At http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2022765/The-ants-multi-coloured-abdomens-exactly-theyve-eating.html#ixzz1U9mFq1wR

Tasting the rainbow: The ants whose multi-coloured abdomens show exactly what they've been eating

By Daily Mail Reporter
UPDATED: 15:00 GMT, 5 August 2011

The saying 'you are what you eat' is true for these insects as stunning pictures show their abdomens changing colour as they sip on sugar drops.

Father of three Mohamed Babu set up the photographs after his wife, Shameem, showed him some ants had turned white after drinking spilt milk.

He gave the creatures the brightly coloured sugar drops and watched as their transparent stomachs matched the food they were eating.

A good palette: Some of the ants even wandered from one colour to another, creating new combinations in their stomachs

Some of the ants even wandered from one colour to another, creating new combinations in their bodies.

Scientist Dr Babu, mixed the sugar drops with edible colours red, green, blue and yellow and placed them in his garden to attract the insects.

By placing them on a paraffin base the drops kept their shape when touched by the ants.

The 53-year-old discovered the ants preferred lighter colours such as yellow and green.

He said: 'The idea for the photograph came to me after my wife showed me some ants that turned white sipping the spilled milk drops on our kitchen counter.

'I shot the photo in my garden to take advantage of the natural lighting and set a paraffin sheet with coloured sugar drops near some ants.

'Even though I could get enough of a crowd within a few minutes, it required several retakes to have a shot up to my satisfaction.'

Ring of colour: An ant's transparent abdomen shows the colour of the food they have eaten

Dr Babu, from Mysore, in South India said

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2022765/The-ants-multi-coloured-abdomens-exactly-theyve-eating.html#ixzz23lGcWRNn
... ( more at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2022765/The-ants-multi-coloured-abdomens-exactly-theyve-eating.html#ixzz1U9mFq1wR )

At http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/08/120814100302.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29

Macabre Finds in the Bog at Alken Enge, Denmark: Skeletal Remains of Hundreds of Warriors Unearthed

ScienceDaily (Aug. 14, 2012) — A fractured skull and a thighbone hacked in half. Finds of damaged human bones along with axes, spears, clubs and shields confirm that the bog at Alken Enge was the site of violent conflict.

The first skull from the 2012 dig with a mortal wound caused by a spear or an arrow. (Credit: Field Director Ejvind Hertz, Skanderborg Museum)

"It's clear that this must have been a quite far-reaching and dramatic event that must have had profound effect on the society of the time," explains Project Manager Mads Kähler Holst, professor of archaeology at Aarhus University.

For almost two months now, Dr Holst and a team of fifteen archaeologists and geologists have been working to excavate the remains of a large army that was sacrificed at the site around the time of the birth of Christ. The skeletal remains of hundreds of warriors lie buried in the Alken Enge wetlands near Lake Mossø in East Jutland, Denmark.

The remains will be exhumed from the excavation site over the coming days. Then an international team of researchers will attempt to discover who these warriors were and where they came from by performing detailed analyses of the remains.

"The dig has produced a large quantity of skeletal remains, and we believe that they will give us the answers to some of our questions about what kind of events led up to the army ending up here," explains Dr Holst.

Forty hectares of remains

The archaeological investigation of the site is nearing its conclusion for this year. But there are many indications that the find is much larger than the area archaeologists have excavated thus far.

"We've done small test digs at different places in the 40 hectare Alken Enge wetlands area, and new finds keep emerging," says Field Director Ejvind Hertz of Skanderborg Museum, who is directing the dig.

In fact, the find is so massive that researchers aren't counting on being able to excavate all of it. Instead, they will focus on recreating the general outlines of the events that took place at the site by performing smaller digs at different spots across the bog and reconstructing what the landscape might have looked like at the time of the birth of Christ.

