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What is Entomology?

Entomology (from Ancient Greek ἔντομον (entomon), meaning ‘insect’, and -λογία (-logia), meaning ‘study of’[1]) is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term “insect” was more vague, and historically the definition of entomology included the study of terrestrial animals in other arthropod groups or other phyla, such as arachnids, myriapods, earthworms, land snails, and slugs. This wider meaning may still be encountered in informal use. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entomology

Like several of the other fields that are categorized within zoology, entomology is a taxon-based category; any form of scientific study in which there is a focus on insect-related inquiries is, by definition, entomology. Entomology therefore overlaps with a cross-section of topics as diverse as molecular genetics, behavior, biomechanics, biochemistry, systematics, physiology, developmental biology, ecology, morphology, and paleontology.

At some 1.3 million described species, insects account for more than two-thirds of all known organisms,[2] date back some 400 million years, and have many kinds of interactions with humans and other forms of life on earth.

This is a wonderful playlist on the matter:

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Ring Theory

In the same way “integers” are a set of objects, “numbers” have rules about how they interact. For example “addition” or “multiplication” of two “numbers”. These rules on how they interact are called “axioms” and they tell us about the nature and how these groups of numbers interact. Rings are similiar in terms of having elements or sybols that we defined and then add or subtract based on specific rules.

“Integers have lots of properties that continue to work if we scale back on the number of “rules” we are willing to take for granted? What can we still prove? For every set of “rules” we take, we can develop an entire theory of results which require nothing more than the set of rules we started out with. For one specific set of rules, any object which is found satisfying all of those properties is called a ring (though people differ slightly on exactly what they call a ring).

There is a different set of rules which define what people call a group (the definition of a group is more set than that of a ring), a different one still for a vector space, one for a field, … The list goes on. People have dreamed up lots of different sets of rules which, for some reason or another, are more relevant to what they find interesting. More generally, this whole idea is the idea of abstraction; a ring is just one of many abstract objects.

On the other hand, when you strip many of the extra details out and just focus on these smaller sets of rules, some facts become more obviously true, because it is clear which properties imply the result you are looking for.
Rings are objects with sufficiently general rules as to gain insight on objects from the set of integers or the set of complex numbers, to the set of 3×3 matrices, or the set of all functions from the real numbers to the real numbers.

These are at least the thoughts that went into the formation of the theory (though they don’t much distinguish between, say, ring theory and group theory). A bit more specifically, the notion of a ring is a generalization of standard number systems, in that they retain two distinct operations with “multiplication” distributing over “addition” (though a general ring does not require that multiplication commutes as is the case for matrices). An exact definition of a ring is easy enough to put down, but not particularly enlightening without more context. Hopefully this helps provide some of the context. ” – Source: mymathforum.com/abstract-algebra/20100-simplified-explanation-algebraic-ring-theory.html

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Group theory

Math and Algebra study Algebraic groups. These are concepts in abstract algebra like rings, fields, and vector spaces, are all forms or algebraic groups.

We can see algrebraic groups in nature, like crystals and the hydrogen atom, in other words, we can translate them to math through socmeting called symmetry groups. This is why group theory is important to create mathematical models of phisical things like chemistry, and materials science. Group theory is also central to public key cryptography. But I´ll let the experts explain this they way experts know how.

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Unconventional U.S. Based Summer Vacations Recommendations.

I like to plan ahead, so I usually do my research before I decide what to do and where to go, and I also do a little more planning and youtube researching when I have already decided where to go. Not everyone does this, so let’s just say I did the research for you. Here are some of the places where you can enjoy on summer. Of course there are great traditional spots to go and experience the “Great American Summer Vacation” like Miami or Hawaii. But this list is for the curious mind, that needs something outside what TV taught us. here we go:

The Big City, a Summer Vacation Spot?!
If you are not one of those people that like to go hiking, biking, skiing, or beach partying, you are not alone. This might be your best summer travel option:

  • New York City as a summer destination: It just the best choice you have if you like to spend time in the city. This is a list of things to do in NYC on Summer:
    • Magical Boutiques
    • Legendary Bakeries
    • Amazing Coffee shops
    • Historic Broadway Shows
    • Bucket list Art museums
    • Best in the word, five star, restaurants
    • And you can´t leave with out visiting Central Park

  • Boston is one of America´s most historic city, not only classic but also contemporary. You can tour around and appraise graceful mansions, historical buildings, naughty hotels and trendy restaurants. Its venue of Museums is nothing to overlook.

