Post AxE10SnEhpPu1cXv5k by farah@beige.party
(DIR) More posts by farah@beige.party
(DIR) Post #AxE10QJ1xA4CJMOljU by farah@beige.party
2025-08-16T04:01:11Z
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Stand-alone Sci-fi recommendation? Pretty pleaseOops - books pls
(DIR) Post #AxE10S39TAYNigz7GC by eswag@dju.social
2025-08-16T09:49:47Z
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@farah The Expanse (TV and books)3 Body Problem (TV and books)Altered Carbon (TV and books)The Europa Report (movie based, I think, on an Arthur C Clarke short story, might have been Asimov)The "culture" novels by Ian M Banks <- very good indeed. Lots of solarpunk and god-like machine super intelligences and postmodernism as an emergent effect of having a long history, and having pretty much seen it all as a result.
(DIR) Post #AxE10SnEhpPu1cXv5k by farah@beige.party
2025-08-16T10:48:04Z
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@eswag I really need to get into Ian Banks
(DIR) Post #AxE10TZ5pthKQ2w8ga by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-08-16T10:53:47Z
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@farah Yes. Yes you do. (go for his SF under "Ian M. Banks" his fiction, written under "Ian Banks" is... Honestly it's very dark whereas his SF is filled with hope and wonder.)I like "look to windward" and "the Algebraist"
(DIR) Post #AxE29dPkgZl7WiUyfI by Johns_priv@mastodon.social
2025-08-16T11:06:43Z
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@futurebird @farah His Culture world is amazing and something to aspire to, even though a bit dark in parts
(DIR) Post #AxE6F7cEE1uYSVCr2W by gbargoud@masto.nyc
2025-08-16T11:52:32Z
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@futurebird @farah I really need to read beyond the first one then. My reaction to that book was "please just let one good thing happen to this guy"
(DIR) Post #AxE9tollV1m5kAlQjA by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-08-16T12:33:30Z
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@gbargoud @farah Which one did you read?
(DIR) Post #AxEBDNup9QnmCgtZR2 by jhavok@mstdn.party
2025-08-16T12:18:26Z
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@Johns_priv @futurebird @farah Do the techbros think this is the world they are creating? Because so far it looks more like the world of Lazarus by Greg Rucka, with battling feudal corporations using advanced science to keep an iron grip on serfs while poisoning the world.
(DIR) Post #AxEBDPQPXTf8swgJJA by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-08-16T12:48:16Z
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@jhavok @Johns_priv @farah "Do the techbros think this is the world they are creating?"No that's the world they fear more than anything. In "The Culture" it's impossible to control people, to be a big man with power over others. The only way to be a little important is to make impressive art, or do daring things that you could maybe brag about later. What most people do is enjoy their friends and family and enjoy life and the beauty of the universe. This is hell to techbros
(DIR) Post #AxEBKU1QqTWnAbN3p2 by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-08-16T12:49:35Z
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@jhavok @Johns_priv @farah I kind of feel like that was one of the big points of "player of games"It's grappled with the question of "but what about people who can't be happy unless they can dominate others" and basically showed why this whole question is trash.
(DIR) Post #AxECRc3PTtmC3tG9x2 by gbargoud@masto.nyc
2025-08-16T13:02:02Z
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@futurebird @farahConsider Phlebas
(DIR) Post #AxED8JKcxxLkRofmme by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-08-16T13:09:48Z
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@gbargoud @farah Oh that's the "adventure" one. It's similar to "player of games" in some ways, but not as good IMO. Yeah try some of the other ones.
(DIR) Post #AxEEEcfI69F26HuaSO by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-08-16T13:22:08Z
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@jhavok @Johns_priv @farah I think Banks tried to "steel man" the conservative world and the value(?) of hierarchy but became disgusted with the intellectual exercise and about two thirds of the way through the books he's like "no this has zero redeeming qualities nothing worth saving"
(DIR) Post #AxEK5KwtCFIKH16B0K by marick@mstdn.social
2025-08-16T14:27:38Z
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@futurebird @billseitz @jhavok @Johns_priv @farah In the https://pocketcasts.com/podcasts/a40ee120-19c2-013d-7b57-0ed724f1833f/8a949b21-ca07-474a-b042-d34c9d1f0a5a podcast episode on /Excession/, one of the people pointed out that, in the Culture, even trying to excel in art, etc. is a little bit suspect as a way to draw attention to yourself, a way to dominate *something*. An inability to fit in, kind of like the weirdos drawn to Special Circumstances.Not sure if I agree, but I’ll be keeping it in mind as I reread /Excession/.
(DIR) Post #AxEQjJjFkcafnYASVU by jhavok@mstdn.party
2025-08-16T15:42:00Z
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@futurebird @Johns_priv @farah The Culture is controlled by benevolent superintelligences who maintain humans essentially as pets. I'm pretty sure the techbros identify with them in a very Dunning-Kruger way and consider any crimes they commit along the way to be necessary evils on the way to utopia. Look at Thiel: does he identify as Sauron? I would bet he thinks he is Elendil, despite the trail of harm he leaves behind him.
(DIR) Post #AxEljKxbGqRueejGoC by Wlm@mastodon.gamedev.place
2025-08-16T19:37:24Z
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@futurebird @farah Notably The Algebraist is standalone and not Culture!(Look to Windward, Algebraist and Excession are favorites for me. Consider Phlebas is not his best (still good tho), so if you just read one I’d go for ☝️ or Player of Games.)
(DIR) Post #AxEvp3ZBqtEXzKg4MC by eswag@dju.social
2025-08-16T21:30:30Z
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@futurebird @gbargoud @farah Excession, or The Use of Weapons.