Cometary Tales Blog Oh, right, I’m on Mastodon

Oh, right, I’m on Mastodon

Everybody’s making the move. Most of the people I’ve followed on Twitter have slowed down engagement. Some stick to it purely for promotions, so maybe it’ll become the book-promotion site. For those of us looking to connect with other writers, with readers, with people in the business or whose creativity overlaps with ours…Mastodon is the place to go.

I’m CometaryTales over there, like I am everywhere, because that just makes it easy, doesn’t it? I’m a member of two instances, wandering.shop and sfba, because one is for SFF people and one is for SF Bay Area folks and that lets me feel connected in two ways. But, mostly, I’m on hanging out on wandering.shop, where you’ll find me posting about the works in progress (WIPs), the upcoming books, things that happen to interest me, and my friends’ bookish stuff. C’mon over!

Here are a couple of useful resources to help you navigate the move: This one gives you all the basics if you’re an author moving to Mastodon (but, really, the advice applies to anyone). This one tells WordPress users how to do the fiddly bits of verifying your website connection, if you want to do that.

Awwwriiiight! Let’s go!

You might also like to read:

Secrets & AdventuresSecrets & Adventures

No, it's not a compass.
No, it’s not a compass.

Sometimes, you need a compass.  Sometimes, you need a more specialized instruction set.

This section of Cometary Tales follows the path of adventure, in search of the secrets and mysteries out there in the natural world.

I’ll begin by co-opting the blog page for an in-depth retelling of how I took two cameras down the Colorado River on an inflatable raft and managed not to drop either of them in the river.

Not to say my loyal retainers didn’t suffer.  The TS-4 served its duty of riding lens-first into rapids, secure only in the assurance that between a wrist strap, a neck lanyard, and a sweet orange floaty it was not likely to end up in Lake Mead.   The non-rugged ZS-7 struggled mightily with the ubiquitous sand, but soldiered on, recovering temporarily from a sand-jam to deliver a final sequence of aerial shots when the TS-4 exhausted its last milliamp-hour on the way out of the canyon.

To follow along on this journey, track Secrets of the Grand Canyon.

(Updated January 2021.)

Walking to Pluto, Step 4Walking to Pluto, Step 4

Step 4:  Go Farther

Pluto & Charon in Full Color (Image Credit:  NASA)

Pluto & Charon in Full Color (Image Credit: NASA)

New Horizons has flown past Pluto successfully, and is now on the way to check out other Kuiper Belt objects.  Here’s Corwin Wray’s simulation (made with Pixel Gravity, his software for doing multi-body models on your laptop), which concludes with a wistful look back at our Solar System:

 

Like New Horizons, you can explore further too.

It’s worth your while to start by tracking down Guy Ottewell. Yes, he’s on the web, folks, and you can connect with him! Start with his Home Page, which includes all of his books, including the latest version of the book form of his Thousand-Yard Model as well as innovative ideas in several fields, from voting systems to landscape design:    He has a Facebook Page on which he’s been more active as of 2014, sharing art and world news:    And he joined Twitter in 2013 and tweets regularly, especially on human-rights topics, which should interest anyone who’s become aware of just how small our human community is in this huge universe: find him as simply @GuyOttewell on the tweet machine.  A few of his books are available at Amazon, but take care—the latest updates are best obtained by purchasing directly from the author.

 

Of course, you might want to follow some of informational links given in the workbook pdf’s for this project:

For more information on both the inner and outer planets: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/charchart.cfm

For more information on the asteroid belt:   http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cfm?Object=Asteroids&Display=OverviewLong

For more on Kuiper-belt objects and Pluto:   http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cfm?Object=KBOs and also http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cfm?Object=Dwarf

And of course we have an active mission beyond Pluto right now.  It’s an APL project, so they have a great page on the program:  http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/

Read about the Pioneers’ adventures here http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/news/2013/pioneer11-40-years.html#.UzDJ44WwX_0 and here http://www.nasa.gov/topics/history/features/Pioneer_10_40th_Anniversary.html#.UzDKb4WwX_0

Discover more about the Voyager missions at: http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/where/index.html

