Phrases and words no longer used or completely lost.

Ever heard the phrase: look a gift horse in the mouth? Or what about: down to brass tacks. Feel free to search them (in common language, the first means take a gift without examining it for flaws, while the other means you have nothing left). My point is that these lost favor with the English population long ago due to the fact that they reference common situations that no longer have any bearing with modern living. Phrases are like that--they change, grow and evolve.

I'm reminded of an excellent episode from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Captain Pickard gets stranded on a planet with an alien he wants to make a treaty with, but there is no common language or magical universal translator (a silly concept anyway, so the writers had to make sure the good Captain couldn't have one). The episode is called, "Darmok." The fun thing is that the alien uses a language built entirely of phrases like the ones I used before. As an audience, we learn along with the Captain as these two disparate races learn to communicate. It's a fascinating idea, and I wish I saw it used more often.

The phrases we use now will eventually die and fall from use. When people dig up the things of this current culture, they won't have any concept of why these things mattered to us. Imagine how confused a future human will be when they see comedians and parodies ... well, because we all know future people have absolutely no sense of humor at all, right?

- M

Dressing up and having fun through the Middle Ages

Renaissance Fairs (aka medieval times cosplay) are popular in my part of the country. I love swords and castles, so I thoroughly enjoy these events (my wife promises that she will sew together the Monk's Robe pattern she has, so I can be the travelling swordsman) anytime we can get to them. And, while I realize that the Middle Ages weren't loads of fun for anyone, it is typical of us curious humans to dress up and play pretend with another era that is fantasized and romanticized beyond all reality. What does it matter? Have fun!

There are wandering minstrels, vagrants, King and Queen of the fair, knights battling, and even jousting! Of course there's lots of strange foods, and many, many, many, many, many little shops. If you plan on attending, then bring your cash because there's lots to buy. These places generally set up in a fairground, so there is a great deal of walking to expect. But, don't worry, between the dresses, knights, scoundrels, shops, food, and jesters you won't mind because there's so much to look at.

I highly recommend going to one of these, if you haven't before. Here is one that's going on right now in Norman, OK: Medieval Fair. Annual attendance at these events is staggering. People enjoy them and enjoy each other. Try your hand at throwing axes, or juggling. Maybe test your strength by ringing the bell with a hammer. It's all in good fun!

- M

Epic backgrounds

These days there are so many backgrounds you can put on your computer (or other electronic device) that it's hard to keep one for very long. I'm currently enjoying various fantasy art backgrounds, but I'm also tempted by space shots. I tend to hold onto a background for several weeks before I change it up. And, yes, I do have a few where the background is one awesome fantasy library with books piled ridiculously high and floating candles and all sorts of neat gizmos.

And, because of cameras being everywhere, due to phone also being everywhere, we never need to miss another family picnic or get-together. So, our cameras have selfies, or candid pictures of friends, and other goofy stuff. The age of searching out that one great picture to keep as your background for a year is over, replaced by willy-nilly changes. I'm okay with that. Actually, I've even tried the auto-changing backgrounds that flip every hour or so. I've got a huge assortment of images to choose from and it's tough to pick.

One thing I'm still waiting for is a background that is essentially a window. I can't be the only who wants a live aquarium (with nice high definition) and not just bad cgi fishies wiggling around. As a matter of fact, I'd love to have one of those Slow Glass screens imagined in the absolutely incredible science fiction short story of the "Light of Other Days." Imagine being able to look through glass that held within it the actual picture of another place--such as a mountain vista--as if it were a window in your living room? What a fantastic thing it would be!

- M

Tearjerkers. Why can't we get enough of them?

Some stories are deliberately designed to well up the emotions and create powerful connections within the audience. Rightly called "tearjerkers" they are sometimes romances, or tragedies, and many times are true life tales. These days, we see Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest posts with heart-warming tales of people helping each other, or lost pets being found, This is one I found not long ago, and I cried: A gift over the radio. I'm grateful we have these stories, I really am. These things reinforce the kindness and caring we have for each other. They inspire us to be better and more than what we normally are.

