So, I've been recommending this series. It's always a struggle to describe because I need to know my victim pretty well.
For some, "It's like Hunger GSo, I've been recommending this series. It's always a struggle to describe because I need to know my victim pretty well.
For some, "It's like Hunger Games, Battle Royale, Gladiator, and Running Man. It's tragic, gross, funny, horrifying, exhilarating and heart-warming. Sometimes all at the same time."
For the savvy, I add, "It's Cosmic Horror, Post-Apocalyptic, Science Fiction set in a dystopic Dark Forest universe with no chance to avoid being detected, but with a lot of awesome fun and dark, ridiculous humor."
For the gamers, "It's one of the most creative meta-adventures of Dungeons and Dragons you wish your DM was good enough to run with elements of modern video games."
Most people just nod politely and say, "So... did you want cream in that coffee or not?"...more
I'm 0.1% Asian (and 99.9% European) according to my DNA sequencing. Of course I'm quick to claim direct relation to Genghis Khan. It's not a farfetcheI'm 0.1% Asian (and 99.9% European) according to my DNA sequencing. Of course I'm quick to claim direct relation to Genghis Khan. It's not a farfetched claim. A majority of people on the planet live within the boundaries of his former realm. An estimated 1 in 200 men are descendants of this prolific stud. I figured I better have a few Genghis Khan fun-facts on hand if somebody calls me out on my family history.
I don't think enough respect is put on this man's name, especially in Western history. Weatherford definitely tries to fix this. I can't think of a single person in the history of the world who has done more with less. GK, with a Mongol population of about 1 million and never more than 100,000 fighters, conquered most of Asian civilization and started probing and eyeing the rest of the world. He directly scaled up his empire from a handful of nomadic hunters and herders on horseback to control a territory from China to eastern Europe. He did this by learning and adapting skills from the conquered including the bureaucracy, laws, accounting, and record-keeping necessary to administer an empire.
Weatherford put it best when he described it for us North Americans thus: It was as if an illiterate, escaped slave gathered a few people, conquered an area equivalent to Canada, the United States, Mexico, Central America, all of the Caribbean, and part of South America, defeating all the colonial superpowers in the these regions, wrote a constitution and full code of law and enforcement, created a thriving free trade zone within this area, established a policy of freedom of religion, and maintained a mostly harmonious balance within regions with many different ethnicities and religions.
But, kids never respect what they inherit. The decline of GK's empire begins slowly and surely with his death. Lesson learned. I was going to leave my children my (assumed) birthright of a vast territory in Mongolia. But now? No way. They would just end up squabbling and stabbing each other in the back while it falls into chaos....more
The first few chapters of analysis of historical civil wars were moderately interesting. Rapidly devolved into a not-objective analysis of the United The first few chapters of analysis of historical civil wars were moderately interesting. Rapidly devolved into a not-objective analysis of the United States. If you are a big fan of r/politics, you will love this choir....more
If your main characters aren't putting the beat down on feral gods running amok in a local void bubble run by a lunatic AI gamemaster with a foot fetiIf your main characters aren't putting the beat down on feral gods running amok in a local void bubble run by a lunatic AI gamemaster with a foot fetish by lobbing rage-filled demi-gods trapped in the severed head of a rough looking sex doll with a magical jai alai xistera, are you really reading?
Consistently creative, never predictable, and always fun, DCC continues a wild run. Great summer reading!...more
The railways were a bit tedious, but otherwise this candy is delicious and I'm on cruise control. Sometimes surprisingly emotional, especially the sitThe railways were a bit tedious, but otherwise this candy is delicious and I'm on cruise control. Sometimes surprisingly emotional, especially the situations involving the NPCs like the demon mother living in the steam engine's firebox. I had a little extra water in my eyes....more
Most of us take for granted the tiny flying dinosaurs we see every day, sometimes in our own backyards. It's because birds are wildly successful in evMost of us take for granted the tiny flying dinosaurs we see every day, sometimes in our own backyards. It's because birds are wildly successful in evolutionary terms. Abundant and prolific living everywhere on earth in wildly varied forms. We've always seen them. But Amy Tan really sees them. With a delightful curiosity and a caring, sensitive nature, she lets us into her world with charming observations and insights about her journey.
It's extraordinary when a generous, talented author opens their personal passions to the world, like Murakami's What I Talk About When I Talk About Running. In The Backyard Bird Chronicles Amy Tan reveals her birding journals and illustrations. Her love for the birds she enticed into her backyard is obvious and the knowledge, experience, and talent on display is impressive. She carefully shaped her backyard into a habitat appealing to the widest variety of the indigenous birds. Also, just FYI, she keeps up to 20,000 live mealworms in her refrigerator. I would love to visit and see....more
Ok, I've achieved a certain momentum now. It's unstoppable. DCC reminds me of a lot of fun reading experiences I had when I was younger - the pure joyOk, I've achieved a certain momentum now. It's unstoppable. DCC reminds me of a lot of fun reading experiences I had when I was younger - the pure joy of plowing through a series.
