Why I Write About Elves
Credence Function
I’ve never been keen on stories that just try to present ‘wow’ ideas—the equivalent of movie productions that rely on stunts and explosions to hold the attention. The question is not whether we can think of something radical or extreme but whether we can discover some sufficient reason for updating our credence function. – Nick Bostrom
Man's Best Friend
Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Inside, it’s too dark to read. – Groucho Marx
Danse Macabre
Fantasy fiction is essentially about the concept of power; great fantasy fiction is about people who find it at great cost or lose it tragically; mediocre fantasy fiction is about people who have it and never lose it but simply wield it.
― Stephen King
On to book two!
This book picks up almost immediately from the end of the previous book, A Memory Called Empire. Read that first.
Synchronic vs. Diachronic Collective Memory in Arkady Martine’s A Memory Called Empire
(Synchronic means “at the same time”, diachronic means “across different times”.) Arkady Martine’s debut novel, A Memory Called Empire, is a wonderful not-exactly space opera. I think others might call it a space opera merely for the scale of the Empire of Teixcalaan...
RPG Review: Beyond the Wall
Beyond the Wall is a great RPG for role playing young characters in a low fantasy setting.
Ramadan – new flash fiction
“They forgot to take the moon.”
“They couldn’t.”
“There were people on the moon!”
“Not anymore.”
A.I. and Job Loss
A.I. is not going to steal your job, unless you have a very boring job.
Who’s afraid of a Carrington Event?
Good science policy journalism does not require scare tactics.
Review: Pathfinder Adventure Card Game
Pathfinder Adventure Card Game (PACG) is an adaptation of the Pathfinder RPG system to a cooperative card game format. The mechanics of playing the game work really well, you just have to decide if the theme and pricing are a good fit for your budget.
The War on Dancing
At this level, taxation starts to change behavior. Dancing was simply unprofitable business. The business model had to change, and ballrooms with big bands no longer made sense, even though the taste of the public hadn’t changed.
Skyhooks and First Causes
Our physical intuitions are actually extremely poor guides, and just because Aristotle framed his argument in terms of ship building and other physical activities does not mean that the analogies are very good.
YADA – Yet Another Designer Argument
So I do try to take other people seriously, and look into their positions, even if I’m quite convinced there will be little new or likely to change my mind. The point is to understand somebody else, and that requires walking in their shoes, or trying to think the way they do.