The Memoirs of a Survivor by Doris Lessing
Jan. 25th, 2026 09:01 am
Fostering a teen is a challenge at the best of times. The end of civilization is not the best of times.
The Memoirs of a Survivor by Doris Lessing
Interesting Links for 25-01-2026
Jan. 25th, 2026 12:00 pm- 1. Google won't stop replacing news headlines with terrible AI
- (tags:Google news headlines AI OhForFucksSake )
- 2. Israeli agricultural exports face looming 'collapse' as world rejects products over Gaza genocide
- (tags:Israel trade fruit gaza )
- 3. A very short piece of fantasy. One of the few things I've ever read that feel like Terry Pratchett.
- (tags:fantasy funny short_story )
Yaaaaaaawn
Jan. 25th, 2026 08:42 amWoke up at 6:30 and it took me ten minutes to wake up enough to realise it's Sunday and my alarm would not be going off at 7. By which point I was too awake to get back to sleep.
This is interesting
Jan. 24th, 2026 12:19 pmI got an email from Riotminds providing me with a free preview of their upcoming Wicked Dew - Victorian Horror RPG. What caught my eye is that it seems to be entirely online. I've asked if there's a downloadable rulebook I overlooked, but I can see why a company might adopt a purely online approach.
[Update]
There will be a printed book.
[Update]
There will be a printed book.
Interesting Links for 24-01-2026
Jan. 24th, 2026 12:00 pm- 1. Campaign to counter transphobes pressuring the Council of Europe
- (tags:LGBT transgender politics Europe )
- 2. Finalists :: Comedy Pet Photography Awards
- (tags:pets animals cute funny photos )
- 3. Psychologists develop method to quantify 'toxic masculinity' in men (about 3% of the population are *really* awful)
- (tags:men psychology patriarchy )
- 4. Katy Perry's Friends Skeptical Of Alleged Powerful Boyfriend Who Lives In Canada
- (tags:relationships celebrity satire funny Canada )
- 5. Science Is Drowning in AI Slop
- (tags:ai research doom OhForFucksSake )
- 6. Cancer might protect against Alzheimer's — this protein helps explain why
- (tags:cancer alzheimers )
- 7. Who wants to be Trad-Friends?
- (tags:funny friendship )
- 8. 45 sanctioned Russian tankers passed through the Channel since UK 'crackdown'
- (tags:UK Russia trade )
- 9. Giving University Exams in the Age of Chatbots
- (tags:exams AI university France viaFanf )
- 10. New solar-powered lighting improves safety and sustainability in Edinburgh's parks
- (tags:solarpower park Edinburgh )
france travelogue V: paris redux
Jan. 23rd, 2026 09:05 amThis has been four-fifths written since mid-September. May as well finish a thing, to the extent that memory serves.
( cathedrals, montmartre, rodin, eiffel )
Potential wrapup of random bits that didn't fit anywhere else coming, um, maybe.
( cathedrals, montmartre, rodin, eiffel )
Potential wrapup of random bits that didn't fit anywhere else coming, um, maybe.
The Angsana Tree Mystery (Crown Colony, volume 8) By Ovidia Yu
Jan. 23rd, 2026 10:41 am
Su Lin dutifully accepts a social obligation, only to find herself embroiled in another murder and further colonial machinations.
The Angsana Tree Mystery (Crown Colony, volume 8) by Ovidia Yu
Interesting Links for 23-01-2026
Jan. 23rd, 2026 12:00 pm- 1. Greens take Reform UK seat in first of its kind win (44% to 35%)
- (tags:GreenParty politics UK )
- 2. Hundreds of fraudulent AI citations in scientific papers
- (tags:ai fraud research )
- 3. Tory Councillors Say They Are Being Offered Jobs And Seats To Defect To Reform
- (tags:UK politics )
- 4. In Europe, Wind and Solar Overtook Fossil Fuels in 2025
- (tags:renewables Europe GoodNews )
Tragic
Jan. 22nd, 2026 10:39 pmCanada denied spot on the Bored of Peace.
This is roughly on par with being denied a lifetime supply of dogshit popsicles.
