Tuesday, 5 June 2018

The Expanse - Novels - James S.A. Corey

 The Expanse series has become a popular hit with readers and was adapted as a television show on the Syfy channel. It draws inspiration from Ridley Scott’s films Alien & Blade Runner,  Larry Niven's "Known Space series" and Alfred Bester’s novel The Stars My Destination. The TV series premiered in 2015 with Abraham and Franck as producers. The series was later picked up by Amazon Prime.
 

 The Butcher of Anderson Station" is a short story in The Expanse series. It was published in 2011.
Corey is actually two authors: Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck.
The story is a prequel that takes place prior to Leviathan Wakes. It is about Colonel Fred Johnson and explains the events on Anderson Station and how he subsequently defected to the OPA.  
Publication date
17 October, 2011 (ebook)

 

 

 

 



 Book 1 - Leviathan Wakes - James S.A. Corey
The First edition was a Paperback
Leviathan Wakes was first released as a trade paperback and ebook by Orbit Books. June 2, 2011
The copy on the left is a later print of the first edition.
A image of the first printing/ first edition is below. "Leviathan Wakes" is white, not pink.

On November 3, 2015, it was released in paperback with a tie-in cover for the TV series adaptation. 
 
Brief summary:
"Humanity has colonized the solar system - Mars, the Moon, the Asteroid Belt and beyond - but the stars are still out of our reach. Jim Holden is an officer on an ice miner making runs from the rings of Saturn to the mining stations of the Belt. When he and his crew discover a derelict ship called the Scopuli, they suddenly find themselves in possession of a deadly secret. A secret that someone is willing to kill for, and on an unimaginable scale. War is coming to the system, unless Jim can find out who abandoned the ship and why. Detective Miller is looking for a girl. One girl in a system of billions, but her parents have money - and money talks. When the trail leads him to the Scopuli and Holden, they both realize this girl may hold the key to everything".
 

  This is a copy of the first edition, first run.*****
 
 Science Fiction Book Club and Subteranrean press had released limited edition hardcovers for the book
as early as 2011, but a wide release hardcover was not available until as part of a three-book box set on November 19, 2019.
 
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Gods of Risk: An Expanse Novella
(Sept 15, 2012)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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"
Drive" (online short story; Nov 27, 2012)
This was first published in 2012 as part of a sci-fi collection of short stories called "Edge of Infinity"  by Jonathan Strahan (Editor)
 
The story takes place about 150 years before the main Expanse series, It concerns Solomon Epstein and his invention of the Epstein drive.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Book 2 -
Caliban's War  James S.A. Corey
is the second novel in The Expanse series. 
Publication date 26 June, 2012
Trade Paperback, 605 ?? pages
Publisher : Orbit (Hachette)
 ISBN: 9780316129060
All text is white.

Later paperback editions have "Calibans War" in yellow. +++
 
 The first English hardcover was published 
2012 by Orbit.
It has 595 pages 
 
Brief Summary:
 "While Earth and Mars have stopped shooting each other, the core alliance is shattered. The outer planets and the Belt are uncertain in their new - possibly temporary - autonomy. Then, on one of Jupiter's moons, a single super-soldier attacks, slaughtering soldiers of Earth and Mars indiscriminately and reigniting the war. The race is on to discover whether this is the vanguard of an alien army, or if the danger lies closer to home".
 
 
 
 
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Book 3
Abaddon's Gate is the third novel in The Expanse series.  
Abaddon's Gate was released as a trade paperback and ebook by Orbit Books. +++
June 4, 2013.  
Paperback, 539 pages
ISBN: 0316129070 (ISBN13: 9780316129077)
 
" For generations, the solar system - Mars, the Moon, the Asteroid Belt - was humanity's great frontier. Until now. The alien artefact working through its program under the clouds of Venus has emerged to build a massive structure outside the orbit of Uranus: a gate that leads into a starless dark. Jim Holden and the crew of the Rocinante are part of a vast flotilla of scientific and military ships going out to examine the artefact. But behind the scenes, a complex plot is unfolding, with the destruction of Holden at its core. As the emissaries of the human race try to find whether the gate is an opportunity or a threat, the greatest danger is the one they brought with them".
 
