#Nice to see they also think AI is stupid in China

[xtruss]

Texas Bentley’s Top 10 Predictions For 2024

I put on my Swami hat and my Guru suit, met with the Shamans, and consulted AI. I crunched all the data, checked all the facts, consulted all the "experts", and analyzed the results. And here they are - Texas Bentley's Top Ten Predictions for 2024 (and beyond).

#10 - Vladimir Putin Will Be Re-elected as Russia's President

Yeah, I know that's not an especially astute or amazing revelation (we'll get to those later) but it is an absolute slam-dunk guaranteed-to-be-correct prediction, which ensures, at least, that I won't get them all wrong. Of course, I could have predicted with equal certainty that the Sun will rise in the morning, but that is not completely certain. A giant meteor could smash the Earth into pieces tonight, or the Sun itself could explode before tomorrow. It's possible. But barring either of these two possible events, it is absolutely certain that Putin will be re-elected in 2024. It's also nice to start off with some good news, since there's not going to be a lot of that in the near future. Which brings us to my next prediction...

#9 - Things Will Get Worse Before They Get Better

Most people who have been keeping up with the news, and whose understanding of history extends beyond last Saturday night, probably already know this, but that particular set of people is a very small minority in the West, especially in the USA. Those who think that voting will change anything, or that there's any chance that the governments and the ones who own and control them will loosen their grips on the collective throat of Humanity have a naive and ahistorical world view that, to be honest, is a big part of the problem.

There can hardly be any credible argument against the fact that in the 21st century, for people throughout most of the world, things have not only gotten worse, they've gotten much worse. Those who say their rulers are "stupid" because of this fact, miss the whole point. Their rulers are not stupid, they are doing it on purpose, and will continue to do so, unless and until we stop them. Voting will not do it, singing songs and carrying signs will not do it. Posting the sad face emoji on Facebook will not do it.

If you want to try to make things better, you will have to pass through a crucible of fire, from which there's no guarantee you'll make it to the other side. But it is guaranteed that if you're not willing to go there, you'll never see the other side. And you will sit and wait to get what you deserve. If you want to know how to do it and what must be done, ask the Houthis, ask the people of Palestine, Iran and Syria, ask the people of Cuba and the people of Donbass. They know, and they are doing it, right now, today. Take a lesson from them. Speaking of which...

#8 - The Shia Axis of Resistance Will Not Back Down

The harder the US/UK/EU and Israeli forces hit the Axis of Resistance, the harder they will hit back. NATO forces are laughably unprepared for a conventional military confrontation in the Middle East or anywhere else. However, they are nuclear armed, experts at dirty tricks, and there is no moral line they will not cross to cling to power or slaughter those who resist them. They have already proven it themselves, by their actions in Gaza and elsewhere. Iran has stated officially that they do not possess, nor seek to possess, nuclear weapons, because those types of weapons are immoral and repugnant to God and Humanity. If attacked, they will use every weapon at their disposal to defend themselves, and they will fight to the end, without hesitation.

#7 - NATO Will Soon Involve Itself in a Multi-front War

In Ukraine, in the Middle East, domestically in Europe and North America, for sure, and probably with China too. Within a year from now, the countries of NATO will be in a kinetic shooting war in most, if not all, of these places. And they will be getting their butts kicked, on all Fronts. just like they have in Ukraine. The Houthis have already defeated the US-backed invasion on the ground in Yemen, and they have proven their ability and willingness to hit targets in the Red Sea. What the Houthis have done in the Red Sea, Iran can do in the Persian Gulf. The logistics alone make it impossible for the US/EU to win, but their naval and commercial ships will be sitting ducks for Iranian and Houthi missiles, in the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf, and treated accordingly.

NATO's misadventures in Ukraine have absolutely depleted both the military and economic reserves of the US and EU, and Russia has proven that they cannot be beaten, even by the full power of NATO, in a war using conventional weapons in Ukraine. So NATO will use their unconventional weapons - nuclear, biological and chemical. They have done it before, they will do it again.

The farmer's uprisings going on throughout Europe will only grow in both size and intensity, as will the confrontation between Texas (plus the 25 states that support Texas) and the US federal government. In France, the police are literally handing out chocolate to the farmers who have blockaded Paris, dumped manure in front of government buildings and burned trucks with foreign produce. These are extremely militant actions, violent felonies, and it is only because of the fear on the part of the government and police that an equally violent reaction has not occurred. They will, but not yet, and not in the traditional form of suppressing uprisings. The NATO Nazis will use nuclear weapons on the foreign Fronts, and biological weapons against their own citizens domestically. You have been warned.

The same goes for the "Dis-united" States. The conflict between the "Liberals" and "Conservatives" has now gone far beyond any possible peaceful political resolution. There will be another US Civil War. It may not be sparked by the current confrontation on the Mexican border, but most certainly, it will begin shortly after the upcoming US "election", which will again be rigged, and more obviously and blatantly than ever. On purpose.

#6 - Genocide and War Crimes Will Continue and Increase, in Gaza and Elsewhere

The horrific slaughter and war crimes in Gaza are not primarily about "defeating Hamas" or even stealing the last remaining land from the Palestinian People. The main purpose of the genocide in Gaza is to move the Overton Window to a place where genocide becomes not only acceptable, but unremarkable and commonplace. Soon, they will do in the US and Europe what they are now doing in Gaza. The current death toll in Gaza from bombing and shooting, of mostly civilians by the IDF stands at 27,000 as of today.

Tomorrow, it will be higher still, but that number will soon be eclipsed by the number of deaths from famine and disease caused by the Israeli blockade and the failure of any international response to prevent it. Israel and its lackeys in the US and EU have laughed in the faces of the ICJ and UN, proving the collusion and abject impotence of international law. What is the use of "international law" if it is not enforced? It is totally useless and incapable of being used to prevent the ongoing slaughter in Gaza, and the multiple genocides that are on the horizon across the globe.

Economic sanctions and blockades of humanitarian supplies are every bit as deadly as missiles, bombs and bullets. Who can forget the half million Iraqi children murdered by US economic sanctions against Iraq under the Clinton regime, that Madeleine Albright said "were worth it"? Quite a few, apparently. But they forget at their peril - The blockade of Iraq, like the blockade of Gaza, are examples of what's to come, genocide by depriving millions, or billions, of people of food, water, medicine, electricity, transportation, communication, everything, in fact, that is required to sustain life, that will be used against all areas and people that oppose the Nazis of the 21st century, including in the US and Europe.

Death by starvation is the worst possible death that there is. It is slow and painful, humiliating, and creates a mad desperation in which people become willing to sell their children or their souls for a cup of gruel or a handful of Soylent Green. And this is exactly the weapon that will be used by 21st century Nazis, but it is not the only one. Nuclear and chemical weapons will be used on the battlefields of Ukraine and the Middle East, and biological weapons will be unleashed not only against foreign adversaries, but also domestically.

#5 - The War Will Be Global, and It Will Be Based on Economic Status, Not Nationality

The war will not be between nations, it will be a war of the Parasite Class, the "Golden Billion" that exists in every nation on Earth, against the majority of Humanity. Famine, pestilence (disease), and military conflict will be the main methods used to depopulate the planet of the majority of its human inhabitants. This war has already begun, and as in chess, we are now entering the Middle Game, where all the death and destruction take place. After the Middle Game comes the End Game, and the world will be vastly different for those few who will be left when they get there.

#4 - Trump Will Not Be the Next US President

In the 21st century, only idiots vote in the US. Same goes for Europe. The US "elections" in the last few decades have been marked by a blatant and impudent fraudulence, as if it were being done openly and intentionally, just to rub it in the faces of the chumps who still vote, who continue to believe they could win in a crooked game of 3 card monte. Which is exactly the case. Even though Trump is just another huckster and servant of the Parasite Class, he has zero chance of being again, for the third time, elected US President, or at least of taking the office, which is all that counts.

Even if he doesn't have a "heart attack" or suddenly succumb to some mysterious form of "turbo cancer", or "accidentally" fall off the balcony of his penthouse on the 54th floor, he currently stands indicted on 91 felony charges in four separate court cases. And though being indicted, convicted or even actually being in prison does not preclude one from running for, or even being elected President, being in prison does prevent one from actually moving into the White House. And Dandy Donny Trump ain't no Eugene Debs.

There are four charges against Trump, having to do with the J6 "insurrection", that in fact do prevent anyone who is convicted of them from holding office. Trump already had the 2020 election stolen from him, and he took it like a punk, and didn't do anything about it when he had the chance. How can anyone believe he would do anything different if he gets punked again? Besides, Trump and the Republicans are owned and controlled by the same scum who own and control Biden and the Democrats. They will decide who moves into the White House on January 20th, 2025, and you can bet, it won't be Trump. Or Biden.

#3 - Biden Will Not Be the Next US President. He Won't Even Run

Biden can't even walk, so how can he run? He slithered into the White House after a rigged and stolen election, and proceeded to ensconce the most corrupt, contemptible and humiliating presidential administration in US history. No competent person can deny or even question the obvious fact that Biden is not capable enough to bathe himself, much less be President. And while Biden may not have as many felony charges as Trump has, if there was any justice at all left in the USA, (there isn't) Biden's degenerate drug addict sex pervert son would be facing a number of charges that would make Trump's 91 felony charges look like a parking ticket. (He won't.)

Because, of course, one of Biden's cronies, hand-picked by those who own and control both parties and the entire US government, will be installed in the White House to make sure all Hunter's charges simply "go away". If actually charged for the multitude of crimes which are already irrefutably proven by the evidence on his infamous laptop, Hunter Biden can be counted on to sing like a canary and squeal like a pig on anyone and everyone, including his own senile father, at even the first thought of jail time.

