Reading Words

CURATED CURIOSITIES

IF YOU CLICK ON THIS LONG LINK YOU CAN READ THE FIRST FEW PAGES 😃 

The novel is set in 2049, but I sourced the future from the reality of now. For instance, at one point in the book a man is “magnet fishing” for space junk that falls during geomagnetic storms. Magnet fishing turned up in the news last week. A NYC couple reeled in 100,000 dollars cash in a safe! The two fished it from a Queens pond.

A pet rat named Xerxes is a key character in the book. He’s a land-mine detecting rat. I adopted a HeroRat from @apopo. His name is Baraka and he just passed his external accreditation to start working the minefields in Africa. The rats have a spectacular sense of smell that can detect hidden landmines. Landmines, by the way, are the world’s first AI weapon!

AI figures prominently into the plot of “SolHuBod.” It’s learning exponentially. This week Zoom’s CEO announced plans for digital twins to attend meetings. I use this concept in the book, but with cybernetic bot clones (mind-mapped from actual people)! Here’s the article on the Zoom vision.

One of my favorite parts of writing the book was coming up with the different colors for each chapter. I’m obsessed with light and color and how it evokes emotion and imagination. Just last month, an Oregon State Researcher developed a new reddish-magenta pigment. Mas Subramanian was inspired by lunar mineralogy and ancient Egyptian chemistry in his quest. The new pigment could be used as energy efficient coatings for vehicles and buildings.