It also made me realize I love the trope of a somewhat-reluctant gruff guy and a sassy non-human female doing a dungeon crawl. I've read Paul Kidd's Ranger and Faerie books 3 times. I bet solid money Matt Dinniman read these too. There are noteworthy similarities.
Goddamnit Donut, you captured my heart. I read the book while listening to the audiobook at the same time which I highly recommended because this audiGoddamnit Donut, you captured my heart. I read the book while listening to the audiobook at the same time which I highly recommended because this audiobook is spectacular. At first I thought this was a fully cast production, but nope, just one guy voice-acting all the parts. Super-fun experience especially for fans of RPGs/computer gaming....more
If you are the type of person who loves to analyze the shit out of statistics, are inclined towards sports, and American, chances are you love some baIf you are the type of person who loves to analyze the shit out of statistics, are inclined towards sports, and American, chances are you love some baseball. My brother and I would read baseball almanacs, which, if you are unfamiliar, are giant books of baseball statistics. We would quiz each other on obscure data like, "In 1981, of the top 10 base stealers, who had the highest batting average?" My brother would usually win. He had much more driving passion for the game than me. It's this obsessive love for baseball and baseball data Michael Lewis writes about in Moneyball.
Moneyball tells the story of how passionate fans dragged professional baseball into the modern era of data analytics. I loved the stories here about how fans questioned some of the most basic baseball statistics, proved the old statistics were almost meaningless by feeding their data and proofs through a crowd-sourced peer-review process, and presented new statistics which were simply better and useful. One fan on a baseball forum questioned conventional wisdom about pitching and defense, showed his data, said, "Prove me wrong", and changed the way people thought about pitchers forever. One can never underestimate the collective autism of the internet.
Intensely fascinating and entertaining, but if you don't know baseball, probably not so much. And if you know baseball, you probably easily knew the answer to my question above - Kirk Gibson....more
Did this work meet its goals for its intended audience? Maybe? I found Redshirts super-irritating in the beginning and almost DNF'ed because of the onDid this work meet its goals for its intended audience? Maybe? I found Redshirts super-irritating in the beginning and almost DNF'ed because of the one trait a few reviewers mentioned - overuse of dialogue attribution (Unsure if purposeful or not).
The word "said" frequency - Mona Lisa Overdrive vs. Redshirts: Mona Lisa Overdrive - All instances - 679 Redshirts - All instances - 2316 One Redshirt character - "Dahl Said" - 731
No wishy-washy, unsubstantiated complaining here. My complaining brings the data.
This won a Hugo award. I'm not taking a stance on the validity of the Hugo, just saying apparently this hit the mark and won hearts and minds. Redshirts is super-meta. You will probably like it if you love Galaxy Quest and the "USS Callister" episode of Black Mirror.
What would Carl Sagan think about SpaceX and Elon Musk? At the time Sagan wrote Pale Blue Dot, he was optimistic about humanity's future of space explWhat would Carl Sagan think about SpaceX and Elon Musk? At the time Sagan wrote Pale Blue Dot, he was optimistic about humanity's future of space exploration, but lamented it was a secondary enterprise reliant on the machine of government, always allocated a pittance of national expenditure and interest unless there existed political motive. But today, several private companies have joined the effort to extend our reach into space, continuing to thrive and innovate. My intuition says Sagan would be overjoyed at this promise and progress of our shared vision of humanity expanding its sphere beyond our frail blue miracle of Earth....more
Very similar structure to the previous Count Zero. I felt this was the weakest in the Sprawl series, but it seems to be many readers' favorite. GibsonVery similar structure to the previous Count Zero. I felt this was the weakest in the Sprawl series, but it seems to be many readers' favorite. Gibson's writing is excellent as usual and he always subverts some expectations. I imagined Gibson at his typewriter with a little grin on his face, "Ok, Chekhov's giant battle robot in the Factory. Yeah, you think it's going to pull some merc heads off don't you, dear little reader?" I mean, that must have been on purpose, right?
In conclusion, I want a follow-up series about Kumiko and Petal's international cyberpunk adventures. Kumiko naively wanders through the dangerous world of Yakuza politics and Corpo threats as Petal desperately tries to protect her from dangers including starving and freezing to death until she reaches her destiny of becoming Molly Millions' apprentice....more
Been on my TBR since grad school where we discussed the hell out of these concepts, but I escaped reading it (tons of other mandatory books) and stillBeen on my TBR since grad school where we discussed the hell out of these concepts, but I escaped reading it (tons of other mandatory books) and still crushed my comps. I still anthropomorphize genes as little super-intelligent pilots in my head-cockpit always calculating and optimizing, forecasting and predicting outcomes for me. And me mostly clueless about their agenda. Well, most of the time.