There's no chance he could even handle a few weeks or months in jail. He must have protection from the very top, and only the White House can provide that kind of protection. And obviously, it has worked so far, so it will continue to work again. The next US President can't be a Republican, they would put Hunter on trial, just as the Democrats have done to Trump. And Hunter Biden knows as much as Epstein, and cannot be allowed to talk. The next President has to be a Democrat, which is exactly what it's going to be. Biden will not be re-elected, because he won't even run. Nor will the cackling harpy, Vice-President Harris. They, like Hunter's felony charges, will simply "go away", swept into the dustbin of history like a wad of used kleenex.

The non-entities who make up the top ten Democratic contenders for US President in 2024 are an insipid tribe of political pygmies and perennial losers who are about as important and inspiring as the aforementioned kleenex. No sane person would vote for any of them. And none of them will be President in January 2025. Nor will any of the sold out mob of craven lickspittles that make up the rat's nest collection of Republican candidates (including the lead contender against Trump, Nicky Haley, who is currently trailing 20 percentage points behind "None of the Above" in the Nevada Republican primaries) look. But The Powers That Be have already decided that it won't be a Republican, (it won't) it will be a Democrat (it will) who moves into the White House next year. But it won't be any of those listed above. Read on, I will tell you exactly who it will be. Brace yourselves.

#2 - The Next US President Will Be... Mobomba!!!

"Mobomba", is an amalgamation of "Michelle" and "Obomba", Barack Obama's well-earned nickname, as the "drone killer" President, who personally authorised 540 lethal drone attacks that killed at least 3,797 people, of whom at least 10% were innocent civilians, including at least one teenage US citizen. In exactly the same way that Dick Cheney was the shot-caller behind Bush Junior, and as Bush Senior called the shots behind Ronald Reagan, Barack Obama is now coming to the end of his third term as de facto President of the USA, the one who has been hiding behind the curtain and making every decision of the Biden regime all along. Obomba's work has again proven satisfactory to his masters, so shortly will begin his fourth term, hiding in the wings behind his spouse, "Michelle", (who may or may not have been born an actual biological female) and will soon be the next President of the USA. Take it to the bank, and remember you first heard it here.

I was born in 1960, I remember when JFK was murdered, and since then, every US President has been worse than the one before. This trend will continue with the selection of Mobomba. The 2024 US Presidential "election" is a freak show distraction for the rubes who still think that voting means anything in the 21st century USA. Meanwhile, it's all already been decided, and things will go on as usual. The rich will get richer, the ultra-rich parasites will continue to get ultra-richer, and the hard working and long suffering majority of Humanity will continue to be targeted for extermination and ground into the dust, through poverty, pestilence, famine and war. Mobomba will not only be the worst President in US history, they (pronoun is correct) will go down as the most malignant despot in human history. Caligula, Vlad the Impaler (who was Romanian, not Russian), Hitler. Mobomba. The Antichrist. And now, folks, for the Number One Texas Bentley Top Ten Prediction for 2024... (Drum roll, please.)

#1 - Everything Will Still Be Ok

Things are going to get worse, much, much worse, and they will probably never get better. You and all those you love will probably suffer more than you could ever imagine, and then you will die. The next few decades will probably be, barring a miracle, the most horrific in all of recorded human history. Famine, plague, World War Three. The reign of the Antichrist. The extermination, like insects, of the vast majority of Humanity, folks like you and me. All brought on, on purpose, by genuinely satanic forces in human form. No one gets out alive.

But don't worry too much about it. Just keep on keepin' on. Don't sell your soul, don't betray your Humanity. We can't save the world, it's already too late for that. But we can still save our own souls, by doing everything we can to try and save the world, being on the right side of truth and justice and Humanity, fighting against the demons in this world, putting them out of their misery when we can. And in the end, that's what counts - that we tried. You know, like Don Quixote's Impossible Dream. Obviously, the devil is real, and here now. You can literally see him in the faces of Klaus Schwab and Bill Gates, Chrystia Freeland and Victoria Nuland, and in their every action. But if the devil is real, then that means God must also be real. And He is. Remember that. Don't just believe it, understand it. That everything we do in this life, good or evil, right or wrong, comes back to us in equal measure. Everything. And what could be more beautiful than that? This is not the only world, and this is not the only life. As my homeboy Bill Hicks used to say, "It's just a ride." We will all get to the end of it, and then beyond. And get everything we deserve. Be brave, be good, say your prayers, trust in God.

— By Russell Bentley | Sputnik International | February 05, 2024

[amberwild420]

one step back, two steps forward (pt. 1)

Masterlist

Paris, the city of love

 Since the return of Lila the liar, Marinette has been feeling the downhill ride of the life at its fullest. Sure she threatened her to take away her friends and to make her life as miserable as possible but Marinette knew that there is no way that her friends who had known her longer can believe such ridiculous lies.

  Well…….that’s what she thought.

  She overestimated her friends or rather her ex-friends.

  They not only left her behind, but she also become a bully, thief, a cheater and an overall bad person.

  Like what?

 Now not only is she alone sitting in the last but she has to be bullied and humiliated because apparently she is bullying and making fun of the sweet innocent Lila.

  Like what?

  And Adrien. Oh sweet naïve Adrian just let her keep quiet. He said he had her back but when she realized how coward and spineless he was, her crush on him was gone like wind. And to add insult to injury, she may or may not have accidently found out that he was also chat noir.

  Like what?

  And not to forget miss bustier. Oh sweet miss bustier, she seriously need to take lessons on how to deal with bullies or she should choose a better profession. Because if she preached about setting a good example one more time she will do something that future Marinette would  regret.

  And Alya her supposed best friend just left her as soon as her blog rating went up because of a certain liar. Well and that she has always been brash but became quite temperamental after Lila trapped her in her web of lies. She tried, he really tried but she had no chance. Nino and Kim who knew her from childhood took the word from a liar. And max. Oh the smart max who made an AI with emotions had believed that a napkin can gouge his eyes out even when he was wearing glasses.

  Like what?!

  Thankfully she didn’t had to deal with Chloe these days. Well she was rather quieter these days. Not talking or taunting to anyone. Well a good thing that came from all this. She didn’t think she could actually bear two ways trouble right now.

  She had to deal with the akuma at 4 am and chat was nowhere as always. But she was thankful that he didn’t came. It was not like he was being helpful anyway.

 Miss bustier was late and Lila was spinning another tale of her adventure. She wanted to tune out the chatter but the door opened and miss bustier walked in with a girl. She was wearing a pink crop top with blue jeans and white sneakers.

Pale skin, long black hair that framed her face and yellow green eyes that looked at them with such an intensity that Marinette felt her hand twitching towards her sketchpad. She had so many ideas all of the sudden, she need to jolt it down.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Class meet Kaylan. She will be joining us for the rest of the year. Make her feel welcomed.

Irritating and incompetent.

The only words that echoed her mind when she met her teacher. Caline Bustier has no control over class. Like how the hell she can tame students with this idealistic temperament. Kayla knew she was right when she entered the class. When her teacher turned to her expectedly, she decided to be polite and introduced herself.

My name is Kaylan fox. I moved from New York City recently. It’s nice to meet you. 

It was just then a girl with sausage hair talking loudly.

Oh New York! It reminds me when I met Tylor swift last summer. She even gave me her new album with her autograph because she felt I deserve it when I accidently gave her the idea for her song.

 Is she serious? That is just an outrageous claim. There’s no way anyone would believe that.

 That’s so cool Lila.

 Yeah! You have to give me all the deeds.

 I wish I could meet her one time.

 The hell? They actually believed that?!

 Are you kidding? You’re actually believing that?

 She couldn’t help but speak up. There is no way like no way anyone even the most stupid person could believe that.

 The girl with sausage then suddenly burst into tears.

 Why do you say that? Are you that jealous?

Excuse moi?

 The effect was immediate. The class apart from the girl in the pig tails started consoling the girl.

 How could you be so mean?

 You made Lila cry.

 You’re so horrible like that Mari trash.

 Kaylan felt her eye twitching. Like what is actually going on? Did she cross the time space and came to a new universe that had people stupider than her expected level?

She looked at the teacher but was even more surprised when she was giving a look to the girl in the pigtails that said “stop them”.

 So incompetent. So fucking incompetent!

The class glared at the new girl who dare to talk but shivered at her bone chilling return glare. Like hell she would let some brats push her around. She trained, tired herself to bones to be stronger than that scum, there is no way she can let some skinny kids take her down.

I actually don’t care about what people are talking about but I do care when they name drop the celebrities.

The silence broke when a dark skinned girl with glasses stood up showing her fiery temper.

 How can you be so sure? Where is your proof?

 Raising her eyebrow, Kaylan pulled her phone from the pocket and typed. Then she started reading out loud.

(it’s a fake news, I just winged it myself so no need to correct it. it’s fanfiction.)

Tylor Swift seen in Hawaii this summer. Many fans have been theorizing she may be here for her new album. But the claims haven’t stand corrected still since then haven’t seen anyone from our usual cast. It seems like that Tylor is on a vacation. Sorry fans.’

And this is the news article from the last year summer. You were saying.

  She deadpanned at the girls who looked lost.

The sausage haired girl looked livid. With a cold smirk she leaned into the sausage haired girl.

 Hon. You’re so fake that even china would deny they ever made you. But to have some people follow you, I’ll give that much of a credit.

 Saying so she made her way to the last where the girl with pig tails was sitting. On the bench beside was a blond who looked at her from the corner of the eye but looked forward when miss bustier started her lesson, a bit flustered.

 Hi! I’m Marinette. Class representative.

Kaylan.

  I must say that was nice. You know, to see that someone can actually look through her lies.

 You know she was lying and didn’t tell them?

 Before she could stop, words pour out of her mouth. Marinette winced, so did she.

 Sorry, that came out rude.

 No it’s not a problem. They just don’t believe me at all.

 I can see why.

  Before they could talk anymore, miss Bustier interrupted them.

Kaylan, please focus in the class.