New geological insights

At the same time as the archaeological dig, geologists from the Department of Geoscience at AU have been investigating the development of the... ( more at http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/08/120814100302.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29 )

When is a Werewolf Book not a Werewolf Book? by Chris Stevenson

At http://coffeetimeromance.com/CoffeeThoughts/when-is-a-werewolf-book-not-a-werewolf-book-by-chris-stevenson/

Aug 15, 2012 Posted by LeeAnn on Aug 15, 2012 in Coffee, Books & a Blog | 1 comment

When is a Werewolf Book not a Werewolf Book? by Chris Stevenson

 

When my second agent went to the BEA a few years back, he did so with the express purpose of asking each editor he met what (exactly) they were looking for as pertains to the next big thing. He made a lot of face to face contact and scribbled voluminous notes. One publisher, the small black and white bird from the Antarctic, replied that they would love to see a new spin on a werewolf tale. My agent queried me and asked if I was up to the task. I said I was, but that I had conditions along the lines of this "new spin."

My conditions were, that I would not follow the general trope—howlings, full moon, Lycanthropy and silver bullets. If they wanted a unique concept, I would really give it to them! I thought about what Michael Crichton had done with Jurassic Park, and thought about the current Thylacine Project and how ancient DNA was being processed to resurrect extinct ice age animals. So I devised a way to find and reproduce the genome in a Pleistocene dire wolf. But this dire wolf was a man-eater. When the scientist performs the experiment, his protocol serum somehow replicates the dormant human gene, which gives birth to a human/wolf hybrid. In addition, two other litter mates are spawned: a true ice age dire wolf and a grotesque monster. Of course, with this three-pack combination all hell breaks lose.

Now, if that wasn't stepping all over the werewolf trope/canon enough, I decided to feature a male POV and cast a female as the creature. Notice I didn't say "werewolf." Technically she's not a werewolf. Have I lost you yet? In Beauty and the Beast, the protagonist is the female and we follow her while she tries to understand and adapt to the beast. I flipped it. What would a lonely forest ranger do upon encountering such a female creature out in the Wyoming wilderness? I'll admit that putting this mix together aroused some of my male wish fulfillment fantasies. But I couldn't allow her to dominate him.  I had to strike a fine balance, giving both equal stage time and motivation. Melina, the creature, has super-human strength and endurance, possesses a superior intelligence and performs acts of heroism. Yet she has a insufferable naivete about her that inevitably draws him into a relationship of forbidden love. He manages to foster her real world expectations and take control and soothe her emotional instability. There is a little bit of Splash's Madison in her character and makeup, if you are familiar with the movie featuring Hanks and Hannah.

The danger zone with this type of story was losing or disappointing my female audience. I agonized over it. I come close to the "ick' factor when exploring rough sex, estrous cycles and strange odors. But it had to have these elements for sake of realism. The beauty and emotional attractiveness of Melina eventually unfolds to reveal a strong, independent female lead that, I'm sure, offers great relief to the female reader. Is the forest ranger an alpha? No. It's not geek romance either. He steps up to challenge of meeting her head on, never surrendering to her indomitable will, yet he showers her with a kindness and understanding that most men are incapable of exhibiting at any time in their lives. He never gives up on her, but he does not save  the "damsel in distress." She saves herself. It is only through his guidance that she becomes fully whole and acceptable to society—and it's a very long and torturous road.

The little black and white bird never bought into the storyline. My agent and I were devastated. I assumed it was too far out of the box for them. It did garner several offers from my own submission  efforts later, finally landing with Lachesis Publishing, who had a multiple female staff. The female editors never gave it a second thought—I was vindicated. But I wondered how the reading public would react to it. As of this writing I've hit some tiny milestones that surprised and delighted me:

#1 in horror at Fictionwise

#1 in horror at e-Reader.com

#1 in horror at BookStrands

#2 in thriller at BookStrands

Amazon remains elusive at this early stage, but I have high expectations for it's eventual acceptance. More importantly, I learned that daring to do something totally different and sticking to your guns can sometimes payoff in little dividends. I'm happy about coloring outside the... ( more at http://coffeetimeromance.com/CoffeeThoughts/when-is-a-werewolf-book-not-a-werewolf-book-by-chris-stevenson/ )

Covers Do Matter

At http://tonyakappes.blogspot.com.br/2012/07/covers-do-matter.html

Monday, July 30, 2012

Covers Do Matter

I'm honored to welcome author, Mila Ballentine to the blog today. She's blogging on a very important topic. . .COVERS!! 


