Star Trek fans might be hoping we have a cloaking device ready for the Klingons and Romulans. According to an article on Fox News' tech page, the answer is yes. Invisible tanks, planes, and armor could be in use within 5 years. Rather than the whole "bending light" theory, this tech would use cameras and a high tech display to project the surrounding environment onto the hull of the vehicle rendering it effectively invisible - similar to a chameleon blending into the surrounding.
One thing I found cool is that I use a tech like this in my draft sci-fi novel, but not for military applications. The tech is used on the roof of an flying limousine and effectively makes the roof disappear so the occupants can stare at the stars. I one-up it by adding some touch-screen tech (like an iPad). Touch a star visible and get the info on it.
With this new tech coming out, I may have to tone down the surprise or make a comment that the characters hadn't heard of the tech used on anything besides military vehicles. Something to incorporate the science facts of this tech. Regardless, it's cool to see this tech really coming about. It's one of the great things about sci-fi. Things we dream can become reality.
Keep researching for your stories to include credible tech and
Write On.
Showing posts with label Combat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Combat. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Escalation or Twists. What Carries A Story Better?
Most people reading my blog know that I'm involved in a blog chain through the Absolute Write Watercooler.
FWIW, this was my submission. Note, that my story has a slight twist and so do some of the other blog chain submissions. It reminded me of a discussion I'd had with friends about story format/styles. When it comes to action-oriented stories, particularly science fiction and fantasy, I've noticed most of the stories fall into two major categories. Escalation and twist.
Escalation based stories seem to start action fast and early. As the story progresses, the action drives it. While this is interesting to me early, I tend to get a little bored with them about half-way through. I've read a number of sci-fi/fantasy books that seem to fall into a generic mold. Have you read stories that do this?
Open with an unusual finding - Mysterious temple, space ship, planet, portal, hidden lab, secret government facility... Main characters enter/investigate (even though they shouldn't - like going upstairs to hide in a horror flick rather than running out the door or calling 911 on a cell phone) and are attacked by small creatures, or lightly armed guards. Small arms takes care of the immediate threat, but then the threat gets bigger - new traps requiring something different: new technology or bigger guns. Some stories give multiple concurrent scenes from different POVs - ground troops, aerial attacks, orbital combat. All going on at once and while they're tied in together, it's still a variation on the same theme. The nice thing about those is that they do give different angles on the storyline, but still follow the same formula - action intensity.
Unfortunately for me, it's like watching a comedy. I actually don't find most comedies funny. Why? Because I spend all my time looking for the joke. What makes a joke funny? Timing/execution, and surprise. There's usually no surprise in comedies. Some are amusing, but in general, I get bigger laughs from dramas where the joke comes out of left field. If I want to watch a "comedy" on TV, I'll watch pro wrestling. That's basically an action sitcom to me.
Action stories are much the same. I like anticipation. When I've read books using escalation, I've been tempted to skip whole chapters if they seem to just continue the action or increase it (more soldiers, bigger weapons, or other "bigger action"). At the very least, I sometimes read topic sentences and skip the rest of the paragraph. In the worst case scenarios, I just put the book aside.
Why don't I give specific examples of these story? Simply put, they're published and I'm not, so who am I to judge? I'm willing to bet those who read this post will have one or two of their own examples.
As for the twists, those are my favorites. These stories may not always keep up the pace of action, but tend to keep my interest better even in the slower partsYou don't know what's going to happen and can't skip whole chapters. I want to look for the surprise, the plot twist and complexity. That's what carries a story for me.
I know that I'm oversimplifying, but it seems to be the trend that I've seen.
Anyway, let me just end saying Merry Christmas and
Write On.
FWIW, this was my submission. Note, that my story has a slight twist and so do some of the other blog chain submissions. It reminded me of a discussion I'd had with friends about story format/styles. When it comes to action-oriented stories, particularly science fiction and fantasy, I've noticed most of the stories fall into two major categories. Escalation and twist.
