Outside the Box

Material Witness: "a story that develops at breakneck speed and is cinematic in action levels"

2008-08-06T15:27:00.002-04:00

REVIEW: Unholy Domain by Dan Ronco

I have two colleagues who tell illuminating stories about the development of technology: one illustrates how unpredictable the application and adoption of new technologies can be, the latter just how quickly things can change and how our expectations and perceptions of them alter with it.

The first recounts the early days of telecommunications when the pioneers of the industry laid the first cables with little understanding of exactly how they would be used. Everyday conversation was certainly not expected to be one of the major uses of the lines. It has of course become the "killer app" and has altered our world beyond recognition.

The second story is told by a woman who took her young son to a doctor's officer where he saw a strange item with a handset and a wire coming out of it sitting on the receptionist's desk. "What is this mummy?" the boy asked. "That's a telephone," she replied. The boy picked it up and mimicked taking a photograph.

Bear with me, because there is a point to all this. Having spent most of the last decade either writing about technology or working for a technology company, I have become fascinated by the evolution of networks, gadgets and the like and also about the limits of them. As the story of the little boy who sees a phone as a camera first rather than a communications device shows, things move extraordinarily quickly and in unexpected directions.

A dozen years ago I had no internet access, no digital camera, no GPS. Now I have them all in one device of about 3x2x1 inches, which also allows me to make calls wherever I am in the world. I could not have envisaged any of these things, some of them even five or six years ago. What will my device do in 12 years time? I have no idea, but I expect it to be extraordinary.

For all those reasons, I was well disposed to Dan Ronco's novel, Unholy Domain, which takes curiosity about technological evolution and turns it into a fascinating and thought-provoking sci-fi thriller.

Ronco, is well placed to do this. His academic qualifications in the technology field are impeccable and he has also done stints with AT&T and Microsoft. (I tried not to hold this against him; after all it is probably not his fault that it takes Windows so damned long to open). But what he also has going for him is imagination, and that combined with his technological know-how has allowed him to develop a credible, if outlandish, plot in which the forces of technology and religion clash in a future-defining battle of wills, power and no little violence.

It is not the most stylishly written book I have come across and there are one or two moments (not technologically related) that defy belief (I found an episode where the protagonist David Brown falls in love utterly unconvincing).

But that doesn't matter so much in a book like this, where the idea is key, and where here it is followed through with utter conviction in a story that develops at breakneck speed and is cinematic in action levels.

David Brown finds himself in the middle of the war between the anti-technology Church of the Natural Human and a shadowy technological organisation called the Domain, which fight for supremacy in the wake of a massive software virus attack which disabled the world's communications system and left the US in economic depression and on the verge of total societal breakdown.

The one side believes that only by adopting a Luddite approach to technology can humanity find its way, while the other stresses that only advances can restore society to its former glories. The ruthlessness with which both pursue their cause is total: assassination, murder, even crucification is carried out without undue reference to conscience. The struggle is bitter, bloody and brutal.

Brown is the son of Ray Brown, a former colleague of Dianne Morgan the "witch" at the heart of the Domain, the man believed to be responsible for the catastrophic virus PeaceMaker. When his father visits him from beyond the grave to proclaim his innocence, David, a software prodigy embarks on a quest to find the truth, which ultimately draws him into the battle between church and PC.

David Brown is the story's major weakness. I found him a largely unsympathetic character: unlikable and largely difficult to understand, particularly in the early stages of Domain, which presumed more knowledge of its prequel, PeaceMaker, than I had (none).

But again, it was reasonably easy to overcome this - and he grew on me a little as the story wore on - partly because other characters Morgan and Adam Jordan, head of the religious faction, were so satisfactorily demonic and insane. But also because the idea - of the techno/religious war and the central technology itself, which is an advanced form of AI, capable of "mixing" with the human mind, for want of a better word - is intriguing.

Religion has long raged against science, and science has long ridiculed religion. It's an old warIt's going on right now around stem cells and genetics and the like, and that is fascinating. What Ronco has done is given it a new lease of life by casting it 20 years into the future where it is powerede by his impressive imagination.

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My Favorite Television Science Fiction Characters

2008-08-05T09:45:00.006-04:00

Over the years, a surprising number of excellent science fiction characters have appeared on television. A memorable character requires good writing, superb acting and a little charisma. Usually, several memorable characters may be found on a good television series, one that meets the test of time. Often it takes several years to really buy into a character, because great characters are complex, developing or revealing themselves over several seasons. A critical mass of good writers is also essential; one good writer can’t carry a show year after year.

In any case, I’d like to describe a few characters that stand out in my mind. I enjoyed them when I first saw them, and I still enjoy them in reruns. Let me add that many fine characters, such as Captains Kirk and Picard, G’Kar, Boomer, Mal, Tasha, Crichton, Scotty and others didn’t make the list. They’re good, but I had to cut somewhere. My favorites are listed below as I thought about them; it’s not a ranking.

Admiral William Adama of Battlestar Galactica is a tough, honorable, natural leader. Capable of making mistakes, big ones, but also brilliant at times. A rough exterior hides his need to give and receive love, compassion and tenderness. Just looking at the man, you know he’s SOMEBODY. When he speaks in that low, rumbling voice, everyone pays attention. He’s the kind of guy I would follow into battle.

Well, maybe not battle.

Wouldn’t you like having Star Trek’s Dr. Leonard McCoy as your doctor? I know I would. This guy knows his stuff, he’s decent and loyal, and he has a great sense of humor. The friendly name calling between McCoy and Spock made the show both unique and realistic. I’ve always enjoyed mocking out my friends … although I haven’t seen any of them for a while. Sometimes McCoy’s conversation got into a rut (“He’s/she’s dead, Jim.”), but things would pick up as soon as he spotted pointy ears.

Then there’s Cylon Number Six, also from Battlestar Galactica. Blonde, slender but shapely, and legs that don’t quit. I’m beginning to drool already. Talk about an electric presence! When any version of Six turns up, you know there’s going to be plenty of action. Doesn’t matter if she’s making love or beating the stuffing out of someone, you can’t leave the room, even when your wife is shouting that dinner’s getting cold.

Is there anyone who doesn’t know the pointy-eared, super logical Vulcan named Spock? He was unique, complex and fascinating when he was introduced four decades ago, and guess what, he’s still interesting. An old friend, someone who doesn’t disappoint. There is still that struggle between human emotions and Vulcan logic, that sharp wit and that strong loyalty to friends. I understand that he will be in the Star Trek movie coming out next year. What an amazing career.

Battlestar’s Gaius Baltar is one of the most complex characters ever to appear in science fiction. He’s basically a villain, but you get the feeling he’s a pretty decent, if weak, character down deep. A genius, a womanizer, a leader, a manipulator --- they all apply to Baltar. He’s almost always on the wrong side of an issue, but you can’t help rooting for his good side to emerge. And those scenes with Six will melt your socks!

If Baltar were an all-powerful alien, he’d be Q. Star Trek TNG’s favorite villain, Q always presents Picard and the other Star Trek leaders with a fascinating problem to investigate. He’s self-centered, mischievous, and arrogant, but always amusing. You just have to smile when Q makes an appearance.

Captain Elizabeth Lockley was only on Babylon 5 for a year, but she really made an impression. Tough, smart, vulnerable, and very hot, she quickly established herself as the leader of B5. The woman dominates her scenes, too. Somehow, no matter who is talking, my eyes are on her.

And finally, there is Lando Molari, the Ambassador to B5 from the Centauri. Lando began the series as a lightweight villain, but gradually evolved into an honorable, brave man willing to sacrifice his happiness for the survival of his people. His relationship with G’Kar, the Narn Ambassador, gradually grew over the life of the series from mutual contempt to respect to a tragic friendship.

Okay, that’s my list. I have noticed that these great sci-fi characters become almost like friends over the years. That’s when you know a character was something special.

Check out SFSIGNAL to see the characters others have selected.

Win a Free Copy of Unholy Domain

2008-08-02T12:12:00.001-04:00

TRACY FARNSWORTH at Roundtable Reviews is running a contest as described below:

Looking for a gripping summer read? Look no further! Author Dan Ronco is giving away an autographed copy of his powerful suspense novel UNHOLY DOMAIN. It's easy to enter, simply send your name and address to tracy@roundtablereviews.com. Dan is willing to ship his book to any interested reader. Please be aware that shipping to countries outside of the United States will take longer to arrive. Contest ends August 30, 2008 at midnight EST.

Check out the review to find out what had reviewer Jeff Cook so excited!

SF Characters

2008-07-31T09:24:00.002-04:00

If you are a serious reader of science fiction, you have probably noticed the smugness of so-called mainline or literary readers. You know the type --- they don’t consider SF real literature. Among many deficiencies, they think SF is peopled with cardboard characters. This attitude irritated me until I realized there are differences.

Literary fiction is character driven. The characters resemble real people in realistic places. Literary fiction reveals character or develops character through a cumulative awareness that builds over the story or through a sudden personal awakening, usually near the conclusion of the novel. Literary fiction explores human complexity and strives to develop a deep understanding of the uniqueness of one or more main characters.

Much of science fiction, on the other hand is idea driven, let’s call it the big idea. For example the big idea in Unholy Domain is to explore what it means to be human. The main characters serve the big idea. They may be well-rounded, but they must fit into the idea of the story. While the literary character may spend pages dwelling on the relationship with his father, the SF character will spend little if any time dissecting that relationship. The focus is on the big idea and the plot must keep moving along.

Science fiction come in many subgenres --- cyberpunk, romance, post-apocalyptic, space opera, near future, soft and hard --- to name a few. All SF is a mix of setting, plot and character, but SF places more emphasis on setting and plot than does traditional literary fiction. The SF writer has more to deal with than the traditional writer, and can’t put all her marbles in the character basket.

That doesn’t mean that SF characters aren’t well-developed. They can be, but within and supporting the framework of the story. David Louis Edelman has an excellent article on Building Character(s) in DeepGenre and provides a useful list of factors to consider. Read the comments, too.

Book Chase: Unholy Domain is "a rollercoaster ride"

2008-07-22T14:24:00.004-04:00

Dan Ronco’s Unholy Domain comes along just when most people are becoming fully aware that the world’s new dependence on the internet leaves all of us vulnerable to a completely new kind of terrorist threat that was never envisioned by the net’s creators. All it takes to cripple economies, kill power grids, shut down sophisticated weapons systems and, ultimately, to kill people is one person with the will and the skills to hack into the right computers around the world. If that thought makes you nervous, you probably should stay away from Unholy Domain.

Unholy Domain is Ronco’s follow-up to his PeaceMaker in which he described how a computer super-virus was used to destroy economies around the world, causing the deaths of so many people in the process, that things might never be the same again. The U.S. government now fears out-of-control technological advances and, in self-defense, is severely limiting the release of new high-tech products. Complicating the situation are two groups, one completely in opposition to the introduction of new technology (the Church of Natural Humans), and a second one intent on selling new technology on the black market to the highest bidder (the Technos), that are literally at war with each other.

Caught between the government and the warring factions is one David Brown, son of the now deceased Ray Brown, the man blamed for creating the virus that devastated the world ten years earlier. David, hoping to prove that his father is innocent of the crime, begins his own investigation into what happened a decade earlier and quickly draws the attention of both the Technos and the leadership of the Church of Natural Humans. In order to safeguard their plans for the future, the Technos want to eliminate David as soon as possible. The religious fanatics, on the other hand, want to keep him alive long enough to follow him to the headquarters of the Technos in order to destroy that bunch once and, hopefully, for all.

When Unholy Domain shifts from set-up of the intriguingly dangerous mess that David creates for himself and anyone who tries to help him in his investigation, it becomes a rollercoaster ride of pitched battles between fanatic warrior armies, assassinations, murders, kidnappings, torture and wild lovemaking, not necessarily in that order. There is enough science in the book to satisfy science fiction fans and enough action to keep thriller fans more than happy.

This one, despite the terrifying glimpse of a future set only a few years from now that it offers, is fun.

Posted on Book Chase by Sam Houston

Visit Dan Ronco's Amazon Profile.

Soulless Machine Review: My writing compared to Crichton , Gibson and Leonard

2008-07-20T11:46:00.003-04:00

Posted by Aaaron M. Wilson on the Soulless Machine Review.

Unholy Domain by Dan Ronco was the second novel that I read while I was in Puerto Vallarta, to read the review of the first, click here: DARWIN'S PARADOX by Nina Munteanu.

Imagine a world several years after a computer virus called Peacemaker destroyed nearly all internet connections in the world and infected almost all computers. In this world, Peacemaker is indirectly responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people due to loss of remote control of utilities, phones, satellites, hospitals; everything that we take for granted stopped working.

In the aftermath, the government has taken control of all technology related R&D; and in the wake of this take over, two opposing forces have arisen: the Technos, who push the envelope, creating new and illegal technologies, which are sold on the black market by the mob; and the Church of Natural Humans, a terrorist-like sect of Christianity that believes all machines, smart-technologies, are spawns of the devil.

In this world, your name is David Brown. You're smart. You're good looking and women flock to you. You're not wealthy, but you don't want for money. You have everything going for you, except that you are the son of the man who created and unleashed Peacemaker.

Unholy Domain is an action packed coming of age story in which David Brown must uncover hidden secrets about his father, secrets that others have killed to keep, secrets that if uncovered could change everything. In his search, David will go up against the Church of Natural Humans, the Techos, and an intelligent internet program that threatens to suck his consciousness out of his body and into the World Wide Web forever.

Ronco's writing is clear and detailed. I read every word. The plot is fast. A worthy comparison of Ronco's style would be: Michael Crichton's action, William Gibson's attention to technical detail, and Elmore Leonard's tough guy attitude. This combination finds a unique and entertaining mix in Ronco's fiction, creating a book that I couldn't put down long enough to enjoy the beaches of Puerto Vallarta.

I highly recommend Unholy Domain to anyone interested in the future of human consciousness, technology, and the evolution of the human machine.

To learn more about my novels, check out my Amazon Blog.

NothingBinding.com: Unholy Domain almost screams "Look around you!"

2008-07-16T12:37:00.001-04:00

Review for “Unholy Domain” by Dan Ronco

The futuristic world of Cyber Technology is spawning a new genre that falls somewhere between creative imagination and scientific probability. And possibly, imminent projection. It’s the impending element that is the rather scary part. Is Unholy Domain science fiction, a thriller of sorts? Or is it a quite feasible and likely glimpse into a very near future? Unlike the imaginative sci-fi of the Star Wars and Trekkie generation where we were thrust light years ahead of our time, Unholy Domain almost screams “Look around you!”

It’s 2012. A deadly computer virus renders identity theft, electronic spying and cyber fraud mere child’s play. This bug, known as Peace Maker, literally sends the world spiraling into chaos with a shut down of communications, energy, and product distribution. What’s compelling about this calamity is its very possible authenticity. It could happen tomorrow! Look around you!

Fast forward ten years. It’s 2022. Society, itself, is in decay. The Great Depression of the Thirties pales in comparison. Once in control, the Technos and their ensuing alternative intelligence capabilities have roused the ire of religious fundamentalists. The Technos, their controlled robots, and the Natural Humans of the Army of God meet head on in the age-old battle of good versus evil, of God against Lucifer! But there is a yet new dilemma. Has evil become the only power? Is evil only fighting for a more intense degree of itself? Is this the ultimate jihad?

True to books of this genre, Unholy Domain does have an enigmatic ending which leaves the reader free to draw their own conclusions as to the validity of this futuristic world. The goal of a writer is to leave the reader pondering their story, the whys and wherefores of it, and the personal impact it invokes. Unholy Domain succeeds in doing that. By all means . . . look around you!

Susan Haley, Author

**Susan Haley is the published author of two books, several articles on networking, an award-winning poet, and the copy editor and book reviewer for Pepper Tree Press Publishing. She is a columnist for “The Florida Writer” the official magazine of the Florida Writers Association, and serves as Facilitator for the Sarasota County Chapter. The audio version of her novel “RAINY DAY PEOPLE” was recently awarded runner-up Finalist in the 2008 Indie Excellence National Book Awards. She also contributes a variety of editorials and excerpts of her work to various E-zines, newsletters, and local papers. Susan can be contacted at shaley1112@verizon.net.

To learn more about Dan Ronco and his novels, check out his Amazon Blog.

J. Kaye's Book Blog: Unholy Domain is "a real page turner."

2008-07-14T12:32:00.004-04:00

Unholy Domain, by Dan Ronco, is the second in his sci-fi thriller series. Peacemaker, the first, is about a computer virus that changes the world, for the worst. Unholy Domain picks up about 10 years later. It is a fast, exciting read. I read half the book the first night and finished it the next day. Much to my dismay, I found out this was the second book and regret not reading the first one first! Now I must wait until next year (Spring 2009) to read the third one, Tomorrow’s Children.

Piers Anthony wrote: “Anther fast-action story of vicious extremes, as a powerful religious cult takes on a sophisticated tech outfit. Each means to destroy each other and rule the world, and neither is scrupulous about what it means. The protagonist is caught precariously between the two. Top rate adventure sparkling with ideas.”

Peter Clenott, http://www.peterclenott.com/pc/default.asp, author of Hunting the King, wrote “Unholy Domain is science fiction a la Da Vinci Code but with far better characters than Da Vinci Code and with more detail and complexity.”

I couldn't agree more. This book is a real page-turner.

Midwest Book Review: Unholy Domain is a "gripping thriller all the way through."

2008-07-12T08:19:00.008-04:00

Technology has been both the savior and destroyer of millions of lives. "Unholy Domain" is the tale of a computer virus that was the destroyer, and its aftermath. David Brown is the son of the virus' supposed creator; as the world begins to fall apart, he tries to clear his father's name, thinking that the virus was not as responsible as it was pointed out. Faced with threats from religious fanatics as well as those trying to restore the world to its technological state, "Unholy Domain" is a gripping thriller all the way through. Highly recommended for community library thriller collections.

Note from DR: This is the second reviewer from Midwest Book Review to write about Unholy Domain.

Spectacular Unholy Domain Video

Unholy Domain reviewed by TCM Reviews

2008-07-05T12:10:00.002-04:00

Reviewed by Dr. Tami Brady

Ray Brown was the world’s most infamous person. To the world, he was the monster that created PeaceMaker, a lethal virus like none before. To those who worked with him, Ray was a genius who shifted between extreme brilliance and intense darkness. To his family, he was simply an absentee father.

But who was the real Ray Brown? Ray’s son David has lived his life paying for his father’s inheritance. David receives a mysterious email about the true creator of PeaceMaker, supposed sent from his father years before. Not really knowing if he believes his father’s innocence, he seeks to find out more about this man. However, while David is opening doors to the past, someone is closely watching his actions, making sure that he doesn’t stumble upon the truth.

It took a few chapters for me to really get into Unholy Domain. First, I had to figure out who was who in a somewhat large and complex cast of characters. It was once I started to zero in on David’s portion of the story that I began to settle into reading. Then, the rest fell into place.

An Interview with Dan Ronco About Unholy Domain

2008-07-02T08:09:00.003-04:00

Posted on July 1st, 2008
by Simon Barrett in Book Reviews, Interview, Reviews

I really enjoyed Dan Ronco’s latest book, Unholy Domain, it is set in the near future, and paints a bleak picture of what might happen in the aftermath of a computer virus that spreads through the Internet. More and more the net is becoming part of the worlds infrastructure. Email is no longer a luxury, it is a necessity. If you look at 20 bill boards, you will find that 19 of them will have a www address rather than a phone number. Our reliance and acceptance of the Internet is all consuming. But is our reliance on the net too much?

I had the opportunity to ask Dan Ronco.

Being an Internet kind of a guy, I Googled you. You seem to have a pretty interesting history. Maybe you can tell us a little about yourself?

I was born into a tough neighborhood in Newark, New Jersey, where I learned powerful lessons about family, friendship and violence. I survived, so I consider my childhood a success. My escape was fiction, and I spent many hours reading in the local library. Nurturing a passion for technology, I went on to gain a BS in Chemical Engineering from NJIT. Not enough challenge. Always fascinated by new technologies, I was awarded a full fellowship at Columbia University and gained a MS in Nuclear Engineering. Although I designed submarine nuclear reactors for three years, I discovered I enjoyed software development more than reactor design, so I changed career direction and achieved a second MS; this one in Computer Science from RPI.

Fascinated by virtually all areas of software development, my expertise grew to include coding, design, project management, quality improvement and finally, general management. My niche was software consulting and my team assisted many large corporations and governmental organizations. Always looking for a bigger challenge, I built and managed several consulting practices. I’m especially proud of two accomplishments – assisting AT&T greatly improve the quality of the first commercial UNIX release and helping Microsoft to create a world class consulting organization. Positions held during my consulting years included Senior Principal with an international accounting/consulting firm, President, Software Technology Management Inc. and General Manager with Microsoft.

That’s a pretty good bird’s eye view of my career before the writing fever hit.

What was the defining moment that caused you to abandon an obviously lucrative career to become a writer?

If you ask that question to most writers, they will tell you about their first short story written at age eleven. Or nine. How they always knew they would become writers. Not me. Although I loved reading fiction at the local library, the thought of writing novels never crossed my mind. I spent an entire career in the IT business and I loved it, but as the years went by the work turned stale. And when your career becomes boring, it’s time to do something else.

Anyway, I was sitting in my office at Microsoft one night, frustrated by a couple of emerging problems: the increasing number of virus attacks on my client’s systems and the ongoing litigation with the Department of Justice. The more I thought about these problems, the more frustrated I became. Suddenly the obvious solution hit me – get out of this business and write a novel.

What if a great (fictional) software company lost an anti-trust lawsuit and was ripped apart by the DOJ? What if the leaders of this once-great company decided to have their revenge by building an intelligent, deadly software predator into their flagship software product? That’s the premise of PeaceMaker, my first novel.

I liked the concept behind Unholy Domain, it was very cleverly put together. Also in many ways it is timely. Much has been made of hackers attacking government sites, and there has been much grumbling about ‘what if’ they went after a power generating station, particularly a nuclear one. Are we in danger?

Yes, but not with current technologies. Something like PeaceMaker is inevitable – but not for at least another five to ten years. Remember, PeaceMaker is speculative fiction. No existing artificial intelligence (excluding niche applications such as playing chess) can plan and execute at a level approaching human capabilities. In my novel, PeaceMaker has the ability to shut down the host computer, change or destroy data, send warning messages to its master, destroy hardware and attack anyone interfering with its objectives. A software predator could be developed today to perform many of these acts, but not with such sophisticated, adaptive decision-making abilities; one with PeaceMaker-level intelligence is still quite a few years away.

I set the novel in 2012 because that’s probably the earliest point such a predator could emerge (based upon my thinking in 2003). The critical breakthroughs are speech recognition and very complex modeling; once that happens, we’re on the fast track to the software predator described in PeaceMaker.

