Guards! Guards! OR Holy Flaming Lizards, Batman!

Welcome to the first post in the new Fascinating Reads category! Since I do write (and am actively working on getting paid for it), I therefore read a lot. Thus in my quest for blog variety, I have decided to mention some of the books that fascinate me, whether new, old, or somewhere in between.

For my first post in the category, I'd like to highlight a great book by my favorite author, and a splendid introduction to my favorite series:

Guards! Guards!  by (Sir) Terry Pratchett.

The dragon who would be king...
...And the worthless men trying to stop it.

Genre - Fantasy (But funny & poignant fantasy...)

Synopsis:

(From Good Reads)
"Here there be dragons . . . and the denizens of Ankh-Morpork wish one huge firebreather would return from whence it came. Long believed extinct, a superb specimen of draco nobilis ("noble dragon" for those who don't understand italics) has appeared in Discworld's greatest city. Not only does this unwelcome visitor have a nasty habit of charbroiling everything in its path, in rather short order it is crowned King (it is a noble dragon, after all . . .)

"Meanwhile, back at Unseen University, an ancient and long-forgotten volume--The Summoning of Dragons--is missing from the Library's shelves. To the rescue come Captain Vimes, Constable Carrot, and the rest of the Night Watch who, along with other brave citizens, risk everything, including a good roasting, to dethrone the flying monarch and restore order to Ankh-Morpork (before it's burned to a crisp). A rare tale, well done as only Terry Pratchett can."

Key Point of Fascination - Beginnings

This is the 8th book of the Discworld series, and Sir Terry has clearly hit his stride.(Side note: Judging by the latest Discworld novel released last year, he's still in his stride twenty years later. The man is a writer's equivalent of a multi-gold medal marathon runner.)

The Discworld series itself has several different character groups. There's a group of witches, the wizards, the metaphysical personifications such as Death...

...And the Night Watch.

This is the Night Watch's beginning. There have been seven more books since this one with that cast of characters. They're all spectacular books in my opinion. (And if you didn't come here for my opinion, you may be in the wrong place.)

But what's most intriguing is that the basic character traits for all seven books are still there in this one. I've read the last book, then gone back to Guards! Guards!, and I don't see "characters who would be fleshed out later." I see "people who have a long road ahead of them."

It's an incredibly impressive piece of writing.

Fascinating Excerpt - The Introduction of Carrot

One of my favorite characters of Discworld is Carrot. He's a wonderfully complex character that starts out as a very simple character who somehow, and this is the tricky part, stays simple even as he gets more complex.

I could write an essay on this guy.

But I won't. Instead I'll give you his introduction in this book:

"The young man is called Carrot. This is not because of his hair, which his father always clipped short for reasons of Hygiene. It is because of his shape."

and later...

"It wasn't only the fresh mountain air that had given Carrot his huge physique. Being brought up in a gold mine run by dwarfs and working a twelve-hour day hauling wagons to the surface must have helped.

"He walked with a stoop. What will do that is being brought up in a gold mine run by dwarfs who thought that five feet was a good height for a ceiling."

Recommended for those Fascinated by...

A great deal of imagination, quite a bit of fantasy, a large helping of humour (note spelling: He is a British author), and a good-sized chunk of heart.

Indy Children's Museum Part 2 OR Dinosaurs!!

Annnnnnd we're back at the Children's Museum! As observant readers have no doubt guessed, this week we're talking about dinosaurs. Specifically the rather neat exhibit at the museum.

Are you ready? Doesn't matter! We're doing it anyway!

Proof that dinosaurs laugh at your unpreparedness.

At some point, like many museums across the country, the Indy Children's Museum built an OmniDome, one of those enormous movie viewing experiences that projected movies (usually IMAX) on an enormous dome designed to fit one's field of vision.

What does that have to do with dinosaurs? Well the Children's Museum soon must have learned that a far greater pull than a large dome is long dead large reptile-bird-things.

Also this makes NO sense if it's a movie theater.

Thus we have the dinosaur environment created by the dome:

The theater light and sound part of me squealed a bit in joy.

The incredible projection screen now shows various colors to give a sense of a changing sky, and the incredible sound system provides rather realistic background noises, from roars to rain that made several people reach for umbrellas (no joke!).

Ch-ch-ch-changes!

The dinosaurs paused in their meal to admire the sunset...
...proving even carnivores have hearts.

The dome itself was filled with various casts of fossils, and not just the carnivores, which as everyone knows are the blockbusters of fossils.

This is more of a romantic comedy:
A solid earner and interesting, but only to about 50% of the people.

Obviously an animated feature.

What I really liked, though, were the extras around the fossils. It wasn't just bones and fake plants. There were caves children and small people could crawl through to look out of bubbles in the middle of the exhibit.

