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In case anyone is interested...I made some minor changes to my little essay on the Lorentz Time Dilation equation. I added a cover, made the type bigger, corrected a few typos, and polished the exposition in a couple of places. The new, and improved essay is at: "Time Dilation"  You can also find it at Tales from the Crosstimbers. |
Sorry, Max. This is so far over my head that it's safe from antiaircraft missiles ...  |
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| Okay, I've spent the last two days writing an essay on the Lorentz equation. I don't imagine there are more than one or two people on here who would have even the vaguest interest in this subject, but here goes. The Lorentz equation describes the difference in time between a moving observer and a stationary observer. tm = g ts where tm is time measured by the moving observer and ts is time measured by the stationary observer. It's a simple equation, like E=mc2, but one that's hard to understand. The constant g is always greater than one, so the usual interpretation is that one second for a moving observer is longer than it is for a stationary observer. This usually only matters when the moving observer is going at a considerable fraction of the speed of light. However, the accuracy of the GPS systems we all use rely on using this equation. In any case, the usual facile explanation about time slowing down when you speed up isn't quite correct. I had a story submitted to me at Tales from the Crosstimbers that misinterpreted this, which is what led me to writing the essay. While I was thinking about it, I realized that, unlike the more famous Einstein equation everyone knows, this one doesn't require any deep mathematics. It's possible do deduce the Lorentz equation just using Euclidian geometry. It's remarkable that such a profound fact has such a simple foundation. That's in this short essay, too, along with an explanation of what it does and does not mean. Like I said...I'll be amazed if anyone actually reads this, but it was kind of fun to write. The essay is at "Time Dilation" |
| I haven't thought about this since my first university degree. My only question from your paper is your use of the Pythagorean theorem. Doesn't that only apply to right angle triangles? And the diagram does not indicate a right angle, nor the writing. Wouldn't sine law or cosine law come into play then? Or did I miss something? |
| I conclude from this essay that you are a good teacher. I'm not terribly confident about math, but I could understand this essay and now I feel smart. Also, I remembered that Heinlein story, and FURTHERMORE I think I know one cause of the submission that didn't get time dilation quite correct. A billion years ago I got a collection of Isaac Asimov essays from the library, including several where Asimov grumped about sci-fi stories where people didn't bother with the "sci". I seem to remember he wrote one that mentioned time dilation as a way of explaining why you can't go faster than the speed of light (Asimov was really cheesed off at stories airily handwaving FTL travel), and *that essay* left me with the same impression as your anonymous story submitter. I suspect this isn't actually Asimov's fault--I was something like 15 and didn't really understand geometry yet, so I bet I was misreading him. But now I want to go find that essay and see if I'm remembering it correctly... |
 Prompts--Chose one of the following three prompts  Genre prompt:  mystery/detective --there's a crime and someone's got to solve it; OR Words prompt: use the words brouhaha, bamboozle, and ineffable; OR Character prompt: your protagonist has  OCD   Length Limitation: Stories should be 3000 words or less. Prizes Winning authors earn  GPS and  Merit badges , and their stories receive an  Awardicon . The contest accepts a maximum of ten entries, so click here or on the banner above to reserve your place now! |
| Not sure if you're familiar with Finding Nemo. But all I can think of when I read "brouhaha" is the chant during this scene |
Allan Charles 🐾 2340534  - I love Finding Nemo! For one thing, it's an iconic example of the three-act-play. |
| Prompts--Chose one of the following three prompts Genre prompt: mystery/detective --there's a crime and someone's got to solve it; OR Words prompt: use the words brouhaha, bamboozle, and ineffable; OR Character prompt: your protagonist has OCD Length Limitation: Stories should be 3000 words or less. Prizes Winning authors earn GPS and Merit badges , and their stories receive an Awardicon . The contest accepts a maximum of ten entries, so click here or on the banner above to reserve your place now! |
| Tales from the Crosstimbers is open for submissions through June 30, 2025 for the Fall 2025 issue, due out in September of 2025. We're eager to read your speculative fiction of 1000-5000 words. Payment is at least $10 and up to $50 per story based on word count. Members of Writing.Com are especially welcome to submit. Contact information and more details on the links below. Link to publication: https://theCrosstimbers.online Link to open call: https://thecrosstimbers.online/open-call/ Link to submission guidelines: https://thecrosstimbers.online/submission-requirements/ |
