Dec. 21st, 2008

gridlore: Doug looking off camera with a grin (Music - Metallica)
Saw Metallica last night. OMG. )
gridlore: Doug looking off camera with a grin (Music - Metallica)
Way back when I bought the Metallica tickets, I also bought a download of the show. It became available this afternoon. Great sound quality.

But the best part is the cover. It's a photo of Lars Ulrich.. covered in whipped cream.

Misery- email or message me with a snail-mail addy you want your copy sent to.
gridlore: Doug looking off camera with a grin (Me - Desk)
One of my resolutions is start actually writing fiction this year, and today I was literally struck by an epiphany. I think I have my setting.

There are two forms of FTL travel. The first is available to any ship of reasonable size, but is slow. Average speed is around 60c, taking about 3 weeks to get to Alpha Centauri. It's also risky, ships sometimes vanish or are found badly damaged with no life left aboard. The second way is by using large gates. These pass ships between points with almost no elapsed time, and can also pass signals. The problem here is the gates are hideously expensive, difficult to build and maintain, and are quite fragile.

Obviously, placing these gates can make or break a colony. Having a gate means regular trade, near instant access to other worlds, and near-realtime news. Not having a gate means you become a backwater, which is bad if your colony is on an inhospitable planet. The competition for having a gate is fierce, and often takes place under the table.

History geeks probably see where this is going. The County Seat Wars of the American west. Fighting over getting named county seat and getting the railroad led to range wars in the 19th century.

Oh, one more thing. To increase efficiency of the gates, smaller ships are docked to large transporters that take them through all at once to reduce system disruption... All aboard!
gridlore: Doug looking off camera with a grin (Music - Metallica)
That Was Just Your Life
The End Of The Line
Creeping Death
For Whom The Bell Tolls
One
Broken, Beat & Scarred
Cyanide
Sad But True
The Unforgiven
All Nightmare Long
The Day That Never Comes
Master Of Puppets
Blackened
Nothing Else Matters
Enter Sandman
Encore:
Last Caress
Whiplash
Seek And Destroy

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gridlore: Doug looking off camera with a grin (Default)
Douglas Berry

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