Based on recent events, I propose that we should all be aware of a new meta in psy-op strategies… Obviously, no sensible person believes that JD Vance had sex with a couch. The humour of this claim, fair or not, is about whether one can argue that “he seems like the kind of guy that…

Looking through this list, I read an incredibly good set of books this year. In each of my annual “books read” posts I try to pick the best or most impactful one, and this year is very hard. It’s the first full year of my sabbatical, so I delved deeper into non-fiction topics, many of…

This fall, I’ve been working intensively on directing and producing a new immersive theatre show out of The Lower Case, called The Nose. The full title, in true style is, The Nose: A Full and Complete Explanation For The Events of Nov 14-16, 1983. The show opens tonight, and runs for all of January. Grab…

The Walrus and The Warwolf by Hugh Cook, i.e. the picaresque story of Drake, shithead pirate teen in a world of decaying magic, was above and beyond the most impactful book to me. Don’t just take my word for it – read China Miéville’s commentary. In non-fiction, The 1619 Project is a must-read to exist…

I am in the habit of publishing the list of books I read every year. Due to world events, I forgot the last couple years. Here we are now… NK Jemisin’s The Fifth Season and MJ Lyons’ Queer Werewolves Destroy Capitalism were the most memorable pieces of fiction; both felt very human. Eric Tyson’s Investing…

This post summarizes advice I’ve given several people who are looking for jobs in industry just after finishing an academic research degree. Here, I want to be helpful by not just getting you any job, but a job that is a fit for you and you excel in. It isn’t the best term, but I’m…

This year was a year of very long books, often on walks, or drives. In a first, the best piece of literature I “read” was the narrative game Disco Elysium. In extreme contrast, I loved the long, ancient tomes Herodotus’ Histories, and Giovanni Boccaccio’s The Decameron; both great reminders of the universality of humans barely…

My favorite book this year is either Voyager in Night by C.J. Cherryh, or Teckla by Steven Brust. The former is about an interaction with a computer consciousness as it’s falling apart, the latter is about a socialist uprising in a fantasy world, in the context of negotiating differences in romantic relationships. Both are wonderful.…

The year’s best books: Live from New York and Hugh Cook’s Wizard War ________ Gardens of the Moon – Steven Erikson – Jan 1, 2018 Starfish – Peter Watts – Jan 3, 2018 The Glass Castle – Jeanette Walls – Jan 24, 2018 Surface Detail – Iain M. Banks – Feb 17, 2018 Steal the…

(a summary of a drunken conversation from last night) For the voyage across the stars, deep freezing is bad for most biological organisms. Ice crystals, when they form at the microscopic level, can pierce and break cell walls. Animals that endure deep cold and space successfully[0] do so by removing all the moisture from their…