I've been using the moniker "NeedlessBird" for a while now and I thought what better time to make a new character. So here goes nothing, he is blue, his name is Burd and he is a bird.

Jesus tap dancing Christ I am bored. Sure it's a temporary issue but with nothing but exams and an inevitable job search in the future it gets quite sticky, but enough complaining. It's almost the Christmas game release season which is nice. Then there's also new hardware from Intel and AMD coming in a few months. And on top of that the end of the year movie release schedule is fan-fuckin-tastic. The end of 2014 is set to have lots of fun shit to do which will hopefully distract from school. I really do hate being negative but at three in three in the morning it comes so naturally.

I've got two new things that I am working on. Firstly, as an attempt to break away from Sci-Fi for once, I am working on a sort of sudo-heist-action short piece. It's no secret that PAYDAY 2 is one of my all time favorite games. Up until this point I had always wanted to write a sort of cops vs. robbers piece but I hadn't had a base point to build on. That was until I pulled a heist in PAYDAY 2 with some friends that went beautifully right when the alarms were triggered.

Secondly I've got a sort of continuation on Expansion's Wake{/i] in the works. This one has been in the works for a few months now while I was working at a machine shop. I feel like this one will be a bit shorter than past pieces and certainly much shorter than [i]Expansion's Wake.

Well that's it for me for now. I'm going to try to update at least my journal page more often now. Whether or not that will actually come to fruition is for the dogs to know.

~Connor C. Edling

Would you look at that, I made an update on FA. Once in a blue moon. I am trying something new with short stories now. Instead of releasing chapters and making people who read wait an exorbitantly long time between updates I will be releasing stories all at once. If you care feel free to comment on this system. In other news I am finally getting around to starting my computer business. Hopefully students on campus at MSU will be interested. If it takes off who knows, maybe I can start shipping systems. That's all from me for now so until next time.

~Connor C. Edling

I rarely ever post these days, what with my no job and endless free time due to that lack of a job. In any case I do hope to begin writing in the near, OK at some point in the future. Actually, I am co-creating a comic with a local friend of mine here in Wisconsin which is nice. I do feel a sizable hole where all my furry pals used to be now that I'm back in Wisconsin. But fear not! Once I figure out my financial situation I will be back amongst my people in Montana.

And it's freaking nice. Really, REALLY nice. Go follow my every move at: https://www.weasyl.com/~needlessfoal

I'm not going to take this chance to complain about the recent down time as I have already had a nice discussion about it. Because I was not able to post last Thursday, I will do a triple post this week. Get excited cause its gonna get awesome.

I sat down to write this evening only to discover that just over a thousand words had disappeared from my piece. For a few minutes I just sat in complete disbelief. There is no greater pain then to lose hours of work. Well, not hours, but you catch my drift. In any case, this little snafu is allowing me to take a different direction which is nice. In other news I've got only a few days before finals and then a flight back to Wisconsin for winter break. It's 3 am and I can't think of a clever note to end on.

~Connor J. Edling

I was really unhappy with the way my writing looked when it was uploaded. I did some toying around an I found a format that works. If you haven't already read my latest update, go read it already, If you have, go look at the new format. Happy reading to all.

~Connor C, Edling

I've got a few minutes while my computer is moving files, so I've decided to share with the lot of you my upcoming plans. As the few of my avid readers may know, one of my top priorities in writing is to be legitimate. If you were to show a non-furry a piece of furry artwork, for the most part they would be disconcerted. Furthermore, if you were to have them read a piece of stereotypical furry literature, they would be equally put off. This is where I strive to differ myself and my writing from the norm. I really do enjoy incorporating anthropomorphic characters into my writing, but I can't just write, "Joey is a humanoid bipedal fox that enjoys to converse with his other humanoid bipedal animal friends." There is no logic in it.

One of the great things about Sci-Fi is the sheer freedom. My genre allows me to get away with so much more than I would be able to if I were writing pure action or thriller. I can still use what is considered "furry elements" in such a way that a lay person would have no trouble reading. All it takes is minimal effort, a bit of back establishment and just a hint of creative thinking. Enough of the rambling though, on to the purpose of this post.

Once I've finished with my latest piece, "Expansion's Wake" I will be stepping back from Sci-Fi. Of course I'm not leaving the genre for good, no sum of money could ever make me do that. I am simply stepping out of my normal stomping grounds. Where am I venturing to? I am going to attempt to write a historical fiction, specifically during the Seven Day War. The history of the Israel/Palestine region is rich for writers. In any case, it makes for good source material.