Photo credit: My lovely and much smaller wife.

Interactive exhibits taught us about what dinosaurs may have smelled like, eaten, etc.

Also very important lessons about science:
"Since fossils can't tell us [what they smelled like], we guessed."

They also went into various aspects of the paleontological process like putting casts of skulls together.

Recommended age for this jigsaw:
25+ with at least one Phd.

Paleontologists and bachelors: The largest users of microwaves.

Despite the serious nature of the paleontologists currently working there...

Yes: Actually paleontologists doing actual work.
...and trying really hard to look serious.

...The were also willing to have fun with things.

Riddle me this, Batman?!?

As exemplified by their possible answers:

This theory brought to you by ABC and early '90s sitcoms.

Overall, it was quite an enjoyable exhibit. There were also several interactive exhibits, including one where children could put on a tail and gloves to see what it would be like to move eggs around as dinosaurs.

(I would show pictures of that, but the only ones I have are of my rock drummer brother-in-law in the getup, and I'm holding those for possible blackmail.)

But I will leave you with this final piece of awesomeness:

The Indianapolis Children's Museum is the only children's museum who got to name a new dinosaur species. And their choice made the geek in me proud.

Yes. THAT Hogwarts.

Until next week, stay fascinated!

Mini Muskets & Paper Revolvers OR Eighty Years is a Long Time

To keep everyone from suffering from Museum Of Children Overload Stress Trauma (Mo COST), I'm switching it up this week with a category of the other things that fascinate me. Namely:
Things I find out while researching things for writing.

This week's research: Stuff I found out about Civil War armaments.

When I went to school, I was told that they used rifled muskets in the Revolutionary War. Then when they got to the Civil War, they used... Rifled muskets.

The Civil War was just like this, but with better uniforms.

As I got older, I realized there were some other advancements: Better artillery, better tactics, and, towards the end of the war, the Gatling Gun.

Thankfully he had an awesome name.
No one would fear the Smithers Gun.

In high school I took AP US History, and while I may have missed something (I did get a B), I seem to remember it had far more dates, battles, obscure laws, and names than any specific firearm technology.

I did vaguely remember they used the "Mini-Ball," which I assumed was just like it sounded: A musket ball, but smaller.

This high-tech graphic brought to by Easily Fascinated Technologies.

Boy was I wrong.

It turns out that in the 80 years between the two wars there WAS advancement. And rather a lot.

The "Mini-ball" was, in fact, the Minie Ball, a grooved bullet-shaped round that could be stored in a paper cartridge.

Not, in fact, a ball at all.

When fired, the bullet formed to the barrel's rifling, thus making it spin, and in turn making it go father much more accurately.

But that wasn't the biggest thing that blew my mind. That was reserved for the carbine rifle, which is definitively NOT a rifled musket.

This thing was breech-loading, meaning it was loaded from the back instead of by jamming things down the barrel like the rifles used by infantry.

To reload: Jam in paper cartridge. Place blasting cap on the nipple.
Stop giggling. Fire. Repeat.

It was less accurate, but was smaller and could be reloaded in about half the time. I found a YouTube video of someone firing it, and it's actually pretty impressive to watch.

Because of COURSE YouTube has videos of people firing 150 year old weapons!

The last thing that caught my attention was the revolver. Like most people in this country, when I think of a revolver I picture a western standoff, like somehow technology magically went from single-shot dueling pistols to Clint Eastwood

Progress!

Again my knowledge was woefully inadequate and full of holes, like low quality Swiss cheese.

In the Civil War they had six-shot revolvers loaded by, you guessed it, paper cartridges. They were loaded by jamming the paper cartridge into the front of the chamber, ramming it in place, then putting a percussion cap on the nipple at the back of the chamber.

The 1860 Navy Colt. When empty, it contains enough steel to make a handy club.

Only officers, cavalry-men, and people who could generally afford the $20 gun had these. Since the infantry only made $13 a month, that wasn't a huge number. But it was still a revolver, capable of holding six loaded chambers at once and moving through them rapidly.

Now I'm very sure that people who are really into the Civil War and guns knew about this for decades. But to be self-centered: I didn't. And what really caught my attention was that it finally bridged the gap in my knowledge between the Revolutionary War and the Wild West.

Because every now and then I like to remember that technological progress isn't done by some magical leap forward when someone decides that they should start using electricity instead of candles. Technological progress happens at the end of many, many small steps and improvements that finally culminate in a totally new way of looking at things.


