Sunday, February 2, 2014

Kibbels and Bits, Steampunk With A Heart, Roku 3, Doomsday Clock, and More!

Submissions: Simon451, a new imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc., is now accepting submissions! Apocalyptic-Dystopian, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Supernatural, and Speculative Fiction works are being accepted. CLICK HERE to submit.
 
Steampunk With Heart: Author Susan Kaye Quinn formed the Steampunk With Heart Week February 3-7. There will be numerous Steampunk authors, lots of participants, and giveaways. CLICK HERE to sign up. And check out the Facebook Page for this event.
 
Roku 3: Out with the old, and in with the new. We finally replaced the bedroom monstrosity with a smart TV and ROKU 3. Goodbye expensive cable TV bills. If you haven't checked out ROKU, watch a few clips on YouTube .
 
2014 Wormfest and Escalation Blog Tour: Take a moment and check out my NEW TAB where you can sign up for the 2014 Wormfest and help with my upcoming release of Escalation beginning March 10, 2014!
 
State Of The Union: I’m adding a new theme to my blogs each Monday called State Of The Union. Currently, U.S. schools ranks woefully behind in math, science, and reading. So I’ll spotlight something happening in the U.S. that is a step forward and will help lead the country well into the 21st century.
 
Today’s item: President Obama proposes the creation of six new tech manufacturing hubs. Upwards of a billion dollars could be committed to this project in the race for the next wave of high-tech manufacturing jobs. Two existing hubs in Raleigh, N.C., and Youngstown, Ohio, have connected businesses to research universities that can help America lead the world in advanced technologies. The aim is to revolutionize the way we make things in cities across the country. Reference
 
Did You Know: The Doomsday Clock is no doomsday device rather, it's a visual metaphor for the danger of a "civilization-threatening technological catastrophe." Every year, the board analyzes international threats, particularly nuclear arsenals and climate change, and decides where the minute hand on the Doomsday Clock should rest. The closer it is to midnight, the closer the world is to doom.
 
(Not so) Fun Facts: The closest the Doomsday Clock has ever come to midnight was in 1953, when the minute hand ticked to 11:58 p.m. after the first test of the hydrogen bomb. It was at its most optimistic in 1991, when the Bulletin board set the time at 17 minutes to midnight as the Cold War ended. Today, it stands at 11:55 p.m. Reference
 
 
 
Steve’s Science and Other Fun Stuff: I’m back for another year of cool and interesting science stuff every first and third Thursday of the month. Just click Einstein’s image at the top of my right side bar, or check in to the Blogging A to Z challenge site.
 
Author Of The Week: Julie Musil and The Boy Who Loved Fire. Click the book cover at the top of my right side bar for more information.
 
2014 Wormfest: This will be fun Bloghop hosted by Amazon Best Selling author Alex Cavanaugh, author and professional speaker L. Diane Wolfe, and myself. This is a passionate topic and I’m looking forward to all the amazing responses everyone will have. Sign up with the Linky List below.
 
And feel free to copy and use the code and help spread the good word, or click that Tweet button below. Thanks and have a great week!!!

20 comments:

  1. Hi Stephen, I'm with you on Wormfest. The Doomsday Clock is interesting information - it must be difficult for this board to decide when there's so much technology about and much of it in the wrong hands (and "right" hands, for that matter).
    It sounds as if Obama's doing something right.
    The Queen is down to her last million, here in England. We're all feeling the squeeze!

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  2. Looking forward to Wormfest!
    This week will be a big week for me. You'll see why tomorrow.

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    1. Alex, I'll do a shout out on Wednesday. good luck with everything!

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  3. Doomsday clock is worrying. Always like your science info.

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  4. Interesting about the Doomsday clock. I remember reading about the closest it had come to the end. Certainly puts things into perspective.

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  5. Wow! Lots of great things going on or are going to happen. It is so sad about our education system and since the Great Recession and all the budget cuts for schools I think it'll only get worse.

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    1. Natalie, I agree. But hopefully this upcoming Blog Tour can make a difference somewhere with someone.

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  6. Good to find your blog again Stephen, Good luck with your blogfest, not sure whether I can make it as I am hoping to visit my son in Spain if I can get rid of this persistent virus I've had(not the pc).
    Have a good week,
    Yvonne.

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  7. We've got Roku here, too. The only thing we had issues with (well, not me but my husband and teen son) was the lack of live sports. So we had to get a small cable package to go along with. But at least we're not using one of those expensive tiers now.

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    1. I will purchase a few shows and programs. But the savings from what we paid for cable is worth the switch.

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  8. The Doomsday Clock is a telling sign of our times. Will we be able to move forward without destroying ourselves? Makes for a great storyline for a book, doesn't it?

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  9. haha the doomsday clock sounds about as useful as the Mayans, and we know how that ended.

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  10. Stephen, thanks so much for choosing me as the author of the week. I'm truly honored! And thanks for the cool science info. I struggled with science as a kid, but now it fascinates me.

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  11. As an educator I have my own theories on why we're behind in education. Looking forward to The Wormhole blogging.

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    1. Susan, The 2014 Wormfest will be fun! And educational. Who knows what amazing ideas might arise!

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  12. Interesting nuggets and updates. Here's to hoping building a better America can outweigh the desires of partisan rankor.

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    1. Angela, our country is so divided right now on so many issues. I'm not sure if they will ever break the deadlocks in Washington.

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  13. I'm curious about who sets the hands on that Doomsday Clock! That's one scary job, but guess whoever it is has time to burrow under ground when the hands go straight up. Here's to that Wormhole. May all come through it unscathed. :-)

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  14. Let's hope that doomsday clock never reaches midnight.

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  15. As writers, I suspect we all have experienced our own Doomsday Clocks as deadlines approach.

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