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The Churn: An Expanse Novella
 
This was released as an E book in April 29, 2014.
 
This story is set on Earth, centering around the city of Baltimore
and it's crime bosses.
The novella, fills in much of  the story of  Amos Burton.












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Book 4
Cibola Burn is the fourth novel in The Expanse series. 
It was released June 5, 2014 in Europe, and June 17, 2014 in the US.
The June 5th 2014 edition was published by Orbit as a Paperback, 581 pages
The June 17th 2014 edition was published by Orbit as a Hardcover, 592 pages  *****
 
 
A mass-market paperback edition was released worldwide on May 15, 2015
 
" The gates have opened the way to a thousand new worlds and the rush to colonize has begun. Settlers looking for a new life stream out from humanity's home planets. Illus, the first human colony on this vast new frontier, is being born in blood and fire. Independent settlers stand against the overwhelming power of a corporate colony ship with only their determination, courage and the skills learned in the long wars of home. Innocent scientists are slaughtered as they try to survey a new and alien world. James Holden and the crew of his one small ship are sent to make peace in the midst of war and sense in the heart of chaos. But the more he looks at it, the more Holden thinks the mission was meant to fail".
 
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Book 5
Nemesis Games James S.A. Corey , is the fifth novel in The Expanse series.
The book was released as a hardcover on June 2, 2015. *****
A mass-market paperback edition was released worldwide on May 10, 2016. 

" A thousand worlds have opened, and the greatest land-rush in human history has begun. As wave after wave of colonists leave, the power structures of the old solar system begin to buckle. Ships are disappearing without a trace. Private armies are being secretly formed. The sole remaining protomolecule sample is stolen. Terrorist attacks previously considered impossible bring the inner planets to their knees. The sins of the past are returning to exact a terrible price. And as a new human order is struggling to be born in blood and fire, James Holden and the crew of the Rocinante must struggle to survive and get back to the only home they have left".


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This is written from the perspective of Paolo Cortazar
 
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Babylon's Ashes
by James S.A. Corey, is the sixth novel
The book was released as a hardcover on December 6, 2016.
A mass-market paperback edition was released worldwide on October 24, 2017. 
2017 Locus Award Nominee for Best SF Novel
2017 Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Science Fiction
2017 Dragon Award for Best Science Fiction Novel 
***

" The Free Navy - a violent group of Belters in black-market military ships - has crippled the Earth and begun a campaign of piracy and violence among the outer planets. The colony ships heading for the thousand new worlds on the far side of the alien ring gates are easy prey, and no single navy remains strong enough to protect them. James Holden and his crew know the strengths and weaknesses of this new force better than anyone. Outnumbered and outgunned, the embattled remnants of the old political powers call on the Rocinante for a desperate mission to reach Medina Station at the heart of the gate network. But the new alliances are as flawed as the old, and the struggle for power has only just begun. As the chaos grows, an alien mystery deepens. Pirate fleets, mutiny and betrayal may be the least of the Rocinante's problems. And in the uncanny spaces past the ring gates, the choices of a few damaged and desperate people may determine the fate of more than just humanity".
 
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Book 7
Persepolis Rising is the seventh novel in The Expanse series.
The book was released as a hardcover on December 5, 2017.  ***
The book was first released as a trade paperback in Europe. A paperback edition was released worldwide on October 9, 2018.
 

" In the thousand-sun network of humanity's expansion, new colony worlds are struggling to find their way. Every new planet lives on a knife-edge between collapse and wonder, and the crew of the ageing gunship Rocinante have their hands more than full keeping the fragile peace. In the vast space between Earth and Jupiter, the inner planets and the Belt have formed a tentative and uncertain alliance, still haunted by a history of wars and prejudices. On the lost colony world of Laconia, a hidden enemy has a new vision for all of humanity - and the power to enforce it. New technologies clash with old, as the history of human conflict returns to its ancient pattern of war and subjugation".


Book 8
Tiamat's Wrath is the eighth and penultimate novel in The Expanse series.
 The book was released as a hardcover on March 26, 2019. ***
 The book was first released as a trade paperback in Europe. A paperback edition was released in the United States on January 21, 2020. 
 