The Cover MATTERS!

Don't let the cliché, 'Don't judge a book by its cover,' sway you. Everything is judged by its cover, whether it's an object or a person! The presentation of a product for sale is important. If you've ever been attracted to a particular product while shopping, 9 out of 10 times it had everything to do with the presentation. However, the contents are equally important, but this article will focus on what's on the outside. 

I went to a small business workshop a few months ago and the instructor recommended a book by Paco Underhill, WHY WE BUY. It's worth the read and it's available in audio book. It was helpful and reinforced aspects of marketing that I already knew. As an independent publisher/author, I devote as much time to choosing a cover as I do to writing. Without a cover that represents the essence of your story, you are simply nailing your foot in the "No Name Brand," market. I think we all have a sense of how people feel about "No Name Brand" products….low grade, cheap, imitation…you get the idea.

When your cover has the presence of attracting the naked eye, the odds are, they will move in and investigate the product. If the Blurb grabs them, you caught one! However, you had to get their attention first! It took two weeks to find the cover for IN THE VALLEY OF MUD AND WORMS, but I knew it was 'the one' when I saw it. It represented the character and the story, but you wouldn't know until you read it. I was not as lucky with finding a cover for NO STRAYS ALLOWED, so I illustrated it myself. The optical illusion tricks the eye to think that something is wrong. The effect …you move in closer to see if your eyes can correct the error, but there is none. It's effective because... ( more at http://tonyakappes.blogspot.com.br/2012/07/covers-do-matter.html )

Thin Skin Soul Pinned  Book Trailer: http://bit.ly/Nfu5SC

At http://seanmchandler.com/2012/07/12/how-to-ruin-your-query-letter-in-6-easy-steps/

How To Ruin Your Query Letter in 6 Easy Steps

Posted on July 12, 2012

It's been several weeks since I posted anything about query letters on this site.  In fact, I'm not sure I've said anything about them since my first writer's conference in June and even though that was only a month ago, it feels like that happened years back.  To be honest, I have spent hours (days, even) researching what makes the perfect query letter and I've probably written damn close to 100 of them myself.  I've written bad ones, I've written mediocre ones, and I've written letters that literally had me thinking, "If I don't hear back from an agent about this letter I swear I'm throwing in the towel for good."  Of course I never heard back anything even on those last letters and I've still got that towel optimistically in hand.

We've been through a lot together that towel and I and, while there are still far too many glaring contradictions in the industry for me to be able to say definitively what makes for a "perfect query letter", I can say that I've stumbled across a few things that everyone in the industry seems to agree you should NOT do in a query letter.  Let's have a look:

Overconfidence/Arrogance:  If there's one thing I can say it's that I am overconfident and arrogant about my work.  Every time I finish a book, I think it's the greatest thing in the world and I think it can outsell any other book.  It doesn't matter whether or not that's actually true, but it's what I tell myself because I am proud and secure in my abilities.  HOWEVER, I never let a drop of that overconfidence trickle into my query letter.  In fact, I never try to be anything but a humble and respectful little kitten.

And it's gotten me absolutely nowhere, but I digress…

I don't really have a picture to go with that, but I'll take any opportunity I can get to use this one again.

First, just let me spell out what I mean by overconfidence.  If you have ever written some variant of the following line, then you may want to check your ego at the door:  "My forthcoming sci-fi novel has been likened to H.G. Wells by way of Hemingway if Jesus Christ had written it while roundhouse kicking a velociraptor in the face."  Actually, if you have ever written that EXACT line in a query letter, forget everything I'm about to say because you're almost definitely going to get published—that sounds INCREDIBLE.  But you get my point.  Don't compare yourself to the industry's leading writers.  You aren't the next Stephen King.  You aren't the next J.K. Rowling.  Become successful first and then let other people make those comparisons.