Escalation based stories seem to start action fast and early. As the story progresses, the action drives it. While this is interesting to me early, I tend to get a little bored with them about half-way through. I've read a number of sci-fi/fantasy books that seem to fall into a generic mold. Have you read stories that do this?
Open with an unusual finding - Mysterious temple, space ship, planet, portal, hidden lab, secret government facility... Main characters enter/investigate (even though they shouldn't - like going upstairs to hide in a horror flick rather than running out the door or calling 911 on a cell phone) and are attacked by small creatures, or lightly armed guards. Small arms takes care of the immediate threat, but then the threat gets bigger - new traps requiring something different: new technology or bigger guns. Some stories give multiple concurrent scenes from different POVs - ground troops, aerial attacks, orbital combat. All going on at once and while they're tied in together, it's still a variation on the same theme. The nice thing about those is that they do give different angles on the storyline, but still follow the same formula - action intensity.
Unfortunately for me, it's like watching a comedy. I actually don't find most comedies funny. Why? Because I spend all my time looking for the joke. What makes a joke funny? Timing/execution, and surprise. There's usually no surprise in comedies. Some are amusing, but in general, I get bigger laughs from dramas where the joke comes out of left field. If I want to watch a "comedy" on TV, I'll watch pro wrestling. That's basically an action sitcom to me.
Action stories are much the same. I like anticipation. When I've read books using escalation, I've been tempted to skip whole chapters if they seem to just continue the action or increase it (more soldiers, bigger weapons, or other "bigger action"). At the very least, I sometimes read topic sentences and skip the rest of the paragraph. In the worst case scenarios, I just put the book aside.
Why don't I give specific examples of these story? Simply put, they're published and I'm not, so who am I to judge? I'm willing to bet those who read this post will have one or two of their own examples.
As for the twists, those are my favorites. These stories may not always keep up the pace of action, but tend to keep my interest better even in the slower partsYou don't know what's going to happen and can't skip whole chapters. I want to look for the surprise, the plot twist and complexity. That's what carries a story for me.
I know that I'm oversimplifying, but it seems to be the trend that I've seen.
Anyway, let me just end saying Merry Christmas and
Write On.
Friday, December 17, 2010
New Weapon Tech and Teleportation Theories
Despite my recent rant on Transformers 2, one cool scene was the use of the rail gun on Devastator. Well, it appears that it's not just sci-fi or a rumor. On December 10, a Navy test produced a 33 megajoule finding. To quote the article, "A single megajoule is roughly equivalent to a 1-ton car traveling at 100 mph." Remember, the rail gun does not use an explosive projectile. The destruction uses nothing but kinetic energy. The weapon is expected to be able to hit a target 100 miles away (compared to the current range of about 13 miles by current Navy guns.
So, if you're writing an urban science fiction story with a rail gun. I'm sorry, but it's no longer science fiction.
Next. For all the Star Trek, fans here's an article that has found new plausibility in teleportation/transporter theories. But rather than breaking down a subject's molecular structure, transforming it to energy and transmitting/beaming it to a location where it's reassembled, the theory follows new quantum physics theories on parallel universes. Not only do these theories bring new light on teleportation, but time travel. To be honest, it's all a bit too complex for me to really translate but I plan on keeping my eyes open for more articles like this.
Now think of the application in science fiction technology. Not only do you have a credible basis for teleportation technology, but you could bring parallel universes into it.
So, do your research and
Write On
So, if you're writing an urban science fiction story with a rail gun. I'm sorry, but it's no longer science fiction.
Next. For all the Star Trek, fans here's an article that has found new plausibility in teleportation/transporter theories. But rather than breaking down a subject's molecular structure, transforming it to energy and transmitting/beaming it to a location where it's reassembled, the theory follows new quantum physics theories on parallel universes. Not only do these theories bring new light on teleportation, but time travel. To be honest, it's all a bit too complex for me to really translate but I plan on keeping my eyes open for more articles like this.