Fine publication and quite thoughtful of Max Griffin 🏳️🌈   to give a special invite to WDC writers. Been thinking about taking a shot at traditional publishing for a short story? Give Tales from the Crosstimbers a shot. |
I'm pleased to announce that the Summer Issue of Tales from the Crosstimbers is now available. Click below for Kindle and Amazon Print edtition links. Starting tomorrow and until Saturday, the Kindle edition is free. WDC author Raven  has the cover story.  |
I've written a flash fiction horror story. I'm not good at either flash fiction or horror, so I'd appreciate feedback. It's rated 18+ due to some graphic descriptions, so I don't want to link it here, but if you're interested, I'll send you a link or you can find it, titled "The Coven," at the top of
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New title, new cover, and new teaser for my WIP  Sebastian likes his new job, except for all the distractions. His OCD forces him to constantly check stuff out, like that hunky guy he spotted going into the mysterious office down the hall. When Sebastian checks him out, he winds up joining a desperate quest to save the Cave of Worlds, a system of wormholes and the realms they connect. |
Olivia‘s „roadsweeping“  - First three chapters are in the clear and available to read--click on the cover. The remaining ones are available on request...there are eleven so far. |
Max Griffin 🏳️🌈 - I‘m in your Folder right now and saw it. Awesome illustrations btw.  I‘ll finish May catching up on "Anniversary Reviews" , but by the beginning of June… |
| More doodling...a marginally better cover for my WIP "The Cave of Worlds" |
| So, instead of doing actual, real work on my novel today, I made a better cover and came up with a tagline Sebastian joins Lord Marcus on a quest through the Wheft and into the cave of worlds. |
| First three chapters done on "The Cave of Worlds" , and I've now got a clear idea of the plot. Chapter three launches the Hero's journey. The first three chapters are open to all; remaining chapters will be under passkey, but I'll share them on request. As always, feedback would be great. I used AI to generate images of the three protagonists so far, Sebastian Vargas; Marcus Melmoth; and Rufo the troll:    |
| I wish I had the time to read what you've got going on. I know I'd love it. You're so talented! But I'm trying to finish school early this semester so I can drive to LA and get settled in before the next semester starts. I also haven't even begun packing, yet I'm supposed to start driving next weekend? Uh, yikes! Anyway, I hope you find some great readers and get some super helpful feedback! I love the images! |
| I've been doing research for my in-process novel, "The Cave of Worlds" , and stumbled across a fascinating speculation about the source of ancient Scandinavian legends of trolls. For background, these legends sometimes characterize trolls as roughly human-sized, living in caves, living separately from human communities, having large noses, thick skins, and heavy skeletal structures. They generally have language and can successfully--if rarely--interbreed with humans, and are sometimes helpful and sometimes hostile. If that reminds you another, real group from pre-history, you're not alone. Here's an article by an archeologist from Stanford speculating the source of the troll legends might be an echo of human-Neanderthal interactions roughly 24,000 years ago: https://www.norwegianamerican.com/neanderthals-scandinavian-trolls-and-troglodyt... He discusses genetics, linguistics, and archeological evidence, that could support--or not--this speculation. He also mentions fiction that includes this speculation as a premise. Anyway, I thought it was interesting enough to share here. |
Not sure this is going to go anywhere, but I drafted the opening chapter to a new novel this morning....
I'd be grateful for comments... |
| How I spent my day not writing: I found this awesome recipe for shortbread wedge cookies at https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/shortbread-wedge-cookies/ I modified it slightly by adding chopped pecans, cinnamon, and cream of tarart to the dough, then sprinkling cinnamon/sugar on top. The recipe is *really* easy. I made it Friday for the writing group, but used sprinklles and chocolate chips. That was pretty good, too, but this was better. They came out tasting kind of like a cross between shortbread and snickerdoodles. I had one--the rest are for Mr. Gene.  |
Your writing group is so lucky to have such a talented and giving member in it!  And, of course, I obviously mean your writing. lol Though I'm sure they appreciate your baking, too. Hahaha! |
Schnujo's Giving Away GPs  - They did finish off the wedge cookies, but the big hit were the crispy chicken wings I fixed in the convection oven. They were kind of a mess to make (I soaked them in buttermilk overnight before breading them), but they did turn out well. We even had a new member show up with an *awesome* story. |
| No doubt, they chose your writing group because of the goodies you provide. Lol |
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Conveniently, I happen to have a detective hanging around with a few loose ends 
