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billconrad · 6 months

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If Aliens Arrive, Fiction Must Change

We all enjoy fictional stories like Star Wars, Back to the Future, Harry Potter and Bridget Jones’s Diary. How amazing would it be to travel through time? Or wave a wand to make something appear? Fall in love with a beautiful person? Yes, please.

Fiction is based on the possibility that something amazing could happen. In science fiction, this includes amazing technology such as warp drives, transporters, cloaking devices, time travel, holographic people, intelligent robots and phasor rifles. We accept that there are all kinds of baffling lifeforms could be possible, like Chewbacca, green blooded Spock, the half-robot Borg or the all-powerful Q.

At the other spectrum are the characters like Superman who can fly, Iron man who has a nuclear reactor in his chest or Deadpool who cannot die. We also have the magic characters like Harry Potter. And then there are westerns, romance and mysteries. This wide spectrum of entertainment is quite enjoyable. But…

Someday, an alien spaceship might land, and the aliens on board would have unimaginable knowledge. From that point forward, we would know what is possible and what is not. That will be an amazing day full of fantastic discoveries. Yet there is a big problem.

It will be a bad day for fiction writers. Scientists have already proven that many technologies we interweave into fiction do not exist. Transports, time travel? Probably not. Amazing aliens? Biologists have clearly shown that evolution prefers basic lifeforms with practical features. Creatures with green blood, telepathy, X-ray vision? Never. Half-robot cyborg? Impractical. Heroes with super abilities? Nope. Magic spells? Definitely not. Today, we cling to the belief that these concepts are a tad out of reach. Just one more atom here or an extra watt of power there and POOF! Time travel exists. Magic? It certainly is possible. We just are not looking in the right places.

The day after the aliens arrive, humans will face a stark reality. They will definitively prove the fictional concepts we cherish are incorrect. Readers and movie audiences will suddenly have to make significant changes, and beloved stories like Star Wars will instantly become outdated. Perhaps even racist (against our alien friends). The powerful image of Superman will be relegated to a silly children’s story. Magic? Yeah, right.

What about Westerns? Surely aliens know nothing about the Texas panhandle or barbed wire. Heck, they probably have never even ridden a horse. Actually, they have had their western period and know stories that even famous western novelist Zane Grey could have never imagined. As a result, the existing western books would become outdated, and writers of additional works would have to adapt radically.

Romance? Well, aliens would bring new ideas about love, biology, logic (how beings interact), and their own love stories. Like westerns, existing works would be outdated, and writers would have to adapt. Mysteries, young adult, adventure, humor, poetry, and thriller? It’s the same issue and the same outcome.

It sounds like we need an example. Aliens land and reveal, “From our analysis, when humans fall in love, they give off radio signals. Using this simple receiver, you can tell when this occurs.” After that information becomes common knowledge, readers will expect to see this device in romance stories. Is this radio signal realistic? Who knows what is possible? Recall that Alexander Fleming found Penicillin in a moldy sample.

Does this mean that all fiction writers are out of a job? Or will they have to make a considerable adaptation to the new facts? Our core strength has always been the ability to adapt. The likely outcome of an alien landing will be a renaissance of “earth fiction,” where fiction writers must adjust their “universe” to the correct reality.

For example, Star Trek would get a reboot. The new stories would confirm the actual technology and habited alien worlds. We would ignore old shows except for their media historical value. Superhero stories would be limited to characters like Batman, a real person without superhuman abilities. It would take a much further leap for those diehard fans who must have superheroes, magic and science fiction. For example, Superman would only exist in a completely different universe (the multiverse).

What about my books? Would they be relegated to the “not recommended classics.” Wow, that is a depressing thought. Perhaps fiction authors could attend a book/comic/DVD burning party the day after the alien’s land. Bummer.

Yet, I would love to know how the universe works. Meeting lifeforms from other worlds? Yes, please. I guess this means I am torn about an alien landing. Alright, truth. I worked hard to create my books. Hey, aliens. Stay away from earth!!!

You’re the best -Bill

December 02, 2023

Hey book lovers, I published four. Please check them out:

Interviewing Immortality. A dramatic first-person psychological thriller that weaves a tale of intrigue, suspense, and self-confrontation.

Pushed to the Edge of Survival. A drama, romance, and science fiction story about two unlikely people surviving a shipwreck and living with the consequences.

Cable Ties. A slow-burn political thriller that reflects the realities of modern intelligence, law enforcement, department cooperation, and international politics.