This is roughly on par with being denied a lifetime supply of dogshit popsicles.
The Iowa Baseball Confederacy by W. P. Kinsella
Jan. 22nd, 2026 08:49 am
An unhappily married man's quest for the truth leads into a past almost everyone has forgotten.
The Iowa Baseball Confederacy by W. P. Kinsella
Interesting Links for 22-01-2026
Jan. 22nd, 2026 12:00 pm- 1. Changing gender in the UK involves a legal declaration that you will live as the gender you are changing to. With legal consequences if you don't.
- (tags:law UK gender transgender LGBT )
- 2. Prolonged air pollution linked to increase of incurable muscle-wasting diseases
- (tags:pollution disease )
- 3. Six key takeaways from the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry (cover-ups leading to patient deaths)
- (tags:scotland hospital OhForFucksSake death )
- 4. MAGA's 'Manifest Destiny' Coalition Has Arrived - "It's up to us to keep pushing for the orderly governance of the world via American imperialism"
- (tags:usa politics OhForFucksSake )
- 5. Comic-Con Bans AI Art After Artist Pushback
- (tags:ai art comics )
- 6. Anti-trans 'data vandalism' damages scientific research, study finds
- (tags:LGBT research bigotry transgender gender )
- 7. When the United Kingdom annexed a north Atlantic island (and what they might do with it)
- (tags:scotland uk politics history funny )
Bundle of Holding: Dead Air: Seasons
Jan. 21st, 2026 03:00 pm
This all-new Dead Air Bundle presents English-language ebooks for Dead Air: Seasons, the post-apocalyptic tabletop roleplaying game from Italian publisher The World Anvil Publishing about a Blighted world forever changed.
Bundle of Holding: Dead Air: Seasons
Adventures in the Public Domain: On Updating Out-of-Copyright Works
Jan. 21st, 2026 12:15 pm
Should we attempt to bring older works into the modern age?
Adventures in the Public Domain: On Updating Out-of-Copyright Works
The Ayakashi Hunter’s Tainted Bride, volume 1 by Midori Yuma & Mamenosuke Fujimaru
Jan. 21st, 2026 09:09 am
Nanao must chose between staying with her abusive family or accepting the offer of marriage from handsome, wealthy, sincerely considerate Yako. A dilemma for the ages!
The Ayakashi Hunter’s Tainted Bride, volume 1 by Midori Yuma & Mamenosuke Fujimaru
Interesting Links for 21-01-2026
Jan. 21st, 2026 12:00 pm- 1. Bid for massive AI-generated Glasgow mural given green light
- (tags:Glasgow art ai wtf )
- 2. Alternate universe in which Trump is a Russian asset is otherwise absolutely identical to this one
- (tags:Russia USA politics satire funny scifi )
- 3. A fascinating speech by Mark Carney, PM of Canada on how the world is changing
- (tags:economics politics Canada )
- 4. EU Parliament freezes US trade deal ratification after Trump's tariff threats over Greenland
- (tags:europe usa trade doom )
I should mention that I had an excellent time at Arisia
Jan. 20th, 2026 09:44 amI should mention that I had an excellent time at Arisia
Don't have time to write. Maybe I'll write on the plane tomorrow evening (arriving bwi 7ish) especially since I can't find my earphones.
I'm also very very very happy with some of the pictures of some of the outfits. Maybe I'll even figure out how to deal with photos here a little better.
It was small and there were only a few programming rooms and I missed panels much like I always do and I missed almost all the dancing and I did handstands in a number of dresses.
My host just returned so see y'all later.
Don't have time to write. Maybe I'll write on the plane tomorrow evening (arriving bwi 7ish) especially since I can't find my earphones.
I'm also very very very happy with some of the pictures of some of the outfits. Maybe I'll even figure out how to deal with photos here a little better.
It was small and there were only a few programming rooms and I missed panels much like I always do and I missed almost all the dancing and I did handstands in a number of dresses.
My host just returned so see y'all later.
