Ok AI, I thought now I'm back on Barsoom there would be actual Princess in my Princess of Mars tour?
[ I was told you would enjoy your narrative more iOk AI, I thought now I'm back on Barsoom there would be actual Princess in my Princess of Mars tour?
[ I was told you would enjoy your narrative more if I increased "Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder" and "Thou Shalt get Sidetracked by BS Every Time" settings to the maximum ]
Seriously? Honey! Ok AI, my wife would enjoy her simulated realities much more if "The Fae are Horny Assholes" were set to the absolute minimum.
[ The minimum allowed by her narratives for that setting is 90% ]
Honey! First I was a slave and then I was in prison for like a year.
[ The narrative compensated by turning up "Babe Magnet" to 100% ]
I'm a gentleman with code of honor and would not touch any other than my beloved Dejah Thoris. I should still be on track for the "There Will Be Only One" achievement.
[ The climax was very exciting wasn't it? ]
It was great, but frustrating at the end. Again. Let's keep going. I need to know what happens and why I can't just get a few Barsoomian engineers in here to solve this cliffhanger. And, uh, keep "Babe Magnet" at 100% please.
It's been a day and I could use some diversion. Ok AI, spin up a simulated reality for me. I want an alien world with dangerous, diverse inhabitants. It's been a day and I could use some diversion. Ok AI, spin up a simulated reality for me. I want an alien world with dangerous, diverse inhabitants. Retro style, no super-advanced tech - Let's keep it simple. Give me enhanced strength and speed, swashbuckling skill, and I want to roleplay a code of honor. A lawful good type but more of a well-raised gentleman than a paladin.
[ Violence? ]
Full, brutal, but turn down the pain by 50% and equip me with standard-issue plot armor. This world will have factions, a little political intrigue in the mix. Throw in a sexy damsel in distress. Start her as a captive - Yeah, spicy. She's enigmatic, intelligent, dignified, like Princess Leia. Generate some side characters and give them interesting, interwoven backstories.
[ Loyal animal companion? ]
You know me well. Definitely.
[ Your parameters match an existing template 94%. Dropping you into A Princess of Mars in 5... 4...3... ]...more
A puzzle-box, matryoshka doll detective story starting with the discovery of what seems to be impossibly old human remains on the Moon. Enjoyable if yA puzzle-box, matryoshka doll detective story starting with the discovery of what seems to be impossibly old human remains on the Moon. Enjoyable if you like the cyclical pattern of Mystery -> Investigation -> Discovery -> "But wait! There's more!" I was expecting another engineer to jump out of the bushes in the epilogue yelling, "But, what about this thing you obviously overlooked?!"
Overall, a specific kind of fun if you like Arthur C. Clarke-ian engineers bantering ideas and theories back and forth. First Hogan and my first impression - He enjoys throwing an extra scoop of Science! into his fiction....more
Immune feels like a longer, more detailed Kurzgesagt - In a Nutshell, which I love (who doesn't enjoy their narration and cute animations explaining how cancer kills you or why alien life will probably kill you?) Fascinating book and subject but I think I need about 9,000 more hours down this rabbit hole to reach a more comfortable understanding....more
This is the stuff. Oh yeah, straight into my veins. TQT launches violently and doesn't hold your hand and tell you it's going to be ok. It comes at yoThis is the stuff. Oh yeah, straight into my veins. TQT launches violently and doesn't hold your hand and tell you it's going to be ok. It comes at you hard with new vocabulary and complex post-singularity world-building (I may have looked at the Wiki once or twice). This is high-degree-of-difficulty work requiring the judge to multiply the score accordingly.
I'm not a big fan of pulpy noir detective work at the core but the incredible wrapper made that medicine go down easy. Don't get me wrong, I liked the story and it paid off. The author's distinct style settled nicely and his witty delivery made me laugh. The micro-culture of the Oubliette is fascinating and rich. All the characters were unique and well-formed. TQT drew me in and demanded I finish, pronto. That's the type of relationship I need with a book....more
Chuck Palahniuk just punched me right in the Y chromosome and I immediately vibed with his message. I've seen the film. I was expecting the haymaker, Chuck Palahniuk just punched me right in the Y chromosome and I immediately vibed with his message. I've seen the film. I was expecting the haymaker, but I let it land and was thankful for it. Thank you sir, may I have another.
Boyhood (the only experience I can speak of) is about breaking the rules. Don't touch that, don't say that, don't go there. How else does the world progress except by breaking a few vases or stealing that pack of gum? As the father of two boys, I turn a blind eye to most infractions and provide an example in questions of morals and ethics. In a world of the timid the wilder spirit reigns.
Fight Club is the hyper-exaggerated essence of masculinity. It made me feel dishonest and inauthentic and I enjoyed the experience 100%. A+...more
I was told there would be crying, but I didn't cry and now I feel like a monster. Or, maybe I'm just too familiar with the story. This was my first reI was told there would be crying, but I didn't cry and now I feel like a monster. Or, maybe I'm just too familiar with the story. This was my first read, but I knew how it would start, and I knew almost exactly how it would end. Flowers for Algernon is interwoven into our pop-culture very thoroughly at this point, like many great works. Or maybe I'm just too curious and spoilered myself inadvertently. ...more
The premise is deliciously creepy - A telepathic alien creature capable of absorbing, replicating and imitating any living creature it contacts. The sThe premise is deliciously creepy - A telepathic alien creature capable of absorbing, replicating and imitating any living creature it contacts. The setting is perfect - Antarctica in the 1930's. Desolate and dark, cold and dangerous. The combination ripe for increasing paranoia and distrust, anxiety and fear. Who is infected and who is not? There is no outside help, no communication, no escape.