Saving Immortality. Continuing in the first-person psychological thriller genre, James Kimble searches for his former captor to answer his life’s questions.

These books are available in soft-cover on Amazon and eBook format everywhere.

#writing #aliens #books

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levysoft · 1 year

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[…] Nel caso specifico il ricercatore stava iniziando a lavorare sul classicone Orgoglio e pregiudizio di Jane Austen quando ha deciso, per curiosità, di girare i suoi interrogativi a ChatGpt, scoprendo che la versione GPT-4 del chatbot era incredibilmente accurata sull'albero genealogico dei Bennet. Come se avesse studiato il romanzo in anticipo.

Il ricercatore ha deciso dunque di saperne di più usando il metodo che un professore di letteratura userebbe per capire se un suo studente ha letto davvero un libro o se bluffa con Wikipedia. Con il suo team ha cominciato a interrogare ChatGpt in modo massivo su una discreta quantità di testi, interrogandolo sulla conoscenza di vari libri e dando un punteggio per ognuno. Più alto era il punteggio, più era probabile che quel libro facesse parte del set di dati del software. Al termine delle sue interrogazioni Bamman ha stilato la lista dei romanzi che ChatGpt conosce meglio e che, molto probabilmente, sono stati dati in pasto al software per sviluppare conoscenze sulla sintassi e per avere informazioni sulla cultura generale e sulla letteratura.

I libri letti da Chat GPT

L'elenco dei 50 romanzi che il team di ricercatori ha scovato - pubblicato su Business Insider - ovviamente una piccola parte dell'immenso database del chatbot - comprende i libri cult della letteratura nerd: Douglas Adams con Guida Galattica per Autostoppisti, Frank Herbert e il suo Dune, George R.R. Martin e The Game of Thrones e Philip. K.. Dick con Ma gli androidi sognano pecore elettriche?. Non mancano anche cenni di letteratura americana come Furore di John Steinbeck o passaggi di letteratura inglese con Il Signore delle Mosche di William Golding.

Con sorpresa il team ha scoperto che i libri con la percentuale di conoscenza più alta da parte di Chat GPT sono libri di fantascienza e fantasy. In cima alla lista ci sono Harry Potter e la pietra filosofale, il primo della saga firmata da J.K. Rowling e 1984 di George Orwell. Al terzo posto c'è La compagnia dell’Anello, capostipite questa volta della saga di J.R.R. Tolkien. Ancora, Fahrenheit 451, Il mondo nuovo ma anche Neuromante di Gibson e Il cacciatore di androidi di Philip K. Dick, capolavori cyberpunk che, ironia della sorte, sono stati tra i primi a parlare dei pericoli intelligenza artificiale. Nella lista dei libri ci sono anche un paio di romanzi della saga di 007 di Ian Fleming, mentre tra i testi che ChatGpt conosce meno figurano Shining e I diari di Bridget Jones.

Nerd amante del fantasy e della fantascienza

“In pratica, scorrendo i titoli assimilati da ChatGpt, si scorge il profilo di un giovane adulto, mediamente colto e con una discreta passione per la narrativa fantasy e la nerd culture”, ci informano i ricercatori. Proprio il profilo degli ingegneri informatici che hanno effettivamente programmato il software.

Il team si è sicuramente divertito con un bel gioco letterario, che però nasconde quesiti dal significato sinistro, come osserva Bamman: “Le fonti su cui sono stati addestrati questi modelli di intelligenza artificiale influenzeranno il tipo di modelli stessi e i valori che presentano. Cosa succede quando un bot divora narrativa su tutti i tipi di mondi oscuri e distopici? In che modo questo genere può influenzare il comportamento di questi modelli in modi che non riguardano cose letterarie o narrative? Non abbiamo ancora la risposta a questa domanda”.

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achungarchive · 1 year

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Alexa Chung wears Róisín Pierce (2023) photos by Bridget Fleming

#Róisín Pierce #alexa chung #instagram 2023 #instagram #2023 #bridget fleming #met gala 2023 #the met gala #met gala

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meowydoe · 20 days

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so. ccccan i hear avbout your ocxcanon stuff so. you dont have to suffer trhough mine alone.

Ok SO

I just made a little moodboard for her here that has a little bit of info but I’m gonna add onto her more on this post

Her name is Bonnie-Bridget Crawford (hyphenated first name, Bridget is not her middle name) !!

