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The Devil Fights Back

Viewing comments for Chapter 20 "The Devil Fights Back - Ch. 20"
Challenges in the pharmaceutical field

14 total reviews 
Comment from Ric Myworld
Excellent
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This interesting chapter takes me back to the early 1970s when there was talk of thoroughbred racehorses being injected with chicken endorphins to enhance performance. Of course, it wasn't possible, but that's how inferior our scientific world was only a short time ago. Acupuncture, hot spices, sex, and even a twitch that's put on a horse's nose for calming do release endorphins. LOL. Great chapter! Wish I had more stars. Thanks for sharing.

 Comment Written 03-Jan-2025


reply by the author on 03-Jan-2025
    Those endorphins can be wonderful things, can't they? Just as long as they aren't so powerful that all you want to do all day is produce them and do nothing else.

    I'm really glad you found this chapter enjoyable, Ric. Some won't, hence the disclaimer at the beginning. This part was fun for me to research and write about. Most all of my books contain some sort of invention. Maybe I was an inventor in a past life or will be in a future life?

    I have lots of ideas. Whether or not they are feasible is up for grabs, but it's fun thinking about them anyway.
reply by Ric Myworld on 03-Jan-2025
    It sounds like we have a lot in common. I've created a few things over the years. I sold a baseball game to Parker Brothers as a kid. I was in the process of running T-1 lines to set up an internet service provider but backed out over $7,500. The person who completed it sold it to Quest Communications for many millions. I had an electronic book long before Kindle and Nook but was a few short weeks short of succeeding. And there are numerous other things. I've bought my socks from Pantherella in England since 1969 because I can't find anything comparable in the States. There used to be 155 sock companies in Ft. Payne, Alabama, but now there are 8 active. Statistics say we are 19% below what needs to be made to keep up with the market. I'm too old, but I've been hashing it around for two years. LOL. Sorry for the ramble, but your technical information makes your story all the more interesting and entertaining.
reply by the author on 04-Jan-2025
    Sounds like you had some great ventures that were close calls! In my case, it's easy enough to think up ideas, but quite another thing to actually make them work. I guess that's why you can't patent an idea.

    My favorite invention was an ultra-realistic golf simulator in my novel Saving Mr. Calvin. You could hit a ball into a screen that masks the thud as the ball hits the screen and disguises it dropping to the floor but instead projects an image of it sailing away into the sky.

    It's inside a 360 degree enclosed spherical room with moving floor so that you can walk to your ball like on a treadmill or even get in and drive a cart there. Replete with the sights and sounds and smells of nature, it creates a totally realistic golf experience as if playing outdoors on a real course. There's even different length artificial grass to simulate fairway, rough, and green that comes up from the floor. The floor contains vertically movable sections to create undulation, the top layer of which can move horizontally to create the treadmill effect for walking or riding.

    But if you want to play a quick round, you can choose an instant advance option so you don't have to walk or ride to your ball. You can even putt any length putt into a real hole that starts out as a projected image, but if you miss, you can walk up to the ball, and the surface drops into the floor, opening up a real hole you putt into.

    It was really fun to think up how to do all this--not that it would really work quite how I envisioned it, but it sounded plausible.

    That was probably my favorite of my 8 novels. It's a time travel story about the resurrection of the game of golf which is about to die out. The first trip back in time was to 13th century Holland where my 14-year-old MC gets to invent the game with his 13-year-old, sassy but adorable girlfriend.

    One of the eras traveled to was when Abby (from the current story) invented the golf suit which is mentioned in this story. That also becomes a big feature in the new golf simulator. We get to see the tournament where Dana steals the suit and beats Abby while using it.
reply by Ric Myworld on 04-Jan-2025
    Your golf simulator sounds like something that would have been addicting to me. I had a nice simulator in my garage, but it wouldn't have compared to your idea. The problem back then for me was time. There just wasn't enough. I could steal the time now, but I don't have the energy. LOL. I had no idea you've written eight novels, and I'm sorry to have missed them. I hope to catch up on the golf simulator story. Have a great weekend! RIc
Comment from barbara.wilkey
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These three are well on their way to solving this problem. Dana is doing her thing, but I can't help but believe this is the calm before the storm and it's going to be a gigantic storm. I am enjoying this story.

 Comment Written 03-Jan-2025


reply by the author on 03-Jan-2025
    Batten down the hatches. There's a red sky in the morning. That won't be for a while, though.
Comment from Michael Ludwinder
Excellent
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I really enjoyed how your story includes technical intrigue. The dialogue felt so natural. Especially Patty's distinct voice. I could practically hear her on the phone. The concept of using science to tackle such a unique problem is fascinating. I also liked how you gave just enough detail about the plan to keep me curious without making it feel overwhelming. Great job setting the stage for something exciting - I can't wait to see what happens next!

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 Comment Written 03-Jan-2025


reply by the author on 03-Jan-2025
    Thank you so much, Michael. I was a little worried about this chapter (as you could tell from the disclaimer), but I'm glad to hear you found it understandable and with the right amount of detail.
Comment from Wayne Fowler
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Simple enough plan. I'm just having trouble trying to figure how the operation needs a mathematician. But I can hold on.
Nice that Brian and Julia could build (and furnish) a mansion-size home.
Nicely written. Good work.

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 Comment Written 03-Jan-2025


reply by the author on 03-Jan-2025
    Thanks very much, Wayne. You won't see much of an attempt on my part to explain the mathematics involved, mainly because I have almost no understanding of it myself nor know how to explain it in such a way that readers will take much from it.

    Here are some examples of the role of higher mathematics from my research:

    "Higher-level statistics are used to determine associations between genetic variants and traits, requiring knowledge of probability and statistical inference."

    "Algorithms for aligning DNA, RNA, or protein sequences can involve complex mathematical concepts, including dynamic programming and graph theory."

    "Mathematical modeling is used to simulate biological processes, requiring differential equations and linear algebra to understand complex interactions in gene regulation and metabolic pathways."


    In my next chapter there will be a vague reference to this, but beyond that, I just didn't want to overwhelm readers any more than I already have.
reply by Wayne Fowler on 03-Jan-2025
    overwhelmed we would be