 I do have my focus in the class. But it seems like you don’t, considering that the sausage hair and  miss tabloid is still talking rather loudly and you just pointed me out instead.

A certain glint passed her eyes before a smirk made her way to her lips. The expression on her face made several people shiver.

 We don’t want some extra nasty rumor spreading in the school about what happens in the class. Now do we.

  The way Kaylan said that made many people shiver.

Marinette sighed in relief. she suddenly felt like having a safety amulet. 

Marinette felt badly for thinking like this but from the time her friends had left her she felt unsafe all the time. So this was a good feeling.

maybe she should treat her with best pastries. she really had a good feeling about today.

Its definitely a good day.

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[roses-are-blue16]

Novels-Random order

Novelupdates.com for more info about anything -> Back to Masterpost

Fave: 5/5

Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation/Mo Dao Zu Shi

Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Historical, Mystery, Romance, Shounen Ai/Yaoi Other Unofficial tags: Smart Protagonist, Shameless Protagonist, Smart ML, Love interest falls first, Devoted Love Interest,  beautiful couple, power couple, wuxia, interesting supporting characters    

Status: Ongoing 

Art: 1 2 3 4 5 

Other things: there is an Manhua & Donghua out, all posts tagged by name here

Official Summary: As the grandmaster who founded demonic cultivation, Wei WuXian roamed the world in his wanton ways, hated by millions for the chaos he created. In the end, he was backstabbed by his dearest shidi and killed by powerful clans that combined to overpower him.He incarnates into the body of a lunatic who was abandoned by his clan and is later, unwillingly, taken away by a famous cultivator among the sects—Lan WangJi, his archenemy.This marks the start of a thrilling yet hilarious journey of attacking monsters, solving mysteries, and raising children. From the mutual flirtation along the way, Wei WuXian slowly realizes that Lan WangJi, a seemingly haughty and indifferent poker-face, holds more feelings for Wei WuXian than he is letting on…

My Thoughts: First chinese novel I stumbled upon and I fell in love with. To me everything about this story is absolutely perfect, from characters, to plot, romance, mystery and worldbuilding...everything was so unique and beautiful. And the translation group Exiled Rebels does an excellent job portraying it in english as best they can. There are some hurdles tho: for example if you haven’t read any chinese novels before you have to adjust to terminology a lot- especially names (everyone has like three names). So if you’re like me who stumbled into it with no idea what expect you’ll probably get confused a lot but if you stick out you’ll get used to it and rereading the first few chapters later after adjusting is probably a good tip. Unlike other BL/Yaoi stories that I’ve seen (mostly japanese manga) the romance actually blends and makes sense; and not fetishized or forced, even if you don’t like the genre it won’t get in the way of the story (especially with china’s censorship).    

   2.  The Legend of the Sun Knight 

Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Mystery  Other Unofficial Tags: Shameless Protagonist, Anti-Hero Protagonist, Strategy, Hilarious interactions, War, Neocromancy, Leader, Loyalty, Elemental Magic, Black-Bellied Protagonist, Demons, Sarcasm abound

Status: Complete  Other things: Manga-(Discontinued?) 

Official Summary: I am a knight. To be precise, I am the Church of the God of Light’s Sun Knight.The Church of the God of Light worships and serves the God of Light, and theirs’ is one of the three largest religions on this continent.As the whole continent knows, the Church of the God of Light has the Twelve Holy Knights, and each one has his own unique personality and features.To be the Sun Knight is to have shining golden hair, sky blue eyes, a compassionate nature, and a brilliant smile.“The benevolent God of Light will forgive your sins.”I must have said that line at least a million times in my time as the Sun Knight.However, the greatest wish in my life is to be able to stand before the entire continent and roar, “Damn your ‘the whole continent knows’! This Sun Knight just doesn’t feel like smiling! I just don’t want to forgive these human trashes! I just want to pepper my sentences with ‘f***’!”Unfortunately, even to this day, I continue to wear a smile as I say, “The benevolent God of Light will forgive your sins.”

My Thoughts: Actually read this years ago (5-6?), and I always thought it was a japanese novel but I guess it isn't(?)-anyways not important. This story was absolutely hilarious, you won’t meet a more entertaining guy.  The contrast between how he’s forced to act as the leader of the religion- belevont, kind, smiling, pure- is the total opposite of his real personality so much so that it gave a shock (of pure delight) cuz of the drastic inner and outer faces. There’s 12 knights in total ,each is totally unique and you get introduced to them super fast. There is different conflicts that occur, that fall on Grisia’s ( the mc) shoulder to solve as he is the leader and while it starts off lighthearted, in the end some serious stuff occurs. This is a very warm hearted story about brotherhood i think overall. (Also heard that Grisia falls into the legendary trinity of shameless protagonist: Wei Wuxian from GDC is one of them and I agree lol). Very unique storytelling, it twists all kinds of classic tropes and plays with them, overall a very fun read.

   3. Eight Treasures Trousseau 

Genre: Historical, Josei, Romance, Drama Other Unofficial Tags: Arranged Marriage, Calm/Lazy Protagonist, Ambitious ML, Politics, Power Couple, Royalty, Doting Love Interest, Beautiful Couple 

Status: Complete

Official Summary: Everyone in the City of Jing thinks that bestowment of marriage between Xian Junwang and the daughter of the Yi’an Marquis House is to insert a fresh flower into manure.Xian Junwang was that fresh flower and the di daughter of Yi’an Marquis House was that manure that was not liked.It is said that what is heard is false, seeing is believing. Who knows what the truth really is?

My Thoughts: A really nice story set in Ancient China, and in my opinion the best one written. The story has both the female lead and male lead on pretty equal field in terms of their relationship, you won’t see any weak-willed person in this couple. This story also portrayed realistically the difficulties of living in Ancient China as a woman, by showing us many different kinds of people. The villains make you feel complicated emotions even when you hate them, which shows you great storytelling. No-one is excessively stupid and the mc is just stomping over them with her “cleverness” in this story which I liked. The MC is actually very lazy and this gave the story a very relaxed feel, which lead to time just flying by. I’ve just recently reread it which rare for me to do.  

   4.  A Slight Smile is Very Charming  -Side Stories

Genre: Romance, Comedy,Josei,School Life, Slice of Life   Other Unofficial Tags: MMORPG, Gamers, College/University, Power Couple, Beautiful Female Lead, Handsome Male Lead, Smart Couple

Status: Complete 

Other things: Adapted to a drama: Love 020

Official Summary:What is it that makes a man fall in love with a woman at first sight? Appearance? Aura? Wealth? NO, when campus prince and gaming expert, student Xiao Nai first saw Bei Wei Wei, what made him fall in love was not her extraordinary beauty; but her slim and slender fingers that were flying across the keyboard and her calm and composed manner!!! Embarrassing, no?At the same time, gaming expert Bei Wei Wei was on the computer methodically commanding a guild war, and won a perfect and glorious victory despite being at a disadvantage; completely unaware of the fact that cupid is nearby.Soon after basketball player; swimmer; all-around excellent student; and game company president, Xiao Nai, uses tactics both on- and offline to capture this beauty’s heart. Therefore this romance slowly bloomed.

My Thoughts: This is a very quick, lighthearted story. It gets straight to the point with no drama, if you just want a nice, quick romance to read then I highly recommend. When I was debating whether to read it or not, one of the reviewers on novelupdates said it had a drama, and I usually hate drama’s but they recommended it, so I went to check it out before I started reading and I surprisingly loved it. I usually hate cheesy but they managed to pull it off real well, so I was squealing and cringing at the same time (lol), it’s probably because the actors are really good looking so you can’t help but let it slide. The drama added some drama not a lot but some to the story. When I went back and read the novel I realized how quick it was compared to the drama. I recommended both honestly, if you’re looking for some fun. 

   5. Rebirth of a SuperModel

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance, Slice of Life, Yaoi  Other Unofficial Tags: ShowBiz, Transmigration, Black-Belly Protagonist, Love Interest Falls First, Clever Couple, Talented Couple, Power Couple, Celebrities, Acting, Media 

Status: Complete    

Official Summary: In his past life, Ming Yu struggled in the European and United States fashion circles, eventually becoming the well deserved king of the catwalk.After dying from a serious illness and being reborn, Ming Yu was surprised to find: Huaxia stars shone brightly, there were successful names everywhere!In this better world, on a more vigorous and brilliant stage, the first supermodel tries to reproduce the glory of another world! Interviewer: May I ask Mr Xi, this year Ming Yu said he would surpass you. As the number one global supermodel, what is your opinion on this? Xi Ze: This is a bad question. My family has very strict rules. Home Owner Ming Yu: …….  The pair of black-hearted husbands will sweep the fashion industry, conquering the world. 

My Thoughts: A really fresh story, I never got bored. It focuses more on the MC and his rise as a supermodel, and sprinkles in the romance with ML. While reading it (before it got completed), it felt like me and other readers were cheering on the MC as fans as well, which was a lot of fun. I’ve read some other showbiz transmigration stories but I got annoyed or bored real fast, this one I found real fun, no matter how many days until the next chapter you could pick it up and feel happy. Some things people might not like: there a lot of photoshoot scenes (he is a model) so some might get tired of that, but they go by pretty quick. While MC was the number one model in his old world, it doesn’t make him OP, he has his own flaws and he grows a lot which makes him more interesting. 

   6.     Sansheng, Wangchuan Wu Shang

Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Josei, Romance, Supernatural, Tragedy   Other Unofficial Tags: Goddess, Gods, Mythology, Heavenly Tribulations, Honest Protagonist, Protagonist loyal to Love Interest, Reincarnation, Beautiful Couple  

Status: Complete

Official Summary:  This is a story that follows the courtship between a stone from Hell and a god from Heaven that begins in the underworld and spans for three lifetimes in the mortal realm.