In Unholy Domain you portray the Government of the day as ineffectual. Brow beaten into regulating technology. It is an interesting idea. We only have to look at the fall out from 9/11 to see steps backward being taken. International relations are at an all time low. Suddenly everyone is suspect, even traditionally friendly border crossings by Canadians or Brits have become a battle of paper, fingerprints, and distrust. A battle that friendly countries feel that they have no option but to play tit for tat. The Brits won’t let Martha Stewart in, so the US responds by not giving a visa to Boy George! I view it as childish. Is making the border harder to cross (as CNN’s resident idiot Lou Dobbs advocates) the answer?

Although we should exercise reasonable control over our borders, that’s not the major risk factor. It’s fracken (love Battlestar Galactica) technology regulation that may do us in. Government, especially Congress, is way out of its league trying to regulate technology. Or just about anything else. That’s not a brilliant conclusion of mine; very few Americans believe Congress — Republican or Democrat — can provide pragmatic, competent regulation.

For example, think about what Congress has done to nuclear power. Thirty years ago nuclear power was an up and coming technology destined to provide the US with the lion’s share of its energy. The Three Mile Island power station near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania changed all that. In 1979 a cooling malfunction caused part of the core to melt in the # 2 reactor at Three Mile Island. Some radioactive gas was released, but not enough to cause any dose above background levels to local residents.

Although there were no injuries or adverse health effects from the accident, poor communications in Congress and the media contributed to a sense of panic among the public, leading to a virtual ban on construction of nuclear plants lasting to this day. This despite an excellent safety record for power plants in the USA for thirty years. I am not minimizing the serious problems at Three Mile Island, but the construction of nuclear power plants should never have been halted. If we generated eighty percent of our energy through nuclear power, as France does, we would not have to depend upon unreliable kingdoms in the Middle East. And we wouldn’t be filling our gas tanks with four-bucks-a-gallon (soon to go higher) gasoline.

I’ll let you in on a few other brilliant moves fostered by our government. We are the only nation with huge reserves of oil that doesn’t allow drilling. And to complete the hat trick, we have not built a new oil refining plant in thirty years. As a result, we have to buy oil from countries that are hostile, such as Venezuela, or with uncertain friendship, such as Saudi Arabia. With a government like this, who needs enemies? The overregulation described in Unholy Domain isn’t really much of a stretch, is it?

As I understand it, Unholy Domain is the second book in a trilogy. I have not yet had a chance to read Peacemaker (hint hint) but do plan on tracking it down. When can we expect to see the final book? And can you tell us a little about it?

It is clear that technological change will turn our society upside down within the next few decades. Humans will have to adapt rapidly to gain the advantages of evolving social and technological innovations. Indeed, we will have to adapt rapidly just to survive.

I scoped out a trilogy of novels to expose three oncoming challenges; computer viruses enhanced with artificial intelligence (set in 2012), the oncoming clash between religion and technology concerning what it means to be human (2022), and the beginnings of the integration of human and artificial intelligence into a network entity (2032). Each novel is written as a thriller – packed with adventure, sex, greed and romance – as well as realistic science, technology, and government intervention. The three leading characters – Dianne Morgan, a female mega-billionaire obsessed with power; Ray Brown, her onetime lover and a brilliant software architect; and David Brown, Ray’s genetically gifted son – are fascinating and all too human.

PeaceMaker, my first novel, was released in August, 2004 and Unholy Domain, was released April 2, 2008 by Kunati Books. The final novel of the trilogy, tentatively entitled Tomorrow’s Children, should be released in 2009. Although the novels are consistent in world building, character and plot development, each is a stand-alone story, so they may be read in any sequence.

Genetic engineering and artificial intelligence continue to rapidly evolve in Tomorrow’s Children, touching off a human uprising based in Africa against the Domain. Ray Brown leads the African tribes in their war against the increasingly human androids of Dianne Morgan’s Domain. When David Brown evolves to the brink of integration with Sentinel, the most advanced AI developed by the Domain, Ray has one last chance to save his son and maintain humanity as a distinct species.

Unholy Domain has ‘best seller’ written all over it. I review a lot of books, and you get a nose for what works in the book world. You are getting a lot of positive press, are you seeing it translate into sales yet?

Unholy Domain is a unique book, part thriller, part science fiction that is rapidly finding its audience. Since both the publisher and the author are relatively new, Unholy Domain has to sell itself based on its entertainment and intellectual values. I have relied upon independent reviewers to introduce the novel to their readers, and the strategy seems to be working. There is no better publicity than a string of favorable reviews, and Unholy Domain is on a tear. Readers check out the reviews, buy the book, and enjoy the story. It’s a good trend.

I have yet to meet an author that does not have little bits of himself and people he knows embedded in the characters, is their a little bit of David in you? (and who else?)

There’s a little bit of me in all my characters. I’m a nice guy. Really. All that conflict, torture, and mayhem that you read in my novels, well, that’s not really me. It’s my characters.

Well, maybe I have a bit of the devil in me, because my characters often resolve problems with violence. And not just any violence — creative, gut-wrenching violence. Hand to hand conflict, rape, robots, torture, you name it. It’s when my characters face off, when their emotions really go full throttle, that’s when the reader is pulled into the story, when they can’t possibly put the book down.

I don’t know where this stuff comes from. I lead a normal life: married to a wonderful woman, three great kids, long-term friendships, satisfying careers. I try and balance the darkness with a quirky sense of humor. So far, so good.

Have we become a society too reliant on technology? I ponder this question often. I wander around downtown and everywhere I look I see security cams, George Orwell had it right in 1984, he just got the date wrong. What are your thoughts?

Our modern technological society provides us with an incredibly high standard of living, but there is a price to pay. As a society, we have decided the trade-offs —reduced privacy, government intervention, complexity, etc — are acceptable. In general, I’m okay with that. Not thrilled, but realistic.

The breaking point is the combination of technology and single-minded fanaticism. Fanatics have always been dangerous, because they are ready to die to impose their beliefs on society. A century earlier, a small group of fanatics might be able to kill a few dozen people with dynamite or guns. Now, a terrorist with a weapon of mass destruction might kill hundreds of thousands. Technology empowers fanatics. To defend itself, society must employ technology. Maybe those security cams will help track down terrorists.

There’s no going back. People are not willing to give up the benefits of technology, nor should they. Regulation won’t stop the spread of advanced, potentially dangerous sciences such as AI, nanotechnology and genetic engineering. Fanatics have access to technology, and they are planning to use it. First question: will we be able to stop the fanatics from using WMD? Second question: how far are we willing to go to defend ourselves?

Tough issues. Since 911, there has not been another devastating attack, but maybe we’ve been lucky. Or maybe Homeland Security is finally doing something right (choke). The balance between safety and oppression is difficult – go too far in either direction and we’re screwed. Bin Laden or Big Brother?

I have read several articles about you that liken your books to the works of Philip K. Dick, the only book I recall by him was ‘Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep’. Who are the writers that inspire you?

For all-around talent and professionalism, it’s difficult to surpass Larry McMurtry. Lonesome Dove is almost perfect literature; there’s not a word I would change. Captains Gus and Call are individually great characters, but when you link them together, the result is greater than the sum of the individuals. And McMurtry maintained the excellence of the characters across their lifetimes in three related but different books. I attempted to do the same with Dianne Morgan, Ray Brown and his son David, although I fell short of the standard set by McMurtry.

For creativity, story-telling and realistic detail, I admire Frank Herbert. The original Dune novels stand head and shoulders above any other science fiction series. Herbert’s creative genius and attention to detail made the desert planet of Dune come alive. I have read the original Dune series five times already, with each read exposing aspects of the story I hadn’t seen before. In your review of Unholy Domain, you mention that each chapter begins with quotes, some old and real, others from books yet to be written. That idea came from Dune, and it’s an excellent device to expand the story with appealing background details.

It’s interesting that some readers of Unholy Domain liken it to Philip K. Dick’s works. An honor, really. I was surprised to read the comparisons, but who could complain about being mentioned in the same breath as one of the old masters? My stories are set in the near future, just as his are, and we both see the darkness approaching, so that might be it, but it wasn’t my intention to adopt his style. I think we have very different styles, and the similarities are overstated. Just my opinion.

Thanks For chatting with us Dan. Oh and you can bet I will be keeping my eyes peeled for the last book in this trilogy.

Simon Barrett
http://zzsimonb.blogspot.com/

BooksAreMyOnly Friends.blogspot.com:Unholy Domain is a "fast paced techno-thriller."

2008-06-29T15:52:00.007-04:00

Hey, you got your AI in my dogma . . .

Should you wish to grapple with the interplay between science and religion, in the words of Tony Soprano, "you got options." You could TiVo "Faith and Reason" on PBS, ponder some Betrand Russell and G.K. Chesterton (which – like duct tape and a universal remote – no home should be without), or crack open Dan Ronco's Unholy Domain. I've gone with door number three, and I've gotta say, it ain't half bad.

Unholy Domain opens in a dystopian, not-so-distant future, in which the world's political and economic systems are gimping along in the wake of the PeaceMaker, a mess-you-up-like-bad-chicken computer virus. It appears that this piece of sunshine was unleashed, for reasons unknown, by the ubertalented and correspondingly erratic programmer Ray Brown, essentially taking down Teh Interweb. As a result of the devastation wrought by PeaceMaker, the federal government has banned all but the most miniscule advances in technology and devolved into corruption and incompetence. *cough, cough *

Against this backdrop we find the Church of the Natural Humans, a sect of anti-technology nuts whose vestments include shoulder-holstered gats and whose theology puts the Luddites to shame, locked in a clandestine war with The Domain, a cabal of black market tech peddlers (imagine the Illuminati recruiting at MIT and bringing on some temps from Blackwater) to be Lords of All We Survey.

Cut to college student David Brown, whom we accompany on his quest to discover the truth about his father Ray and the PeaceMaker virus. What follows is a fast paced techno-thriller that would fit well between a beach chair and cooler of Red Stripe. Some of the prose is somewhat clunky, but Ronco does a great job of drawing out relationships between his characters that seem more fully developed than most genre authors tend to produce. Moreover, the fundamental questions raised by Ronco about the roles of science and religion in the arc of human development are ones worth considering, even if it's while sitting on the beach with a bronson. Perhaps especially then.

If Dan Simmons' Endymion got you all freaky and hot in the ass, what with its time travellin' spikey robot, the AI TechnoCore and the Galactic Catholics, then Unholy Domain will be right up your alley. On the other hand, if you like your discourse to be more elevated, then go get a Mother Jones. And put the beer away.

Blogger News Network: Unholy Domain is "a great story."

2008-06-26T07:55:00.005-04:00

Book review: Unholy Domain by Dan Ronco
Posted on June 24th, 2008
by Simon Barrett in Book Reviews, Reviews

There are a plethora of sci-fi books that have explored what the Earth would be like after the apocalypse, and generally the apocalypse in question is a nuclear war, or some sort of plague.

Unholy Domain takes this genre in a new and very thought provoking direction. One only has to spend a couple of minutes researching the history and growth of the Internet to realize how in the space of just a few years it was woven itself into the very fabric of our world. We have near instantaneous communication via email, we have access to enormous repositories of information, it has become a part of our day to day life. I could not live without it!

Unfortunately there is a potential dark side to the technology. Increasingly it is also the backbone used by basic infrastructures, power generation, transportation, law enforcement, and a lot more. There have already been rumblings in the press about what might happen if hackers gained control of a power generating plant, or other basic service.

In Unholy Domain Dan Ronco takes us to a world where a decade previously (2010) a virus had decimated the Internet. Because of the disruption to basic services over a million people died. What would the world look like under these circumstances?

Dan Ronco takes us to a world that has become a fractured society, the technos and the religious zealots. In the aftermath of the disaster the government has regulated technology, stifling innovation, this has resulted in an economic situation rivaling the great depression. Without advancing technology the world has not just stagnated it has regressed to an earlier time.

Technology has become an underground industry, a black market more lucrative than drugs. The technos are run by a shady organization known simply as The Domain.

The opposing force are the fanatical Army of God, the paramilitary wing of The Church of Natural Humans. Their leader Adam Jordan is on the outside a charismatic speaker, but is also a man with a single minded hatred for technology and those who would use it.

Our hero in Unholy Domain is David Brown, a young student who has the dubious honor of being the son of the man accused of unleashing the deadly virus.

When David receives a message sent 10 years previously from his father he begins to have doubts about his fathers guilt and decides to investigate for himself. David is walking a tightrope, he has enemies in high places, neither The Domain, nor the Army of God are enamored by his presence, for different reasons, though one does become his unseen temporary protector with an ulterior motive in mind.

This is a fast paced techno thriller which I can pretty much guarantee you will not want to put down, I know I didn’t! Set close enough in the future (2020) that most of the ‘props’ are believable, it paints a dark picture of one potential future scenario for mankind.

This is a book that is worth searching out, I liked the style of writing a great deal. Each chapter begins with some quotes, some old and real, other from books yet to be written. A very cute touch. You don’t have to be a hard core Sci-Fi fan for this one, just a lover of a great story.

You can pick up your own copy of Unholy Domain from Amazon, he also has a web site with additional information.

Simon Barrett
http://zzsimonb.blogspot.com/

ReviewYourBook.com: "Unholy Domain is written with much Intelligence and Finesse."

2008-06-23T15:58:00.005-04:00

Unholy Domain
A world where religious terrorists and visionaries of technology fight for supreme power.

Dan Ronco
KUNATI, 2008
ISBN: 9781601640215
5 stars

Can technology go too far…
Reviewed by Debra Gaynor for ReviewYourBook.com

Unholy Domain is written with much intelligence and finesse. Dan Ronco presents a world where technology is out of control. In 2012, a computer virus called the Peacemaker was released, and over a million humans died. The economy spiraled down into a depression. People question whether technology is good or evil. There are two factions, Technos (scientists) verses Church of Natural Humans (theologians), fighting to control the world. Both sides have their own agenda. One man stands alone in the quest for truth and to clear his father’s name.

Dan Ronco’s Unholy Domain is a realistic thriller. Ronco does go overboard in describing the females, and he comes across as a bit sexist. The plot is imaginative and pulls the reader into the story. I could not put this one down. The characters are brilliant, the pace is non-stop action, and the premise is chilling. This is a must read for fans of science fiction.

http://www.danronco.com/

Suburban Fiction Ranks Unholy Domain in Top Four Books

2008-06-20T06:50:00.002-04:00

I was thrilled to learn that Unholy Domain was placed in the top four books reviewed by Alex Hutchinson for Suburban Fiction. Here is the complete review:

Daring, innovative, and predictive of ethical quandaries yet to arrive, Unholy Domain is a novel to be reckoned with. Author Dan Ronco utilizes his vast understanding of engineering and technology to give us a vision of the future well within the realm of possibility. This could be one of those rare occasions when we as a people could learn the lessons for mistakes we have yet to make. The drama that defines these lessons is not bad either.

Unholy Domain sets the stage for a future where the internet has been integrated into nearly every business, streetlight and punch clock. A collection of scientists have gathered to create an organization known as the Domain. Their purpose is to allow Artificial intelligence to reach the point where it can assume human traits and be used to enhance physical beings. This bold approach produces a counterculture movement driven by a militant religious sect known as the Army of God. A subversive war rages between these factions worsening the already diminished strength of the world economy. Inevitably, David Brown finds himself in the center of it all.

It is one thing to be the man who almost destroyed society but it is quite another to be his son. David grew up under the dark shadow of his father's horrific misdeeds. His father, Raymond, had a brilliant mind for computers that somehow got out of control when he launched a virus that delivered chaos amongst the masses. Young David has the same gifts as his father and was always a little skeptical of the official story of his Dad's guilt and subsequent death. After receiving a time lapse e-mail insistent upon his innocence David sets off on a journey back into the blackened hallways of his father's past.

Here we are given a world where techology rules not only the economic stability but also the sustainability of humanity. It is in this vortex where ethical walls are breached. Should so much power ever be controlled by the specific knowledge of so few? How can a society be maintained if it is constantly split between those who can afford the ultimate software and those who cannot?

I found myself captivated by the fast-paced action and multiple storylines. As the dueling ideologies espouse their vision, I was struck by the persuasivness of their arguments. Often I wasn't sure who to root for. Each side contains well rounded characters driven by both personal ambition and organizational responsibility. A tug of will between any two produces an explosion of emotional conflict and each of these battles edges their convictions closer to the apex of the government's power center. The author presses forth with curvy heroines and breakneck urgency until a rather abrupt ending stops the reader and forces them into waiting for the next book. While the ending could be considered a cruel teaser, it's still very easy to fall into fandom over this type of writing.

www.danronco.com

Is a Book Critique Group for You?

2008-06-19T12:53:00.002-04:00

I have been in a critique group for seven years, and it has been a great experience. The five of us are all focused on novels, but we work in a variety of genres. Two of us are published and the others are working toward that goal. Age ranges from mid-thirties to mid-seventies. We are all the same age, however, when we critique each other’s work.

In our weekly meeting, we read our most recent compositions, usually about ten pages. Each reviewer provides feedback describing good and bad aspects of the writing. We offer advice with the intent of helping the author; nobody shows off. The author considers the feedback and decides what, if anything, should be modified.

Actually it’s more than just a critique group. Our coach and group leader begins each session with a twenty minute discussion of a writing topic. While the coach leads the discussion, we all participate. I’d have to say we are many things: a critique group, a workshop, and a gathering of friends.

The secret of our success is compatibility and talent. We keep the group small and invite an occasional new member only if she gets along well with the existing members. It is also important that her writing skills are at a reasonably good level. Bringing a novice into the group wouldn’t be fair to anyone.

I look forward to these weekly meetings. In addition to the usually on-point feedback, we enjoy needling each other, which leads to a ton of laughs.

And it’s not just weekly critique sessions; we have a dinner party about every six weeks. This Sunday it’s my turn to host the party. Spouses and friends are invited; twelve to fifteen people usually attend. The host provides the entrée and each guest brings food or wine. In addition to a great meal, each writer reads a chapter of his latest manuscript, which often leads to a lively discussion.

I guess the point of this piece is that a critique group can be a great asset. Our approach has included both social and work aspects, and it has passed the test of time, but it’s just one example. Set it up the way that works best for your group.

www.danronco.com

AllFictionBooks.com: Unholy Domain is "very much a mix between George Orwell’s 1984 and Philip Dick’s Minority Report."

2008-06-13T12:49:00.006-04:00

Unholy Domain: Where Science and Religion Go to War

Reviewd by Stuart Nachbar

Dan Ronco’s Unholy Domain is a science fiction story that is very much a mix between George Orwell’s 1984 and Philip Dick’s Minority Report.

This is a story where an innovative technology has supposedly gone haywire, killing a million people and plunging the world or at least American into economic collapse. Domain’s main character, David Brown, is the son of the developer of PeaceMaker, the technology that started the downward spiral and created a nation (or world—I was not sure from the story) divided between factions for religious leadership—the Natural Humans--and technology. Both have their political capital, and both have their terrorists--or freedom fighters—depending on which side you are on. Members of both factions are about to form an even more powerful order known only as the Domain.

I loved the movie Minority Report, so I was anxious to read Domain, and it did not disappoint. While the author is a technologist himself, he doesn’t get the reader lost in technical and computer jargon; that is often a distraction with similar “intelligent” science fiction novels that assume the reader already knows most of the science before he opens the book. His descriptions of robots and PeaceMaker, the killer app were quick and to the point and made me want to continue reading the story. Domain is quite similar to Minority Report in that Brown has become a fugitive, in this case, a brilliant software developer, whose life has become a mission to avenge the loss of his father, a man he hardly knew in his youth. And, as in Minority Report, the main character unveils a major cover-up; unmasked, it means death to Brown and all who help him. Ronco has also done an excellent job of presenting the all-powerful evil cast of characters who lead the Domain. In the end, we learn that distinctions between good and evil technology rest in the hands of a very small number of deceptive, greedy and powerful individuals.

Novels such as Domain, which are set in a not-too-distant future, are often meant to present warnings about our present. In this story there is more about the deceptions of religious leaders, how they manipulate society at large and, what can potentially happen if such manipulation is unchecked and taken to extremes. We have powerful spiritual leaders in America today, though none ask ordinary citizens to take up arms and become holy warriors; however, religious uprisings have been an important part of world history. Ronco’s fictional Army of God is no less formidable than the military leaders in the Crusades, for example, or the Nazis. There are the same blind loyalties to a charismatic leader that drive the movement to the point where it oversteps its bounds and becomes more like the entities it had set out to destroy.

Domain is more of a political science fiction thriller than a techno-thriller. If you are a sci-fi buff anxious to know the potential and power of computing, you may prefer a more scientific story. But if you want a fresh new story that shows how fear can dominate the direction of a society, and how fear can bend technology to its means, then Domain is a worthy read.

Contact Stuart Nachbar at http://www.EducatedQuest.com , a blog on education politics, policy and technology or read about his first book, The Sex Ed Chronicle, a novel on education and politics in 1980 New Jersey, at http://www.SexEdChronicles.com .

Where does the Darkness come from?

2008-06-12T09:41:00.004-04:00

I’m a nice guy. Really. All that conflict, torture, and mayhem that you read in my novels, well, that’s not really me. At least I don’t think so.

Let me explain, since you may not have heard of me. I write novels about the near-future, the next two or three decades. My first novel, PeaceMaker, published in 2004, looked at the destruction caused by a lethal computer virus augmented with artificial intelligence. Definitely not a namby-pamby virus that you catch with a standard anti-virus program. Nope, the PeaceMaker virus shut down computers across the globe, millions died from lack of power, water, health care, but I’m not writing a synopsis. You get the picture.

Unholy Domain, published April, 2008, examines the growing conflict between religion and science. You think things are hot between the pro-choice and pro-life activists, well that’s a weekend picnic compared to issues we will face when artificial intelligence and genetic engineering hit full stride.

My latest novel under development, Tomorrow’s Children, continues where Unholy Domain left off and then evaluates the integration of human and machine intelligence. My view of the future isn’t StarTrek. (I blogged about StarTrek a few months earlier.) It’s dark and complex, but not without hope.

Each of my novels starts with an assumption regarding the direction and pace of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, genetic engineering, robotics and the like. Then I look at the major social issues and evaluate their direction and intensity. Overlay the technical and the cultural and you can pick out the hot spots. My novels grow in those spots.

Okay, so I start with an issue, one with at least two strong, conflicting beliefs. Actually, at this point the novel could be considered hard science fiction. Hard means based in reality, no magic, no pipe dreams. If I starting writing with this outline, I would create a novel that will make you think, but not cringe.

But the devil is in the details. Or maybe I have a bit of the devil in me, because as I lay out an outline, the conflict of ideas turns to violence. And not just any violence --- creative, gut-wrenching violence. Hand to hand conflict, rape, robots, torture, you name it. More thriller than scifi now.

I don’t know where this stuff comes from. I lead a normal life: married to a wonderful woman, three great kids, long-term friendships, satisfying career. I try and balance the darkness with a quirky sense of humor.

