ravings

The past

Tue, 07 Oct 2025 04:57:20 GMT

I was reading a bunch of the entries in here from twenty years ago and feeling annoyed at my younger self. I was in a strange place at the time. Literally and figuratively. Then again, maybe I always have been.

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Submitted to the city council, on behalf of my two-year-old

Sun, 22 Oct 2023 06:12:56 GMT

It is a truth universally acknowledged that nothing is more exciting than garbage trucks. It is therefore hereby proposed that the happiness and joy of the citizenry would be much increased if every day were trash day. We look forward with confidence to a unanimous vote implementing this proposal forthwith. Thank you.

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What We Do For Fun Around Here

Wed, 01 Mar 2023 06:48:07 GMT

One thing my son (age 4.92) and I like to do together is watch the washing machine, and occasionally the drier. This last Sunday we did for two hours.

For the first load, we imagined that we were the clothes in the washer, and how much fun we were having getting spun around, and how bored we were whenever it paused.

Then the first load went into the drier, and a second went into the washer, and things really got exciting.

You see, both washer and drier have an "estimated time remaining" display, and so we imagined that the clothes in the washer were racing the clothes in the drier to see which team could finish first.

In the first matchup, Load 2 in the washer started out three minutes ahead of Load 1 in the drier, but Load 1 slowly chipped away. Then, with an estimated ten minutes to spare, Load 1 pulled ahead and ultimately beat Load 2 by three minutes. It was all very dramatic.

We did notice some ways in which the respective teams' approaches could be improved. In the washing machine, for instance, the tendency was to go very fast at some points and then stop completely at others. We felt a more consistent effort, as we saw in the drier, would be more conducive to success.

The performance of the drier team was not without flaws, however. While the washing machine team did an excellent job of staying hydrated throughout, the team in the drier didn't seem to consume any water, and in fact became progressively more dehydrated over the course of the race. So, we had some concerns about the drier team's ability to maintain their performance, as well.

We came up with a theme song, too:

we are the crystal socks
we'll always sock the sock
and if you think we sock
we'll always sock a sock
that's why the socks of this sock
believe in
sock, sock, sock, and sock
and sock!

The next matchup was Load 2 in the drier versus Load 3 in the washer. This time Load 3 managed to start out with a 5-minute lead. While Load 2 managed to narrow it to 4 minutes in the first half of the race, ultimately they lost the thread in the back half (my opinion is that it was the hydration issue) and ended up losing by a full 8 minutes.

So, unfortunately, Load 2 lost both of their matchups, while Load 1 and 2 both won one each. I suppose if we had to pick a single winner for the day, Load 3 won by the largest margin, but it doesn't feel right to pick a winner without a head-to-head matchup. Maybe a tie-breaker next week?

Finally, we watched Load 3 in the drier for a while and took the opportunity to encourage Load 2 (now sitting in the collapsible clothes hamper) to stay positive and continue practicing for next week. Any given Sunday, right?

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Fictional characters I've been compared to

Thu, 10 Nov 2022 07:35:39 GMT

In approximately chronological order, starting when I was a teenager. Other people made the comparisons; I selected the quotes. ( Read more... )

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Four Books I Wish Everyone Would Read

Wed, 06 Apr 2022 07:12:29 GMT

There are four books I've read in the last five years or so that together have clarified and crystallized a lot for me. As a whole I'd say they constitute an excellent guide to making good choices, both as individuals and as societies, and I hope that someday, in some form, what they impart will be accepted as basic wisdom across our species. (Though I have no delusions that everyone will read or agree with them.)

( Read more... )

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2020 Hugo picks: Novels

Sat, 04 Jul 2020 16:23:07 GMT

I've been reading at least the beginning (and, in the last few years, the entirety) of all the Hugo nominated novels for the last eleven years, and this is the strongest set I've seen overall.

( Read more... )

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2020 Hugo picks: Best Dramatic Presentations, etc.

Mon, 15 Jun 2020 15:41:24 GMT

While we're all holding our breath waiting for me to finish the nominated novels, I thought I'd write up some thoughts on those of the other categories (besides Best Short Story, Novelette, Novella, and Novel) that I have opinions on.

