How Alien Technology Could Shift Power Dynamics on Mars
My carefully laid plans to thwart MarsVantage and its independent-minded employees like Chuck O’Donnell, the CEO, lay in shreds at my feet.
Banning Foods Leads Black Markets
I’ve been fascinated for some time with the idea of the government solving a problem by making something illegal, particularly popular items. Black markets emerge when getting goods becomes impossible. A century ago, Prohibition in America led to speakeasies and bootlegging. Many people made a lot of money providing a product the people wanted. Further, … Read more
Fun With Chapter Titles
Unknown to me until recently, chapter titles are controversial–in one of my writing groups, anyway. Opinions fell into a few broad buckets: liking them, doesn’t matter, and takes the reader out of the story. As far as taking the reader out of the story… If a title does that, what does just “Chapter 1” and … Read more
When the Ex Is Coming
This post is about characters in The Siege of Mars Gretchen learns James Wagoner, a war correspondent for the All News Network, is coming to Mars. Why he’s coming now makes her suspicious. No reporters arrived after she and Frank discovered a buried alien city over the Martian horizon. Even when reporters and inspectors descended … Read more
Avoiding Unavoidable Conflict?
Since discovering Bvindu technology two years ago, Frank, as part of the Citizens in Freedom Committee, diligently worked to push MarsVantage to self-sufficiency under the radar. For him, that’s the key. He believes the company will achieve it before Washington gets wise and attempts to stop them. The other members of the Committee, including his … Read more
Why Two Years?
When I decided to write a sequel to The Music of Mars, one of the first decisions I had to make was how much time passed before the new book began. Too little or too much and believability would be strained. For the story I wanted to tell, I needed my MarsVantage main characters (Gretchen, … Read more
New Short Story – Greed Over Good Sense
Two years have passed since Gretchen Blake and Frank Brentford of MarsVantage discovered an alien city, Bvindu Dome, buried under the Martian plain. Kept secret from everyone except for a select few, Gretchen and Frank plan to leverage the city and its technology to gain self-sufficiency for MarsVantage. Exploring it along with a small group … Read more
Windows 11 Upgrade, HP Printer Funkiness
Some time back, I upgraded my systems from Windows 10 to Windows 11. Then I began having problems with my HP LaserJet P2055DN printer. This printer works great, but is so old that it doesn’t integrate well with HPSmart. Whenever I rebooted my systems, Windows would forget that the printer duplexed. I had to update … Read more
Windows Slow Upload Speeds Over Ethernet
After installing the May 2023 updates, I noticed slow upload speeds of large files (500m+) to OneDrive. I have 100/100 internet speeds. That file should upload in seconds, not hours. After rebooting my router and switch, I saw no difference in upload speeds. I also checked for new drivers, and there were none. I wanted … Read more