The reviews for Unholy Domain have been great (check Amazon), but they see the darkness of the story. Phrases like nightmare, damn scary book, alarming, frightening vision, dark and dangerous, bloody, threatening, and horrific pepper the reviews.

Who knows the source of all this darkness? Yeah, it’s from me, but it comes from some walled-off section of my mind that doesn’t connect to my real life. And never will.

Well, that’s about it. My wife Linda and I are going out to dinner tonight, a nice Italian place where the people know us by name. Should be a good time.

www.danronco.com

Top Fifty Amazon Reviewer: An action-packed, page turning read

2008-06-10T14:58:00.006-04:00

Amanda Richards "Modest to the extreme"

This futuristic story pits technology against religion in an all-out bloody war, ostensibly to save the human race. The thing is, both sides have dark secrets that they'd rather stay hidden from the world, and now one uniquely talented young man is threatening to expose them all to clear his father's name.

It's 2012 - A year of great scientific progress Except of course for the virus Which cripples computers ALL the computers ALL OF THEM! Killing more than a million people Who couldn't get food, Water, Gas, Heat Or e-mail

It's 2022 - A year of economic depression Some believe that the answer Lies in Artificial Intelligence Human-like robots THAT CAN THINK And spectacles that are voice-activated to give you the news on the go

It's 2022 A year of the Church of Natural Humans Who believe that technology Is the tool of Lucifer And are prepared TO KILL EVERYONE Who dares to support Artificial Intelligence As they have no right To play GOD

In between, there's David Brown, son of the man who has been vilified for creating the virus, but after receiving a delayed transmission e-mail from his late father, David now thinks otherwise.

David has a unique talent when it comes to AI, and once he sets his mind to proving his father's innocence, he stirs up the vipers on both sides, and the result is an action-packed, page-turning read.

The dialogue doesn't always flow smoothly and the female characters are sometimes (ahem) overly developed, but these are minor hiccups in an otherwise well crafted story that may yet prove to be prophetic.

Amanda Richards, June 7, 2008

Midwest Book Review: Unholy Domain is "a tale from out of our worst nightmares"

2008-06-06T17:03:00.004-04:00

Unholy Domain takes place in the near future. It's an exciting and sometimes alarming story where technology and religion clash and fight it out to the death.

The religion is fundamentalist in nature with the freedom of owning a gun one of its precepts. They view all technology as works of the devil and work hard to destroy their enemies. The Church of Natural Humans is a frightening vision of religious fanaticism.

It's an era of economic collapse. In the midst of all this lives a young man whose father's responsible for the virus that killed millions of people and caused a depression. David Brown must live with the consequences of his father's deeds. This includes mobs harassing him and throwing rocks through his windows. He has no friends. No one will befriend the son of a monster.

Now David has received a message left to him by his father before he died. His father tells him that he's not the one responsible for the virus. David tries to verify his father's words. Was he telling the truth?

David sets out on a search to find the truth. It's a dark and dangerous journey and he might not come out of it alive.

Unholy Domain is a sci-fi thriller that gives us a glimpse into a frightening future, one where religion and government both are out of control. It's a tale from out of our worst nightmares and will not only entertain but make you stop and think.

Unholy Domain is the author's second novel, his first being PeaceMaker.

Victoria Kennedy
Reviewer

Kunati Books Selected as Independent Publisher of the Year

2008-06-05T15:42:00.002-04:00

ForeWord Magazine named Kunati Books as the first "Independent Publisher of the Year" at its prestigious Book of the Year Awards at BEA in L.A. ForeWord's Publisher Victoria Sutherland said, "In a word, or eight, Kunati inspired us to create this award. I hope the recognition inspires others to follow in their new but large and welcoming footsteps."

The award is well-deserved. Kunati has exceeded all my expectations for a publisher. Unholy Domain is a startling work of speculative fiction, and only an exceptional publisher could provide proper support. Check out the video trailer to see what I mean.

The award was kept "top secret," Kunati Publisher Derek Armstrong said. "We had no idea this award was in the works. We were surprised and delighted at the recognition, and credit most of our success to our authors."

Victoria Sutherland explained the rationale for this important award: "The convergence in the industry led to the independent press community, where interesting and extraordinary moments still happen because creativity and provocativeness are allowed to flourish without beaucratic overhead. We felt those publishers should be recognized for their vitality and entrepreneurialism in spite of overwhelming odds not to get involved in the business. And who better to recognize them than the magazine created to cover them exclusively?"

Kunati has been called "a publisher to watch" by Booklist and "impressive" by Publishers Weekly for innovative marketing, stunning book covers, daring online initiatives and very provocative and controversial titles. "We hope the Independent Publisher of the Year award will inspire other innovative small presses to take on debut authors, fight for good memoirs and fiction, and challenge readers with provocative non-fiction," said Armstrong.

Amen, brother.

Bookshelf Reviews "Unholy Domain is a Riveting Futuristic Novel"

2008-06-04T11:33:00.004-04:00

Unholy Domain - Dan Ronco

If this is our future, I really can't say I'm looking forward to it all that much.

Dan Ronco spins a riveting futuristic novel packed with action, suspense and a whole lotta robots. And religious nuts - those guys are the fun ones. In 2022, the world lies in the aftermath of the virus that hit the world and its computers a decade before. The accused creator, Ray Brown, is dead, but his son David, possessing a weird ability to communicate with artificial intelligence, lives on, often suffering from his father's indiscretions. But when David receives a preset email from his father claiming his own innocence, David suspects that perhaps his father wasn't behind the world-shattering virus, but a business associate who now prepares and distributes A.I. inventions underground. And with the religious sect called the Church of Natural Humans causing havoc as well, picking off anyone who sneezes in the direction of an A.I., answers don't come as easily for David as he might've originally thought.

Though some character dialogue comes off as a bit too scripted, Ronco's story and writing is solid, providing enough twists and turns for the mystery-favoring reader and enough fist-to-fist action for the James Bond followers. An excellent read.

Posted by T.C. Robson at Monday, June 02, 2008

http://www.danronco.com/

Unholy Domain Praised by Roundtable Reviews

2008-06-02T10:22:00.002-04:00

Reviewed By Jeff Cook

Aside from social media, Wikis, the opportunity to juke out and conquer fellow online bidders and loads and loads of videos of funny monkeys, the internet has opened the doors to new opportunities for science fiction writers. With so much of our personal information and lives intertwined with computers and the World Wide Web, a panoply of what-if scenarios have been posited and explored by a new generation of authors that pick up where Asimov and Dick left off.

Dan Ronco is one of them. In his new novel, UNHOLY DOMAIN, Ronco picks up a decade after a compuer virus named Peacemaker has wiped out computers world-wide; the economies of the greatest nations on earth lie in ruins, people face starvation and desperation on a scale unimaged. Yet humanity is finding its way, propelled by those two engines that have moved progess through the ages since the dawn of time: science, and religion.

On one side is the Church of Natural Humans, a religious faction exalting "natural humanity", those people untainted by technological enhacements or dependency on a computerized world. Led by a charismatic leader, a beautiful and deadly assassin and an army of zealots, the Church seeks to wipe out those who would promote the artificial over the natural.

On the other side lies the Domain, a group of technocrats bent on achieving world domination through the sale of artificial humans and the restoration of global communications that will give them total control of the people and major economies that are in tatters.

In the middle is David Brown, the son of the man accused of creating Peacemaker and a man determined to prove his father was a pawn in the most dangerous game ever played - a game in which the ultimate prize is the world itself.

UNHOLY DOMAIN is a damn scary book filled with fascinating ideas and questions that wrestle with notions of family, security, betrayal, and our dependency on a way of life that can be stripped of us at any whim of a capricious technogod. Ronco writes with a tight, fast-paced style that draws the reader into his world and keeps their pulse-rate high throughout the book. While it is a sequel to his first novel, Peacemaker, new readers are able to fully enjoy the follow-up without the nagging feeling that they're missing something. A terrific new voice in the world of techno-thrillers, Dan Ronco is an author to keep track of.

Book Review by Blogcritics Magazine

2008-05-30T13:45:00.004-04:00

Written by Alex HutchinsonPublished May 29, 2008

Daring, innovative, and predictive of ethical quandaries yet to arrive, Unholy Domain is a novel to be reckoned with. Author Dan Ronco utilizes his vast understanding of engineering and technology to give us a vision of the future well within the realm of possibility. This could be one of those rare occasions when we as a people could learn the lessons for mistakes we have yet to make. The drama that defines these lessons is not bad either.

Unholy Domain sets the stage for a future where the internet has been integrated into nearly every business, streetlight and punch clock. A collection of scientists have gathered to create an organization known as the Domain. Their purpose is to allow Artificial intelligence to reach the point where it can assume human traits and be used to enhance physical beings. This bold approach produces a counterculture movement driven by a militant religious sect known as the Army of God. A subversive war rages between these factions worsening the already diminished strength of the world economy. Inevitably, David Brown finds himself in the center of it all.

It is one thing to be the man who almost destroyed society but it is quite another to be his son. David grew up under the dark shadow of his father’s horrific misdeeds. His father, Raymond, had a brilliant mind for computers that somehow got out of control when he launched a virus that delivered chaos amongst the masses. Young David has the same gifts as his father and was always a little skeptical of the official story of his Dad’s guilt and subsequent death. After receiving a time lapse e-mail insistent upon his innocence David sets off on a journey back into the blackened hallways of his father’s past.

Here we are given a world where techology rules not only the economic stability but also the sustainability of humanity. It is in this vortex where ethical walls are breached. Should so much power ever be controlled by the specific knowledge of so few? How can a society be maintained if it is constantly split between those who can afford the ultimate software and those who cannot?

I found myself captivated by the fast-paced action and multiple storylines. As the dueling ideologies espouse their vision, I was struck by the persuasivness of their arguments. Often I wasn't sure who to root for. Each side contains well rounded characters driven by both personal ambition and organizational responsibility. A tug of will between any two produces an explosion of emotional conflict and each of these battles edges their convictions closer to the apex of the government's power center. The author presses forth with curvy heroines and breakneck urgency until a rather abrupt ending stops the reader and forces them into waiting for the next book. While the ending could be considered a cruel teaser, it’s still very easy to fall into fandom over this type of writing.

Dan Ronco Interviewed by Mayra Calvani

2008-05-27T15:49:00.002-04:00

Mayra Calvani is a multi-genre author and book reviewer. She's the author of The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing, Dark Lullaby, and Embraced by the Shadows. Her children's titles include The Magic Violin and CRASH!Check out her blogs: Mayra's Secret Bookcase, The Dark Phantom Review, and Violin and Books. Subscribe to her free monthly newsletter, The Fountain Pen.

Dan Ronco's latest novel is a suspenseful techno-thriller filled with adventure, romance and greed. A former successful engineer and businessman, he used his knowledge and experience to craft Unholy Domain, a story that delves into controversial, provocative themes like the ethics of genetic engineering, the question of what limit to put on technology, and the reconciling of religion and science. The novel also focuses on the relationship between a father and a son. With issues of such magnitude, Unholy Domain promises to be a thrilling, entertaining read. Ronco was kind enough to give me a few minutes of his time to answer my questions.

Why don’t you begin by telling us a little about yourself?

Born into a tough neighborhood in Newark, New Jersey, I learned powerful lessons about family, friendship and violence. My escape was fiction, and I spent many hours reading in the local library. Nurturing a passion for technology, I went on to gain a BS in Chemical Engineering from NJIT. Not enough challenge. Always fascinated by new technologies, I was awarded a full fellowship at Columbia University and gained a MS in Nuclear Engineering. Although I designed submarine nuclear reactors for three years, I discovered I enjoyed software development more than reactor design, so I changed career direction and achieved a second MS; this one in Computer Science from RPI.Fascinated by virtually all areas of software development, my expertise grew to include coding, design, project management, quality improvement and finally, general management. My niche was software consulting and my team assisted many large corporations and governmental organizations. Always looking for the latest challenge, I built and managed several consulting practices. I'm especially proud of two accomplishments – assisting AT&T greatly improve the quality of the first commercial UNIX release and helping Microsoft to create a world class consulting organization. Positions held during my consulting years included Senior Principal with an international accounting/consulting firm, President, Software Technology Management Inc. and General Manager with Microsoft.

When did you decide you wanted to become an author?

Eight years ago I decided to leave consulting and concentrate on a long held desire to write fiction. A successful engineer and businessman, I had the breadth of experience to understand and synthesize rapidly evolving strands of technology. It became clear that fundamental change would turn our society upside down within the next few decades. Humans will have to adapt rapidly to gain the advantages of these changing social and technological innovations. Indeed, we will have to adapt rapidly just to survive.I scoped out a trilogy of novels to expose three oncoming challenges; computer viruses enhanced with artificial intelligence (set in 2012), the oncoming clash between religion and technology concerning what it means to be human (2022), and the beginnings of the integration of human and artificial intelligence into a network entity (2032). Each novel is written as a thriller – packed with adventure, sex, greed and romance – as well as realistic science and technology. The three leading characters – Dianne Morgan, a female mega-billionaire obsessed with power; Ray Brown, her onetime lover and a brilliant software architect; and David Brown, Ray’s genetically gifted son – are fascinating and all too human.PEACEMAKER, my first novel, was released in August, 2004 with outstanding feedback by critics, authors, and most importantly, by customers. My next novel, UNHOLY DOMAIN, was released April 2, 2008 by Kunati Books, with an excellent response. The final novel of the trilogy, tentatively entitled TOMORROW’S CHILDREN, should be released next year.

Tell us a bit about your latest book, and what inspired you to write such a story.

UNHOLY DOMAIN delivers all the excitement of a great thriller while also delving into provocative themes: the bioethics of genetic engineering, the question of what limit (if any) should be placed on technology, the problem of reconciling faith in God and respect for his creation with the technological promises of artificial intelligence, and the age-old issue of family ties and the loyalty of a son to his father. How could anyone not be inspired by issues of such magnitude?

UNHOLY DOMAIN features David Brown, a brilliant but troubled young man raised in the dark shadow of his long-dead father, a software genius who unleashed a computer virus that murdered more than a million innocents. When David receives a decade-old email that indicates his father may have been framed, he plunges into a gut-wrenching race with the real killers to discover the truth about his father ... and himself. As David tracks through his father's startling history, he stumbles into a war between the Domain, a secret society of technologists, and the Army of God, a murderous cult with a sacred mission to curtail the spread of technology and roll civilization back to a simpler era. Hunted by killers from both organizations, David unravels his father’s secrets, comes to terms with his own life, and then falls in love with a woman from his father’s past.

Did your book require a lot of research?

My novels are set in the near future, so it’s my responsibility to bring the reader into a world that is realistic, compelling and consistent with existing trends in science and culture. My stories exist at the point advanced technologies threaten our institutions, beliefs and even our survival.

As a result, I read constantly in subjects such as artificial intelligence, genetic engineering, robotics and other advanced technologies. I have a passion for technology, so reading isn’t a chore, it’s a gift. I am equally fascinated by human values and culture, such as economics, politics and religion. Searching for stress points, I attempt to project current technologies and trends two or three decades into the future. UNHOLY DOMAIN, for example, explores the potential for conflict between religious fundamentalists and scientists on the leading edge of artificial intelligence.

What is your opinion about critique groups? What words of advice would you offer a novice writer who is joining one? Do you think the wrong critique group can ‘crush’ a fledgling writer?

I have been in a critique group for seven years, and it has been a positive experience. The five of us meet once a week and we each read our most recent compositions, usually about ten pages. Each reviewer provides feedback describing good and bad aspects of the writing. We offer advice with the intent of helping the author; nobody shows off. The author considers the feedback and decides what, if anything, should be modified.

Actually it’s more than just a critique group. Our coach and group leader begins each session with a twenty minute discussion of a writing topic. While the coach leads the discussion, we all participate. I’d have to say we are many things: a critique group, a workshop, and a gathering of friends.

The secret of our success is compatibility and talent. We keep the group small and invite an occasional new member only if she gets along well with the existing members. It is also important that her writing skills are at a reasonably good level. Bringing a novice into the group wouldn’t be fair to anyone.

How was your experience in looking for a publisher? What words of advice would you offer those novice authors who are in search of one?

One of the biggest mistakes I made with PEACEMAKER, my first novel, was to not check out the publisher thoroughly. When he called me, I was thrilled, and it seemed that everything was working out. Wrong. The publisher was a nice guy, he was very enthusiastic about my novel and we seemed to hit it off. However, he had a couple of problems: he had been in business less than a year and really didn't know much about book marketing; and he was underfunded, so he couldn't hire talented, experienced professionals. As a result, his business went underwater and all his authors were left scrambling. That's why I had to become the publisher for PeaceMaker, which consumed a great deal of my time.So the lesson is to not become dreamy-eyed when a publisher offers to pick up your book. Treat it like making an investment. Check out the size, experience, financial resources, number of employees, references from other authors, bookstores that carry his works, etc. Better to walk away than sign up with someone who doesn't have a good track record. I checked out Kunati carefully, and they have been an excellent publisher for UNHOLY DOMAIN.

Do you have a website/blog where readers may learn more about you and your work?

Yes, please stop by www.danronco.com to say hello, read an excerpt of UNHOLY DOMAIN, read my blog or view the incredible trailer for the book. And there’s much more: the complete PEACEMAKER novel, cool videos, book reviews and articles by guest authors. If you enjoy science fiction or technology thrillers, this is a great place to visit.

Thanks for stopping by! It was a pleasure to have you here!

Protect Your PC: Part Two

2008-05-25T14:58:00.002-04:00

A few weeks earlier I published an article describing common sense methods to protect your PC from viruses and spyware. Well, that’s a good start, but a few additional steps will make your PC even more secure. Once again, these are straight-forward techniques that just about any PC user can employ.

In addition to keeping your AV software up to date, keep all your Windows software current with the latest updates. It’s easy, just go into your control panel and set Windows Update on automatic. Microsoft will download and install appropriate updates for your PC.

Many airports, bookstores and other establishments provide wireless internet connections. These WIFI hotspots provide a convenient way to go online, but there are security issues. It’s relatively easy for a hacker to get into your PC and steal sensitive information. In particular, if your PC contains financial information, login passwords, social security numbers and the like, don’t use an internet connection at a hotspot.

Don’t employ the same password for all your logins. Every bank or financial institution should be given a unique, complex (random sequence of letters and numbers) password. All low priority accounts ( no major problem if stolen by a hacker) can be set with an identical, easy to remember password. In between accounts may be set up on one general purpose password, but make it complex.

Stay away from porn sites, they’re riddled with viruses. Yeah, I know boys will be boys, but make sure your AV software has the latest updates. Those peer to peer sites are risky, too.

Don’t open or install a program from the internet or a disk unless you know and trust the supplier. In any case, make sure your AV software is up to date.

Never click on a popup that you did not request. Close it, but make sure your AV and anti-spyware software are up to date. Are you seeing a trend here?

Never open an email attachment, unless you know and trust the sender.

If your computer slows drastically, gets bombarded with popups, or acts strangely, break your internet connection and run a scan for viruses and spyware.

Those are the issues that come to mind. If you follow the suggestions here and in my previous article, you will significantly reduce the risks of working on the internet.

Will Humanity Survive the Singularity?

2008-05-20T16:15:00.001-04:00

By Dan Ronco, author of the visionary novel Unholy Domain

Some futurists believe there will be a point in the not too distant future where the rate of technological development becomes so fast that it will advance beyond the control of humanity. This event is called the Singularity. The most likely cause would be rapidly advancing artificial intelligence.

A future that is dominated by an artificial intelligence superseding human intelligence is entirely possible this century. Software has already been designed that surpasses human intelligence in selected narrow areas such as chess playing. Although software exhibiting general intelligence is still a long way off, there are no theoretical limitations to its creation. Once we reach the point that artificial intelligence can improve its own source code, the stage is set for rapid improvement in AI.

Let’s assume that an enhanced AI takes humanity to the Singularity in several decades. Then we ask, what lies beyond? How can we predict a future dominated by a superior intelligence? An intelligence smarter than us as we are than chimps.

The times after the Singularity remain murky because we aren’t that smart. Could a chimp ever conceive the development of human technology, even if we tried to explain every step? No, it couldn’t, so how do we look past the Singularity?

We can’t.

In fact, we may not be able to understand the steps leading up to the Singularity. We will have to fashion tools to keep pace with rapidly advancing technology. Perhaps an AI that self designs, but remains within limits we can comprehend, would keep us informed as the Singularity approaches. Perhaps genetic engineering of our brains will keep pace with technology for several years.

Another possibility is a merging of human and artificial intelligence. This seems the most promising approach, that is, if you want to see something of today’s humanity survive past the Singularity. My forthcoming novel, tentatively titled Tomorrow’s Children, explores this possibility.

Let’s get back to the original question: will humanity survive the Singularity? Nobody knows or can know, but let’s pretend we can. One potential solution is to build controls into the AI, something like Asimov’s Laws, but more sophisticated. If we can, let’s infuse the AI with code that requires respect for human laws and love for human beings. This code has to foster such a strong love for humanity that the AI will never delete or emasculate the code. In other words, the AI must be indoctrinated with code that creates a child’s love for his parents. This code must survive the Singularity to assure the continued existence of humanity.

Can we write such code? Time will tell.

Excellent Review of Unholy Domain in BookHuntersBlog

2008-05-14T08:57:00.004-04:00

Review: “Unholy Domain” by Dan Ronco - Thought-provoking What If

May 13th, 2008 Posted in Book Reviews, Sci-Fi, Thriller No Comments

By Mary Menzel: “Unholy Domain” is a very entertaining yet very thought-provoking novel. Many times during the course of history technological advances have made those in power feel threatened. Galileo and Copernicus were commanded to renounce their discoveries and modern scientists are challenged as they work with genetics and theories relating to the creation of the universes simply because their facts and experiments do not adhere to the church’s religious doctrine. Dan Ronco has challenged us to look ahead and imagine the conflict between scientists and theologians in our future. “Unholy Domain” details a power struggle between the religious leaders who denounce the use of robotics as unnatural and the scientist, who through their technological knowledge, want to be in complete control. With clear, concise details and strong characterization of each participant in the novel, Dan Ronco has given us a plausible if not probable look into our future.

Where Will the Engineers Come From?

2008-05-13T12:52:00.005-04:00

I was browsing through a number of online magazines, and I came across an article that was all too familiar: the shortage of engineering talent in the USA. I have read similar stories for many years, but nothing seems to improve.

Here’s the situation, briefly and maybe too simply. Engineers --- chemical, electrical, nuclear, and all the rest --- are the people who take basic science and turn it into products or services required by our society. We need engineers, lots of them. As our world grows more complex, as the human population continues to increase, we need people who can design products and find solutions that improve our standard of living. Without a body of talented engineers, America and every other country will suffer with a declining standard of living.

There are plenty of engineering jobs out there, more so than most other professions. But who will fill those jobs? According to Industry Week, US graduation rates for engineering students declined by 23% between 1985 and 2000. So what’s going on here?

