musings

Destination Mars

On Thursday, Elon Musk shared SpaceX's plans for Mars over the next 8 years (and a permanent moon base, since it's on the way ) - and beyond, to make humanity a multiplanetary species.

It is ambitious, perhaps even audacious. But the suite of technologies Elon has built are, it turns out, all positioned to make this a reality. Rockets, robots, autonomous and hardy vehicles, tunnel diggers, a space-based communications system, battery packs, cutting-edge astronaut suits...it's almost like he had a plan all along.

There will be challenges and setbacks along the way, but I am so here for this.

- First Starship to Mars planned for 2026

- Enlarging future generations of Starship

- Mars settlement in 2030s

- Robotic + human labor used

- Moon Base in planning

- 100s of Mars landings

Here’s the link to the entire presentation, if you'd like to watch it: https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1928185351933239641

The Evolution of Midjourney

Midjourney certainly has come a long way in 2.5 years! The first image is a render I did this week - my first one attempting two characters in the same image. The second image is the very first Midjourney render of Alex (back in Aug 2022).

The main feature that isn't there yet is the ability to really fine-tune images once they've been created. MJ and several of the other image generators do have editing capabilities now, but they tend to alter the overall image as they edit, and the quality degrades.

I need to be able to tell it, "now lighten her skin tone a bit, as she should be kind of pale." Then "fix the gadget on his wrist and remove the object that's in front of her forearm." Then maybe "lessen the muscles in his arms just a lttle; he's not a gym rat. ;)"

But, you know, damn.

A Mars Mood

I am obsessed with this grainy image snapped by Percy on Mars. It’s quiet and contemplative, haunting and lonely, yet stirring to life the string that tugs at your soul and whispers of your connection to a vast cosmos.

From the Perseverance X account: “That bright "star" is actually Mars' moon Deimos. In the hours before dawn, I snapped this long-exposure image with my left Navcam and caught Deimos as well as two stars from the constellation Leo in the sky. It's definitely a mood, as they say.”

Original post here.

Clair Obscur

If any of you are gamers, you may be aware that a game called “Clair Obscur: Expedition 33” has taken the world by storm this last month. It came out of nowhere from an indie studio, Sandfall, employing only 30 or so developers, to drop AAA studio quality graphics, gameplay and story.

So obviously, not wanting to miss “the moment,” I had to play it. Here are my brief, off-the-cuff thoughts:

My opinion only, but I've got to go against the weight of public sentiment here. Clair Obscur is a unique, original story and world with gorgeous art and music...that is ultimately too clever by half.

The big story twist pulls the rug out from under all the emotional investment of the first 3/4 of the game, and the ending that arguably rewards that emotional investment is cast as the "bad" ending. Also, the combat gets very repetitive, but that's largely the nature of JRPGs and a small quibble against the story issues.

I LOVE that a small studio could craft such a beautiful, complex game with many interesting features and mechanics. All the props to Sandfall, and the AAA studios can learn a lot from them. But after engaging me for many hours, the story left me feeling empty and a touch annoyed.

3 Body Problem

Netflix's 3 Body Problem exceeded my expectations. It managed to stick fairly closely to the book's fascinating plot, while westernizing the story, crafting engaging characters and adding the kind of human drama TV viewers expect.

The novel makes for excellent science fiction, but like too many scifi novels, the characters are not its strength. The show fixed that weakness. Benedict Wong was a standout, and Liam Cunningham is always fantastic.

Book Two (The Dark Forest) features a significant time jump, and I'll be interested to see how well the show's creators handle the shift in setting and characters.

P.S.: I've heard that Netflix is throwing money at Seasons 2 and 3, which may be filmed together. Not sure that will entirely solve the challenges of adapting the books for TV, but it should make for some gorgeous space scifi visuals!

Website Redesign

The website has gotten a glow-up!

All the information is still there, but the presentation is now much cleaner, more orderly, and less confusing for everyone who hasn't read the books 3 times and isn't steeped in Amaranthe lore.

Most importantly, it should look much, much better on mobile. While I usually interact with the internet on two lovely, giant widescreen monitors (because I'm sitting at my PC writing, obvy....), the fact is, most people come to my website on their phones - and it should be a pleasant experience that results in them easily finding what they're looking for (books!).

Note: I'm technically still working through the new design on all the book pages (OMG, there are so many, what was I thinking?). But it's live on the front page, Amaranthe page, the individual series pages and all the entry-point books.