Now think of the application in science fiction technology. Not only do you have a credible basis for teleportation technology, but you could bring parallel universes into it.
So, do your research and
Write On
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Choose Your Weapon
One of the fun things about science fiction and fantasy is the action and battle scenes. So I wanted to take some time to talk about weapons. Not big "weapon systems" like you'd find on starships or vehicles. Let's get down in the trenches with hand-held weaponry. What do you like to see/read about?
Lasers have probably been in science fiction about as long as we've had science fiction. Yes, as a child, I sometimes played with a flashlight like it was a laser, so there.
For those who don't like the sometimes unlimited "ammunition" of lasers, you have a variety of projectile weapons modeled from handguns, rifles, machine guns. All requiring convenient and realistic needs to be reloaded (unless the character firing is Rambo).
Then there are the weapons used in various ways both in fantasy and science fiction.
Let's start with the sword. This is possibly the most popular weapon - even moreso than the laser. And to be honest, I'm over swords. If they've got any killing power, they're big, bulky, and heavy. Definitely not discrete, so there's little surprise if/when somebody draws one.
Even a perfectly balanced sword isn't balanced at the handle, so the weilder's going to get tired swinging that thing around. I know because in my Tae Kwon Do class, I practice with a demostration version of a Chinese broad sword. Going through a sword form/kata a few times always leave my arm/wrist tired and sore.
I will say that the coolest examples/demos I've seen with swords was done on Spike TV's show The Deadliest Warrior. Watching the carnage on gel torsos, pig carcasses, and the guy using a claymore sword (like William Wallace used) to slice 3 heads off neckbones with one swing was pretty cool. However, my favorite sword was the twin hooks sword used by Shaolin Monks. Hook-shaped swords with crescent bladed handles and even a short blade/spike at the opposite end. They could not only disarm an opponent, but hooked together could create a 12 foot (4 meter) diameter killing zone. Very cool.
While Star Wars made light sabers/laser swords more popular than ever in movies, I don't think that really helps literature. It seems that most sci-fi readers like more plausibility in their tech and there isn't even a theoretical way to make light stop at a pre-determined distance, much less clash with another like a solid object.
One of my favorite science fiction swords would have to go to the Klingons for the Bat'leth. Crescent shaped, two handled sword give better balance and better defensibility than straight handled swords.
Enough about swords. Let's move on to other weapons. We can definitely be thankful to the different forms of martial arts that helped to give us a variety of killing and battling instruments. One popular weapon, also in science fiction/fantasy, is the bo/staff. Darth Maul's light saber was really a light staff (until Obi Wan cut it in two). Two edges of fighting power that may not be as obviously deadly as a sword in the real world, but should never be underestimated. In the sci-fi universe though a bo can be just as deadly as a sword as Qui Gong Gin learned in Star Wars Episode I.
Whips. Anybody see Iron Man 2? Read the comic? Enough said I guess. If Whiplash wins the prize for coolest science fiction whip, I'd give an honorable mention to the Ferengi when they were introduced in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Weapon of choice? Energy-firing whips, but I'll bet they would also pack a mean slap close-in also. Unfortunately, the Ferengi whips were seldom shown, preferring instead to go to the typical hand phasers. Oh well, innovations don't always last.
It seems like size does matter in weapons. I'd say the most common shorter weapon is a dagger. They're used ceremonially and as easily concealed sidearms. But what about other weapons? Kamas are short-handled weapons with a half-crescent shaped blade at one end. Like other martial arts weapons, the kamas weren't originally made as weapons (as I understand at least). They were farm instruments. But, there portability and killing potential made them excellent weapons. Since in science fiction, most farming would probably be done mechanically (except in some post-apocalyptic stories), kamas may not have much use/visibility, but I'm surprised I don't read more about them in fantasy.