My Thoughts: Honestly was suprised how much I liked it. Despite the MC being naive, and ready to throw it all away for the ML, you can’t hate her. This a very fast story (about 15 chapter and 3 bonus stories), which adds to its charm. If it was longer I might have not liked it as much. There are overwhelmingly positive reviews about this story on novel updates which made me give this story a chance and I agree with them. If you like romance definitely check this out.   

    6.  The Earth is Online 

Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, Psychological, Sci-Fi, Supernatural, Shounen Ai/Yaoi   Other Unofficial Tags: Game Elements, Thriller,  Survival Game, Special Abilities, Calm Protagonist, Clever Protagonist, Slow Romance, Modern Day

Status: Complete       

Official Summary: Six months ago, tens of thousands of black phantom towers appeared all over the world, floating above the cities. Chemists, physicists, religious people… all of them could do nothing.Six months later, people became used to the towers and no longer paid them attention.One day, Tang Mo saw a flying insect crash into it instead of going through it. The next day, a sharp and clear child-like voice issued an announcement to all humans. “Ding dong! November 15th, 2017. The earth is online.”  The black tower’s three iron-clad rules: 1. Everything is explained by the black tower. 2. 6 o’clock to 18 o’clock is the game time. 3. All players, please strive to attack the tower.

My Thoughts: You won’t find a story more unique than this. I doubt there’s anything similar to this story. Something that might come close might be the manga Tomodachi Game, but that's only the doing games for survival bit. I don’t know how the author came up with this, the games are so smart, that you may feel like you’re getting smarter by the end of it or that you’re IQ is hopelessly low. And it’s not the fact that rules are ridiculous and don't follow logic either, when the answers are revealed they make sense.. Honestly reading this I’m glad something like (probably ;) ) won’t happen because I doubt I would survive. I have a real admiration for the author for coming up with this. The story is good at keeping you wary and on edge that something is going to happen at any moment. Some issues?: The romance was so so slow burning that it became a background character, and there wasn’t a big payoff moment like the author gave us this weird analogy when they finally did the deed, that I was burning with indignation, just thinking about it pisses me off, but it probably has to do with the censorship in china. Also there were too much straight explanations that kinda got annoying but could be ignored. I think with how well the author set up the survival element that you could ignore the flaws pretty quickly. So glad I found this novel.      

   7.  Quickly Wear the Face of the Devil - Side Stories

Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi, Yaoi Other Unofficial Tags: Acting, Apocalypse, Artificial Intelligence, Episodic, Mob Protagonist, System, Virtual Reality, Cunning Protagonist, Devoted Love Interest, Possessive Characters, Hacker

Status: Complete       

Official Summary: A top hacker was chosen by the Lord God to be reborn into countless worlds, always as an expendable villain.With no free will, every world became a dead end. Every one of his lives ended tragically. Finally, after wresting control of the Villain System, this ace hacker decided to enact revenge. Even if his very bones were rotten, he’d choose to occupy the very heights of morality, if only on the surface.Thus, he would change his fate as an abused slag.

My Thoughts: If you’re on novelupdates you’ll hear about this story at some point, it has become infamous on the site. And for good reason, this is the top written System transmigration into multiple world stories, or just system stories. There a multiple worlds and each one has it’s own flavor you’ll definitely have your favorites. It’s a very fun story to read and if you’re new to system stories like I was when I read this, you’ll inevitably compare all others to this one.  

    8.  The Rebirth of the Malicious Empress of Military Lineage

Genre: Historical, Josei, Martial Arts, Mature, Romance Other Unofficial Tags: Betrayal, Politics, Military, Royalty, Scheming, Revenge, Beautiful Female Lead, Handsome Male Lead, Cunning Couple, Slow Romance 

Status: Ongoing 

Official Summary:  Shen Miao, the Di daughter of a military lineage, pure, amiable, quiet and yielding, foolishly in love with Prince Ding, threw herself into the role of a wife. After assisting her husband for six years, she finally became the mother of the world (Empress).She accompanied him to fight for the country, flourished the country’s territory, took risks to become a hostage in another country. When she returned five years later, there was no place for her in the Inner Palace.The beauty in his arms smiled brightly, “Older sister, the country is stabilized so, you should retire.”Her daughter met with a violent death and her son the Crown Prince was deposed. Her Shen family who sacrificed themselves for the country and the Emperor, not a single one of them were lucky enough to escape. With the change of one dynasty, everything was overturned. Her clan perished and she had to mourn for her children.Shen Miao never thought that being a married couple who have gone through trials and tribulations and mutually assisted each other was just a stage joke to him! He said, “Seeing that you have followed Zhen for twenty years, Zhen will grant you an intact corpse. You should thank this kindness.”Under the three Chi (1 chi = 1/3 meter) of white silk, Shen Miao made a malicious vow: In the time to come, she will take part in each and everyone’s end!Upon rebirth, she returned to the time when she was fourteen, when the tragedy had yet to occur, her family was still alive and she was still the pure, amiable, quiet and yielding Di daughter of a military lineage. Relatives hiding a black heart, Elder and younger (female) cousins are ruthless and malicious, the new Yiniang is like a tiger watching its prey and the disreputable man who wants to repeat the events?Her family must be protected, the huge enmity must be avenged, the Imperial seat of the country must also be a part of the trophy. In this lifetime, let’s see who can beat the others!

My Thoughts: I’ve tired to read numerous novels with the reincarnating to get revenge trope and I’ve never been able to complete them for variety of reasons but ultimately it’s because they end up sucking. This novel however is like a ray of light for this trope. Whatever way you think she’s gonna resolve something you’ll never guess right. I’m always pleasantly suprised. That’s something I can say for the whole novel it’s always surprising even with the current chapters with story almost at a close we readers just got shocked yet again. You’ll definitely experience a variety of emotions watching the story unfold, right now I’m pulling a napkin between my teeth (please author put us out of this misery already T.T). I doubt you’ll be disappointed.    

Great: 

Everyone Thinks that I Like Him 

Genre: Comedy, Romance, School Life, Shounen Ai/Yaoi  Other Unofficial Tags: Uni, Dense Protagonist, Slow Romance 

Status: Complete 

Official Summary: From infancy to maturity, what Ye Zhou dislikes the most was “two”.The reasons were: he was ranked second at home, he had been forever ranked second at school, no matter how diligently he worked and tried, he couldn’t shake off that “second” curse. What was more exasperating was that, at University, not only was he ranked second, but even his appearance that he was proud of had to be classified as second best! Why can’t I obtain the first place!The eternal second will rise!Then, Ye Zhou, after his vigorous efforts finally rises and the result was… the first became his boyfriend.This is the story of a man who has been forced to be “second” and how he became the first, most popular.Protagonists: Ye Zhou, Shang Jin.

My Thoughts: Cute, Fluffy, Funny. As you can see there is no drama tag so if you’re looking for an explosive story this is not it. But it is a very realistic story especially in regards to the acceptance of the couple how it differs for the younger generation vs. the older generation. The story is very natural and the characters believable. If you a cute story this is it.  

    2.  Empress with no Virtue 

Genre: Adult, Comedy, Drama, Josei, Mature, Romance, Smut Other Unofficial Tags: Arranged Marriage, Bickering Couple, Politics, Misunderstandings, Politics, Royalty, Imperial Harem, Power Couple,

Status: Complete

Official Summary:  The free-spirited and brutally honest Ye Zhen Zhen was unwillingly chosen as Empress to the playboy Emperor Ji Wu Jiu. Their very first wedding night, she kicked the Emperor down from their bed and he sought out his concubine instead. This completely disastrous start was only the beginning of their eventful life together.

My Thoughts: Although not especially memorable, I enjoyed reading it. It was fun watching the couple act petty to one another. Honestly their relationship reminded me of boys pulling on pigtails to get the attention of their crush. There are a lot of funny and fluffy interactions, made for a fun read.   

tbc.... Posted 2/13/19

[seelestia]

“RIN ENERGY” LMAO WHAT AM I AN EVIL SPIRIT /j

alright okay sounds good, your cool literal mess cousin meirin here, yep that's me-

i can see it in my mind’s eye now. me and heizou talking and arguing about whether he’s able to guarantee your happiness. meanwhile you and zhongli are sitting on the side sipping tea and talking about how nice the weather is today…..

heizou tries to jumpscare you but you swoon over his pretty face instead lol iconic

uh huhhhhhhh 📹 alright sis…. so i’m hearing that you want ayato to call you princess and kiss your hand and swipe you off your feet eh? ;))

HMMMM realistically probably either mond or liyue… i adore liyue’s city, landscapes, and ost a whole lot!!! like…. i remember refusing to go to inazuma for a while cause i just wanted to explore liyue lol i prolly also have an attachment to it cause i’m 90% chinese but i never really got in touch with my ancestry that much (cause i don’t live in china). and there's also the fact that zhongli and xiao is there soooo 👀 what do you think your day-to-day life would be in mond or fontaine? c:

true true… yeh the probability is getting even smaller sobs BUT i mean i wouldn’t mind albedo!!! mono geo team when :D

hskfjsjdksjd ruin hunters my archenemy…. omg i’m now remembering the new type of ruin thingy on the sumeru trailer and i’m scared ;w; hubby pls come home i need shielder badly ueghksdhskdh

LOL it’s ok sweethearts i have two hands i can pat u both at the same time tho i regret to say that if zhongli wants headpats then both of my hands will be unavailable im sorry pat pat awe cuties <3

us normally: ☁️ (◕ᴗ◕✿) 🔆

us when zhongli & ayato enters the chat: 💓❤️‍🔥💓 (((✧ ᴗ ✧✿))) 💓❤️‍🔥💓

sis idk how to say this but if you keep up gathering evidences your album is gonna get full real soon bc i cannot and will not shut up about this man-

📹 ok down bad for ayato, yes yes… choose? why choose when you can have both??? hmmmm??? <3 /j

maybe tumblr’s blog-bonker ai hates zhongli and it’s bonking all the blogs with zhongli themes?????? smh that stupid bot has no class

