New Journey(s) Ahead!

Hey, everybody.

First of all, sorry about my recent absence from the blogging world. Don’t worry, I have a good reason. Well … three reasons, to be precise.

First up? I moved. We’re still in glorious New Hampshire, but we’ve made the jump from suburban living to the rural woods, and are loving every minute of it.

Secondly, the biggest news: we’re having a baby! This little present will be arriving very soon, and I’m more excited than could possibly be put into words (even though, y’know, words are what I do). This is the main reason I haven’t checked in with you guys on here for a while, and from what I hear, I can say goodbye to sleeping at night. Just thinking about it now, the joyous emotions feel so vivid, the happiness so deep, and the surreal nature of knowing that this new person will be joining the world soon is so fascinating to think about.  Anyhow, onward to the future!

Now, third: if you’ve been wondering about my next project after Intraterrestrial, wonder no more! I’m thrilled to announce that I have once again contracted with Red Adept Publishing to produce my next novel, a book titled … ah, that’d be telling, right?

Okay, here’s what I will say: this novel is radically different from anything I’ve done before. Yes, it’s science fiction. Yes, as with Intraterrestrial and Pale Highway, the story tackles contemporary real world issues through a speculative lens, but this time, healthcare isn’t the focus. That’s because, as a writer, I feel it’s important to always challenge yourself: to venture into territory that’s wild, scary, and out of your comfort zone. I’ve been working on this book for years, investing perhaps the most I’ve ever invested into any work, and it’s amazing to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

But hey, you know. Early days. From contract to print, there are many steps ahead, so don’t expect to see this new book hit shelves until probably sometime in 2020. In the meantime, watch this space for updates!

Grunge: Real Phenomena That People Used to Think Were Fake

Climate change isn’t the only scientific phenomenon that took people a long time to accept the reality of. Would you believe that until the past few centuries, meteorites were considered a fairy tale? Or that one dedicated researcher, upon figuring out that ulcers were caused by bacteria, rather than stress, had to take it upon himself to go all Bruce Banner on it — I.E., testing it upon his own body — to prove his point?

Sometimes, the Nobel prizes only come decades after the controversies. Read on, in my new piece on Grunge, for more scientific realities that people used to be skeptical about!

Real Phenomena That People Used to Think Were Fake

Back in the day, people believed in some funny things. Seriously, go back a few centuries, and you’ll find ordinary folks thinking that every shot of sperm contained a tiny, pre-formed human inside. Not silly enough? How about the popular belief that mice “spontaneously generated” from mud? Yeah, that didn’t age well.Now, that doesn’t mean these folks were stupid. Honestly, give it a few decades, and everybody today will look stupid, too. Perhaps the craziest thing, though, are those moments in history where some crazed genius pops up out of nowhere, points to a scientific truth … and the establishment shreds them to pieces. Remember what happened to Galileo when he was audacious enough to point out that the Earth rotated around the sun? Not pretty. Heliocentrism has hardly been the only scientific reality that got mocked in its time, sadly, and the world is full of all-too-real phenomena that people used to think were fake.

Read More: https://www.grunge.com/162519/real-phenomena-that-people-used-to-think-were-fake/?utm_campaign=clip

Grunge: The untold truth of Area 51

When aliens come to Earth, they get studied at Area 51 … or, at least, that’s what some people will tell you. Is is true? Well, there’s no question that this creepy government facility in the middle of the Nevada desert, officially called Groom Lake, has kept many secrets locked up in its vaults. So far, though, there’s been no proof that a bunch of little green extraterrestrials are one of them.

That hasn’t stopped people from speculating about — or threatening to “naruto run” into — the guarded facility, and considering that it took over a half-century for the U.S. government to even admit that Area 51 existed, you can’t blame folks for not trusting the official story. What can be confirmed about Area 51, for sure, is that it’s a place of high-tech military tests and shady cover-ups, the likes of which you would normally only find in an episode of Stranger Things. Here’s what we know about Area 51.

Read More: https://www.grunge.com/44833/untold-truth-area-51/?utm_campaign=clip

QUORA: “If aliens arrived n Earth, what human behavior would they find most absurd and incomprehensible?”

If aliens arrived on Earth, what human behavior would they find most absurd and incomprehensible?

Nicholas Conley’s answer: Really, when you think about it, the chances are that they’d find every single one of our behaviors, traditions, language, attitudes, and beliefs to be totally bizarre. It’d be comparable to us analyzing the “social” dynamics of blackberry bushes, as if we’re some pinnacle of life, instead of… READ MORE.

 

Yom HaShoah 2019

Facts about the human brain everyone gets wrong

Strange as it is to think about, the most important part of your identity is the squishy ball of grey matter squeezed into your skull. Everything you understand about the universe around you, from the color of the sky to the smell of the sunflowers to that wonky Plato paper you wrote in college, can all be credited to your favorite little cognitive organ. When it comes down to it, you are your brain.

Just because you understand everything using your brain, though, doesn’t mean you understand anything about it. Despite the fact that humans spend every waking moment firing up their little think-nuggets, there are a lot of misconceptions about how the brain works, to the point where outright falsehoods are spouted as facts nearly every day. Don’t be one of those people. Whether you want to use your left brain or your right brain or just go all in, it’s time to expand your mind with the truth…READ MORE.

Syrian Refugee Camps Battered by Flooding

Syrian Refugee Camps Battered by Flooding

Originally posted by Nicholas Conley on Inquisitr.com

Over 40,000 displaced persons, across 14 refugee camps, were battered by the recent flooding in northern Syria’s Idlib province, resulting in destroyed shelters, lost possessions, and at least two deaths, reports The National.

The thousands of refugees living in these camps, having already survived mortar attacks, bombings, and other violence, have been unable to return home due to the continuing war. This past weekend, the region was pummelled by heavy rains. Knee-high mud water flooded into the camps, and tents were severely damaged… READ MORE.