 
" Thirteen hundred gates have opened to solar systems around the galaxy. But as humanity builds its interstellar empire in the alien ruins, the mysteries and threats grow deeper. In the dead systems where gates lead to stranger things than alien planets, Elvi Okoye begins a desperate search to discover the nature of a genocide that happened before the first human beings existed, and to find weapons to fight a war against forces at the edge of the imaginable. But the price of that knowledge may be higher than she can pay. At the heart of the empire, Teresa Duarte prepares to take on the burden of her father's godlike ambition. The sociopathic scientist Paolo Cortazar and the Mephistophelian prisoner James Holden are only two of the dangers in a palace thick with intrigue, but Teresa has a mind of her own and secrets even her father the emperor doesn't guess".
 
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Book 9
 Leviathan Falls marks the end of the book series.  
 Published 30 November 2021
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Memory's Legion:
The Complete Expanse Story Collection (The Expanse)
The first edition Hardcover – March 15,2022
 
The Expanse Short Fiction
Drive
The Butcher of Anderson Station
Gods of Risk
The Churn
The Vital Abyss
Strange Dogs
Auberon
Memory's Legion (new novella)
 
Links
 
 
 

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sci Fi Index

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Saturday, 2 June 2018

Disting - Expert Sleepers - Clock

The Disting has just two knobs to navigate: 
 

1. The Top S knob / encoder
2. Lower Z knob / encoder

MENU ITEMS

To enter the menu press the S encoder once 
The MENU is completely controlled with the S ENCODER.
 
You will see the current menu item.
To scroll through the menu items turn the S encoder.
You will see these files as you scroll:
• Algorithm – Press S to select algorithm 
• Save – Press S to save a preset 
• Load – Press S to load a preset 
• Help – Press S to access help 
• Settings – Press S to change settings 
• Calibrate – Press S to begin calibration

To exit the Menu, press the lower Z encoder once.

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Algorithm
To change or select an algorithm, you only need to press the top S encoder.
You need to enter the Menu section.
1. Press "S" encoder
 In the Algothrim section press S again.
2. Scroll till you have found your algorithm.
3. Finally, press the S encoder again to switch to the chosen algorithm.

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Parameters
Each algorithm may have up to eight 'parameters'
If an algorithm has more than one parameter, pressing the Z knob cycles through them
Parameters are adjusted via the S knob. 
 The current parameter can also be selected by pushing in the S knob and turning it while holding it in.
 
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Disting - Expert Sleepers - Clock

Algorithm G6 
This algorithm converts clocks between MIDI clocks, analogue clocks and an internal timebase, 
in any combination.
 
I wish to use the Disting as my master clock.
I'd like it to display the BPM  and output analog clock pulses & midi clock to external devices 
The analogue clock exits from "A" jack 
 
The G6 clock algorithm has 7 parameters (0 to 6).
 
There are 3 main parameters you need to  be aware of:
Parameter 0
Parameter 5
Parameter 6.
 
Parameter 0 sets the mode of operation.
There a 6 modes of operation (0 to 5) . Mode 2 & 5 use the internal clock.
Mode 2 only outputs analog clock signals.
Mode 5 outputs both analog clock & Midi Clock
 
 Parameter 5 sets the tempo.
It's not displayed as a standard BPM
Parameter 5 sets the tempo, as 120BPM plus the parameter value.
So if the value is 0, this equals 120 BPM
The Min value is -120 which equals  to 0 BPM 
Max is +120 which equals 120 BPM

 
Parameter 6 is called the "Z mode"
There are only 2 values : 0 or 1
0 = Start/Stop
1 = Tap Tempo

Under the  0, Start/stop setting
 Push Z to start the internal clock; push it again to stop the clock
 
Under the  1, Tap Tempo setting  
Push Z five times to start the clock (i.e. a one bar count-in in 4 time). Hold Z for 2 seconds to stop the clock. While the clock is running, you may continue to tap Z to correct or change the tempo.


