A while back my sister and I concocted a pretty lavish story set in some fantastical Science fictional world (what sci-fi story isn't?). Over the next few months we actually fleshed it out quite nicely... but, as is a habit of mine, before I delve headlong into something, I feel compelled to test the waters first. So this story came about as I undertook a veritable dip of my toes into the delightful cesspool that is, or can often be, the genre of science fiction. The main character of this story, who ironically doesn't talk (because he can't, he's catatonic) plays a significant role in the story we thought up; all I did though, was to jump ahead further into the future by a few decades... to see what may have become of him... * Sleeping dogs of war californica.wordpress.com by Steven Benjamin (2012) “Well, what have they got for us today?” “Oh, nothing new I fear; done this procedure many times.” “Really? One would think after all these centuries they’d have come up with a more efficient method. OH, but wait, we have… and yet, mine eyes do not deceive. You seem to labor still at the wheel of the archaic.” “Oh yes indeed, they have, many different procedures in fact, but each for different use.” “So, why this method for this specimen?” “Because he’s old. We’ve found that, apart from the sentimental value, retaining the methods that worked over the years yields better, or shall we say smoother results.” He paused, mid thought, “It makes progression seamless. Plus, in science, there are many examples where continuity and cohesion is called for.” “Mm. It’s still very crude though.” “Well yes, but we’re still leagues ahead of our predecessors. Xenos past used to use very elementary tools, and of course the procedure, as well as the results, was infinitely less refined.” “I heard, or actually read, that they had a very different name for it too. I forget it though.” “Oh yes…” his eyes focused, through the thin glass compound of the eye visor, at the intricately delicate job at hand. “Very different indeed.” He whispered, “And equally as unrefined. That’s why I prefer mine. Markedly more tactful,” “I thought it was a just a nickname until I heard a few stewards referring to it as such. Have you been spreading the word?” “Ha. No. It appears genius rubs off. Although that is something of a misnomer; if genius – in this case denoted as a noun – rubbed off, implying that it can thence be shed, or lost, the perceived intelligence would be diminished within the so-called genius – in this instance myself - and gained by the receiver – in this case being the stewards. Alas, it is something we have yet to perfect,” he paused again, thinking… “strange that…” “What?” Reems continued. “That we’ve apparently failed in the quest to develop an effective device for the procedure of intelligence transference.” “Oh. How did you come to that name though?” “Aah, it was bestowed upon me by my fellow …” “No. I mean this procedure: re-“ “Redressing, yes, that is mine. It’s simple really. Like putting on a new suit – getting dressed. He – or rather we – are simply giving him a new suit. For each role he plays he acts different, thinks different and usually wears something different. Hence: Redressing.” read more HERE...
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On our journey of progression, and for many of us, discovery, we focus on David Romero, filmmaker, writer, novelist, poet... A creative at heart, David is a man on the move with great insights as well as goals and surely someone to look out for in the future. It gives me great pleasure to feature this artist, whom I hope to work with someday: Poetry: Story of remoteness, 47. By David Martinez Romero The soul of an artist Gently silence falls as white bird eating holes in the clouds, where broken glitter beams cross needles in ice flowing, slow death of magma yesterday on our hands clasped, now lost underground. Because the dust has eaten the paintings in the library: those books, on which dreaming we once promised immense love and pleasure and caresses, have been lost, such as dust, as white bird that rises. Pages and pages of gray images, fragmentary, I remember the futility of all the roses and I know that beauty dies that woman is beautiful and her beauty shines, the time ineluctable push intensifies and a wave comes and goes like foam. Slowly, from a tear magnificent the whole philosophy springs, all the knowledge of the truth, the night, the sugar, all that is worthy of being known or kissed, glazed moons with lids wide open as if an albino animal had crossed the room at the speed of a smile: perhaps an angel ... perhaps the soul of an artist. * Videos by Eldorado Entertainment "Motorway" - Anni B Sweet. Directed by David Martinez Romero Movida Corona 2010 - Executive Producer: David Martinez Romero Mini Biography: Born in Madrid in 1976. Journalist, writer, video producer and on his way to make a filmmaker out of himself. Founder of Eldorado Entertainment, production company in which he has produced and directed from TV commercials to music videos and his first short film, The Offer. As a writer, he has published one Poetry book, El mundo cuando sueña, yet he has written several collections of poems, two novels and one autobiographical essay. He publish a blog under his own name in which he shares poems and other writings every week. Right now, looking for financial support for a documentary film. Q & A:
Zahara de los Atunes (a little town in Cadiz) La Judería, Córdoba For more, contact and follow David: Juanda Cortes Photography Referenced earlier: visit Juanda Cortes photography, another contributor at Eldorado Entertainment. - “But man could not cover what God would reveal; ‘Tis the sunset of life that gives me mystical lore, And coming events cast their shadow before.” - Lochiel’s Warning, Thomas Campbell. [The reason for the deletion was purely for the sake of length. At the end of the first draft the book was well over 144000 words. However, because of the nature of this chapter (it would have been chapter 7) it could almost be considered as a stand-alone chapter, making up much of one of the sub-plot's in the story. I feel bad of course, because of the research I did on, not only the chapter itself, but the topic in general...] -- events occurring in late 2008 >>> Chapter (The Quiet Days, a novel by Steven Benjamin) I. Liverpool, England… Ronnie Killian was a veteran third generation seaman who’d once, years ago, captained a fishing trawler moored at Southampton. His love for the sea was absolute, as was his understated enthusiasm toward ships and virtually