Other stories that make us cry work in much the same way. As an audience, we experience deep emotion whenever characters feel pain, or overcome heavy burdens, or help the unfortunate. No matter how old we are, with a bit of care an author can pluck those heartstrings like a symphony and have us weeping a river of tears. Perhaps its a love story, or a silly weekend outing that brings a family together, and maybe a crazy story of lost pets finding their way back home. Whatever the story, we respond to them. I doubt anyone who has seen Old Yeller will forget how thunderstruck we were at the finale. Congratulations, the story mattered to you!

I believe we will want fresh stories that make us cry until the dawn of time. We won't ever have too many. So, keep on making them, sharing them, and shouting out for more!

- M

Gummy Bears and candy, candy, candy.

One candy from my childhood has never faded with age: Gummy Bears. My favorite brand is Black Forest. Gummy Bears are such delightful little gelatin confections! Tough at first and chewy, but melt in your mouth. I loved them as a child, since I could buy them myself with very little money and now I still get them (I have a jar of them on my desk now). And there is even a ridiculous song about them: Gummy Bear Song.

It's amazing how little bits of candy can become such important parts of our lives. I think at our core, we humans prefer pleasure to work. That's maybe what candy is, a bit of pleasure that tickles our brains with untold delights. There's lots of types and many companies, or individuals, that make them (I personally enjoy making divinity candy) and so this love of candy continues on forever.

I sometimes wonder what the best kind of chocolate is (so far I think it's praline chocolate--not pralines, but hazelnut infused chocolate). Or what the best type of candy could be: is it mint meltaways, or vanilla divinity, or perhaps cotton candy? Well, at least life is full of lovely experiences and testing new things. Care to join me?

- M

Fictional languages

J.R.R. Tolkien created a whole raft of made up languages for his books. Incredible. Star Trek invented Klingon. Uber fans have learned to speak them. One of my favorite movies is Stargate (the one with Kurt Russell) which recreated the ancient Egyptian language of hieroglyphics as a spoken language (I'm astonished by the result, as it feels and sounds real). What makes all this so amazing is that by using linguistic methods and a lot of imagination, people are creating new languages that aren't only varieties of human but varieties of alien. I find that remarkable.

Sometimes I wonder where the limits of human creation are? Do we even have them? And if we do, then how will we ever know we've reached them?

I read in the news that people are protesting the creation of more powerful artificial intelligence, on the basis that we don't want a robot uprising. Seriously, these people aren't freaks at all, but highly educated and intelligent scientists (I think they're nuts, but they are smart). Look at the advances in genetics, or space exploration. We are pushing the limits of reality with our creativity. It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest to find out we've manufactured micro black holes that allows the manufacture of transparent aluminum (geek test there).

But, language is a basic human concept and we continue to make new strides. Incredible. Just imagine what the next ten years will bring!

- M

Hovercraft ... the most brilliant machines in all of time and history!

Sport hovercraft

One idea I fell in love with as a child was the hovercraft. At it's most basic, it's a fan (pointed down) with heavy curtains all around it. What happens is the fan blows air down, billowing out the curtains, the curtains hold in a cushion of air, and the whole contraption lifts off the surface so it can move. Properly built, a hovercraft is useful on any kind of surface--sand, water, dirt, logs, sludge. The drawbacks are that it's stunningly loud and tends to spray stuff everywhere as little bits slip out from under the curtain skirts and blow about. However, this hasn't stopped the world's navies from creating monstrous versions that are so large it's amazing they even work at all.


Russian hovercraft during military exercise (555 ton ship!).
But, notice the massive amount of water spray.

What is so fun about these machines is how they are such simple ideas. And, they are absolutely awesome to watch as they transition from land to water and across bogs and onto the interstate. One Jackie Chan movie even featured one. They're fantastic!

Yes, I'm being dramatic, but there are ideas totally worth being excited about. In that thought, I'd love to ride a rocket into space, float in zero-gravity, go in a submarine in Hawaii, and skydive. Ok, so those aren't technology, but I'd still enjoy all of them--yes, my mind does tend to wander. Still, maybe someone's feeling generous? ... hint, hint, nudge, nudge ...