HRLSFOWKKEE what i meant to say is that ask reeks of rin energy in a very very /pos way, hehe! i feel like if i call you an evil spirit, you'd let me sleep outside on the porch and i can't have that. (/lh)

no more family bonding time, it's an interview with the in-laws 😭 heizou may get smug and have too much power when he gets called pretty, but who am i not to tell him the truth <//3

STOP IT WITH THE AYATO BRAINROT. do you want me to bombard your inbox with zhongli brainrots??? yes, ofc you do. i will try to find some time to be a menace in your inbox nyehehe jokes on you, rin, i took out the camera's batteries already. (/lh) but if he calls me princess or love or dear, i will flip a table because HE WOULD??? AJFJWKKSK??? and he is also the type to say "i'm yours"???? i am a sucker for flowery words and this man. pretty face, pretty eyes, soft hair, soft voice, may be a little tease but i'd indulge him, CRIES. wow, that was a whole simping outburst HELPDJWK (/j)

agreed, i can definitely see you in liyue! that region really has a sense of calmness to it that just makes you feel serene <3 and your hubby is also there (/j) but if i'm not wrong, mei is a chinese syllable that means 'beautiful', right??? super adorable! i may not be chinese, but the cultures are so eloquent it's breathtaking <3 i think being in liyue would really help you get in touch with your ancestry and that's cool >:)

as for me, i think the first thing i'd do is open the balcony and have breakfast by the window, hehe~ i heard fontaine is quite the busy region, so i'd have fun people-watching while i eat !! but if i'm in mondstadt, i'd just go spend my time in the library and eating at good hunter >:) ah, yes, food and books my beloved fjkwkfkka

NO BECAUSE THERE ARE RUIN HALF-DINOSAURS??? AND THEY FLY??? the people of khaenri'ah who created ruin machines are up to smth fr fr and i'm scared kffjdkekkw and the favoritism towards zhongli, unsurprised gasp. (/j) but if it were mr. kamisato, then relatable *chokes* <//3

so true, why fret when i can have both??? to be tagged along on heizou's investigations in the day and settling down to have dinner with ayato, my life is content, sobs. this reminded me of how i used to simp for albedo when i first started playing <//3 sorry, chief alchemist, you're still very cool tho! if not a little sus (/j)

idk who else you should choose as your theme, rin because tumblr got smth against accounts with a pretty geo man as their pfp <//3 because your main blog has a xiao theme, your writing blog is zhongli and your reblog acc is kazuha — and that's your main three already fjwkksksk. who else shall be candidates??? but i doubt you'd stray from the zhongli theme 👀

[shenmeizhuang-blog]

Do you have any cdrama suggestions for a baby beginner? I think Empress of China is the most famous one I’ve heard of but I’m curious about others too!

B-baby beginner? No, my friend, when it comes to cdrama, we simply throw you into the pit…

Just kidding! Although, for a myriad of reasons, being a Chinese drama fan outside of Asia without a hold of the language is admittedly rather difficult (so to the “international” cdrama fandom: you guys rock!). 

Unfortunately, your answer did not really help me narrow down my answer after all. I believe Moonlight Drawn By Clouds, your recent fave, is very romance-centric, but I feel like everyone tends to vacillate in their mood, preferring super romantic escapism one minute and demanding tight storytelling the next. Anyway, I’ll stop rambling and actually get to the point:

personal recs, in general*

I just couldn’t really “categorize” these?

peace hotel (2018): currently in the midst of watching this still, but I’m really enjoying this! honestly. especially with how the female chars (most of the chars are written.) it’s this mix between super suspenseful espionage and really cathartic humor. the plot twists are also so !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

let’s shake it! (2017): alien crashlands to the tang dynasty! it’s super cute and quirky, but there’s also a strong, coherent plot and some angst in the latter parts. definitely one of my faves of last year, though it’s punny sense of humor doesn’t always get through. it’s also very appreciatively meta ;) the subs apparently aren’t complete, as my friend complained to me, but I personally find the language real simple

medical examiner dr. qin (2016): the interactions between the crime-solving trio are gold. also, like the only modern show here?? (as you can tell, I am really mostly a period show watcher.)

go princess go (2015-16): it’s really low-budget and cracky, but trust me, there’s a reason it went viral. zhang tian ai does feel like the saving grace a lot of the time though, and I didn’t exactly give it a high score, but it just might be your thing. who knows?

nirvana in fire (2015): i don’t think it’s the best c-drama ever, unlike a lot of people on this site, but it’s still a very solid show. I also find it a lot more shoujo than most fans—it’s really not just a revenge-political drama—but when it was emotionally gripping, boy, it was emotionally gripping. 

wuxin: the monster killer (2015): technically only season 1—I have yet to see s2—but weirdly enough, I found the poignant ending especially fitting. just assume from the title? yue qiluo is one of the more interesting villains out there, and gosh I just adore yueya so much

bu bu jing xin (2011): extremely poignant, complex look into polymagy/patriarchy during the qing dynasty from the lens of time-traveller zhang xiao who takes the identity of court lady ruoxi. even if you don’t ship any of the romances, it is so worth it for pretty much everything else. but if you do, obviously also an extremely heart-wrenching watch. a lot of people’s first cdrama. 

schemes of a beauty (2010): lots of spying, secret chambers, poison, women control the men. 

*I would want to recommend The Legend of Zhen Huan and The Glory Of Tang Dynasty, but they’re 76 episodes and 92 episodes long, respectively. Content-wise, it’s also stuff that requires lots of trigger warnings, and overall just not for the “baby beginner”. Battle of Changsha is definitely shorter, and a definite recommendation, but also just not for the “baby beginner.” 

no dubbing 

(Peace Hotel, Battle of Changsha, NiF, Medical Examiner Dr. Qin)

the advisors’ alliance (2017) + growling tiger, roaring dragon (2017-18): a mix of no dubbing and some dubbing. it’s a pretty creative to take the viewpoint of sima yi in this three kingdoms historical piece. I feel that it’s rather accessible to viewers, honestly, and the production values are great on this one. 

nothing gold can stay (2017): only 4 eps in—it’s very solid so far (74 eps though, but I would say quite mainstream and easy to watch)

ten miles of spring wind can’t compare to you (2017): do I really want to rec this though? in the end, I really did wish I had someone to vent about this to and discuss with about, because in a lot of ways this really did give lots of food for thought. let’s just say that our three main chars are deliberately rather fatally flawed…and I still feel rather ambivalent about how to feel about this. (the first 10-15 eps are super cute, meta, adorable but also with great sexual tension and then it sort of goes to melodrama but anyway…) you could at least practice your chinese? it is harder than the average modern cdrama, given how pretentious qiu shui can get

shoujo period romances

We all have a soft spot for these :’)

sound of the desert (2014): just yesterday, there was quite a lot of discourse on this show on my dash, interestingly. female lead xin yue (liu shi shi) is raised by a wolf pack, though she eventually enters the capital city sometime during the han dynasty. she does at first fall for a crippled, broody flute player played by hu ge (imo one of his more lackluster roles) but it’s her chemistry with HAWT general wei wuji (eddie peng

female prime minister/legend of lu zhen (2013): again, freakishly sizzling chemistry. it focuses more on lu zhen rising up the ranks as lower-level female ministers, but mostly still very very romance-centric. (the otp falling-out in the last 10 eps or so was kind of stupid, I will admit, and also 200% all on gao zhan but it had such a strong addictive quality to it.)

gong/jade palace lockheart (2011): I haven’t seen Boys Over Flowers/the Japanese original/any official remakes of whatever that is, but a lot of people have called it Boys Over Flowers + modern girl time travels to the Qing Dynasty + 9-prince succession conflict during Kangxi’s reign. it was rather stupid and petty at times, but it’s more comedic and the romance is super addicting. I don’t care about the half-bald Qing queues at all, and this is actually one of the only roles that I’ve found Feng Shaofeng attractive in. (yes, it is possible to love bbjx and enjoy this)

Oh yeah, and all these end all happily and fairytale-like. None of the above would qualify as my “faves” at all, but all are very accessible to someone unfamiliar with cdrama and love the Romance and the Pretty. 

others (I found rather lackluster or dropped): Perfect Couple, The Eternal Love (very popular among international audiences, but not for me), General and I, Oh My General 

wuxias/xianxias

This is just going to be an embarrassing amount of childhood nostalgia. Like, literally, with the exception of the first one, I watched all of these in elementary school, with varying amounts of rewatching in between. The recent wuxias and xianxias just haven’t been to my liking. (I could get into how NiF takes lots of wuxia elements but I would just confuse you a lot so, strictly on the more fantasy/action side of things here.) I simply haven’t watched Eternal Love/Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms (very, very popular) at all. I’m sorry. 

vigilantes in masks/strange hero yi zhi mei (2011): I believe the international equivalent is “Iljimae”? It’s like Robin Hood, sort of, but mostly Liu Shi Shi’s Yan Sanniang is so amazing here. 

chinese paladin 3 (2009)

return of the condor heroes (2006)

chinese paladin (2005)

lotus lantern (2005)

also 武林外传, which is 80 eps, but kind of more like a wuxia sitcom way back in the day. there’s in-show ppls, tons of modern references, etc. and also like lots of satire/social commentary. I did a rewatch (of brief clips ofc, I don’t have that much time) recently, and realized I missed so much when I watched it with the family back then. (I’m kind of embarrassed about the more lewd references…lol…)

*line break*

Whew! Anyway, the takeaway is, there is a lot of stuff to choose from, and I definitely left out a lot of stuff. There’s also a lot of modern cdramas. This answer might clarify about those shows. 