Homeward By Starlight & On Thud and Blunder by Poul Anderson
Jan. 20th, 2026 08:39 am
November 25, 2026 would have been Poul Anderson’s 100th birthday. As there is no guarantee any of us will see November 25, 2026, I’ll borrow an idea from Tom Lehrer’s That Was the Year That Was and start writing something appropriately celebratory now.
Homeward By Starlight

Improve your sword and sorcery through inspirational verisimilitude!
On Thud and Blunder by Poul Anderson
Interesting Links for 20-01-2026
Jan. 20th, 2026 12:00 pm- 1. Emergency services called after explosion at Rockstar North offices
- (tags:games explosions edinburgh )
- 2. This database tracks legal decisions in cases where generative AI produced incorrect information
- (tags:law ai epicfail )
- 3. Time spent on gaming and social media not to blame for teen mental health issues
- (tags:mentalhealth socialnetworking teenagers children )
- 4. What Have Unions Done For Us?
- (tags:unions )
Bundle of Holding: Sleepy Hollow
Jan. 19th, 2026 02:08 pm
The tabletop fantasy roleplaying game of early 19th-Century folk horror.
Bundle of Holding: Sleepy Hollow
Interesting Links for 19-01-2026
Jan. 19th, 2026 12:00 pm- 1. Statement by Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom
- (tags:UK Europe Greenland USA )
- 2. The 6-7 craze offered a brief window into the hidden world of children
- (tags:children behaviour language )
- 3. A message from Peter Jackson before the anniversary edition of The Fellowship Of The Ring
- (tags:lotr video movies )
- 4. A message from Peter Jackson before the anniversary edition of The Two Towers
- (tags:lotr peterjackson video movies )
- 5. Peter Jackson's final video message before The Return of the King
- (tags:lotr video peterjackson movies )
Technically I am not breaking the rule against me sitting in the dark in 161
Jan. 18th, 2026 06:37 pmPhoto cross-post
Jan. 18th, 2026 10:24 am![]()
Gorgeous sunset behind Edinburgh Castle and I couldn't decide which of
these photos I took was my favourite.
Original
is here on Pixelfed.scot.
Night of Camp David by Fletcher Knebel
Jan. 18th, 2026 08:58 am
A deranged President sets his eyes on Canada and Scandinavia, forcing one senator to consider the prospect of contemplating the preliminaries to action.
Night of Camp David by Fletcher Knebel
Interesting Links for 18-01-2026
Jan. 18th, 2026 12:00 pm- 1. Map Of Human Settlements That Have No Settlement Further North With A Greater Population
- (tags:maps population )
- 2. Trump says 8 European nations (including UK) will face a 10% tariff for Greenland stand - rising to 25% in June
- (tags:Europe UK USA Greenland )
- 3. GWAR cover "Pink Pony Club" by Chappell Roan
- (tags:music video HeavyMetal cover )
- 4. Canada's deal with China signals it is serious about shift from US
- (tags:canada china trade usa )
- 5. EU and South-American Bloc Mercosur sign trade deal after 25 years of negotiations
- (tags:SouthAmerica europe trade )
(no subject)
Jan. 17th, 2026 11:21 pmI mentioned the other day that my cousin Don had been diagnosed with rapid onset dementia, after a fall in a bathroom and a trip to the hospital.
He died two days ago, in the hospital, with his daughters there. His son was at home, dealing with the aftereffects of a small kitchen fire (apparently some wiring fizzed and went up; they lost one cabinet but other things need repair and also the insurance man.)
I remember Don all the way back to when I was small. He and his older brother, Walt, rode their Indian motorcycles down from Ottawa to Rochester to visit my mom and meet me when I was maybe 2 years old. I remember them from then as being very tall and kind; as I grew up they continued to each be very tall and kind. In the summers as I was growing up Mom and I stayed at Don's place or Walter's place or their older sister Joan's farm for a week or two every year, so Mom could visit her wider family of sisters and nieces and nephews and grand-nieces and grand-nephews, and so I could get to know everyone.