You may not know it, but my first career was in engineering, followed by years in the information technology business, and then my current passion as a novelist. I graduated Columbia University with a shiny new master’s degree in nuclear engineering and went to work designing nuclear reactors for a giant corporation (which shall remain nameless) with a bunch of very bright young men and women. Should have been a great job, but it didn’t work out.

First of all, there was a lack of respect for the engineers. Senior management believed in the mushroom theory – keep everyone in the dark and drop fertilizer on them periodically. Not good for morale.

One day, a few months into the job, a senior engineer took me aside and explained the facts of working life to me. A woman, one of the few female engineers in those days. She explained that the young engineers were hired in with a fairly high salary, and would receive a good raise for the first year or two, but the money would dry up to at best a cost of living increase after four or five years. If I wanted a better salary, move from engineering to management.

Great but sobering advice for a young engineer. Lack of respect and lack of compensation. I loved computer programming, so I decided to move into IT, which was the right decision for me.

Also according to Industry Week, Americans continue to hold engineering in fairly low regard among a range of occupations. Harris polls show just a third of respondents consider engineering a prestigious occupation, a figure that has changed little or for the worse since 1977.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

So how does industry maintain an adequate supply of engineers? We import them, mostly from Europe, India and Asia. And they are excellent engineers, so industry comes out all right. But things are changing. An Asian engineer does not have to come to the USA to find work anymore; there’s plenty of work in their native lands.

I should finish this article with a call for more respect and better compensation for today’s young engineering graduates. Okay, I will. But it doesn’t matter. If a bright young person can make much more as a lawyer, it will be impossible to lure a sufficient number of Americans into engineering. And if we can’t import big numbers of foreign engineers, well, we’re in deep you know what.

Fascinating Authors Interview

2008-05-09T10:08:00.002-04:00

I was recently interviewed by Penny Sansevieri for the Fascinating Authors podcast site. In addition to Unholy Domain, we covered a range of topics including Second Life, religious violence, and emerging technology issues. Listen to the podcast --- it was fun to do and I believe you will enjoy it.

How Many Years Do You Want?

2008-05-07T07:32:00.009-04:00

I’m not sure I would want to live forever, even if I could. Immortality, it just doesn’t seem right, somehow. Would I want additional years? Absolutely, as long as the quality of life was there.

Start thinking about these issues, especially you folks under thirty. You will have decisions to face for yourself and your children.

Scientists are working hard to increase the human life span. And they are making progress in a number of fields. I’m not writing a research paper, but here are a few snippets of exciting advances.

People in most western nations are living much longer than their ancestors. A century earlier, the average lifespan in the US was about forty years. Now it’s in the late seventies. The keys have been more and better food, a more nurturing society, and vastly better health care. But this is just the beginning.

Hormone therapy shows promise. Scientists have successfully slowed down the aging process in laboratory animals with a hormone known as DHEA. Insects treated with DHEA live up to 45% longer than normal. Mice treated with Melatonin live as much as 25% longer than typical mice.

Genetic engineering may also lengthen the human lifespan. By manipulating genes, the lifespan of some roundworms has been increased by a factor of six.

Biologists know that the telomere, part of the chromosome, is shortened each time the cell reproduces. When about 20% of the telomere is lost, the cell dies. However, with an appropriate enzyme treatment, the telomere can be regenerated. This opens up the possibility that the cell may be able to grow and divide for a much longer period than is presently the case.

All this is encouraging, but I have to admit as yet there is no hard evidence that advanced science can significantly increase the human lifespan. But many fields show promise, and I believe that a normal lifespan exceeding 100 years is likely for people born in the US two or three decades from now.

Okay, let’s get back to the question: Do you want to live much, much longer? Maybe not immortality, but a very long lifespan. Surprisingly, most people aren’t convinced. Immortality seems to go against the natural order of things. Who wants a world overstuffed with old geezers using up all the resources? Just look at Social Security and Medicare in this country. How are we going to support all the aging baby boomers? Something has to give. Will taxes go through the roof on young workers?

It seems to me most senior citizens will have to continue working far beyond the normal retirement age of 65. So what happens to all the young people entering the workforce? Will they have to linger in lower level positions until the seniors retire?

Sometimes I think I’m awfully glad to be living my life in the present age. But I would love to see the future unfold, if I have my health. Even with all the issues, it’s going to be an exciting time to be alive.

Lifelogging

2008-05-01T10:13:00.002-04:00

Man, what was that guy’s name? Met him a few minutes earlier and I’ve forgotten already. What if I have to introduce him to my friends? This could be embarrassing.

Our memory, it usually works okay, but not always. Wouldn’t it be great to have a photographic memory! Just concentrate and pull up whatever you need. Michael Kingman --- that’s his name! Two kids, lives in Philadelphia, an attorney for Morris and Stengle, was telling me about this great Italian restaurant on Walnut and 18th, …

Well you get the idea. Total recall. Remembering EVERYTHING that happens to you. And not just images --- sounds, voices, temperature, emotions --- EVERYTHING.

Lifelogging, sometimes called lifeblogging, is the name of this capability to record and recall every aspect of the flow of your life. Scientists believe that technologies developed over the coming years will provide total recall. We will be able to share our personal experiences with others, too. Sounds great, huh? Well maybe, but there’s a downside, as you might expect.

Let’s start at the beginning. Lifelogging is possible today, but it’s primitive. For example, Microsoft Research has invented a lifelogging device called a SenseCam, which hangs around your neck and automatically snaps a picture once a minute. As an alternative, the SenseCam may be triggered by a change in light, temperature or movement.

The SenseCam provides a digital record of virtually everything you see. If you combine images with a digital recording of everything you hear, well, then you really have something. That conversation with Mr. Kingman, for example, could be replayed to provide all the information you picked up from him.

Okay, this is a pretty trivial example, but you get the picture. In theory, every aspect of your life could be digitized, but is it worth it? Will these technologies make our lives better, richer, more fulfilling? Should we provide the capability to relive portions of our lives and experience the emotion of the birth of our first child, the excitement of winning the big game, or the quiet pleasure of exchanging wedding vows? Or maybe we just want rapid access to information for business purposes? Or memories to leave for your children after your death?

Have you read Dune by Frank Herbert? A society of women, called the Bene Gesserit, have the ability to pass along their entire lives to a younger Sister at the time of their death. Over the centuries, these Sisters accumulate many lives, which they may call on for guidance or information. What if you could call up not only your own memories, but the memories of others, such as ancestors, scientists, explorers, jet pilots and many others? Would that be a high or what? Isn’t the future full of surprises?

Now for the downside. Privacy might become a thing of the past. Think it’s bad to see an unauthorized personal video on Youtube? What if your whole life could be put on the net for anyone to browse? Even more frightening is what the government could do with a disc containing your memories. What if all citizens were required to record their lives into a government controlled storage? Hello, 1984.

Lifelogging is just one of many developing technologies that will have a massive impact on our lives over the next few decades. And we are far from ready. That’s why I write cautionary novels like PeaceMaker and Unholy Domain.

Unholy Domain Praised by Top Book Review Site

2008-04-26T09:53:00.005-04:00

BookPleasures.com is one of the top book review sites on the net, so I was thrilled with the following review:

For those who read Dan's first novel, "Peacemaker" this will be a must read sequel. For others, it will be a good introduction to Dan's excellent writing skills and an invitation to go and get Peacemaker and look forward to a sequel to Unholy Domain.

Dianne Morgan continues her stop-at-nothing attempts to take control of the whole world through her Domain and is being opposed by an equally ruthless opponent Adam Jordan. Adam tries to mold common man's aversion to technology after the bitter experience with Peacemaker (a ghastly malevolent computer program that was intended to shut down all internet systems and give Dianne power over the world but which was aborted albeit with a huge loss of people and property) into a religious cult and he too stops at nothing to gain control over people (that is the aim of all power hungry people isn't it?). David Brown, son of Ray Brown, a colleague of Dianne is the hero in this sequel, which takes off where Peacemaker ends and we know what happened to Ray Brown in this book. But new readers need not worry since the story is self-standing without reading Peacemaker.

The story is excellently written and the style is as usual gripping. The editing and printing are again excellent. All in all, an excellent read and we are kept anticipating the release of Dan's sequel to Unholy Domain to know what happened to David Brown and to Adam Jordan, whom Dianne succeeds in capturing and whose religious cult is more or less broken thanks to some brilliant technological successes of Sentinel, the next generation Artificial Intelligence System developed by Domain.

Dan's books are disturbing because what he describes is possible and plausible with today's technology. So, if you are either a technophile or a technophobe, read Unholy Domain.

What Makes A Great Thriller?

2008-04-23T12:17:00.004-04:00

Every once in a while you read a novel or see a movie that keeps you glued to the story with such excitement that you can't turn away until you know how it turns out. Everything is moving so fast, and you're so swept up in rapidly unfolding events that you don't dare leave the story for even a moment. The tension builds; you feel every jolt until a breathtaking climax leaves you exhausted.

That, my friend, is a thriller.

How did that movie grab you by the neck and take control? Why that novel and not a hundred other novels?

There isn't a simple answer. There never is when you're examining a work of art. I don't pretend to know all the secrets of a great thriller, but I've learned a few things I'll share with you.

The first and most important ingredient is emotion. If you don't feel the story in your gut, it's not a thriller. And not just any type of emotion. A great romance can break your heart, but that's not the emotion that fuels a thriller. Not that romance can't be part of a thriller, but it's not the what's-going-to- happen-next excitement of a thriller.

A great thriller builds up to an emotional high that lifts you up and takes you along for the ride. Consider Rick Deckard "retiring" androids in Blade Runner or Clarice Starling hunting Buffalo Bill in Silence of the Lambs. At first we tag along with Rick or Clarice, then gradually bond with them and feel every emotion they experience. They are both vulnerable, flawed characters, but we can feel for them, and ultimately, feel with them. Their highs and lows become ours.

A great thriller is unpredictable going forward and completely logical looking backward. Who would have guessed that a creature would burst out of a guy's chest in Alien? Or that the FBI agent in charge of the investigation would be the killer in The Poet? On the other hand, as you look back, it's believable that this alien creature could be so dangerous or that the FBI agent was the killer.

The plot also features deadlines. If they don't capture the villain soon, something terrible --- an assassination, a virus outbreak, a nuclear explosion - is going to take place. You can almost hear the clock ticking. Or is that your pulse?

A great villain is a necessary part of a first-rate thriller. Perhaps a charming psychopath such as Dr. Hannibal Lecter from Silence of the Lambs or megalomaniac Dianne Morgan from Unholy Domain. The villain must be more than a match for the protagonist, who battles overwhelming odds while in constant danger. A great villain will stir feelings of hatred, fear, revulsion and maybe a little admiration in the reader or moviegoer.

The setting and all the action must be believable. For example, if the action takes place in a specific locale, then all the details (streets, landmarks, major buildings) had better be correct. If bad writing forces the reader to stop believing, then all the air comes out of the story.

And, of course, there is the climax. It must be exciting, unpredictable, resolve the major issues and yet remain consistent with the storyline. Fatal Attraction and Jaws have terrific climaxes that bring the story to a thrilling conclusion.

So that's it --- a few insights as to what makes a great thriller. Difficult to describe, but when you see one, you know it.

About the Author:Dan Ronco is a writer of technology thrillers and near future science fiction. PeaceMaker, his first novel, was published in 2004 and his second, Unholy Domain, will be released March, 2008. Dan mixes visionary ideas with a touch of romance and humor. Learn more about Dan at http://www.danronco.com/

Protect Your PC

2008-04-19T11:24:00.007-04:00

While it’s a great tool, using the Internet carries a certain amount of risk. We read about virus and worms destroying information, we’re annoyed by those pesky ads that keep popping up on our display, and we see TV shows about identity theft. It’s easy to become worried. Heck, I’m guilty of scaring people,too; my first novel, PeaceMaker, is about an intelligent virus that shuts down the Internet.

While the risks are real, there are a number of steps to mitigate the problems. And you don’t have to be a techie, either. This article contains common-sense suggestions that the average home computer user can employ.

Identity theft, a growing problem, usually results in the loss of social security numbers, bank or investment account information, or passwords. A typical scam is an email that states that there is a problem with your account and asks you to log into a fake website that looks just like the official one. You are asked to update your information, and the scammer captures all the data as you enter it.

The common sense solution is to never click on an email into a sensitive account. Always go directly (or through your favorites list) to the real website.

As we all know, the Internet is riddled with viruses and worms. A virus is a program that attaches itself to another program, usually riding email from one computer to another. The virus is activated when the email is opened, and it may consume your computer resources, destroy important information, attach a copy of itself to every email you send, or carry on any number of unpleasant activities. A worm might be as dangerous as a virus, and it can spread all by itself.

The best defense is a comprehensive anti-virus software product provided by firms such as Norton or McAfee. These AV products check every email message entering or leaving your computer and search for every known virus or worm. When it finds software that matches the signature of a known virus or worm, it isolates the virus or worm and warns the user. The usual course of action is to erase the offending software.

Although you should keep your virus definitions up to date(automatic updates should be utilized), a brand new virus could sneak past the AV product and infect your computer. Even though the AV product received the virus definition too late to prevent the infection, it might catch it later. The AV product checks every file as it’s accessed, so there is a good chance it will detect the virus that infected your system. A weekly scan of your entire file system is a good idea, just to be extra careful.

Spyware is another pesky problem. Ever wonder where those annoying popup ads come from? It’s adware, a form of spyware, which is tracking software installed on your computer with little or no notification, consent or control. Spyware monitors your activities and may displays ads based upon the websites you’ve visited. Furthermore, it may keep track of all your activities and then report the results to some other party across the net.

Spyware is designed to be difficult to remove. Often, these programs are impossible to delete through the Windows Add/Remove function. Many AV products now incorporate anti-spyware functionality. In addition, it’s not a bad idea to install a dedicated anti-spyware program to back up the AV software. Anti-spyware products may prevent spyware from installing, and they warn the user of installed spyware. As before, a weekly scan of your files is a good practice.

Microsoft’s Internet Explorer is by far the most frequently used browser. As a result, most virus and spyware writers focus the bulk of their efforts on IE. As a result, third party browsers, such as Firefox, are not vulnerable to all the viruses that infect IE. If you are having a bad time with infections, consider moving to another browser.

Finally, set up a firewall on your computer. A firewall regulates the inbound and outbound connections between your PC and the Internet. It prevents unknown outside computers from connecting to your PC. Hackers and automated software are constantly searching for unprotected computers, but a firewall should prevent them from breaking in. Windows includes a firewall, as do many of the comprehensive AV products. Firewalls are not foolproof, but they add another line of defense.

This article is not a comprehensive description of ways to protect your PC, but it’s a good starting point. A good AV package, including anti-spyware and a firewall, properly used is a great tool. Combined with common sense, you will dramatically reduce the risk to your PC.

Top Amazon Reviewer rates Unholy Domain 5 Stars

2008-04-12T13:55:00.002-04:00

I am pleased to report Unholy Domain was rated five stars by Harriet Klausner, Amazon’s top reviewer. This is the latest of a series of favorable comments from authors, reviewers and readers. Unholy Domain delivers all the excitement of a technological thriller while also delving into provocative themes: the bioethics of genetic engineering, the question of what limit (if any) should be placed on technology, the problem of reconciling faith in God and respect for his creation with the technological promises of artificial intelligence, and the age-old issue of family ties and the loyalty of a son to his father.

Following is Ms. Klausner’s complete review:

In 2012, the PeaceMaker virus destroyed the Internet; causing pandemic catastrophes as so much of the world was tied to cyber space with millions dead as a consequence. Over the next decade since this debacle destroyed the global economy, the government has banned the development of new technology outside of what the Feds create. The Technos strongly object to the taboo while the Church of Natural Humans want all technology outlawed.

The Domain has developed new illegal technology with the intention of a coup d’etat to take control of the government; the Church wants to expand its hold on the government. These two groups are ready to take their cold war hot. At the same time David Brown, the son of software guru Ray Brown, the person universally blamed for unleashing PeaceMaker, wants to prove his dad is innocent of these charges. He does not care one iota about the power struggle.

The second PeaceMaker tale (see THE PEACEMAKER) is an exciting follow-up warning to the premise that the destruction of the Internet will lead to many direct deaths and a global collapse exponentially worse than that of the Great Depression. The story line is fast-paced, filled with plenty of action as David (apropos first name) is a human sharing space with two five hundred pound battling gorillas. Although the rampart sexism seems unnecessarily comical and ergo out of place UNHOLY DOMAIN is an entertaining futuristic cautionary thriller.

Harriet Klausner

Blade Runner Remains a Troubling Vision

2008-04-08T11:32:00.003-04:00

I watched the Director’s Cut of Blade Runner last night, and, you know, it’s still compelling and relevant. The movie, now a modern classic, provides insights regarding unrestrained capitalism, industrial technologies and most importantly, what it means to be human. If anything, it has grown in status over the years.

Blade Runner, released in 1982, was based upon Philip K. Dick’s brilliant 1968 novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. Although sharing common themes, the movie is substantially different, and in my opinion, even better than the compelling Dick novel.

The movie is built around the concept of replicants, which are androids virtually indistinguishable from humans. Their makers, the Tyrell Corporation, live by the motto “more human than humans." Yet, the replicants are basically slave laborers, forced to do the jobs humans don’t want.

The replicants are stronger, more agile and possibly more intelligent than humans. The first replicants were manufactured without memories, so they were much less sophisticated than humans. Later models, however, were given false childhood memories, so their emotions developed along human lines. As the replicants acquired experience and additional memories, they developed a sense of self. This led to a desire for freedom, and from time to time, groups of replicants revolted and killed their human slave masters. Because humanity worried about a large scale revolt, the replicants were manufactured with only a four year lifespan. In addition, they were used for difficult or dangerous tasks off world, and banned from coming to earth. Any replicants on earth were hunted by specialized police officers called blade runners, tracked down and “retired.”

Eco-disaster is the other main theme. In the novel, the ecosystem has been destroyed by war, but in the movie, unrestrained capitalism and the resultant pollution seems to be the culprit. Virtually all the animals and plants on Earth have died out, replaced by synthetics. Owning a live animal is only for the rich; most people purchase synthetic animals. Los Angeles is pictured as dark and constantly raining, a victim of unrestrained human industries.

In the movie, world weary blade runner Rick Deckard is pulled out of retirement to hunt a group of four rogue replicants. The replicants seek to escape from their four year death sentences, and their leader Roy Batty confronts Dr. Eldon Tyrell, the creator of the replicants. However, Tyrell claims that he can’t lengthen their lifespan, and Batty, his hopes crushed, murders Tyrell.

Replicants may be uncovered by the Voight-Kampff machine, which is similar to a lie detector. Deckard tests the machine on Rachael, an advanced type of replicant, who is so human-like, she almost evades detection. In fact, Rachael doesn’t know she’s not human --- she has been loaded with memories of her childhood --- and she is crushed when Deckard reveals the truth. Deckard, in turn, feels empathy for her, a strange emotion for a man who retires replicants. He begins to realize humans and replicants have much in common; the replicants are not mere machines.

One by one, the replicants are retired, until only Batty remains of the original four. Deckard tracks him down, but in a thrilling confrontation, Batty turns the tables and has Deckard at his mercy. Batty spares Deckard and then runs out of time --- his four years have expired.

Deckard is now convinced the replicants are sentient beings equivalent to humans. He has fallen in love with Rachael, and she returns his emotion. The film ends with the two of them leaving his apartment, hoping to escape the blade runner that will inevitably come after them. Not a happy ending, but a hopeful one.

Blade Runner drew me into that gritty world of Los Angeles like few movies ever have. I was there with Deckard, Batty and the rest, experiencing the hopelessness of their lives, hoping this was not the future of our country. Blade Runner suggests that we are destined to be the victims of our own primitive emotions. Not only do we reject the replicant’s humanity, we reject our own. But Blade Runner leaves us with a sliver of hope. If Deckard and Batty can come to terms with each other’s humanity, if Deckard and Rachel can fall in love, maybe we can discover our compassion after all.

BattleStar Galactica is More than Science Fiction

2008-04-03T15:42:00.003-04:00

In my opinion, three science fiction television series stand head and shoulders above all the rest: StarTrek (the original and all its derivatives), Babylon 5, and BattleStar Galactica. Firefly had potential to join this elite group, but was much too short-lived. Since the final season of BattleStar begins shortly, I decided to focus there.

The current Battlestar Galactica is a superb science fiction series. No, that’s too weak a statement, let me amend it. Battlestar Galactica may be the best dramatic show on the tube, regardless of genre. In 2006, BG won the Peabody Award, a first for the SciFi Channel. Time Magazine called it one of the top shows on television and described it as “a ripping sci-fi allegory of the war on terror, complete with religious fundamentalists, sleeper cells, civil liberties crackdowns and even a prisoner torture scandal.”

The current BG premiered in 2003 as a miniseries, loosely based on a show of the same name that ran on television in the late seventies. While the original was a popcorn series, the current BG deals with real issues in times of war. This article introduces the show to those who are not regular viewers, and then describes the difficult issues the series addresses.

The story begins with a devastating attack by intelligent androids (Cylons) that wipes out almost the entire human race except for a few hundred humans who escape on Battlestar Galactica, an aging but still powerful military spaceship, and somewhat fewer than fifty thousand civilians in a rag tag collection of ships. BG protects the civilians from the Cylons, who are determined to complete the elimination of humanity. The objective of the humans is to evade the Ceylons and find the mythical planet Earth, which has great religious significance to them. To review the series year by year, check out this article.

The primary characters are Commander William Adama (Edward James Almos), the disciplined, unrelenting military leader; President Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell), the pragmatic, newly elected civilian who becomes increasingly devout and charismatic during the journey; and Kara “Starbuck” Thrace (Katee Sackhoff), a loud, immature but expert Viper pilot who may have a “special destiny” in the search for Earth. The most interesting character is Gaius Baltar, brilliantly portrayed by James Callis, a scientist with a genius level intellect, but also arrogant, untrustworthy and sexually promiscuous.

I’d like to explore the way torture of the enemy was depicted on the show, and how that relates to our war with the forces of terror. Is it permissible to torture under certain circumstances, but not others? And what is torture, anyway?

The episode which really sticks in my mind is “Flesh and Bone,” where the humans have captured Leoben, a Cylon who has planted a nuclear bomb somewhere in the fleet, which he claims will explode in nine hours. Starbuck has responsibility for the interrogation, and she is told to do whatever she needs to do to locate the bomb. After all, the Cylons aren’t human.

Starbuck is brutal; the guards beat and waterboard Leoben, but he doesn’t crack. Roselin joins the interrogation and stops the harsh treatment. Apparently trusting Roselin, Leoben admits that the bomb was a hoax, a bad move. With nothing to fear, Roselin has him flushed out an airlock into space. He was too dangerous, in her opinion, to keep alive. Starbuck has misgivings about their actions, and she prays for the Cylon.