This venturing off from Sci-Fi will be a very short one (I only plan to write one brief piece of historical fiction). What kind of future pieces do I have in mind for my typical release? I couldn't really say. With all I've written, I have very little in the ways of fresh ideas. Most of the time an idea just pops into mind at a completely random time. My next few releases will most likely be refreshes of older material (some of which has never seen anyone's eyes except my own). I also still have a book that is unfinished and untyped.

The future is grand, to say the least. No one can really know what it has in store. The best way to go is to just roll with the tide. And seeing as it is now 4:29AM on a Tuesday, I should really be off, big things to take care of in just a few hours.

Until next time, take care friends.

~Connor C. Edling

I realize very few people follow me on here, but for those that do I have news. It's been a few months since I've uploaded anything and hopefully tomorrow I will begin uploading my current work (this one is big, so far 11k words big). The piece in question is a contest piece being written for artist  saetia. This is the single longest thing I have typed (I say typed because I have written a feature length novel). All I am waiting on is her permission to publish. I've got hot fresh content coming your way, and by your I mean the three people that actually read my crap. Keep your eyes open.

~Connor C. Edling

Because why not?

It's been a while since I've posted anything and I thought "What better way to return than to spread some love." I'd like you guys to go and watch a good friend of mine,  chad0z He's a good friend I'm attending college with. He does art as well.

In other news I'll be attempting to upload some new content, or rather some refreshed content. Keep your eyes open.

Until next time,

~Connor C. Edling

Science Fiction has been around for centuries in one form of another, whether it was Edgar Allan Poe in the late 1800s or Isaac Asimov in the 1950s. Some writers depicted great tales of starships traveling between the stars. Others told of wars with great alien powers. All of these styles and stories have the great name of Science Fiction behind them.

One of the most popular sub-genres of Science Fiction, and the one I'd like to start this analysis with, is that time travel. Series such as Doctor Who have captivated audiences for years with time travel. Recently, triple A films like Looper have offered new insights into this area of Sci-Fi. Though all of these movies and TV series are top notch, they all suffer the same fatal flaw, endless speculation. The audiences of time travel have, since it's rise, always questioned the methods and results. Talks are always filled with paradoxes and the Butterfly Effect. It is these controversies, however, that make time travel such an interesting topic to watch and read.

I mentioned earlier Edgar Allan Poe as a Sci-Fi writer. Many would question that statement. "Poe is a fantasy and horror writer!" they would say. I agree that he is a fantasy writer, and thus falls under the broad sweep of Sci-Fi. Stories like "Tell Tale Heart" and "The Raven" ignore scientific law to explore the realm of fantasy. Through the years there have been a vast number of fantasy tales. In the early 1900s there was The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien. In the 1970s Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson created the most complex fantasy role playing system to date, Dungeons and Dragons. Today we have not only all that has come before, but a whole slew of new works. While not my personal favorite, fantasy is one of the largest sub-genres of Sci-Fi going as far as to be a genre of its own.

Diving back into what is considered traditional Sci-Fi, we come upon Alien Incursion. I use "incursion" very loosely not to describe and alien invasion on earth, but to illustrate any contact or tale dealing with extraterrestrial life. This sub-genre has spawned many great works like Ridley Scott's Alien due to the sheer depth of the sub-genre. Here on Earth we have many millions of different species of life, but not a single sentient species to share our home with. Humans crave relations, it is built into our genome. The prospect of an intelligent extraterrestrial race coming to visit Earth has tantalized us for years. We have even created protocols to enact once we have confirmed contact with an alien civilization. Books have covered many different scenarios of contact with aliens. I have even written stories about contact. Some tell of peaceful contact in which an alien civilization wishes to assist mankind in its assent to the stars and further. Others spin stories of violence and destruction from a militaristic society of beings. This sub-genre has so captivated us because we long to share our discoveries and intellect with some else. Because we crave intelligence we will always be waiting for the day someone comes knocking from the stars.