Some of it blurs a bit -- how many back yard picnics? -- but I remember Don and his wife, Jean, taking me up to a cottage they had in Quebec once so we could go canoeing on the lake there, listen to loons calling and just glide over the beautiful clear water. I remember putting my hand in the water in a certain way and a fish just coming to rest inside it for a moment as if it were seaweed. I didn't grab on and catch it, but I could have. Later on, the two of them canoed up the St. Lawrence River for a good distance; it took them a month or more. I asked Jean what it was like, and she made a face and said it was "like walking uphill on your hands". But she did enjoy it.
All the memories are good. I do wish I could have seen him again, but I have him in my mind firmly and that will stay. And 91 years is a good run. He got to see his children married, and play with his grandchildren, and even (I think) one or two great-grandchildren. He loved listening to Irish music, any time it was available.
Hail the Traveler, Donald Hugh McKenna!
He died two days ago, in the hospital, with his daughters there. His son was at home, dealing with the aftereffects of a small kitchen fire (apparently some wiring fizzed and went up; they lost one cabinet but other things need repair and also the insurance man.)
I remember Don all the way back to when I was small. He and his older brother, Walt, rode their Indian motorcycles down from Ottawa to Rochester to visit my mom and meet me when I was maybe 2 years old. I remember them from then as being very tall and kind; as I grew up they continued to each be very tall and kind. In the summers as I was growing up Mom and I stayed at Don's place or Walter's place or their older sister Joan's farm for a week or two every year, so Mom could visit her wider family of sisters and nieces and nephews and grand-nieces and grand-nephews, and so I could get to know everyone.
Some of it blurs a bit -- how many back yard picnics? -- but I remember Don and his wife, Jean, taking me up to a cottage they had in Quebec once so we could go canoeing on the lake there, listen to loons calling and just glide over the beautiful clear water. I remember putting my hand in the water in a certain way and a fish just coming to rest inside it for a moment as if it were seaweed. I didn't grab on and catch it, but I could have. Later on, the two of them canoed up the St. Lawrence River for a good distance; it took them a month or more. I asked Jean what it was like, and she made a face and said it was "like walking uphill on your hands". But she did enjoy it.
All the memories are good. I do wish I could have seen him again, but I have him in my mind firmly and that will stay. And 91 years is a good run. He got to see his children married, and play with his grandchildren, and even (I think) one or two great-grandchildren. He loved listening to Irish music, any time it was available.
Hail the Traveler, Donald Hugh McKenna!
scouring, etc
Jan. 17th, 2026 02:19 pmJust finished Lord of the Rings. This may well have been the first time I read the Appendices all the way through (though I did skim the ones on the calendars and the alphabets).
Two takeaways from RotK:
First, the Scouring of the Shire hits different when you're under occupation. It's also perhaps the most fantastical part of the book, since it posits that the citizenry were nearly all ready to rise up and just needed a push, as opposed to a third of them cheering on Otho and Sharkey and a third of them just hunkering down and hoping it would all pass them by.
Second, the meme take on Denethor as 'doomscrolling in the Palantir to Sauron's algorithm' is ... remarkably apt.
Now ebooks for a couple of days, and then once I'm home the Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales. UT is, as I recall, mostly-complete fragments with some commentary. The twelve-volume History of Middle-Earth reverses the proportions, and is thus less interesting to me. UT also contains a version of the Quest of Erebor ("The Hobbit") as told from Gandalf's perspective, which should be neat.
All quiet on bus stop patrol. Tuesday had a couple of plateless SUVs and a couple of blocks-away whistle choruses; Thursday and yesterday were quiet. It's nice to be out in the snow in my black wool coat and hat, though, and nice to get some smiles from folks driving past.
Two takeaways from RotK:
First, the Scouring of the Shire hits different when you're under occupation. It's also perhaps the most fantastical part of the book, since it posits that the citizenry were nearly all ready to rise up and just needed a push, as opposed to a third of them cheering on Otho and Sharkey and a third of them just hunkering down and hoping it would all pass them by.
Second, the meme take on Denethor as 'doomscrolling in the Palantir to Sauron's algorithm' is ... remarkably apt.
Now ebooks for a couple of days, and then once I'm home the Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales. UT is, as I recall, mostly-complete fragments with some commentary. The twelve-volume History of Middle-Earth reverses the proportions, and is thus less interesting to me. UT also contains a version of the Quest of Erebor ("The Hobbit") as told from Gandalf's perspective, which should be neat.