Thursday, 17 May 2018

Sequential Circuits - Drumtraks - Drum Tracks

Some pics of my old Drumtraks. I'm considering selling this.
To quote Vintage Synth:
"While its electronic drum kit sounds may not be as popular today as the TR-909 or TR-808, the DrumTraks exceeds them with superior editing capabilities."
Main panel features a segment display, 13 dynamic trigger pads, 9 buttons and numeric pad.
I'll probably miss this if I do decide to sell , but I'm running out of room. I have too many drum machines.
The Drumtracks hails from 1984.
 At the time of its manufacture it was the only drum machine that let you program both volume and tuning individually for each sound.

 The inclusion of Midi lets you program all your drum parts, including volume dynamics and accents in real time from any velocity sensitive instrument, such as the Prophet-T8.

The clock in and out is very useful.
DrumTraks can output a clock signal and is also fully MIDI capable. This makes it very easy to use with old analogs and new MIDI synths and sequencers.
- analog sync IN at 24 /48 /96 PPQ resolution, but it outputs only at 24 / 48 PPQ 

The metronome out generates +5V pulses.
The cassette in/out is for offline memory storage.

There are six individual outputs, one mono mix output.
The drum has an onboard mixer.
Each of its 13 different drum sounds had its own programmable tuning and volume controls.
The 13 sounds include bass drum, snare, rimshot, tom (x2), crash cymbal + ride, open/ closed hihat, handclaps, tambourine, cabasa and cowbell.

 The Pattern edit section

You can store 100 patterns & build 100 songs.
The song edit section with its  9 button numeric pad.

The drum uses PCM waveform samples coded at 12 bit resolution. They are stored on socket EPROMS (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memories).
It is possible to change the soundset by swapping the eproms.

Dimensions (WxDxH): 21 3/8 x 10 x 4 inches
Power: 110 V AC

Sunday, 13 May 2018

Noise Engineering - BIA - Basimilus Iteritas Alter

Some tweaking of this incredible module.

Noise Engineering have made a work of art.
It's much much more than a drum. Fabulous for baselines.

I'm using a Wintermodular eloquencer to sequence the BIA
Sometimes it just sounds so good without any CV sequencing from the eloquencer.
All u need are triggers & gates.

Thursday, 10 May 2018

NLC Resonate - build notes

These are my build notes for the Nonlinearcircuits Resonate module.
It's in the Eurorack Format.


The Resonate Module uses the core circuit of the Korg 3100 Resonator, with component choices for the filter sections as per the mods introduced by RJB in his blog back in 2005.
The  Korg PS3100 is famous for the sound of its resonator.


The main difference of the NLC version is that it has 4 VC bandpass stages and a feedback control, whereas the original has 3 stages and no feedback. The 4 VC bandpass stages can be controlled by a single CV on input 1 (with an attenuator) or individually with each of the 4 CV inputs.
The CV processing sub-circuits are greatly simplified from the original Korg version, simply using op amps to drive the vactrols.
The 2 inputs are summed together. Out 2 is an inverted version of Out 1.

Demo Video - https://youtu.be/VD0j_Nwsv4w

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sOME NLC words of wisdom
Nouveau shamanic - another Nicolas Cage Reference.
Nouveau Shamanic is the name he's given to his personal acting style.
 "thousands of years ago, the tribal shamans were really actors. What they would do is they would act out whatever the issues were with the villagers at that time, they would act it out and try to find the answers or go into a trance or go into another dimension, which is really just the imagination, and try to pull back something that would reflect the concerns of the group."

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Back to the build.
I like to get the ICs on first.
I'm using a new solder:
This is brilliant stuff. It's not cheap, but flows so easily and is only 0.35mm. It's 5 core.
I've up to now been using 0.7mm single core.



tHESE rectifiers are a protection against plugging in the module backwards.

I'm using 1.0 K resistors for the RLs - LED resistors.

I'm using NSL vactrols

The white dot on the vactrol is the cathode.
On the PCB, the cathode is marked "k"
Install the headers which join the two PBCs




Nice.

