mat's recent activity
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Comment on Recommend your social/softer science fiction books in ~books
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Comment on Horror in impossible places: liminal spaces and the backrooms in ~games
mat Link ParentHa, that's a great question. Nine Inch Nails' The Downward Spiral seems a little obvious but I think it would work pretty well. Um.. how about Aphex Twin's Drukqs or RHY Yau's The Hidden Tongue....If you had to pick a band/album to go along with, what would it be (Poe's Haunted doesn't count lol)?
Ha, that's a great question. Nine Inch Nails' The Downward Spiral seems a little obvious but I think it would work pretty well. Um.. how about Aphex Twin's Drukqs or RHY Yau's The Hidden Tongue. How about you?
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Comment on Recommend your social/softer science fiction books in ~books
mat Link ParentOne of my favourite parts of that book is Moderately Major Spoiler for Children of Time When the humans arrive at the end the reader (or at least this reader) ends up rooting for the spiders to...One of my favourite parts of that book is
Moderately Major Spoiler for Children of Time
When the humans arrive at the end the reader (or at least this reader) ends up rooting for the spiders to win, thinking "kill the puny monkeys!" and even then the spiders still manage to find a better way. If only we could let giant spiders run the actual world...It's one of my favourite books ever. I can't recommend it to people often enough.
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Comment on Recommend your social/softer science fiction books in ~books
mat LinkActually I'm going to recommend an author which I also recommended on the other thread, Adrian Tchaikovsky. Children of Time is fairly hard science fiction in that the science is... well, science,...Actually I'm going to recommend an author which I also recommended on the other thread, Adrian Tchaikovsky. Children of Time is fairly hard science fiction in that the science is... well, science, not magic. But he's really investigating societies and how they develop, and is doing so in a very interesting way.
Also his Bioforms series, starting with Dogs of War, fits well into this category too.
Just for funsies, I'd also suggest Green Jay and Crow by DJ Daniels, which I struggle to put into much of a genre box but like any good story, it's ultimately about people and how they relate to each other (and sometimes those people have tentacles for faces)
In a slightly similar vein although I'm not entirely sure it fits but it's a great book nonetheless - Jeff Noon's Vurt series, which looks at a society shaped by a pervasive and highly addictive shared virtual-reality/hallucination which everyone can access and which mediates much of that society's goings on. Worth noting it was written in the late 80s. I haven't read it in the last decade so it might not hold up as well as I'm recalling.
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Comment on Supreme Court seems ready to back Texas law limiting access to pornography (gifted link) in ~tech
mat Link ParentNo it isn't. First off, slippery slope arguments don't work any better just because you've stated them the other way around. Frankly, I don't even like using the word 'argument' for such...No it isn't. First off, slippery slope arguments don't work any better just because you've stated them the other way around. Frankly, I don't even like using the word 'argument' for such constructions because they're almost always fallacious.
Secondly, this is not even close to being the bottom of any kind of gradient. Age gating porn is not a terrible idea. I'm not remotely convinced that giving children access to countless hours of hardcore sex videos is something any society needs to "climb" towards. (fwiw I also don't think "but won't somebody think of the children" is all that strong an argument for many things, but sometimes it is good to at least consider the children)
How the age gate is put up matters, of course. Whether this implementation is good or not, I don't know. There is also the question as to whose responsibility that gate is - parents, the state, ISPs, etc. Also it's worth remembering that Texas, as a society, decided they wanted to do this. That's democracy, innit. You elect people and they do stuff.
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Comment on Horror in impossible places: liminal spaces and the backrooms in ~games
mat Link ParentThat's an interesting point of view. I'm not sure I entirely agree about Danielewski's intent, but equally I have no way to argue against it either. He seems like a pretty weird dude, but I'm not...That's an interesting point of view. I'm not sure I entirely agree about Danielewski's intent, but equally I have no way to argue against it either. He seems like a pretty weird dude, but I'm not sure there are many people who occupy the same weird league as Lynch does. I absolutely agree that Lynch's difficulty comes from his way of looking at the world and mediating that into film, rather than trying to be deliberately obtuse. David Lynch is such a deeply strange and wonderful man.
But while both are difficult, it's the uncanny nature of the texts which I find similar, and that's the same feeling I get with the backrooms stuff. Reading House of Leaves leaves me a little weirded the fuck out by reality for a few days in the same way that watching all of Twin Peaks in a weekend does. Nothing looks normal for a while. Every corner, every shadow, hides something bizarre and disturbing and magnetically fascinating and just out of sight.
Two House of Leaves things I usually mention in case people haven't heard of them:
Did you know there was a screenplay written for a House of Leaves TV series? Pilot episode script (link goes to PDF)
Also the tangential but still very much adjacent MyHouse.wad
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Comment on Supreme Court seems ready to back Texas law limiting access to pornography (gifted link) in ~tech
mat Link ParentUnless people are deliberately obscuring their tracks, being on the internet leaves traces to their real actual identity. Most sites can pull my IP address and that'll get you my name and address....Unless people are deliberately obscuring their tracks, being on the internet leaves traces to their real actual identity. Most sites can pull my IP address and that'll get you my name and address. My ISP keeps logs too.