Space is not only the domain of alien life in Science Fiction. Humanity has already claimed Luna and countless other worlds with satellites. In Space Operas we have gone even farther. My personal favorite, Space Operas are tales from beyond Earth. Some take place in our home system while other spa the entire Milky Way Galaxy. They all share the separation of Earth in common. While we will always, hopefully, inhabit our big blue marble the next home of humanity is the stars. Countless books, TV series, and movies tell of humanity's escapades into space. Video Games like Halo and the Freespace series venture out past our home system into many others. In these universes faster than light travel has become available and economical. Hyper drives, warp drives, shock-point drives and super-space drives have all delivered humanity to distant stars and continue to do so. In some stories these methods are not available. Regardless, humanity has claimed the bodies of our own system. These tales often deal with conflict that would arise between Earth and Mars or Earth and the Asteroid Belt. Varying living conditions and the constant political plight of human society plague the worlds that stretch across the system. Wealth and power collect to a single body leaving those less fortunate to the far reaches. Thankfully this is not only the case. Some stories have humanity distributed equally across Sol. These tales thrive on the curiosity of humans, as do many other sub-genres. We crave to know and explore, and the stars help to satisfy us.

Science Fiction is filled with thousands of worlds and stories. I could not even hope to outline every sub-genre that exists in Sci-Fi in one biography. There are many more than the four I described here and they are equally, if not greater, in magnitude. They all help to make Science Fiction the definitive genre, the be all, end all of creativity. Endless possibilities exist beyond the bounds of current understanding. Writers and creators will continue to push the bounds of science in Science Fiction for years to come. We as readers will continue to be enlightened and excited by Science Fiction until we hit the pinnacle of science and understanding, and as that will not be for many years, Sci-Fi will thrive.

It has been many months since I have posted any new writing. In that extensive time gap I have been working on many pieces ranging on a slew of different topics. I have been bogged down with life, however, Preparing for college, mission work across the contention US, and my job have been draining away my time. What ever time I have left usually goes towards watching shows or playing games with my friends. I do continue to work late into the nights, though some nights are less productive than others.

I have updated Moments in Time chapters two and three into a better format as to be easier to read (links further down in this journal). Currently, along with Moments in Time, I am working of a piece of science fiction set on a frozen Earth. I am also rewriting Arctic 9 into a more realistic universe. That involves changing the simple wolves, foxes and cats into actual alien races with explanation. It is a large undertaking, but I strive for excellence in my writing.

I would like to end with a thank you to all who bother to read my journals and stories. I create for the pleasure and entertainment for all of you. It is your interest that drives me forward in my writing, and without you it would not happen. I can say with confidence that FurAffinity is only the launch pad of a writing passion that will stretch into the stars. As I branch out I will always reserve a special place in my mind for FurAffinity and the entire furry community. So thank you, from the very bottom of my heart and soul.

Until next time,

C.C.Edling

Moments in Time 1: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/9275256/
Moments in Time 2: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/10092179/
Moments in Time 3: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/10150583/
Moments in Time 4: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/11169081/

The following is a cross post dealing with the issue of anthropomorphic characters appearing in science fiction writing.

Being a science fiction writer, I often find myself in a predicament. I always want to incorporate anthropomorphics into my writing, but I have a difficult time finding a realistic and logical way to accomplish it. For those of you that don't know, anthropomorphism is like personification (giving inanimate objects human characteristics). Instead of inanimate objects anthropomorphism works with animate or living things. These range from plants and animals, to machines and computers. You can often find examples of anthropomorphism in Disney films and other artistic mediums.

In proper writing, you cannot have a race existing without some explanation. I wrote a piece in which social castes were separated by different species of anthropomorphic animals. I made the mistake of not providing any explanation. In the fantasy genre, a writer can get away with not explaining different races. The reader, with a little direction from the author, will create the back story by him/herself. In science fiction, however, the writer has to explain where the race came from and how it came to be.

Without explaining how or why a race appears in a piece of fiction, the writer can unintentionally confuse and ward off potential readers. For example, one could have the planet Earth inhabited by humans and a race of anthropomorphic creatures. The reader would be thoroughly confused after a few pages without explanation or back story on the other race. In the end, the writer (in science fiction at least) has to explain the race's origins. IN any case, the explanation of a foreign race only adds to the entertainment value of the piece of writing. I've come up with a few in my own writing to solve the problem.

The easiest solution to the problem is the "Aliens" method. I justify the existence of anthropomorphic characters through the usage of alien life. This method is the simplest way to explain and justify furry characters in writing, however, it leaves much to be desired. It isn't very creative. In my works I always strive for creativity and new thinking which is why I often steer away from the Alien method.

