Credit: TruAspect Photography
Oct. 18, 2006
A Monster in Time
People weren't around when dinosaurs roamed the planet—which is just as well when you consider how appetizing people would be! When I go wilderness camping, I sleep better at night knowing that I don't share the world with Tyrannosaurus, Dire Wolves, or Gastornis (a prehistoric carnivorous bird much taller than I am). Let alone giant leeches!
I may not want to be on the menu, but I do, like every science fiction writer I've ever met, love to think about the wonderful "monsters" that lived on this planet long ago. I enjoy stories about time travel or about finding a mysterious valley where dinosaurs or giant mammals and birds still exist. Mind you, I think adventurers in these stories should be more careful. Avoid the teeth! It's a simple rule!
In the photo above, it looks like I'm not taking my own advice, doesn't it? Images are tricky things. This was from my visit to the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa, where you'll find a life-size replica of a Chasmosaurus on the lawn. Which real monster would you like to get close to—if only in a picture?
Challenge: Flash from the Past
Imagine that you're a time traveler. To prove to your friends and family that you've succeeded in going to the past, you could show them a photograph of you standing beside a prehistoric monster.
While time travel isn't available at the moment, you can still put yourself in an image with a monster from the past. Draw, use graphics or photo-processing software, or try some other technique to create the time-defying portrait. Here are some tips and ideas. Be creative!
Note: Research how large your monster really was. Then, measure yourself. For the image of the two of you together, you'll want to make sure the proportions are the same. For example, if your monster was 3 meters tall in real life, and you're 1.5 meters tall, the image of the monster should be twice as big as your image. If you have a photograph in which your image is 5 centimeters tall, the monster looming beside you should be 10 centimeters tall.
- Do you have a model of a dinosaur or other prehistoric creature at home? Take a close-up photo and put that together with one of yourself. Or, put a picture of yourself beside the model and take a photo of both. Remember to measure the model and your photo. You may have to check the proportions to show the "real" size of your monster.
- Take an image of your monster from a book or some other resource. (Be sure you have permission to use the image or know that the image is freely available for anyone to use.)
Help fill our Monster Gallery!
If you wish, send a digital image of you and your prehistoric monster to us at scifizone@snkids.com. If we use yours, you may be eligible to win a prize! Please include your first name, age, city or town, and state. If you are under 13 years old, get your parent's permission to write to us.
This week's recommended scifi books
Art gallery
Talk Back:
Do you have any comments about this challenge? Send them
to us using the form below.
|
SNK RSS Feed 