I don't find slippery slope arguments convincing. You can always 'what if' anything to make it sound terrible, doesn't mean it's going to happen. Also if a malicious state wants to block "radical" stuff, they don't need a public excuse where they set up a mechanism under the guise of protecting the kids, they can just.. do it. That's part of what makes them malicious.
I'm not sure I agree with enforced porn age validation because I feel like that's probably a parent's job, but I do wonder how the 'but privacy' people feel about enforced social media age verification, which is exactly the same thing.
I live in a country that has a nationwide block list for known CSA content, some level of which is enforced by law - some is voluntary but most major network providers use it. Have had it for years. No known feature creep and our last government were pretty malicious (as in they nearly enforced a backdoor in WhatsApp!). I can still look up any kind of "radical" content I want.
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Comment on Horror in impossible places: liminal spaces and the backrooms in ~games
mat Link ParentHouse of Leaves is an absolute masterpiece. It's very hard going in parts (the encrypted parts are a little much) but it is worth it. The only thing I can compare it to is the paper equivalent of...House of Leaves is an absolute masterpiece. It's very hard going in parts (the encrypted parts are a little much) but it is worth it. The only thing I can compare it to is the paper equivalent of the films of David Lynch. It's much more uncanny than horrifying, I think.
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Comment on After almost a century, the bike valve is finally getting an update in ~engineering
mat Link ParentThere are caps shown here but not in place. One of the demo videos I watched showed them in use, they just click on, which is an improvement on the fiddly screw caps of Presta/Schradar. Although I...There are caps shown here but not in place. One of the demo videos I watched showed them in use, they just click on, which is an improvement on the fiddly screw caps of Presta/Schradar. Although I guess the retaining clip could wear with time if they're on an off a lot. But it's not like valve caps are expensive.
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Comment on After almost a century, the bike valve is finally getting an update in ~engineering
mat Link ParentSome people change their tyres more often than that - the kid next door to me seems to run different tyres every other week. Also deliberately changing tyre pressures is a thing - I let air in/out...Some people change their tyres more often than that - the kid next door to me seems to run different tyres every other week. Also deliberately changing tyre pressures is a thing - I let air in/out depending on the terrain I'm expecting and the type of riding I'm going to be doing.
I've bent a few Presta cores, usually when using those little 'rocket' mini pumps at the side of the road/trail and I've slipped while pumping. Most times I've been able to bend it back enough to work but once I ended up with a 5+ mile walk home, which was double annoying because I'd already fixed the puncture!
If you're happy with what you have and it serves your needs, super! But I think this valves offers a few different options for other use cases, which is good.
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Comment on After almost a century, the bike valve is finally getting an update in ~engineering
mat Link ParentEnough of them will set up production if people want to buy SCV tubes, otherwise Schwalbe are going to eat all the sales themselves. Sometimes capitalism does work. Also there's no way it's going...Enough of them will set up production if people want to buy SCV tubes, otherwise Schwalbe are going to eat all the sales themselves. Sometimes capitalism does work.
Also there's no way it's going to completely replace the existing valve options. Same way UDH hangers aren't on every bike, nor (Super) Boost wheels - yet those things are still popular enough to be called 'standards'. It's nice to have a better valve option at last, for those that want it.
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Comment on After almost a century, the bike valve is finally getting an update in ~engineering
mat Link Parent50% better airflow and a more robust valve are both useful improvements over Presta. Ease of use as well, of course. Which is good both in terms of lowering barriers to entry for cycling (we...50% better airflow and a more robust valve are both useful improvements over Presta. Ease of use as well, of course. Which is good both in terms of lowering barriers to entry for cycling (we really don't need to have to explain how to pump up a tyre to new users), and in general use - fiddling about with a Presta valve while cold/wet/muddy/etc is annoying. Or at least, it's more annoying than SCV looks to be in the demo videos.
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Comment on After almost a century, the bike valve is finally getting an update in ~engineering
mat Link ParentSchrader adaptors are £5 a set, when I looked briefly today. There are two issues this system solves for me (other than my 40 year+ annoyance at the shitty experience of using either Presta or...Schrader adaptors are £5 a set, when I looked briefly today.
There are two issues this system solves for me (other than my 40 year+ annoyance at the shitty experience of using either Presta or Schrader valves) - firstly it lets my kid pump their own tyres, which was part of the design concept. Six year old fingers can't really cope with using our track pump. The second is that it means when we're out riding I only have to carry one pump. Currently I have a Presta and Schrader mini pumps because that's just how it happened. My bike uses Schrader, Kid's newest ride is Presta. And yes, I could buy a multi-valve mini pump but at that point I might as well just convert everything to SCV.
Also it's such a good idea that I kinda want to spend money on it to encourage it's adoption. I want Schwalbe to be able to go to tube and pump manufacturers and say "look, we've sold x million adaptor kits, people want this"
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Comment on After almost a century, the bike valve is finally getting an update in ~engineering
mat LinkMy family have 2-3 bikes each and a couple of pumps. To convert them all would cost me about £40-50. Given how annoying the current valve options are, I'm sorely tempted. Perhaps just for the...True to the motto "Better late than never," Schwalbe presents, over 100 years after the invention of the first standardized bicycle valve, the Schwalbe Clik Valve, a revolutionary click valve for bicycles. Unlike the famous and infamous Sclaverand, Dunlop, and auto valves, the pump head can be clicked onto the bicycle valve with minimal effort and easily removed after successful pumping.