  • Chicago, also known as the Windy City is our last epic recommendation, ( of many, but this is not a city list, its an alternative summer vacation list) in our urban summer vacation list. Cheaper than the other two and easy to cruise with world famous public transportation, it is a great destination for the outdoor drinker, lake lovers, concerts, festivals, and its unique and modern skyline makes it the summer destination for urban designers, engineers and of course, architects. Personally one of my favorites!

Mountains as a Summer Destination

Now if what you´re looking for is to get as far as possible from any and cities, and you love hiking, look towards the mountains and feast on natures highland treasures.

  • Aspen, Colorado has a music festival, outdoor coffee shops,  and a very “Aspeni” style for most of their establishments. Aspen  makes you feel like you´re traveling is a alternate time line of Europe had there been more “Hippies” after WWII. Their farmers market and a free transportation is something to experience. Hiking trails, biking trails, fishing spots, rafting and kayaking rentals and on top of it all, it is actually cheaper to stay here during summer than during the winter. Yes! A smart choice of the outdoorsy type.

  • Jackson Hole, Wyoming has an amazing aerial tram that can take you rock climbing and hiking with the most impressive views. They have galleries for you to take a day trip to. Keep in mind that summer is a very busy time in this particular part of the world, so do not expect for a quiet vacation.

  • Park City, Utah is now more of a large resort than a town. During the summer its main street transforms into a giant open roof dining room, as the Annual Savor the Summit event is held. And to burn those delicious calories, there are wonderful options for hiking and mountain biking.
  • The weekly farmers market is an experience on itself, with a plethora of fresh produce, hand crafted souvenirs and curious creative foods. You can also find a place to go and enjoy a great picnic during a concert, as the art scene is also wonderful.

Beach as Summer Vacation
If you are like a lot of my friends, then when you think of summer you probably think of white beaches, a warm ocean and lots of sun. So ofcourse we had to ad beaches. Here is a list for you to think about your summer vacation:

  • Santa Barbara, California has an amazing downtown, there are great options for hiking. At the end of Santa Cruz Boulevard, you can find the “One Thousand Steps Beach” which is not literally one thousand steps by the way. But is a cool experience.  It probably offers the best sunset you will ever see in at “Butterfly Beach”, and if you want to go surfing then “Arroyo Burro Beach” is the place to find a wonderful community of beach goers. You can find amazing wineries, and great places to eat and shop around.

  • Gulf Shores, Alabama is not a “top of mind” beach destination and really is more of a family friendly spot after spring break parties end. You are sure to find extremely fresh seafood, and great places to sunbathe. They also have golf courses and an acclaimed water parks, a very interesting Zoo and a shopping Outlet. Also, you can have a day trip to Fort Morgan State Historic Site.

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How to grout tile?

After the tile is mounted, the next step is grouting the tiles, this is a less time-consuming and work exhaustive task than the installation, but it is actually more important for a long lasting job; it will also guarantee that the floor under the tile stays safe from moisture.
Grouting can be a rewarding task because filling those gaps will make the tiles look pretty.

