of our senses, attributes and desires: computers are brains, cell-phones are voices and ears, cars are legs, planes are the dream of flight.
Many classic S.F. films and books take place in worlds identical to ours, except for the creation of some new device, or the appearance of a new life-form. Others take place in worlds so apparently foreign that only the most dedicated and experienced reader can understand what is going on!
But at the core, there are three questions or musings most often asked or explored in any work with the “Science Fiction” label. Those three are:
1) What if?
2) If Only…
3) If This Goes On…
Although these three “questions” overlap considerably, the first, “What If?”, is the most essential of the three. “What If the Martians attacked?” “What If eternal life was available at a price?” “What If we knew an asteroid would hit Earth in a year?”
The second adds a bit of longing to the equation. “If Only President Kennedy hadn’t been assassinated…” is the kind of question that leads to sociological and historical speculation, or the “Alternate History” branch of S.F. which has become tremendously popular in the last decade. “If Only the gene for generosity (or anger, or bigotry) could be mapped…” “If Only we could selectively prune bad memories…”
There is an emotional quality to the “If Only” questions, and they often speak to a sense of missed opportunity, roads not taken.
The third question, “If This Goes On” is tailor-made for cautionary tales. “If we continue to pollute the environment…” “If one party continues to dominate American politics…” “If more women enter the management class…” “If the space program continues to Privatize” “If human beings become better at modifying their physical characteristics…”
These questions are starting places for speculation. While it is easy to use any of them for trivial or absurd (and entertaining!) questions like “What if a 300-foot radioactive lizard attacked Tokyo?” they can also address profound issues, as in “how would humanity change if we gained incontrovertible proof of intelligent alien life?”
By concentrating on the question, or proposition, at the core of your story, it becomes easier to keep it from becoming a CGI-fest. Ask yourself how YOU would react to a given situation. How your family would react&ndashyou know them well. Then friends. Political adversaries. Other nations, and people of other groups. Dig into the meat of it. Study history, and begin to grasp the way societies change in response to technology, for instance the Automobile, or Printing Press, or Computer.
The more deeply you delve, the more likely you will be to create a unique question with unique answers. Then people your world with breathing, believable characters responding as intelligent, feeling people have since the beginning of time. Your work will blossom and reach new levels…
Even if it IS about a 300-foot radioactive lizard!
The War Of High Quality Writing Instruments - The Fountain Pen
Posted by Buy essay Blog | Uncategorized | Posted on June 14th, 2009
High quality writing instruments have been around for centuries and continue to exist; from the first pencils in 1584, to the quill pen, to the reign of the fountain pen from 1925 to 1940.
These high quality and highly functional writing instruments were being made around the world in beautiful styles and with an elegance and class not previously seen in a writing instrument.
The early fountain pens were not effective at providing a consistent and even supply of ink. You would have either too much ink which caused blots or too little which caused skips.
In 1870 Waterman developed a 3 channel feed which meant the ink flow was controlled during writing, making the pen a choice as a portable writing instrument. Today collectors refer to these pens as eyedroppers because of how they were filled.
Eyedropper pens leaked because the caps didn’t fit really secure and the joint became worn from use, so in 1907 Waterman came up with a solution. It worked like a lipstick tube with a barrel that twisted and a point that could retract into the barrel. It was called the safety pen. These pens remained popular well into the 1920s.
Parker and Sheaffer developed their own advancements; Parker with the button filler and lever filler, and Sheaffer with similar systems that also included what was called a blind cap.
During the war the pen market continued to grow at an incredible rate. Pens were made from ebonite or vulcanite, which was a hard rubber material that was very easy to work with. Pens were decorated with engravings, swirls of color, wood grain, and even mottled colors. Black was the most popular base color but sometimes other colors were produced, especially red. The high quality pens had 14k solid gold points and gold pocket clips.
Men’s pens were had a clip, while ladies were slightly smaller and had a ring top so they could be attached to a chain, a vest pocket, or a watch chain.
But competition was fierce and quality writing instruments were everywhere, so to stay competitive the manufacturers were forced to produce a pen that had fashion appeal. So along came pens such as the Duofold with its striking red orange colors, Bakelite, tortoise shell, and horn.
