Hi Guys,
Today's update is about 3D printing, something that really intrigues me (as you will have seen if you ever check out my Twitter feed!) 3D printing, or the printing of objects rather than paper matter is a pretty new development that has only come to my attention at least over the last 3-4 years. I think its important to put a pretty big disclaimer out there at this point that I am no expert on the subject (no kidding?) but it interests me none the less and think it will be a thread that weaves through a lot of my future writing efforts. That said, although very niche at the moment, I think 3D printing could end up having the same ubiquitous effect on all our lives as the internet has over the last couple of decades. Although you could currently stop many people in the street who would have no idea what 3D printing was or could be soon, its applications can go right across the board, from novelty items right up to very heavy and serious applications which have the potential to change our society fundamentally. As such it is one of the topics I think we should be asking some pretty probing questions about. Obviously it has some pretty far reaching consumer applications. As some people already own them I don't think we are far away from a home tech boom in 3D printing where such a printer could be the must have new gadget . Once you have a basic model in situ though what could you use it for? One home application could be in plastic products, such as purchasing and downloading a plan for a phone case or the latest toy and printing it off at home, rather than buying it from the shops. This could probably be said for most homewares, consumables and clothes some day. This could significantly reduce the amount of packaging and fuel we use, which would obviously have a very positive impact on the environment. Such a scenario however could cause much uncertainty also, as you would be pretty much tearing up the retail and logistics rule book as we know it. What would these changes mean for the jobs in this sector? If I am paying for the design for my new table vase online and printing it off at home, what do I need the guy in the shop for,? Or the dude driving the delivery truck for that matter? The technology also has some pretty far reaching implications for heavy industry also, such as in the automotive industry, where all parts could be precision engineered from a master template, all exactly the same, time after time. Here too there could be further job implications in industries where automation has already cost so many people their jobs. What are we all going to do once technology finally puts us out of work? Its a serious question. Another issue would be product/template piracy, whilst the idea of being able to print off a workable firearm in your home,(possibly without anyone knowing, as some people have done already) is a very unsettling one to me. 3D printing could also revolutionise the healthcare industry. We are already seeing 3D printing being used in surgeries such as facial reconstruction and hip joint replacement, the bonus being to be able to get a precise and exact match to the mapped original, thus better and more aesthetically pleasing results. In due course we could see printed replacement organs, perfect matches for the individual which would eliminate the chance of rejection or the need for expensive drugs. Could you imagine the impact on the millions of people worldwide who's lives are spent waiting for an organ donor? We may too also see the end of the pharmacy, with our doctors sending our prescription direct to our printers, with all our myriad of medications being delivered in one daily pill. Here of course in healthcare the need for vigilance for abuses of any new system are even more vital. Just one more - a personal favourite of mine. The impact 3D printing could have on space exploration is mind boggling. Already we have seen NASA 'emailing' a wrench to the ISS for them to print off in space. It was a small but very significant development. One major factor holding back our expansion into space is the sheer expense and logistical strain of basically blasting vast tons of supplies into orbit. If we could instead print these off (which we have proven we can), what implications could that have long term? We know the vast mineral resources of the moon. Every country and his dog is eyeing up the resources to be mined there, along with big business. Once we go back there, say with a pretty significant industrial 3D printer or ten, whats to prevent the team up there using them and the moon rock to establish our first off world base? Then whats to stop it becoming a city in due course? A whole off world colony in time? Utilised to fire us further out into space (via the lower gravitational pull). I find such an idea coming to fruition in my lifetime both amazing and terrifying. We have seen throughout history the unsettling effect on politics of opening up a new sphere of influence that every state wants its own piece of. And what about when the Moon colonies end up having their own 'Boston Tea Party' - what then? As I say, I'm no expert and could be off on all counts - but it makes you think doesn't it? D.T.
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So, No updates for a while then...