What is grout
Grout is a form of concrete (fluid) that is used to fill gaps or spaces. Grout is a mixture of water, cement, and sand; although you may already find premixes in the market both in powder form (cement and sand only) or premixed fluid containers (easier but less recommended).
Tiling grout is often used to fill the spaces between tiles or mosaics, and secure tiles to its base.
What you need to know about grout
Regular grout comes in a diversity of colors, what you want to do is choose the one that matches the color of your tiles, also if you want to minimize color disparity you not only need to use as little water as possible (for powder mixes), but also mix as thoroughly as possible, it is best to mix it by hand, try to achieve a creamy peanut butter consistency.
Light grout tends to emphasize the individual tiles by blending in, or becoming invisible, while dark grout tends to emphasize patterns.
If you choose a color that matches your tiles, then you will have a continuous feeling. If you want your tiles to stand out, then choose a contrasting color for your grout. If you are grouting a high traffic area you are better off with a dark grout since light color ones tend to get dirty pretty fast, and it is difficult to clean.
There is sanded and unsanded grout. Sanded grout is stronger and more resistant, if your space between tiles is larger than 1/8 of an inch, then you should use sanded grout. Unsanded grout is recommended for soft stones tiles like polished limestone or marble.
How to apply grout
If you are re-grouting an old tiled surface, you first need to clean the area by scraping and vacuuming.
You are going to need a float to spread the grout. Smear the grout diagonally across the tile to force it deep into the joints and prevent it from being sucked back out as your float slides along. Grout walls first and floors last, that way you don´t have chances to ruin the already finished up floor. To remove the bulk grout, you need to wipe by doing a couple of “S” movements. You will also need to sponge off the surface with a damped (make sure it is not wet) sponge, this is also a diagonal movement, remember to rinse your sponge constantly. After it is completely dry (30 to 45 minutes), you will see a haze has formed, polish away this haze with a microfiber towel.
Corners do not need grouting, corners tend to crack, therefore you are best off with caulk.
A very important Tip
Re-mix the grout at least every 15 minutes, and check if it needs a little more water to keep the ideal consistency.

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What is Philosophy? ( An simple but entertaining assortment of great summaries).

It beings as an intellectual movement in ancient Greece that strives to learn more, to know more than social convention allowed back then. Today’s conventions are also a vail on truth. As behavioral economics teaches us, we are not logical by nature, we are prone to get erroneous ideas about the world that surrounds us. Philosophy then searches to learn how to learn. As something that helps us gain truth and reality. This would eventually lead to the scientific method. It means love of wisdom, and implicitly a search for truth. Also early on the use for philosophers are your general clear thinkers was widely spread, like a consultant so to speak. Philosophy has seemed to be reduced to entertainment and academia.

As science emerged fro philosophy, philosophy still remains at the spearpoint of exploration of reality, of truth. It is now the main tool to ask some of the biggest questions we have.

There are three big layers in Philosophy:

  • Metaphysics, that studies the nature of reality. ( And is more and is becoming quite relevant to Theoretical Physics).
  • Epistemology, the branch that studies the nature of knowledge.
  • Values:
    • Ethics: The bran of philosophy that studies and evaluate human conduct and if things are good or bad.
    • Aesthetics: The branch of philosophy that studies the nature of beauty.

Philosophy, in the end, is a way to make to keep track some of the more lower layered meta-structures of our existence. Like the foundations of a house, philosophy builds from real abstractions of reality constructing cognitive meta-structures of how we understand things, creating the platforms on which science and art flourish.

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What are Linguistics?

Basic linguistics dissect the study of language into these sub-fields Syntax, Semantics, Morphology, Phonetics, and Phonology.

  • Syntax refers to the structure of language, the order of the kinds of words we use to transmit ideas. Different languages have different syntax structures that can be very complex. For example, You friend’s sister’s brother’s second through after his first puff of a joint.  “The structure and context of the language gave you a very particular idea”.
  • Semantics refers to the meaning of language, the difference between explicit or ambiguity. For example the difference between a pen ( To write) and animal pen.
  •  Morphology: The structure of works, the smallest unit of meaning can be extracted from words, for example, Bird. How are mani ideas compound in this word? Well, 2. 1 it refers to the animal, and 2, it has an s. So it’s plural.  Now “Establishment” comes from “Establish” and add “ment” and you create a completely new meaning.
  • Phonetics:   The properties and the sounds of the words and how they are created. For example the study of S vs Z. Try to create both sounds and move from one to the other and pay attention to the different parts of your body that are used to create the sounds and the differences.
  • Phonology: Patterns of sounds, this studies the variations and similarities of the different sound patterns created by one syllable.   For example the differences between “Ebay and bay vs ebay and pay”.

 

 

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What is Economic History?