(that being said, I really personally would not recommend empress of china. I mean, aside from 96 eps, just 2 eps in I could tell it was going to be an unsubstantial mess >_

[brigdh]

A lot of reading reviews

I was unexpectedly busy for most of April, so this is several weeks' worth of reading – though weeks where I didn't have much time for reading for fun, alas. Enjoy an overabundance of reviews? What did you just finish? A Short History of Drunkenness: How, Why, Where, and When Humankind Has Gotten Merry from the Stone Age to the Present by Mark Forsyth. A shallow but funny history of humanity's relationship with booze. Brief chapters cover pretty much every historical era you'd expect: Egypt, Mesopotamia, the Greeks, the Romans, the Bible, Ancient China, Vikings, the Medieval Middle East, Medieval England, the Aztecs, colonial Australia, the Wild West, Russia, American Prohibition, and London's Gin Craze of the 1700s. That's quite the list for a book of less than three hundred pages, and indeed Forsyth is clearly focused on being amusing and easy to read more than he is on deep historical investigations – which isn't really a critique, as long as "silly and quick" is what you're looking for. (I am a bit skeptical of some of his claims, but he has footnotes to back him up; I suspect it's a case of Forsyth taking the most extreme possible side in genuine historical debates.) It's a nice collection of "hey, did-you-know" trivia, but I doubt anyone will come away with more insight on the history of alcohol than they started with. I read this as an ARC via NetGalley. Caliban's War by James S.A. Corey. The sequel to Leviathan Wakes, which I had mixed feelings about. Well, goddamn! Corey has levelled up their writing beyond my highest expectations, particularly in regards to characterization. This time around we have four PoVs. There's Holden again, who remains somewhat action-hero-y but has become far more sympathetic (possibly because he actually has idiosyncratic attributes now; I'm particularly fond of his deep attachment to a fancy coffee-maker). We're introduced to Bobbie Draper, a highly-trained marine from the Martian military and the only surviving witness of the opening salvo of the Martian-Earth war, which might actually have been an accident caused by an alien attack; she prefers battle to politics, and struggles with the question of who she should be loyal to when no one believes her or cares about the whole alien thing. Next is Chrisjen Avasarala, a tiny gray-haired grandmother with a meaningless-sounding title ("assistant to the undersecretary of executive administration") who is actually the power behind the throne of the UN, now Earth's ruling body; she smiles and snacks on pistachios in public and curses like a sailor in private, fiercely determined to ride over any opposition she encounters. And finally there's Prax – Praxidike Meng – a botanist and single father of a four-year-old daughter, more comfortable with plants or scientific reports than being social or having emotions, and completely over-his-head incompetent with the politics and violence he soon finds himself thrown into. The plot sets off when that four-year-old disappears in the conflict of war. A great many people have disappeared or died, and more than that are starving, displaced, rioting, or soon to be all of the above, so Prax is unable to get the authorities to care about one lost little girl. That is until he accidentally encounters Holden et al, and finds the team he needs to solve what increasingly becomes a deep, wide-spread mystery. Meanwhile, Avasarala and Bobbie are trying to convince the militaries of Earth and Mars to back down and focus on the real problem: possible aliens from who-knows-where, capable of doing who-knows-what. Unsurprisingly, these plots eventually intersect for a dramatic climax. I really appreciate how Corey doesn't focus on the action to the detriment of meaning. Yes, there's lots of space battles and killer aliens, but there's thoughtful insight on war and human nature too: “So you’re in an entrenched position with a huge threat coming down onto you, right?” Avasarala said, sitting down on the edge of Soren’s desk. “Say you’re on a moon and some third party has thrown a comet at you. Massive threat, you understand?” Bobbie looked at her, confused for a moment, and then, with a shrug, played along. “All right,” the marine said. “So why do you choose that moment to pick a fight with your neighbors? Are you just frightened and lashing out? Are you thinking that the other bastards are responsible for the rock? Are you just that stupid?” “We’re talking about Venus and the fighting in the Jovian system,” Bobbie said. “It’s a pretty fucking thin metaphor, yes,” Avasarala said. “So why are you doing it?” Bobbie leaned back in her chair, plastic creaking under her. The big woman’s eyes narrowed. She opened her mouth once, closed it, frowned, and began again. “I’m consolidating power,” Bobbie said. “If I use my resources stopping the comet, then as soon as that threat’s gone, I lose. The other guy catches me with my pants down. Bang. If I kick his ass first, then when it’s over, I win.” “But if you cooperate—” “Then you have to trust the other guy,” Bobbie said, shaking her head. “There’s a million tons of ice coming that’s going to kill you both. Why the hell wouldn’t you trust the other guy?” “Depends. Is he an Earther?” Bobbie said. “We’ve got two major military forces in the system, plus whatever the Belters can gin up. That’s three sides with a lot of history. When whatever’s going to happen on Venus actually happens, someone wants to already have all the cards.” “And if both sides—Earth and Mars—are making that same calculation, we’re going to spend all our energy getting ready for the war after next.” “Yep,” Bobbie said. “And yes, that’s how we all lose together.” Caliban's War is a incredible page-turner of a book, with wonderfully engaging characters, detailed worldbuilding, and enough substance to give the action weight. Plus, how can you not like a book where the bad guy turns out to be the military-industrial complex? Also there is a hell of a cliffhanger ending to this book. I'm really glad I didn't have to wait a year for the sequel to be published. Abaddon's Gate by James S.A. Corey. The sequel to Caliban's War, part 3 of The Expanse series. The plot is becoming hard to talk about without spoiling the previous books, so if you don't want to know what happened, stop reading here. The inexplicable alien presence (is it a virus? An AI? something else?) first encountered in the first book of the series has constructed a giant ring far out on the edges of the solar system. Earth, Mars, and the Outer Planet Alliance (OPA, a loose conglomerate of the various colonies on other planets, moons, and asteroids) have each sent ships to study it, but the only thing anyone can tell is that it seems to be a gate to somewhere else. Until, of course, plot events send several ships accidentally through it and into a truly alien, nicely creepy other-place, where even the laws of physics are mutable and prone to abruptly changing. Meanwhile, Holden is visited by Miller, who died in the first book and whose appearance/personality/knowledge the alien presence seems to have co-opted as a face for itself. Unfortunately trying to communicate across the barriers of species and millions of lightyears is just as difficult as it sounds, and what Miller manages to say comes across as garbled nonsense, often intelligible only after whatever he was warning about has already happened. The climax of the book goes small-scale, with two sides battling for control of a single spaceship, crawling through tunnels and fighting hand-to-hand. It's a striking change from the previous books that ended in giant confrontations with hundreds of ships while being just as exciting. Once again we have a new set of PoVs (except for Holden, who continues on), and though I desperately missed Avasarala, Bobbie, and Prax, I have to admit these new guys were pretty fun too. First off is Clarissa Mao, the sister of Julie Mao (now dead from the alien zombie virus) and daughter of Jules-Pierre Mao (now imprisoned for life for war crimes, due to turning the alien virus into a bioweapon and trying to sell it to the highest bidder). Her once-powerful and crazy-wealthy family is disgraced and scattered, and Clarissa blames James Holden personally. She's determined to get revenge – not just to kill him, but to ruin him and his reputation, and make all the galaxy doubt his previous actions –  and she doesn't care how many other people have to die to make that happen. To get to Holden, she disguises herself as a nobody, an electrochemical technician on a minor spaceship, and finds herself spending every day dealing with people and problems that were once far beneath her notice. There's also Bull – Carlos Baca – head of security for the main spaceship of the OPA navy. Although Bull is far more experienced and sensible than either the captain or XO, he finds himself relegated to third in command because he grew up on Earth rather than in the Asteroid Belt, and Earthers are visibly distinct from Belters; it's a bit like getting demoted because you're the 'wrong' race, and it would look politically bad for you to be in charge. After an accident halfway through the book, Bull becomes paraplegic. I thought the handling of his disability was mostly well-done, and seeing a big, physically-imposing guy deal with being unable to use strength to enforce his will was an interesting twist. Finally we have my favorite character of this book: Annushka Volovodov, or Pastor Anna. She's a tiny, non-drinking, politically-unconnected, small-town Methodist preacher, determinedly pacifistic and married to a woman. She ends up heading to the Ring when Earth decides to send a team of artists, poets, philosophers, and religious leaders along with the scientists and military, mainly to show off that it can afford to do so, though theoretically to interpret the meaning of an alien presence. I can't imagine a character less likely to end up as the star of a space-opera thriller than a lesbian pastor who just wants everybody to stop fighting, you guys, seriously, why don't we talk about forgiveness and maybe organize a Sunday service with grape juice and a sermon about coming together?, and yet it works incredibly, unexpectedly well. I love Anna so much, and continue to be deeply impressed at the diversity of personalities Corey has written after a first book that was fairly disappointing in that regard. They even seem to be particularly good at writing women who are very different from one another but are all well-rounded, believable, and fascinating, and I would never have seen that coming. The world-building continues to be really well-done. I particularly enjoyed the many scenes set on the Behemoth, an enormous spaceship originally built to be a colony ship for Mormons but retrofitted due to necessity into a warship. The murals of Jesus and angels providing a backdrop for war counsels and weapons storage are maybe a too-obvious irony, but one that never failed to make me laugh. I didn't love Abaddon's Gate quite as much Caliban's War, mostly because the characters here were very good but just not as spectacularly wonderful as before. But that's a relatively minor criticism, and overall I admire Corey's focus on petty, recognizable human squabbling even in the face of worldchanging developments. I'm looking forward to the next book already. Confessions of the Fox by Jordy Rosenberg. What is this? Well, a damn hard book to review, to start. On one level we have what is presented as the 'recently discovered autobiography' of Jack Sheppard, real-life petty thief and escapee from jail in early 1700s London. Sheppard lived fast and died young, then proceeded to become an enormously famous figure in English folklore, probably most recognizable today as the inspiration for "The Ballad of Mack the Knife" in The Threepenny Opera. But Confessions of the Fox is in fact a novel, and though it otherwise mostly stays close to the facts and dates (as we know them) of Jack's life, here Jack is a transman, his girlfriend Bess is the daughter of a South Asian man who was press-ganged by the East India Company before escaping into an independant communal society hidden away in the fens of East Anglia, and his best friend Aurie is a black gay man. Just to be clear, I am all for this presentation of a multiracial queer history. A second level of story is presented through footnotes, much like House of Leaves (though infinitely less confusing than that book, since we only have two levels of story here rather than the four or five in House of Leaves). This narrator is Dr R. Voth, a professor of English literature who is editing Jack's "autobiography" for publication and who is a transman himself. Voth alternates between telling mundane stories of his life – his ex, his job troubles, his attempts to ask out a neighbor – and citing genuine academic sources to provide context for Jack's story. Voth is fictional but his sources are not, which makes for an unsettling mixture of truth and imagination; I think I would have assumed the academic footnotes were also fictional if I hadn't happened to recognize several early ones. I've read Gretchen Gerzina's Black London: Life Before Emancipation and Walter Johnson's Soul by Soul: Life Inside the Antebellum Slave Market, among others, and seeing them mentioned by a fictional character was like water to the face, confusing my assumption of what was real and what wasn't. As the story goes on, "P-Quad Publishers and Pharmaceuticals" in association with "Militia.edu" attempts to take control of Jack's autobiography and Voth's work on it, leading both levels of Confessions of the Fox to become critiques of the commodification of the body and its experiences, capitalism in general, the history of the discovery and modern patenting of synthetic testosterone, and how historical biographies enter (or, more often, don't enter) the archive. Which leaves us in an odd place. If you didn't instantly recognize what I meant by The Archive in that previous line, if you're one of the vast majority of humans on Earth who haven't read Appadurai's "Commodities and the Politics of Value", then I'm not sure this book is interested in talking to you. Certainly if Rosenberg ever bothered to explain any of these concepts in an introductory way I missed it. On the other hand, if you, like me, are an overeducated liberal who can nod pretentiously at sentences like "A commodity is an entity without qualities", then I'm not sure Confessions of the Fox has anything new to say to you. It restates various queer, postcolonial, and Marxist theories without adding anything to them or combining them in interesting ways. Like, sure, we all agree with Foucault that prisons form the model for surveillance and discipline by the wider society, but so what? Dosomething with that idea, expand upon it, challenge it, or else there's no reason to read Rosenberg's book if you've already read Foucault's. So then who is Confessions of the Fox for? I have genuinely no idea. The love story between Jack and Bess or the adventure of Jack's exploits should have been enough to carry their half of the story. I love me a good historical thriller of criminals and the whores they adore. But we didn't really get that here; we see Jack and Bess's first meeting and first night spent together, but then we jump ahead to them as an already established relationship without seeing how they grow together and build trust and affection. Similarly, we never see Jack learn to pick pockets or burglar houses; he's just an innocent apprentice and then suddenly a famously skilled thief. He meets Aurie once and then we're told they're brothers-in-arms without ever seeing their friendship. Etc. In addition to all this, it's hard to love characters who are more living examples of theories than they are three-dimensional people, particularly when they keep bursting into dialogue like this example: Bess stood, speaking to the entire room. “Plague’s an excuse they’re using to police us further!” She looked out. Most continued to quaff and quarrel amongst themselves. “All of you! They’re panicking the people delib’rately. It’s a securitizational furor they’re raising to put more centinels on the streets. Can’t you see that?” It's not even that I disagree with the concept of "security theater", but it's not good fiction to have your characters straight-up define it, and then POINTING OUT IN A FOOTNOTE THAT THE 1720-ISH DATE WOULD MAKE HER THE FIRST TO DO SO IS EVEN WORSE, OH MY GOD, DON'T PRAISE YOUR OWN FICTIONAL CHARACTERS FOR THE MODERN LANGUAGE YOU GAVE THEM. Ahhh, I don't know. I agree with all of Confessions of the Fox's politics, I want to support histories (fictional or not) with more accurate, multiracial, and queer portrayals of the past, and I've certainly read far, far worse books, but in the end I just didn't much enjoy this. The worst I can say is that it's unengaging; I found my attention constantly drifting whenever I tried to read, and even put it down for a few weeks before finally coming back to finish it. But no matter what its good intentions, that doesn't make for a book I'd recommend. In the end Confessions of the Fox has a fantastic concept, but unfortunately doesn't pull off the execution. I read this as an ARC via NetGalley. What are you currently reading? The Pride of Chanur by C.J. Cherryh. sholio is going to be hosting a tumblr book club, if anyone else wants to read along!