All quiet on bus stop patrol. Tuesday had a couple of plateless SUVs and a couple of blocks-away whistle choruses; Thursday and yesterday were quiet. It's nice to be out in the snow in my black wool coat and hat, though, and nice to get some smiles from folks driving past.
Books Received, January 10 to January 16
Jan. 17th, 2026 09:17 am
Three works new to me, all from various TTRPG Kickstarters. 2026 feels kind of light on upcoming books.
Books Received, January 10 to January 16
Poll #34090 Books Received, January 10 to January 16
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 28
Which of these look interesting?
View Answers
Invincible – Superhero Roleplaying (Alpha) by Adam Bradford & Tomas Härenstam (July 2026)
9 (32.1%)
Fabula Ultima Bestiary by Emanuele Galletto (May 2026)
4 (14.3%)
Arkand: City of Wave and Flames by Johan Sjöberg (April 2026)
5 (17.9%)
Some other option (see comments)
2 (7.1%)
Cats!
24 (85.7%)
Their Kingdom Come (Night Eaters, volume 3) by Marjorie Liu & Sana Takeda
Jan. 16th, 2026 09:15 am
Their last cunning scheme set apocalypse in motion. What wonders will follow Billy and Milly's next bold endeavour?
Their Kingdom Come (Night Eaters, volume 3) by Marjorie Liu & Sana Takeda
Interesting Links for 16-01-2026
Jan. 16th, 2026 12:00 pm- 1. Making it illegal to buy sex hurts sex workers the most
- (tags:sexwork decriminalization scotland OhForFucksSake law )
- 2. Open Infrastructure Map (cool to see how much stuff is being built off the coast of the UK right now)
- (tags:infrastructure map )
- 3. Photos Capture the Breathtaking Scale of China's Wind and Solar Buildout
- (tags:windpower solarpower renewables photos china infrastructure )
- 4. UK offshore wind prices come in 40% cheaper than gas in record auction
- (tags:windpower economics )
- 5. Student arrested for eating AI art in protest
- (tags:art ai )
Arisia bound. Ish.
Jan. 15th, 2026 11:05 amHonestly, I'm thinking about how except that I gave up the hotel room, it's not too late to bail, because kicking my interfusion membership forward a year isn't processed until after the event so it probably could actually go.
And then I wouldn't have been up all night accidentally although there were other things that contributed to that not all of them my being a dumbass
And there's really no contest as to which would be the more fun and fulfilling event. Interfusion is going to have available acro shibari every night. And maybe rope dancing. And definitely all sorts of other dancing and Acro and several different people I know who are going to be moving away shortly thereafter.
I'm reminding myself that I'm staying with someone up at ariza who I haven't seen in at least a decade and moved all the way away for a long while and I've set up seeing different friends where it's been at least a year if not well over a year.
But man it really turned out to be a bad decision to land at 11:00 last night home from Missouri expecting originally to be on a train about 10 minutes from now
I'm deliberately missing the 125 flight and just making sure to be there within 2 hours after it leaves.
I'm not expecting much out of the con.
There was someone who needed to be around people and it was important and that person joined me in covert at my place about half past 12:00 which was already getting stupid late and I was so tired and then somehow
I got a second wind after saying look it's three I need to go to bed and they left around 3:20 and then I was like okay I still need to get more stuff off the phone which I couldn't do while covert was sitting next to my computer for various reasons and decided over right I was going to up the die on the hair and there's too much stuff in the suitcase so that I didn't just bring the overtone to deal with that tonight and then I don't know what happened I kept being like a God it's so late oh my God and then the next thing I knew it would be even worse.
There's been pretty much daily protests in one way or another here in DC today is another ice out of DC as opposed to ice out for good or the union rally yesterday.
Tuesday there's a national walkout and lobbying. By flying away I can't help with any of those actions
Ice shot someone else in Minneapolis yesterday. Seems not fatally.
The ones they shot in Portland they said that they were weaponizing the car. Are we going to believe that assertion in general anymore?
