bouvin

A far simpler geoengineering approach would be to stop emitting so much CO₂.

Indeed. I regard wind turbines as striking kinetic sculptures in the landscape.

As usual, Zach Weinersmith got it right [1]

[1] https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/poetry-2

I have been using MQTT for years in my IoT courses – it has proven to be a very versatile tool, and it is convenient that it is also supported over web sockets.

Earplugs lower the volume, they do not cut the sound completely.

Good earplugs (I use Etymotics myself) can do this without affecting the sound quality, making concerts enjoyable and safe.

Ah, the good old days, where hooking up a parallel cable between two PCs and running LapLink was a power move [1]…

[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31013707

I use one of the small plug'n'play displays (well, nearly – you run a script) for my Pihole RPi to show stats and state. For mere interactive work, I have found that tablet displays packaged in a case from Aliexpress work nicely.

I think there is a wide consensus that Consider Phlebas, though first, is not the ideal starting point for Banks' Culture series. The plot is meandering, and compared to later books, it is clear that Banks had not yet quite found the form that would be so impressive later on. I usually recommend The Player of Games, or alternatively, depending on the reader, Use of Weapons as starting points.

It is however a good idea, having read other Culture books, to read Consider Phlebas before beginning Look to Windward, as there is a connection between the two.

I was myself taught Computer Architecture in 1991 using the Tanenbaum SCO book, and many years later taught the Computer Architecture course for four years using the SCO book (a later edition, but still!). A true classic, and if anything, it is a wonder that Tanenbaum had not already received the award.

It was introduced a few years ago in Denmark with good results, too. Companies that lease out cars complained a bit, but I suppose they have since learned to be more careful when issuing vehicles to punters. This, of course, also applies to people who just lend out their cars – you really want to ensure that it will be driven responsible.

Fascinating. Interesting to hear the differentiation in severity in the same class of error.

Though a bit disappointing that there is no machine that goes PING! [1]

[1] https://youtu.be/VQPIdZvoV4g?si=Ov4AuyKgeKtmYmz9

Indeed, this is a pet peeve of mine as well. If the silly notion of Roko’s Basilisk has any merit, I wouldn’t want to be that guy. Besides, transversing an unstable or uneven surface would seem to be a better test, anyway.

I do however find it amusing that it is also apparently a requirement for a humanoid robot to stand up in the most uncanny way possible.

I quite like it.

There was going to be an uncanny valley regardless, and BD clearly decided to lean into it.

Quin finishes her DC generator and charges her phone with her self built steam engine.

Thirded – it is a stunning, haunting work. The author, Kate Beaton, was previously probably best known for her (also award winning) 'Hark! A Vagrant' web comic [1,2].

[1] http://www.harkavagrant.com

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hark!_A_Vagrant

Alexander the ok did a fairly detailed video on this a few days ago [1].

[1] https://youtu.be/YpruA5mC7wg?si=nQdHoak_5grmiepg

Looks pretty cool, though it is not quite Slow Glass [1].

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_of_Other_Days

The real beauty is that ants do not have overlords – their intelligent behaviour is emergent, not centrally controlled.

I love the books as well (especially in my very nice Folio Society edition).

As for the impossible naval jargon, I found it amusing to see the movie in (Danish) cinema, where the incomprehensible naval terminology was replaced in the subtitles with… incomprehensible Danish naval terminology.

That goes some way to explain how Peter Jackson can have such a significant WWI collection [1].

[1] https://youtu.be/7gmZ9X9Aplk

'Bottom 75 list'?

You have not read much SF, have you? Sturgeon's Law [1] was created for a reason. If you think this is as bad as SF gets, I turn your attention to Robert A. Heinlein's "To Sail Beyond the Sunset".

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sturgeon's_law

Any SF list is incomplete without him! However, he was never New Wave, which this list is.

I am a longtime devotee of Lovecraft. For a deep dive into the man's life, I direct your attention to the Voluminous podcast [1], which covers a bit of H.P. Lovecraft's extensive correspondence. He was a fascinating character, simultaneously infuriating, repugnant, intellectual, sympathetic, and kind. When he wrote at his best, he was exceptionally good.

I lean more towards the belief that what was created between Lovecraft and his friends regarding their shared universe while Lovecraft was alive is superior to what came later. Subsequent revisions introduced elements like order, good vs. evil, etc., which, in my opinion, are fundamentally at odds with the incomprehensibility of cosmic horror.

These days, of course, Cthulhu seems more suited to a pair of plush slippers.

[1] https://www.hplhs.org/voluminous.php

"overhead, without any fuss, the stars were going out."

For ground-based telescopes, I am continually impressed with what amateur astronomers construct in their back gardens, e.g., https://youtu.be/tFZVmVRItbg

Link?

One of my fondest memories as a summer student at CERN in 1993 (in the Electronics and Computing for Physics department) was the visit to the basement beneath the main computing facility, where a colossal tape robot was in operation. Even at that time, CERN was grappling with exceedingly vast amounts of data.

Heaven forbid that all conversations should not be about the USA.