Another is the "Mutation method." This involves humans being morphed and changed by some force into the desired state. This method borrows from the movie "Splice" in which two scientists manage to splice together the DNA from several animals into that of a human baby. While the movie follows a horror path, in writing, the method can be used to create fantastic new races that can be peaceful or otherwise.

One method follows the same path as the Alien method, but differs in one key area. The "Home Planet method" creates an alien race on a planet where humans are nonexistent. In this method the race is viewed in the same sense that humans would be. This method offers a very creative way to introduce a new race. It is also relatively easy, compared to some of the other methods, to write a back story in this way.

I've used all of the aforementioned methods and more to incorporate races into my writing. Science Fiction can be done easily with only humans, but the addition of anthropomorphic races makes everything much more interesting.

There is something that is very interesting about our near future. Isac Asimov dictates a set timeline from the early 2000s through 20,000. In the early 2000s he tells of the advancement of robotics to the point of sentience. Moore's Law states that every two years the number of transistors on a processor will double, therefore doubling it's processing power. Since Intel's founding this law has held true. According to this you would think that robots are only a few years away. Unfortunately that is not the whole case.

In 2009 IBM attempted to replicate the synapses in the brain. They're computer had something around 9 million synapse like computing paths. It took a large space to house all the processing power of this computer and it was equivalent to the brain of a fish. According to this we'll have to wait years and years for robots. Again, that may not be the case.

Modern computer processors are made out of silicon. Silicon is a transition element giving it the properties of a metal and nonmetal. Silicon allows the millions and millions of transistors on a processor to turn on and off thus processing information. The problem with silicon is that it will eventually dissipate. To solve this issue, Intel has begun research into creating graphite transistors. Graphite solves the abundance problem that silicon gives. Graphite transistors are one way we can lead into supercomputing robots. It is these exotic materials that will provide us with faster processing in a smaller package.

The next step is the design of transistors. For reference, the current Intel transistor is about half the width of a single strand of DNA. They are very tiny. Due to their size Intel can fit about 731,000,000 onto the latest Core i7 chip. That is a lot, but the Core i7 still can't think freely. So, what if we took the 2D transistor and bring it into the third dimension? Quite a lot. With tri-gate transistors you effectively triple the transistor count on a processor. That's going from 731,000,000 to 534,361,000,000. Now that's a great amount of processing power. It's also a great leap towards creating a thinking processor.

Having five hundred billion transistors creates a vastly powerful processor, but that's not how the brain works. Synapses work by stimulating each other and that sends signals to their destination. That is thinking. Like I mentioned earlier IBM has created a computer that is capable of imitating a brain, so we're on the track towards a thinking processor that is equivalent to, or maybe even faster than a human.

While the reality may be that we won't see human like thinking robots until the late 2000s or early 2100s we can still take comfort in all the advancements that the road to robotics will give us. While today's processors don't nearly have the processing power of a human brain, in twenty years they may have slightly comparable processing power. The advancement of computers means the advancement of human thinking in general. It will give us great leaps in medicine, engineering, and life itself. So, while human robots are still a ways off, we still get many presents along the way.

So I'm reading Isac Asimov's I, Robot and I've noticed a large amount of differences between the book and the movie. Among them is the fact that the main antagonist, V.I.K.I. was in fact, at least in 2022, called "The Brain" and had the mentality of a child. It was an idiot savant made for processing extremely difficult problems.

In the I, Robot universe one of the largest and most complex projects facing humanity is not about robots or the positronic brain but is the creation of an FTL drive. The movie takes place in 2034 when the hyperatomic drive had been completed, but makes no reference to it. It also does not mention the conflict between spacers and earthlings that is extremely prominent in the I, Robot universe.

In the movie the main protagonist, Sonny, is said to be the first NS series robot that is free from the first law of robotics. Every robot by law is imprinted with the three laws; 1. A robot may not by action or inaction bring a human to harm. 2. A robot must obey any order given to it by a human unless it violates the first law. 3. A robot must preserve it's own existence unless it violates the first or second laws. Sonny, with his second positronic brain, is not endowed by the first law. In Asimov's I, Robot the US government commissioned US Robotics and MM for 12 NS-2 robots that had a modified first law as to make work on the hyperatomic drive easier. While they still had half of the first law, the movie gives the impression that no other robot besides Sonny had ever had any tinkering done with the first law.

