The New Frontier

If Hawking says it's right, it must be right. The aliens are out there and Earth had better watch out, at least according to Stephen Hawking. He has suggested that extraterrestrials are almost certain to exist but that, instead of seeking them out, humanity should be doing all it can to avoid any contact. Although Hawking believes only a few life forms could be intelligent, he also believes that contact with such a species could be devastating for humanity.

Similarly, Lord Rees, the astronomer royal, warned in a lecture earlier 2010 that aliens might prove to be beyond human understanding. “I suspect there could be life and intelligence out there in forms we can’t conceive,” he said. “Just like a chimpanzee can’t understand quantum theory, it could be there are aspects of reality that are beyond the capacity of our brains.”

Hawking concludes that trying to make contact with alien races is “a little too risky”. He said: “If aliens ever visit us, I think the outcome would be much as when Christopher Columbus first landed in America, which didn’t turn out very well for the Native Americans.” Hawking’s logic on aliens is, for him, unusually simple. The universe, he points out, has 100 billion galaxies, each containing hundreds of millions of stars. In such a big place, Earth is unlikely to be the only planet where life has evolved.

Famous lost words

My youngest daughter must reed several books for school. She likes reading so, no problem so far. Her teacher told her she must read some 'real' literature. No Chicklit, no Young Adult or other fancy fiction. So, like real shopaholics (sorry, no Kinsella either!), we went into town to buy some real literature. The heavy stuff. The words written by famous writers like Hemingway, Salinger and..."Excuse me?" the lady in the shop interrupted. "Who are those guys?". 
Alright, we've made that clear. Nothing 'real' available in the bookshop anymore. Yes, sure, Roald Dahl's Mathilda was there, but any titles like Kiss Kiss or Switch Bitch...not to be found. Power and the glory? On the beach? Catcher in the rye? "Excuse me? Are those movies?"

Onward to the library. The house of words. Well, plenty of words, but Hemingway? Nevil Shute? I decided to have a look at the Dutch titles. All the books compulsary in my student time were no longer available. 
Wh-r- did all th-  w-rds g-?
What h-pp-n-d? 
L st w rds?
G n .

Famous Fifteen

Ever heard of misattributed quotes? Who does not remember the famous quote of Andy Warhol: “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.” The pop artist, who built a fortune by mass-producing other people’s creations, may actually never have made those words up.

After investigating the statement’s history, art critic Blake Gopnik discovered that the Stockholm show’s creator, Pontus Hulten, included the quote in the catalogue’s compendium of Warhol quotes. “If Warhol didn’t say it, he very well could have" Hulten had said.

Photographer Nat Finkelstein also claimed he was the source. During a 1965 outdoor photo-shoot with Warhol, some bystanders tried to push themselves into the shot. Andy said to the photographer "...everybody wants to be famous". Finkelstein replied "Yeah, for about 15 minutes, Andy". He took that line Finkelstein claimed.

The quote first appeared in print in 1967. A Warhol insider, Larry Rivers, described an art world in which “everybody will be famous” in a book about the contemporary scene. 

Warhol rejected notions of “originality” in his art. He employed assistants who produced multiple versions of his silk-screens and embraced consumerism, reproducing images of soup cans and Hollywood celebrities. My guess? You really should see the hilarious version of Warhol in the movie "Men In Black III". Your opinion about the famous soup cans will be changed forever and you won't bother about fifteen minutes more or less...

Doomsday

The 'War of the Worlds' finally arrived in Paris. Authorities were alarmed by unidentified flying objects moving around the famous tourist attractions. Paris' nights are no longer ruled by the flashing light of the Eiffel-tower now a flock of drones is skimming the sky. At least four drones have been reported. With the terrorist activities of the past few weeks fresh in their minds Parisiens are alert to anything unusual. No wonder the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) caused some panick. Thus far nothing really happened as the reported drones apparently were no more than the toy-helicopters available online and at many toy stores nowadays. So, no invasion of terrorists on flying carpets.

Mind you, I have written about a spectacular and massive drone attack in my book 'Gatorway'. A social thriller reporting about societal problems most people are still unaware of. China has revealed an anti drone laser system, however this system is developed to protect the nation against military drones. It's not effective against a massive attack by a squadron of small drones created by hobbyists. Read my book and beware. Drone Doomsday is not imaginary! 
Sleep well...

T-shirts, mugs and other merchandise based on this Skredch-character are available at my Zazzle shop.

My thriller 'Gatorway' is available at  amazon.com. (Paperback and Kindle).

Gatorway is a social thriller. A story which uncovers a societal problem, most people are still unaware of. What happens when terrorist groups and drugs cartels are fighting over power? When nano-technology meets ordinary crime and an innocent scholar gets involved in a world of violence? Dylan Timmers finds himself all alone on the most exciting and dangerous summer job ever…

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