And find out where all the system-leaving spacecraft—as well as Earth-orbiting satellites, the planets, and other system objects–are right now: http://www.heavens-above.com/SolarEscape.aspx?lat=0&lng=0&loc=Unspecified&alt=0&tz=UCT

For more on the Oort cloud, see http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cfm?Object=KBOs

 

Lots of other interesting links:

The National Optical Astronomy Observatory presents Guy Ottewell’s original project description from 1989 online:

A wonderful collection of poems and quotes related to astronomy, gathered by Michele Stark, an astronomer with a wonderful page she created while lecturing in physics at the University of Michigan, Flint. l  You’ll also find astronomy labs she’s created for non-majors interested in the field, under “Outreach and Education”

A relatively exhaustive listing of scale models in place around the world—most are designed for point-to-point driving or cycling tours, so scroll to the bottom portion of the list for walkable models, several of which are roughly on the same scale as that presented here. Check before you set out—some of these installations were only temporary, as part of larger events and some are virtual (i.e., online). I would like to imagine astronomy fans travelling to all of them, as baseball fans travel to all the major-league parks.

The National Center for Earth and Space Science’s “Voyage” program has a “somewhat” pricier scale model in Washington D.C. but also offers up lots of useful curriculum materials:   http://voyagesolarsystem.org/   Their program is fee-based, not by any means free, but it is very comprehensive and aims to involve parents, teachers, students, and their communities: http://journeythroughtheuniverse.org/home/home_default.html

You can keep track of the Voyager spacecraft in real time at http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/where/index.html   They’re in rapid motion—Voyager 1 is travelling at over 38 thousand miles per hour (over 17 km per second).

All about the sun (with a wonderful NASA graphic of a solar flare compared with the Earth): http://www.universetoday.com/94252/characteristics-of-the-sun/

A summary page on the Peppercorn Model at SpyHill Research, which also includes some links to interesting places: http://www.spy-hill.net/myers/peppercorn/

Why isn’t an AU exactly the same as Earth’s orbit any more? Sorry academics, the best answer is in Wikiland: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astronomical_unit

More about our Moon: http://www.universetoday.com/19677/diameter-of-the-moon/ By the way, Universe Today is a good site to follow!

Asteroid information for Wiki fans: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asteroid_belt

The Project Astro Notebook used to be sold as a huge expensive bulky (and still wonderful) binder. Soon, you’ll be able download at least some portions in pdf format from the free government-sponsored education resources site eric.gov. However, for now your best bet is to buy the DVD’s at http://astrosociety.org/astroshop/index.php?p=product&id=577&parent=1

While you are waiting for your DVD to arrive, the Astronomical Society of the Pacific has a page full of resources for you, including a few of the Project Astro activities. http://www.astrosociety.org/education/astronomy-resource-guides/

If you actually need to shop for marbles, by all means the best place for working on this project would be “Moon Marbles”, at http://www.moonmarble.com/c-78-shooters-approx-19mm-or-34.aspx

Astronomer Phil Plait summarizes the latest estimates on stars with planets beyond our own system: http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2013/11/04/earth_like_exoplanets_planets_like_ours_may_be_very_common.html

Why use a FIFA 4 or 5 ball? Well, the dimensions are good for it. But any similar-sized ball will do for this project…like the tennis-ball-patterned playground ball I have.  Guy Ottewell likes to use a bowling ball—but notes that it’s kind of heavy to lug around. http://www.achallenge.com/t-faq.aspx

A seemingly unrelated topic—watching for the bright flare of reflected sunlight from certain Earth-orbiting satellites: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/washtech/features/iridiumqa.htm The interviewer on that page is talking to Chris Peat, whose website contains a wealth of information on satellites, the solar system, and the positions of the Pioneer and Voyager spacecraft. http://www.heavens-above.com/?lat=0&lng=0&loc=Unspecified&alt=0&tz=UCT