This episode reminds me of the war between the western nations and the Islamic fundamentalists. Consider this situation: we have captured an Al Qaeda leader and searched his computer, where we found a plan to explode a bomb (not nuclear) in an American city, but the plan does not name the specific city or the time the bomb is set to go off. You are asked to interrogate him, but you fail to obtain the necessary information. Then you’re told that the President has authorized waterboarding, even though legally it is a form of torture. Would you do it?

The prisoner says he knows nothing about a bomb, except for what is described in the plan. He claims the computer was just delivered to him yesterday. Is it permissible to torture a prisoner when you don’t know for sure if he has the information? On the other hand, when will you ever know for sure? If you torture him, are you any better than your enemies? But do you allow a bomb to kill hundreds of people rather than torture the truth from your prisoner? And anyway, is waterboarding really torture? It doesn’t cause any permanent damage, right?

I know where I stand on this; the bastard is going to get wet! Where do you stand?

For additional science fiction articles, videos and book reviews, visit my website.

Book Review: Empire by Orson Scott Card

2008-03-29T15:31:00.002-04:00

Write What You Know ... Or Know What You Write

Orson Scott Card is a prolific and talented writer of science fiction, and has deservedly gained a legion of fans. With Empire, he left science fiction to write a futuristic thriller, which is a very different animal.

Empire had to be written according to the guidelines for a thriller, and the results were mixed.A futuristic thriller must be consistent with current social and technology trends while making a plausible projection into the future, the story must unfold at a fast pace, the lead characters must be strong and dangerous, there should be plenty of action and suspense, and it must be (pardon the phrase) fair and balanced. OSC succeeds to varying degrees in most areas.

Empire postulates that partisanship between the political Right and Left has gone much too far, leading to the beginning of a new American civil war. An interesting theme, and OSC moves the story along at a good pace with plenty of action. The characters are realistic, if a little too familiar. The giant, robotic-like weapons, however, are pretty standard stuff; more imaginative weapons would have energized the storytelling.

The critical flaw is that the story is not fair and balanced; the conservatives wear the white hats while the liberals are almost all black hat dudes. This is exactly the kind of packaging that OSC warns us against. Nobody has a monopoly on the truth, and we are all mixtures of wholesome and unattractive characteristics and beliefs.

Readers can enjoy a story that doesn't precisely fit their view of life if they feel the author has presented a balanced perspective. Empire failed here. For me, this flaw dragged down a pretty good futuristic thriller to the level of a made for TV movie.

Check out my two futuristic thrillers, PeaceMaker and the newly released Unholy Domain.

Read Chapter 3 of Unholy Domain

2008-03-27T09:43:00.004-04:00

Reading a novel is an intensely personal experience. You may love the story, or in the worst case, toss the book aside after a few chapters. As the author, I may believe that Unholy Domain, my new thriller, is a great read --- we received a bunch of fantastic reviews --- but only you can decide. It’s my responsibility to present a concise selection of information that enables you to quickly make an informed decision.

Okay, so here’s what I suggest. First, watch the Unholy Domain video trailer; it’s only three minutes and it provides an exciting cinematic overview of the story. If this video doesn’t peak your interest, then Unholy Domain isn’t the story for you.

If you enjoyed the video, read a chapter of the novel. I picked out Chapter Three because it introduces David Brown, a young man with issues, and kicks off his quest to prove his late father innocent of a horrendous act of terrorism. If you get into the story, then you should buy my novel; otherwise, I thank you for taking the time to check out my work.

UNHOLY DOMAIN
By Dan Ronco

CHAPTER 3
An uneasy peace exists between believers and Technos. Most people draw clear boundaries between religion and technology, but what if they come into conflict? What would put them in fundamental conflict? Or is the question who rather than what?
Steve Bonini’s Diary, 2014

Monday, January 31, 2022
David forced his eyes open and blinked at the sunlight streaming through his apartment window. His stomach felt queasy, and he kicked himself for staying so late at the bars. He recalled going out to the car with Cindy-what’s-her-name, but everything was a blur.

Turning his head to focus on the alarm clock, he groaned when he saw it was almost 11 a.m. He knew he should drag himself out of bed and catch up on his homework. Now in his fourth year at the University of Washington, he was still a junior because he had dropped so many classes. Although testing had revealed a genius level IQ, his grades were mediocre. Not that he gave a shit.

Is Cindy still here? He reached over, but the bed was empty. Too bad. She must have decided to sneak away before her friends discovered that she had slept with the infamous David Brown.

He blinked his eyes, but his vision remained blurry. That girl could sure suck down the beer. He smiled, thinking about last night’s encounter. She knew how to use that body, too. He scratched his head and fought the temptation to go back to sleep.

On the wall was a poster of Marilyn Monroe, a long-ago sex symbol. A blast of wind from a passing subway had blown her dress upwards, revealing a beautiful pair of legs. Although Marilyn attempted to push down her dress, a mischievous smile lit up her face. The honest beauty and pure enjoyment of that poster always made him feel good. Marilyn died young, a misfit, but she had left her mark. Maybe he would leave his mark, too.

David’s robot, NewBuddy, waited at the foot of the bed. A five-foot-tall mobile computer with a holographic projector on top, it could move about the apartment on four spidery legs. He had brought NewBuddy home from the school’s artificial intelligence lab to upgrade its software.

How many beers did I have last night, anyway? He smiled. Not as many as Cindy.
When he propped himself up on his elbows, the robot displayed Marilyn Monroe’s head and torso in a three-dimensional holograph just above its top section.

“Rise and shine, big boy,” Marilyn said. “Time to get that bod out of bed.”

“You’ll have to do better than that, Marilyn,” he said, yawning.

The robot then projected a life-size hologram of Marilyn in a tiny bikini standing next to the bed. The image was so vivid, David felt he could have reached up and touched her. She leaned over him, her breasts swaying deliciously, and leered. “I really need you to get up.” She giggled. “Come on, baby.”

David chuckled, “Pretty good,” but remained in bed.

He fluffed up the pillows and stretched out.

There wasn’t that much homework, anyway.

He loved working on the robot, and he knew every inch of it. The central processing and memory unit located midway up the frame coordinated the actions of the microchips distributed throughout the robot’s structure. NewBuddy had the hardware capability to outperform a human at many tasks. An idea to improve its performance popped into his mind, but instead of acting on it, he reluctantly decided to study for the exams.

The robot carried a bunch of towels into the bathroom, treading lightly on its thin legs. A moment later, David heard water running in the shower.

He wondered why his professors insisted he take all these dumb classes; they knew he had designed most of the enhancements to this robot. Thanks to his work, each microchip employed high performance software that functioned independently of the central processor. In effect, he had distributed intelligence throughout the robot, with the central processor providing coordination. David wasn’t claiming all the credit—he didn’t really care who got the credit—but everyone knew he had developed the software.

NewBuddy came out of the bathroom. “Your shower is ready.”

David kicked off the blankets and dragged himself out of bed. He took a step and stumbled over a pair of sneakers. They didn’t look familiar, so he held one against his foot. Too small. He chuckled when he realized Cindy had left her sneakers here. He felt under the bed for his sneakers. Gone.

Wear them in good health.

Undressing as he walked, he dropped his underpants on the floor and stumbled to the bathroom. He opened the shower door and tested the water temperature with his hand. Why do I bother? He enjoyed a long shower, shaved, tied his thick brown hair back in a wet ponytail and walked back to the bedroom to get dressed. He checked out his bare body as he passed the mirror—lean and tight.

NewBuddy had left a pair of jeans, a black pull-over shirt, clean underpants, and white socks on the now made-up bed. His beat-up tennis shoes were side by side on the rug. After dressing quickly, he ambled into the old-fashioned but recently repainted kitchen, where NewBuddy had placed a cup of coffee, black and steaming, on the table. The robot was heating scrambled eggs and toast in the microwave, which it served shortly after he sipped the coffee.

He grinned and said, “Marilyn, what do you think are my best qualities?”

While the robot carried frozen strips of bacon to the microwave, a life-sized hologram of Marilyn Monroe, dressed in a French maid’s outfit, appeared at his side.

“Hmmm, you have so many good qualities.” Marilyn licked her lips. “It’s difficult, big boy, to pick out just one or two.”

Scratching his chin, David pretended to consider Marilyn’s answer. “You make a good point. I know it’s difficult with so much to choose from, but let’s be bold. Take a stab at it.”

“Well, that hard body of yours does things for me,” Marilyn purred. “Plus, you know more about artificial intelligence and robotics than anyone else in the world, including that bimbo Dr. Golkin, who gave you a C in the robotics lab.” Marilyn smiled and said, “That’s it, baby, sexy and smart— those are your best qualities.”

“Excellent. My selections as well.” David raised his coffee cup. “My compliments to your neural networks.”

While eating scrambled eggs and bacon, he picked up his eyeglasses and said, “Turn on the news.”

The intelligent software in the glasses selected his standard morning news broadcast. The first report described a big government technology bust. The news reporter described how the FBI had caught a gang of black marketers. An informer had revealed the location of a data warehouse on the net, containing illegal financial software. By analyzing and extrapolating vast amounts of financial data, the software could augment human reasoning in placing stock market transactions. The news reporter explained how anyone owning this software would have an unfair advantage over everyone else, violating the Technology Fairness Act. Luckily, the reporter droned, the FBI caught the criminals before they could distribute the software over the net.

Stupid law, stupid government.

“Turn off this crap and display my messages.” He finished the scrambled eggs and took a big bite of toast.

He stopped chewing when his glasses displayed page after page of email messages—more than eight thousand messages last night.

“What the hell?” he murmured and selected the first one. The video showed the hazy outline of a man sitting in a dark room. A heavy, deliberately distorted voice said, “You and your whole damn family should have been executed years ago. I don’t buy all that bullshit that you were innocent. You have bad blood. We should get a hot iron and ram—”

“Shut down this message,” David shouted and collapsed back in his chair.

God, it was happening again.

He picked another message and the puffy face of a fifty-plus woman appeared.

“My son Donnie would be thirty-one if he hadn’t died from radiation exposure ten years ago,” she said. “Your father—may he rot in hell —was responsible for Donnie’s murder when that PeaceMaker made the nuclear reactor explode. You should at least have the decency to say you’re sorry for what that bastard did. First Minister Jordan says you’re a computer freak, too. The government ought to lock you up and throw away the key.”

The picture went blank.

So that’s what set it off. A stupid speech by that maniac Adam Jordan. Shit. If they target me, this could get dangerous.

The old anger came back, fresh and raw. He would not let these bastards push him around again.

PeaceMaker was my father’s crime, not mine. My father, damn him.

He spit the toast out of his mouth.

The bastard.

As suddenly as it came, the storm passed. There wasn’t any point in getting worked up, he decided. The anger simmered, but he’d get through it.

“Eliminate all the messages in my mailbox except those from people I know.”

All but a few messages disappeared. His mother had messaged several times, warning him to stay out of class for a few days. That bastard Jordan was heating things up again, no doubt to recruit converts for his miserable church.

Too bad he didn’t have a class today. At least he could go over to the library, as if he was looking up something in that slower-than-shit computer system. Screw them.

Only one message remained. Sent from a public database, the message had been created a decade earlier. Curious, he selected it.

His father stared at him from across the years, a broad-shouldered man with big hands tapping nervously on his desk.

David gaped at the once-familiar image. Unruly salt and pepper hair flopped over a forehead lined with deep creases, but it was the intensity in his father’s dark eyes that mesmerized David.

The man began to speak, slowly, quietly. “Dear David, receiving a message from your father after all these years must be quite a shock, and I’m sorry for that. You’re twenty-one now, old enough to learn what happened directly from me. By chance, I discovered a lethal virus in the Atlas operating system, and I have decided to do everything in my power to defeat it and expose the people who developed it. I’m scared and I thought about walking away from it, but I can’t do it. Since you received this message, I must have failed and my enemies captured or killed me. You see, this message was set to release automatically in 2022 unless I deleted it. God, I can only hope they were stopped before they unleashed the virus.

“It was great to see you last weekend. You are probably building computer systems I couldn’t even imagine. You’re growing into a fine young man.” There was a catch in his voice. “I am so proud of you.” His father paused for a moment to regain his composure. “I’m not very good at giving a speech, and I won’t try to do that today. I wasn’t as good a father as you deserved. I drank too much and I wasn’t always there when you needed me. Your mother deserves all the credit for helping you grow up as well as you have. But know this—I love you very much.”

His father pushed a strand of hair back from his forehead. “I guess that’s all I have to say. I don’t know what kind of world exists in 2022, but I hope it’s good for you.”

The sadness in his father’s voice settled like a damp winter day into David’s bones.

“Goodbye … I wish it could have been different … live fully and honorably … that’s all.”

Stunned, David played the message again. He tried to capture every word, every inflection. The message appeared to be authentic—why would anyone fake it after all these years?

Slowly the enormity of the message sank in; was it possible his father was not the monster who had infected the net with the PeaceMaker virus? If this message was true, his father had not been responsible for all the death and destruction when the computers shut down. Just the opposite. He had lost his life trying to stop the criminals responsible for the catastrophe.

He felt sick. His head ached, but this wasn’t a normal headache. The pain seemed to flow right into his mind. He hadn’t suffered an attack like this for years, since PeaceMaker had been terminated. David buried his head in his arms and closed his eyes. The stench of roadside kill drifted into his senses as in a dream. Pain … disquieting sensations … more pain. An image formed in the shadows of his mind. The image twisted and vibrated, like an insect escaping a cocoon, but remained hazy. Then he understood … an entity was coming across the net, coming for him. His mind’s eye strained to see through the darkness … the image twisted into the shape of a child, but it wasn’t flesh and blood. All his senses warned him of danger.

David readied for the confrontation. A stone blasted through his kitchen window, spraying shards of glass across the room, bringing him out of his trance. He dived to the floor as a second stone hurled through the window and crashed into his refrigerator. A barrage of stones pelted his windows, and he scrambled under the table.

Angry voices came from the ground, and another volley of stones smashed through the windows. Sirens wailed in the distance, and he prayed it was the police coming to rescue him. Stones continued to fly through the windows, splintering the remaining glass and crashing into the walls and ceiling. The siren grew louder, but it seemed to be taking forever.

He heard voices from the exterior hallway, then a loud crash. Someone was trying to knock down his door! His only weapon was a baseball bat in the bedroom closet. He scrambled across the kitchen floor on his hands and knees. He reached up, opened the closet door and searched for the bat. Loud thuds as someone tried to kick in the door. He found the bat and got ready to swing it at anyone who broke in.

A voice yelled, “Cops,” and several people ran down the exterior hall.

Another volley of stones crashed through the bedroom window. He scrambled back under the kitchen table. Excited voices came through the windows, and he thought he heard a policeman shouting orders. Gradually, it grew quiet outside, except for a pulsing siren. Still holding the bat, he crept to the kitchen window and peeked out. A few demonstrators were in the street, but the police had them under control.

One grubby-looking guy spotted David in the window and shouted obscenities. David gave him the finger then crunched through broken glass back to the kitchen table. NewBuddy was stretched out on the floor, his chest dented by a rock.

A policeman came in to see if he was okay, and glanced around at the damage. He seemed annoyed to be there and left without saying much.

David went back to the splintered kitchen window and watched the police drag away the few remaining demonstrators. He doubted anyone would be charged.

He looked around at his apartment, littered with stones and broken glass. It was getting chilly, but he didn’t care.

After staring blankly out the window for some time, he realized he was pressing hard on the windowsill, leaving his fingertips white and sore. The demonstrators were gone. A lone policeman stood at the front door of the apartment building.

David pulled a sheet off his bed and tacked it over the bedroom window, then did the same in the kitchen. He swept up the broken glass, poured a glass of cola and sat down at the kitchen table.

His father was responsible for this.

Years before, he had concluded that his father had failed at all the important things in life. Sure, the man had it tough, but he failed big-time. His father had led a sad life, beginning with a dysfunctional family. He had fought alcoholism, never winning but never giving up either. The man had tried to be a good husband and father. When he had been sober, when he had been there for them, he was terrific. They just never knew which Raymond Brown they would get. And in the end, they got a failed man.

But how do I really know Dad wasn’t guilty? Maybe the message is a clever fake. Maybe he was creating an alibi in case things failed. Or maybe he was just a psycho after all.

David pressed his forehead against the table. Damn you, Dad, you bastard, you loser. Damn you, wherever you are. He couldn’t think of enough curses to burn out his rage, and they kept tumbling through his mind.

He couldn’t go on like this—he had to get to the truth. A lot more than an old message would be necessary to demonstrate his father’s innocence—if he was innocent. Those responsible for creating PeaceMaker had concocted a convincing lie, so getting to the truth would be tough. A decade had passed, plenty of time to destroy all the evidence of his father’s innocence, if there was any.

If my father is innocent, and I do this, the people who killed him will come after me.

Yet he had to do it. If he could prove his father wasn’t guilty, the family name would be cleared. All the hatred would disappear; they could live like normal people.

He wouldn’t fail. He wasn’t like his father. He would find out whether his father was innocent or guilty—wherever the truth took him. He’d get to the core and finally understand that strange, complex man.

Then he could free himself.

Maybe.

To David’s surprise, he felt strangely alive. For the first time in his life, he had a clear goal: he would finally learn what made his father tick. If Dad was innocent, David would clear the family name and bring the bastards to justice.

He glanced around at his broken apartment. He’d have to be careful, or his father’s killers would discover his search. He swallowed hard. And there was that creature coming over the net.

A Thousand Visits in a Day

2008-03-25T08:11:00.002-04:00

I was thrilled to have one thousand people visit my website in one day last week. When I set up my website/blog last May, I anticipated a small community of visitors, but the idea of peering into the near future seems to have struck a chord.

I’m an avid reader and writer of ideas dealing with the next few decades. Although I love science fiction --- I grew up with the original Star Trek --- it’s the near future that really captures my attention. Things are evolving so quickly, just trying to imagine our little planet in twenty or thirty years stretches the intellect and imagination. Although a few visionaries have looked into the near future (Orwell, Kurzweil, Dick, etc), it remains almost virgin territory for hard science fiction and techno thrillers.

Initially, my website was focused on my two near future thrillers, PeaceMaker and Unholy Domain. Although these novels illustrate a possible future dominated by rapid advances in artificial intelligence, robotics and genetic engineering, this represent just one possible outcome. I gradually realized my website had to be much more encompassing.

First, I added book reviews of both fiction and non-fiction dealing with the near future. Heck, I’m reading these books anyway, so why not add a brief review? If you read the recommended non-fiction, you’ll gain a solid understanding of advanced technologies and their likely impact over the next few decades. Also read the recommended tech thrillers and hard science fiction. In addition to being thrilling and entertaining, the authors of these novels stick to the possible in crafting their stories. After reading these novels, it’s not difficult to image a compelling variety of different futures.

These days, people communicate with video clips as well as the written word, so I decided to periodically search the Internet for the best videos dealing with advanced technologies. Short clips are a great way to illustrate the more visual aspects of technologies, especially when being introduced to a new concept. And these clips are compelling; I find myself going back and watching them over and over.

Guest authors were another new concept. There is great writing about advanced technology on the net, and a few authors encourage wide distribution of their work at no charge. Whenever I come across this type of article, I post it on my website.

However, there are far more articles and videos on the net than I can read, so I decided to include a news service focused on technology. Forbes provides a terrific news service, constantly updated with hi-tech articles and videos, so I posted their widget on my website.

Last but not least is my blog. It’s a place where I can expose all the ideas and observations that come to mind regarding the near future. Over time, I’ve broadened the scope to include my weird sense of humor, current events and just plain rants. A bit eclectic, but hopefully enjoyable.

So that’s my website. Come and visit me at www.danronco.com and see for yourself.

The Count, a Wonderful Musical

2008-03-23T12:25:00.001-04:00

I’ve known Paul Nasto a long time. We worked together at Microsoft ten years earlier, and we have remained close friends. We both had a passion for technology and loved building computer systems that contributed real value to our clients. But we had second loves, too: Paul with his music and me with my writing.

A couple of years ago, Paul and his friend David Whitehead established Creative Ventures, a partnership committed to the development and commission of new works for the theatre and screen. The company’s first work, The Count, is a stunning musical, a romantic yet tragic story of a young French sailor, Edmond Dantes, who is wrongfully accused of a crime he didn’t commit. Stolen from his betrothal feast and the side of his fiancé, Mercedes, he spends 14 years in the Chateau d’If, an island prison off the coast of France.

His accusers, a jealous sailor (Fernand) and a greedy bookkeeper (Danglars) convince an ambitious and aspiring assistant prosecutor (de Villefort) to use Dantes as the route to profit and power. With the help of a fellow prisoner priest (the Abbe), Dantes uncovers his fate and the identity of the individuals responsible for his demise. On the priest’s deathbed, he tells Dantes of a great fortune hidden away on the island Monte Cristo. After escaping from the prison and finding the treasure, Dantes plots his return only to find his mother dead and his wife married to his nemesis (Fernand). With careful planning and unbridled wealth and influence, Dantes seeks his revenge.

The Count is a musical depiction of a story of retribution and redemption: a compelling, but haunting story of a man’s unstoppable quest for revenge. His desire for vengeance conflicts with his desire for faith and love, unleashing a complex, internal struggle for recompense and peace. However, his pursuit of justice ends in consequences that are worse than death.

I’m make no claim to expertise regarding musical composition, but the music is beautiful. It’s powerful and spellbinding. Listen to it yourself on the Creative Ventures website. A word of warning — set aside half an hour or more, this is not a typical pop in, pop out website.

Paul and David have created wonderful musical and I’m looking forward to seeing it on stage not too far in the future. It’s my dream that Paul and I, with our works, each bring a few hours of enjoyment to an enthusiastic audience..

Unholy Domain in the stores !

2008-03-20T17:49:00.002-04:00

Purchase a copy of Unholy Domain and support the author. That would be me. The books are actually a couple of weeks early, but I’m not complaining. It’s available on Amazon and most other booksellers. UD is a great read, a thriller with a very different perspective.
Dan

Technology vs. Religion: Discussion Issues

2008-03-15T07:48:00.000-04:00

Some things just don't mend. Well into the twenty-first century, we're still facing the same old problem: conflict between religion and science. Most of the conflict is verbal, often quite heated, but at least the faithful and secular sides aren't violent. Much more serious is the warfare between open, democratic societies and the Islamic fundamentalists who hate us.

What's going on here?

Well, whatever it is, it's been going on for centuries. An old song that just keeps playing, even though nobody likes the tune. For example, there's the old standby of evolution versus creationism. Seems like that argument has been with us forever.

Even though we can't resolve the old issues, new ones keep piling on. A good one (well, not really a good one) is the issue of homosexuality. Scientists have concluded that homosexuality is a completely natural sexual orientation occurring in a small minority, caused mainly by genetics. On the other hand, religious conservatives believe that it is an unnatural, sinful state chosen by or taught to the individual. How do you bridge that gap?