Sheaffer introduced a line of pens in 1924 that were made from celluloid which were an instant hit even though they were expensive. Within 5 years they were the #1 selling pen. Celluloid was available in unlimited colors and patterns which made it perfect for the Art Deco times and styles.
Many of the pen manufacturers ran into trouble during the 1930s but Parker, Wahl-Eversharp, Waterman, and Sheaffer all kept their heads above water and Parker did especially well.
In 1932 Parker introduced a vacuum filler system which eliminated the need for an ink sack. Parker continued to work towards new innovations and in 1941 introduced the fast drying Parker Superchrome ink which required some design changes to their pen.
Sheaffer created two filling systems; the touchdown and snorkel which remained popular into the 1960s. In fact just recently they have been reintroduced to the market. Waterman introduced the disposable cartridge for the fountain pen and perfected it during WWII. But the final achievement in fountain pens belongs to Parker who in 1956 introduced the capillary filling system.
High quality writing instruments have been demanded by civilization for centuries. It’s interesting to follow the changes in design that have occurred over the centuries and what we once considered high quality, compared to what we now consider high quality writing instruments.
The War Of High Quality Writing Instruments - The Fountain Pen
Posted by Buy essay Blog | Uncategorized | Posted on June 14th, 2009
High quality writing instruments have been around for centuries and continue to exist; from the first pencils in 1584, to the quill pen, to the reign of the fountain pen from 1925 to 1940.
These high quality and highly functional writing instruments were being made around the world in beautiful styles and with an elegance and class not previously seen in a writing instrument.
The early fountain pens were not effective at providing a consistent and even supply of ink. You would have either too much ink which caused blots or too little which caused skips.
In 1870 Waterman developed a 3 channel feed which meant the ink flow was controlled during writing, making the pen a choice as a portable writing instrument. Today collectors refer to these pens as eyedroppers because of how they were filled.
Eyedropper pens leaked because the caps didn’t fit really secure and the joint became worn from use, so in 1907 Waterman came up with a solution. It worked like a lipstick tube with a barrel that twisted and a point that could retract into the barrel. It was called the safety pen. These pens remained popular well into the 1920s.
Parker and Sheaffer developed their own advancements; Parker with the button filler and lever filler, and Sheaffer with similar systems that also included what was called a blind cap.
During the war the pen market continued to grow at an incredible rate. Pens were made from ebonite or vulcanite, which was a hard rubber material that was very easy to work with. Pens were decorated with engravings, swirls of color, wood grain, and even mottled colors. Black was the most popular base color but sometimes other colors were produced, especially red. The high quality pens had 14k solid gold points and gold pocket clips.
Men’s pens were had a clip, while ladies were slightly smaller and had a ring top so they could be attached to a chain, a vest pocket, or a watch chain.
But competition was fierce and quality writing instruments were everywhere, so to stay competitive the manufacturers were forced to produce a pen that had fashion appeal. So along came pens such as the Duofold with its striking red orange colors, Bakelite, tortoise shell, and horn.
Sheaffer introduced a line of pens in 1924 that were made from celluloid which were an instant hit even though they were expensive. Within 5 years they were the #1 selling pen. Celluloid was available in unlimited colors and patterns which made it perfect for the Art Deco times and styles.
Many of the pen manufacturers ran into trouble during the 1930s but Parker, Wahl-Eversharp, Waterman, and Sheaffer all kept their heads above water and Parker did especially well.
In 1932 Parker introduced a vacuum filler system which eliminated the need for an ink sack. Parker continued to work towards new innovations and in 1941 introduced the fast drying Parker Superchrome ink which required some design changes to their pen.
Sheaffer created two filling systems; the touchdown and snorkel which remained popular into the 1960s. In fact just recently they have been reintroduced to the market. Waterman introduced the disposable cartridge for the fountain pen and perfected it during WWII. But the final achievement in fountain pens belongs to Parker who in 1956 introduced the capillary filling system.
High quality writing instruments have been demanded by civilization for centuries. It’s interesting to follow the changes in design that have occurred over the centuries and what we once considered high quality, compared to what we now consider high quality writing instruments.
The Joy Of Writing Obituaries
Posted by Buy essay Blog | Uncategorized | Posted on June 13th, 2009
Are you intrigued or surprised by the way I titled this article? It probably seems like writing obituaries would be filled with anything other than joy. I agree, or at least I would have agreed up until a few months ago when I had the privilege of helping two friends write the obituaries for their grandmothers.