Just to show how established walkable solar system models have become, here’s a typical promotion for a talk by Eric Myers of SUNY (see the GoogleMaps list below) and another talk summary that may inspire you to think about other ways of building a model https://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/event-view.cfm?Event_ID=44693   and http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=7&ved=0CGcQFjAG&url=http%3A%2F%2Fregionalaaptmeeting2013.weebly.com%2Fuploads%2F2%2F2%2F9%2F3%2F22939768%2Faapt_meeting.docx&ei=jaU5U5rvCqiIyAGK0YHwBw&usg=AFQjCNHl4_6jyF2UU_JJ7H9SrD6suXOhjA&sig2=MBKeDxFBGjHlVB2rk8n3wA&bvm=bv.63808443,d.aWc

A few places (courtesy of SpyHill Research’s page) where you can use GoogleMaps to follow a model:

> SUNY College at New Paltz, New York:  Map, KML

> Dutchess County Rail Trail, Morgan Lake, Poughkeepsie, New York:  Map, KML

> Riverfront City Park, Salem, Oregon:  Map, KML

> Walkway over the Hudson, between Poughkeepsie and Highland, NY:  Map, KML

> Marist College, Poughkeepsie, NY:  Map

 

For an insanely delicious solar-system project for any mad bakers in your circle, visit Rhiannon’s recipe on her cakecrumbs blog: http://cakecrumbs.me/2013/08/01/spherical-concentric-layer-cake-tutorial/ with some extra photos and video on waitwow http://www.waitwow.com/make-scientifically-accurate-cake-planets/

If you need more reassurance that science and math are not only fun but also funny, visit http://www.xkcd.com (but do prescreen before sharing with students—this webcomic does sometimes use “PG-13” language.

If you have already memorized all of Gary Larson’s Far Side comics, visit the science cartoon webring at http://jcdverha.home.xs4all.nl/scihum/webring.html

And of course, don’t forget to visit Science Cartoons Plus (http://www.sciencecartoonsplus.com/pages/gallery.php)

 

Materials shopping tips:

Pins with small round heads—look for beading pins—however, be aware that beading pins aren’t sharp, so pick up some ordinary pins as well. http://smile.amazon.com/Beadaholique-20-Piece-Ball-21-Gauge-1-5-Inch/dp/B00BBAXXYS/ref=sr_1_1?s=arts-crafts&ie=UTF8&qid=1396515591&sr=1-1&keywords=pins+2mm+head   For pin tips, any small sewing pin with a nice sharp tip will do. (Note that beading pins are not that sharp.)

For the jacks ball, you can pick up a jacks set anywhere. Online (e.g., www.orientaltrading.com , they’re often sold in party packs of a dozen sets. But any bouncy ball bigger than ¾” and no bigger than 1” in diameter will do the trick.

If you decide to buy a playground ball or soccer ball online, locate an air pump before your shipment arrives—they’re often shipped uninflated.

And if you buy on Amazon, be sure to sign up for smile.amazon.com first, so your purchases can support your favorite charity.

The Importance of Making ConnectionsThe Importance of Making Connections

I have lots of writer friends who cling to the old-fashioned notion of the lonely author toiling away in solitude, until emerging with their masterpiece ready to be snapped up by publishers. They know it’s not real. It’s never been real, but the myth has a certain romance to it. As a great bonus, it puts off into the far future that moment when you discover if your work has meaning to anyone other than yourself.

The one compromise they’ll take is to join a critique circle … more on those in a post I’m still working on. That way, you still have the comfort of an insular environment, listening to just a few voices who don’t actually have power over your publication chances. It feels safe, even when the feedback isn’t always “wow, that’s fantastic!”

Yet, as I’ve learned the hard way, and as publishing pros will tell you if you but listen, the journey to publishing that precious work (and all that follows) begins while you’re still writing. If you’re thinking of making even a part-time extra-gig career of being a writer, you need to approach it as a pro, and seek out the society of others in that endeavor. Sanity check? As an engineer in the power industry, I’m a senior member of the IEEE, our professional organization. It keeps me connected to advances in my field. Don’t you want that for your writing career?

Here are the key groups I’ve joined to network with other writers, learn new skills, and build a better platform for this career: the California Writers Club (and I assure you that wherever you are, there is a similar organization), the Women’s National Book Association, and the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association.