And then there are the emerging issues, the ones just beginning to come into view. These may be the most difficult of all. In Unholy Domain, I attempt to describe the oncoming issue of artificial intelligence versus natural humanity. Pay attention to Adam Jordan, the First Minister of the Church of Natural Humans, speaking to his congregation in 2022:

"Listen carefully to what Lucifer says," Jordan said, his voice cracking. He swallowed, watching the faithful, his passion pressed to the limit. He took a breath, then another. "He offers this bargain: through technology, he will restore our civilization to a greater level of material riches. In order to gain this wealth, you must allow the Technos to create artificial beings, godless abominations that will rule the earth. But even that is just a step along the path to an even viler future. The elements of our human bodies and minds are to be replaced, step by step, with synthetic genes and artificial components. Humans are to evolve into a new species. Technological Man they call it."

"Never," cried a female voice among the believers. Others echoed her cry.

"Now why is the Devil doing this?" Jordan asked. "Why?" He paused, looking across the crowd. "The reason is simple, yet horrible beyond belief. In this secular world, your soul is your link to God. When the Devil replaces aspects of your humanity with artificial components, he weakens your connection to the Lord. When he inserts a synthetic gene into your body, he disrupts God's plan. At some point, as your humanity shrinks and the artificiality grows, the link to the Lord will be severed. And when the Devil destroys that link, it's gone forever."

Maybe a touch dramatic, but Unholy Domain provides a glimpse of what's just around the corner. It's not pretty, but if we prepare for the conflict, we can mitigate it.

Maybe.

Discussion questions

1. Should we enhance capabilities such as intelligence, athletic ability, beauty or health through gene manipulation or artificial components? If so, who gets the enhancements?
2. Should human cloning be permitted?
3. Should an intelligent robot have the same rights as a human?
4. Does God care if we evolve into a new species?
5. Should we allow artificial intelligence to approach and possibly surpass human intelligence?

Visit my website to investigate these issues.

Are Women becoming too Masculine?

2008-03-03T12:40:00.000-05:00

Dan Ronco’s two novels are set the near future: PeaceMaker in 2012 and Unholy Domain in 2022. In the initial planning for these novels, Ronco researched trends in technology and Western culture, with the objective to make the settings realistic. He tested this research against a lifetime of observation, and solicited feedback from reviewers and writers. What Ronco discovered led him to create a balance of power between the sexes in both novels, rather than the usual dominant male protagonists.

It became clear to Ronco that the two genders were moving toward each other in world view, attitude and actions. Women were becoming more like men and men more like women (but that’s a subject for another time). Ronco doesn’t claim this is a conclusion based upon rigorous scientific procedures, but however informal, it makes sense.

When men think about women, they always focus first on appearance, so start there. Is she pretty? Not too heavy, but with plenty of curves? Soft, pure face of an angel? Those are the questions men asked thirty years ago, and they still ask them today, but the women have changed.

Today’s females are bigger and more athletic than previous generations. Go to any workout facility and what do you see? Plenty of women. And not just doing aerobics, either. Pumping iron, pushups, building their strength against all manner of exercise machines. They’re dropping baby fat and showing off lean, hard muscles. Not that they are becoming bodybuilders (although some do), but they are not the women of your mother’s generation either.

Drive around town and you’ll certainly come across a jogger. What’s the gender most of the time? And she’s probably setting a fast pace, too.

Muscles are no longer solely a masculine domain. Check out the ladies playing basketball or tennis, let alone the boxers. Not a wimp in the bunch. Title IX has opened the door for women to excel at sports, and they are succeeding. You want to see Serena Williams or Mary Pierce getting ready to serve a cannonball at you? Even the most athletic men aren’t that foolhardy. That doesn’t mean today’s women aren’t as beautiful or sexy as previous generations. Some men think they look better, actually, with their lean, athletic figures.

Okay, they look different, but what about their attitudes? The way they lead their lives?

Back in the fifties, college was primarily a man’s domain. Now the majority of underclasspeople (is that right?) are women. Women mature more rapidly than men and do better in their studies. They graduate at a higher rate and move into the professions. Some would say they’ve swarmed into the professions, shouldering men out the door as they pushed in. A guy risks getting trampled if he holds a door open.

Women start most of the small businesses in North America. Not many people know that. A few decades ago, if someone telephoned a doctor, lawyer or accountant, a masculine voice came over the line. Not any longer. It’s more likely the voice will be pitched higher and smoother.

The writing profession has gone the same way. Most readers and writers seem to be women. Pick up a novel at random and the author’s name usually begins with Karin or Nancy or … get the picture? There are still a lot of guys turning out thrillers and science fiction, but that’s changing, too.

Remember how, a couple of generations ago, women would spend much of their time searching for a man to marry? When all they wanted was a home, a child and a good husband to take care of them? Well, today’s gals are in no rush to get married. They have options. They think the way guys think. Date, have fun, get some action but don’t rush into marriage. Get the career started, then, maybe, think about family. And keep working. It’s a significant break with the past.

Why have women done so well? Attitude and opportunity. Fifty years ago women were locked out of many of the opportunities men enjoyed, but that’s changed now. With a few exceptions, such as really dangerous or heavy physical work, women can do anything a man can do. And women have just as much determination, courage and brains as men. Combine that with sexuality and they can get where they want to go, maybe with more options than men. Actually, it seems men are outgunned.

However, an objective person must admit to be generally positive about today’s women. Yes, the women are becoming more like men, but that’s better for them and for the guys, too. But there’s a negative side.

When a woman starts a business, she has to work like crazy to make it successful. If she’s a single mom, what happens to her children? Daycare is usually okay, but it’s not the same as having a full-time mother. If she’s married, the man will pick up some of the slack, right? He’ll try, but remember, he’s got his career, too. And there aren’t many stay-at-home Dads. We discovered that society doesn’t respect a guy who relies upon his wife to be the bread winner.

There are more women in prison than ever before. Just like men, some aggressive, the rules-don’t-apply-to-me women take what they want. White collar crime, violence, sexual predators, the whole nine yards. And what’s going on with these female teachers who seduce their high school, even grammar school, students? This rarely happened way back when. Damn!

Too many women are waiting too long to get married. They’re going out to the bars, drinking, flirting, having sex with any guy that appeals to them. Wait, this was supposed to be a negative. Sorry about that.

You get the idea, right. Women are becoming more masculine in Western society, and it seems to be working out, but there have been bumps in the road. And a few potholes. Quite a few.

And so, as Ronco outlined his novels, he decided that the female characters would not be crammed into the stereotypes found in many stories. Take Dianne Morgan, the most dominant character to emerge from his novels. She’s the real mover and shaker, the person driving the action across both books. Dianne is the CEO of a giant software company, a single mother and a self-made billionaire. Sexy, sometimes tender and very determined. On the other hand, she’s violent, erratic, and trusts no one. Fits the description of a masculine villain, doesn’t she (except for the single mother part)?

Dianne is an example — maybe a bit extreme — of today’s alpha woman. With three male partners, she grows a business from startup to giant corporation. She uses all the weapons nature provided to become CEO of the world’s largest software maker. Ray Brown is her key acquisition, a brilliant software engineer who has developed an intelligent operating system that understands the spoken language. Just like the computer in Star Trek. She knows all other software will be made obsolete, so she recruits Ray, then seduces him. He’s married, but business is business. Ray becomes an alcoholic, loses his family, winds up in rehab, but what the hell, Dianne has the software. She actually cares for him, but first things first.

Any logical person must conclude that the gap between men and women is closing. In 2008, the balance, with all the plus and minus factors, seems just about right. Unfortunately, the wheel is still spinning, and it may settle at a point where the Dianne Morgan’s of the world become the norm.

Blockbuster Video Trailer

2008-02-27T23:49:00.000-05:00

Check out the stunning video trailer for Unholy Domain.

What have I got to lose?

2008-02-17T08:23:00.000-05:00

My name is David Brown. I’m in my dorm room, staring through a shattered window as the police hold back protestors that hate me and my family. My father was Ray Brown, the world acclaimed software genius who developed the code for Atlas, the first computer system that could speak intelligently. Just like the computer in the old Star Trek series. Everybody admired my father, but his final act was to release a lethal computer virus into the Internet and shut down computers all over the world.
.
I was eleven when the virus roared across the Internet. They say more than a million people died before the virus was terminated and the computers restarted. He was one of those who didn’t make it.
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I got a big surprise this morning --- a time-delayed email dated ten years in the past. A message from my father. He claims to have discovered a virus hidden in the new Atlas release, and he is trying to track down its developers. Either my father was delusional or someone framed him for a crime he didn’t commit. If I could prove his innocence, my name would be cleared and maybe I’d have a normal life. Of course, if I dig into this, the people who murdered him will come after me.
.
I have to know the truth, wherever it takes me. What have I got to lose?

Marketing and More Marketing

2008-02-09T13:41:00.000-05:00

I have been working hard introducing readers to Unholy Domain, my new novel. Basically, I spend all my time marketing. Well, maybe I squeak out 10% of my time writing my next novel. Actually, I have to admit, most of this marketing is fun. Through Amazon, MySpace, Goodreads, Authors Den and the rest, I’ve reached several thousand readers. Touched base with several hundred bookstore managers and a bunch of librarians, too. Eight to ten thousand readers visit my website each month, and I try to keep the experience fresh and interesting. BTW, I recently posted the first chapter of UD to my website, so take a look when you have time.

Other writers have been very supportive, especially given how busy they are. Piers Anthony and David Brin both provided valuable feedback regarding PeaceMaker, my first novel. Piers, Scott Nicholson, Rick Weber and Simon Wood read UD and provided generous reviews. Thanks, guys.

Blogging has been fun, too. Gives me a chance to express my ideas in a variety of areas. Some are humorous, some are very serious.

Hope I have the chance to touch base with you, too.

Superman is Coming

2008-02-09T11:43:00.000-05:00

As the greatest of all the superheroes, Superman possesses extraordinary powers represented as “faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound”, a description made famous in the Superman TV series of the 1950s. Superman’s capabilities include flight, super-strength, invulnerable skin, super-speed, x-ray vision, super-hearing, and the ability to blow with the power of gale-force winds. Besides that, he was pretty much invulnerable to disease and smart as a whip. This is one tough dude.

These certainly are abilities “far beyond those of mortal men” as the old TV series proclaimed, but is technology pushing us in this direction? Is our destiny to create a new, greatly enhanced version of humanity? In other words, a new species of superhumans?

I believe that’s exactly where we are heading. As we continue to advance the big four technologies — genetics, artificial intelligence, robotics and nanotechnology — we will create a new version of humanity that will have as little in common with us as we have with Cro-Magnon man. The next three to five decades will place humanity firmly on the path to this new reality.
I don’t mean to sound gloomy, because the destination will be pretty damn good for the most part. It’s the transition that concerns me; technological evolution will proceed so rapidly that many will fall by the wayside. Underdeveloped countries may fall far behind, lost forever. Even in technology-rich North America, pockets of people may lose their way. Don’t let it happen to you.

Genetics

DNA can be considered the program code guiding the development of our bodies. Each of us caries DNA in our cells, and this DNA provides the instructions that lead to the growth and formation of our minds and bodies. As we begin to understand this code, as well as the other mechanisms of our bodies, we have an increasing capability to intervene. By manipulating DNA, by adjusting processes, we will be able to prevent or cure disease, enhance intelligence, strength, speed and other factors and increase the human lifespan. Are there any limits? Probably, but we have a long way to go.

Artificial Intelligence

In comparison to other animals, our bodies are weak, we don’t have lethal teeth or claws, we’re not that big, we don’t reproduce quickly or in large numbers, we can’t fly or even run very fast … well, you get the idea. So why are we such a successful species? You know the answer, of course — our magnificent brain. Intelligence wins out. At least it has so far.

It’s clear that increasing our intelligence improves our survival prospects. We have learned that the computer, combined with the right software, can display a certain degree of intelligence, which we can harness for our own purposes. In certain limited areas — such as playing chess — artificial intelligence can defeat the best humans. Although humans are far ahead of the machines in broad based intelligence, the differential is shrinking. Some experts predict artificial intelligence will catch and then surpass us in as little as three or four decades. I’m not sure about the timeframe, but I am sure that we will enhance the not so magnificent capabilities of our brains with artificial intelligence. Wireless connections to networked AI will provide these fortunate individuals far greater intelligence than unconnected humans. Over the coming decades, we will begin to rely more on artificial intelligence than our native brainpower, even for individuals with minds genetically enhanced. The combination of genetic enhancements and networked AI will push us up the evolutionary scale.

Robotics

If artificial intelligence will gradually surpass our natural intelligence, what about our bodies? Sure, they will be genetically enhanced, but it’s not going to stop there. Robotics will play a big role, but not the kind of mechanical man we have become familiar with through the movies. No, the type of robotics I anticipate are the artificial components built into our bodies. We are already familiar with artificial hips and knees, prosthetic leg extensions and replacements, hearing aids and glasses. Why not a second mechanical heart for a backup or to supply extra blood when the workload is extreme? Why not super strong but lightweight supports built into your arms and legs, all run by your artificial intelligence? Get the picture? Like our brains, our bodies will gradually give way to mechanical devices superior to our original body parts.

Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology is the process of building with molecules, even atoms, which will allow us to precisely design and fabricate virtually any body part. This could be a tiny object that would fit into a human cell or something as large as a bone or organ. At some point, we may be able to build tiny medical bots in the cells, which could monitor the performance of biological parts. Or we could build more efficient blood cells, perhaps self-powered so that a heart is no longer required. In any case, nanotechnology will enable us to fabricate replacements that may be superior to the original items.

Considerations and Conclusions

Some people would ban most, if not all, of the technological developments that we have outlined. This may be due to religious or moral beliefs that we shouldn’t tamper with God’s design. Or they may be concerned that these technologies could get into the wrong hands, such as terrorists or rogue states. Even with the best of safeguards, serious problems that may endanger human health, or even survival, might appear many years after implementation. In any case, the development of a superman could lead to conflict between the haves and have-nots in our society.

These are serious considerations, but there is no turning back; the genie is out of the bottle. Superman is coming and he’s moving with super speed. Our best hope is to combine government regulation with scientific self-monitoring. If the advanced nations can agree on a course of action, Superman may be the best thing that’s ever happened to us. But if things get out of control …

Al Bundy Teaches You How to Protect your PC

2008-01-11T06:41:00.000-05:00

Al Bundy checked his watch and cursed as he hurried through the front door of the high school. It was the first session of his computer course, and he was late. He rushed down the hallway carrying his laptop, perspiration sliding down his neck. He was only a couple of minutes late, but Principal McDougal had been keeping a close eye on him. The old battleaxe was trying to build a case that he should be terminated for incompetence. What is wrong with her anyway? This is the school system, not some big corporation that had to make money. She needed to get a life and leave him alone.

He slipped into the classroom, which was filled with students. They all looked enthusiastic and ready to learn.

I hate enthusiasm.

He didn't really want to teach night school classes for adults, but he needed the money. Damn credit cards made it too easy to buy stuff. And his wife Peg had lost her job at the department store because of that stupid fight with a customer. So what the guy was seventy-five, he had landed a few good shots on Peg. She was only defending herself when she threw him into the TV's. The display holding all the sets had collapsed, smashing everything. They fired her on the spot, but at least the store had dropped all the charges. That's Peg's story, anyway.

"Okay class, let's get started," Al said. "My name is Al Bundy and I'm a teacher at this school. This short course is called Protecting your PC. For those of you who haven't figured it out, I'm going to teach you a few basic measures you should do to keep your computer safe."

"Are you a computer science teacher?" one of the women asked.

Al straightened up. "Physical Education."

The class tittered. "But I've had plenty of experience with computers," Al added.

A big middle-aged guy shouted out, "Besides porn?"

The students roared, which really got under Al's skin. He would have thrown the guy out of the class, but the bastard looked like he could kick Al's butt. Then a dopey twenty-something guy in the front row started waving his hand impatiently.

Al sighed. "What do you want? First state your name, then ask your question."

"My name is Tony Balboa." He picked a piece of paper off his desk and held it up for Al to read. "This here schedule says this is the Introduction to Sex Education class. Taught by Jessica Mathews. You're not her, so what the hell is going on?"

Al walked up to Balboa and snatched the calendar out of his hand. Tony had drawn a circle around a description of the sex education class. Al spotted the problem immediately. What a freaking idiot!

"The sex education class was last week. This is last week's calendar."

The idiot scratched his thick black hair. "Let me see."

Al handed the calendar back to Balboa. Tony studied it and then said, "Shit!"

Al smiled at the young idiot's confusion. "Well, Mr. Balboa, I suppose you want to leave now. Don't let us waste your valuable time."

Balboa scratched his head again, staring at Al through puzzled eyes. "So this class is about computer shit?"

"Fraid so. Just dumb ol' computer stuff."

Balboa nodded his head, as if he had decided something. "I'm going to stay in this class. My nephew has a computer, but I don't know how to use it. I need to learn this computer shit."

Al was tempted to try to change his mind, then sighed and mumbled, "What the hell." It didn't matter. Balboa would stay for this class, realize he was in over his head and never show up again.

"Okay," Al said to the class. "Now let's really get started. When you use the Internet, you run the danger of unauthorized software getting into your computer. These undesirable programs could really foul up your PC. They might trash your system, steal information from your files, take control of your PC or just do things to annoy you. These nasty programs are called viruses, worms and Trojans." He looked over the class, hoping there might be some intelligence out there. "Can anyone tell me what these terms mean?"

"Let me answer," Balboa shouted. "I know what a Trojan is."

"No, Balboa, not that kind of Trojan. We're talking about software."

"Yeah, soft wear, that's what I use."

"Balboa, I want you to shut up and listen for the rest of the class. There's an outside chance you might learn something."

"Thank you, professor."

Al leaned back against the front desk. He believed in heavy class participation, not because it was a superior learning technique, but because it allowed him to offload the work to students. If Balboa would shut up, he could get the smart kids to teach most of the class.

A geeky looking kid in the front row raised his hand. When Al nodded, he said, "I'm Wayne B. Click. I design relational databases for ISpy Consulting."

"Not that I want to throw a wet blanket on your party, but why are you taking this class? This is an introductory course, designed for people who don't know squat about computers."

"I understand, Professor Bundy, but my analyst said I had to get out and meet people." He shrugged. "Maybe have sex with some women, too."

"I'm not really interested in your situation, Click. Just explain a computer virus."

"Well, a computer virus is a computer program that can copy itself and infect a computer without permission or knowledge of the user. A virus can only spread from one computer to another when its host software is taken to the uninfected computer, for instance by a user sending mail over the Internet, or by carrying it on a removable medium such as a floppy disk, CD, or USB drive. A computer worm is different. A worm can spread itself to other computers without needing to be transferred as part of a host. A Trojan Horse, like the Greek legend, is a program that looks like another, harmless program. A user is fooled into using it; then it does something nasty."

Click shrugged. "Is that okay, Professor Bundy, or should —."

"Shut up, Click," Al interrupted. "I mean, you did great. Now does anyone have a question?"

A leggy blond in the back row raised her hand, pulling a very short skirt to the top of her thighs. Al moved a couple of strides to his right, trying to get just the right angle to improve the view up her skirt.

If she were only in the front row, but no, I have to get losers like Balboa and Click up here.

"The young legs … lady in the back," Al said.

"My name is Sharon Pebbles, Bindy."

"Bundy, my dear, but you can call me Al."

Sharon shifted in her seat, and to Al's delight, her skirt did the impossible by moving higher. She paused a second, and slowly crossed her gorgeous legs. He'd never seen so much skin in a classroom. Al couldn't speak; for a moment he feared a stroke.

"Bindy, I'm not really interested in all these technical terms. Can't you just tell us what to do to protect our computer." She stood up, ending Al's dreamy view. "Otherwise, I might as well leave right now."

"Please sit down," Al squeaked. After clearing his throat, he said, "We are just getting to that part of the class."

Since Sharon continued to stand, an impatient look spreading over her pretty face, Al decided he had to act fast or this luscious idiot might actually leave. He couldn't risk calling one of these idiot students; he would have to do the work himself.

"The most important step to protect your computer is to take regular backups. At least once a month, make a copy of all your key data files. Anything that you can't afford to lose, back it up and store it offline." He was relieved when Sharon took her seat, restoring his wonderful view. "I backup my files weekly, just to be extra safe. In addition, some really important files — for example my financial information — I back up every day when I finish working with them."

"I got one," Balboa shouted. "I know what you should do."

Why me, Lord?

"Okay, Balboa, what do ya got?"

"It's so simple, you're gonna love it!"

It would have to be simple.

"You planning to tell us anytime soon," Al said. "Class will be over in a few minutes."

"Here it is," Balboa said. "Turn off your PC overnight. If it's off, nobody can stick a Trojan in it."

Al was prepared to laugh, but the damn thing made sense. He himself had a bad habit of leaving his computer on overnight, where it was vulnerable.

"Good suggestion, Balboa. Turn it off overnight or at any time it's not in use for several hours. A computer can't be infected while it's off."

Al looked over the class. "Anyone else with an idea how to keep your PC protected?"

"Never give up confidential information to a stranger," the big middle-aged guy said. He must be six-one and pushing two-fifty, with a beefy face to match. "Watch out for emails, text messaging, chat rooms, everything. You fool around with that freakin' stuff and they'll pick you clean." He looked around and smiled. "Only give confidential information to websites you trust. This is friendly advice, because youse are my classmates."

"Sir, your name, please," Al said.

"Vinny Soprano."

"Didn't I see you in the news last week?"

"You didn't see nuthin."

"My mistake."

Soprano was staring at him, and he didn't look pleased. Time to wrap this up.

"Well, class, that's enough for today. Next week we will get into the specifics of anti-virus software." He moved over again, ready for one last look at Sharon. "See you next week, same time, same place."

Just as Sharon uncrossed her legs, Balboa stepped in front of him, blocking his view. "Great class, Professor Bundy. See you next week."

Al collapsed against the side of the desk. Maybe I could have the class moved to another building. The students filtered out, leaving him alone in the classroom. Or another night. He packed up his laptop and walked toward the door. Or another country.

Visit my website if you enjoyed this post.

Dan Ronco writes in the tradition of Philip K. Dick

2008-01-08T08:30:00.000-05:00

Unholy Domain, my new novel, has been compared by other writers to the works of legendary science fiction author Philip K. Dick. I'm honored to be mentioned in the same breath with the creator of Blade Runner, Minority Report and other classics. In Unholy Domain, I've followed Dick's investigations into the dark new worlds of the near future.

"Unholy Domain tackles the age-old battle of scientific enlightenment and reason vs. religious fanaticism. In a future world ravaged by technology two factions fight for supremacy. Dan Ronco tells a tale that is unique, provocative, and engrossing while maintaining enough slam-bang action to keep you turning the pages. It reads like a cross between Blade Runner and Angels and Demons." --R. Douglas Weber, author of Solomon's Key: The CODIS Project

"Dan Ronco fills the gap left by Philip K. Dick with Unholy Domain."--Simon Wood, the Anthony Award winning author of Paying the Piper

The Future is not Star Trek

2007-12-27T00:06:00.000-05:00

I have always loved Star Trek, from the original series beginning in 1969 to the ever present reruns on television just about any day. Admirable characters, a stern but humane Starfleet code to live by, lots of action (but no gore) and the wonder of new frontiers. Traveling in glistening starships several hundred years in the future, facing all types of dangers. Great television, but the reality we are spiraling into will be very different.