I used to think that writing obituaries would be a thing of dread, filled with nothing but morbid thoughts of how a loved one would no longer be around to share life with you. I was sure that writing obituaries was never a healthy, healing thing for a person to do. My two friends changed my views of all of this. I sat with my two friends at our favorite coffee shop as they determined to write appropriate obituaries for their grandmothers who had ironically died within a week of each other. I ordered everyone lattes and joined my friends with a bit of reservation about what the next hours would hold. I think I was there for moral support, to grab a Kleenex if I saw a tear or to order another drink if more caffeine was needed. I sat quietly and watched as they began to write the obituaries that many people would read to grieve and remember the women who had passed on.
Minutes passed quickly until we had been in the coffee shop for three hours. I was nearly in shock over all I had observed and learned during that time. Rather than being filled with an endless stream of tears, our hours were filled with tons of laughter. My two friends were looking at the task of writing the obituaries with joy and gratefulness. They were glad to have been the ones in their families chosen for the task and they threw themselves in to the work fully.
For both of them, writing obituaries for their grandmothers was a privilege. They enjoyed the opportunity to wander back through years of memories and special moments shared with their grandmas. Their grieving was overshadowed only by the joy of remembering. This was a lesson that I needed to learn. I never thought about writing obituaries as an opportunity to honor a loved one and find joy, peace and healing in the process, but that is exactly what my two friends did that afternoon.
So now, as I sit down to write obituaries for my own loved ones who have passed, I do it with joy. I do it to remember the best parts of who they were and the many ways that they influenced my life for the better. It may sound a little silly, but writing obituaries isn’t something I mind doing at all.
The Joy Of Writing Obituaries
Posted by Buy essay Blog | Uncategorized | Posted on June 13th, 2009
Are you intrigued or surprised by the way I titled this article? It probably seems like writing obituaries would be filled with anything other than joy. I agree, or at least I would have agreed up until a few months ago when I had the privilege of helping two friends write the obituaries for their grandmothers.
I used to think that writing obituaries would be a thing of dread, filled with nothing but morbid thoughts of how a loved one would no longer be around to share life with you. I was sure that writing obituaries was never a healthy, healing thing for a person to do. My two friends changed my views of all of this. I sat with my two friends at our favorite coffee shop as they determined to write appropriate obituaries for their grandmothers who had ironically died within a week of each other. I ordered everyone lattes and joined my friends with a bit of reservation about what the next hours would hold. I think I was there for moral support, to grab a Kleenex if I saw a tear or to order another drink if more caffeine was needed. I sat quietly and watched as they began to write the obituaries that many people would read to grieve and remember the women who had passed on.
Minutes passed quickly until we had been in the coffee shop for three hours. I was nearly in shock over all I had observed and learned during that time. Rather than being filled with an endless stream of tears, our hours were filled with tons of laughter. My two friends were looking at the task of writing the obituaries with joy and gratefulness. They were glad to have been the ones in their families chosen for the task and they threw themselves in to the work fully.
For both of them, writing obituaries for their grandmothers was a privilege. They enjoyed the opportunity to wander back through years of memories and special moments shared with their grandmas. Their grieving was overshadowed only by the joy of remembering. This was a lesson that I needed to learn. I never thought about writing obituaries as an opportunity to honor a loved one and find joy, peace and healing in the process, but that is exactly what my two friends did that afternoon.
So now, as I sit down to write obituaries for my own loved ones who have passed, I do it with joy. I do it to remember the best parts of who they were and the many ways that they influenced my life for the better. It may sound a little silly, but writing obituaries isn’t something I mind doing at all.
Tips For Efficient Travel Writing
Posted by Buy essay Blog | Uncategorized | Posted on June 12th, 2009
Travel stories should be simple, crisp and to the point with clarity of thought. Witty and vividly written accounts with an author’s personal experiences, anecdotes and quotations can be especially interesting. One can experience travel through words only. Practical and accurate information in grammatically correct language makes reading a pleasure. Some tips on writing accounts of travel are given below.
Think like a Reader
Before starting an article, put your self in the reader’s boots. Ask what he/she wants. Who are the targeted readers of the particular publication, what are their travel aspirations, what information will be useful to them and how they enjoy the written articles. Once you are clear about that, then commence the work.
