Book Review: "Hunting Memories" by Barb Hendee

It's not news that vampire novels are everywhere these days and the hardest thing for a fan of the genre is to find something unique. Barb Hendee is well known for co-authoring the Noble Dead series with her husband J.C. and if anyone knows her way around vampires-- it's her. The question is, has she succeeded in creating something distinctive with her Vampire Memories series?

Well, yes and no.

I wrote a very positive review of Blood Memories, the first book in this series, last year and was really looking forward to the sequel because Hendee did have a fresh take on the vampire myth. The standout part of Hendee's mythology is the way in which her vampires evolve after their mortal death. Whatever happens to be their strongest personality trait in life is amplified to an overpowering level when they make the transition to the living dead. "Blood Memories" introduced us to Elisha Clevon, a young woman who was so frail in life that her 'talent' is to appear so helpless that any mortal man she encounters immediately feels a desire to protect her. Elisha was solely created to be a caretaker for an elderly vampire teetering on the edge of sanity, but her world changes dramatically when she discovers she has telepathic abilities; and that terrifies her creator-- who has been hunting down and killing all the older vampires who display that particular skill.

"Blood Memories" saw Elisha confronting her creator, Julian-- whose own particular talent is for instilling fear. Using her newfound telepathic talents Elisha fends off Julian and settles into a new life with another vampire and a human telepath. "Hunting Memories" is the start of the next chapter for Elisha. Believing that she has achieved an uneasy truce with Julian, she starts reaching out to the few vampires who have survived his relentless hunt.

The significance of Elisha's telepathy comes into play as she meets new vampires. As she touches their minds she is able to see their past through their eyes and actually experience their transitions into immortality; and these are the most compelling moments of the story. A few new vampires are introduced into the small circle of characters and we see that it hasn't always been necessary for vampires to kill to survive. But Julian isn't as complacent as Elisha believes and as her group grows, he becomes increasingly agitated and certain they are going to eventually hunt him down.

"Hunting Memories" is a good book in many ways. Hendee's strength clearly lies in creating characters that go beyond flat stereotypes. Her stories are populated by people who are very relatable with unique personalities. But what had seemed so new in "Blood Memories" begins to feel slightly tired this time around.

What keeps "Hunting Memories" from fully succeeding is that it doesn't tread any new ground. New characters are brought in, but the story follows what now feels like an old formula. Julian is still the villain he always was and his motivations have not really changed. I had also hoped that Hendee was not going to allow her vampires to veer into the more non-threatening territory we see so often in modern paranormal fiction. And though she doesn't succumb to the temptation to make her vampires into pseudo-monsters from a romance novel, Hendee didn't allow the story to follow the darker path I thought it was going to go down. There were hints that some of her characters were going to heed their more sinister natures, but that part of the narrative wasn't really expanded and I was curiously disappointed. In the end, it felt as if the story had gone in a circular path and didn't gain any momentum.

Ultimately "Hunting Memories" is a book for people who really liked the first book in the series and are willing to hang in there and see if the story evolves. I tend to think it will. If I'm reading Hendee correctly I think she is taking her time and using a more subtle method than most authors who write in this particular genre to move the story forward. Hopefully "Hunting Memories" is more of a sophomore slump than a trend.

Power Copies vs. Document Templates

I've been wondering if there is an advantage to using document templates over power copies if the model doesn't have any solids. I think I may have my answer.

Currently my model has 150 floors that are created using fills and extrusions, so everything is a surface -- no solids means I can use a power copy to make each floor. Trouble is, after 150 copies of the floor (well, technically, 149), the model runs REALLY SLOW. Each parameter adjustment takes about 30-45 seconds to run. Not much in the grand scheme of things, but I'm used to less than 5 seconds for processing changes...

Now I wonder: if I had set the floor up as one part, and the framework as another, and merged them using a document template, would it run faster? I also wonder if using 1 solid shape for each floor instead of 2 fills and a profile extrusion would help speed things along...

...next time, next time

Power Copies vs. Document Templates

I've been wondering if there is an advantage to using document templates over power copies if the model doesn't have any solids. I think I may have my answer.

Currently my model has 150 floors that are created using fills and extrusions, so everything is a surface -- no solids means I can use a power copy to make each floor. Trouble is, after 150 copies of the floor (well, technically, 149), the model runs REALLY SLOW. Each parameter adjustment takes about 30-45 seconds to run. Not much in the grand scheme of things, but I'm used to less than 5 seconds for processing changes...

Now I wonder: if I had set the floor up as one part, and the framework as another, and merged them using a document template, would it run faster? I also wonder if using 1 solid shape for each floor instead of 2 fills and a profile extrusion would help speed things along...

