Team:British Columbia/HP nanowrimo

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<b>Mechalarum by Emma Larkins </b><a href="http://www.emmalarkins.blogspot.com">Read more here!</a><br/>
<b>Mechalarum by Emma Larkins </b><a href="http://www.emmalarkins.blogspot.com">Read more here!</a><br/>
The realm has been at war for as long as the oldest of the elders can remember, and at last it looks like the tides are turning - for the worse. The old Patrus and his advisors are running out of ideas, and also running out of men to fly the suits that fit closer than skin known as the Mechalarum. Each suit is genetically engineered to bond with its host to ensure the most advanced fighting capabilities; when the hosts die, the suits live on, of little use to anyone. As combat rages outside the palace walls, the only daughter of the Patrus makes the terrible choice to bond with an abandoned suit. The mis-matched genetic material degrades her body even as she desires to fly skyrockets and her father forbids his only heir to risk her life fighting a losing battle.
The realm has been at war for as long as the oldest of the elders can remember, and at last it looks like the tides are turning - for the worse. The old Patrus and his advisors are running out of ideas, and also running out of men to fly the suits that fit closer than skin known as the Mechalarum. Each suit is genetically engineered to bond with its host to ensure the most advanced fighting capabilities; when the hosts die, the suits live on, of little use to anyone. As combat rages outside the palace walls, the only daughter of the Patrus makes the terrible choice to bond with an abandoned suit. The mis-matched genetic material degrades her body even as she desires to fly skyrockets and her father forbids his only heir to risk her life fighting a losing battle.
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<b>QUBIT - Degrees of Freedom by Sally Kirkpatrick </b><a href="http://qubit-degreesoffreedom.blogspot.com/">Read more here!</a><br/>
<b>QUBIT - Degrees of Freedom by Sally Kirkpatrick </b><a href="http://qubit-degreesoffreedom.blogspot.com/">Read more here!</a><br/>
How could an innocent show and tell between two friends threaten the Earth and perhaps the very fabric of life itself? Jeremy Garrett thought it was an ordinary day, but before the events set in motion that day were over he would have to face the horror of the hidden depths of his own humanity and fight for the freedom of mankind. The only one who believes he will make the right choice is his best friend, Rachel, but will she still believe in him if she knows his secret?
How could an innocent show and tell between two friends threaten the Earth and perhaps the very fabric of life itself? Jeremy Garrett thought it was an ordinary day, but before the events set in motion that day were over he would have to face the horror of the hidden depths of his own humanity and fight for the freedom of mankind. The only one who believes he will make the right choice is his best friend, Rachel, but will she still believe in him if she knows his secret?
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<b>The Phoenix and the Turtle by B. Rainier Hilyer </b><a href="http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/user/684817">Read more here!</a><br/>
<b>The Phoenix and the Turtle by B. Rainier Hilyer </b><a href="http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/user/684817">Read more here!</a><br/>
The planet's scientific community is rocked by the appearance of several supernovae explosions of nearby stars in rapid succession. Famed physicist and nobel laureate Dr. Walter Phoenix reveals to a former colleague that he is somehow behind the astronomical events. Phoenix believes he has discovered the secret of the universe, and man's place within it: The universe itself is a living organism, and he means to "breed" new universes with the fiery corpses of stellar matter. What unfolds is a mind-numbing unravelling of the cosmic order, as one man's genius forces humanity to the brink of a new struggle for existence—one far grander than anyone could have imagined.
The planet's scientific community is rocked by the appearance of several supernovae explosions of nearby stars in rapid succession. Famed physicist and nobel laureate Dr. Walter Phoenix reveals to a former colleague that he is somehow behind the astronomical events. Phoenix believes he has discovered the secret of the universe, and man's place within it: The universe itself is a living organism, and he means to "breed" new universes with the fiery corpses of stellar matter. What unfolds is a mind-numbing unravelling of the cosmic order, as one man's genius forces humanity to the brink of a new struggle for existence—one far grander than anyone could have imagined.
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<b>The Problem With Being Dead by Patience Ray </b><a href="">Read more here!</a><br/>
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<b>The Problem With Being Dead by Patience Ray </b><a href="http://looking-both-ways.blogspot.com/ ">Read more here!</a><br/>
Shae Kincaid had the perfect life; until she died three weeks ago. While she's been reunited with her family thanks to the now-routine 'procedure', her boyfriend refuses to be seen with a 'dead girl,' her best friend's parents won't let them hang out, and her bio-engineered New-skin keeps melting away in the sun. In addition to the therapy sessions that are supposed to help her adjust to her new situation and the regular maintenance checkups at the hospital, she's been forced to transfer to night school with all the other deceased minors. Even worse, she's expected to testify against the old granny who ran her over. Yes, Shae is discovering that there are definitely worse things than being dead.
Shae Kincaid had the perfect life; until she died three weeks ago. While she's been reunited with her family thanks to the now-routine 'procedure', her boyfriend refuses to be seen with a 'dead girl,' her best friend's parents won't let them hang out, and her bio-engineered New-skin keeps melting away in the sun. In addition to the therapy sessions that are supposed to help her adjust to her new situation and the regular maintenance checkups at the hospital, she's been forced to transfer to night school with all the other deceased minors. Even worse, she's expected to testify against the old granny who ran her over. Yes, Shae is discovering that there are definitely worse things than being dead.
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<b>The Uncanny Valley by Meredeth Beckett </b><a href="http://www.notuboc.com">Read more here!</a><br/>
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A single generation into the future, a group of brilliant
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young scientists put the finishing touches on their masterpiece: an
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android who can pass for human. As they set about preparing it for its
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future life as the object of study the world over, they must battle
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their funders, who look to commercialize the venture for their own
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profit; public opinion, which is divided and passionate on this highly
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financial.
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<h3>NaNoWriMo</h3>
<h3>NaNoWriMo</h3>
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This year, NaNoWriMo and iGEM are collaborating for the first time to showcase stories featuring synthetic biology.
This year, NaNoWriMo and iGEM are collaborating for the first time to showcase stories featuring synthetic biology.
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<a href="http://blog.lettersandlight.org/post/1249978316/synthetic-biology-and-your-novel">See our NaNoWriMo-iGEM article at the Office of Letters and Light!</a>
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<a href="http://blog.lettersandlight.org/post/1249978316/synthetic-biology-and-your-novel">See our NaNoWriMo-iGEM article at the Office of Letters and Light!</a> We hope that through this exchange, iGEM participants will be able to see the range of sci-fi synthetic biology novels written by the public, and NaNoWriMo participants will be able to find out much more about what synthetic biology can achieve by browsing through iGEM projects. Many of the stories on this page tell a futuristic tale about ethical complications when humans decide to synthetically generate and/or alter humans. Although the settings of these stories may be chronologically far away, they pose many questions about the means of synthetic biology research and its applications. And although the idea of humans abusing synthetic biology research to such extremes may seem quite far-fetched at the moment, synthetic biologists should also consider political and corporate parties (such as those in these novels) who may choose to invest in synthetic biological warfare or ethically questionable products.
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Some interesting questions to ponder... <br></br><br></br>Are there any ethical boundaries to the design of synthetic organisms?<br></br><br></br>What are the ethics when it comes to synthetically generating or altering humans?<br></br><br></br>What about the use of synthetic biology in warfare, peacekeeping and law enforcement?
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<br></br><br></br>Are there any barriers set in place to avoid terroristic applications of synthetic biology?<br></br><br></br>And before those products even come into existence, are there any ethics regarding research methods and subjects?
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<br></br><br></br>What about accessibility of synthetic biology products? Will poor and sick people receive the same benefits? Will synthetic biology just be another way to reap lots of money off the poor in an unsustainable way?
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<br></br><br></br>Is synthetic biology going to become a political bargaining chip like other morally grey topics?
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<br></br><br></br>As the field of synthetic biology grows, these questions become increasingly real and require increasingly practical answers.
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Latest revision as of 00:28, 26 October 2010