She is a lesbian and part of the photography club AND has a big fat crush on miss Ruth Fleming (which her photography friends tease her about 24/7)

Photography is her main passion, but she also enjoys theater! Specifically costume design

Signature nail polish color is red (thinks it makes her look fancy)

Both her and Ruth not only suck at flirting but also suck at knowing when someone is flirting & it took them 7 dates for them to realize that they were in fact dates

Embarrassingly active tumblr user

Cuddler…

#if i think of more i’ll add it later !!#bonnie bridget crawford | oc #🎭📷 | flemford #meowydoe mailbox #sorry this is a little bit late i had 2 shower !!!

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ausetkmt · 1 year

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If you take a visit to Downs Farm Preserve in Cutchogue this spring, you’ll be greeted by a vibrant garden bursting with native goldenrods, milkweeds, white wood asters and more. There, monarch butterflies flutter around freely and bumblebees dart from one blossom to the next, pollinating nearby shrubs and trees as they collect nectar.

Next to the plant beds is a pocket meadow full of assorted native grasses and perennials, as well as a thicket area with shrubs and small trees. Planted last fall, they nourish wildlife and harbor a diverse community of insects.

The site is a small part of Southold Town’s habitat restoration efforts managed by Group for the East End, a North Fork-based nonprofit that has spent over 50 years protecting and advocating for the local environment.

Since 2020, the organization has been working to bring back native species to the site, which had long been overrun by invasive plants. Offering little to no food value for wildlife, these invasive species create ecological deserts by outcompeting native plants and disrupting local food chains. The restored site at Downs Farm Preserve is a visual reminder of the importance that native plant species hold for pollinators and other essential insects.

“We want as many insects as possible,” said Group for the East End outreach director Taralynn Reynolds. Though insects are often seen as pests, they’re vital to the North Fork’s food chains, serving as a source of nutrition for birds and other wildlife. They’re also key players in the North Fork’s economy. “Think about the North Fork’s agriculture and viticulture,” Reynolds said. “Who do you think pollinates those plants?”

Solidago sempervirens (Illustration by Christina Sun) Kalmia latifolia (Illustration by Christina Sun)

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Across Suffolk County, advocates are making strides to protect these pollinators.

In 2021, Suffolk County Legislators Kara Hahn, Bridget Fleming and Sarah Anker, along with former legislator Susan Berland, introduced a resolution that was unanimously approved to establish a pollinator task force. Composed of county agencies, horticulturists and environmentalists, the advisory group has been working to develop a plan to support pollinators.

“Pollinators are critical to our ecosystem. These creatures are inextricably linked, not only with every home flower garden, but also with the success of our region’s over a quarter of a billion dollar per year agricultural industry,” Hahn said in a press release issued by her office in 2021. “It is often said that ‘without pollinators, we don’t eat,’ so this is one issue we can’t ignore.”

As pollinators rely on native plants to survive, the task force advocates for growing native plants throughout the county, particularly in open green space and roadways.

“We’re under tremendous pressure from large-scale development projects that are really looking to build up the North Fork and denigrate that rural identity,” said Reynolds. “A lot of our insects are being threatened and their populations are declining because of pesticides and loss of habitat.”

As more and more green space is taken over by development, the preservation of native plants, Reynolds says, is essential. The Long Island Native Plant Initiative is doing exactly that; The volunteer-based cooperative is made up of over 30 nonprofit organizations, governmental agencies, nursery professionals and citizens working together to protect the genetic heritage and biodiversity of plant populations on Long Island.

“We used to have grasslands from the western end of Nassau County all the way to Montauk and those genetics used to be able to freely move amongst those populations,” explained Anthony Marinello, a member of LINPI’s board of directors. “Because development has pretty much consumed the island, our ecosystems are now very broken up and no longer connected.”

Myrica pennsylvanica (Illustration by Christina Sun) Ilex verticillata (Illustration by Christina Sun) Quercus ilicifolia (Illustration by Christina Sun)

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LINPI’s main initiative is to distribute native ecotype seeds to the nursery industry. These are seeds that come from plants that have evolved and adapted over a long time to the soil and climate of a particular area, like Long Island. Oftentimes, explained Marinello, nurseries import seeds from other regions, like the Midwest or New England. Seeds that come directly from native plants on Long Island, however, are better suited to the local environment and have a better chance of survival, especially in the face of climate change.