( Read more... )

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2020 Hugo picks: Novellas

Sun, 31 May 2020 23:41:43 GMT

These fell pretty neatly into two equal categories for me: "meh" and "WOW." I had some trouble deciding between the WOWs.

( Read more... )

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2020 Hugo picks: Novelettes

Thu, 21 May 2020 14:57:59 GMT

Like last year, this is once again a really strong slate [1]. I enjoyed all of these.

( Read more... )

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2020 Hugo picks: Short stories

Tue, 19 May 2020 17:17:10 GMT

Let's get started!

A lot of these are violent revenge fantasies, which really isn't my thing, in general [1].

( Read more... )

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2019 Hugo wrap-up

Thu, 14 May 2020 16:57:56 GMT

Before we get started on this year's Hugo Awards, I thought I should finish out thoughts about last year's.

( Read more... )

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Teen Favorites

Sat, 28 Dec 2019 23:17:15 GMT

Top 5 novels of the 2010s
1. Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer (2014)
2. Too Like the Lightning by Ada Palmer (2016)
3. Space Opera by Catherynne M. Valente (2018)
4. Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie (2013)
5. The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu, Joel Martinsen trans. (chinese version published in 2008, english 2015)

Honorable mentions- The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi (2016), Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (2011), We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler (2013), The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman (2013), The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (2012), The Stone Sky by N. K. Jemisin (2017), The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal (2018), Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik (2018), 2312 by Kim Stanley Robinson (2012), New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson (2017), Among Others by Jo Walton (2011)

Top 5 Non-Fiction Books of the 2010s
1. Don't Be a Jerk by Brad Warner (2016)
2. Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman (2011)
3. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo (2011 in Japan, 2014 in the US)
4. Behave by Robert Sapolsky (2017)
5. 21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari (2018)

Honorable Mentions- Confession of a Buddhist Atheist by Stephen Batchelor (2010), The Poisoner's Handbook by Deborah Blum (2010), Quiet by Susan Cain (2012), Getting More by Stuart Diamond (2010), Flash Boys by Michael Lewis (2015), The Gene by Siddhartha Mukherjee (2016), Two Shores of Zen by Jiryu Mark Rutschman-Byler (2010), I Contain Multitudes by Ed Yong (2016)

Top 5 Albums of the 2010s
1. The ArchAndroid by Janelle Monae (2010)
2. Oczy Mlody (2017) by The Flaming Lips
3. Aventine by Agnes Obel (2013)
4. 50 Song Memoir by The Magnetic Fields (2017)
5. Dopamine by Borns (2015)

Honorable Mentions- Metal Resistance by Babymetal (2016), Morning Phase by Beck (2014), Year of the Black Rainbow by Coheed and Cambria (2010), Tron: Legacy by Daft Punk (2010), The Terror by The Flaming Lips (2013), Welcome Oblivion by How to Destroy Angels (2013), Hesitation Marks by Nine Inch Nails (2013), The Race for Space by Public Service Broadcasting (2015), Oceania by Smashing Pumpkins (2012), Laminate Pet Animal by Snowmine (2011)

Top 5 Films of the 2010s
1. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
2. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)
3. Inception (2010)
4. Arrival (2014)
5. Black Swan (2010)

Honorable Mentions- 12 Years A Slave (2013), Annihilation (2018), Big Hero 6 (2014), Borgman (2013), Coco (2017), Get Out (2017), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), Spy (2015), I, Tonya (2017), Jumanji (2017), Just Go With It (2011), Knives Out (2019), Looper (2012), Moana (2016), Moonrise Kingdom (2012), Mortal Engines (2018), Popstar (2016), The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Sorry to Bother You (2018), Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Whiplash (2014)

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The End of the World as We Know It

Fri, 13 Sep 2019 05:49:02 GMT

I'll get back to finishing out my Hugo posts, but something else is on my mind. Last week may be when I finally gave up hope that we're going to weather climate change without major damage to our civilization. Maybe that's a good thing. ( Read more... )

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2019 Hugo picks: Novels

Wed, 31 Jul 2019 18:29:04 GMT

Getting this in just under the buzzer, but life gets in the way sometimes. All familiar names here, but this is a pretty strong set.