Economic history is the study of economic events in the past. A series of different methods are used to analyze these events including statistical and historical methods. Here is an example of an extremely controversial “historical” account on economic events of the recent past:

 

Development of economic history science

” In Germany in the late 19th century, scholars in a number of universities, led by Gustav von Schmoller, developed the historical school of economic history. It ignored quantitative and mathematical approaches. Historical approach dominated German and French scholarship for most of the 20th century. The approach was spread to Great Britain by William Ashley, 1860–1927, and dominated British economic history for much of the 20th century. Britain’s first professor in the subject was George Unwin at the University of Manchester). In France, economic history was heavily influenced by the Annales School from the early 20th century to the present. It exerts a worldwide influence through its Journal Annales. Histoire, Sciences Sociales.

Treating economic history as a discrete academic discipline has been a contentious issue for many years. Academics at the London School of Economics and the University of Cambridge had numerous disputes over the separation of economics and economic history in the interwar era. Cambridge economists believed that pure economics involved a component of economic history and that the two were inseparably entangled. Those at the LSE believed that economic history warranted its own courses, research agenda, and academic chair separated from mainstream economics.

In the initial period of the subject’s development, the LSE position of separating economic history from economics won out. Many universities in the UK developed independent programmes in economic history rooted in the LSE model. Indeed, the Economic History Society had its inauguration at LSE in 1926 and the University of Cambridge eventually established its own economic history programme. However, the past twenty years have witnessed the widespread closure of these separate programmes in the UK and the integration of the discipline into either history or economics departments. Only the LSE retains a separate economic history department and stand-alone undergraduate and graduate programme in economic history. Cambridge, Glasgow, the LSE, and Oxford together train the vast majority of economic historians coming through the British higher education system today.

United States

Meanwhile, in the US, the field of economic history has in recent decades been largely subsumed into other fields of economics and is seen as a form of applied economics. As a consequence, there are no specialist economic history graduate programs at any universities anywhere in the country. Economic history remains as a special field component of regular economics or history Ph.D. programs in universities including at University of California, Berkeley, Harvard University, Northwestern University and Yale University.” Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_history

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What is Economic Geography?

Economic Geography is the study of the distribution of economic activities it is a sub field of geography. It also does the location of industries, economic agglomerations and even the culture environment interaction and globalization is studied by this science.

History

” Some of the first traces of the study of spatial aspects of economic activities can be found in seven Chinese maps of the State of Qin dating to the 4th century BC. Ancient writings can be attributed to the Greek geographer Strabo’s Geographika compiled almost 2000 years ago. As the science of cartography developed, geographers illuminated many aspects used today in the field; maps created by different European powers described the resources likely to be found in American, African, and Asian territories. The earliest travel journals included descriptions of the native peoples, the climate, the landscape, and the productivity of various locations. These early accounts encouraged the development of transcontinental trade patterns and ushered in the era of mercantilism.

World War II contributed to the popularization of geographical knowledge generally, and post-war economic recovery and development contributed to the growth of economic geography as a discipline. During environmental determinism’s time of popularity, Ellsworth Huntington and his theory of climatic determinism, while later greatly criticized, notably influenced the field. Valuable contributions also came from location theorists such as Johann Heinrich von Thünen or Alfred Weber. Other influential theories include Walter Christaller’s Central place theory, the theory of core and periphery.

Fred K. Schaefer’s article “Exceptionalism in geography: A Methodological Examination”, published in the American journal Annals of the Association of American Geographers, and his critique of regionalism, made a large impact on the field: the article became a rallying point for the younger generation of economic geographers who were intent on reinventing the discipline as a science, and quantitative methods began to prevail in research. Well-known economic geographers of this period include William Garrison, Brian Berry, Waldo Tobler, Peter Haggett and William Bunge.

Contemporary economic geographers tend to specialize in areas such as location theory and spatial analysis (with the help of geographic information systems), market research, geography of transportation, real estate price evaluation, regional and global development, planning, Internet geography, innovation, social networks.” Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_geography

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New Social Development Tools Enabled by Satellites and Space Research

There is an international agreement that explains how all related to space discovery is and should be used for the benefit of all human kind. If you mix this new sustainable development goals of the UN, you find that the research and innovation in aerospace can be used to address humanity’s biggest challenges.