The cooperative’s executive board uses a special permit to collect native berries and seeds at state parks and nature preserves across Long Island. Once collected, these seeds are processed at the cooperative’s greenhouse at Sisters of St. Joseph in Brentwood. Some are saved as genetic samples and put in cold storage for future use, while others are grown in founder’s pots at the greenhouse. Once their genetics are mixed through reproduction, the cooperative is able to obtain seeds that represent the entire island.

Though most of LINPI’s energy is focused on integrating these native seeds into the larger gardening industry and restoration, it also hosts a biannual plant sale where the public can purchase native plants for their home gardens.

As pollinators rely on native plants to survive, the task force advocates for growing native plants throughout the county, particularly in open green space and roadways.

While most Long Islanders don’t have the space to grow a meadow in their backyards, they can still create important habitats for wildlife by adding native plants to their private properties.

Marinello first began home gardening with native plants in high school, when he transformed the front lawn of his parents’ suburban West Hempstead home into a mini oasis for songbirds.

“I used to feed the birds in high school, and then I learned that you could grow a better bird feeder,” he explained. After some research, he realized that he would need to grow native plants to attract caterpillars as a food source. “If you don’t have native plants in your landscapes, those birds don’t have a way to feed their chicks, so they actually starve in their nests during the breeding season.”

Eurybia divaricata (Illustration by Christina Sun) Heliopsis heliathoides (Illustration by Christina Sun)

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Today, Marinello is the founder of Dropseed Native Landscapes, a mobile company that helps individuals transform their yards into ecological safe havens. He offers online and in-person consultations to home gardeners across Long Island, selling native plants that he purchases from local wholesale nurseries like Glover Perennials in Cutchogue.

Whether Long Island residents have a large backyard or a second-floor balcony, planting natives for pollinators and other wildlife, Marinello says, is for everyone.

“If you have a small section of your yard that you don’t use, instead of keeping it as a lawn, you can make it a pocket prairie with native plants,” he explained.

When Reynolds first moved back to Long Island, she had to work with a small apartment patio. “I didn’t have the space and didn’t want to put the money into beautifying a place that wasn’t mine,” she explained. “I got containers and planted swamp milkweed in one of them. In one season, I had about 30 caterpillars on that one plant.”

Native plants can also save gardeners time and money. Unlike the exotic plant species that people often use in their gardens, native plants are well adapted to the environment, so they fare well without regular watering and maintenance. They also don’t require pesticides, a benefit for both the environment and communities’ health.

Though native planting has become increasingly popular among gardeners over the last decade, environmentalists like Marinello and Reynolds continue to see some apprehension from within their community. One common misconception is that native flower gardens are less “aesthetic” than exotic flower-filled gardens.

“Some of our native plants are absolutely gorgeous,” said Reynolds. Butterfly weed, she named as an example, is a bright orange flowering plant. “It really gives you that shock of color.”

“A lot of times when we speak about native plants people think that we’re speaking about some abandoned lot on the side of the road,” Marinello added. “That abandoned lot is filled with the non-native, invasive species. That’s not what we’re doing. We’re talking about vibrant wildflowers and shrubs that flower and smell fragrant.”

Asclepias syriaca (Illustration by Christina Sun) Eragrostis spectabilis (Illustration by Christina Sun)

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Tips for planting a native garden

Contact your local garden centers

There are several garden centers on the North Fork that sell native plants, including Peconic Herb Farm in Calverton, Chick’s Southold Agway and Trimble’s Nursery in Cutchogue. Contact your local garden center and express your interest in planting native plant species.

Do your research

Make sure that you are purchasing a plant that’s native to your region, not just the USA. As a rule of thumb, you’ll want to find plants that are native to an area that is within 250 miles from your home.

Educate yourself on the botanical names of native plants to ensure that you are purchasing the exact species that you are looking to grow. Oftentimes, plants at nurseries are either not properly labeled or common names may be misleading. For example, Montauk Daisies — scientific name Nipponanthemum nipponicum — originate from the coastal regions of Japan.

The New York Flora Atlas is an online resource that allows users to search for plants that are native to New York by their common name, scientific name, county, genus or family.

Choose the right plant for the right place

Some conditions to consider are sunlight, soil type, water availability and exposure to temperatures. Be sure to remove pesky invasive species from the area, which can destroy native plant species.

Join a community

Visit local parks and preserves, like Downs Farm Preserve or the native rain garden at Inlet Pond Park in Greenport for inspiration. Reach out to local nonprofits and other organizers that plant native species for advice. There are also several online communities dedicated to native planting, like the Long Island Native Plant Gardening Group on Facebook.

#The case for native plants

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