First consider the Enterprise crew; basically, they are no different than you or me. Okay, Mr. Data is the exception, but all the others are plain old biological humans, even if wearing Vulcan ears. It's as if technology hadn't progressed over the next centuries. Sure, the hardware is more sophisticated — phasors instead of pistols — but everything seems very familiar.

Consider Captain Picard, the leader of the Enterprise. First of all, he looks like your old high school math teacher. Medium build, medium height, hair just about gone. Nice guy, pretty smart, but no exceptional or unusual powers. Not directly linked to computer intelligence, no implants to enhance his senses, no nanobots in the bloodstream regulating biological processes. Bor-ing!

By the way, how old is Picard? I always wondered about that. With the wrinkles and the hair, he looks late forties, but it's hard to tell. Actually, nobody in the crew seems very old. Hey, they all act age appropriate, and from their conversations, it seems everyone is in the twenty to forty range. It appears they experience about the same aging process as we do here in the first decade of the twenty-first century.

Now that's just ridiculous. In 1900, the average lifespan was about forty-nine years, while now it's pushing eighty. As science continues to learn more about human biological processes, we will develop cures for many of the diseases that cut our lives short. In addition, we will develop a much better understanding of the aging process, enabling us to tune up our bodies and stretch out normal lifespans. Tiny nanobots in our cells will monitor, report and regulate many of our biological processes. By the middle of this century, the average lifespan in the developed nations should be well over one hundred years.

Our bodies will change dramatically during the next few decades. Hell, it's already happening. Look at all the mechanical replacements now available. Hip, shoulder, elbow, tooth, artery and knee replacements are commonplace. Contact lenses and hearing aids enhance our senses. Mechanical legs allow the severely injure to walk, even run, again. I've seen a paralyzed man control his personal computer through thoughts that interface with a network.

How much will we accomplish during the next few decades? Well, for one thing, we will be able to replace virtually any part of our skeleton system. Bone broken, joints wearing out? Replace them. Want to think faster, move with more agility? The nanobots in our cells can become a computer network that responds hundreds of times faster than our neurons. Need more and better information at your fingertips? Forget about fingertips. A wireless interface between nanobots in your brain and computer databanks will allow you pull down whatever processed information you need. How about a second heart? A mechanical heart could reduce the pumping load on your biological heart, maybe take over during a heart attack. Better yet, eliminate the need for a heart with blood cells that power their own mobility.

But that's just the start. Artificial intelligence will eventually dominate biological intelligence. And let me cue you in, it's a short eventually. Here's what I mean. You brain processes information relatively slowly. Computer hardware is already much faster and the difference is growing year by year. On a pure horsepower basis, AI beats the brain's processing. Of course, you need much more than fast computer hardware, the software has to be in place, too.

Let's separate AI into two classes, weak AI and strong AI. Strong AI is general purpose intelligence, the ability to handle a wide variety of tasks at the same or higher level than a human. Weak AI is designed to process a very limited number of tasks, for instance, playing chess or walking. Strong AI is still some years away, maybe decades, but weak AI is available in many areas. Most of us know that IBM's Big Blue computer can defeat the best human chess players. Robots can hit a baseball or dance (check out my videos), although not at the level of the best humans. Not yet, anyway.

However, it's clear that we are only a few decades from seeing very intelligent computers approach and then exceed human intelligence. Humans will need to link into networked AI just to stay competitive with our computers. But that's just delaying the inevitable. In the end, our biological brains won't cut it. Blood and flesh is just too slow and inflexible. In the second half of this century, we will be able to download our personal intelligence into robots. Mr. Data isn't too bad an example of what humanity will become.

But the story doesn't end there. Mr. Data's brain, while much faster than a human brain, is still constrained by limited size. A networked intelligence will outperform a single Mr. Data, so that's the direction science will drive us. Maybe Star Trek has a pretty good example, after all. It's called the Borg.

Please realize a networked intelligence need not be evil. The Borg could very easily be a beneficial superintelligence, with all units working toward a good purpose. Or many good purposes. Each individual would very likely retain his or her unique personality, rather than being stamped out of one mold. A diverse set of androids networked together would seem to have greater survival capabilities than one individual repeated over and over.

And it would be a lot more fun. Imagine how close you would become to the people you love. In addition to the physical intimacy we now enjoy with our flesh and blood bodies, think about the emotional intimacy of joining your lover's mind through the net. Step aside, Vulcan mind-meld! Misunderstandings would be cleared up, feelings and thoughts immediately transmitted and received. I could describe the sex, but it's not that kind of article.

Maybe the future is Star Trek after all.

Preorder Unholy Domain from Amazon to win a free signed copy of PeaceMaker, my first novel. Email me your Amazon receipt (danron@danronco.com) and you may be one of ten lucky winners selected randomly. Preorder Unholy Domain now on Amazon and earn a 34% discount.

A cross between Blade Runner and Angels and Demons

2007-12-18T13:35:00.000-05:00

Unholy Domain tackles the age-old battle of scientific enlightenment and reason vs. religious fanaticism. In a future world ravaged by technology two factions fight for supremacy. Dan Ronco tells a tale that is unique, provocative, and engrossing while maintaining enough slam-bang action to keep you turning the pages. It reads like a cross between Blade Runner and Angels and Demons.

R. Douglas Weber, author of Solomon's Key: The CODIS Project

2007-12-11T08:25:00.000-05:00

Bestselling author Scott Nicholson praises Unholy Domain:

"A chilling technothriller. Dan Ronco not onlyunderstands evolving technology, but the social forcesthat see it as either good or evil. What's scary isnot that this might happen in the future...but that itis already happening. Dan Ronco is a social visionary on a par with William Gibson and Robert Sawyer."

Pre-Order Unholy Domain to Win a Free Copy of PeaceMaker

2007-12-08T08:00:00.001-05:00

"Top rate adventure sparkling with ideas."

Piers Anthony — Bestselling author of dozens of fantastic novels

David Brown, a brilliant but troubled young man raised in the dark shadow of his long-dead father, a software genius who unleashed a computer virus that murdered millions.
The Domain, a secret society of technologists developing Sentinel, an artificial intelligence with the ability to take humanity to the next stage of evolution.
The Army of God, a cult of fanatics within a renegade church, murdering anyone they consider a technologist.

When David receives a decade-old email that indicates his father may have been framed, he plunges into a gut-wrenching race with the real killers to discover the truth about his father … and himself.

Pre-order Unholy Domain from Amazon to win a free signed copy of PeaceMaker, my first novel. Email me your Amazon receipt (danron@danronco.com) and you may be one of ten lucky winners selected randomly. Contest ends December 22, 2007. Preorder Unholy Domain now on Amazon and earn a 34% discount.

For Guys: Making a Good First Impression With a Female

2007-12-04T05:48:00.000-05:00

If you’re looking for advice on how to pick up a woman at a bar, this isn’t it, but if you’d like to know how to build a friendship with the opposite sex, then stay. Not that I’m the guru of first impressions, but what the heck, even an unwound clock is right twice a day.

First, you need to be comfortable with yourself. Not arrogant, not ignorant, just comfortable. If you’re not, she’ll probably figure out that you’re a phony or a loser. By the way, if you are, stop reading now, I can’t help you.

First piece of advice: don’t talk about yourself all the time. Let’s face it, you’re probably a little boring. Your story about how you saved the company 3% in office supplies isn’t really that fascinating. No offense, but let her do most of the talking.

This next one is very important: Look into her eyes while you’re having a conversation. Her breasts don’t speak, so there’s no point in staring at them. Unless she’s really …. but I’m losing my train of thought.

Now listen up, we’re getting to the most important stuff. Try and have a real conversation with the woman. You know, something you’re both interested in. It’s hard to believe, but she may not care if the Eagles beat the Cowboys.

Contrary to common belief, women do have a sense of humor. They will laugh if you happen to say something that’s actually funny. Laughter is a great way to break the ice and begin a friendship. Just as long as she’s laughing with you, not at you. You understand the difference, don’t you?

And above all, don’t try too hard. This is related to my first point, but somewhat different. Don’t push too hard or too fast, she’ll get suspicious. If she asks probing questions, tell her that all the charges were dropped, or whatever else comes to mind. Keep the conversation low-key and, well, conversational. There’s an old Chinese proverb that says just sprinkle a little water and the desert will bloom with a thousand flowers. Or some crap like that.

You’ll know pretty quickly if you and your target, er, acquaintance are hitting it off. If so, keep doing what you’re doing. If not, she’ll probably give you a hint that things aren’t going well. If she slaps your face and calls you a jerk, it’s a good clue to move on.

That’s my sure-fire way to develop a friendship with a woman. To summarize, keep your eyes up, breath normally, try not to be boring and don’t use any sentences including a body part.

And let me know if any of this stuff actually works.

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What Do We Get for Our Taxes?

2007-11-28T13:37:00.000-05:00

Tax time is coming around again. I’m reminded because I just placed my order for the 2007 version of TurboTax, which is a software application that guides me through federal and Pennsylvania tax return preparation. The damn tax code has become so complex, you really need either a good accountant or a tax package to get it right.

Taxes are everywhere, on everything. Federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, federal death tax, Medicaid, state income tax, state sales tax, state death tax … let me catch my breath. Certain cities or counties get you for an income tax or a wage tax or maybe even a sales tax. Then there are the smaller but still irritating levies like federal and state gasoline taxes, the state automobile registration tax, the hotel room occupancy tax (talk about taxation without representation!) and the federal telephone taxes (check out your phone bill for the beloved Federal Subscriber Line Charge and the smaller, but still irritating Federal Universal Service Fee). And if you have a small business, well, I won’t get into that.

They tax you when you earn, they tax you when you buy and they tax you when you die. Whatever you do, the Taxman has his hand in your pocket. If they could figure out how to do it, they’d tax you for bodily functions. Maybe a little meter on the toilet. Two cents per flush. Wireless, of course.

And think about the skillions of hours that are wasted on tax planning, preparation and collection. Tax attorneys, tax accountants, tax return software, IRS employees, state and local tax collectors, they are all working day and night on our taxes. While you’re sleeping innocently in your bed, an IRS computer is selecting you for an audit. And if you are in a hotel, you’re paying tax to sleep while that IRS computer is humming away. Your federal government at work.

I read somewhere that the top half of earners pay 96% of federal income taxes while the lower half pays 4%. The principle that a person with a larger income should pay more in taxes is fair, but 96% seems a bit extreme. Every citizen with a decent income, it seems to me, should pay something in taxes. Even if it’s only a couple of bucks withheld from each paycheck, at least you’re holding up your end as best you can.

My personal choice would be for a flat income tax. No tax on the first twenty five grand, then 15% on everything after that. Or something similar. Allow a few deductibles such as spouse and children, mortgage and medical. Keep it really simple, so that a normal person could file their return without screaming. That’s right, tax prep would become the no scream zone. Maybe even no cursing … okay, I lost my head. Anyway, I enjoy cursing at my return.

It’s interesting that our government has too much money and yet not enough. A duality that would interest a quantum mechanics researcher. Here’s the issue: the government needs more money to fund entitlements such as Social Security and Medicare, but a big tax increase might plunge the economy into recession. And recessions are not good for incumbent politicians.

The simple truth is that people should be allowed to keep the bulk of the money they earn. They know what they need better than a government bureaucrat. Plus, the more an entrepreneur can keep, the more likely she is to invest her money in a small business, and that’s what drives the economy. JFK knew that and so did Reagen and Bush 43.

Entitlements are out of control. Already Medicare has more money going out in benefits than tax payments coming in. Social Security is still in the black, but economists predict 2017 as the date it goes into the red. To fund these deficits, the government has to increase its borrowing, raise taxes or divert funds from other programs. These are not good alternatives, so why don’t we actually try to fix these creaky old programs. To put it bluntly, they suck. No rational young person would invest his money in Social Security if he had a choice. Let’s fix the damn thing! Unfortunately, it’s not going to happen. Here’s a bold prediction — they’ll eventually put together a bipartisan, blue ribbon, lip smacking panel of old pols and they’ll recommend … hold your breath … raising Social Security taxes.

Let’s face it, we fifty plus citizens are pretty demanding. We coughed up money supporting prior generations, so we want our fair share of the benefits when we get older. Without these entitlements, many baby boomers will have a tough retirement. If you can afford to retire.

But let’s be fair and look at it from the point of the twenty something working stiff. The ratio of retired persons to workers is getting worse year by year. A young guy or gal has forty or fifty years of ever increasing Social Security taxes to pay. They are not happy and I don’t blame them. Especially if the benefits are cut back or the retirement age raised to, let’s say, 112. I’m all for working with these youngsters so that we can cut them a fair deal. Just as long as you don’t touch MY retirement benefits.

So how do we reduce taxes? The government has to find a way to fund Social Security, Medicare and other entitlements. That’s the bulk of the federal budget. We certainly need the Defense and State departments and, to some degree, the regulatory agencies. That doesn’t leave too much to cut, but there are a few items that make no sense.

Take agriculture subsidies. Why the frack do we pay farmers to NOT grow food? (Love the sound of the word frack — got it from Battlestar Galactica)These subsidies go into the pockets of big, rich agriculture corporations. It’s not 1930, with Oakies starving on their little farms. Agriculture is Big Business, just like Insurance, Computers or Finance. Should we pay Microsoft to not develop software? No wisecracks, please, I’m just trying to make a point.

Then there are the natural disasters, like Katrina. I’m all for emergency aid, but the government went way overboard. I read that more than 80 billion dollars has already been committed. Now if you choose to live below sea level or on the coastline, okay, you can take a chance, but don’t expect the taxpayer to rebuild your home if a flood washes it away. At least buy fracking flood insurance. It’s cheap (government subsidized, of course). Can you believe they are rebuilding New Orleans without improving the levies! Who pays when it floods again? Spell it t-a-x-p-a-y-e-r-s.

So we have to find a way to reduce the cost of providing necessary services, while eliminating the handouts. There’s no solution unless entitlement programs are restructured, and I’ll discuss this in future posts.

Fracking A!

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Have We Achieved Our Objectives in Iraq?

2007-11-24T09:58:00.000-05:00

Exactly where are we in this conflict? It’s difficult to cut through to the truth with so much hot air coming from all sides. I decided to go back and read the Joint Resolution approved October 2002 by the President and the Senate authorizing the invasion or liberation (take your pick) of Iraq.

It begins with a bunch of whereas clauses summarizing the then current situation: Iraq had been kicked out of Kuwait and had agreed not to develop nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, and Iraq would not support terrorism; weapons inspectors had been forced to withdraw in 1998 and Congress had declared that Iraq’s continued development of weapons of mass destruction threatened world peace; the Iraqi regime continued to brutalize its civilian population; Iraq showed its hostility toward the United States by attempting to assassinate Bush 41 and shoot at US planes enforcing the no-fly zone; members of al Qaida are known to be in Iraq; the regime continues to harbor other terrorist organizations; Iraq might launch a surprise attack on the US or provide weapons of mass destruction to terrorists.

Therefore, the Joint Resolution authorized the President to use the Armed Forces of the United States as he determines to be necessary and appropriate in order to:
(1) defend the national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq; and
(2) enforce all relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions regarding Iraq.

A review of this document indicates the US had several objectives, at least initially, in the war against the Iraqi regime.
+ To eliminate weapons of mass destruction stockpiled or under development by Iraq as called for by various UN resolutions.
+ To implement democracy within Iraq and eventually throughout much of the Middle East.
+ To free the people of Iraq from a brutal dictatorship.
+ To eliminate a dangerous enemy.
+ To prevent Saddam Hussein from working with international terrorist groups that might threaten the US.

Although not specified in the Iraq War Resolution, it seems clear to me that the US was intent on making sure that control of Iraqi oil was taken from Saddam and turned over to a friendly Iraqi government. Removing Saddam also eliminated his threat to Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and other oil rich Middle East nations.

As everyone knows, we did not discover weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Although there are rumors that these weapons were shipped out of Iraq shortly before the invasion, no hard evidence supports this theory. Therefore, we must conclude that there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq during the days leading up to the war. It appears there was a massive intelligence failure not only in the US, but in many other nations as well. Some have claimed that the Bush administration knew all along that there were no such weapons in Iraq, but this claim isn’t justified with evidence. Basically, it was a screw-up of massive proportions.

Iraq does have a democratic government, a parliamentary system where the people vote for their representatives, who join together in political parties and elect a Prime Minister. As described in Wikipedia, a permanent 275-member Iraqi National Assembly was selected in a general election in December 2005, initiating the formation of a new government. The Prime Minister of Iraq is Nouri al-Maliki, who holds most of the executive authority and appoints the cabinet. The current President of Iraq is Jalal Talabani, who serves largely as a figurehead, with few powers. The vice presidents are Tariq al-Hashimi and Adel Abdul Mehdi, deputy leader of SCIRI, the largest party in the Iraqi National Assembly.

Although the government at times seems ineffective, it is an honest democracy. It remains to be seen if additional democracies will be established across the Middel East.

The US-led coalition has freed the people of Iraq from Saddam’s brutal dictatorship, and the new government is not oppressive. However, a violent Sunni/al Qaida insurgency has continued to murder thousands in an effort to plunge the nation into chaos and civil war. The US-led Surge, actually an increase in troops and a change in strategy, has splintered the insurgency and reduced the violence. Although the war is moving in the right direction, Iraq is still a dangerous country, both for the Iraqis and US troops.

The elimination of Saddam’s regime removed a dangerous enemy without question. However, the insurgency is equally dangerous. If our enemies are able to win in Iraq, they may be able to spread their hatred of the US beyond the borders of Iraq and across the region.

There is no hard evidence that Saddam was working with international terrorist groups. There appears to be some contact between al Qaida and Saddam’s regime, but no evidence of any type of alliance. It may be that the US was concerned about the potential for an alliance, given that both Saddam and al Qaida hate us.

Iraqi oil production is about 2.5 million bpd, about where it was before the war. However, the oil is being sold by a friendly government, so we don’t have to worry it will be used as a weapon.

To summarize, we have removed the yoke of dictatorship from the people of Iraq and implemented a democratic, if somewhat ineffective, national government. After years of warfare with extremists, the Surge seems to be leading to a better life for Iraqis. We have also removed an enemy from Iraq, and secured a supply of oil. All good things, clearly. On the other hand, no weapons of mass destruction were found, and the ties between Saddam and terrorists were not threatening. And we paid a heavy price in blood and national treasure.

Was it worth it? Each of us will have to make that assessment.

Piers Anthony praises Unholy Domain

2007-11-21T15:53:00.000-05:00

Bestselling author Piers Anthony has endorsed my new book Unholy Domain. This is what Piers said:

"Another fast-action story of vicious extremes, as a powerful religious cult takes on a sophisticated tech outfit. Each means to destroy the other and rule the world, and neither is scrupulous about the means. The protagonist is caught precariously between the two. Top rate adventure sparkling with ideas."

Piers Anthony — author of dozens upon dozens of fantastic novels

Unholy Domain

A deliberately staged IT catastrophe leaves the world sunk into depression and the US government ineffectual. The secretive and powerful Domain, using organized crime to spread its technology, seeks to take humankind to the next level of evolution through artificial intelligence. The fanatical Army of God battles to stop them. Dan Ronco’s fast-paced techno-thriller depicts a world of violent extremes, where religious terrorists and visionaries of technology fight for supreme power.

Click here to pre-order Unholy Domain on Amazon and earn a 5% discount. Books will be shipped approximately April 1, 2008.

Chapter 21 of the thriller PeaceMaker posted on my website

2007-11-15T11:32:00.000-05:00

PeaceMaker, my first novel, was released by Winterwolf Publishing in August, 2004 and Unholy Domain will be released by Kunati Publishing on April1, 2008. Although still available at Amazon and many bookstores, PeaceMaker now appears on my MySpace blog and my website as a serial novel. You can read the complete story FREE OF CHARGE. Twenty one chapters are available and every week an additional chapter will be posted.

If you enjoy Michael Crichton or Dan Brown, you'll love PeaceMaker.

A Place to Dream

2007-11-12T10:09:00.000-05:00

I grew up in a tough blue-collar neighborhood in Newark, New Jersey. My folks both had to work to put food on the table. Not that we were poor. When I was seven, we moved out of the top floor of a three family home into a house just down the street. Yeah, we moved the sum total of half a block. But it was our own home: three bedrooms, one bath and a screened-in porch. I could reach out a window and touch (well, almost) the neighbor’s house. Could hear them, too. Sometimes.

I could walk to Alexander Street School, which I attended through sixth grade. Three stories high, if I remember correctly, lots of faded red brick, two playgrounds (one for the big kids, one for the little) and a ten foot high chain link fence around the big playground. We played basketball, stickball, or punchball every day after school.

It was great fun playing with my friends, but I always left after an hour or so. Time to go to the library, which was just down the block. Another red brick building, but this one was a place to dream. I could walk down the aisles and pull out another world. My favorites were stories about horses, dogs and baseball. Walter Farley was a special author, bringing the world of Alec and the Black Stallion to my little corner of the world. Racetracks, ranches, the countryside --- these were places way outside my range of experience. Made me understand that Newark wasn’t the whole world.

The baseball stories were great, too. Little morality plays in the guise of sports, where the good guys always won. No matter how bad things seemed to get, the good guys would come through and win the championship game in the last chapter. Something you could rely on.

I loved those books and I looked forward to my trips to the library. It was both safe and exciting. I don’t think the library changed my life, but it sure enriched it.

Every child should have a library.

Visit my website, it's informative and entertaining. We focus on the implications of advanced technology upon society. Order Unholy Domain or PeaceMaker at Amazon.

Win a Free Copy of PeaceMaker!

2007-11-11T11:04:00.000-05:00

WIN A FREE COPY OF PEACEMAKER!

Tell me what you like most and least about my website.
The best five answers win a trade paperback.
Visit my website and enter by November 30.

Visit my website, it's informative and entertaining. We focus on the implications of advanced technology upon society.

Q&A with Dan Ronco

2007-11-07T16:16:00.000-05:00

Daphne Hayden, DNS News Anchor, interviewed Dan Ronco regarding his new novel in 2012.

DAPHNE HAYDEN: I've found your biography online at www.danronco.com, and I know you have not one, but three degrees: Chemical Engineering, Nuclear Engineering and Computer Science. Why so many?

DAN RONCO: It's my nature. I'm never satisfied, always looking for the next challenge. My career has been like that, too. First I designed nuclear reactors, next I became a Partner in a huge accounting and IT consulting firm, then President of a small software company and finally a General Manager with Microsoft.

DAPHNE HAYDEN: So how did you go from technology guru to writing a novel?