I prefer the ambiguous ending of John Carpenter's classic movie The Thing. It was the perfect movie to scare the crap out of young Matt and his friends, sitting in a Stranger Things suburban basement at midnight, watching HBO on an ancient CRT television. I'm getting a little misty-eyed....more
I'm convinced H.G. Wells is the nameless Time Traveler. What a formidable imagination and intellect that he wrote many of his works when most of humanI'm convinced H.G. Wells is the nameless Time Traveler. What a formidable imagination and intellect that he wrote many of his works when most of humanity labored in an agricultural age. At a time when human flight was only theoretical and the industrial age was awakening, he was writing some amazing Science Fiction with sharp social commentary and satire deftly interwoven.
Monk and Robot continue to help each other find themselves. I'm beginning to see this as more Therapypunk than Solarpunk. I liked the first book a bitMonk and Robot continue to help each other find themselves. I'm beginning to see this as more Therapypunk than Solarpunk. I liked the first book a bit more and I'm not sure where else this series could go, if it even will....more
I need some dopamine detox and A Psalm for the Wild-Built seemed like it would be a good dose of self-medication. After finishing, I can say Becky ChaI need some dopamine detox and A Psalm for the Wild-Built seemed like it would be a good dose of self-medication. After finishing, I can say Becky Chambers seemed to know what a lot of us need. I've read The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet so I knew there would be tea and comfort. 80% vibes/20% Science Fiction Cozypunk and I think my first Solarpunk unless I can count Studio Ghibli. Setting is vague and the world-building is enough to chill within.
I'm not quite detox'ed. That's an ongoing struggle. But, I read as an act of meditation and received the message - Sometimes we all need a cup of tea, or take a moment to ourselves, and to hear "You are enough". ...more
Anybody who has read Teddy Roosevelt knows he took the same position in his own time - We are getting soft and distancing ourselves from the basic chaAnybody who has read Teddy Roosevelt knows he took the same position in his own time - We are getting soft and distancing ourselves from the basic challenges of living as an animal on this wild planet. Few of us could accomplish what Teddy felt to be basic skills. And humanity moves further every year from the original state of barely surviving. Full disclosure - I write as I sit in my comfy Herman Miller at a computer in a house with air conditioning and a fully stocked refrigerator.
Reading The Comfort Crisis I felt guilty of validating my own worldview, patting myself on the back, which it did, but I was looking for more. The Comfort Crisis is more Outside magazine than academic work. This is not necessarily bad, I just wanted more Hormesis, less anecdote. Maybe I'm too podcast saturated on this topic....more
I wish I could jump on the love train for House of Suns, but I can't. 6 Million years into the future - Surely I'm going to get some exotic post-humanI wish I could jump on the love train for House of Suns, but I can't. 6 Million years into the future - Surely I'm going to get some exotic post-human adventure barely comprehensible to my primitive brain, right? No, just no. Instead, I got a weakly world-built Culture-lite populated by people not much different from today. Any sort of cybernetic augmentation was gained from, and I kid you not, goo squeezed from a tube. It's this disparity of selectively-advanced technology my brain ruthlessly seeks out. I can't help it.
I'm constantly reminded how House of Suns irked me, a lot. Death by a thousand irks. From AR's insistent use of non-stop colloquialisms to parlor room mystery exposition about why somebody did something. I think a good editor could have trimmed this down considerably. I'm probably more disappointed because there aren't a lot of productive SF authors around these days and I really wanted to love this....more
A fun, quick intersection of Fantasy and SF with a dash of Cosmic Horror. I found Nyr fascinating as he struggled with his role as a Gandalf-like wizaA fun, quick intersection of Fantasy and SF with a dash of Cosmic Horror. I found Nyr fascinating as he struggled with his role as a Gandalf-like wizard to the people on the planet as he dealt with his own human struggles. ...more
If somebody wanted to understand the complexity of putting humans on Mars, this would be a good start. Somewhat dated, but impressively comprehensive If somebody wanted to understand the complexity of putting humans on Mars, this would be a good start. Somewhat dated, but impressively comprehensive (At a layman level), and probably historically significant....more
How-to guide written for future residents of the moon who decide to throw off the shackles of their Terran oppressors. Everything we've come to expectHow-to guide written for future residents of the moon who decide to throw off the shackles of their Terran oppressors. Everything we've come to expect from Heinlein - Political philosophy, examination of our own culture through a unique lens, and cool SF action. Certainly influential to this day on modern SF involving intra-Solar System politics. And, an interesting AI character....more
Shackleton and his crew became the nautical exemplars of "Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars." They failed so spectaculShackleton and his crew became the nautical exemplars of "Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars." They failed so spectacularly they became legends.
The expedition planned to land their ship the Endurance in Antarctica, cross overland via the South Pole, and emerge on the opposite coast, but the Endurance became stuck fast in the ice of the Weddell Sea. The ice slowly crushed and sank the Endurance leaving Shackleton and his crew to embark on a harrowing, years-long journey of survival and heroism. The men endured treacherous ice flows, sub-zero cold, being constantly wet, almost getting eaten by 12-foot leopard seals, eating whatever they could find, and sailing tiny boats in Antarctic hurricane conditions. Some attribute the entire crew's survival to Shackleton's leadership, but it's evident they were also some lucky bastards....more
I read this on a plane and I think it's best described as a plane book. Sure, there is some on-the-nose commentary on Retail, but I constantly kept thI read this on a plane and I think it's best described as a plane book. Sure, there is some on-the-nose commentary on Retail, but I constantly kept thinking the person who said it's hard to write a horror novel in this modern day sure was right and this book is showing me a few reasons why. If a reader expects a cartoon-like retail romp with a little action, a little grossness, they will be happy....more
Matt (Fully supports developing sentient AGI)
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