Will You Wear Technology?

Science fiction has always been at the forefront of predicting future technology and related issues. Although not exactly science fiction, Dick Tracy comics by Chester Gould sported the wristwatch communicator, and over 80 years later, we're still waiting for it to become a commercial reality. (Although tantalizing TV advertisements have recently suggested it is a reality...)

Walter Knight, author of the popular AMERICA'S GALACTIC FOREIGN LEGION scifi series, has this to say about wearable technology...



I see wearable technology as the next big thing. What used to be science fiction is becoming reality.

The most obvious wearable technology I've explored in my "America's Galactic Foreign Legion" science fiction series is the helmet camera, a reality now. Soldiers, police officers, security guards, etc., wear cameras at work. Soon, everyone will be wearing these cameras on errands and vacations. We've already seen many news reports showing biker helmet cameras and dash camera images.



Privacy concerns are now focused on those cameras' encounters, and on government intrusion. I'm more concerned with the privacy of the wearer of the camera. What if an employer insists all employees wear the cameras? Will your union go along with that? What about bathroom breaks? Cheating at work? Picking your nose and flatulence? Political correctness? It all gets recorded and archived. Then there are hackers stealing images and posting them on the internet.

Fortunately, there is a low-tech solution if this scenario becomes reality. Duct tape over the camera lens. Ha! Another use for duct tape!

What wearable technology do you think will be the next big thing?

Let me know - visit my web page at waltknight@yolasite.com

See Walt's books at Amazon.com and other popular book retailers online!

Review for ... ZOMBIE MISSOURI by Walter Knight

www.zombiebookblog.com was kind enough to post a review for Walter Knight's ZOMBIE MISSOURI...

Here's a short summary of the book followed by the review:

ZOMBIE MISSOURI
Walter Knight
SciFi Humor

Teenage loser Lenny Dreckle of Johnson City, Missouri, is finally a winner – in the zombie lotto. About to be shot by robbers at the Taco Bell after hours, Lenny’s saved by a bright light that scares the robbers away. Unfortunately, the world as Lenny knows it is fast coming to an end. An unknown disaster kills ninety percent of the human population, turning them into flesh-eating zombies.

Teaming up with other survivors and armed with cans of cat food to distract the zombies, Lenny embarks on a bizarre odyssey to find the cause of the zombie apocalypse and to take back the world one town at a time, starting with Johnson City. The question is, can Lenny keep his hands off the lovely zombie Andrea and avoid being devoured or infected by her? Loser that Lenny is, his fate hangs in the balance.

=================================

I’m not quite sure where to start with Zombie, Missouri. To be honest, I read the first few chapters of this book and put it down, relatively sure I wasn’t going to finish it. I’d make my apologies to the author who requested the review and be done with it. However, the guy spent his time asking for the review and, as your ever faithful Head Zombie, I always strive to do what I say I’m going to do… so I soldiered on.

I love hilarious zombie tales. Shaun of the Dead and Zombieland are in my top five favorite ZA movies of all time. I also love books that go against the grain and blow up zombie lore as we know it – writers get points from me for not following the rules which is exactly why I’m not going to trash Zombie, Missouri. It takes balls to pull off something like this. Make no mistake, however – those of you who are zombie purists will not enjoy this book AT ALL.

The main character is a stoner teenager named Lenny Dreckle whose primary objective, even in the ZA, is to lose his virginity. He teams up with a woman named Kansas (who has no intention of giving him any play at all) and together they must somehow fend off the zombies (and the aliens and maybe even the Chinese – those bastards) with or without the help of a weird, pill popping mad scientist sort named Oz. Dreckle may have a chance of getting some from his girlfriend Andrea, if he can keep the zombie hoochie from eating his brains.

The problem, in my opinion, with Zombie, Missouri is that it’s like getting on the tilt-a-whirl at the carnival right after you’ve finished with your cherry milkshake, your cherry corndog and your chicken cherry-yaki but before you’ve taken a good, stiff swig of your cherry Pepto Bismol. It’s everywhere at once and you just don’t know where to look as you’re getting tossed around and praying you don’t have to revisit your carnie cherry goodness.

Not to completely mislead you – this book is totally, freaking gut-bustingly funny in parts. At times I think I may have laughed so hard I peed a little. The characters do make you want to care for them and you do hope they make it so at least you’ll get to see what wacky and unpredictable thing they’ll do next. This book is like the ZA hopped up on meth or at least five or six shots of Five Hour Energy.
Walter Knight gets an A for originality and cojones, but Zombie, Missouri gets THREE out of FIVE ZOMBIE HEADS.

Break Time's Over, Back to WORK!!!!!!!!!!!

OK, so maybe some of you out there have noticed a sort of ... lull ... in the posting schedule for Penumbra Publishing's blog. (Or maybe you didn't notice.) There's a plethora of excuses...

1. Computer broke
2. Took some sick days
3. Took some snow days
4. Dog ate homework

But who cares anyway, now that

WE'RE BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!

Hang in there while we get our mojo going full-swing.