Breaking News & Random Musings on Space, Technology, Sci-Fi & the View From A Writer’s Window
Guys, this video.
From the Chandra Observatory: “Want to take a trip to the center of our Milky Way? A new visualization using Chandra data & @NASAAmes supercomputer simulations provides viewers with an immersive, 360-degree view of the center of our Galaxy! “
YouTube link in case the embed doesn’t work for you: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBxW2_B9_Is .
Originally posted on Twitter.
A real bookstore this time, not that silly "4 star" nonsense!
...and still, I was disappointed. 😒 The store was maybe 1/3 the size of a typical B&N. While they did some cool things with their front displays ("Unputdownable: Kindle readers finish these books in 3 days or less" and so on), the overall book distribution was 2/3 nonfiction to 1/3 fiction - and nearly all the fiction was lit fic. The only genre fiction in the store were current bestsellers that either trend toward lit fic or have otherwise garnered critical attention (such as Black Leopard, Red Wolf), or recognized classics (such as Dune).
In part, it could have simply been catering to its customers, as any retail store should. Cherry Creek is an extremely upscale neighborhood, and I'd believe that its denizens would never demean themselves by being caught reading *genre* fiction. 😱
Still, disappointed. Amazon is flubbing a great market opportunity here. Readers LOVE bookstores, and we're desperate for great ones we can lose ourselves in. This isn't one.
Space is very big. Some of its new explorers will be tiny. An excellent piece by Shannon Stirone on the MarCO cubesats and what their success means for future missions: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/18/science/cubesats-marco-mars.html
Originally posted on Twitter.
Check out this beauty that #MrJennsen just randomly came home with! It's not my birthday or anything.
I honestly didn't know these comics existed, or I would've picked them up earlier. For those curious, the story picks up literal minutes after the end of The Peacekeeper Wars.
Opportunity's final image mosaic from #Mars shows the mission's last tracks and pristine terrain waiting for visits from future explorers. See the full high-resolution panorama at https://go.nasa.gov/2F7JWbn
Originally posted on Twitter.
It’s crazy - Jupiter continues to look beautiful and wondrous in new and different ways every Juno orbit! From Perijove 15, processing by Sean Doran.
Originally posted on Twitter.
From NASA: “Are you ready for your vacation on the Moon? Are you looking forward to setting up camp on Mars? Can you get excitement to use the Gateway to access #Moon2Mars? Show everyone your new favorite exploration destinations with these free downloadable posters: https://go.nasa.gov/2J5SRhx”
Le Sigh. I have no more wallspace, dammit! These are beautiful, though....
SpaceX Crew Dragon Splashes Down in Atlantic to Cap Historic Test Flight: https://www.space.com/spacex-crew-dragon-returns-to-earth.html
Originally posted on Twitter.
You're in This Picture. It's a Selfie Taken by @TeamSpaceIL's Beresheet Lunar Lander on its Way to the Moon: https://buff.ly/2IZiGzT
Originally posted on Twitter.
For the last year, this image, titled "Command Deck" by artist Krystian Biskup (https://salierri.artstation.com/projects/a6ReX) has far and away been my most popular pin on Pinterest (the background of the Requiem cover being the second-most popular).
Given that, I thought you all should get the chance to enjoy it, too. I imagine this is how Valkyrie sees a planet on the Siyane's approach.
Originally posted on Facebook.
Stunning photo taken by Astronaut Anne McLain from the International Space Station as Crew Dragon approached for docking. Her words: “The dawn of a new era in human spaceflight.” (https://twitter.com/AstroAnnimal/status/1102250251598135296)
Originally posted on Twitter.
Life probably exists beyond Earth. So how do we find it? With next-generation telescopes, tiny space probes, and more, scientists aim to search for life beyond our solar system—and make contact: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2019/03/extraterrestrial-life-probably-exists-how-do-we-search-for-aliens/
Excellent piece by National Geographic on the science and philosophy driving the next generation of planet-hunters. Courtesy of Carolyn McBride.
Originally posted on Twitter.
Nothing will stand between #MrJennsen and his charbroiled steak...and it's worth every single snowflake! #yummy #steakdinner #inthesnow❄️ #cowx
LIFTOFF! The next big leap in a new chapter of U.S. human spaceflight systems has begun. @SpaceX’s #CrewDragon demo flight is the 1st commercially-built & operated American spacecraft designed for humans to dock at the @Space_Station. NASA: “Today’s successful launch marks a new chapter in American excellence, getting us closer to once again flying American astronauts on American rockets from American soil."
For this demo launch, Crew Dragon is staffed with a sensor-laden dummy named “Ripley.” The capsule will arrive at the ISS on Sunday, where it will attempt its first autonomous docking (previous non-crew Dragon capsules have been snagged and guided in by an arm on the ISS controlled by astronauts on board).
