There will be times when the struggle seems impossible. Alone, unsure, dwarfed by the scale of the enemy. Freedom is a pure idea. It occurs spontaneously and without instruction. Random acts of insurrection are occurring constantly. There are whole armies, battalions that have no idea that they’ve already enlisted in the cause. And even the smallest act of insurrection pushes our lines forward. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear.

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Cake day: March 3rd, 2024

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  • There are different levels of AI books, and websites like BN and Amazon ask on their submission what specifically was done by or assisted by AI to get a read on what authors are doing. Full AI written based on a bunch of prompts gets garbage, I agree there, and it’s also the easy route so the market is being flooded, especially the low effort ones, since that’s far easier to do than actual prose from AI. But AI can also have a subtle aid to an actual writer. I realize some people are dead set on zero AI, period, and I understand the reasons. It sucks we’ve gotten to this point where some incredible things can be done, and yet so much as been ruined by that progress too, when it could have been done better and more honestly.

    As someone who has a few books on Amazon and BN, I’ve used AI for a bit of behind the scenes for artwork, then taking that in Gimp for the final product. The books were done mainly to see if I could put them together and was fun to do. The hard part is actually selling any, it’s a nightmare for the same reason, oversaturation.

    I will say that BN’s website sucks big time. I thought Amazon’s was flaky but figured it out, but I’m surprised I ever got books onto BN as much as it hangs, and I haven’t been able to get onto my account in a while to even see how the books are doing there, but I doubt I’ve sold any because I haven’t seen evidence, and I question who goes there now to buy a book.

    Fix your website!

    Oh, and they also just raised the minimum print price to like $14.99, so no cheap books, and if you have a low cost book there, no one is going to buy it now for those prices. Brilliant.






  • Escaping from one gravity well to go to another gravity well that is far more deadly is foolish. Both Mars and the Moon, as well as probably any body that doesn’t have some sort of erosion mechanic, has fine, sharp dust which is terrible on both equipment and biology.

    I still am a believer just as I was a 70s kid that O’Neill was on the right track, and space is the next logical place for humanity. What has changed over the decades is my belief that we can get there. Not because of the science or the technology, but because of our tendency to focus resources on other things that don’t help anyone. The window is all but shut on space now. And any billionaires that send people to Mars in some grand colonization scheme are just dooming them and wasting more on their own ego.

    So whatever happens now, humanity will have its eggs in one basket, and that basket does have an expiration date.











  • The section from Andor to Return of the Jedi is the plateau of Star Wars. The rest have good parts, even great ones, but that stretch is the core.

    Star Trek isn’t as obvious, it’s a scattershot of ups and down all the way through. Which is appropriate, as most of it is episodic with mainly references holding it together.




  • I’ve partially closed one before when I was by the window to help block some of the light but still allow me to look out. It was also a half-filled plane and I had the whole row. If someone beside me was sleeping or reading and it was too bright I would have closed it fully.

    Just be aware of your surroundings and others. Too many people are so deep into their own stuff they don’t see others around them or what might help them.