Back at the Vehicle Assembly Building …twenty years after I got to go inside it: https://adactio.com/journal/1208 | Continue reading
In some ways, the short story is the ideal format for science fiction. If science fiction is all about ideas, a short story is a way to take an idea and play it out without any obligation to build a bigger world around it. But short stories can work the other way too. If you hav … | Continue reading
Reading The Mountain In The Sea by Ray Nayler. | Continue reading
On this day, twenty five years ago, I wrote my first journal entry on this website. Twenty five years! A quarter of a century! That’s a significant portion of the lifetime of the World Wide Web itself. Actually, this site did exist before September 30th, 2001 but it was very di … | Continue reading
If you’re anything like me, you’re sick of hearing about so-called “AI”. We are not a fringe. The majority consensus amongst actual regular people is that this is being forced down our throats and stuffed into our eyes and ears. That’s why it pains me that I’m about to add more … | Continue reading
It was the autumnal equinox a few days ago. For a moment our planet was balanced perfectly, with everyone experience twelve hours of daylight and twelve hours of darkness. Here in the northern hemisphere, the days will get shorter and the nights will get longer until the winter s … | Continue reading
Back from Spain with a good haul… | Continue reading
More street sessions in Cáceres. | Continue reading
Made a nice salad for lunch in Cáceres. 🥗 | Continue reading
Enjoying a nice tapas crawl through Madrid. | Continue reading
Even a stopped watch is right twice a day. Related: this week Don Trump said he’d like a united Ireland, and that all this talk of humanity-ending AI is bollocks. | Continue reading
This is Ian McEwan’s second foray into science fiction after his alternative history novel, Machines Like Me. I enjoyed that book but it was far too eager to show off its worldbuilding—at one point a character practically looks at the camera like Tim in The Office. There’s a bit … | Continue reading
I’ve mentioned the ritual that concludes the week at Clearleft: At the end of every Thursday afternoon at Clearleft, we wrap up the working week with an all-hands (video) meeting. Yes, I know that the week finishes on Friday, but Fridays have been declared the no-meetings day … | Continue reading
I’m an invited expert at the World Wide Web Consortium. That sounds impressive, but it isn’t. Anyone can become an invited expert. The fact that I am now one proves it. You apply to be an invited expert and once that application is approved, you’re in. So you too could and proba … | Continue reading
Reading Lake of Souls: The Collected Short Fiction by Ann Leckie. | Continue reading
Today I’ll mostly be listening to The Bothy Band, in memory of Paddy Keenan—what a piper! Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam. | Continue reading
Today is Bandcamp Friday: https://saltercane.bandcamp.com/album/deep-black-water Tomorrow is Salter Cane Saturday: https://saltercane.com/tickets | Continue reading
Looking for something to do in Brighton this weekend? I’ve got ya covered. Come to the excellent Prince Albert pub on Trafalger Street at 8pm on Saturday, September 5th. Head upstairs with your ticket. There you will be treated to an excellent triple bill. First up is Figure In … | Continue reading
Salter Cane, fifteen years ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZTMy1-VgIA Come along to the Prince Albert in Brighton one week from now to hear how we sound today: https://saltercane.com/tickets | Continue reading
Met up with brainbox Steven Pemberton for coffee and a chat. | Continue reading
I try to see my friends Dan and Sue as often as I can. The problem is that I live in Brighton and they live in Baltimore (that’s Baltimore, Maryland not Baltimore, West Cork). We sometimes make it work though. Like crossing the Atlantic together. Dan and Sue were in Italy last … | Continue reading
Dolly sa Daingean: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qXFoNrqi3Y Fuair sí fáilte mhór (as Gaeilge) agus ansin chann sí le Steve Cooney ar an ngiotár. | Continue reading
Remember when I wrote about a session I was at in Belfast where I was sitting next to a fiddler who it turned out had written a book and then I ended up reading the book? Quite an unusual occurrence, right? Definitely not the kind of thing that’s likely to happen twice (you can s … | Continue reading
People of Brighton (and beyond)—come to the Prince Albert on Saturday, September 5th to see the most excellent Salter Cane in action! Tickets will be £10 on the door, but they’re £8 in advance: https://saltercane.com/tickets | Continue reading
Reading What We Can Know by Ian McEwan. | Continue reading
Eavesdropping on the mandolinists preparing for this evening’s performance. | Continue reading