NASA Press Release: https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-spacex-launch-first-flight-test-of-space-system-designed-for-crew
Wow. You guys show up, big time. No BookBub, no promotions, just my readers. All the squishy feelings for you! 💖
P.S.: This is Fractals, of course.🤗
Originally posted on Facebook.
I did an extensive review for Mass Effect Andromeda after finishing it, so I figure I owe you one after finishing the critical path storyline for Anthem. Spoiler-free!
The very, very good: 💯
1) Flying is FUN.💫 Combat is FUN. Not having played Titanfall or its ilk, I'll refrain from saying it's unique, but there's no question that with the javelins Bioware has created something ⭐️very special⭐️. I can't overstate how smooth and exhilarating it feels to soar through Bastion's canyons and blow up enemies.
2) The world is drop-dead gorgeous. State-of-the-art graphics, incredible lighting and what feels like a lot of attention to detail combine to make Bastion's wilds the most beautiful environment I've ever seen in a video game. (One slight negative: it isn't, however, particularly varied, at least not yet. But you don't care, because what's there is simply stunning.)
3) The voice acting in the critical path questline is among the best I've ever heard in a game. Bioware has always excelled in this area, but they've somehow managed to up their game here. Faye, Haluk, Owen, Tassyn, Dax and the rest quickly become memorable, impactful characters thanks to their VAs. I can't speak about the male freelancer, but the female freelance voice is also excellent. I'm not sure how well the VA would do with a "heftier" role like Shepard, but here she's quite pleasant to listen to.
4) Bioware has FINALLY cracked the secret code on how to make characters look good using the much-maligned Frostbite engine. NPCs are varied and diverse in their appearances, but they all look great. So much less shininess and puffiness than in DAI and MEA! One of the major characters in the main quest, Tassyn, is frankly gorgeous (even if she is a bit of a bitch). Facial animations are also much improved from MEA, if not quite up to AC: Odyssey standards. I've read Bioware used a lot more motion capture for Anthem than they have previously, which likely explains this improvement.
The not so great: 😏
1) WHY OH WHY did Bioware choose a first-person perspective for Fort Tarsis (and a Javelin-only third-person perspective for outside) when they've FINALLY cracked the secret code on how to make characters look good??? In character creation, you choose male or female, then from one of a dozen or so fixed portraits. After that, you only see your character's face during a few *meaningful* mission cutscenes, when they flip their visor up. You never see their hair or see them out of a javelin. Such a waste!
2A) The critical path questline is far too short. Granted, this will almost certainly be expanded upon in the future (apparently for free, which will be nice). While a compelling story, it's not nearly long or fulsome enough to serve as the backbone of a game. Of course, Anthem is about much more than that questline, so arguably it doesn't need to be.
2B) And it's too shallow. If not for the stellar voice acting and the innate storytelling finesse Bioware has always displayed, it would have been very difficult to feel the slightest bit invested in your character's 'backstory' or the current plight they and the world find themselves facing.
The bad: 😖
1) The missions are worryingly repetitive in their technical design. There's only about 3 basic mechanics the missions rotate between, and I worry that the repetition will soon drown out the inherent fun in the gameplay.
2) The gear/weapons/skills system is simultaneously overly complicated and overly shallow. This is something else I'm sure will be dramatically expanded and refined with time, but at release, it leaves a lot to be desired.
3) Fort Tarsis is much smaller than I was expecting. I have to believe they cut large swaths of it to make an EA-mandated release date. What's there is charming and quirky, but there's not much there.
4) Way too many and too long loading screens. This is something Bioware has been frantically working on improving, and there was a BIG improvement from the demo to release. They're still too long and happen way too frequently.
5) Co-op needs text chat! (And possibly voice chat, but at least text chat.) Several missions include puzzles, and you can imagine how much fun it is to have 4 players who can't communicate with each other running around randomly spinning obelisks and lights and such all at the same time, frequently at cross-purposes.
So will I keep playing? Yes, but until there's a substantive (read: story-heavy) update, only casually. Like I said, it's FUN. But having completed the only significant questline, it's not necessarily meaningful.
Don't ask me for a score, guys. Come on....😔
Okay, fine! B...-
Have some raw, unenhanced screenshots!
Originally posted on Facebook.
By Mike Seeley: “40 mins of pre-launch star trails + 4 minutes of rocket streak + 55 seconds of the Moon rising with bonus: the boost-back landing burn, low on the horizon. Congratulations to all involved in the #SpaceX #NusantaraSatu #Falcon9 launch (&landing!) (Pis: me / @WeReportSpace)”
The mission sent an Israeli commercial lunar lander off on its two-month journey to the moon. You can learn more about the mission at http://www.spaceil.com.
Originally posted on Twitter.