[DW link for easier commenting]

[dwestfieldblog]

DIFFERENT SCENES FOR DIFFERENT GENES

I scry with my third eye. Something beginning with...V...Police patrolling the parks for people in numbers of more than two. Partners in masks, holding hands in gloves and everyone suddenly vulnerable, unable to gather in packs and gain vicarious strength. Droplets on breath, float and melt into eyes and everybody keeping their distance now paranoia is no longer irrational but sensible. Hello, hope you are doing okay.

This crisis will bring out ALL the best and the worst in people, in both selfless and panic based behaviour. The imminence of a possible bad death or infecting one you love can focus the mind wonderfully on what truly matters to the individual. Adults and children are dying independent of age and previous health status or racial characteristics, remorseless and random. The chaos plague in action and it is mutating. So let's have some lively imature comedy before we get deadly serious.

There are many who will use this situation for political ends and many rabid Endtimers of apocalypse who will be rejoicing somehow that Christ will soon return and save his flock of sheep. Two recent quotes direct from Trump's twitter; 'Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord' (Matthew 21:1) Well...'Oh God!' is what millions cry in orgasm. 'But the Lord watches over those who fear Him, those who rely on His unfailing love'. (Psalm 33) Really? How many God fearing Christians have died so far and in all the previous plagues?  As one American (or maybe hacked by Russia) site says;  'You can't hold hands with God when you are masturbating'. In other words Donald, if you are a wanker you will not get into Heaven. But I digress...

And other fundamentalists who have yet to notice that the virus is killing everyone from all groups, not just those who disagree with them. Kick them hard between the legs if they say this within earshot of you. Hard enough to stop them breeding. (Sidenote... nice to hear that many more pregnancies than normal have been logged over the last few weeks...folk staying at home with nothing better to do and subconsciously wanting to keep the population up. Arf. It is already up. 66.44 million people in the UK (of which England is 56 million)and the UK annual deathrate has been 9382 for the last five years.) Coming and going in the name of the Lord, hallelujah and pass the holy blood...

There were some people at the start of this, a doctor, a couple of journalists who started to warn about Covid 19 in December/January. They were quickly removed by the communists. The world could have had an extra five weeks to prepare and take measures. Hopefully many countries, if unable to actually sue the Chinese government for being totalitarian swine (and why not - Loss of earnings, cause of mass death, covering up facts and lying to health organisations) then the least we can all do is to stop buying ANYTHING from China. Check the labels first. The West has been outrageous in its kow-towing to a regime that machine gunned its own children from tanks, uses unwilling organ donors, transportse ethnicities of Tibetans and Muslim communities to ‘re-education’ camps. WE should have been ashamed. Now we should be angry. BOYCOTT CHINESE GOODS FOR ONE YEAR, GET THE COMMUNISTS OUT. 

Speaking of which, the ‘British’ deal with Huawei...giving even the crack of a possibility that a nation with such serious issues with ‘freedom’ and murder of its own citizens should be in charge of Britain’s infrastructure for information and hospitals and surveillance and....Well...it seems...how to put this...f..ing stupid. Done only in order to ensure more investment by China in our shrinking economy. ‘When China sneezes, the world catches a cold’...the markets certainly are. But sellers of respiratory face masks made in guess where are doing well. Well you know everything is made in China...

Globally, right now, we seem to have the worst possible leaders in charge for this crisis. The weakest, craziest and the most despotic (very often all in one). China, with mass interests in Africa and South America has sold the media line that the virus is an American creation to protect their newest client base. And every single damn time Trump opens his mouth, he just makes everybody on the planet who did not vote for him, all the less likely to believe a word. Or even that he exists. 

Horrible to see Michael Gove praising the medical staff in Britain for working their hearts out during this crises. He was one of the Tory MPs who voted against giving nurses a small pay rise in 2017. All but one did so, and when the vote was 'won' , the Conservatives let out a loud cheer. They cheered. Cheering now boys and girls? Many thousands of Labour supporters voted Tory in December simply because Corbyn is pointless as pointless can be and the Stalinist Momentum group trying to take over the party are bloody dangerous. I will never be a Socialist but I would truly like to hear why the posh rich boys thought it unnecessary to give a little bonus to nurses and why the bastards cheered. Unforgivable.

Boris taking cold revenge on the BBC for having had the temerity to ask him impertinent, salient questions in December...by decriminalising not paying the license fee. Succumbs to the virus after having taken three days to even organise a COBRA meeting of the highest and then shilly shallying for several weeks longer before acting to lock down the city. Enough time for the shops to be emptied in fear because Britain chose to be self isolating before Covid 19 was even known about. Anti bacterial soap stolen from hospitals. How many readers saw the photographs of the London underground the Friday after its Lord Mayor begged the public to stay home? Packed. Five percent in masks. Hoards of idiots at weekends getting drunk in London and the USA. ‘It’s only the old and weak who die’. No it isn’t. By no means are all those dying are old and previously ill.

This is what happens in various (if not most) countries, when the masses are not educated to cogitate for themselves. Governments neither need nor want the majority to be clever and ask questions at any point. They need basic workers, such as the ESSENTIAL WORKERS these days...easy to spot, they are the ones being paid the least amount of money) The masses are disallowed genuine opportunites to make money and keep it without being taxed at every turn. These two things result in vast populations who have been educated to be less than intelligent and millions who cannot afford to stop work and self isolate for a couple of months. They don’t have private health schemes, stocks and shares, a rich daddy or friends, family jewellery , a second car to sell or gold bullion in Switzerland. They have what they do daily, to make them money and pay bills and rent. Many of the poorest in numerous countries, live with their parents and grandparents. No real alternative but to work, mix and bring the virus home.