DAN RONCO: After more than two decades in the IT business, I felt that it was time to do something else. Although I loved working at Microsoft, 70 hour weeks and heavy travel take a toll. Besides, I had been thinking about writing a novel for years, but hadn't made much progress. It was time to choose. So I left my job and concentrated on writing.

DAPHNE HAYDEN: You're much better looking in person. Trash that photo on the cover of Unholy Domain.

DAN RONCO: Well, I was trying to look author-ish. Guess it didn't work.

DAPHNE HAYDEN: In your first novel, set in 2012, PeaceMaker a Windows-like operating system is infected with an intelligent virus, leading to a shutdown of computers across the globe. With Windows computers so widely used, could this really happen?

DAN RONCO: Software terrorism is already a threat, and it will grow over time. Every time a new virus attacks Windows, someone has to detect and report the problem, programmers have to develop and distribute a fix, and millions of users have to apply the fix. A relatively slow process, but it works as long as the virus isn't too destructive, doesn't spread too fast (or secretly) and doesn't evolve too rapidly (the fix won't work if the virus can change tactics). In PeaceMaker, I envisioned a fictional virus attack that exceeded these parameters. At some point within the next decade, a terrorist may be capable of launching such a sophisticated attack.

DAPHNE HAYDEN: PeaceMaker and Unholy Domain have been touted as the first two books of an anti-technology trilogy. Is that true? What are the books about?

DAN RONCO: My stories dramatize the question: how much technology is too much? The first novel, as you know, illustrates the consequences of a runaway, lethal computer virus. My new novel, Unholy Domain, set in 2022, considers the meaning of being human as artificial intelligence begins to approach human intelligence. It takes a hard look at what I believe will be accelerating conflict between science and religion. The last book of the trilogy, set in 2025 and tentatively titled Tomorrow's Children, considers the risks and benefits of genetic engineering.

DAPHNE HAYDEN: You didn't really answer my question. Don't your books warn against the continuing growth of technology?

DAN RONCO: It's clear to me that the exponential growth in technology over the next two, three decades will bring incredible change to our society, possibly beyond our ability to cope. Whether that's anti-technology, well, I'll leave it for the reader to decide.

DAPHNE HAYDEN: Scientists and the clergy are already in conflict over issues such as evolution, homosexuality and abortion. You believe it will get worse?

DAN RONCO: Without a doubt. Consider a few emerging issues. Should we enhance capabilities such as intelligence, athletic ability, beauty or health through gene manipulation or artificial components? If so, who gets the enhancements? Should human cloning be permitted? Should an intelligent robot have the same rights as a human? Does God care if we evolve into a new species? Should we allow artificial intelligence to approach and possibly surpass human intelligence? These issues will shake the foundation of organized religion as never before.

DAPHNE HAYDEN: I see what you mean. Complex issues, no easy solutions. Must the novels be read in chronological sequence? Do you have to be an engineer to understand the technology in the novels?

DAN RONCO: First and foremost, I wrote the novels to entertain a reader who enjoys thrillers or science fiction. If you can use a computer, you will have no problem with the technology in my stories. Although the novels are all consistent with each other, each is a self-contained story. You can read them in any sequence, so just start with the one that most appeals to you.

DAPHNE HAYDEN: How long did it take to write your novels?

DAN RONCO: Including research, I have been working on the trilogy for about eight years. Not full-time, but I try to write three to four hours per day on average. Tomorrow's Children will be complete in a few months, so I have dedicated a big chunk of my life to this work.

DAPHNE HAYDEN: What lessons have you learned as a writer, and what changes would you make if you could start over?

DAN RONCO: When I started, I had no idea how difficult it is to write well. I thought that once you had the concept for the story, the words would just tumble out of your mind onto the page. Man, was I wrong. Every word in your story must have a reason to be present, and it must convey the right shade of meaning. Extremely difficult, but what a feeling of satisfaction when you get it right.

DAPHNE HAYDEN: The women in your novels are highly unusual to say the least.

DAN RONCO: I knew we were going to get into this.

DAPHNE HAYDEN: Don't get alarmed, I think it's a good thing. Your female characters are beautiful, smart, tough and physically strong. I particularly like Darlene Duboski, DoubleD as you call her. How did you come up with this amazing woman?

DAN RONCO: DoubleD isn't really that unusual, if you think about it. She's the culmination of a long-term evolution. Today's females are bigger and more athletic than previous generations. Go to any workout facility and what do you see? Plenty of women. And not just doing aerobics, either. Pumping iron, pushups, building their strength against all manner of exercise machines. They're dropping baby fat and showing off lean, hard muscles. Not that they are becoming bodybuilders (although some do), but they are not the women of your mother's generation either.

Drive around town and you'll certainly come across a jogger. What's the gender most of the time? And she's probably setting a fast pace, too.

Muscles are no longer solely a masculine domain. Check out the ladies playing basketball or tennis, let alone the boxers. Not a wimp in the bunch. Title IX has opened the door for women to excel at sports, and they are succeeding. You want to see Serena Williams or Mary Pierce getting ready to serve a cannonball at you? I don't. That doesn't mean today's women aren't as beautiful or sexy as previous generations. I think they look better, actually, with their lean, athletic figures.

DoubleD---and many of my female characters---are based upon this new model of femininity. They are just as tough and smart as the men, and they don't take a backseat to anyone. Damn sexy, too.

DAPHNE HAYDEN: Kudos to you! I couldn't agree more.

If you're not already fed up with Dan Ronco, learn more about him at his website.

Click here to pre-order Unholy Domain on Amazon and earn a 5% discount. Books will be shipped approximately April 1, 2008.

Click here to order PeaceMaker on Amazon.

Ms. Hayden appears as herself in both PeaceMaker and Unholy Domain. If you're not already fed up with me, you can learn more about me at my website .
Order Unholy Domain or PeaceMaker at Amazon.

Visiting Baltimore's Inner Harbor

2007-11-04T15:08:00.000-05:00

I drove from my home in eastern Pennsylvania south to Baltimore’s Inner Harbor to have lunch with Paul, a long-time friend. Paul and I worked together years earlier at Microsoft—he managed the Washington DC consulting practice while I had responsibility for the East Coast. We grew to be close friends, and we get together for lunch about every three months or so at the Inner Harbor. Paul also helped with a critique of my novel Unholy Domain, and I thanked him in the acknowledgements.

The Little Italy section is just north (3-4 block walk) of the built-up Inner Harbor. There must be a dozen or more old-fashioned Italian restaurants in a three block square. You know the kind I mean—old brick front, a couple of steps up, long and narrow inside, white tablecloths and waiters who have eaten just about everything on the menu. Places that look like they have been providing Italian food to the residents for twenty, thirty, who knows how many years.

Paul and I have sampled all the Italian restaurants in Little Italy over the years, and we picked one of our favorites. Not to imply that any of these places are bad, just that some are better than others. Fresh pasta, great seafood, the usual delicious food as we caught up with each other’s lives.

Then came the athletic segment of our day, walking around the Inner Harbor. I have to admit that the politicians in Baltimore have done a great job. The Inner Harbor is a big tourist attraction, with people from all over coming to enjoy the aquarium, the stores and restaurants, the lighthouse, the ships and the pier. I stopped to buy chocolates for my wife—always earns me points—and Paul and I enjoyed browsing at a bookstore and a big electronics retailer. Of course, we checked out many attractive women walking around the harbor. We’re old married guys, but we’re still breathing.

Just a simple day enjoying the Inner Harbor with a friend. Not everything has to be a big deal.

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Virus Infects Windows Computers Across the Globe

2007-11-01T20:28:00.000-04:00

It’s 2012, and a single computer operating system has established a near monopoly across the Internet. Mankind depends upon the Atlas OS to run its power plants, hospitals, communications, transportation and just about everything else. Sound familiar? Hidden within Atlas is PeaceMaker, an intelligent computer virus. When its master activates the virus, it shuts down all the computers, crashing civilization back to a pre-industrial basis.

Dan Ronco, a former Microsoft General Manager, is the author of PeaceMaker and soon-to-be-released Unholy Domain. Check Dan’s Amazon profile or webpage for his bio.

About PeaceMaker:
PeaceMaker, a start-at-a-dead-run science fiction thriller, is set in the near future, where software revolutionaries are pushing artificial intelligence to the brink of terrorism. The prologue plunges software architect Ray Brown into a life-or-death contest with PeaceMaker, a deadly artificial intelligence that has infected most of the world’s computing devices. Ray's determination to eliminate PeaceMaker leads him into a dangerous conflict with the Domain – a clandestine organization dedicated to a new world order.

About Unholy Domain:
A deliberately staged IT catastrophe leaves the world sunk into depression and the US government ineffectual. The secretive and powerful Domain, using organized crime to spread its technology, seeks to take humankind to the next level of evolution through artificial intelligence. The fanatical Army of God battles to stop them. Dan Ronco’s fast-paced techno-thriller depicts a world of violent extremes, where religious terrorists and visionaries of technology fight for supreme power.

Visit my website, it's informative and entertaining. We focus on the implications of advanced technology upon society. Order Unholy Domain or PeaceMaker at Amazon.

Book Review: Redesigning Humans: Our Inevitable Genetic Future by Gregory Stock

2007-10-29T10:49:00.000-04:00

RATING *****

James Watson, codiscoverer of the structure of DNA, asked, “If we could make better humans … why shouldn’t we?” That question is at the core of this book, and Gregory Stock responds in the affirmative. Not that we have a choice, he asserts; genetic engineering is coming whether we like it or not. And he makes a damn good case.

Rather than getting right to it, however, he begins with an anti-Kurzweil chapter. Ray Kurzweil is the author of the Age of Spiritual Machines, which projects the rapid development of artificial intelligence during the next few decades and the integration of human and machine intelligence (see my review). Stock argues that the interface between the human nervous system and silicon would be incredibly complex, making it highly unlikely we will be physically integrated with our computers within this timeframe. He believes that we will communicate much more effectively with the machines through our senses, becoming fyborgs (functional cyborgs).

Then he moves on to the main course, beginning with preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD). Physicians have been performing genetic testing of embryos since 1989, with screening now available for a handful of genetic diseases. This technology will continue to expand, allowing parents to select specific embryos for implantation in the uterus, effectively enabling us to have children with certain genetic tendencies. The next advance, germinal choice technologies (GCT), will arrive within the next decade or two, allowing us to enhance our children’s naturally occurring genetic inheritance. Artificial chromosomes, loaded with selected genes, might be the foundation.

Stock understands how divisive this issue will be, but argues that it can’t be halted (not that he wants to stop it). He argues effectively for a reasonable degree of regulation, although he believes that the ultimate decision must remain in the hands of parents.

This is a book focused more on ethics and issues rather than technology. If you’re interested more in the nuts and bolts of genetic engineering, look elsewhere. Whether you agree with him or not, Stock lays out the issues and his answers in a clear and compelling manner.

Visit my website, it's informative and entertaining. We present book reviews for both fiction and non-fiction with a technology focus.

Old Friends and Autumn

2007-10-24T10:17:00.000-04:00

My wife Lin and I drove to New England last weekend to catch the fall colors and visit with a few old friends. Donna, who resides in Vermont with her husband Marty, and Lin have been friends since they were four; Donna grew up in the house next door to Lin. Donna met Marty in college, fell in love and married him when they graduated. I met them through Lin more years ago than I care to admit. Great people, real friends. Salt of the earth --- you know what I mean.

Nothing special happened over the weekend, which is why I’m writing this. Celebrate the ordinary. It was a wonderful visit: we talked as only old friends can, we went to local restaurants, and we spent a complete day visiting Shelburne Farms (one of the most beautiful places on earth, where Vermont meets Lake Champlain). It was just a normal visit between old friends, rich and satisfying.

Then Lin and I drove to Connecticut to visit John and JoAnne, another pair of old buddies. John and I go back to high school. We are part of half a dozen guys who were close then and are still friends. By chance, most of us didn’t have brothers, so we became like brothers. Lin and I met them for dinner and had a great time catching up. It was another ordinary, satisfying day.

New England was beautiful, too. The trees were slightly past their peak, but still eye-catching and brimming with life. Like my friends.

Enjoy the ordinary: the countryside in fall, good friends and whatever each day brings. When you’re young, it’s difficult to accept that it’s not going to last forever. In autumn, you understand better, but it’s still hard to accept. Savor every ordinary moment.

Visit my website, it's informative and entertaining. We focus on the implications of advanced technology upon society.

Are Women Becoming Too Masculine

2007-10-16T08:16:00.001-04:00

My two novels are set slightly into the future: PeaceMaker in 2012 and Unholy Domain in 2022. In the initial planning for these novels, I researched trends in technology and Western culture, with the objective to make the settings realistic. I tested this research against a lifetime of observation, and solicited feedback from reviewers and writers. What I discovered led me to create a balance of power between the sexes in PeaceMaker, while Unholy Domain is dominated by strong females.

It became clear, at least to me, that the two genders were moving toward each other in world view, attitude and actions. Women were becoming more like men and men more like women (but that’s a subject for another time). I don’t claim this is a conclusion based upon rigorous scientific procedures, but however informal, it makes sense to me.

When men think about women, we always focus first on appearance, so let’s start there. Is she pretty? Not too heavy, but with plenty of curves? Soft, pure face of an angel? Those are the questions we asked thirty years ago, and we still ask them today, but the women have changed.
Today’s females are bigger and more athletic than previous generations. Go to any workout facility and what do you see? Plenty of women. And not just doing aerobics, either. Pumping iron, pushups, building their strength against all manner of exercise machines. They’re dropping baby fat and showing off lean, hard muscles. Not that they are becoming bodybuilders (although some do), but they are not the women of your mother’s generation either.

Drive around town and you’ll certainly come across a jogger. What’s the gender most of the time? And she’s probably setting a fast pace, too.

Muscles are no longer solely a masculine domain. Check out the ladies playing basketball or tennis, let alone the boxers. Not a wimp in the bunch. Title IX has opened the door for women to excel at sports, and they are succeeding. You want to see Serena Williams or Mary Pierce getting ready to serve a cannonball at you? I don’t. That doesn’t mean today’s women aren’t as beautiful or sexy as previous generations. I think they look better, actually, with their lean, athletic figures.

Okay, they look different, but what about their attitudes? The way they lead their lives?
Back in the fifties, college was primarily a man’s domain. Now the majority of underclasspeople (did I get that right?) are women. Women mature more rapidly than men and do better in their studies. They graduate at a higher rate and move into the professions. Some would say they’ve swarmed into the professions, shouldering men out the door as they pushed in. A guy risks getting trampled if he holds a door open.

Women start most of the small businesses in North America. Bet you didn’t know that. A few decades earlier, if you called your doctor, your lawyer or your accountant, a masculine voice came over the line. Not any longer. It’s more likely the voice will be pitched higher and smoother.

My profession has gone the same way. Most readers and writers seem to be women, at least from what I can see. Pick up a novel at random and the author’s name usually begins with Karin or Nancy or … you get the picture. There are still a lot of us guys turning out thrillers and science fiction, but that’s changing, too.

Remember how, a couple of generations earlier, women would spend much of their time searching for a man to marry? When all they wanted was a home, a child and a good husband to take care of them? (Although yesterday’s culture forced that role). Well, today’s gals are in no rush to get married. They have options. They think the way guys think. Date, have fun, get some action but don’t rush into marriage. Get the career started, then, maybe, think about family. And keep working. It’s a significant break with the past, and it makes a lot of sense to me.

Why have women done so well? Attitude and opportunity. Fifty years ago women were locked out of many of the opportunities men enjoyed, but that’s changed now. With a few exceptions, such as really dangerous or heavy physical work, women can do anything a man can do. And women have just as much determination, courage and brains as men. Combine that with sexuality and they can get where they want to go, maybe with more options than men.
Actually, as I think about it, we men are outgunned.

You know, as I look this stuff over, it seems to be generally positive. Yeah, the women are becoming more like men, but that’s better for them and for the guys, too. But there’s a negative side.

When a woman starts a business, she has to work like crazy to make it successful. If she’s a single Mom, what happens to her children? Daycare is usually okay, but it’s not the same as having a full-time mother. If she’s married, the man will pick up some of the slack, right? He’ll try, but remember, he’s got his career, too. And there aren’t many stay-at-home Dads. We discovered that society doesn’t respect a guy who relies upon his wife to be the bread winner.
There are more women in prison than ever before. Just like men, some aggressive, the rules-don’t-apply-to-me women take what they want. White collar crime, violence, sexual predators, the whole nine yards. And what’s going on with these female teachers who seduce their high school, even grammar school, students? This rarely happened way back when.

Too many women are waiting too long to get married. They’re going out to the bars, drinking, flirting, having sex with any guy that appeals to them. Wait, this was supposed to be a negative. Sorry about that.

Anyway, I think you get the idea. Women are becoming more masculine in Western society, and it seems to be working out, but there have been bumps in the road. And a few potholes. Deep potholes, and they could be dangerous.

And so, as I outlined my novels, I decided that the female characters would not be crammed into the stereotypes found in many stories. Take Dianne Morgan, the most dominant character to emerge from my novels. She’s the real mover and shaker, the person driving the action across both books. Dianne is the CEO of a giant software company, a single mother and a self-made billionaire. Sexy, sometimes tender and very determined. On the other hand, she’s violent, erratic, and trusts no one. Fits the description of a masculine villain, doesn’t she (except for the single mother part)?

What the hell! I admit it, I’m trying to get a rise out of you. I’ve enjoyed thinking about women becoming more like men, and I’d like to hear what you think. If you would like to learn about the women in my stories, checkout my website.

Why Science and Religion Don't Mix

2007-10-16T06:25:00.000-04:00

Well, here we are folks, well into the twenty-first century and we’re still facing the same old problem: conflict between religion and science. Most of the conflict is verbal, often quite heated, but at least the two sides aren’t violent. The other end is the warfare between open, democratic societies and the religious fundamentalists who hate us.

What’s going on here?

Well, whatever it is, it’s been going on for centuries. An old song that just keeps playing, even though nobody likes the tune. For example, there’s the old standby of evolution versus creationism. Seems like that argument has been with us forever. Many conservative Christians believe that the Bible tells them the world was created in a six day period less than ten thousand years ago. Scientists have determined that all the evidence points to the formation of Earth about four to five billion years ago. Seems like this should be an easy one to resolve, right? But it ain’t happening.

Even though we can’t resolve the old issues, new ones keep piling on. A good one (well, not really a good one) is the issue of homosexuality. Scientists have concluded that homosexuality is a completely natural sexual orientation occurring in a small minority, caused mainly by genetics. On the other hand, religious conservatives believe that it is an unnatural, sinful state chosen by or taught to the individual. How do you bridge that gap?

And then there are the emerging issues, the ones just beginning to come into view. In my novel, Unholy Domain, I attempt to describe the oncoming issue of artificial intelligence versus natural humanity. Pay attention to Adam Jordan, the First Minister of the Church of Natural Humans, speaking to his congregation in 2022:

“Listen carefully to what Lucifer says,” Jordan said, his voice cracking. He swallowed, watching the faithful, his passion pressed to the limit. He took a breath, then another.

“He offers this bargain: through technology, he will restore our civilization to a greater level of material riches. In order to gain this wealth, you must allow the Technos to create artificial beings, godless abominations that will rule the earth. But even that is just a step along the path to an even viler future. The elements of our human bodies and minds are to be replaced, step by step, with synthetic genes and artificial components. Humans are to evolve into a new species. Technological Man they call it.”

“Never,” cried a female voice among the believers. Others echoed her cry.

“Now why is the Devil doing this?” Jordan asked. “Why?” He paused, looking across the crowd. “The reason is simple, yet horrible beyond belief. In this secular world, your soul is your link to God. When the Devil replaces aspects of your humanity with artificial components, he weakens your connection to the Lord. When he inserts a synthetic gene into your body, he disrupts God’s plan. At some point, as your humanity shrinks and the artificiality grows, the link to the Lord will be severed. And when the Devil destroys that link, it’s gone forever.

“I beseech you to save your immortal soul. Do not be fooled by Lucifer. Do not join the Domain.”
Shaking his head, Jordan ranted, “Would you trade your immortal soul for a few moments of comfort? That, my fellow humans, is Lucifer’s offer. An eternity in hell in exchange for a handful of comfortable years on this Earth.”

We’ll kill all the Technos, he thought. I’ll see the Antichrist’s bones burn in this church.

Righteousness powered his words. “You must reject this bargain,” he shouted. “Do not become a citizen of the Domain, for doing so shall seal your fate. Cast your lot with humanity; live and die as a Natural Human.”

A man in the third row stood up and shouted, “We despise all their abominations.” The man’s face contorted with hate. “We’ll kill them all.”

The crowd roared.

Maybe a touch dramatic, but you see what’s just around the corner. Will it never end? What’s causing all this conflict, anyway? I mean, really causing it.

There are two layers, as I see it. First, realize that scientists and clerics share a common problem. Both take a world that can’t be fully understood and try to explain its fundamental properties.

Clerics postulate beliefs that can never be proven; they demand you accept these postulates as your Faith, which will guide your actions and thoughts. Fundamentalists believe that God has revealed the Truth in scripture; no compromise of these beliefs is possible. It’s a top down way of thinking; start with the big picture and derive rules for living. Fundamental knowledge is static. Even the derived rules rarely change.

Scientists work from the bottom up. They build a baseline of observations and formulate theories to explain these phenomena. Nothing is sacred; with new observations, theories are discarded or modified to fit the facts. A scientist may or may not have a personal belief in the existence of God, but at most a scientist believes in a passive Deity that doesn’t interfere with nature.

Okay, that’s the first level. But why are clerics top down and scientists bottom up thinkers? It has to be a combination of genes and parental guidance. Genes set the foundation; you’re either accepting of faith or your nature demands evidence. Parental guidance plays a role, too; if your folks raise you Catholic, you are more likely to remain within that religion. On the other hand, if your parents are atheists, you’re more likely to become a skeptic.

Science and religion; how could they not be in conflict? Tolerance seems possible, maybe, but this might be wishful thinking. A religion-dominated culture would have to accept the existence of a science-dominated culture. Women’s rights, homosexuality, abortion, evolution, and all that stuff. This is pretty tough for a fundamentalist to swallow. Even more difficult is accepting a large group of people who don’t believe in the True Religion. Kill the infidels – it’s God’s command. A prime example of this is Al-Qaeda.

Not that the science-based cultures are without blame! We think we’re intellectually and morally superior to the faith-based cultures, and we take advantage of them. But at least we’re not flying airplanes into buildings.

So here’s my conclusion, and it’s not pretty. Religion and science are irreconcilable. At best, each can give the other a little space and allow peaceful co-existence. But not always. As an American, I see continuing divisiveness within my country as the sectarian and religious groups press for advantage. Not violence, but plenty of heat and anger. And that’s the good news. Here’s the bad: religious, primarily Moslem, fundamentalist will continue to attack us for years to come.

And that’s why science and religion don’t mix.