Sustainable Development Goals
Sustainable Development Goals

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are 17 global goals set by the UN.  These include solving issues related to poverty, hunger, health, education, climate change, gender equality, water,sanitation, energy, environment and social justice.

These are examples of   how space science helps achieve goals of humanity

 

  1. Satellite Communication: Disaster Recovery, Biological Global Tracking for Preservation and Famine Management.
  2. Ergonomic for Extreme Circumstances, can be translated for better ergonomic in “terrestrial” experiences.
  3. The objective Global Sharing of Science Development allows for new opportunities for women.
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How to set up a Lemonade stand? Check this out.

Lemonade stand blueprints and an insightful video you will enjoy before launching the mighty Lemonade stand project. You could also try to sel hugs (Wink wink  ;).

  • This is a great resource for building a lemonade stand
  • And this is another gret resource: https://www.thisoldhouse.com/how-to/how-to-build-lemonade-stand .

And this is another great choice:

 

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What are Consumer Economics?

Consumer economics  analyses microeconomic behaviors of individuals, families and consumers. In the past it was known as home economics.

History

” The traditional economists had little interest in analyzing family units. When economic theory was insufficient to explain the phenomenon of women starting to enter the labor force “en masse”, consumer economics both gained attention and received important contributions from economic theorists. Major theoretical cornerstones include Gary Becker’s Household Production Model, time allocation models and Stigler’s information search theory.

Consumer economics concludes the family-unit economists were strongly influenced by the most recent “consumer era”; which was the “Modern Consumer Movement” of the 1970s. The connection between Consumer Economics and consumer-related politics has been overt, although the strength of the connection varies between Universities and individuals.

Many facets of consumer economics are measured regularly by the Federal Reserve System and the Bureau of Economic Analysis and are available for the public. A number of indicators are published regularly from these and other academic sources, such as personal income, total household debt, and the Consumer Leverage Ratio.

The effect of consumer economics on the economy is another field of study in economics. It is called the “consumer economy”, a term known from Hazlitt’s Economics in One Lesson.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumer_economics

What a find of a video!!

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Howard Waldrup interview – from comics fan to SF author

Author Howard Waldrup talks about his beginnings as a fan artist and writer. He also discusses his extensive short fiction work, his fondness for creating subtly alternate worlds, and his love of classic movies.
This interview was recorded on 10/15/2005 and shown as part of episode 188 of Fast Forward: Contemporary Science Fiction.

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James Morrow Talks About “The Last Witchfinder”

Author James Morrow talks about “The Last Witchfinder”, and discusses the rise of the modern Age of Reason, “a historical-fiction that uses that uses witchhunts as a means to introduce the titanic paradigm change that represents a shift from renaissance, that admires the cultural past, to the era of enlightenment, where we become authors of new discoveries and become pragmatical and science-based.
James Morrow (born March 17, 1947) is an American novelist and short-story writer known for filtering large philosophical and theological questions through his satiric sensibility. Most of Morrow’s oeuvre has been published as science fiction and fantasy, but he is also the author of two unconventional historical novels, The Last Witchfinder and Galápagos Regained. He variously describes himself as a “scientific humanist,” a “bewildered pilgrim,” and a “child of the Enlightenment.”
Morrow presently lives in State College, Pennsylvania with his second wife, Kathryn Smith Morrow, his son Christopher, and his two dogs. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_K._Morrow

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“The Elderly Gentleman’s Song” by Peter S Beagle

Peter Beagle plays  “The Elderly Gentleman’s Song.” Peter Soyer Beagle (born April 20, 1939) is an American novelist and screenwriter, especially fantasy fiction.[1] His best-known work is The Last Unicorn (1968), a fantasy novel he wrote in his twenties, which Locussubscribers voted the number five “All-Time Best Fantasy Novel” in 1987. During the last twenty-five years he has won several literary awards, including a World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement in 2011. He was named Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master by the SFWA in 2018. – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_S._Beagle 

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Peter S. Beagle interview – many adventures in a life of writing

Author Peter S. Beagle talks about his life and writing career, including socializing with the poetry and theatre crowd in his teen years, crossing the US on a motor scooter, and his work as a musician and dishwasher. He also discusses several of his books, including The Last Unicorn, and the legal rights issues surrounding the animated film version of it.
This interview was recorded on 5/28/2006 and originally shown as part of episode 191 of Fast Forward: Contemporary Science Fiction.