What would be wonderful would be if the landlords, big bosses and bankers (who, well...appear to have quite a lot of moolah) would say, ‘okay...you know what...no need to pay rent for two or three months and perhaps there is no work to be done but I won’t lay anyone off or count this as sick leave’. How f..ing likely is that to happen? There will be a few who will do the right thing. The rest will remain as the bastards as they always were. May the Devil take them.

And as for the hackers blackmailing hospitals...when they are caught, strip them, parade and flog them till bloody, and then put them away for Life without parole. At the very least. I would turn them loose in a crowd of those they had caused pain to. The same goes for any leader who had given them orders.

And ooh, ahh...the deadly serious internet conspiracy...apparently Bill Gates is acting like Thanos or a James Bond villain but without the charm and sense of humour. If this virus had been created by Man deliberately, there would already have been a vaccine somewhere. Perhaps there is. If you really are a nut, then watch where the cure seems to originate from and trace it backwards. And which of the ' Elite' refuse to have the jab. Interesting to think how long the Chinese (or anyone for that matter) have been eating bats and only now does this spring up. Yum yum. Yab Yab.

To quote from the master again..’Conspiracy is contagious and so is worrying about it. At such time, theories about totally imaginary conspiracies also escalate, because (a) times of transition make people nervous and uncertain, (b) nervous and uncertain people tend to become at least a little bit paranoid, (c) most people most of the time follow their own prejudices and anxieties much more than any technique for ascertaining objective facts, and (d) most people have no knowledge of the techniques or self –disciplines necessary to the search for objective facts.Robert Anton Wilson, Right Where you are Sitting Now. (Ronin Publishing)

Meanwhile...John von Neumann’s game theory continues to be used in global warfare scenarios...they are still attempting to overcome the odds against negative outcomes...More satellites fired upwards, planning to use EMP to disable the enemy’s networks before they do the same. Peace and goodwill to all, Amen...AI Terminators building the Matrix etc. 

But I remember some time in 1997 after five years of various daily practices in England and Czech Republic, a sudden moment in the countryside walking down a small valley...having an absolute instinct that humans would never be strong enough to destroy this world. Simultaneously there was a sure and clear feeling that I no longer lived in the time stream of a world which would be annihilated by nuclear war. Through my baby steps towards tiny pulses of enlightenment, I had stepped across to a parallel world. Breaching a strange loop in a 'quantum-jump to a different order of coherence.' (Identical, but not one in which such insanity would happen...) 

Twenty three years later after dropping many of the disciplines I had used in the Nineties and getting caught up in the horseshit of��trump and such others - and my own failing mental health, I seem to have crossed back over into a world which is worse on many levels. There were flashes back then, revolutions without bloodshed, with dialogue, and agreements (even if based on trade and power sharing) but step by step, what I call the Conspiracy of Counter Evolution (Neophobes) struck back at the possibility that humans could do the right thing. Dragging the masses back into petty squabbles and bloodshed based on the three main (as they like to see themselves) religions and the eternal struggle for resources. Of which there are plenty for quite a few hundred generations yet, as long as we stop eating bats and don't allow the fundamentalists to wipe us out in the name of a merciful God. Nationalism and Religion are the perfect illusions with which to rule and dominate the gullible through fear, unprovable promises and selfish pride. And resources are mace to look limited and endangered in order to drive prices up. Fear, as was said, is big business.

‘Don’t associate with people who have a low view of humanity; it’ll give you a low view of yourself’ Mark Twain. And thus I remain cynically optimystic.

Did you know that 10 hours exposure to low doses of ketamine ‘enhances corticostriatal cross frequency coupling and hippocampal broad band gamma oscillation’...? Useful to know eh? Many things have the same effect without resorting to horse tranquiliser...like focusing on changing brain speed via breathing. He says on Codeine, whisky and Tramadol. And no doubt burning out all the couplings between the trains of thought but only last night. You will ‘be right there’? I will be wrong here.

I recently had a dream where I had set up a solo concert, all equipment ready, tuned strings, prepared gear etc, then on stage an hour before the start, realised I had forgotten to invite anyone...Hmm...Two more quotes...

‘Those who make peaceful revolution impossible make violent revolution inevitable’. JFK.

‘The only reason a caterpillar ‘knows’ how to become a butterfly...is because genes contain a memory of the future. This is a metaphor, remember, it may be a very useful one, at that.' RAW.

SO, HOLD ON TO YOUR SANITY, RELEASE ALL TENSIONS AS YOU WILL, BUT HARM NO ONE. KEEP A GOOD SENSE OF HUMOUR AND LOVE LIFE, FORM AND FORMLESS. BE AWARE AND SEE YOU LATER...D.

[cmyk-discourse-blog]

Intro #3 Terhi 4.10.18

intro #3

Us fickle humans… Where are the morals?! We need technologies and non-humans to guide us, or actually physically prevent us from doing harm / being reckless or careless. If something isn’t easy enough we won’t do it.

The text by Latour made my really appreciate these every day mechanisms. Again, it’s about the stuff we are so used to we take it for granted. Take the example of a door. Without doors our lives would be miserable. Doors, and most of all, hinges, should be more recognised and cherished in our everyday lives. I will try to keep my eyes open and show my respect for our fellow-non-humans more from now on. I was very inspired and amused of this “love letter” for hinges and doors. Latour is French, I guess, so in my mind I started to compare his way of writing to other French philosophers: how he takes his time to really explain without saving words or his effort, with many long sentences and getting to the bottom of his thoughts, but in a nice way!

Arja explained in the class things about how human and machine have evolved hand-in-hand. Both have aided the other in this development into/of the technoscience era (Haraway). So they are not separable. We shape the tools but then the tools shape us. This was also pointed out in talking about graphic design (for example in the 90’s with desktop computers & MacIntosh’s visual operating system), that even if we don’t think about it, we of course always design inside the rules that are technologically restricting us. New technological advances -> BOOM: new ways of seeing, thinking, making.

Widening the perspective. Post-human, instead of just non-human.

going back to the texts… I’d say what Latour was explaining i.e. about semiotics was actually coding. That’s a code that you could feed to a machine and it would understand (or “understand”. Sorry about all the antropomorphisisms). These AND/OR-commands, basics of mathematical logics I guess. Only now we were talking about the syntagmatic and pragmatic ways the language works. I liked this notion that if in texts we can move by shifting to another world, another space and time -> then in the technical shifting we translate/substitute stuff to ANOTHER MATTER. How cool is that? It’s like magic. So you translate your need to a “command” in your brain (like in the text: hold down the kid in the car) and that (with some exchange of energy and money) turns into a metal bar that does the work for you. Maybe if it didn’t do the trick, you’d need to translate the bar into something else. Anyway, fascinating. (I feel like so many things in these texts are fascinating, even if they feel so basic after reading about them and I myself so stupid.)

Engineering work. You gotta appreciate it. I mean, seat belts. You have to design a thing with a feature and it’s opposite at the same time. You need the seat belt to be loose but also tight when needed. You have to keep in mind all these restrictions, if you only think of the other side, you won’t understand all the complexities. “Like watching only one side of a tennis match.”

In class Arja talked about how people in modern times have tried to differentiate and categorise the world. Nature/Culture, everything should fall into one or the other box. (Of course things don’t. There’s a name for those: hybrid.) We want to organise our world in order to make more sense of it.

Standardisation. It was interesting to actually read the history of that. It also cleared up some things, sort of. I can’t help it but I really like the DIN narrow font, but my friend told me never to use it because it’s a font that the nazis used. But I’m wondering, should we just “give it to them”? I mean, it was designed before the wars and a lot of street signs etc are written with that font. Now that I saw the larger scale of things, maybe it helps me to deal with this. I wouldn’t stop using A4 paper for example (of course I shouldn’t even try stopping because it would make my life SOOOO hard now that we are deep in these standardised size systems).

Okay, again… people knew what was going to happen. “The world brain” is a pretty good name for the internet (or is it the next stage of all our communication networks maybe, who knows…). Reading the text by Vossoughian made me feel like the world was in chaos before, and maybe from today’s perspective (and as a person who has lived in Finland most of their life) it actually was. I find it interesting that all this way we nowadays are organised came from a simple idea, but behind the idea was actually some moral agenda/issue: “Don’t waste energy, make use of it!”. Entropy increases in a closed system, so we have to try to prevent that from happening. Ordnung muss sein! Some times it starts to even sound a bit… too much. “With the right technical adjustments, society can not only be salvaged but liberated.” Little did they know, or wanted to think about, how the advances would at some point turn against the freedom of the people, when nowadays we are facing serious risks of losing our freedom because of survaillance, face recognition systems and so on. In China the government is launching a Social Credit System that ranks the citizens… a rather dystopian scenario. (You can read about it for example here: https://www.wired.co.uk/article/chinese-government-social-credit-score-privacy-invasion)

Have we gone too far with our technologies if they are starting to take over us? How about AI? We need to start thinking of the ethics of AI before we develop them to learn by themselves. And, while talking about non-humans & humans… how about androids and robots, what rights do they have compared to us non-humans, and where do we draw the line? (Watch for example movies like Bladerunner or Ghost in the Shell or Her ). This used to be science fiction, but fiction is a good way to start dealing with many issues, which sooner or later will be actual stuff we have to solve.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnT1xgZgkpk What happens when our computers get smarter than we are? | Nick Bostrom

This is about 16 minutes long, but if you don’t have that much time, try to watch it from 10:03 onwards. Some interesting thoughts about (computer) super intelligence and (human) ethics.

further watching:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixIoDYVfKA0 The ethical dilemma of self-driving cars - Patrick Lin (4:15)