...next time, next time

iPad of Apple, will change the world

Finally, Apple begin officially come out already in the work , Apple 'latest creation', as foresee keep that it is Tablet from Apple, which, the name of call that "iPad" by who come out advise be Steve Jobs

The first time at see the figure of iPad, everybody will almost speak alike that, it is “Big iPod Touch” already iPad can do? There is good?

Begin with interface, which certainly that all interface still the prominent point of Apple and have the high-resolution 9.7-inch LED-backlit IPS display. This makes it perfect for web browsing, watching movies or viewing photos. Besides , display still be design like the multi-touch screen on iPad is based on the same revolutionary technology on iPhone and it might make you feels since for the first time that about iPad is how thin and light it is. Which, it’s slightly smaller than a magazine. At just 1.5 pounds and 0.5 inch thin

The performance of iPad come from CPU Apple A4 1 GHz, so power efficient that it helps get up to 10 hours of battery life on a single charge. The iPad takes advantage of the fastest Wi-Fi networks. by built-in 802.11n and can connect with Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR and 3G speeds up to 7.2 Mbps. For iPad is available with a choice of 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB of flash storage

The iPad Application, that still can be usable various. Neither be the large Multi-Touch screen on iPad lets you see web, you can see and touch your email in ways you never could before. In landscape, you get a split-screen view showing both an opened email and the messages in your inbox. To see the opened email by itself, turn iPad to portrait, and the email automatically rotates and fills the screen, including MobileMe, Yahoo! Mail, Gmail, Hotmail, and AOL. You can to enjoy and share your photos, can see video from HD movies, TV shows to podcasts, music videos and YouTube videos .You can open Ebook on interface at stability and beautiful by Ebook Reader at can read a document, a book which come from the software sells a book "iBooks"

And besides that have other application neither be iPod, iTunes, Maps, Notes, Calendar and Contacts, which resemble that exist in iPod and iPhone.

The iPad have 2 versions be support WiFi and WiFi + 3G

iPad WiFi , that plan sell in 60 day ;
- iPad 16GB = $499
- iPad 32GB = $599
- iPad 64GB = $699

iPad WiFi + 3G that plan sell in 90 day ;
- iPad 16GB = $629
- iPad 32GB = $729
- iPad 64GB = $829

If you liked this Tablet, you would also be interested in:
www.apple.com
iPad Technical Specifications
iPad Gallery

A-Team Trailer

Awwwwww Freak Out!

Methinks DP (or possibly my laptop) doesn't like to change too rapidly. Case in point:

I have a parameter that adjusts the depth (thickness) of each horizontal plate. This is a very forgiving parameter, and can be adjusted from almost nothing to a whooole lot (it has worked at 1' and at 75', and many points in between).

As can be seen here, it works nicely stepping from 60' down to 15':


The freak out happens when it tries to jump from 60' directly to 15':

Note that the floor_to_floor parameter in this is the same as it was in the previous screenshot... if it's not too small to read, that is...

Why would it freak out when jumping from 60' to 15' when it's perfectly fine jumping from 60' to 30' to 15'??

Awwwwww Freak Out!

Methinks DP (or possibly my laptop) doesn't like to change too rapidly. Case in point:

I have a parameter that adjusts the depth (thickness) of each horizontal plate. This is a very forgiving parameter, and can be adjusted from almost nothing to a whooole lot (it has worked at 1' and at 75', and many points in between).

As can be seen here, it works nicely stepping from 60' down to 15':


The freak out happens when it tries to jump from 60' directly to 15':

Note that the floor_to_floor parameter in this is the same as it was in the previous screenshot... if it's not too small to read, that is...

Why would it freak out when jumping from 60' to 15' when it's perfectly fine jumping from 60' to 30' to 15'??

Visual Mobile Phone for the Deaf

This is concept of a Visual Mobile Phone. With visual phones, individuals who are deaf or can’t speak can participate in conversations on the go.

Visual Mobile Phone aren’t just a great innovative mobile system for the deaf.It is an innovative visual mobile phone and helps you to see the sound and communicate with others. Can run multiple applications at the same time and connect to work in your emergent situations.

User can stretches Visual Mobile Phone by two handy pillars and types behind what his or her thought. Visual Sound will display it on the elastic screen board and visualizes what recipient spoke to the user. Text what the user wants to say and it will pronounce this to the recipient.

Image Credit: Su
Designer: Suhyun Kim

If you liked this mobile, you would also be interested in:
www.trendhunter.com

Series Review: "Caprica"

**Spoilers Included**

Human emotions are double edged swords at the best of times. Love can drive a man beyond his normal limits to provide for and protect his family; but it can also be twisted into a possessiveness that can lead to unreasoning violence.