As good as I think my books are, I would never call myself "the next J.K. Rowling", because right now being the next J.K. Rowling feels a lot like sitting at my computer in my underwear in a sweltering apartment in Kentucky ranting on a blog and eating applesauce out of a jar.

No Plot:  This was my major shortcoming with all of my early query letters.  I made an innocent mistake that probably 75% of unpublished writers make when they are sending out their first query letters:  Describing the book without actually getting into the plot.  By plot, what I mean is that you outline your important characters (especially protagonist/antagonist) and you outline their conflict.  A novel has to have some sort of conflict, Folks.  All agents seem to agree on that and I don't think I have to linger too long on this point.

Get to the point quickly.  Don't spend too much time talking about what your book is or isn't.  Show what it is by digging deep into the central drive of your story.  What does your character want?  Who or what stands in his or her way?  What must he/she do to get there?  You don't have to give away the ending (in fact, it's best if you don't), but you should give the agent a clear sense of what is at stake.

No Voice:  Another flaw in many query letters is that the letter does not reflect the voice of the manuscript.  Your manuscript can be the greatest thing ever, but if your query letter is full of redundancies, no confidence, sloppy editing, etc. the agent will assume that your book will just be more of the same.  Make sure that your query letter represents a concise example of your best writing and that it draws in the readers just as much as your book.  Convincing readers to come along for the ride?  That's the easy part.  Convincing an agent?  That's the true... ( more at http://seanmchandler.com/2012/07/12/how-to-ruin-your-query-letter-in-6-easy-steps/ )

Why working from home can be isolating

At http://www.helium.com/items/1940629-why-working-from-home-can-be-isolating

Why working from home can be isolating

Working at home has been on the rise for the past decade or so, as many employers have realized the importance of both home-based work and flexi-time for their employees, especially those with young families and other personal obligations.  People may choose to work from home to save money on day care or commuter expenses.  Some people start home businesses because they are unable to find employment elsewhere. Working at home has both its pros and cons.  The pros are fairly obvious.  The cons are not always so obvious and can pose some serious health issues including social isolation.

Working outside the home provides more than just a place to earn money.  It also provides the opportunity to interact with other people on a regular basis which is very important for both mental and physical well-being.  Talking to people about news events, last night's ball game, your kids or grandchildren, is good, is healthy and is necessary.

Working at home, distancing yourself from frequent social interaction with others, can have serious mental and physical consequences.  If you live alone, tend to be a loner, and also work alone, this can lead to a potentially very unhealthy ... ( more at http://www.helium.com/items/1940629-why-working-from-home-can-be-isolating )

At http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1FueHr/www.worksmartmompreneurs.com/blog/inspiration/stacey-kannenberg-gives-7-academic-tips-for-parents-of-kindergarteners/

Stacey Kannenberg Gives 7 Academic Tips for Parents of Kindergarteners:

by Britt Michaelian

7 Things Kindergartener's Need to Know Academically:

In the rush to get your child outfitted for that first day of school, don't overlook the value of exposing your child to the Kindergarten curriculum.  These are the 7 things that most Kindergartener's need to know:

The upper case alphabet out of sequence or mixed up. Kids will be asked to name the letters listed, such as: B, D, X, K, J, M, O, etc.
The numbers to 10, out of sequence or mixed up. Kids will be asked to name the letters, listed, such as:  2, 5, 9, 8, 1, 3, 4, etc.
Kids will be asked to identify basic colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple
Kids will be asked to identify basic shapes: circle, diamond, rectangle, triangle, oval and square
Kids will be asked to identify basic... ( more at http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1FueHr/www.worksmartmompreneurs.com/blog/inspiration/stacey-kannenberg-gives-7-academic-tips-for-parents-of-kindergarteners/ )

At http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57480927-93/zuck-says-facebook-phone-wont-make-much-sense/

Zuck says Facebook phone 'won't make much sense'

During the social network's first earnings call, CEO Mark Zuckerberg says the company wants to focus on building a developers' system and not hardware.

by Donna Tam

July 26, 2012 2:56 PM PDT

Looks like a Facebook phone -- at least one built by the social network -- won't be in the works, according to comments made by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg today.

