Science Fiction, Science Future

- by Sylvia Ney

One of my favorite stops this summer was at the Reuben H. Fleet museum in San Diego, California. I took my daughters to the traveling exhibit "Science Fiction, Science Future".

We spent the day learning about what has led to our current understanding of science, what humans are currently working to develop, and being teased with challenges for the future. Gallery stops included:

- understanding what we know of sound and light
- move this object with your mind challenge
- become invisible
- design your own cyborg
- interact with robots
- and more than I can write about in one post!

Here are just a few of our explorations:

A section honoring the history of science fiction development - its authors, artists, and innovators. Rare books from the Department of Special Collections & University Archives (SCUA), artwork from comic book publisher IDW, and even displays from the Star Trek franchise were available for perusal - including a very special challenge (see pics below).

Created by the renowned Scitech Discovery Centre in Perth, Australia this exhibit is a visually compelling way to share a deeper understanding of how science fiction concepts of today are becoming a reality: including holograms.

Visitors are completely immersed in possibilities for medical technology, communication, and even transportation. This exhibit includes many innovations, inventions, and challenges -  a taste of anything a science lover could be looking for, especially when sharing the concepts with family and friends.

Thanks to this trip, my daughters truly enjoyed a glimpse at the possibilities for themselves and their future. I can't wait to see how they will contribute.

How will you contribute to our science fiction, science future? Will you or someone you know want to compete in the tricorder challenge listed in the above picture?

What would YOU build in your alternate universe?

What Would YOU Build in Your Alternate Universe?

I love alternate universes.  There are so many things we have no control over in our own lives: life, death, taxes, illness, family, nature.  There are of course things we can control, but somewhere along the line, unforeseen circumstances set in and remind us of just how small we are in the scheme of things.  That is what is so great about creating an alternator universe.  Your world can be exactly as you choose it to be.

One of the things that really bother me—and probably you—is the politics and violence that are tearing our country apart.  I firmly believe that it is the inability of our representatives to reach across the table and say, “I don’t agree with you, but I’m willing to meet you halfway,” that keeps our country in total turmoil.  Today’s mentality in congress seems to be my way or the highway.

Why am I mentioning this in a post about alternate universes? Because it was important enough to me to build it into my new world.  In RAINERS, when Harper Reese tumbles into a world different, but similar to her own, she discovers that like the United States there is a President and Vice-President, but unlike her own, one is a liberal and the other a conservative.  It had no specific bearing on my storyline, but something that I wanted in my universe.

What about you?  If you are building an alternate universe, what would you put into it? Unaltered rain forests? Purple dogs? A society that has eliminated hunger and disease?  This world is your oyster, you can build it anyway you want. I’d love to hear what would be important enough to place in yours.

RAINERS:

Tagline: Save his world or save her own.

Blurb: Out hiking, Harper Reese tumbles into a parallel universe where a nightmarish virus has infected the sphere’s pubescent children. While there she encounters bad boy Noah Tanner who’s got problems of his own. Now, they must work together to track down and destroy the source of the disease before it travels to her world and infects her twelve-year-old sister.

Bio: Multi-published author Sandra Cox writes YA Fantasy, Romance, and Metaphysical Nonfiction. She lives in sunny North Carolina with her husband, a brood of critters and an occasional foster cat. Although shopping is high on the list, her greatest pleasure is sitting on her screened in porch, listening to the birds, sipping coffee and enjoying a good book. She's a vegetarian and a Muay Thai enthusiast.

Enter the realm of parallel universes!

What if the government tried to create the perfect utopia? Could a society linked to a supercomputer survive on its own? Do our reflections control secret lives on the other side of the mirror? Can one moment split a person’s world forever?

Exploring the fantastic, ten authors offer incredible visions and captivating tales of diverse reality. Featuring the talents of L. G. Keltner, Crystal Collier, Hart Johnson, Cherie Reich, Sandra Cox, Yolanda Renee, Melanie Schulz, Sylvia Ney, Michael Abayomi, and Tamara Narayan.

Hand-picked by a panel of agents and authors, these ten tales will expand your imagination and twist the tropes of science fiction. Step through the portal and enter another dimension!

Release date: May 3, 2016

$14.95 USA, 6x9 Trade paperback, 218 pages, Freedom Fox Press

Science Fiction/General ( FIC028000) and Fiction/Alternative History (FIC040000 )

Print ISBN 978-1-939844-19-4 eBook ISBN 978-1-939844-20-0

Order through Ingram, Follett Library Resources, or from the publisher

$4.99 EBook available in all formats

A to Z: Double R Day

Double R Day

Rabies and Rainers

Rabies:

“an infectious disease of dogs, cats, and other animals, transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected animal and usually fatal if prophylactic treatment is not administered: caused by an RNA virus of the rhabdovirus group; hydrophobia.”

Dictionary.com

Rainers:

“Pubescent children, infected by a rabies mutation, that are drawn outdoors when it rains, the indigo mucus secretion from their eyes, mouth and nose deadly.”

Sandra Cox

Excerpt From Rainers

“I’ve gotten way off topic. You were telling me about Rainers.”

“Rabies had gotten so out of hand…”

I interrupted again.  “Didn’t you vaccinate?”

He gave me a look that radiated impatience. “Of course. We even put out salt blocks with serum for the wildlife, but the disease became resistant to our cure. Our scientists were desperate and came up with a strong airborne anti-pathogen to kill it. It had side effects but nothing could be worse than watching people die from rabies. Or so they thought.”

I held up a hand to stop him. “But don’t you have shots for rabies?” Pressure built between my eyes. I was getting confused.

“We tried that. You have no idea how strong the strain was. Nothing annihilated it.  So the scientists figured they had nothing to lose.” He snorted and shook his head. “All the anti-pathogen did was mutate the virus.” He waved toward the window. “You’ve seen the results.” He gave a bark of laughter that held no humor. “But we did get rid of rabies in its original form.”

“I’m sorry.”

He shrugged. “Not your problem.”

A chill crawled up my spine and settled at the base of my skull. “It could be though, couldn’t it?”

His chin jerked up, his expression arrested. “If you are telling the truth and not totally delusional, yes, I suppose Rainers could find their way into your world.”

“The,” I cleared my throat, “Rainers that you shot were all children.”

“Pubescent children. It’s a weird disease. If the stuff gets on an adult or young child, that person will be dead within hours. But pubescents act as hosts. The disease will live out its short life and when it dies, it takes its host with it, the death agonizing.”

The chill on my neck deepened going straight to the bone. “My sister is twelve.”

“Then you better hope I find a cure or no Rainer finds its way to your world.”