A City on Mars, by Kelly&Zach Weinersmith

A Thing I’ve Read 05/24: A City on Mars: Can we settle space, should we settle space, and have we really thought this through?, by Kelly&Zach Weinersmith

The cover of A City on Mars: Can we settle space, should we settle space, and have we really thought this through?, by Kelly&Zach Weinersmith. On the top half, in front of a starry background, the authors, title and subtitle. Below that, a martian landscape with a large, domed crater in the backgound and in the foreground a small exit with a vehicle and a human on the left and a bunch of solar arrays on the right. Below the surface, a cut-out view from an underground settlement with a central shaft going up the crater from the backgound and a smaller utility shaft going to a close-to-the-surface nuclear reactor. The settlement goes over multiple stories with small-town, medium-density vibes: agriculture on the top floor, below that an industrial floor including two silos and a cricket ranch, below that a living-quarters street with apartement-buildings, another layer of agriculture and a commercial floor, including an underground recreational lake and a Walmars (sic).

This is a book about space settlement, but it’s a very different book about space settlement than usual. The Weinersmiths go into the State of the Art on human factors (physiology, reproduction, sanity), possible locations, technology (closed loop life support, “how to actually build a space habitat”), and the insanely complex topic of space law to come to the conclusion that “mayyyybe not right now, a lot of further studies needed”. Which is admittedly not what One wants to hear, but still sadly is what it is, and the authors make a good case for why we’re Just Not There Yet, any maybe never will.

Bathtubs over Broadway

A Thing I’ve Watched 04/24: Bathtubs over Broadway

This one came to my attention through the 20kHz-episode linked below about the same topic, which is Industrial Musicals.

Apparently, in the 60s and 70s companies put up full-scale, Broadway-production-values musicals about the company, the products, and/or management/sales-strategies for their employees. And it’s as wild as it sounds.

The poster for Bathtubs over Broadway: On the bottom Steve Young, wearing a white shirt, black fly and a very sparkling jacket as well as ZOOM-goggles (the letters), raising his arms above his head with a... probably exstatic expression? Over his arms the title, Bathtubs over Broadway, with faux lightbulbs painted in, and over that praise for the movie.

Podcast Episode: https://www.20k.org/episodes/industrialmusicals

Dune 2

A Thing I’ve Watched 03/24: Dune 2

The poster for Dune 2: Paul Atreides and Chani, both clad in Fremen stillsuits and Paul wearing a cape, standing in front of the Arakeen sun. Both carry knifes: Chani keeping it lowered, Paul raising it above his head.

This was… A Lot of a movie. A Ride. A proper maximalist approach to the visuals.

The sands of Arrakis were already great in the first part, and the utter yuck of Giedi Prime provided a very nice contrast.

Marvellous experience, and should be watched on the biggest screen possible.

Shades of Grey, by Jasper Fforde

A Thing I’ve (re-)Read, 04/24: Shades of Grey, by Jasper Fforde

(Not to be confused with That Other Atrocity.)

After… four years? of delay the sequel is finally out, so I decided to re-read this first. Which was a good idea, because I only remembered the broadest strokes of the story. It is, however, every last bit as good as I remembered, this story in Wales after the Something That Happened which regular Technological Leapbacks and a society organized by Colour Perception.

The cover of Shades of Grey, by Jasper Fforde. Essentially the title in big blocky 3D letters with goops of various colours on them and a bunch of doodads placed around.

Pushing Ice, by Alastair Reynolds

A Thing I’ve Read 03/24: Pushing Ice, by Alastair Reynolds

Yet another great Space Opera from one of my all-time favourite authors, this book is one hell of a ride with something I can only call a plot-rollercoaster at the end.

If SciFi is your thing, go read this. Then go read everything else by Reynolds. Seriously.

The cover of Pushing Ice, by Alastair Reynolds. In front of a black background, a torch-ship is shown with the engine away from the viewer, descending on a moon, the surface of which is peeling away in puzzle-piece chunks, revealing some kind of technological structure underneath.

Hazbin Hotel

A Thing I’ve Watched 03/24: Hazbin Hotel

The poster for Hazbin Hotel. It features Charly Morningstar, main character and Princess of Hell, Alastor, the most glorious Radio Demon, and Vaggie, friend and protector of Charly. In the background the Hazbin Hotel and I think the Embassy of Heaven?

The Thing is finally out, after the pilot 5 years ago and two seasons Helluva Boss, and it is… great. Expectations met and exceeded.

An amazing season.

Pokémon Concierge

A Thing I’ve Watched 02/24: Pokémon Concierge

The short, both in episodes and lenght-per-episode, stop-motion series about the adventures and shenanigans of Haru and her Psyduck on the Pokémon Resort-island.
It’s very cute, and fun to watch.

The poster for Pokémon Concierge: The protagonist, Haru, a young woman with reddish-blonde hair wearing a colourful shirt and matching scarf, and her Psyduck, standing behind the counter of a tropical resort.

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off

A Thing I’ve Watched 01/24: Scott Pilgrim Takes Off

The Poster for Scott Pilgrim Takes Off. In front of a starry space background the cast poses bunched up.

It’s… a Scott Pilgrim AU, in which the events of the movie did not quite come to pass. For reasons. Which would be spoilers.

It is A Ride, and it’s got some awesome fights, and the movie-cast is doing the voices, and for the most part I loved it.

Take Us to a Better Place: Stories, published by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

A Thing I’ve Read 02/24: Take Us to a Better Place: Stories, published by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

A short story collection I came across because it holds one vaguely Murderbot-adjunct one by Martha Wells. All the stories are supposed to be health-related, mental/physical/community/…, and it’s your usual mixed bag of a collection. However, imo none of them was actively bad, even when they didn’t track for me.

Also, it’s free – just download one and see for yourself.

The cover of Take Us to a Better Place: Stories, published by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. It shows in an abstract art style and outdoor-scene: in the background a futuristic city, a bridge and a lighthouse under the sun. On the left a person leading a horse below a tree with one green branch with a snake curling around it, in front of a terrace style garden with people gardening. On the right, people enganging in various activities: playing, cycling, fishing, sitting-on-benches.

System Collapse (Murderbot VII) by Martha Wells

A Thing I’ve Read 01/24: System Collapse (Murderbot VII) by Martha Wells

The cover of System Collapse, the seventh Murderbot-story by Martha Well. On a rocky landscape grow a few stalk-y plants. In the middle of the picture kneels a humanoid figure, clad in sci-fi body armour, facing away from the viewer. In the background an eight-legged robot rears on what counts as its hind-legs.

In which our beloved SecUnit has not only to deal with wannabe corporate overlords trying to enslave a full planet, but also the pesky side effects of having human neural tissue fully capable of developing mental health issues.

I would not recommend this as an entry point (start at the beginning), but if you liked the other stories… why are you still here?