The California Writers Club is a grand old organization, claiming Jack London as an early connection. The South Bay Writers branch is a friendly supportive group for writers at all levels and in all genres, including poetry. Quite a few poets, actually, who connect each other with poetry-focused events in the area.  The group hosts regular sociable (in person) meetings with a speaker and gets together for summer and winter celebrations. If you’ve followed me before, you’ll know we also sponsor twice-monthly online open mics, informal (not competitive) which also attract writers who can’t make it to meetings. At our last open mic, we met two new poets in the area (who didn’t know each other before but turned out to have a connection in their non-writing careers) and then we had a fun surprise, as one of our regulars was attending from his birthday celebration and shared not only a work-in-progress appropriate to Halloween but also the ceremonial candle-blowing-out portion of the party. Alas, he could not figure out how to send us slices on Zoom.

Birthday lit with last candle being lit, with candles that spell "Happy Birthday"
Nothing like friends when you need to celebrate

If you haven’t been a part of a professional organization before, keep in mind that in this context “social” has two elements: making friends (don’t we all need friends?) and networking (making friends who mutually help out each other careerwise). I’ve gained in both senses from being a part of this group, including making contacts beyond the group, as friends introduce me to other friends in the broader writing community. As is usual for CWC, all meetings are open to nonmembers, and usually attendance is free for a newbie, so anyone can visit and form their own impressions.

There are several CWC branches in my area, and they all welcome members of other branches, which is great for catching speakers you want to hear or just getting some variety in your mix of connections. Like others I kow, I’ve joined a second branch, the one based on the San Francisco Peninsula. It’s not convenient for me to attend most meetings, because they’re held an hour’s drive away, but that particular branch happens to have a higher concentration of sci-fi/fantasy writers, some of whom I’d met through online open mics. Now, I run that chapter’s online open mic and I’m leading the members-only anthology project. If I hadn’t joined this club, it might have been years (or never) before I’d had an opportunity to first assist an experienced anthology editor and then take the helm for the next edition.

Another resource I strongly recommend is the Women’s National Book Association, which has chapters all around the country and offers many online ways to interact and learn. This organization is all about supporting women and underrepresented authors as they work to professional goals; and no, you don’t need to be a woman to join or to attend events. The San Francisco chapter has a great cast of characters, including poets, nonfiction writers, novelists, short-story authors, agents, and local small publishers. Some members are involved with the annual San Francisco Writers Conference. Both the local and national organizations offer online programs as well as some in person events. During covid, this is one organization that took to heart the lessons we all learned about how effective the online environment can be to bring together those who can’t access distant in-person events.  For instance, they converted their formerly hard-to-access annual pitching workshop event to an online program, and chose to keep it that way.

Finally, with some effort, I’ve managed to qualify for membership in my genre’s professional organization, SFWA. They do require a certain amount of sales, and I work with a small publisher who likes my slightly off-the-beaten-trail work, so I was lucky there. However, even before I qualified for membership, I volunteered as a tech for the annual conference (when it was online) and have learned that I’m good at contributing on that end (the engineering degree did help a bit, there), which meant I could eventually earn my way to attend the annual writing conference, which otherwise would be outside my means. That’s another trick I’d learned from engineering conferences, where volunteering got me into events I couldn’t otherwise have attended. SFWA offers a lot of support, cameraderie, and networking connections to members. Not to mention the chance to hobnob with some of my SFF heroes and meet in person writers and techies I’d only been able to meet through Discord or on a Zoom call.

This essay started as an email to a new friend, a poet working on her MFA who was looking for connections in this area and reached out through our open-mic signup form. She’s taking a strong route, creatively seeking to build bridges early in her career. You, too, can look for the connections that will help you grow as a professional. Hey, if you’re not (or not only) a writer, but an engineer or an Amazon tech or a scientist or whatever, remember to connect with organizations that bring together others in your field for mutual benefit. (Yes, of course that includes unions.) Trust me, even if you’re an introvert like me, taking that step works to draw you out of your isolation and enliven your life and empower your career.

© 2012-2025 Vanessa MacLaren-Wray All Rights Reserved