Stories Featuring Synthetic Biology














































NaNoWriMo





National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing November 1. The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30.



Valuing enthusiasm and perseverance over painstaking craft, NaNoWriMo is a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved.



As participants spend November writing, they can draw comfort from the fact that, all around the world, other National Novel Writing Month participants are going through the same joys and sorrows of producing the Great Frantic Novel. Wrimos meet throughout the month to offer encouragement, commiseration, and—when the thing is done—the kind of raucous celebrations that tend to frighten animals and small children.



In 2009, NaNoWriMo had 167,150 participants. 32,178 of them crossed the 50k finish line by the midnight deadline, entering into the annals of NaNoWriMo superstardom forever. They started the month as auto mechanics, out-of-work actors, and middle school English teachers. They walked away novelists.



This year, NaNoWriMo and iGEM are collaborating for the first time to showcase stories featuring synthetic biology. See our NaNoWriMo-iGEM article at the Office of Letters and Light! We hope that through this exchange, iGEM participants will be able to see the range of sci-fi synthetic biology novels written by the public, and NaNoWriMo participants will be able to find out much more about what synthetic biology can achieve by browsing through iGEM projects. Many of the stories on this page tell a futuristic tale about ethical complications when humans decide to synthetically generate and/or alter humans. Although the settings of these stories may be chronologically far away, they pose many questions about the means of synthetic biology research and its applications. And although the idea of humans abusing synthetic biology research to such extremes may seem quite far-fetched at the moment, synthetic biologists should also consider political and corporate parties (such as those in these novels) who may choose to invest in synthetic biological warfare or ethically questionable products.



Some interesting questions to ponder...



Are there any ethical boundaries to the design of synthetic organisms?



What are the ethics when it comes to synthetically generating or altering humans?



What about the use of synthetic biology in warfare, peacekeeping and law enforcement?



Are there any barriers set in place to avoid terroristic applications of synthetic biology?



And before those products even come into existence, are there any ethics regarding research methods and subjects?



What about accessibility of synthetic biology products? Will poor and sick people receive the same benefits? Will synthetic biology just be another way to reap lots of money off the poor in an unsustainable way?



Is synthetic biology going to become a political bargaining chip like other morally grey topics?



As the field of synthetic biology grows, these questions become increasingly real and require increasingly practical answers.