"Building our own phone won't make much sense for us," he said during the company's first earnings call in response to a question about whether or not it's important for Facebook to make money off mobile through both apps and... ( more at http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57480927-93/zuck-says-facebook-phone-wont-make-much-sense/ )

The Mind of a Writer: A Dangerous Thing

At http://venturegalleries.com/blog/the-mind-of-a-writer-a-dangerous-thing/

The Mind of a Writer: A Dangerous Thing

by Caleb Pirtle III

The mind of a writer is a dangerous thing. It is filled with humor or horror, mystery or romance, suspense or terror, the present or the past, truth or fiction, fantasy or odd moments that go bump in the night. Strange things live in the mind of an author. Writers may appear to be normal, and they are. But deep inside their brain, the ingredients are always at work weaving another twisted web. Here are the ways that Debra Chapoton and Pattie Ball write their novels. They know that ideas often take root and begin growing even before a writer realizes it.

Debra Chapoton, author of Edge of Escape: Recently a friend of mine asked me how my books were doing. We chatted a bit and then she said she wanted to write a book, too. A moment later she revised that statement and said what she really wanted was to be able to say that she had written a book. In that brief exchange she hit on two key elements: 1) desire to write and 2) editing.

1) Desire to write: My desire to write comes from my need to be creative and my propensity for having fun. For me, writing is playing. And I love to play with words. I am partial to nuance, tone, and connotations. I adore codes, subtleties, and details. I'm keen on inserting unexpected adjectives, choosing synonyms, and singling out idioms. Fun for me is rearranging, shaping, and molding the flow of words. I want to stab a scene with impassioned terms. Squeeze out a reader's tears with shades of emotion. And break the rules on... ( more at http://venturegalleries.com/blog/the-mind-of-a-writer-a-dangerous-thing/ )

At http://writingwithbothsidesofmybrain.wordpress.com/2012/07/26/the-english-language-gotta-love-it/

The English Language: Gotta love it

ansuyo ♦ July 26, 2012 ♦

Today we look at the English language again.  I LOVE language/words!   For a post on my other blog, I looked in a thesaurus trying to get a different way to say "Random Ramblings"  My favorite was "Promiscuous Ponderings'.  You can take a look here if you like.  I did not use that title, of course, but I sure was tempted.

The following (and the next two posts) comes from an e-mail I received.   I'd love to give credit, but it was anonymous.  I hope you enjoy as much as I did.

1) The bandage was wound around the wound.

2) The farm was used to produce produce.

3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.

4) We must polish the Polish furniture..

5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.

6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert..

7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.

8) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.

9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes... ( more at http://writingwithbothsidesofmybrain.wordpress.com/2012/07/26/the-english-language-gotta-love-it/ )

At http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2012/07/whats-energy-extraction-and-earthquakes

What's Up With Drilling and Earthquakes?

—By Kate Sheppard

| Tue Jul. 24, 2012 1:44 PM PDT

There has been increasing concern about the potential role of fracking in earthquakes. The worries prompted the the US Geological Survey to look into it, and scientists found that the increase in earthquakes is likely man-made, but probably caused more by wastewater disposal than fracking itself. Now, a fabulous new piece from EnergyWire looks a little more deeply at the wastewater connection.

Reporter Mike Soraghan visited Oklahoma, where state officials are taking their time investigating the connection between the industrial processes and a magnitude-5.6 quake that damaged homes and highways along the Wilzetta Fault last... ( more at http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2012/07/whats-energy-extraction-and-earthquakes )

What is a digital book?

At http://blog.pauldorset.com/2011/03/reading-books-on-iphone-what-is-digital.html

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Reading books on an iPhone - What is a digital book?