Links:
NLC Build notes 

https://www.nonlinearcircuits.com/modules/p/resonate
Facebook 
Muffs - 2018 modules

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You can find more NLC builds here.
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Zlob - Clock Divider

A great module. Its just 2HP
These aren't official build notes.
The Zlob website is here:
https://zlobmodular.com/clk-d-2/

The build docs are slightly different from my version which I think is currently under revision
 However, it works great.


the 4040 ic must be the type that can run on up to 15V.
The trannies are 2N3904



You need to solder those 5 two pin jumpers, and then connect them with a shunt/shorting block.
This version has these pins for expansion purposes. (With the 16 pin header next to it). I could also solder each of the 2 pins together, if I didn't want the future expander.
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For more Euro DIY builds click here:
http://djjondent.blogspot.com.au/2017/12/diy-index.html
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Tuesday, 8 May 2018

Osaka Castle - Japan

Impressive structure.
Very close to the CBD of Osaka , so well worth a visit.
Construction of the original castle began in 1583 and the building was completed in 1597.
The current main tower at Osaka Castle is a concrete reconstruction of the 17th-century castle and was completed in 1931.
Osaka castle is very important in the history of Japan. It played a major role in its (Japan's) unification during the samurai era of the sixteenth century.
It was built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi .

The castle became the center of the new unified Japan under Toyotomi rule and brought with it a short period of peace after centuries of civil war.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi looks like an interesting character.
He was born of no traceable samurai lineage, being the son of a peasant-ashigaru (foot soldier) named Yaemon. He had no surname, and his childhood given name was Hiyoshi-maru (日吉丸) ("Bounty of the Sun"). How he rose to his final position of power only he probably knows. He was the general who first united all of Japan.

The central castle building is five stories on the outside and eight stories on the inside.
The 3 extra stories are underground.
 It is built on two raised platforms of landfill supported by sheer walls of cut rock, using a technique called Burdock piling, each overlooking a moat.

 Pictures of the outer moat.
The 16th & 17th centuries were the time of  shogunate & the Samurai.


There were eight giant fusetora (golden tiger) decorations and golden shachi (a mythical creature with the head of a tiger and the body of a carp) roof ornaments. These were believed to protect the castle against fire.
In 1597 construction was completed and Hideyoshi died the year after. Osaka Castle passed to his son, Toyotomi Hideyori who was just 4 years old. After Hideyoshi's death, Ieyasu Tokugawa, who worked for Hideyoshi as a senior retainer, was appointed to the Shogun and he established the shogunate (government) in Edo (Tokyo)  in 1603.

The castle grounds cover approximately 60,000 square meters (15 acres).
The massive stones, (the largest weighing about 130 tons), were transported from all over Japan, but principally from the islands of the Inland Sea.
The first Shogun of Japan, Ieyasu Tokugawa, accused Toyotomi of treason. This was his excuse to lay siege to his castle in 1614 (The Winter Seige).

The Toyotomi forces were outnumbered by approximately two to one, but somehow managed to fight off the 200,000 Tokugawa-led samurai army. Part of the terms of truce included the filling up with soil of the moats of Osaka Castle thus rendering them useless.


However, my the next year, the Toyotomis began digging up the filled-in moat.
So the forces of Tokugawa Ieyasu attacked again in 1615. This is known as the second (or Summer Seige) of Osaka Castle. The castle was this time destroyed and the Toyotomi dynasty ended.
The Tokugawa Shogunate, would rule Japan for the next 250 years.

View from the top floor of Osaka Castle

Hideyori Toyotomi, along with his mother, killed themselves as Tokugawa’s soldiers set the castle ablaze, burning everything to the ground.


But Osaka Castle was rebuilt.
Tokugawa completed this second version of Osaka Castle in 1629.


 In 1660, there was a huge explosion when lightning struck the gun powder storage room. The explosion blew most of the castle to pieces.


In 1868, the castle was again razed to the ground. Rather than surrender to the anti-shogunate forces of the Meiji Restoration in 1868 the castle was destroyed.

After this, what was once Osaka Castle, became the property of the Japanese military and was converted to an arsenal. It produced everything from guns to cannons. This was possibly the reason Osaka became a target during WWII.

The current Osaka Castle dates from 1931. The main tower survived the firebombing raids of WWII.
This 3rd version of Osaka Castle combined the two previous castles. Hideyoshi’s palace was rebuilt on top of the stone walls from the Tokugawa Period.

For more travel postcards click here: