On the road
Posting will resume this afternoon and evening, as I am leaving now for a tour today of a new rocket company based here in Tucson. Should be most interesting. Details to follow.
Tag: publicity
Pioneer 2140CC Kickstarter campaign shuts down
An announcement from Aaron Jenkin, creator and producer the video game proposal, Pioneer 2140CC, based on my science fiction novel Pioneer:
————————————————————
To everyone here on Behind the Black,
We covered a lot of topics in our Kickstarter update, but I wanted to give a special thanks to you all for following us on our journey, for your helpful feedback, and for your support on Kickstarter. This isn’t the outcome we had hoped for, but we’re hopeful it’s not the end of the road in our effort to expand on the world envisioned by Mr. Zimmerman in his fast-paced, 1983 sci-fi novel Pioneer.
In the meantime, please enjoy this wallpaper featuring characters from the game and book. From left to right: Saunders Maxwell, Jane Barlow, Becky Lightman, Michael Addiono, Alex Barlow, Morgan Callahan, and Harry Nickerson.
Click for full resolution.
I’d also like to thank Mr. Zimmerman for taking a chance on us and this project. He’s built up a distinguished career and it would have been easy to brush us off. But instead he welcomed us and did everything he could to help us succeed. We really appreciate that. Hopefully one day soon we can meet face-to-face for a hike or cave trip and talk about the adventure!
One problem we faced that we mentioned before was related to other people’s fear of being blacklisted. I can imagine that’s something a lot of you here would like to hear more about, and it’s something that I’d like to talk about, so we’ll have to get into that one day.
As far as moving forward is concerned… I’m a Creative Director, but I lost my main client at the end of the year due to a merger. That ended up being a good thing at the time because I was able to focus more on Pioneer. But now with the Kickstarter not panning out, I need to pick up new work. My plan is to fall back on one of my strong skills, video editing. I’m thinking that will leave me more time to devote to whatever comes next with Pioneer. If you need a video editor, please get in touch!
Thanks again for your support, and thanks for being such a great community!
Aaron
———————————————————
From my perspective, this outcome is incredibly sad, especially because of the blackballing of Aaron and the project behind the scenes because of my politics. I have no idea if the project failed because of this blacklisting, but it certainly acted as a dead weight. Some of it was vicious. Some was simply fear, holding no animus to Aaron, the book, or my politics. Such people simply did not wish to help promote the game or participate in making it because they feared the consequences to themselves if it was learned they had worked on a project by someone with conservative values.
That such fear permeates our culture now so deeply bodes ill for the future. Very ill indeed.
Upcoming Event: The impact of the Ukraine War on the global space industry
LAST CALL: If you wish to watch this event via Zoom or in person you need to comment below. I will then email you the log in information or the location details in Tucson of the event.
Original post:
——————————
On the evening of Tuesday, April 5, 2022, I will be one of three panelists discussing the overall global impact of the Ukraine War on the world’s space industry at another Arizona Space Business Roundtable event in Tucson.
The panelists will be, in speaking order:
Robert Zimmerman: The impact on Russia and the Ukraine space industries
Alex Rodriguez: The impact on the world’s space-related defense and military industries
Stephen Fleming [moderator]: The impact on the rest of the world’s commercial space industries
My readers know who I am.
Alex Rodriguez has worked for Vector and now with Freefall 5G. In the late 1990s, as an Action Officer inside the Pentagon’s J-5 Directorate for Strategic Plans and Policy of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Alex worked directly on the first round of NATO enlargement in both the Executive Branch and as subsequent detailee on the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee that authorized the ratification of NATO enlargement.
Stephen Fleming, who founded the Arizona Space Business Roundtable, made seed or early-stage investments in over a dozen aerospace companies, including XCOR Aerospace, ICON Aircraft, Nanoracks, RBC Signals, Vector, Freefall, and Phantom Launch. He was also one of the founding investors in the Space Angels Network.
After we each describe the ramifications of the war in these three areas, the room will be opened to Q&A from the audience.
The event will begin at 5:20 pm (Pacific), and likely last until 6:30 pm, though if the discussion is lively we will certainly go on longer.
This is a public event in Tucson, being held jointly by the Arizona Space Business Roundtable and the Arizona Technology Council. It will also be broadcast online.
If you want to attend via Zoom, you will need to express your interest as a comment below, and I will then email you the Zoom url and password. We are not publishing this information publicly to avoid a hacking during the event.
If you wish to come in person please comment below as well and I will then forward you the location. The event is open to the public but I wish to do it this way so that the organizers will have a reasonably accurate estimate of the number of attendees, for planning purposes.
Note that I have written these essays previously about other Arizona Space Business Roundtable events:
- October 4, 2018: How one region’s space industry represents the world
- January 17, 2019: Making smallsat rockets at Vector
- September 4, 2019: Charles Walker: the first commercial astronaut
Thank you all for making this year’s February birthday fund-raising drive the best yet!
My February fund-raising campaign for Behind the Black, in honor of my personal birthday, is now over.
This year was by far the best yet. I continue to be speechless at the willingness of you, my readers, to support my work, when you have no obligation to do so. Thank you! I will try to live up to your expectations.
I will keep this thank you notice up through the end of this week, as my weak effort to thank you all. Those who decide now to donate or subscribe are of course still welcome to do so, using either Paypal, Patreon, Zelle, or by sending a check, following the instructions in the tip jar on this page. You can always buy one of histories — (Genesis, Leaving Earth, or Conscious Choice) — or my science fiction novel, Pioneer.
Please scroll down for new articles or posts.
Pioneer game update: Full demo of game released
Though no launch date for the Kickstarter campaign for funding the creation of a videogame based on my science fiction book Pioneer has been announced, the producer, Aaron Jenkin, early this week released the full demo of the game. You can download a version for either Windows, Mac, or Linux here.
I’ve played the Linux version and had a great time. While this is only a demo, Aaron has captured the feel of my book, while adapting it to the needs of a video game. I really hope when the Kickstarter campaign starts, it quickly raises enough to produce the game. It will be a blast for players.
For those who want to get the game’s newsletter updates, published about once per week, you can subscribe at PioneerSpaceGame.com. If you are definitely interested in donating to the game, you should also subscribe as it gives Aaron a sense of the amount of interest (the numbers have been rising quickly in the past month, a very good sign!).
For those who want to get a sense of of what the game itself will be like now, below the fold is the game’s trailer.
» Read more
February 8, 2022 Zimmerman/Pratt on Texas podcast
On today’s podcast of Pratt on Texas, Robert Pratt played three segments with me that we recorded yesterday discussing both commercial space and blacklisting. Some good stuff. If you want to listen the podcast can be found here. My segments are in the 2, 3, and 4 parts of the show.
Pioneer game update: Kickstarter campaign delayed again
I wish I could be reporting that the Kickstarter campaign for the video game of my science fiction book, Pioneer, has begun today as planned. Unfortunately, it has not, but for entirely good reasons. To quote the producer Aaron Jenkin in his update last night to newsletter subscribers:
Jellop, the Kickstarter marketing company I mentioned in our last newsletter, has asked us to make some changes to our reward tiers – changes that make sense, but that will require some major revisions. The request came last minute, and so we need more time to knock it all out properly.
Instead of announcing a new launch date and risking another false start, we’ll finish the changes and then communicate the date to you.
Since there’s no Kickstarter launch tomorrow, we will do the next best thing – we will release the game demo in the next newsletter instead! On Windows, Mac, & Linux. Be on the look out for that and after you play, please send us your feedback!
For those who want to get that newsletter update so they can try the demo, you can subscribe at PioneerSpaceGame.com. I’ve played it, and found it both fun and challenging, even though I wrote the book!
For those who want to get a sense of of what the game itself will be like now, below the fold is the game’s trailer, this time with an audio narration added for effect.
» Read more
Update on the video game Pioneer 2140CC & its February 1st Kickstarter launch
With less than a week before the start of the Kickstarter campaign on February 1, 2022 to raise at least $73,000 to pay for producing the video game Pioneer 2140CC (based on my science fiction book, Pioneer), Aaron Jenkin, the game’s producer, tonight sent out an update to the subscribers of the Kickstarter newsletter.
Besides describing the growing interest from our potential audience as well as his recent successes at marketing, Aaron’s the big announcement was the release of the game’s trailer, embedded below:
I was personally quite impressed with this trailer, which Aaron tells me he created himself. It captures perfectly what I tried to say in the book, and does so while adding intelligently the necessary game elements that any video game must have. Pioneer is about the human spirit, faced with the actual dangers that future space explorers will face, not the typical science fiction faux aliens or artificial cartoon character conflicts that are all too common in many sci-fi movies. Space is deadly and alien, and it will be the noblest achievement of humanity to make it possible for humans to live and work there.
If you are interested in supporting the game (as well as buying it when it is published), go to PioneerSpaceGame.com and subscribe to the newsletter for future updates counting down to the February 1st launch.
You might also want to read Pioneer first. It won’t necessarily help you play the game, but it will put you in the right mindset.
December 30, 2021 Zimmerman/Pratt on Texas podcast
Last week I recorded a long interview with Robert Pratt of Pratt on Texas discussing some of the recent blacklist and pushback stories I have posted on Behind the Black. That interview is now available in two parts here.
The most interesting part of the interview for me was when Robert and I discussed the mental strain and stress we both felt writing or discussing these stories every day. Both of us are optimists, and these stories of oppression are depressing, to put it mildly. After awhile you just want to ignore them and deal with something more uplifting.
We don’t however, because we both know that if we ignore this stuff it will only make it more difficult in the coming years to find anything uplifting to write or talk about. Freedom and human creativity is under aggressive attack, and as civilized human beings it is our obligation to report that story, so that all civilized humans will have the knowledge to successful fight back.
Give it a listen and comment below. We face a real civil war in the coming years, and the thoughts of my readers would be appreciated.
And if you are in Texas and can support Robert Pratt’s advertisers, please due so. He was blacklisted himself in January, and this podcast is his way of fighting back.
On the radio
Just a note to remind people that I will be on The Space Show tonight with David Livingston, beginning at 7 pm (Pacific). And if you have any questions please consider calling in. I don’t bite, though I sometimes growl. ;)
Posting will be light…
Our regal guard cat, Emma.
The past weekend was probably the worst in my life. First I was blacklisted by my entire caving community, many of whom I had considered close friends, because I have for the last twenty months refused to quarantine and hide in my home. While they have hunkered down in fear, I have been running monthly cave trips, with no ill effects at all.
My success demonstrated that the lockdowns and mask mandates accomplished little. So of course, rather than rethink their fear-driven policies, the caving community decided I must become a non-person.
This won’t change anything, as I will still run monthly cave trips with people who see COVID for what it is, nothing more than a variation of the flu that cannot hurt you if you are young and healthy.
The weekend then ended with Diane and I being forced to put one of our two cats to sleep due to the sudden and unexpected total failure of her kidneys. Emma was only nine. It was heart-breaking to say good-bye to her.
And finally, I am fighting a cold, which leaves me with little energy. My doctor (and I) are pretty confident it is not COVID, but even if it was, it is merely exhausting and will take a few more days for me to fight it off.
Until then, my posting might be a bit lighter than normal.
A quick one week fund-raising campaign for Behind the Black: Thank You!
My quick one week fund-raising campaign for Behind the Black is now over.
Thank you to everyone that donated or subscribed. As always I am surprised by the number of people who do so, considering that my work here is free for the taking. Because of this, to make sure everyone sees this message of thanks I will keep it on the to of the page for the next few days.
You of course can still donation or subscribe, if you wish. All you need to do is go to the tip jar below or in the right column, depending on the technology you use to view the webpage. There you will find four options for supporting me, including by subscription or donation.
History Unplugged – The Age of Discovery 2.0: Episode 3
Episode three of the six part series, The Age of Discovery 2.0, from the podcast, History Unplugged, is now available here.
This episode features Robert Zubrin. From the description:
A new space race has begun. But the rivals, in this case, are not superpowers but competing entrepreneurs. These daring pioneers are creating a revolution in spaceflight that promises to transform the near future. Astronautical engineer Robert Zubrin spells out the potential of these new developments in an engrossing narrative that is visionary yet grounded by a deep understanding of the practical challenges.
Fueled by the combined expertise of the old aerospace industry and the talents of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, spaceflight is becoming cheaper. The new generation of space explorers has already achieved a major breakthrough by creating reusable rockets. Zubrin foresees more rapid innovation, including global travel from any point on Earth to another in an hour or less; orbital hotels; moon bases with incredible space observatories; human settlements on Mars, the asteroids, and the moons of the outer planets; and then, breaking all limits, pushing onward to the stars.
Zubrin shows how projects that sound like science fiction can actually become reality. But beyond the how, he makes an even more compelling case for why we need to do this—to increase our knowledge of the universe, to make unforeseen discoveries on new frontiers, to harness the natural resources of other planets, to safeguard Earth from stray asteroids, to ensure the future of humanity by expanding beyond its home base, and to protect us from being catastrophically set against each other by the false belief that there isn’t enough for all.
Listen to it. It is definitely worth your time.
The next episode is mine.
History Unplugged – The Age of Discovery 2.0: Episode 2
Part two of the six part series, The Age of Discovery 2.0, from the podcast, History Unplugged, is now available here.
This episode is centered on an interview with law professor Glenn Reynolds, the creator of the aggregate news website Instapundit. As the series host and creator, Scott Rank, describes:
With private space companies launching rockets, satellites, and people at a record pace, and with the US and other governments committing to a future in space, Glenn Harlan Reynolds looks at how we got here, where we’re going, and why it matters for all of humanity.
Episode 3 (November 9) will feature Robert Zubrin, describing how building a space-faring society will invigorate the civilization on Earth. Episode 4 (November 11) will feature yours truly, discussing my new book, Conscious Choice, and how the history of the British colonies in North American can guide us in building just and prosperous colonies in space. Episode 5 (November 16) will feature Rand Simberg, describing how we must accept risk and failure if we wish to do great things in space.
The final episode (November 18) will look at the future of warfare in space, something that ideologues think they can outlaw even though that dream is utterly impossible.
History Unplugged – The Age of Discovery 2.0
The podcast, History Unplugged, created by Scott Rank from the History on the Web webpage, has put together a six part podcast called The Age of Discovery 2.0 with the goal of exploring how today’s new effort to colonize the solar system can learn from the first age of discovery that began when Columbus discovered the New World in 1492. From the announcement:
No era transformed Western Civilization like the Age of Discovery. Before then, Europe was an economic and military weakling that had suffered centuries of defeat from Islamic empires. Constantinople, Greece, Serbia, and the Crimea had all fallen to the Ottomans in the 15th century. Compared to its richer, more educated, and far more powerful rivals in the East, Europe was the Third World of the late medieval era. Chroniclers saw it as living in a long twilight, far removed from its golden age. It had nothing to look forward to but Judgment Day.
But with Columbus’s discovery of the New World, the West was reborn. Trade routes to Africa, India, and China opened. Ship building began at a furious pace. New wealth flowed into European capitals. At the same time, printing presses spread new ideas about science, religion, and technology. Literacy rates exploded. Above all, anyone willing to brave the dangers of traveling and settling in the New World could seek their fortune, bypassing whatever their birth status was in Europe’s rigid social hierarchy. Because of the Age of Discovery, for the first time in generations, Western Civilization had hope in the future.
Today, an Age of Discovery 2.0 is upon us. With Elon Musk promising rocket launch costs at $200/kilo (one percent of the Space Shuttle’s launch costs, with much lower costs to come), the price of sending explorers to space will soon match the cost of a ticket on the Mayflower in 1620. In a few decades, the Moon, Mars, and other planetary bodies will be as accessible to humans as the New World was in the Age of Sail.
How will the Age of Discovery 2.0 change our civilization the way the first one did five centuries ago?
To find the answer, History Unplugged is interviewing historians, scientists, and futurists who have spent decades researching this question by looking at the past to understand the future. It will explore how:
Scott asked me to be one of his guests, which also include Robert Zubrin, Glenn Reynolds, Rand Simberg. Episode #4 will focus on the history I outline in my new book, Conscious Choice: The origins of slavery in America and why it matters today and for our future in outer space. The topic fit perfectly with his series.
The series begins airing tonight, and will continue for the next two weeks.
Off day
Sorry for the light posting today. For many reasons I got no sleep last night, and then today had to see the dentist. Ugh.
I’ll probably pick it up tomorrow as we don’t have any major plans for this weekend.
I should add that even though I am not posting much today, my readers are filling the gap with some truly thoughtful comments.
Caving in remote Nevada
I am leaving today for a four day caving expedition in the remote mountains of Nevada. Thus, there will be little added to the webpage until I return late Monday. I will also not be around to moderate comments. For those new people who post comments please forgive me. Be patient. I will get to it when I get home.
I hope my readers have a great Labor Day weekend. Get out, see friends, go sightseeing, have a great time to celebrate the end of summer. And above all, don’t do what the CDC is demanding, to stay home if you are not vaccinated and even if you are, to wear a mask, maybe two or three, all the time, even when outdoors by yourself. Ignore such idiocy.
Use your common sense instead. Be brave. Be free. And above all, pursue your happiness fully, with joy.
The annual July fund-raising campaign: Thank you!
This post will remain at the top of the page for the next few days. Scroll down for news updates and commentaries.
My July fund-raising campaign for 2021 has now ended. Thank you all for your donations and subscriptions. While this year’s campaign was not as spectacular as last year’s, it was the second best July campaign since I began this website. My gratitude cannot be expressed adequately.
As already mentioned, a handful of people have donated enough for a free ebook, but have not responded to my requests for which book they wish and in what format. I can’t give you this gift if you don’t tell me what you want. Will those individuals please email me the book and the format (epup or pdf) they desire?
I once again must express my gratitude to everyone for their support. No one is obliged to pay anything to read my website. That so many people are willing to give freely warms my heart, and gives me hope that I am not the only person left who believes in fearless exploration and freedom.
Upcoming Zimmerman public lecture available for all – Last Call!
Tomorrow I will be giving a lecture on the Artemis Accords to the Arizona Space Business Roundtable, a monthly event in Tucson, founded by space businessman and local all-around good guy Stephen Fleming, to bring together the business-oriented space community of this city and southern Arizona.
From Stephen Fleming’s announcement:
Bob has spoken to the Roundtable before; this time, I’ve asked him to focus on the Artemis Accords… the USA’s attempt to “to create a safe and transparent environment which facilitates exploration, science, and commercial activities for all of humanity to enjoy.” What does that mean? It’s an attempt to break the international logjam that has blocked the private sector development and exploitation of resources on the Moon, asteroids, and other celestial bodies. How is it working, who has joined on, and what does China think about all this? Come find out from Bob!
The event will be open to the public, no charge, and will also be available on Zoom. It is scheduled for Tuesday, August 3, 2021, from 5:00 — 6:30 pm (Arizona time, which presently corresponds to Pacific time).
If you wish to come in person, the event will be at 110 E. Pennington St, Room 215, in Tucson.
If you want to attend via Zoom, you will need to express your interest as a comment below, and I will then email you the Zoom url and password. We are not publishing this information publicly to avoid a hacking during the event.
Let me repeat: You need to express an interest in attending by Zoom by posting a comment. Otherwise you will not get the password and will not be able to watch. (I will send out the password tomorrow to all those in the comment thread.)
If you are coming in person Stephen would appreciate it if you say so in a comment below also, so that he can estimate a count. He provides, out of his own pocket, cookies and coffee for in-person attendees, and needs to gauge how much to provide.
Note that I have written these essays previously about other Arizona Space Roundtable events:
- October 4, 2018: How one region’s space industry represents the world
- January 17, 2019: Making smallsat rockets at Vector
- September 4, 2019: Charles Walker: the first commercial astronaut
On the Space Show tonight
Tonight I will be doing another long appearance from 7:00-9:00 pm (Pacific) with David Livingston on The Space Show. I hope my readers tune in and, more importantly, call in with questions.
I will most certainly talk about my new book, Conscious Choice, describing how the failures in British colonial America can inform us on building colonies on Mars and elsewhere.