On the eve of the Global MindCraft Universe Challenge…
Welcome to one of the Decemebr 12th stops on the blog tour for MindCraft by Darryl Vidal with Goddess Fish Promotions. Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for spotlights, reviews, and a giveaway! More on that at the end of this post.
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About the Book
MindCraft
by Darryl Vidal
Published 10 December 2024
Phoenix Moirai
Genre: Science Fiction
Page Count: 275
Add it to your Goodreads TBR!
On the eve of the Global MindCraft Universe Challenge, Justin Turner, a teenage master of the titular virtual reality game, and his friends (known online as the Digital Mavericks) discover a sinister underbelly within the MindCraft Universe that may use artificial intelligence and virtual manipulation to end the world as we know it.
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Excerpt
With a blend of excitement and trepidation, Justin twisted the knob and stepped through the virtual doorway. He found himself in an expansive space as big as an airplane hangar stacked high with scaffolds and what seemed to be massive computer systems aligned in seemingly infinite vertical and horizontal rows. His sweat seemed to freeze in the cold, ambient temperature of the massive warehouse chilled by unseen cooling arrays. His heart fluttered and teeth chattered in the chill. As he spun around, the expanse was cloaked in darkness except for the information store bathed in the neon glow of lines of code spilling down massive virtual displays along each aisle. At the end of each row was a holographic console with 3D interactive plasma displays that seemed to display dashboards of compute system status and performance and interface traffic analysis. The only other light source came from the lighted “EXIT” sign and an engraved plaque that stated, “Exit to South Courtyard.”
Justin felt short of breath as he surmised he had stepped into a vast underground data compute and storage warehouse of the MCU—a domain restricted to MindCraft developers and programmers where the game’s intricate architecture was laid bare—a platform running real-time gaming interactions with billions of simultaneous users. He imagined this space bustling with programmers, scientists, and data architects, but there was no one in sight. He tried to focus his thoughts on the risks of being where he was. What were the chances of being discovered? Was he breaking the law? Could he be banned from the MCU?
Did any of that matter?
About the Author
Darryl Vidal is an accomplished entrepreneur, author and education technology consultant with over 30 years of experience working with the largest school districts in Southern California. He is a futurist and fan of Artificial Intelligence, and an avid reader of the sciences, philosophy, and techno-thrillers.
He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Information Management and a Master’s Degree (MA Ed) in Education (Instructional Technology) from California State University, San Bernardino. He has also published eight critically acclaimed books on Educational Technology, Ed Tech Strategic Planning and Digital Transformation, and has developed the formal strategic planning and project management methodology known as MapIT.
Darryl has been a student and teacher of the art of Kenpo Karate for over 50 years. He has been teaching Karate in Murrieta for the city’s Parks and Recreation Department for the past 30+ years. He also founded and heads the Murrieta Stick Fighting Club (Filipino Martial Arts). This has led to him earning the highest honor given in martial arts when he was promoted to Grandmaster – Ju Dan, 10th Degree Black Belt in 2012.
He is widely known for his appearance in 1984’s The Karate Kid, playing himself in the tournament semi-finals, as well as acting as a stunt-double for Pat Morita (Mr. Miyagi). He is also credited with inventing the iconic Crane Kick.
MindCraft: The Educational Singularity is Darryl’s second novel in over twenty years and his first science fiction endeavor.
Giveaway Alert!
Darryl Vidal will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.
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