P.S.: If you're someone who checks in on the WIP word count meter, you'll now find it on the book's page (currently https://www.gsjennsen.com/liminal-space).

Anyway, go check it out: https://www.gsjennsen.com/

The Many Faces of Motoko

A collage of the many adaptations of Ghost in the Shell over the years: manga, anime and film.

I deeply appreciate the 1995 movie as a genuine work of art, but I'll always be a 2002 girl. IMO, Stand Alone Complex was the pinnacle of episodic anime. I rewatched it for the millionth time just a few weeks ago, in fact (such a shame that it’s only 2 seasons + a movie). I’m always excited about another new adaptation on the way, but it’ll be difficult to top SAC.

Murderbot Trailer

Did you catch the Murderbot trailer yet? (If you don’t know, the upcoming Murderbot show on Apple TV+ is based on Martha Well’s hugely popular series of sci-fi novellas featuring, well, Murderbot).

I’ll be honest: they’re leaning into the humor a lot more than I expected. Yes, the books *are* humorous, but with a darker tone woven into MB's internal monologue. This is practically slapstick in its over-the-top comedy. That being said, I hope it's great!

Direct link in case the embed doesn’t work for you: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lw7DfayGSIA


Buy Me A Coffee, If You Like

It's my once a year reminder that I have a fun Buy Me A Coffee program you can subscribe to if you like (think Patreon, without all the heavy-handed rules and fees). It comes with different tiers, so you can subscribe to exactly what you want and nothing more!

- monthly wallpaper downloads from my book covers and other art

- montly livestream chats, where we cover space news, tech advancements, scifi media, my books and whatever else you inquire about...oh, and I read excerpts from my current WIP

- you get every new ebook 10 days early

- you get to listen to the new audiobook as Pyper is recording it

Check out the program here: https://buymeacoffee.com/gsjennsen

Silo Season 2

Finished Silo S2 last night. I have quibbles, and the pacing was uneven, but it was quality TV. But what I most appreciate is that despite what I imagine was fairly significant Hollywood pressure to do so, they continue to NOT force Juliette into the standard "heroine" archetype. Instead, she remains entirely what she is: an engineer.

When she turned to Solo and said, "I need something to draw on," then ran for the chalkboard, I laughed out loud. Being married to an engineer, I recognize this behavior all too well.

Not going to lie, she reminds me a fair bit of Alex, too. Cranky, at times rude, oblivious to common social cues and manners, determined to pursue what she knows to be true no matter what.

The Notebook

At various times in the last 10 years, key parts of Aurora Renegades, Aurora Resonant, Asterion Noir, and Riven Worlds have all been brainstormed in this notebook on long drives.

When I initially posted this pic on social media, in real time, I said, “Wonder what I'll write in it today?”

Now, of course, I know what I wrote in it. And that’s all I’ll say about that. For now. ;)

I have words on the moon!

It's a historic day for private space exploration. Early Sunday morning, Firefly Space's Blue Ghost stuck the landing, making it the first fully successful private, commercial moon landing!

On a tiny nanofiche onboard Blue Ghost reside two of my short stories, "Apogee" and "Solatium," as part of the Lunar Codex. All the thanks to Samuel Peralta for making so many writers' and artists' dream come true.

Blue Ghost is ALSO carrying a bucketload of science. Instruments will investigate the structure and composition of the moon’s mantle, the heat flow at different depths beneath the lunar surface, the interaction of solar wind and Earth’s magnetic field, and the impact of solar radiation on the lunar surface.

The lander also carries the Lunar PlanetVac, which is designed to collect regolith from the lunar surface that could be returned to Earth as part of a separate mission, and the Lunar GNSS Receiver Experiment, which will test the ability to use GPS signals at lunar distances.

Blue Ghost will operate for about 14 Earth days on the lunar surface. On March 14, Firefly expects to capture high-definition imagery of a total eclipse when the Earth blocks the sun above the moon’s horizon. How amazing is that going to be?

Are We Alone?

Nah.

The math of the universe is in our favor. Given the staggering number of planets, it's impossible that we're alone. Still, the more the merrier! Call me an optimist (if you've read my books, you already know I am), but I don't believe "The Dark Forest" theory is correct. And I don't like a future in which we have to hide, anyway.

"Are We Alone? Intelligent Life May Be More Common Than We Thought, New Penn State Study Suggests": https://thedebrief.org/are-we-alone-intelligent-life-may-be-more-common-than-we-thought-new-penn-state-study-suggests/