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Naomi Novik interview – here there be dragons!

Author Naomi Novik talks about Her Majesty’s Dragon and Throne of Jade, the first two books in her Temeraire series. The series is a fantasy version of the Napoleonic Wars – but with dragons functioning as an air force. She discusses the roles of men, women & dragons in the society, and how the aviators and dragons are considered an “outcast” group. She also talks about her experience in writing for video games prior to writing novels.
This interview was recorded at Balticon on 5/27/2006, and was originally shown as part of episode #192 of Fast Forward: Contemporary Science Fiction.

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Laurell K Hamilton interview – Danse Macabre

Best selling author Laurell K. Hamilton talks about Danse Macabre, the 14th book in her Anita Blake series. She discusses the relationships of the major characters in the series, both human and vampire, and how she manages the large cast of characters in the books. She also discusses how she handles working on her other book series while still keeping the Anita Blake books on schedule.
This interview was recorded on 7/06/2006 and was originally shown as part of episode 193 of Fast Forward: Contemporary Science Fiction.

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Maria V. Snyder interview -Storm Glass

Author Maria V. Snyder talks about her book Storm Glass, the first volume in the Glass Book series. This series follows characters in the same fantasy universe as her popular Study Book series.
The interview was originally shown as part of episode #224 of the television series Fast Forward: Contemporary Science Fiction.

This interview was recorded on May 6, 2009.

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Michael Swanwick interview – a look at the life of Hope Mirrlees

Award winning author Michael Swanwick discusses Hope-in-the-Mist, his non-fiction book about the life of Hope Mirrlees. He talks about her aristocratic life, her influential 1926 fantasy novel, Lud-in-the-Mist, and her poem, Paris.
He also discusses his own recent fiction projects.
This interview was recorded in 2009 and originally shown as part of episode 225. of Fast Forward: Contemporary Science fiction.

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Tom Doyle interview – From Clarion workshop to award winning fiction

Author Tom Doyle talks about “The Wizard of Macatawa,” the story that won him a Washington Science Fiction Association Small Press Award. He also relates his experience at the Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers’ Workshop, and how he drew upon time living in Japan to create fantasy fiction.

This interview was originally part of episode #227 of Fast Forward: Contemporary Science Fiction. It was recorded on 4/29/2009.

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Sheila Williams interview – life as a science fiction magazine editor

From her childhood memories of listening to her father tell the stories of Edgar Rice Burroughs, to her position as editor of Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction magazine, Sheila Williams talks about a lifetime of reading and loving the genre.
She talks about the evolution of Asimov’s magazine, and short genre fiction in general. She also describes her day-to-day life as a fiction magazine editor.
The interview was originally included as part of episode #229 of Fast Forward: Contemporary Science Fiction.

This interview was recorded at the Capclave Science Fiction convention in October, 2009.

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Will McIntosh interview – love, apocalypse, and alien invasions

Author Will McIntosh discusses writing both short fiction and novels. He talks about expanding the award winning short story “Bridesicle” into Love Minus Eighty, a novel about love and dating in the future. He also discusses the social themes and challenges faced by the characters of his science fiction books.
This interview was recorded on 10/10/2014, at the Capclave science fiction convention. This is the complete interview – a somewhat shorter version was originally shown as part of episode 276 of Fast Forward: Contemporary Science Fiction. That version of the interview was edited to fit within the time constraints of the television show.

