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james_davis_nicoll

I will be too busy to post tomorrow.

2012: O2 offers free wifi to multitudes, which I only now realize may be have been referenced in Kingsman, researchers determine that despite a century having passed, the Titanic remains at the bottom of the Atlantic, and in a glorious celebration of the effectiveness of the modern British educational system, doctors warn Britons not to drink liquid nitrogen.

Poll #33559 Clarke Award Finalists 2012

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 36

View Respondents

Which 2012 Clarke Award Finalists Have You Read?

The Testament of Jessie Lamb by Jane Rogers
0 (0.0%)

Embassytown by China Miéville
17 (47.2%)

Hull Zero Three by Greg Bear
6 (16.7%)

Rule 34 by Charles Stross
25 (69.4%)

The Postmortal by Drew Magary
1 (2.8%)

The Waters Rising by Sheri S. Tepper
6 (16.7%)

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

Which 2012 Clarke Award Finalists Have You Read?
The Testament of Jessie Lamb by Jane Rogers
Embassytown by China Miéville
Hull Zero Three by Greg Bear
Rule 34 by Charles Stross
The Postmortal by Drew Magary
The Waters Rising by Sheri S. Tepper

andrewducker

The kids take it in turn doing a variety of things, so that we don't have arguments every single night over who gets to choose teethbrushing things, who gets to be first to get put into pyjamas, who gets to check inside the parcel box when we get home, who gets to choose who gets out of the bath first, etc. This month, Sophia has odd numbered days and Gideon has even numbered days. Except that they swapped yesterday and today so that Gideon could have his birthday.

Except...that a few months ago we used the app Chwazi, where everyone puts their finger on the screen and then it picks someone (to be first player in a game, for instance). And Gideon loved it. So last weekend when I asked who should get out of the bath first he said "We'll play the finger game." - and I asked him if he'd be sad if he didn't win, and he said no, and then he and Sophia played it, and he lost, and I had to wash the hair of a sobbing child, who kept saying "I thought I would win!"

So this weekend, I asked him who was getting out of the bath first, and he said "Finger game!" and I said "Do you remember how sad you were?" and he said "Very sad!" and I said "So you should just choose." and he said "I have a plan, this time the person who loses will go first." And, of course, he won. And so, again, I had to wash the hair of a crying child who thought he'd found a way to beat probability.

All of which is to say that if you want to beat people at games of chance then I recommend 5-year-olds, who are both terrible at understanding it, and completely fail to learn from that.

james_davis_nicoll

I didn't win any awards in August but I did review 22 more works. James Nicoll Reviews is now 34 reviews away from its 3000th review.

August 2025 in Review

james_davis_nicoll

Marooned on a backwater planet, a down-on-his-luck actor sets out to transform his new home. Will he survive success?

Always the Black Knight by Lee Hoffman

andrewducker

1. 'The Long Walk' treadmill screening will test viewers' endurance: (tags:stephen_king movies exercise walking )

james_davis_nicoll

Original Bluesky message.

james_davis_nicoll

Poll #33552 I knew I forgot something

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 70

View Respondents

Cats?

Cats!
49 (70.0%)

Cats!
42 (60.0%)

Cats!
51 (72.9%)

Cats!
49 (70.0%)

Cats!
51 (72.9%)

james_davis_nicoll

Six works new to me. Three fantasy, three SF, four are series (at least in a sense) and the other two appear to be stand-alone. Lots of TTRPG material.

Books Received, August 23 — August 30

Poll #33551 Books Received, August 23 — August 30

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 29

View Respondents

Which of these look interesting?

Victoriana by Alex Cahill et al (Q1 2026)
6 (20.7%)

Victoriana Menagerie by Alex Cahill et al (Q1 2026)
5 (17.2%)

The Subtle Art of Folding Space by John Chu (April 2026)
21 (72.4%)

Ship of Spells by H. Leighton Dickson (November 2025)
9 (31.0%)

Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay: Imperium Maledictum, Voll Adventures by Lisa Farrell et al (Q1, 2026)
2 (6.9%)

Coriolis: The Great Dark by Kosta Kostulas et al (August 2025)
13 (44.8%)

james_davis_nicoll

Plant accordingly, especially in regions slated to become lifeless deserts.

james_davis_nicoll

Two sisters quest up a climate-change-and-blight ravaged coast and across the seas to find their missing sister.

Saltcrop by Yume Kitasei

andrewducker

1. My Top Five Favorite Techno Songs and Why They're All the Mortal Kombat Theme Song: (tags:music satire )
2. A historian reviews King & Conqueror (neither good nor accurate): (tags:history UK TV review )
3. Spineless fence-sitter thinks killing children is bad no matter who does it: (tags:israel palestine satire politics murder children gaza )

andrewducker

Little smiley chap wanted to take a photo with me this morning.
Original is here on Pixelfed.scot.

james_davis_nicoll

From Ringworld to the Laundry Files

Four SF Book Series Adapted Into Roleplaying Games

james_davis_nicoll

Recent supplements for the HOSTILE tabletop roleplaying game

Bundle of Holding: Hostile Hot Zones

james_davis_nicoll

First contact on the lightless surface of an alien moon.