Since this post is getting longer than I really intended, let me skip to my personal favorite for weapons. The tonfa. Police nightsticks were based on the tonfa. The best explanation I've gotten for the origination of the tonfa was that it was a removeable handle for millstones. I was introduced to the tonfa in an early martial arts class. What I like about tonfas is their felxibility in combat. The long part of the shaft should extend just longer than the wielder's elbow, protecting the entire forearm. The other end extends several inches past the hand. This makes the tonfa excellent for blocking and striking. The short end extends the weilder's punch and the perpendicular handle allows the long shaft to be swung around for more striking. Even the handle can be a weapon. It's wider than the hand and can injure or kill with a ridge hand to an opponent's temple.
The style was Shorin-Ryu and the first weapon we used was the tonfa. In some ways, once you learn basic blocks and punches/strikes, you're ready to try basic tonfa tactics. It strengthens basic blocks and adds range/power to a variety of strikes. A couple of cool tonfa weapons I've seen in sci-fi/fantasy? One of the coolest was the zombie guy from the first Hellboy movie. He actually used a tonfa-sword, but I give points for getting away from the conventional sword shaped. Honorable mention goes to one Star Wars book. Sorry I didn't read it and don't know the title, but on the cover were two Jedi. One had a tonfa-style light sabre. How the Jedi used that without burning her own arm off with the blade is beyond me, but kudos for the innovation.
In my draft novel, LEGACY SOLDIER: HYBRIDS RELEASED, I created a sidearm for the heros based on the tonfa. I call it the Tonfa Blaster, or TB for short. The long end is charged for close-in combat. The shaft is also pressure sensitive. The harder the wielder hits, the more energy is discharged. While the handle "grounds" the user, an adversary had better avoid contact. Soft contact will stun, but a hard blow will remove body parts. I'd say this weapon has plausibility and it gives me an answer for readers who'd like something that could approximate a light-sabre type duel.
Swing around and the short end is the firing side. With a trigger on the handle, the weapon could fire energy or plasma blasts at an enemy. There may be some plausibility issues here, but there are some "givens" in science fiction that are still pretty well acceptable.
Got a favorite weapon in literature? Share it.
Until then. Write On.
Lasers have probably been in science fiction about as long as we've had science fiction. Yes, as a child, I sometimes played with a flashlight like it was a laser, so there.
For those who don't like the sometimes unlimited "ammunition" of lasers, you have a variety of projectile weapons modeled from handguns, rifles, machine guns. All requiring convenient and realistic needs to be reloaded (unless the character firing is Rambo).
Then there are the weapons used in various ways both in fantasy and science fiction.
Let's start with the sword. This is possibly the most popular weapon - even moreso than the laser. And to be honest, I'm over swords. If they've got any killing power, they're big, bulky, and heavy. Definitely not discrete, so there's little surprise if/when somebody draws one.
Even a perfectly balanced sword isn't balanced at the handle, so the weilder's going to get tired swinging that thing around. I know because in my Tae Kwon Do class, I practice with a demostration version of a Chinese broad sword. Going through a sword form/kata a few times always leave my arm/wrist tired and sore.
I will say that the coolest examples/demos I've seen with swords was done on Spike TV's show The Deadliest Warrior. Watching the carnage on gel torsos, pig carcasses, and the guy using a claymore sword (like William Wallace used) to slice 3 heads off neckbones with one swing was pretty cool. However, my favorite sword was the twin hooks sword used by Shaolin Monks. Hook-shaped swords with crescent bladed handles and even a short blade/spike at the opposite end. They could not only disarm an opponent, but hooked together could create a 12 foot (4 meter) diameter killing zone. Very cool.
While Star Wars made light sabers/laser swords more popular than ever in movies, I don't think that really helps literature. It seems that most sci-fi readers like more plausibility in their tech and there isn't even a theoretical way to make light stop at a pre-determined distance, much less clash with another like a solid object.
