sigmonster | Reading

This Outgunned Bundle presents Two Little Mice's Outgunned, the tabletop roleplaying game of cinematic action by Riccardo "Rico" Sirignano and Simone Formicola, with art by Daniela Giubellini.

Bundle of Holding: Outgunned

james_davis_nicoll

2021: Conservationists are aghast that influenza B/Yamagata lineage may face extinction, the selection of Alan Turing’s image for new £50 notes raises the question of whether other state torture victims will be so honoured, and the Johnson government proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that herd immunity does exist… but only to shame, and only amongst Tories.

Poll #33821 Clarke Award Finalists 2021

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 11

View Respondents

Which 2021 Clarke Award Finalists Have You Read?

View Answers

The Animals in That Country by Laura Jean McKay
0 (0.0%)

Chilling Effect by Valerie Valdes
8 (72.7%)

Edge of Heaven by Rachael Kelly
0 (0.0%)

The Infinite by Patience Agbabi
0 (0.0%)

The Vanished Birds by Simon Jimenez
5 (45.5%)

Vagabonds (translation of by Hao Jingfang
2 (18.2%)

Bold for have read, italic for intend to read, underline for never heard of it.

Which 2021 Clarke Award Finalists Have You Read?
The Animals in That Country by Laura Jean McKay
Chilling Effect by Valerie Valdes
Edge of Heaven by Rachael Kelly
The Infinite by Patience Agbabi
The Vanished Birds by Simon Jimenez
Vagabonds (translation of by Hao Jingfang

(I thought I posted this last Monday...)

andrewducker

1. How the world's richest man is boosting the British right: (tags:politics fascism ElonMusk twitter bias )
2. James Watson: From DNA pioneer to untouchable pariah: (tags:biography DNA history viaPatrickHadfield )
3. Fact-Checking Claims About Zohran Mamdani: (tags:politics usa satire funny )
4. Reminder that the New York Times regularly prints hateful nonsense (an article about someone they tried to interview about Zohran Mamdani): (tags:politics newyork journalism OhForFucksSake USA viaKenny )
5. A bunch of engineers built a drifting wheelchair for an injured coworker. It looks awesome.: (tags:disability engineering video )
6. The nature of the last universal common ancestor and its impact on the early Earth system: (tags:biology genetics earth )
7. Meet the teen behind the Louvre 'Fedora Man' mystery photo: (tags:france police photos crime Paris style )
8. New flu virus mutation could see 'worst season in a decade' (get your vaccinations!): (tags:flu doom )
9. Long-term Melatonin use associated with much higher risk of heart problems and death: (tags:medicine heart )
10. Senate Democrats Just Made a Huge Mistake: (tags:usa politics )
11. Scotland's first commercial windfarm will be able to deliver five times more clean power than before after being upgraded: (tags:scotland windpower GoodNews )

james_davis_nicoll

I'm working my way through Outgunned: Adventure. Pulp adventure. Indiana Jones stuff.

So I have an idea for an adventure, in which our brave action archaeologists try to locate and retrieve certain invaluable historical relics so they can be preserved and studied in proper museums.

Not only are the locals curiously reluctant to let the adventurers do this, even though they cannot possibly understand the artifacts on as many levels as civilized people, post-WWIII US is a dangerous place what with the unstable ruins, ancient unstable warheads, and radiation.

But if anyone can find the secret vaults containing the lost Smithsonian loot, dissuade the locals from objecting, get the goods across a hostile continent, and off to Kuching, it's the heroes.

james_davis_nicoll

John Carter of Mars returns... to the valley of no return!

The Gods of Mars (Barsoom, volume 2) by Edgar Rice Burroughs

andrewducker

1. Women are three times more likely than men to get severe long COVID: (tags:women Pandemic )
2. We've found a biomarker for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome: (tags:babies death )
3. Chinese Authorities Shut Down Film Festival in New York (By harrassing filmmakers and their families): (tags:china censorship movies usa OhForFucksSake )
4. The modern homes hidden inside ancient ruins: (tags:architecture history )
5. What do voters think would count as Labour breaking their promises on tax?: (tags:tax labour polls politics uk )
6. A Gene Editing Therapy Cut Cholesterol Levels by Half (trial only lasted 60 days): (tags:genetics health )
7. Interactive Time-Lapse Map Shows How the U.S. Took More Than 1.5 Billion Acres From Native Americans: (tags:history USA maps visualisation )
8. Why didn't Democrats codify Roe v. Wade when Obama had a fillibuster proof majority in 2009?: (tags:abortion politics USA )

james_davis_nicoll

Here we infer that LUCA lived ~4.2 Ga (4.09–4.33 Ga) through divergence time analysis of pre-LUCA gene duplicates, calibrated using microbial fossils and isotope records under a new cross-bracing implementation. Phylogenetic reconciliation suggests that LUCA had a genome of at least 2.5 Mb (2.49–2.99 Mb), encoding around 2,600 proteins, comparable to modern prokaryotes. Our results suggest LUCA was a prokaryote-grade anaerobic acetogen that possessed an early immune system. Although LUCA is sometimes perceived as living in isolation, we infer LUCA to have been part of an established ecological system.

james_davis_nicoll

Six books new to me: two fantasy, one science fiction, one that seems to be a mix of both, one horror, and one non-fiction.