- M

Passion, Zeal, Fervency, and the complete unwillingness to fail!

There are things we all have unbridled passion about; things so important to us that we cannot fail. Love should certainly fit into that description. What's incredible about this level of passion is how we absolutely will not stop until we see it through. Nothing in heaven or earth will stop us. The end result is inscribed on our soul and we will fight whatever nightmares arise to make it happen.

The neat thing about this kind of zeal is how infectious it is. Your force of will inspires others! How can't it? When you are around someone with that level of drive, you want to be part of it and share in the push to get it. The funny thing is how often this happens and nobody realizes what is going on. Suddenly a whole town is focused on accomplishing something just because one person got it started. It's amazing.

This is why I fully believe that one person can indeed change the world. Yes, it's true and always has been. Whatever the world tells you, grow your passions and transform everything around you. There is power in zeal, gravity defying force in passion, and true inspiration in fervency. Let the beast out and demonstrate how full of passion you really are. People will not only be amazed, but they will follow in kind!

- M

Pi day! It's nearly upon us. Spread the word!

Sure, I'm a nerd, but even us nerds get to have fun. One of those times is about here. Pi day. Not only that, but once a century Pi day! Okay, what is Pi? Well, it's a mathematical constant that is an infinite number. In plain language, it describes the outside of a circle.in relationship to a slice across the circle's middle. As a number, it is most often shown as 3.14, as a symbol it is π. That's Pi. This constant is used for all sorts of things, like determining: area of a circle or the volume of a sphere. Simply put, modern society puts a lot of faith in Pi.

If you don't get the joke ... ask a nerd,
let them be the center of attention for a change.

Anyway, what's Pi day? Well, once a year, on March 14th, we celebrate 3.14 day (Pi day). Yup, math nerds are still nerds; we don't party, we divide and conquer! This year we can extend Pi day to a fantastic degree: 3.141592653. That breaks down to: 3/14/15 at 9:26 am and 53 seconds. Okay, we are fudging a little bit on the year (substituting 2015 with 15) so this is once a century and not ever--it's still once a lifetime though. Make sense?

So ... 3/14/15 ... memorize it and celebrate Pi day with all of us. I bought my wife and I a t-shirt (she's wearing it now, I'm proud to say) and we will celebrate it happily. Join us! It's not often you can be a stylish nerd. Maybe you can even get a t-shirt to commemorate the event.

- M

Favored memories all too quickly fade

Why is it that some childhood memories are wrecked simply by growing up? Places that were so huge as children are nothing more than regular rooms to adult eyes. That's actually the biggest reason I really don't want to return to the town of my own childhood, because I know that my memory will fail me as I view the reality of it all. I don't want that. I like the fantasy of memory. I enjoy walking the mountains in my mind and picking mushrooms and hearing the soft snaps of crunching pine needles in the forest. I don't want to spoil that by whatever the truth is. Let me have my memories intact and unspoiled.

Which brings me to the subject of favorite stories of youth. In much the same way as childhood homes, going back to those old stories do tend to have a very different outcome. Mature minds have different goals and ideals, changed perspectives and hopes, and adult dreams aren't the same as a child's. But, there are a few, a very small number, where the story grows and blooms around you as the adult world sweeps you away. I won't mention my special few stories (though I have a good number that I've collected) because they are special to me for different reasons as to you.

I challenge you all to find memories that improve with time. Memories of parents, grandparents, happy days, and Spring meadows. Tell stories that have aged well, show them to your loved ones, and let those stories pass through the ages as they swell and glow. There's magic in such things. Ask any child ... magic is all around us, if we're willing to find it.

- M

The love of my life

Beth, an angel come to Earth and keeper of my heart

A drop of living sunshine. The gift of ages. The mold by which women were made. She is my wife, my love, my best friend, and my truest supporter. I am blessed each and every day by her smile, her encouragement, and her vast wisdom. I can't imagine a world without her. She is always there, a steady rock during the tumultuous times, and a beacon of hope when everything seems wrong. She is the treasure of my life, a jewel beyond price and a prize above all others.