anything that could float. Almost ten years ago, when he’d been laid off for a small period, a good friend had found him a part-time job at a local shipping magazine. At that time the job had included menial roles around the office and hadn’t comprised of anything significant, until the day he was called into the editor’s office to write up a column on an Oil tanker due to dock soon. The news around the tanker was predominantly targeted around the parent company, which was in the midst of a public court case surrounding an oil spill close to the Canary Islands. Apparently one of the clerks working in the office had mentioned that Ron had spent a term on an oil tanker which had run into some legal issues off the coast of Nigeria. Naturally this fact made Ron the most qualified man in the office on the subject. This was beside the fact that that day they happened to have two employees off sick. It wasn’t a major article with any ground breaking expectations, though Ron had poured his passion for shipping into it – supported by his working knowledge, worldly experience and brusque tone. It resulted in an article, appealing to the avid reader, whilst even engaging the would-be non enthusiasts with his wit and blunt interpretation of events. Killian had integrated the small planned protest to be staged on the dock by a handful of environmental activists, and touched on the hypocritical nature of man protesting the negative effects of Oil companies operating on the seas, whilst neglecting his ‘neighbour’ who worked for said company to feed his own family, because it was the only work available. By no means condoning the avarice nature of these corporations, he cited man’s equal failure to do anything constructive about them – the inability to find suitable alternatives. His conclusion stated that little would change the “juggernautical” status quo, with the valiant but whispered cries of good men swept clean away in the salty spray of the unstoppable corporate storm. His wife and three children had subsequently persuaded him to pursue the somewhat more sedate life as a columnist. He’d soon establish himself within the magazine structures as one of their most reliable, and later senior, writers. On a customary gloomy winter’s day in Southern England, with his collar turned up rubbing against his greying stubble and his woolen cap warming his balding scalp, he turned the digital pages of another international online shipping newspaper. As he glanced over the section detailing any ships recently run aground or sunk, his eyes caught a story of a cargo ship having sunk in the Black Sea. Investigators claimed that the laden ship could not withstand the attentions of an especially heavy storm. (to read more, click here) [The reason for the deletion was purely for the sake of length. At the end of the first draft the book was well over 144000 words. However, because of the nature of this chapter (it would have been chapter 7) it could almost be considered as a stand-alone chapter, making up much of one of the sub-plot's in the story. I feel bad of course, because of the research I did on the, not only the chapter, but the topic in general...] The Quiet Days, a Novel journey... Its been an interesting year thus far, submitting to competitions, editing, some odd jobs, more editing, and on the rare occasion, some far flung adventurous escape. What's interesting about my book writing experience thus far, has been that apart from the re-draft and a couple of niggles here and there, the progress of the entire book basically/currently hinges on a few paragraphs. When I say hinges I mean bridging the divide between good and great, at least in my eyes. One such paragraph has been highlighted in red for the past few months as I try to formulate it and find the right words - its practically in the center of this 125000+ word novel, but it encapsulates so much sentiment and gravity. The timing of this paragraph is also crucial, coming at pivotal moment in the story. But, alas, this is what writing is all about; and so the journey continues... For this week we turn our attention to Jason Hayden, Photographer, Oceanographer, and in his spare time, rock climber... I won't get into the whole "is photography art?" debate, because quite frankly, I believe it is - and I'm not alone. Without further ado though, lets look at the evidence through the lens of our main protagonist, Mr Hayden: photos by Jason Hayden (obviously) Mini Biography I got hooked on photography back in 2002, in the birthplace of some of the most phenomenal photographers, and one of the most photogenic cities in the world, NYC. I attended the Nikon School of photography there, and began to shoot EVERYTHING. In 2003 I decided to pursue my life long dream of becoming an oceanographer. Unfortunately this put my photography on the back burner for a while. Full frame digital cameras finally began to rival the quality of film, and I got drawn back into photography. Once again, I find myself photographing one of the most photogenic cities in the world, with natural beauty that just cant be been rivaled, Cape Town. I have traveled to over 20 countries in the last two years and Cape Town is by far the most beautiful city I have ever seen. Q & A: - What model camera do you use/ What would you like to use in future? I am currently using a 5D MKiii, and in the future I would like to use a Canon 5D MKiii..They are fantastic cameras. I am also starting to include video in my repertoire, and would love to get a RED Epic camera. Check out a sample of a time lapse I did, Empty Places On My Own! from jason hayden on Vimeo. - What's your favorite time of day? I enjoy photographing bugs and around 16:30 they start slowing down just long enough for me to get a decent shot. So between 16:30 and 19:30 is my favorite time of day..When I can drag myself out of bed before sunrise it is also EPIC! - If you had to have breakfast with 3 famous people, who would they be? I would say Ansel Adams..But having breakfast with a guy who has been dead for so long might not be a good idea..I might just be put off my bacon. So I guess it would be Thomas Shahan (http://thomasshahan.com/), Brian Skerry (http://www.brianskerry.com/) and Rob Whitworth (*see below*). - A random favorite quote of yours (something you said or something someone else said) V for Vendetta (2005): Nasoj: aka JASON HAYDEN the MANboy himself - What do you love about Cape Town, aside from the views? The diversity! Cape Town has such a diversity in people, fauna, flora and marine environments. It is a place where diversity is truly a blessing.