Shroud by Adrian Tchaikovsky

james_davis_nicoll

A celebration of Chinese science fiction.

Sinopticon by Xueting Christine Ni

james_davis_nicoll

"As many of you have noticed, Max has been absent for nearly two months"

james_davis_nicoll

Small, hot world discovered

james_davis_nicoll

A collection of speculative fiction stories from Walter Jon WIlliams.

Facets by Walter Jon Williams

james_davis_nicoll

Hostile, the deep-space alien horror rpg from Zozer Games.

Bundle of Holding: Hostile (from 2022)

james_davis_nicoll

2011: The VAT is improved by altering it from the hard to remember 17.5% to the more memorable 20%, the government continues efforts to replace the Incapacity Benefit with an alternate program in which applicants have cinderblocks dropped on them from a height and there is absolutely no news involving PM Cameron and a pig.

Poll #33534 Clarke Award Finalists 2011

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 34

View Respondents

Which 2011 Clarke Award Finalists Have You Read?

Zoo City by Lauren Beukes
18 (52.9%)

Declare by Tim Powers
21 (61.8%)

Generosity: An Enhancement by Richard Powers
0 (0.0%)

Lightborn by Tricia Sullivan
4 (11.8%)

Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness
3 (8.8%)

The Dervish House by Ian McDonald
10 (29.4%)

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

Which 2011 Clarke Award Finalists Have You Read?
Zoo City by Lauren Beukes
Declare by Tim Powers
Generosity: An Enhancement by Richard Powers
Lightborn by Tricia Sullivan
Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness
The Dervish House by Ian McDonald

andrewducker

Spent the afternoon being serenaded by a cinema full of kids at the K-Pop Demon Hunters sing-a-long.

As musical kids movies about demon-hunting go out was pretty darned good and I expect to be earwormed for weeks.

james_davis_nicoll

A diverting assortment of spooky stories selected by an editor about whom I could discover almost nothing.

Stories of Suspense by Mary E. MacEwen

andrewducker

1. Ancient Nomadic Scythians Found to be Ethnically Diverse: (tags:race ethnicity history viaPatrickHadfield )

james_davis_nicoll

Poll #33520 Books Received, August 15 — August 22

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 46

View Respondents

Which of these look interesting?

The Last Woman on Earth by Bex Benjamin (September 2025)
12 (26.1%)

So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole (January 2024)
13 (28.3%)

Guilt by Keigo Higashino (April 2026)
9 (19.6%)

Green and Deadly Things by Jenn Lyons (March 2026)
16 (34.8%)

The River She Became by Emily Varga (June 2026)
14 (30.4%)

Some other option (see comments)
1 (2.2%)

Cats!
34 (73.9%)

james_davis_nicoll

Five books new to me: three fantasy, one mystery, and one science fiction. Two are series, and the other three may be stand-alone.

Books Received, August 15 — August 22

james_davis_nicoll

andrewducker

Gluten free pie and a collection of badges to indicate my new age. I think my family might like me!
Original is here on Pixelfed.scot.

andrewducker

I've just discovered that Android has an option that lets you snooze notifications. You have no idea how happy this makes me.

andrewducker

1. Trans Segregation in Practice (Experiences of trans segregation following the Supreme Court ruling): (tags:transgender bigotry LGBT UK OhForFucksSake )
2. How UK inheritance tax compares with other countries: (tags:inheritance tax uk )
3. Google has released data on how much energy an AI prompt uses: (tags:ai energy co2 water )
4. Nigel Farage lies about the real asylum story: (tags:asylum uk migration OhForFucksSake )
5. Where Is the Political Leadership Against This Violent Far-Right Movement Terrorising Britain?: (tags:racism politics UK OhForFucksSake )
6. Missing Texas woman found living among lost ‘African’ tribe in Scotland: (tags:Scotland Africa history EpicWTF weird )
7. Ann Summers confirms trans women welcome at bra fittings: (tags:clothing transgender LGBT shops )
8. New Fireworks Control Zones to be introduced in Edinburgh: (tags:fireworks edinburgh scotland )
9. Moderate drinking is not good for you.: (tags:cancer alcohol disease )
10. 4chan will refuse to pay daily UK fines, its lawyer tells BBC: (tags:law uk usa censorship )

No idea why the autoposter didn't work yesterday/today. Will investigate tonight!

james_davis_nicoll

Sibling obsession and alienation shape whole cultures.

Mad Sisters of Esi by Tashan Mehta

james_davis_nicoll

There is no cookie cutter when it comes to celestial bodies...

No Two Worlds Are the Same: Planetary Diversity in SF

james_davis_nicoll

The total import value in June of fresh orange juice from the U.S. into Canada was $5.78 million, compared to nearly $12 million in June 2024.

james_davis_nicoll

Dr. Jordan's weird kid Richard is the key to unlocking first contact... and much more.

Project Farcry by Pauline Ashwell

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