Picture credits:
1 - Battle of Bunker Hill By Howard Pyle
2 - Source: National Park Service
4 - Source: WikiCommons public license
5 - Source: National Park Service
6 - Source; http://youtu.be/TByvrQ6-OLQ
7 - Duel: Published before 1923 and public domain in the US, Western duel: Old Town Temecula. (http://best-temecula-guide.com/slider/old-town-temecula/)
8 - Source: WikiCommons public license

Indy Children's Museum Part 1 OR Letting the Inner Child Out in a Big Way

Hello, faithful readers! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and all that. I know this guy did!

"More eggnog!!"

I'll start with a quick apology for the delay in updates. Things got a little crazy 'round here of late, but I shall leave it at that, since no one came here to hear (read) me whine.

You came for this!

And you're not the only one who wants to look inside!

That big building is the Indianapolis Children's Museum. In several places it's stated to be the largest children's museum in the world, which I highly doubt they'd just print without fact checking, especially since they're a museum and all that. I, however, have not checked such facts, so all I can tell you is this:

It's really, really, REALLY BIG.

So big that after one picture-filled visit I shall have to write several posts, since if I put it in one post everyone would seriously need a bathroom break before the end of the post. Including me.

I'm gonna share some of the awesome general things I noticed in the main areas, and in later posts get into the exhibits. (Yes, it's that big.)

Without further ado: Dinosaurs.

Which I must thank for giving me an awesome subject transition.

The outside of the museum has a whole bunch of various dinosaur sculptures, which is awesome. There's many reasons for this (which I'll go into with the dinosaur exhibit later), but it doesn't change the awesomeness. Even the streets around the city block that is the museum (I told you: Big) have dinosaur names.

"Yes, that's my address: 1942 T. Rex Trail.
...No, this is NOT a joke!"

The obvious (and heated) entry to the museum is a large walkway bridging the museum to the parking garage.

So of course I went on the street level. But on the way I stumbled over a few Wonders of the World.

Worth it!

Even though it was cold (please note the snow on the ground), I still enjoyed a (hurried) stroll around the models of various ancient buildings.

Like this Mayan pyramid. Picture taken on Dec. 23rd, 2012.
...Feel free to insert a Mayan Apocalypse joke here.

Once we went inside, we were greeted by a large festive bumblebee. And no, I do not mean a buzzing insect in a garish sweater singing carols.

I mean this:

An actual model from the movie that's about 15 ft tall.

Past the transformer there was the entrance and the awesome gift shop. I will not lie: I better make sure I have savings when I bring my future kids here, because I will buy them awesome science toys whether they like them or not. ("But I don't WANT to build my own solar-powered model engine!" "You'll discover the wonders of UV generated electron impulses and like it, young lady!")

But I digress.

The main hall is enormous, and was intelligently decorated not for Christmas or any holiday, but winter in general.

Because Winter is three months, and the Holiday season's only one.
That's usin' yer noggin, Museum!

The centerpiece was... Well, a very large white slide. But NEXT to that was what I thought of as the centerpiece:

The water clock.

U-Bends: They're not just for your toilet anymore.
(Well, mostly they are, but this is an exception.)

Through incredible calculations (or a ridiculous amount of trial and error) the glass tubes in this clock are all perfectly timed to fill up and release water at set intervals. As long as the water is pumped to the top at a set rate, the tubes do the rest. 'Twas pretty awesome.

Also, it's hard to see in the picture, but that thing is 20-25 feet tall. Which just makes it more impressive.

Elsewhere in the main hall I randomly found Spiderman hanging out...

Take THAT, Evil Wall Guy!

...As well as a Mastodon.

This large mammal roamed the earth thousands of years ago,
and was known for its cheeky grin.

Also: The creepiest skeleton face EVER.

Past the main hall is a large area with ramps going between the four different levels. And in the center of those ramps is something that took my breath away:

The Chihuly Glass Tower.

Four stories of "Holy crap that's a lot of glass."

My mother is a big fan of Chihuly's work, and while growing up we would go to various exhibits of his whenever they would come through town. I've always loved his work, and find his installation pieces like this one and various chandeliers absolutely incredible.

So I was pretty awestruck to find this one in the Children's Museum. (I hadn't known it was there!) Let's look some more:

Looking up the tower.

The "jumble" at the base.

Here's a close-up: Each one of those is blown and twisted by hand.

Below the tower is a Chihuly signature: The glass-filled ceiling...

...He has a better name for it, but it looks incredible from underneath.

And, being a museum, they had informative plaques all the way up the ramps, answering vital questions like, "How was this made?" and "How was this assembled?" and the ever-important:

Until I saw this plaque,
I did not think about what a logistic filled task this would be.

And finally, to leave you with a fun note: The museum saw fit to have the children learn how the tower was assembled, and even assemble one of their own!

Fortunately for all of us little Johnny only gets plastic.

But still, I found all this incredibly fascinating stuff just in the main areas, before I even GOT to the exhibits!

Join me in a couple weeks for a look at those!