Is it controversial that I really do think geometric simplicity is a goal worth striving for regardless of political impact?

The premise that immigration is a simple fix ironically relies on accepting the racist belief that dark-skinned people breed like rabbits.

Immigration stops being a solution when the countries that might source immigrants also experience demographic transition.

I mean, in all honesty the Sanguinary Utnapishtim don't really read *fascist* to me as such. They're nowhere near nihilistic enough for the task: in fact, if we look at our current spate of modern fascists, I think it'd be easy enough to argue that fascism is actually Nurgle-aligned

Sometimes I instinctively assume she was married to Greg Bear - mentally mixing her up with Joan Vinge, I guess.

The thing is that the budgets are massive in and of themselves and yet nowhere near enough. It's jaw-dropping.

Yep. Do wish it were a detailed scene and not recounted in summary.

70 pages in and they're still hobnobbing and enjoying their dinners. Makes me yearn for a revolution.

Big Charles Haywood energy here.

(If you don't know who he is, you don't want to know)

Although Carlyle, who fought to resurrect Cromwell's historical reputation, was ultraright. Hell of a guy. He always stuns you with his next argument, especially when he's espousing the reintroduction of slavery.

I love Black Mirror

TBF I often find myself thinking that Greg Egan is the only hard SF author to exist

Not weird. The average American's views of things like constitutional law and early post-Revolution history are just like this.

Anti-intellectual, poorly-evidenced thinking is not crazy. It is, perhaps, more normal than having well-considered views.

I once had a bunch of posters angry at me, apparently convinced I was a Lost Causer, for questioning whether Grant obtained the unconditional surrender of a Confederate force on three separate occasions.

The Patrician games are pretty fun

I most commonly see two recommendations for what a wiser Lee ought to have done:

1) Fight more like Johnston

2) Recognize that conventional warfare was outmoded and form a guerrilla resistance in the mountains

Neither ever seemed terribly plausible.

Very fitting that I read this while I'm midway through Carlyle's lectures on hero-worship.

I just don’t get it. Wouldn’t it be easier to stop their tankers?

I'm just waiting for the final graphic novel to come out in July

I have been informed that “There's some interesting theories that indicate as long as you're destroying "unproductive" money via taxation, the deficit/inflation/welfare paradox isn't all that hard to solve.“ Can’t say I’m sure what that means.

South Asia is already tightening its belts

I will see the Simpsons T-34 Sherman in my nightmares

Are you okay?

Something about how Israel enables a flow of cheap oil by serving as an imperial foothold

For a year or so I've been haunted by visions of my online feeds being flooded with AI-generated propaganda shouting "REMEMBER THE STENNIS"

The red blood cells of civilization have been impeded

The cover of "Profiles in Courage" by John F. Kennedy

Let me guess - “knowledge isn‘t important for writing fiction, you’re supposed to make things up?”