Books Received, November 1 - November 7

How is it November already?

Poll #33815 Rings of Fate by Melissa de la Cruz (January 2026)

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 44

View Respondents

Which of these (mostly upcoming) book look interesting?

View Answers

Rings of Fate by Melissa de la Cruz (January 2026)
6 (13.6%)

Foundling Fathers by Meg Elison (June 2026)
15 (34.1%)

Letters From an Imaginary Country by Theodora Goss (November 2025)
21 (47.7%)

The Essential Horror of Joe R. Lansdale by Joe R. Lansdale (October 2025)
8 (18.2%)

Fallen Gods by Rachel van Dyken (December 2025)
11 (25.0%)

The Lost History of the New Madrid Earthquakes by Conevery Bolton Valencius (May 2024)
25 (56.8%)

Some other option (see comments)
1 (2.3%)

Cats!
33 (75.0%)

andrewducker

Every night for the past two weeks it's gone something like this:
Me: Gideon, do you want Daddy to shout at you?
Gideon: No
Me: I don't want to shout at you either.
Gideon: Good
Me: So, how do we make Daddy not shout at you?
Gideon: Not muck about in bed
Me: So you're going to curl up, get comfy and go to sleep
Gideon: Yes
...Three minutes pass...
Gideon: Fidgets
Gideon: Plays with his foot
Gideon: Sings songs under his breath
Gideon: Makes clicking noises
Me: Gideon, if you aren't quiet, I'll get grumpy with you. Is that what you want?
Gideon: No. I'll be good.
...Three more minutes pass...
Gideon: Sings, fidgets, rolls over, refuses to hold still, twists his arms around his legs until he looks like a pretzel, and then grins at me
Me: WILL YOU LIE STILL, STOP MUCKING ABOUT AND GO TO SLEEP.
Gideon: Gets tears in his eyes, chokes up slightly, curls up, and stops mucking about,
Gideon: goes to sleep in about 45 seconds.
Me: Is stressed for about half an hour and angry at myself.

If anyone has advice on how we can skip stages 9 through 17 I would appreciate it.

james_davis_nicoll

Discovering what she expected to be a lucrative new job is instead an internship, Ropa Moyo tries to pay her bill by resorting to her avocation of detective.

Our Lady of Mysterious Ailments (Edinburgh Nights, volume 2) by T. L. Huchu

andrewducker

1. Researchers uncover AI bias against older working women: (tags:women age ai OhForFucksSake bias )
2. Britain Is Having the World's Most Extreme Immigration Debate: (tags:UK immigration OhForFucksSake )
3. What percentage of English derives from which languages?: (tags:language english uk history )
4. Australia has so much solar that it's offering everyone free electricity: (tags:australia electricity solarpower economics )
5. Rockstar Games Employee posts about recent union-busting efforts: (tags:rockstar gta unions OhForFucksSake )
6. Metformin reduces the benefits of exercise in people with diabetes: (tags:diabetes exercise drugs )
7. Labour spending billions on actually building social housing. Finally!: (tags:labour housing GoodNews )
8. The UK Personal Finance Flowchart (an excellent guide to help you think about your finances): (tags:finances uk advice )

james_davis_nicoll

Miss the action movies of the recent past? Now you and your fellow gamers can recreate them.

Outgunned by Riccardo “Rico” Sirignano & Simone Formicola (Translated by Caterina Arzani)

james_davis_nicoll

The Third Edition corebook, scenarios, and 18 music tracks

Over the Edge 3E

james_davis_nicoll

Invested too much time statting out a character I will probably never use.

Evan Mason: Captain Jetpack!

( Read more... )

james_davis_nicoll

Hinako Yaotose is saved by certain doom... by a monster who wants to let Hinaka ripen a bit before eating her.

This Monster Wants to Eat Me, volume 1 by Sai Naekawa

andrewducker

1. EU moves to prevent 'Trojan horses' from joining bloc: (tags:democracy europe russia )
2. Confused about JCVI and COVID shots: (tags:pandemic vaccination )
3. Elon Musk does not understand The Lord Of The Rings: (tags:ElonMusk lotr )
4. Tolkien, Lewis, and The Silver Chair Theory: (tags:Tolkien CSLewis history writing lotr narnia relationships )
5. What happens when you try to meet transphobes halfway: (tags:bigotry LGBT transgender )
6. Takeaways from Tuesday's US elections: (tags:USA elections GoodNews )
7. 3/4 of CEOs believe they have to have an AI strategy or they'll be replaced (which explains why there's so much investment into it): (tags:ai business )
8. Why is land reform on the agenda in Scotland?: (tags:land scotland law )
9. Covid jabs gave under-18s heart problems - but were less risky than catching virus: (tags:pandemic safety vaccination )

james_davis_nicoll

Because both shows feature a red-haired teenaged girl with a monosyllabic name and a troubled relationship with their family, my brain merged the continuities of Son of a Critch and Stranger Things.

james_davis_nicoll

Link in case the embed does not work

Watch on YouTube

james_davis_nicoll

A trading voyage leads to first contact and a delightful process of mutual discovery.