Her name is Beth, and I met her in a far away land called Wyoming. We met at a summer camp (actually a ranch) where we both worked on staff. She showed me how she could pop her hip in and out, I showed that I could cross my eyes and wiggle them, she demonstrated the cat's claws she could do (bending only the very tips of her fingers while the rest remained straight), and I demonstrated how my pinkie finger can curl up like an errant sea worm (an old softball injury). It was love at first sight. We took it slow, seeing each other each and every night after the campers went to bed, and talked and talked and talked. She fast became the best friend I'd ever had.

At some point it moved into love. I'm not sure when, it was so natural. But, at a campfire she snuck her hand over mine and told me she loved me. I was awestruck, and after a few minutes contemplation answered back that I loved her back. Suddenly, the world was different, newer, fresher. For the first time in life there was a loving partner to share it with. I'll never forget it as long as I live. We moved without rush, praying about each move forward in our relationship, and keeping ourselves sane.

I asked her to marry me at the weekly rodeo, in front of 200+ people. I played Roy Orbison's "Pretty Woman" as she walked through to the announcer's booth. I knelt down and proposed. It was pure magic. She said, "I'd be delighted to." I gave her balloons, a rose, and a fake glass ring. She blushed and grinned and floated. I don't remember anything else of the rodeo ... just her smile.

Beth, you are the greatest blessing of my life. Thank you so much for you care, your love, your advice, and your constancy. You are my best friend and always will be.

I love you.

- M

Living large in the dusty recesses of my mind

SQUIRREL!!!

I make no secret of the fact that I'm easily entertained. Just ask my wife, my kids, and my best friends. I'll fade away because I saw a neat bug walking on a branch, or any bug really. I've been known to completely miss other things because I was watching water drip over the corner of concrete. Yup, that's me. I say it's because of my imagination and that I'm inspired by everything around me. My best friend says I'm nuts. Ah, well, at least I'm keeping myself busy.

Truthfully, learning to see more than the surface is a skill. I'm not saying we all have to be like the dogs in the movie "Up," and swing around at every squirrel, but I do suggest that we all take the blinders off and enjoy what is around all the time. Watch those ants, play along with your children, let the big-important adult stuff fall away and have some fun. That is allowed, you know. We can play, even when we are as ancient as dirt (at least, that's what our kids say). Test out those giant rubber Hulk hands and see if you can actually punch down a tree! Eh, couldn't hurt...

Sometimes I wonder if all us writers are so easily entertained? I suspect so, since we are constantly throwing out hooks for ideas. Also, vast imagination is a plus. But, I love being able to completely lose track of time as I study an ant hill, or lay back and call out the shapes of clouds (an activity my wife and I share and enjoy). Times like these are relaxing and take the rat-race out of life. Well, it's a thought.

Try it out and find yourself an ant hill to enjoy!

- M

Juice and computer keyboards don't mix

I've been around computers basically since they appeared in schools and homes. One thing I've been constant about is don't get water on the cpu or the keyboard. I'm currently typing on a keyboard I am actually astonished to be using. I essentially poured orange juice all over it. Not a little. Not a sip. A whole glass of it. Yes, orange juice is sticky, but it also creates a very unique smell when applied to a keyboard (something south of rotting fruit). My guess is that I have a short time to write this post before the keyboard gets too sticky to use the keys anymore. Frankly, I'm amazed it even functions.

One time my wife spilled a single drop of water on this very same type of keyboard. There was a little pop... a fizzle... and a tiny spark. Wammo, no more keyboard. This silly thing took a whole glassful and is still going. Not sure why, but it won't last long. It's a pity, because this is one of the old Microsoft Ergonomic Elite keyboards that aren't made anymore. It has gotten dusty and dirty though; the casing has yellowed with age, and no amount of cleaning will bring back the luster of youth. I've written three books with it, so it has done well for me.

Rest in Peace

Amazing how tools become like dear cousins after a while. Despite them being hard to understand and a bit distant, they worm their way into our lives and stay there forever. I'll miss this old keyboard .. but, no I'm not burying it in the backyard.

I'll bury it in the front...

- M