And then there's grief.

Grief is an emotion that most of us would forgo because it's what we feel after a loss. It might be the loss of a relationship or the death of a loved one. It's an emotion so often suffered alone and mad with grief is an expression just about everyone can understand because we all know there are certain losses we're not sure we could survive.

Trust the creators of "Battlestar Galactica" to choose such a heavy emotion on which to base their new series.

Caprica is the prequel to "Battlestar Galactica and like its predecessor it's complicated and absorbing. Taking place 58 years before the original series "Caprica" follows the story of two families torn apart by a terrorist bombing. Daniel Graystone (Eric Stolz) is the owner of a large corporation and a technological genius. Still reeling over the death of his daughter he discovers that his daughter had managed, before her death, to create an avatar that exists in a holographic world that is more than just bits of data. The avatar has her memories, personality and a desire to exist beyond the world she lives in. But Daniel only has part of the technology he would need to download his daughter's avatar into a cybernetic body. So Graystone turns to the only other man who knows his grief, Joseph Adama (Esai Morales)--who lost his daughter and wife in the same attack-- and asks him to steal the technology needed to complete his newest obsession.

Adama is tempted by the dream of being reunited with his family and agrees to help Graystone. But once the deed is done and he is confronted by the avatar of his own daughter, he turns away from the experiment convinced that the results will be an abomination. But Graystone is now in the grip of his overriding grief and the conviction that he can bring his daughter back to life; even as her own avatar begins to voice doubts about the plan.

"Caprica" has many of the same themes that ran through "Battlestar Galactica" and questions about God and religion jump to the forefront right away. This may turn some viewers off as some have complained that the topic was dealt with in too heavy-handed a fashion in the original series. But given the Cylon fixation on a monotheistic God versus the pantheon of gods the Capricans worship it would be a glaring omission if "Caprica" didn't at least try to address a plot device that was so integral to the personalities of the Cylons. The way they work this in is by showing Graystone's daughter growing increasingly involved with a cult-like religion that sows the seeds of her own death and that dogma has been included in the personality of her avatar.

The casting of "Caprica" is top tier, much like "Battlestar Galactica," and Eric Stoltz is very believable as a father teetering on the edge of sanity as he chases the dream of resurrecting his daughter. He's clearly a man who isn't thinking about moral considerations in the face of his grief. Esai Morales, as the father of a young William Adama, is a man torn between two worlds and often crosses ethical lines he'd rather avoid but is drawn to time and again by his familial ties.

"Caprica" doesn't explode on the screen the way "BSG" did. It's no less intense, but it has a quieter vibe. Rather than the bleak world of need presented in "BSG," "Caprica" is a world riding high on prosperity and the excesses that brings. It's a perfect breeding ground for extremist religions as overly-pampered kids look for meaning in a world that has never required much of them. And it promises to explore these themes in depth.

The good thing about the premier episode of "Caprica" is that you'll likely know right away whether or not you'll like the new series based on the religious themes included in the plot. If you were turned off by that aspect of "BSG" then "Caprica" may not be your thing. But if you don't mind following that thread and seeing where it goes, you might really enjoy "Caprica." It's not as flashy as "BSG," at least so far, but it has some decidedly eerie moments and promises to have the same dark genius as its sister series. There's also something really satisfying about seeing the inception of the Cylon race. For me, the show worked. And I'm very interested to see how the series, and the Cylons, evolve.

Two Mistakes

#1: An odd quirk

My floorplate geometry is set up such that the centers of each arc lie on the same circle, and each arc is tangent to the same circle (so all the arcs are the same size). Also, the centers of the arcs are equadistant from each other, so the straight lines connecting the endpoints are all the same length. That's all well and good, but it's not the point.

I have a parameter to set the length of the straight line segments, and the radii/positioning of the arcs adjusts to the line segment constraints. Since there is no upper limit to where I can set the line segment parameter, I can push the line segments until they cross eachother, which creates a bit of a crisis for the arcs that are supposed to be in between the segments. I pushed the parameter beyond this limit and Mickey Mouse popped out.

The trick is, once Mickey appears, he won't go away, even if I decrease the line segment length parameter back to within appropriate bounds. It's like DP has created new geometry to adjust for the segments when they are too long, and then that new geometry stays put even after the line segments go back to their original length. I wonder if there's a way to get around this....


an animation of pushing the parameter limits


#2: Sticking parameters in power copies

I'm still getting used to what it means to include parameters and relations in power copies, both on the input and copy creation side of the bar. My floorplate geometry is supposed to respond to 3 parameters: the length of the straight line connecting the arcs, a factor that adjusts the amount of rotation, and the distance between floors. In this example I had spent so long worrying about the adjustments I made in plan, that I completely forgot that I had set parameters for adjustment in elevation. Note the missing 'floor_to_floor' parameter:



The worst part is that I forgot to test the floor_to_floor parameter until after I had painstakingly added 18 power copies that lacked that height adjustment ability. The planes that made up the supports for each copy could be readily adjusted, but the extrusion height of each copy was supposed to follow suit. Ahh, I can't wait until we learn how to script...