Thank you Jason for sharing your talent with us... It occurred to me that there are no Creepy Crawly photos - perhaps we can do a follow up piece in a couple of weeks... ... And, just because I can and because its cool (and mind boggling), I've uploaded the time lapse video by Rob Whitworth, Enjoy and have an awesome week! In a build up to next weeks artist profile, I thought I'd share these beautiful photos. The first is from twistedsifter.com, a photo by Isil Karanfil - a view of the mouth of the Douro river in Porto,Portugal - a combination of seven shots in seven hours of the same scene. An old and pretty well known pic (literally and in the bloggershere) I found on theChive.com (also found on Buzzfeed.com - and all over the internet); imagine what it must be like to hear for the first time - a sense many of us take for granted, yet for Harold Whittles (date unknown) receiving a cochlear implant elicited a timeless expression: Another pic from theChive, also an old one, though slightly lesser known. An RAF pilot receives a haircut during some timeout in the Second World War ( this guy is so many levels of cool): A National Geographic image from one of their photo contests. Bolivian salt flats - Salar de Uyuni, shortly after some the rains... Everyday seeds of espionage, or just self defense. by Steven Benjamin Think of this as a loose, tenuous, bare skeletal blueprint of the skills needed to be a spy. Needless to say extra âsignsâ are always welcome, like an undying penchant for extreme sports like skydiving and bungee jumping, as well as the ability to undertake great physical challenges which test your mental toughness⦠Oh, and maybe the natural gift of knowing how to dress well, wear a tailored suit, or in the case of a femme fatale, control a room with an elegantly subtle evening number. 1. Do you have an eye for detail? 2. Are you something of a loner? 3. Are you a good poker player? 4. Are you physically fit without advertising the fact? 5. * Do you happen to know the 5 strongest or best natural tools (read weapons) your body possess (even without martial arts training⦠and by association, are you then aware of the main weaknesses of the human body?) * 6. When entering a room, do you first suss out the exit points? 7. How good is your general knowledge and memory, and are you capable when it comes to applied knowledge and resourcefulness? 8. Are you good with your hands, beyond simply decent hand-eye coordination? 9. Do you like adventure and traveling long distances? 10. Are you a good driver? If you're interested in the know how of the Spy world then visit these handy sites for tips on how to be a spy and how to spot one. > Spot a spy > Be a spy [ * Our bodies 5 best weapons (handy for self defense)
Top 5 weaknesses (easier to spot)
Depending on where you are, Skyfall is either out or still coming (very soon), either way I hope it does the job of in some way rectifying the sad year weâve had in terms of film releases. Aside from a couple of big budget superhero sequels there hasnât been much to be excited about â and Iâm on the side of those who was disappointed by The Dark Knight Rises (it says something that The Avengers had better box office earnings than TDKR)⦠so sad, lets end the year on a high. << Coming soon! In the coming weeks I will be featuring the talents of some of my artistic friends, focusing on poetry, art, photography and film-making. Stay tuned! >> The Mayonnaise Jar (An oldie but a goodie) When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, When 24 hours in a day is not enough; remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee. A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and start to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured it into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded With an unanimous 'yes.' The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed. 'Now,' said the professor, as the laughter subsided, 'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things - God, family, children, health, friends, and favorite passions Things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the things that matter like your job, house, and car. The sand is everything else -- The small stuff. 'If you put the sand into the jar first,' he continued, 'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, You will never have room for the things that are important to you. So... Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the dripping tap. 'Take care of the golf balls first -- The things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.' One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. 'I'm glad you asked'. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.' Please share this with other "Golf Balls" |
[Banner illustration by Joel Kanar]
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