Travel Writing: The Big Picture
Now you have to get across the main point to the reader. Identify the central theme of your article, whether it is the location, people or activity oriented place. Work your impressions and facts around this ‘big picture’. Now structure your article around, sieve non-essentials, include important aspects and build the story sensibly.
Travel Writing: Be Personal
To make the story interesting, convey your personal experiences and point of view. That place must have been visited or written about countless times before. Write of your own personal approach, personal adventure that thrilled you, some new aspect of the place that inspired you, some new useful discovery of the place. This makes for an interesting insight into the writing.
Travel Writing: Be Funny
Travel to unfamiliar locale is often rich in comedy and comical events. Incorporate these funny incidents, mishaps or any such feeling into the article. Don’t be afraid to make your readers laugh. Have a light, lively tone in your article.
Travel Writing: Be surprising
Be an open-minded traveler yourself. Try unusual activities, meeting new people, tasting exotic cuisines and getting involved with native activities in a new place. This will give you a different perspective of the place. Surprise your reader with this out of the ordinary, personally experienced information.
Travel Writing: Quote
Let the people express their thoughts, ideas and feelings about the place, work or activity. Quote extensively in their words. Quote real life stories and experiences for that personal touch to your article.
Travel Writing: Be balanced
Have a balanced approach. Blend your personal observations, descriptions and commentary with practical and useful information to the readers to make it a good travel piece. Two-third colorful description to one-third facts is a reasonable guideline to start with.
Travel writing is not only lucrative but lot of fun too. Keep your eyes open for interesting story line. Research well; write a well-constructed, focused, well-crafted and unique article on travel.
Tips For Efficient Travel Writing
Posted by Buy essay Blog | Uncategorized | Posted on June 12th, 2009
Travel stories should be simple, crisp and to the point with clarity of thought. Witty and vividly written accounts with an author’s personal experiences, anecdotes and quotations can be especially interesting. One can experience travel through words only. Practical and accurate information in grammatically correct language makes reading a pleasure. Some tips on writing accounts of travel are given below.
Think like a Reader
Before starting an article, put your self in the reader’s boots. Ask what he/she wants. Who are the targeted readers of the particular publication, what are their travel aspirations, what information will be useful to them and how they enjoy the written articles. Once you are clear about that, then commence the work.
Travel Writing: The Big Picture
Now you have to get across the main point to the reader. Identify the central theme of your article, whether it is the location, people or activity oriented place. Work your impressions and facts around this ‘big picture’. Now structure your article around, sieve non-essentials, include important aspects and build the story sensibly.
Travel Writing: Be Personal
To make the story interesting, convey your personal experiences and point of view. That place must have been visited or written about countless times before. Write of your own personal approach, personal adventure that thrilled you, some new aspect of the place that inspired you, some new useful discovery of the place. This makes for an interesting insight into the writing.
Travel Writing: Be Funny
Travel to unfamiliar locale is often rich in comedy and comical events. Incorporate these funny incidents, mishaps or any such feeling into the article. Don’t be afraid to make your readers laugh. Have a light, lively tone in your article.
Travel Writing: Be surprising
Be an open-minded traveler yourself. Try unusual activities, meeting new people, tasting exotic cuisines and getting involved with native activities in a new place. This will give you a different perspective of the place. Surprise your reader with this out of the ordinary, personally experienced information.
Travel Writing: Quote
Let the people express their thoughts, ideas and feelings about the place, work or activity. Quote extensively in their words. Quote real life stories and experiences for that personal touch to your article.
Travel Writing: Be balanced
Have a balanced approach. Blend your personal observations, descriptions and commentary with practical and useful information to the readers to make it a good travel piece. Two-third colorful description to one-third facts is a reasonable guideline to start with.
Travel writing is not only lucrative but lot of fun too. Keep your eyes open for interesting story line. Research well; write a well-constructed, focused, well-crafted and unique article on travel.
Tips on Writing a Research Paper
Posted by Buy essay Blog | Uncategorized | Posted on June 11th, 2009
So you’re in class on the first day of the week attentively listening to your professor giving a lecture. In the morning announcement the professor informs the class that two months from now a research paper will be due about some ambiguous topic causing the entire class to moan in agony. After much disbelief and complaint the professor continues on with her lecture for the remaining of the session while you think to yourself, ‘Two months is a lot of time.’