Like many of you out there (I hope), I've been enjoying the festive period with my family. I hope you all had a great Christmas and are looking forward to the new year. To kick off the new year for me, I'm running a Kindle Select promotion for my novel Central Locking. As I'm already priced below the minimum price for the countdown deal option I'm going with using 3 of my 5 free days between 12AM pacific time on Friday 2nd January and the same time on Sunday 4th. That's right - between these days my novel will be completely free to anybody who wants to download it, and I hope that anyone reading this will take a look. Why would anyone offer their ebook for free you ask? They do say after all if you're good at something, don't do it for free (although the jury is certainly still out on whether I am or not!). There are certainly a lot of articles out there on the web about whether being subscribed to kindle select is advantageous to an author or not and the relative pro's and con's of each promotional tool. I'm not trying to get into that in this blog post, I'm firstly letting you all know what I am up to in advance, and looking to illustrate my reasoning behind it all and what I hope to gain from the whole process. Firstly, to speak candidly, although some authors may be worried about the effects such free days may have on their sales/rank, this is currently not an issue for me. I doubt I am going to be missing out on much over the three day period of my promotion in all honesty. What I am hoping to gain however is some much needed further exposure in a very crowded and noisy marketplace. I've previously described trying to promote your kindle ebook on social media etc. as shouting your wares whilst stood next to a running jet engine, (possibly whilst some of your colleagues stood beside you from the erotic fantasy genre utilise their megaphones - just kidding guys!). Previous free day events I have run have helped to get the message about my book out there a bit more, boosted my sales a little and helped to grow my twitter presence. I'm hoping this upcoming promotion will boost me up another level and move things along another increment (here's hoping!) Most of all I'm hoping to gain a few more reviews from those who might take advantage of the promo. Reviews of course can be a double edged sword, but feedback is always beneficial in the long run, even if you don't like the taste of it in the first place. That being said, anyone who wants to go all in with five stars and gush with the superlatives, don't let me stop you! Once the promo has run its course, I might do another post about how it went, until then if you do take advantage of the offer most of all I hope you enjoy the book! D.T. So...Just finished reading The First Law trilogy (The Blade Itself, Before They Are Hanged and Last Argument Of Kings) by the brilliant Joe Abercrombie and I must say it was absolutely magnificent.
I would imagine my experience of it however was quite different to most other readers. This is all my fault of course. I am no stranger to Abercrombie's sterling work, having previously read two of his other novels Best Served Cold and The Heroes. Although these are stand alone novels completely separate from the First Law trilogy, they do both occur after it in the same 'world' and contain many of the same characters. For me this meant I experienced the trilogy more as a prequel, which of course it was never intended to be. Ah well. I must say however this did little to dampen my enjoyment of this fabulous work. For those who enjoy their epic fantasy in the traditional style, full of gloriously noble knights on pristine white chargers, conducting heroic quests set against romantic backgrounds and with well defined, malevolent antagonists, perhaps Abercrombie's work is not for you. The keyword you will always hear about his work is 'Gritty'. This is true, but for me this leads to a greater level of realism as well. The battle scenes are visceral and savage, blood soaked and terrifyingly real. The scenes involving 'The Bloody Nine' take on an almost grisly poetry in places. The realism too stretches to Abercrombie's characters, including the main point of view characters who despite being skilled in their own way, are by no means in control of their own destiny and for the most part morally ambiguous. They are all beholden to a higher power, pulling their strings no matter how high they may rise, and some rise very high indeed. Throughout the three novels there is a feeling of the main protagonists being dragged along by a tide which they have no control over, and just trying to make the best of it, which for me has a greater parallel with real life than you usually find in the genre. They just try and roll with the punches as best they can. One other aspect of Abercrombie's work that I enjoy is the dark humour present in all his novels. It is almost black in places, with a thread of gallows humour running throughout. It is something the British do very well I think. The Northmen in particular are a sarcastic and surly joy. Ultimately the trilogy as a whole keeps you guessing and on the wrong foot throughout, constantly driving forward to the next cliffhanger or twist. Some characters do some very bad things for the greater good, whilst some others carry out thoroughly heroic acts, perhaps only to further their own ends. You are always left guessing at everyone's true motivation all the way along (one character especially!). Even by the end it is hard to be sure who has won the ultimate victory and if the world Abercrombie has created is any better off for the sacrifices that have been made. I imagine that this was exactly the authors intention. Overall I heartily enjoyed the whole thing, and would imagine that anyone left a little underwhelmed by George RR Martin's most recent efforts (when judged against the unbelievably high standards of the earlier books in the Song of Ice and Fire Series) or are getting tired of waiting for the next instalments to be written would enjoy this series also. I could also see a quite fantastic film franchise with a very dark edge in the near future, with any luck. But then, 'You have to be realistic about these things' D.T. |
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May 2022
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