Voyager in Night by C J Cherryh

andrewducker

1. Dungeons & Dragons is great for brain health (particularly the elderly and people with disabilities): (tags:dungeonsanddragons mentalhealth entertainment )
2. NHS threatens GP practice over trans care: (tags:transgender UK bigotry healthcare OhForFucksSake )
3. Cambridge University's oldest women-only college, Newnham, stands firm for trans inclusion: (tags:transgender Cambridge university GoodNews )
4. Novel peanut allergy vaccine shows promise to transform allergy care: (tags:allergies vaccine )
5. Petition to make schools in Scotland safe for pupils with allergies: (tags:allergies scotland school petition )
6. 20% of US UTIs are caused by contimated meat: (tags:usa meat food infection )
7. When Stick Figures Fought (A history of the stick figure combat flash animations of the early 200s): (tags:history fighting animation web Flash )
8. The password for the Louvre's Video Surveillance System was "Louvre": (tags:art museums security epicfail france )

james_davis_nicoll

Tried to move my dinner time in just two days, ate too late, crashed my blood sugar, and had to cancel gaming.

(It's not diabetes. It's just that I am incredibly intolerant to eating late)

james_davis_nicoll

Tabletop rolepurring in the world of Pugmire.

Bundle of Holding: Monarchies of Mau

james_davis_nicoll

Modern humans are fine, but what if we had a bit more variety in our stories?

Five Ways Science Fiction Can Expand Beyond Homo sapiens

james_davis_nicoll

Five crucial steps for curating series.

The Care and Feeding of Series

james_davis_nicoll

My character discovered that using his acting skills to look like a dangerous opponent kind of backfires if it gets the full attention of something that is a dangerous opponent.

james_davis_nicoll

In case the image does not load or someone cannot read it: it is a Bluesky post reading "I firmly believe the Jays would have won had Diefenbaker not cancelled the Avro Arrow."

There are 7 reposts, 2 quotes, and 48 likes.

james_davis_nicoll

Was Fred Halpern the boy space hero the papers believed him or the headstrong fool his teachers saw?

Moon of Mutiny (Jim Stanley, volume 3) by Lester del Rey

andrewducker

Glasgow still feels much more city-like to me than Edinburgh.

Which is probably why I prefer living in Edinburgh.

(Great to visit though)

andrewducker

Sophia and Gideon making the DNA for their respective eye colours.

(First ever trip to the Glasgow Science Centre, it was awesome)
Original is here on Pixelfed.scot.

james_davis_nicoll

You too can be one of the legions of James Nicoll Review supporters, financing my slow but steady advance towards review aleph null!

November 2025 Patreon Boost

james_davis_nicoll

Five works new to me: two horror, one and a half science fiction, one half fantasy, and one TTRPG that's hard to classify. Two could be said to be series works.

Books Received, October 25 — October 31

Poll #33785 Books Received, October 25 — October 31

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 44

View Respondents

Which of these upcoming books looks interesting?

View Answers

Dreamland by Olivie Blake (August 2026)
13 (29.5%)

Make Me Better by Sarah Gailey (May 2026)
17 (38.6%)

Year’s Best Canadian Fantasy and Science Fiction: Volume Three edited by Stephen Kotowych (October 2025)
18 (40.9%)

Palaces of the Crow by Ray Nayler (March 2026)
18 (40.9%)

Outgunned Adventure by Riccardo“Rico” Sirignano & Simone Formicola, with art by Daniela Giubellini (October 2024)
9 (20.5%)

Some other option (see comments)
1 (2.3%)

Cats!
32 (72.7%)

andrewducker

1. Attention lapses due to sleep deprivation are caused by your brain flushing itself clean: (tags:brain sleep )
2. Only 416 days until next Christmas!: (tags:Christmas )

james_davis_nicoll

James Nicoll Reviews saw its 3000th review on the 17th.

23 works reviewed. 12.5 by women (54%), 10 by men (43%), 0.5 by non-binary authors (2%), 0 by authors whose gender is unknown (0%), and 10.5 by POC (46%).

More stats and a big chart here.

james_davis_nicoll

A stranger comes to Little Marigold.

M. F. K., volume 1 by Nilah Magruder

andrewducker

This morning Sophia announced, as we were about to leave the house, that she couldn't find her school shoes.

Her black school shoes.

The ones that are and integral part of her Wednesday costume. For the school Halloween disco. This evening.

Jane and I frantically tore the house apart for fifteen minutes and checked *everywhere*. Eventually we forced her, crying, to put on her trainers, promising her that if her shoes turned up we would bring them in to her.

Because we left fifteen minutes late we missed the bus. And so it was that we were halfway through the walk to school when Sophia quietly said "Oh."

And then told me that she'd just remembered that yesterday she'd come home from school in her welly boots, leaving her shoes at her peg.

You'll be delighted to hear that I didn't murder her.

james_davis_nicoll

A fairy's efforts to recover stolen arcane tools via illicit means produce spectacular calamity.

The Fairy of Ku-She by M. Lucie Chin

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