My family have 2-3 bikes each and a couple of pumps. To convert them all would cost me about £40-50. Given how annoying the current valve options are, I'm sorely tempted. Perhaps just for the daily rides at first.
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After almost a century, the bike valve is finally getting an update
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Comment on There is no safe word: How the best-selling fantasy author Neil Gaiman hid the darkest parts of himself for decades in ~books
mat Link ParentSeason 2 is going ahead. Season 3+ likely not, and season 2 of Dead Boy Detectives is already in the can. I have friends who worked on those shows and I'm so mad about it. Sandman was actually...Season 2 is going ahead. Season 3+ likely not, and season 2 of Dead Boy Detectives is already in the can.
I have friends who worked on those shows and I'm so mad about it. Sandman was actually good and I never expected there to be even a tolerable Sandman adaptation, let alone a great one. And now it'll probably never get finished, despite there being so many people on the projects who aren't Neil Gaiman who have put in countless hours of hard work and energy. They could have just gone ahead without letting Gaiman be compensated financially (I believe he even suggested that), but no. I do get it. Gaiman absolutely doesn't deserve any more work, and nobody should have to share a production office or set with him. But he's just a fraction of these kind of productions and is far from a necessary part (he's a terrible screenwriter anyway) and lots of other people do deserve the work, and Sandman deserves a good screen adaptation.
I do appreciate the cancellation of some of my personal entertainment is a tiny, tiny drop in the ocean of shit Gaiman has caused but still.
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Comment on Tildes End-of-Year 'Awards' 2024 in ~talk
mat Link ParentThank you so much for this, it really means a lot. I'm so glad you enjoyed the posts :)Thank you so much for this, it really means a lot. I'm so glad you enjoyed the posts :)
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Comment on What hard scifi books could you recommend? in ~books
mat Link ParentOoof. Nice. Getting some pretty heavy 9 Billion Names of God vibes from that one, but that's OK - it's a classic for a reason.Ooof. Nice. Getting some pretty heavy 9 Billion Names of God vibes from that one, but that's OK - it's a classic for a reason.
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Comment on Meta is ending its fact-checking program in favor of a 'community notes' system similar to X in ~tech
mat Link ParentI think there are plenty of people leading companies who care about actually making the world better or even just treating their employees well. I think the issue is that the companies who tend to...I think there are plenty of people leading companies who care about actually making the world better or even just treating their employees well. I think the issue is that the companies who tend to get huge are the ones lead by probable-sociopaths with a singular goal of profit. Because those people will fuck over everyone else to increase their bank balance/share value/market share/etc where the more ethical operators will not. So guess who rises to the top...
I have a friend who works for Meta and according to them (having been in meetings with the guy) Mark Zuckerberg absolutely does believe Meta is actively making the world a better place. It's just that Zuck's idea of how to do that is radically different from mine (and I assume yours too). It really isn't all about the money for him. I mean, I'm not saying it isn't about money plenty of the time because obviously it is. But it's not the only thing.
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Comment on What hard scifi books could you recommend? in ~books
mat LinkStephen Baxter is the hardest lay-readable sci-fi I know of. Greg Egan is (much) harder but his books require explanatory lectures and relatively deep knowledge of fairly obscure topics. I find...Stephen Baxter is the hardest lay-readable sci-fi I know of. Greg Egan is (much) harder but his books require explanatory lectures and relatively deep knowledge of fairly obscure topics. I find them very hard going a lot of the time but he does have some interesting ideas. Baxter is a better writer in terms of being able to structure a story, imo. Start with the Xeelee sequence, but it's all good.
If you define hard sci fi as basically not involving entirely magical explanations for stuff then the recommend list broadens somewhat. Peter F Hamilton is always worth a look. Neal Asher is good (his earlier things lean a bit more biological, like Watts). Asher's Cowl is one of the better time travel stories I know of and time travel is tough to do "hard" . Alistair Reynolds has already been mentioned and is very good. Adrian Tsaikovsky is great - start with Children of Time, it's one of my all time favourite books of any genre.
There's also always the classics. Arthur C Clarke. Larry Niven. Poul Anderson. Heinlein I think is overrated and his politics are not to my taste, but lots of people do get on with his stuff. Asimov is a great ideas guy but dreadfully dry to read. Good for short stories if you like short stories.
I'm not sure Iain M Banks qualifies as hard sci-fi, although he may, but his Culture series is superb and I will always recommend it. In the same vein anything by Ann Leckie.
This is an excellent recommendation. I love the Teixcalaan series. Hoping for more soon! She also touches on city planning, which is a rare topic for sci-fi. There's a Teixcalaan name generator which is useful if you need names for devices.
Martine's most recent book, Rose/House is also well worth a read. American Gothic Police Procedural Architectural Sci-fi is not a niche genre I knew existed.