It's getting really scary out there.
And then I wouldn't have been up all night accidentally although there were other things that contributed to that not all of them my being a dumbass
And there's really no contest as to which would be the more fun and fulfilling event. Interfusion is going to have available acro shibari every night. And maybe rope dancing. And definitely all sorts of other dancing and Acro and several different people I know who are going to be moving away shortly thereafter.
I'm reminding myself that I'm staying with someone up at ariza who I haven't seen in at least a decade and moved all the way away for a long while and I've set up seeing different friends where it's been at least a year if not well over a year.
But man it really turned out to be a bad decision to land at 11:00 last night home from Missouri expecting originally to be on a train about 10 minutes from now
I'm deliberately missing the 125 flight and just making sure to be there within 2 hours after it leaves.
I'm not expecting much out of the con.
There was someone who needed to be around people and it was important and that person joined me in covert at my place about half past 12:00 which was already getting stupid late and I was so tired and then somehow
I got a second wind after saying look it's three I need to go to bed and they left around 3:20 and then I was like okay I still need to get more stuff off the phone which I couldn't do while covert was sitting next to my computer for various reasons and decided over right I was going to up the die on the hair and there's too much stuff in the suitcase so that I didn't just bring the overtone to deal with that tonight and then I don't know what happened I kept being like a God it's so late oh my God and then the next thing I knew it would be even worse.
There's been pretty much daily protests in one way or another here in DC today is another ice out of DC as opposed to ice out for good or the union rally yesterday.
Tuesday there's a national walkout and lobbying. By flying away I can't help with any of those actions
this summary shared in a local southwest group suggests the recommendation was to just take the 2 hours at 1 o'clock (unless you prefer to be out longer) and then get back to business: "they are asking folks to be at Pershing Park because it is near the Wilson Bldg, and if Home Rule is directly threatened we may all need to get/gather there. This event is a way to start normalizing leaving jobs and other 'normal' activities to protest what is not a normal situation so that we can build the muscle to do more. The event is 1-3 pm and while they would like people to be there at 1, you can get there later (ideally by 1:30-45) if need be. And if you can only be there for an hour that is ok too.
This is not a dramatic walkout scenario. You are encouraged to take sick leave if that is available to you. Also DC residents may have access to paid sick/safety leave from DC. If leaving your job would put your job at risk you are encouraged *not* to participate. And this event is for all, not just people currently employed."
There's such a mess. Such a mess. Active lying from the administration obviouslying from the administration were obviously trying to lie with implication (. The new bed is announcing that Ross had internal bleeding, announced a full week later anonymously sources say they were told and oh right there's no method of injury consistent with the implications there although oh by the way bruising would technically count maybe because sure as hell the man stayed standing and walking normally and packed out a house the next day.
Ice shot someone else in Minneapolis yesterday. Seems not fatally.
The ones they shot in Portland they said that they were weaponizing the car. Are we going to believe that assertion in general anymore?
It's getting really scary out there.
System Collapse (Murderbot, volume 7) by Martha Wells
Jan. 15th, 2026 09:18 am
Murderbot and allies struggle to establish friendly relations with a rediscovered lost colony in time to protect them from a predatory company.
System Collapse (Murderbot, volume 7) by Martha Wells
Outgunned 1
Jan. 14th, 2026 09:59 pmMy Outgunned game is a spy thriller of sorts. I thought it would be fun to skip the usual "characters start together, get briefed, plot their mission together" and so on, I'd start with three of the five breaking into an apartment. They are 14-year-old Diane Dean (the driver), 18-year-old Concordia Butterstein (unsanctioned intrusion and asset acquisition expert) and 70-year-old Jethro Winthrop (the smooth talking fellow who hired the other two because they offered the best value for price)
( Read more... )
( Read more... )
Bundle of Holding: Halls of Arden Vul (from 2022)
Jan. 14th, 2026 03:39 pm
A vast megadungeon from Expeditious Retreat Press for D&D, AD&D, and other tabletop fantasy roleplaying games.
Bundle of Holding: Halls of Arden Vul (from 2022)