We live in a digital world. Or do we? This week I have been amazed at how many people don't understand just exactly what a digital book is. So, I thought I'd spend a little time to discuss the topic.

Back in the good old days (yesterday), the only way to get a book was by going to the bookstore and buying a physical copy. You treasured this copy and if the book was a good one it eventually became all dog-eared and well read. Then computers happened and some people decided it would be a good idea to start scanning some of the books so that you could take a look on your computer at actually what was inside them. It was sort of like going to the bookstore, except you could do it from your own home. Amazing.

Talking of which, amazing became Amazon and a new era was born. Amazon decided people didn't need to be going to actual bookstores anymore. The digital revolution was beginning. You see, in parallel to Amazon opening its doors, other people were starting to publish digitally scanned copies of books online for people to read on their computers. It wasn't a big market, but it was a market nonetheless.

And then it happened. Amazon released the Kindle - the world of book reading was about to change forever! The next year or so saw a mad rush for publishers and authors to convert all their books to a format that could be read on the Kindle. Indie authors sprung up all over the Internet. Suddenly book publishing wasn't just for the big companies. If you could get enough of a following from your fans, you too could sell a bestselling book.




But wait, the story isn't over here. Most people think that's it but actually there's a very important part of the understanding missing. You see, having a book available for the Kindle doesn't mean you actually need a Kindle to read the book! And this is why I am writing this blog post, to help others understand exactly what options are available to read a digital... ( more at http://blog.pauldorset.com/2011/03/reading-books-on-iphone-what-is-digital.html )

At http://www.oddee.com/item_98275.aspx

 

20 Great Geeky Wedding Invitations

Published on 8/2/2012 under Misc - by Jill Harness - 71,201 views
TAGS: geeky, weddings, romantic, save the dates, wedding invitations, funny, nerdy

Zombie Killers

Reddit user TheLocoYoko thinks his wedding invitations might be the most bad ass ever. I can't help but agree.

(Link)

Ewoks Bearing Rings

Melissa and Carl used Ewoks holding wedding rings on their invitations. (Link)

Star Wars Poster

Rob and Ginny's Star Wars save-the-dates by San Smith. (Link)

( more at http://www.oddee.com/item_98275.aspx )

At http://blog.zoesaadia.com/bathing-twice-a-day/

Bathing twice a day

26 June 2012

In Mesoamerica of 16th century the dilemma was simple.

Was it better to bath once a day or once a month?

The state policy of reorganized by the Spanish authorities Tenochtitlan stated that once a month was more than enough. Any more frequent visits to temazcalli – Mesoamerican traditional steam bath – was illegal and open to a government punishment of "one hundred lashes and to be bound for two hours on the marketplace". Not a pleasant experience. But then to go about stinking, sweat-covered and lice-ridden was not a much better option. Mesoamerica was not a happy place in the post-Columbian times.

 
However, only a century earlier, in pre-contact Mexico, the things were quite different. All over Mexican Valley and its surroundings, Highlands and Lowlands alike, no settlement, however small, would exist without more than a few traditional bath-houses. How could they? After all, those bath-houses combined pleasure with health. A happy combination.

The word temazcalli means just that – temaz-bath, calli-house. The old goddess Temazcalteci, the grandmother of the baths, was watching over the medicine practice in general, worshipped by healers, surgeons and midwives. With steam baths being the integral part of a healing process, the goddess's image would adore many respectable bath-houses.

Mesoamericans of all ages and sexes would enter the small, mushroom-like construction, squeezing in through a low doorway into the dark world of heat and humidity, shaking off the worries of the day, exchanging the agitation of the gushing outside life for a chance to sprawl and relax, to have a good conversation or simply to connect with one's inner self.

The bath-houses were usually built to resemble a shape of a woman's womb, so, after sweating profoundly in the unbearable heat, after scrubbing one's body with bunch of twigs or grass, the bather would emerge back into the world cleansed, at peace and as though... ( more at http://blog.zoesaadia.com/bathing-twice-a-day/ )