Category: Blog Post

E/ACC




I’m going to expand this into an essay when I get the time:

I am kind of torn:
Yes e/acc (singularity worshipers) might destroy the world in eleven interesting ways before lunchtime…

– but –

crows, apes, etc, are conscious, will never go foom (a colloquial term for AI hard takeoff), and there’s thousands of planets full analogous sentient agents to keep the spark of consciousness burning if we do disappear up our own brainstems…

– soo – (I guess)

push the button! Turn the page!
Light the blue touchpaper and stand back!

Also…

The singularity is coming whether we like it or not, so for all you/us neo-Luddites out there, maybe it’s time to accept that you/we can’t beat em, so you/we might as well join them.

(as I said, I’m torn)

Edit:
Hmmm… seems like he might be the antichrist after all. (see:THE SINGULARITY IS UPON US!)

Hwwara Hall of Records



40K BCE, Oldest Cave Art at the Hwarra Hall of Records

Sometimes, when I am writing, I know the reader would probably appreciate some visual aid, but I haven’t clarified everything in my mind. I use Photoshop to come up with ideas which might end up as illustrations in the book. But if they don’t, they at least assist me visualising precisely what is happening and, ideally, improve my descriptions.

Concept art for my current work in progress:

Anthropocene, a Hard SciFi, Paleo-Punk, Conspiracy Theory, Murder Mystery, Who Dunnit…

Sketch of Cave Art, thought to depict X. Rahan, H. Anunnalis, H. Neanderthalensis, H. Sapiens.

SkyWhale



Exciting news, folks! My new book is taking shape! It should be out towards the end of this year (or possibly next depending on how distracted I am by the relentless march of craziness!)

One of the locations is a floating vacuum dirigible—SkyWhale. If you’ve read my previous books, you might recognise the concept. It was on the cover of book 3 but from the angle it’s form still fairly ambiguous.

(Cover by the amazing DoFresh)

As we spend so much time there in the new book,I decided to put some effort into designing the SkyWhale properly…

I got to thinking about the aerodynamics. I decided to make the tail like the wings of a glider (sailplane) with high wing-loading and low-drag. I added multiple sets of forward fin/flukes for maneuvering at low speeds. These flatten against the envelope when the vessel is cruising.

 

 

Assuming it’s built with super light materials and nothing inside, it almost looks plausible, right?

Original sketch:

😉