Remembering the Future is now available in Kindle. (Click on the link in the entry below.) The reason we have released the book in Kindle is that the book will reach more people and give more people the enjoyment of reading.

The Kindle edition is $4.99. Please pass the word on to others!

Remembering the Future is now available in Kindle. (Click on the link in the entry below.) The reason we have released the book in Kindle is that the book will reach more people and, hopefully, give more people the enjoyment of reading.

The Kindle edition is $4.99. Please pass the word on to others!

I met Robert J. Sawyer for coffee on Monday the 24th! I have been a big fan or Rob’s for quite some time. (Remember: Rob wrote a wonderful endorsement for my book, Remembering the Future, which is a story in itself.) We talked for over an hour. Rob answered many questions, gave me invaluable insights, and signed all my copies of his books. (I have all of Rob’s books and have multiple copies of several; Rob happily signed them all.)

I learned much about Rob, including at what point he knew he would be writing science fiction full time, different ways that he gets ideas for stories, and that, even with all his achievements (there are many; click on the link to his web site), he is one of the nicest people I have ever met.

On Tuesday the 25th, Rob gave a presentation at Books & Company here in Prince George. (This is the excellent bookstore at which I did my signing in September). Rob read part of his latest book, Watch, and answered numerous questions, including some about the television series FlashForward, which is based on his book of the same title.

Then he signed copies of his books. I was happy to wait for my turn. I asked if he would mention our meeting one another. Rob astounded me again by writing a wonderful note for me in my copy of his new book Watch.

Meeting Rob came out of the blue. I heard he would be in Prince George and then asked him by e-mail if there was any chance of seeing him apart from his time at Books & Company. He replied, “Absolutely, Mark,” and it went from there.

This year I was stunned and delighted by a Tree Dedication Ceremony, arranged and presented by John and Pat Yessen, Bill and Paula Mclane, Byron Peirce, and my wife Gail. One day Gail and I are under the tree and she tells me that all five are coming out to say hello. I look and, sure enough, the five are walking out. I was thinking that it’s one of those coincidences where they all just happened to hook up and here they are. I had no idea what was to come.

They reach us and there are hellos and handshakes and hugs. OK. Then, John passes out pages to the rest of us. I look and see: “Mark Shegelski Tree Dedication Ceremony.” I blink. Still there. Down the page are things we are going to do. I’m supposed to make a reply at item 6! What will I say? I have no idea what is going on. A poem about a tree is read (you know the one), and we go through the list. When we’re done, the tree is dedicated to me. We finish up by having snacks and beverages.

It was done partly in fun, but it was also something special. Thanks to you all for a great surprise and a cherished memory. I’ll remember that day forever.

Leinaala News May 2010 Tree Dedication Ceremony

Three students asked more than one question: Jordan Diaz, Adrea Pringle, and Collon Saphore. I gave to each the gift of a signed copy of Remembering the Future.

At the end of my presentation, I was given the gift of a Lei, and I was speechless. Luckily, my presentation was over.

I was delighted to hear later that the students read aloud one of my stories, The Quiet Room, in their next class. This story emerged as the selected story for reading following my telling the students about horror stories I have worked on.

Thanks to these three students, and all the students in class, for your intense involvement in my presentation, as well as to Mr. Tom Stevens who let me present my book to his class, and to all others at the school.

A more accurate picture of solid matter is the following. You have the protons and neutrons in nuclei, which occupy a tiny fraction of the volume in the solid, about a millionth of a billionth of the space (ten to the minus 15). Outside the nuclei, which is almost all of the space, is where you’ll find the electrons. There are two types of states for the electrons A good picture for the “bound” electrons is that many are smeared out clouds that are centered on the nuclei and which connect the nuclei indirectly: these electrons form a labyrinth which pervades the space in between the nuclei. The other state is “mobile” electron states. Mobile electrons are spread throughout all of the volume of the solid: they occupy all of the space outside the nuclei. These are the electrons that carry current. In insulators you don’t have very many mobile electrons, but the bound electrons still fill the space. In summary, the nuclei are filled with protons and neutrons, and all the space outside the nuclei is filled with electrons: there is no empty space!

Question: What holds up a metal against gravity? See the next “science snack.”

Entanglement is the central reason for the bizarre nature of Gerrold as The Entangled Man. Entanglement defines him, forcing him to perceive the world in a manner unlike any other character I know of in all of the stories I have read. He is a unique entity and, quite honestly, it still chills me every time I think of what life must be like for him. I could not have developed this character without knowledge of quantum entanglement.

I will be putting further entries on various science topics here in my blog. Check for updates every now and then!

Which authors inspired you?

If you had to choose, which would you pick: to be a professor or to be a writer?

Why didn’t Pender use Jack more directly in the story “The Mind Wipe?”

I want to thank Mrs. Gamble and all the students for a great day. Special thanks to Willow and Landon and Alistair for such challenging questions. I look forward to hearing what you think of “Remembering the Future.”

What a good read, you are to be mightily congratulated, entertaining AND thought provoking, a hard double act to pull off. I smiled to myself while reading “Grandfather Paradox” and “Double Click.” I was thinking what I’d do!!!! Most of the time I was not smiling, the thoughts of how scary the possibilities and probabilities of the quantum world are was much too close to home.

Thanks Trish!