One of my favorite science fiction swords would have to go to the Klingons for the Bat'leth. Crescent shaped, two handled sword give better balance and better defensibility than straight handled swords.
Enough about swords. Let's move on to other weapons. We can definitely be thankful to the different forms of martial arts that helped to give us a variety of killing and battling instruments. One popular weapon, also in science fiction/fantasy, is the bo/staff. Darth Maul's light saber was really a light staff (until Obi Wan cut it in two). Two edges of fighting power that may not be as obviously deadly as a sword in the real world, but should never be underestimated. In the sci-fi universe though a bo can be just as deadly as a sword as Qui Gong Gin learned in Star Wars Episode I.
Whips. Anybody see Iron Man 2? Read the comic? Enough said I guess. If Whiplash wins the prize for coolest science fiction whip, I'd give an honorable mention to the Ferengi when they were introduced in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Weapon of choice? Energy-firing whips, but I'll bet they would also pack a mean slap close-in also. Unfortunately, the Ferengi whips were seldom shown, preferring instead to go to the typical hand phasers. Oh well, innovations don't always last.
It seems like size does matter in weapons. I'd say the most common shorter weapon is a dagger. They're used ceremonially and as easily concealed sidearms. But what about other weapons? Kamas are short-handled weapons with a half-crescent shaped blade at one end. Like other martial arts weapons, the kamas weren't originally made as weapons (as I understand at least). They were farm instruments. But, there portability and killing potential made them excellent weapons. Since in science fiction, most farming would probably be done mechanically (except in some post-apocalyptic stories), kamas may not have much use/visibility, but I'm surprised I don't read more about them in fantasy.
Since this post is getting longer than I really intended, let me skip to my personal favorite for weapons. The tonfa. Police nightsticks were based on the tonfa. The best explanation I've gotten for the origination of the tonfa was that it was a removeable handle for millstones. I was introduced to the tonfa in an early martial arts class. What I like about tonfas is their felxibility in combat. The long part of the shaft should extend just longer than the wielder's elbow, protecting the entire forearm. The other end extends several inches past the hand. This makes the tonfa excellent for blocking and striking. The short end extends the weilder's punch and the perpendicular handle allows the long shaft to be swung around for more striking. Even the handle can be a weapon. It's wider than the hand and can injure or kill with a ridge hand to an opponent's temple.
The style was Shorin-Ryu and the first weapon we used was the tonfa. In some ways, once you learn basic blocks and punches/strikes, you're ready to try basic tonfa tactics. It strengthens basic blocks and adds range/power to a variety of strikes. A couple of cool tonfa weapons I've seen in sci-fi/fantasy? One of the coolest was the zombie guy from the first Hellboy movie. He actually used a tonfa-sword, but I give points for getting away from the conventional sword shaped. Honorable mention goes to one Star Wars book. Sorry I didn't read it and don't know the title, but on the cover were two Jedi. One had a tonfa-style light sabre. How the Jedi used that without burning her own arm off with the blade is beyond me, but kudos for the innovation.
In my draft novel, LEGACY SOLDIER: HYBRIDS RELEASED, I created a sidearm for the heros based on the tonfa. I call it the Tonfa Blaster, or TB for short. The long end is charged for close-in combat. The shaft is also pressure sensitive. The harder the wielder hits, the more energy is discharged. While the handle "grounds" the user, an adversary had better avoid contact. Soft contact will stun, but a hard blow will remove body parts. I'd say this weapon has plausibility and it gives me an answer for readers who'd like something that could approximate a light-sabre type duel.
Swing around and the short end is the firing side. With a trigger on the handle, the weapon could fire energy or plasma blasts at an enemy. There may be some plausibility issues here, but there are some "givens" in science fiction that are still pretty well acceptable.
Got a favorite weapon in literature? Share it.
Until then. Write On.
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