I really enjoyed Dawkins' comments to his contemporaries and opponents in this edition. He really had some beef with Stephen Jay Gould I feel I missed out on at the time....more
Gibson's writing evolves here towards his Blue Ant series. A few characters continue from Neuromancer and it takes place of the world of The Sprawl anGibson's writing evolves here towards his Blue Ant series. A few characters continue from Neuromancer and it takes place of the world of The Sprawl and the shared consensual hallucination of Cyberspace, but it's a significant pivot. The characters in Count Zero echo into his later work. As I read Marly Krushkhova's chapters, I said yep, that is definitely Cayce Pollard (Cool, stylish, specialized in art/design, skilled as a sensitive intuitive) from Pattern Recognition.
The three character POV doesn't quite come together elegantly or satisfactorily, but I enjoyed the ride. I love Gibson's detached style, descriptions, timing. Some of his info dumps still awkward - "So why don't you tell me the plan, I want to make sure you understand", but I find myself very forgiving. Probably because I find a certain je ne sais quoi, a magic in Gibson's work I lack the horsepower to dissect and analyze. It's probably better that way....more
Charming biography of Freeman Dyson and his son George during a time they both built ships. Both highly intelligent men, but with vastly different intCharming biography of Freeman Dyson and his son George during a time they both built ships. Both highly intelligent men, but with vastly different intelligences and interests.
Freeman Dyson worked on the alternative starship Project Orion. Alternative because it used nuclear explosions to provide thrust. A wildly-imaginative, never-realized project still used extensively in SF (Footfall, The Three-Body Problem series). Freeman possessed the ability to swim nimbly within the waters of the theoretical where he remained almost exclusively.
George Dyson worked on building large ocean-going canoes. He built and lived in a large treehouse and designed the largest known baidarka - A kayak of Aleut origin. George dwelled almost entirely in the land of the practical, constantly building, tinkering, experimenting.
The Starship and the Canoe concentrates on George, and understandably so. George moved frenetically and always with purpose and curiosity - an experiential life. George would go on to write several books, including Project Orion: The True Story of the Atomic Spaceship....more
Another book I forgot I read until I started thinking about William Gibson's Cyberspace and the reality of the protocols of networked systems. A greatAnother book I forgot I read until I started thinking about William Gibson's Cyberspace and the reality of the protocols of networked systems. A great overview of the history of one of humanity's greatest, most important inventions....more
I get the message and extracted a few things to consider for the rest of my life. But, agree to dAll we are is dust in the wind... - Kansas, 1977
I get the message and extracted a few things to consider for the rest of my life. But, agree to disagree with Marcus Aurelius on a few things (I'm sure he would disagree quite cheerfully and agreeably). To keep it brief, a mental framework built on nihilism and predestination isn't going to work for everybody. ...more
I put on some Depeche Mode and Flock of Seagulls, donned my mirrorshades and dove into Burning Chrome. Turns out it's a reread, maybe middle school agI put on some Depeche Mode and Flock of Seagulls, donned my mirrorshades and dove into Burning Chrome. Turns out it's a reread, maybe middle school age. Too young, not quite absorbing, but getting lost in the beautiful vison at the time.
I couldn't stop thinking about the parallels between Gibson's vision of the future and the world of The Gernsback Continuum where the photographer loses himself in Jungian symbology in the pursuit of the clean, sleek techno-futuristic optimism of architectural design of the 50's and 60's. The 80's looked forward to a cyberpunk future, more techno-cool, gritty and cynical. The photographer of this era would have snapped the awkward teen years of the Information Age as it tried to settle on a new look - Parachute pants, bright zippered clothing, Wargames, and synth bands. A computer for every home was the message, but not very useful - yet. The future always reveals itself as miraculous but mundane, and definitely not as cool.
Generic Entertainment brilliantly breaks it down: ...more
Ok AI - Done! I united the rainbow people of Mars and got the "Warlord" Title and achievement. I'm ready try something else. Please lock the narrativeOk AI - Done! I united the rainbow people of Mars and got the "Warlord" Title and achievement. I'm ready try something else. Please lock the narrative in stasis in case I want to revisit.
I've never explored Burroughs before and I'm glad I did. The lineage is made clear and unmistakable. Innumerable comics, books, serials, movies, television shows, Conan, Flash Gordon, Star Wars, Avatar - All descendants of John Carter, Dejah Thoris, Tars Tarkas, Carthoris, Thuvia, and Woola of Barsoom. Kaor!...more
"If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch..."
My grown children can still immediately complete this phrase when I test them. And I do this often. "If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch..."
My grown children can still immediately complete this phrase when I test them. And I do this often. Chances are, you might be able to complete this also. We are the Tribe of Carl. Our sacred tome - Cosmos. A love letter to that which we understand about our reality, and how we arrived at this knowledge. Cosmos is one of Humanity's greatest contributions to the Encyclopedia Galactica.
Recently, my views about our universe have been slanted towards pessimism mostly due to the convincing The Dark Forest. I need Carl Sagan's optimism and wonder at the grandeur of life and the universe. Give me Contact. Give me Cosmos. Give me some hope....more
Matt (Fully supports developing sentient AGI)
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