( Read more... )

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2019 Hugo picks: Novellas

Mon, 17 Jun 2019 07:58:00 GMT

I didn't like these quite so much, unfortunately.

( Read more... )

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2019 Hugo Picks: Novelettes

Tue, 21 May 2019 06:44:09 GMT

This is a strong set, perhaps my favorite set of nominees ever [1]. I enjoyed reading all of them, and I'm sad I have to rank any of them lower than #1.

( Read more... )

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End Game

Thu, 09 May 2019 07:33:44 GMT

SPOILERS FOR GAME OF THRONES BELOW (specifically, on everything before the last two episodes, and maybe for those, as well)

( It's about to get Veruca Salt up in here. )

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2019 Hugo picks: Short stories

Sat, 04 May 2019 07:19:15 GMT

It is time.
( Read more... )

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Thank Your Enzymes

Mon, 14 Jan 2019 00:23:23 GMT

Enzymes are cool. There's lots of reasons why. Strings of amino acids that fold up automagically [1] into nanomachines that carry out plethorae of crazy amazing chemical reactions in water at room temperature, it's hard for me to imagine a more astounding piece of tech. We've still only scratched the surface in figuring out how that happens [2]; biology is over the river and through the woods beyond us in terms of technical chops.

But today (as on many days), I'm thinking about thermodynamics, particularly the Second Law of Thermodynamics, which states that whatever happens, the disorder of the universe must increase. Sooner or later the stars will poop out, the planets will 'splode, everything you love and cherish will be torn into its smallest constituent pieces [3].
( Click to see where I'm going with this. )

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Why I Am Not a Teenager: An Apology for Aggravating Adolescent Attitudes

Mon, 12 Nov 2018 08:01:25 GMT

I've been thinking about my outlook as a teenager. I've classed the main things that retrospectively annoy me about my adolescent outlook into three groups, though they are all related: The Privilege of Disinterest, Unearned Arrogance, and Knowing The Cost of Everything.

( Here's how insufferable I was… )

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2018 Hugo Epilogue

Sat, 25 Aug 2018 02:49:54 GMT

Well, they announced the winners. They are not really surprising, but not entirely satisfying, either. In 3/4 of the fiction categories, they just picked the Nebula winner [1]. That's no fun.( Read more... )

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2018 Hugo picks: Other categories

Sun, 29 Jul 2018 02:34:37 GMT

Well, we've got some time, so let's take a look at a few other categories.

( Read more... )

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2018 Hugo picks: Novels

Sat, 14 Jul 2018 04:31:52 GMT

Well, none of these were terrible. And some were excellent.

( Read more... )

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2018 Hugo picks: Novellas

Sat, 23 Jun 2018 06:45:02 GMT

Maybe a little underwhelmed by these as a whole.
( Read more... )

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Long-Distance Love

Mon, 28 May 2018 05:03:28 GMT

I made a playlist of songs about long-distance relationships. I am fortunately not in one now, but a large portion of my marriage has been carried out over FaceTime, so it's definitely a feely topic for me. You can listen on Spotify here or on YouTube here.

Tracks
1. "Neon Valley Street" by Janelle Monáe
2. "Such Great Heights" by The Postal Service
3. "Vanilla Twilight" by Owl City
4. "Unravel" by Björk
5. "Never There" by Cake
6. "Side of the Road" by Ben Folds
7. "'13 Big Enough for Both of Us" by The Magnetic Fields
8. "You Still Believe in Me" by The Beach Boys
9. "Transatlanticism" by Death Cab For Cutie
10. "Ragged Wood" by Fleet Foxes
11. "Come On Home" by Franz Ferdinand
12. "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground" by The White Stripes
13. "Tonight She Comes" by The Cars
14. "Could've Gone Mad" by Poe
15. "Lovesong" by The Cure
16. "Breathe Around You" by Tanya Donelly
17. "All My Loving" by The Beatles
18. "I Can't Be With You" by The Cranberries
19. "Gone Till November" by Wyclef Jean
20. "Hey That's No Way to Say Goodbye" by Leonard Cohen
21. "We A Famly" by The Flaming Lips

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