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Genevieve Valentine interview – steampunk, dancing princesses and Catwoman

In this Fast Forward: Contemporary Science Fiction interview, author Genevieve Valentine talks about her childhood interest in fantasy and storytelling, as well as her first two novels, Mechanique and The Girls at the Kingfisher Club. She also discusses some of her other stories and her recent job of writing for the Catwoman comic.
This interview was recorded on 10/10/2014, at the Capclave science fiction convention, before a live audience. This version on YouTube is the complete interview. A slightly shorter version (edited to fit the show length) was shown as part of Fast Forward episode #277 in May of 2015.

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Alan Smale interview – the rise and continuing dominance of the Roman Empire

In this Fast Forward: Contemporary Science Fiction interview, award winning author Alan Smale talks about the publication of his first novel, Clash of Eagles, which is the first volume of a three book series. He also discusses his attraction to writing alternate history stories, and the research that it requires. Mr. Smale also briefly discusses his day job as an astronomer for NASA.

This interview was recorded on 4/26/2015. It was shown as part of Fast Forward episode #278 in July of 2015.

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Museum of Science Fiction – 2015 Update!

In this episode of Fast Forward: Contemporary Science Fiction, Mandy Sweeney and Jonathan Spencer talk about recent progress in the development of the museum, including educational programs and an architectural design contest.

This interview was conducted on 4/26/2015, and was included as part of Episode #279 of Fast Forward: Contemporary Science Fiction. The episode was first shown in August, 2015.

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Edward M. Lerner interview – InterstellarNet: Enigma

An interview with science fiction author Edward M. Lerner, discussing his novel, InterstellarNet: Enigma. Mr. Lerner also talks about the other books in his InterstellarNet series, his writing process, and his collaboration with Larry Niven on the Fleet of Worlds book series.

This interview was recorded on August 1st, 2015, and was shown as part of episode #280 of Fast Forward: Contemporary Science Fiction in October, 2015.

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Neal Stephenson interview – Seveneves is the end of the world as we know it

In this Fast Forward: Contemporary Science Fiction interview, award winning author Neal Stephenson discusses his science fiction novel, Seveneves. He talks about the space industry and how humans react when facing disaster. Mr. Stephenson also discusses his reputation for writing strong female characters, his lifelong fascination with spaceflight, and the many years it took to complete this book.

This interview was recorded on 5/26/2015.

The inteview was originally shown as part of Fast Forward: CSF episode #281, and was first shown in November, 2015.

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Michael Swanwick interview – The Dragons of Babel

Author Michael Swanwick talks about his novel, The Dragons of Babel. He discusses how he created a world where dragons and other fantasy elements are set in modern times and technologically up-to-date. He talks about several of the major characters in the book, as well as some of the research he conducted.
Mr. Swanwick also reviews the growth and evolution of the classic fantasy novel over the past several decades, and talks about the blog articles and diagrams he posted while writing his book.

This interview was recorded on 4/29/2009 and originally shown as part of Episode #209 of Fast Forward: Contemporary Science Fiction in 2009.

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Special Report – Star Wars Readers’ Theater at the Library of Congress

Fast Forward went to the Library of Congress for the Star Wars Readers’ Theater event, in connection with the release of the new Star Wars: The Force Awakens movie release. Hundreds of students enjoyed listening to and interacting with authors of the new young reader adaptations of the original movie trilogy. Here a few moments from the event.

This video was recorded on 12/07/2015.

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Alexandra Bracken interview – The Princess, the Scoundrel and the Farm Boy

A short interview with author Alexandra Bracken, who talks about her book The Princess, the Scoundrel and the Farm Boy, a new young reader adaptation of Star Wars: A New Hope. She also briefly discusses her Darkest Minds book series, and her upcoming book, Passenger.

This interview was recorded on 12/07/2015, at the Library of Congress, at the Star Wars Readers’ Theater event.

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Tom Angleberger interview – Beware the Power of the Dark Side!

Here’s a short interview with author Tom Angleberger, who talks about his young reader adaptation of Return of the Jedi, titled Beware the Power of the Dark Side! Mr. Angleberger also briefly discusses his Origami Yoda series of books, and his Rocket and Groot book that is being released in the Spring of 2016.

This interview was recorded on 12/07/2015, at the Library of Congress, as part of the Star Wars Readers’ Theater event.