Wrong. Two months is definitely not enough time. Thinking you can procrastinate for something like this is what eventually gets you kicked out of school. The professor gave you a two months period to write this research paper because that is the average time it takes for someone to write a well thought-out, well written paper. If you think you can write an A-grade paper in less than a month, then you’re either a prodigy or an idiot.
Considering that many of us are more or less well defined by the latter and therefore it is a much more responsible decision if we decide to start off on this project as soon as possible. But where do we begin? Well, first off we need to find a specific topic to write about. You can do this whenever you have free time because it doesn’t require you to sit in front of your desk while you think of nothing. Just keep it in your mind as you go about your day when you have time to think of other thoughts. Once you find a topic to write about the hard part begins.
Now that you have a topic, you have to decide on how specific or ambiguous you want to write about your topic. To help you decide on this, you need to go about researching on about your topic and giving a day or two to see what is available on the internet and in print. If your topic barely has any information it might be a good idea to try to come up with a little broader topic making it a bit easier to write your research paper.
Once you decide on how thorough you wish to write your paper the time for research, as the name of the paper suggests, begins. This is the part where most of your time is spent. A good month or possibly even more can be spent on researching on what you are writing about. Many people think the research part comes easy, and it sometimes does. But the one fact people tend to ignore that is that not all the information given out there is true.
With faulty research you can write something in your paper that you may think it’s true because someone else said it was while you were researching but that person may have been in the same position as yourself and was ignorant to the fact it may have been a false statement to begin with. To prevent this, it is better to find out about a fact and cross reference it multiple times with various dependable sources, mainly print as the internet has all kinds of faulty information.
Once you think you have enough material to write your paper you can now begin. Write your draft early so you have lots of time to revise it because your first draft is usually your worst draft. After you have had it edited and revised multiple times, once you feel with full confidence or the deadline is now you can at least hand in something that is college material.
Tips on Writing a Research Paper
Posted by Buy essay Blog | Uncategorized | Posted on June 11th, 2009
So you’re in class on the first day of the week attentively listening to your professor giving a lecture. In the morning announcement the professor informs the class that two months from now a research paper will be due about some ambiguous topic causing the entire class to moan in agony. After much disbelief and complaint the professor continues on with her lecture for the remaining of the session while you think to yourself, ‘Two months is a lot of time.’
Wrong. Two months is definitely not enough time. Thinking you can procrastinate for something like this is what eventually gets you kicked out of school. The professor gave you a two months period to write this research paper because that is the average time it takes for someone to write a well thought-out, well written paper. If you think you can write an A-grade paper in less than a month, then you’re either a prodigy or an idiot.
Considering that many of us are more or less well defined by the latter and therefore it is a much more responsible decision if we decide to start off on this project as soon as possible. But where do we begin? Well, first off we need to find a specific topic to write about. You can do this whenever you have free time because it doesn’t require you to sit in front of your desk while you think of nothing. Just keep it in your mind as you go about your day when you have time to think of other thoughts. Once you find a topic to write about the hard part begins.
Now that you have a topic, you have to decide on how specific or ambiguous you want to write about your topic. To help you decide on this, you need to go about researching on about your topic and giving a day or two to see what is available on the internet and in print. If your topic barely has any information it might be a good idea to try to come up with a little broader topic making it a bit easier to write your research paper.
Once you decide on how thorough you wish to write your paper the time for research, as the name of the paper suggests, begins. This is the part where most of your time is spent. A good month or possibly even more can be spent on researching on what you are writing about. Many people think the research part comes easy, and it sometimes does. But the one fact people tend to ignore that is that not all the information given out there is true.
With faulty research you can write something in your paper that you may think it’s true because someone else said it was while you were researching but that person may have been in the same position as yourself and was ignorant to the fact it may have been a false statement to begin with. To prevent this, it is better to find out about a fact and cross reference it multiple times with various dependable sources, mainly print as the internet has all kinds of faulty information.
Once you think you have enough material to write your paper you can now begin. Write your draft early so you have lots of time to revise it because your first draft is usually your worst draft. After you have had it edited and revised multiple times, once you feel with full confidence or the deadline is now you can at least hand in something that is college material.