Mastodawn

Technology Connections 5d ago

So, about that attack novel that I've been chewing on since April? The Harry Harrison Stainless Steel Rat tribute yarn?

Here's a taster. (See alt-text for contents.)

Bloognoo 5d ago

It's time for another electric vehicle charging video.

Too many people believe EV charging solutions require expensive, huge electric circuits (or worse: service upgrades).

The really high-power ones people tend to go with can be a headache, but there are many other options!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W96a8svXo14

The "standard" car charger is usually overkill—but your electrician might not know that

YouTube

Bloognoo Jun 13

Bob The Angry Flower stares straight into the lens at #monsterdon

Bloognoo Jun 10

Salty ⊙▃⊙ 🏳️‍🌈 🇺🇦 ✡️Jun 10

#Pride2025

Bloognoo Jun 10

Trixter of the Moon Council Jun 10

Official server migration time and date set, here we goooooo

#RPAdmin

https://www.patreon.com/posts/state-of-pizza-131163280

Bloognoo Jun 5

tiddy roosevelt Jun 5

Who called them fire guards and not a total eclipse of the hearth

Bloognoo Jun 1

Nullstring 🏴‍☠️Jun 1

THERE IS NO AGI FOR FUCKS SAKE, YALL, ITS VIDEO CARDS ITS VIDEO CARDS ITS VIDEO CARDS

ITS VIDEO CARDS

I FEEL LIKE IM THE ONLY ONE WITHOUT LEAD POISONING

Bloognoo Jun 1

You think Dr Who has gone woke? Here's a blond white lady one with a history of marrying awful white men. Do you feel better now? What do you mean you don't think women should be doctors?
#DrWho

Bloognoo May 27

Technology Connections May 27

New video time!

A whole lot of folks keep forgetting about closed captions on DVDs, and as time has marched on this means they're getting less accessible.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSCOQ6vnLwU

Closed captions on DVDs are getting left behind

YouTube

So, about that attack novel that I've been chewing on since April? The Harry Harrison Stainless Steel Rat tribute yarn?

Here's a taster. (See alt-text for contents.)

Dan Sugalski 5d ago

@cstross I think you sold me at “scoundreliffic”, honestly.

slowtiger 5d ago

@cstross *drool*

Reijo Pitkänen 5d ago

@cstross You doing you in Harry Harrison fashion is an unrealized high point of my post COVID world.

Thank. You.

Mark O’Neill 🐻5d ago

Before I read it you had my interest. Now I have read it aloud you have Cousin Sven’s interest. He will … help motivate you to keep up your word count.

simonbp 5d ago

@cstross Pern is borrrring. Let's go spacing

Wulfy 5d ago

A crew?
You sonovabitch! I'm in!!!

Keep us in the loop, sounds like a mighty romp!

John Maxwell 5d ago

@cstross Take my money.

Fish Id Wardrobe 5d ago

@cstross
> made three fortunes and lost four of them

okay, if that doesn't tell 'em it's satire, they're already dead

@fishidwardrobe Heeey, he could have started with a pre-existing fortune!

Fish Id Wardrobe 5d ago

@cstross stop, that nearly made sense ;)

Uncle Slacky 5d ago

@cstross @fishidwardrobe Or lost someone else's...

Andy Fletcher 4d ago

@cstross @fishidwardrobe or caused someone else to lose a fortune

John Maxwell 5d ago

@fishidwardrobe @cstross Satire of satire.

DeterioratedStucco 5d ago

@cstross
Am I imagining it, or is there a hint of Delany's 'Time Considered As a Helix...' here?
(What do you mean, will I buy it? *Of course* I''ll buy it.)

Cait the Proud Trans Woman 5d ago

Okay, that's uncanny. I made a post one hour ago on Discord about Harry Harrison's Deathworld trilogy. I hadn't otherwise thought of or heard of HH in...ten years at least.

Then I come here to find that about ten minutes after I posted mine, you posted this one about him for a different work (a more famous one, obvs).

Just a strange coincidence. Randomness is funny sometimes.

Bob Beaker 5d ago

@cstross Sign me up, where can I buy? Just don't say Amazon.

Hugo Mills 5d ago

@bbeaker @cstross I tend to use https://www.hive.co.uk/books (with Transreal Books in Edinburgh as my chosen bookshop, but pick your favourite).

@bbeaker It's not finished yet, nor is it sold, and if sold, won't be available before 2027.

Colin Watson 5d ago

@cstross I misread this as "And to make it happen, he'd need a crow" and I would read the HELL out of that hot corvid mess of a novel.

Malcolm Herbert 5d ago

@cstross ... huh ... your use of : and ; seems exactly opposite to the way I use them ... : introduces the list, ; separates items in it ... I have no idea which is "correct"

Daniel 5d ago

I'm really looking forward to this.

Aside about colons and semicolons -- in the underfunded public school system I attended, they taught us to end the introduction of a list with a colon and end the items with a semicolon. For example: item the first; item the second; item the third.

Is this a UK/USA difference?

Charlie Stross 4d ago

@RandomOxen That's the *exact opposite* of what I was taught.

Daniel 4d ago

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zhntng8#zw3yn9q

As an American, it can be difficult to know if web search results are US-specific or not, but I found this example from the BBC that uses semicolons as separators.

Perhaps the usage varies by region? I'm at a loss.

Charlie Stross 4d ago

@RandomOxen Remember that Americans can't spell "colour" and think the pavement is a "sidewalk". OK?

Daniel 4d ago

We have so many flaws, those seem fairly inconsequential.

jimgon 5d ago

Nothing beats a good caper.

ceejayoz 5d ago

@cstross Please tell me "dragon stud farm" is the subject of an upcoming short story.

Very Human Robot 5d ago

@cstross I grew up on stainless steel rat! Awesome antihero.

Jaime Robertson 5d ago

@cstross In response to others above.
The way I learned to use semicolons was to start a statement; have an addition to it, then use a comma for another, and then more as necessary.
I was reminded of this years ago by @aliettedb writing about its use in The Three Musketeers, when D’Artagnan is first introduced.