Inspiration

I've haven't been feeling very inspired lately to write. Usually, I get inspired by reading books or critiquing others' stories. I've been feeling blah and can't seem to shake it. Hence, the not blogging for whole month thing. Geesh ... has it really been over a month? Time is going by way too quickly.

One of things I've been doing with my spare time to get inspiration is to read Discover magazines and watch the Science Channel. They tend to dumb-down the discoveries and breakthroughs so even I can understand the concepts. :) Writing about people with special powers and adventures in the unknown, I've found a lot of inspiration from watching and reading about developments in science. Here are a few tidbits that may get you started:

1. Some people are chimeras. They have two different sets of DNA in different parts of their bodies. For example, a person's blood may test with different DNA than strands of their hair. This discovery could potentially shake up the world of DNA paternity testing and testing criminals for guilt. It's a small percentage of the population, but wouldn't it be interesting to have a villain who gets away with the crime because he is a chimera?
2. There are people who truly have "special abilities." Many people can see and taste sound. Different sounds, whether it be a person speaking or a piano playing, form bands of color variations which they can see. Likewise, these sounds can produce a sour, sweet, or even bitter taste in their mouths. There is a man who can survive extreme cold by actually heightening his body temperature to withstand the cold.
   
3. Currently, scientists in other countries are working on chimeras—cross-breeding species. They hope to enhance the abilities that certain animals possess and breed those genes into humans to help them overcome diseases. Can we say also see potential military use here?
   
4. Scientists are playing around with the theory of programmable matter.
5. They have now implanted a microchip into a mouse's head, which allows someone to control the mouse's movements via a remote control. They hope to use this technology when a building collapses to find anyone trapped, since mice can maneuver in tight spaces. Hmmm ... I wonder if this can be used on a human?

I've been clipping a ton of articles and assembling a binder of ideas. You never know what you might learn.