On the plus side, the straight line segment adjustment and the rotation adjustment worked just fine.

Two Mistakes

#1: An odd quirk

My floorplate geometry is set up such that the centers of each arc lie on the same circle, and each arc is tangent to the same circle (so all the arcs are the same size). Also, the centers of the arcs are equadistant from each other, so the straight lines connecting the endpoints are all the same length. That's all well and good, but it's not the point.

I have a parameter to set the length of the straight line segments, and the radii/positioning of the arcs adjusts to the line segment constraints. Since there is no upper limit to where I can set the line segment parameter, I can push the line segments until they cross eachother, which creates a bit of a crisis for the arcs that are supposed to be in between the segments. I pushed the parameter beyond this limit and Mickey Mouse popped out.

The trick is, once Mickey appears, he won't go away, even if I decrease the line segment length parameter back to within appropriate bounds. It's like DP has created new geometry to adjust for the segments when they are too long, and then that new geometry stays put even after the line segments go back to their original length. I wonder if there's a way to get around this....


an animation of pushing the parameter limits


#2: Sticking parameters in power copies

I'm still getting used to what it means to include parameters and relations in power copies, both on the input and copy creation side of the bar. My floorplate geometry is supposed to respond to 3 parameters: the length of the straight line connecting the arcs, a factor that adjusts the amount of rotation, and the distance between floors. In this example I had spent so long worrying about the adjustments I made in plan, that I completely forgot that I had set parameters for adjustment in elevation. Note the missing 'floor_to_floor' parameter:



The worst part is that I forgot to test the floor_to_floor parameter until after I had painstakingly added 18 power copies that lacked that height adjustment ability. The planes that made up the supports for each copy could be readily adjusted, but the extrusion height of each copy was supposed to follow suit. Ahh, I can't wait until we learn how to script...


On the plus side, the straight line segment adjustment and the rotation adjustment worked just fine.

Benv 2723 Project X CHINA YangShuo

Benv 2723 Project X CHINA YangShuo

“Green Noise” converts the sound energy to electricity

The requirement that a human will seek the energy for come to pay back the current energy that day by day have the amount will limit and disappear soon. The sound is energy at has can to modify become other energy. Then have the designer, get design a device changes sound energy becomes the electric energy. It is known call that “Green Noise”

The Green Noise is a device that a device that traps & converts the sound energy to electricity for the runway lights. It features a conical speaker-form placed on a tripod base that easily absorbs sound and prevents rainwater from collecting on the bottom. It also has a screen which gives the personnel the information required.

The Green Noise can function on all types of weather and will help the airports, for example, to save a huge amount of electricity.

Designer: Hung-Uei Jou

If you liked this product design, you would also be interested in:
www.yankodesign.com

Puffin, A One-Man Stealth Plane from NASA

NASA scientists will officially unveil their design for a hover-capable, electric-powered aircraft, nicknamed “the Puffin” can fly up-down the vertical (VTOL: Vertical Take Off and Landing). Work with electricity system and can fly very silent, it sees smart but, see be excited many

NASA, design an aircraft "Puffin" by will have beginning officially for indicate that, personal vehicle has developed with electricity aircraft will to change the way of life in our travel

Puffin is couple propeller aircraft at can go up and down to the ground in the vertical. But, instead of use turning direction of a propeller in the focusing soars to go to straight. It, to adjust the tail below for take the wind power for can lift go up in the horizon before to soar go up in the horizon on the sky, person enforce Puffin aircraft will see dial and the scenery around through the sheet glass covers clear glass. For step flying down, will opposite with start up

The Puffin stands 12 feet high (3.6-meter) and has a wingspan of 13.5 feet (4.12-meter). In theory it can cruise at 150 miles per hour (241.4 kilometer per hrs.) and sprint at more like 300 miles per hour (482.8 kilometer per hrs).The craft is electrically propelled and runs on rechargeable lithium phosphate batteries, which would theoretically allow it to soar as high as 30,000 feet (9,000 meter) before its batteries would begin to run low and it would be forced to descend. But scientists are confident that the Puffin’s range could be increased as batteries improve over the coming years.

Designers: NASA

If you liked this aircraft, you would also be interested in:
www.scientificamerican.com