Tiny Tim’s New Years Tale

Tiny Time; a Crippled Earth

~I wish you a merry future; but confessions, everyone.

A tiny story by Wendy Gamble inspired by Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol

“The galaxy is not quite deserted,” said the most. Yet, a solitary planet, neglected by its fiends, is left unfit to till.

The people said they knew it, and they sobbed. “Fear it!” said the people, shuddering from head to foot. They recoiled in terror, for the Earth had changed, and now they sadly touched with dread, a bare, unfertile garden bed; on which, beneath a ragged rock, lay a single drop of precious precipitation, which though it was moist, announced itself as one small bandage.

Then soon young scientists thought upon the pleas and stayed, each one to seek, to hunt and face; and to a solution it led. “We find it, rather. Don’t be grieved!”

The Earth was better, a new world. Time grew to infinitely more, the fear of tiny time could die; it was a second chance for all reformed humans to gather.

~ Tiny Tim’s New Years Tale

You can find other Christmas poems and mini blogs about them and my available books at:

https://www.bublish.com/author/wendygamble

Christmas Special and Thee Three Kings

Oiling a Christmas Classic

*Limited time special price In US and UK on the author’s SF novels: Earth and Beyond 0.99 Thurs Dec 21 through 27, 2023; Ripped Genes 0.99 Dec 26, 2023 Through Jan 1, 2024

I love the classic tunes of Christmas, and how the rhythm of the lyrics plays in the mind. The beautiful melody of “We Three Kings” (Three Kings of Orient) is perfect to describe how the people of Earth can move beyond the wars for the right to make excessive use of toxic, polluting substances. We can reach beyond the old ways to imaginative new technologies that both improve the standard of living and the ecological impact of creating energy for those technologies. The combined powers of science and technology can leave us the ancient beauties of the world and add to them instead of destroying them.

To see the relevant excerpt from this upcoming third installment of the series, visit my “Bookbubble” at: The Jungle – Shoot for Earth: MedSci Missions 3 – Wendy E Gamble – Science Fiction & Fantasy – Bublish Book Bubble

You can see all my mini-blogs with excerpts at: https://www.bublish.com/author/wendygamble

Transforming Space and Thyme

I had a heap of fragrant, spicy thyme, with stiff stems stacking it loosely into a large mound. Painstakingly, I removed leaves, collecting a compact pile devoid of interstitial spaces. With great satisfaction, I noted I had transformed space and thyme. It took a lot of time, though. By spending time, I now had more space available to use. We reap what we sow, to make life more than so-so.

Consider lessons learned from the space-thyme continuum. Thyme increases with the speed of light. The quicker you get more light, the quicker you get more thyme. The more thyme you get continuing on and on, the less space you have available, relative to what you had before. Who knew the herb garden is so Einsteinian?

The spaceship Chiron has a hydroponic garden full of edible or medicinal plants. The ship designers also realised that giving plants space would lighten their load. Relativity works in weird ways, but feeding people is pretty basic. (Or acidic or neutral, depending on the needs of plants.)

Unfortunately, for some people, a field of greens is only a field of dreams, but even a pot on a balcony can help. Many herbs are good spreaders, so it’s not too hard to transform bare ground into thyme – but will we transform enough space in time?

To see the relevant excerpt from this upcoming third installment of the series, visit my “Bookbubble” at: https://bubli.sh/HtdWya9 Long link: Transforming Space and Thyme – Shoot for Earth: MedSci Missions 3 – Wendy E Gamble – Science Fiction & Fantasy – Bublish Book Bubble

You can see all my mini-blogs with excerpts at: https://www.bublish.com/author/wendygamble

The Art of not being Martial

Having a black belt in karate doesn’t make you Bruce Lee, or Jackie Chan, or Jet Li. For one thing, scenes in movies are staged, and often include hidden wires (though Bruce Lee was reportedly a genuine scrapper, and very dangerous when, and only when, he wanted to be).

When people hear I have a black belt, their reaction usually cause me to immediately inform them that modern karate training is about being peaceful. It’s self defence only. Never attacking first is drilled into us. So, there is no cause to fear someone trained in the modern way in Shotokan or similar styles of karate. Another point is that a black belt is only the beginning of serious training. You must master basic techniques to get a black belt. Yes, it requires years of diligent training, many tests and clinics, stress, and physical exertion. It’s not easy to get a black belt, and not everyone passes the first time. However, most people don’t realize that there are ten levels of black belt. If you see someone with a very black belt, it looks cool, but they’re probably not as experienced or high level as someone with a fraying belt that looks rather white because the black has been wearing off for years.

My character Sufra Shahar had a different kind of learning experience. She was forced by her parents to become an expert in a rough, backyard martial arts that emphasises proficiency, not peace. It was painful to the point of being traumatic, and after she got into deep space, away from her parents’ eyes, she made the realization that she didn’t have to keep training. The head of Chiron’s security force has another opinion, however. In this scene he has a victory in convincing Sufra to give another style of martial arts a chance – for everyone’s peace and security.

To see the relevant excerpt from this upcoming third installment of the series, visit my “Bookbubble” at: https://bubli.sh/S2WppTR Long Link: Combat Skills for Peace – Shoot for Earth: MedSci Missions 3 – Wendy E Gamble – Science Fiction & Fantasy – Bublish Book Bubble

You can see all my mini-blogs with excerpts at: https://www.bublish.com/author/wendygamble

AI Taking Over

If artificial intelligence can do a better job than a human, should we let it? While TV shows are held up by writers insisting AI not take their jobs, will AI internet videos become entrenched in people’s live to the point that the writers are out of a job anyway? I painstakingly write every word, but I have to wonder if AI could speed the process up. I’m almost scared to do the experiment of having AI write a story with the same setting and characters. I have no doubt that I would have to edit what the AI wrote, perhaps extensively. However, even if it did speed things up, it might never be the same as I would have come up with on my own. Plus, the legalities are awkward. So, I continue the old-fashioned way. What is necessary, though, as with the TV writers, is to be better than the AI. Not just different, but better. Otherwise, no contracts will help, it’s only a matter of time before the AI takes over.

On board my science fiction ship Chiron, there’s a similar dilemma, with higher stakes and more immediate consequences if the AI doesn’t get the job done right.

To see the relevant excerpt from this upcoming third installment of the series, visit my “Bookbubble” at: https://bubli.sh/Yn2V7Tn Long Link: AI Taking Over – Shoot for Earth: MedSci Missions 3 – Wendy E Gamble – Science Fiction & Fantasy – Bublish Book Bubble

You can see all my mini-blogs with excerpts at: https://www.bublish.com/author/wendygamble