Making a movie adaptation of I, Robot could never have led to anything that was entirely accurate because I, Robot is an anthology of short stories told by Dr. Susan Calvin. The movie made an attempt to highlight a point in robotics history and did not do an awful job. That being said, there were many liberties taken that I feel should not have been taken and some omissions that I feel shouldn't have been made.

TL:DR The book is better than the movie

For those of you that actually took the time to watch me and read my works, thabk you. The fact that people enjoy and are entertained by my writing is one of the highlights of my life. Now in the line of new releases, I am not writing anything new currently. I am, however, in the process of reviewing and rewriting Arctic 9. I found that I wanted a universe set somewhat in the future to craft stories in. In rewriting Arctic 9 I can easily mold said universe. This allows for crosa overs and many other fun things. Once I'm done with Arctic 9 I'm planing on returning to Moments in Time. I really think it has merrit and is worth persuing.

Now I have something to ask the few of you who follow me. If you could, please give me your feedback. The only way a writer can truly deliver entertaining content to his readers is with their help and reviews. So tell me what you think of my works. You can even send me a private message. Once again I thank all of you for coming here and reading. Truly, none of what I do would be possible with out all of you.

~C. C. Edling

I find that the only time I can get any writing done is late at night. This poses 2 problem; One I get very tired as times passes and two, I get really distracted. Take this Journal for example. I am supposed to be writing right now, but you don't see that happening now do you. I thought not. In any case while I was checking my messages here I decided to read all my journal posts all the way back to my first. They got worse and worse as I went. Maybe it's just me, but I sounded so naive back then. I guess with age comes maturity, though who am I to utter that phrase. Seeing as how I don't have a caffeinated beverage and it's 12:40 AM CST, I am going to sleep after posting this blurb.

~Connor J. Edling

Long time no see indeed. With my school load and then socializing with friends i find it hard to update FA. I check my messages a few times a day, but i have no time to write anything. My school load will be lightening with the coming semister so i should actually be able to write some new pieces. Of those i may write a sequal to "Grey" I haven't decided. New prices are on their way. Until nexr time

~NeedlessFoal

God is been a long ass time since I've updated FA. I'm not dead, just busy. In any case, I shall update you on my life. First, about a month ago my PC died, and I still have not fixed that situtation. Second, the Drama Club I am a part of has finished the first weekend of shows. Lastly I learned today thar DePaul Univerity lowered their tuition by 10 grand. Well, I'm off to conduct magical adventures, until next time...

NeedlessFoal

Well, time does indeed go with the wind when you think about it. Summertime is almost at it's close, fall is just over the horizon, and beyond that is the winter months. Work is done, school is coming, the real world is just with in sight. I will admit that I'm not all that excited to see where life may take me, but all in all, you just have to keep rolling with the punches and moving forward. I also wanted to get that last journal off my home page, just a tad depressing.

I often find myself with much time i could use to think and ponder life matters, yet i do not utilize it. Hour after hour pass by, and not a single helpful, or creative thought enters my mind. I find myself filled with concern for the future, with worry about what will come tomorrow, with uncertainty about the unknown. I've been told many times, I've even told others, not to dwell on the past, because it impedes progress to the future, but i cannot accomplish such a simple task. My days float past me, full of nothing but loathing on what is to come. Why is this? I have nothing to worry about, yet i am worried. I have nothing to fear, yet i am fearful. I'm in my prime, my youth, the time of my life, yet i feel burdened, weighted down by the world. There are thing in this world that i have yet to still understand, forces that have yet to reveal themselves, the path that i am destined to follow, is still fogged by the unpredictable future. I try to forget the worries and woe, and just live in the present and live life to its fullest, yet at the end of the day, i feel smothered and suppressed. I feel regret for my actions, i feel pain for the injustice others face on a day to day biases. For now, i must press on into tomorrow, regardless of what may or may not come, because living in the past, living with worry, regret, sorrow, is no way to live at all.

So, a friend of mine recently joined up on FA, he's an excellent writer, and i suggest you all go check him out!

Well would you look at that, I broke 200, somewhat an accomplishment. Well, what I can say is it has been quite a journey, and it is not yet complete. Ive made many friends along the way, some closer than others. I will continue to write, knowing it's something I'm good at, and I hope all of you take a small portion of time to read and enjoy my literary works. That's all for now, so until next time, Milles out.