#365ways — Public Fediverse posts

What If They’re Already Here?

Recently, Neil deGrasse Tyson visited Stephen Colbert to talk about aliens and his new book Take Me To Your Leader: Perspectives On Your First Alien Encounter. He discussed aliens, why you probably shouldn’t shake hands, and how they might mirror what they see of humanity. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UNUkJMbvpQ

It made me think of the story I wrote on that topic, and how I hope that humanity does more good than not. I’ve re-posted before but I like the story, so here it is again. Click through for the full piece.

We Are Mirrors | J.R. Johnson

You and Yours

I came from the stars to meet you. I was happy. Excited, even. First contact with your verdant world. Think of all that we could share with you.

“You” could have meant a lot of things. I started with one of the most populous. An insect.

I remember little of what it was like, a flash of light, a warm wriggle in a puddle after rain. The feel of wind in my wings.

It’s embarrassing to say this now, but I was promptly eaten.

* * *

Remember to Keep Laughing

I’m watching holes being punched in democracy, and I don’t like it. At the same time, my father is sending nature notes from the beach.

/headline

Pigeons, house finches

/headline

Black-backed gulls

The headlines are important. 

/headline

Willets

The headlines mark a world changing in ways that will hurt the people and things I care about. That’s… not great.

/headline

Sanderlings

/headline

Osprey

But there is more to the world than just headlines.

Pelicans, herring gulls, terns, mockingbird, starlings, boat-tailed grackles, house sparrows, swallows, dolphins!

Laughing gulls.

* * *

Experts Have Thoughts

Since my recent posts have spent a lot of time in space, let’s take a slight break from the nonfiction drama of NASA’s Artemis II mission and shift over to the fictional world of space adventure.

In his books, Andy Weir (The Martian) works hard to bring scientific accuracy to his fiction. The challenge is balancing the demands of a thrilling story with the science that grounds it in reality.

How did he do? Experts weigh in.

How plausible is ‘Project Hail Mary’? Experts have thoughts

While “Project Hail Mary” has its share of explosions and catastrophes, it’s the thinking that’s thrilling. Grace and Rocky must come together, with tools and whiteboards, craft and ingenuity, to solve a seemingly insoluble problem. They make mistakes, but they learn from those mistakes and from each other.

And an astrophysicist also has thoughts:

Project Hail Mary is packed with hard science. An astrophysicist breaks it down

… when I walked out of a recent preview screening of the film adaptation of Andy Weir’s 2021 science fiction novel Project Hail Mary, I had tears of joy in my eyes. The filmmakers had done justice not just to the original story, but also to the science at the heart of it.

From NASA, with lots of interesting subsidiary links: 

The Science Behind ‘Project Hail Mary’ – NASA Science

Let NASA shed some light: Explore the resources below to learn the science facts fueling the science fiction.

(Wait, Tau Ceti was also featured in fiction by Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Frank Herbert, Robert Heinlein, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Kim Stanley Robinson? And was the setting for Barbarella? This planet gets around!)

The final assessment of the science? Not perfect, but good. And precisely accurate or not, this promises to be another very entertaining movie. (I’ve read the book but haven’t seen the film yet. Yes, I am a little behind the curve!)

Since we’re here, how about an article on the movie as a climate parable? (warning, spoilers!)

AMAZE AMAZE AMAZE! Yes, this is an article about Project Hail Mary as climate parable

And what the heck, here’s the movie trailer just for fun.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m08TxIsFTRI

* * *

The Path to Greatness

There are a number of reasons why AI can be problematic, but lawsuits over stolen copyrights and the like don’t touch on one of the more interesting and important reasons why AI should be used judiciously in creative work.

It can undermine your skills. And who among us wants to fall victim to that most dreadful of problems, creative atrophy?

This essay by Storm Humbert goes deeper into the perils of cognitive offloading, skill atrophy, and more.

Not a Scab, But a Wound – Apex Book Company

Don’t be drawn in by the allure of never having to go through the “being-bad-at-it” phase of learning a craft. We must allow ourselves to be bad—to downright suck—for a little while. Outsourcing our infinite potential to limited tools is how we become limited ourselves. Instead, pick up a pencil. Sit at a keyboard. Contend with the blank page and the empty canvas—the unsullied slab of granite. It’s the only path to greatness.

Like any tool, AI can be good at some things and not great at others. Knowing the why and when and how is critical to making good use of such tools, and those decisions require thought and good judgement. And what’s the best tool for building people who are good at thinking?

Why, a library card! AI Literacy Starts With Reading Books, Not Prompts

* * *

Fish, Precious!

Yes, the world is a dangerous mess right now but not everything is terrible. Exhibit A: The Fish Doorbell is back!

The Fish Doorbell — The Fish Doorbell

Every spring, thousands of fish swim through the Oudegracht in Utrecht, searching for a place upstream to lay their eggs. But the Weerdsluis is often closed. You can help the fish continue their journey! If you see a fish, press the doorbell. This alerts the lock operator to open the lock.

Love this!

* * *

Not Too Long & Not Too Short

Here’s a quick notification for anyone interested in writing and publication venues and supporting a fun Kickstarter:

Missed-Fits: A Calendar of Fools Anthology by Storm Humbert

The idea for Missed-Fits is born of two central motivations at Calendar of Fools: the desire to create truly unique books and reading experiences for our readers, and the desire to provide a service or fill a gap we see in the professional short fiction space. In this case, the gap we saw was a relative dearth of stories of a certain length (1,200 to 2,100 words)…

I backed an earlier Calendar of Fools campaign and am happy to see that these anthologies are still going strong.

Given that I like books, often write stories that don’t fit traditional venue length requirements, and enjoy supporting artists, this is right up my alley. 

Perhaps these are things you like too?

* * *

Not Too Long & Not Too Short

Here’s a quick notification for anyone interested in writing and publication venues and supporting a fun Kickstarter:

Missed-Fits: A Calendar of Fools Anthology by Storm Humbert

The idea for Missed-Fits is born of two central motivations at Calendar of Fools: the desire to create truly unique books and reading experiences for our readers, and the desire to provide a service or fill a gap we see in the professional short fiction space. In this case, the gap we saw was a relative dearth of stories of a certain length (1,200 to 2,100 words)…

I backed an earlier Calendar of Fools campaign and am happy to see that these anthologies are still going strong.

Given that I like books, often write stories that don’t fit traditional venue length requirements, and enjoy supporting artists, this is right up my alley. 

Perhaps these are things you like too?

* * *

Not Too Long & Not Too Short

Here’s a quick notification for anyone interested in writing and publication venues and supporting a fun Kickstarter:

Missed-Fits: A Calendar of Fools Anthology by Storm Humbert

The idea for Missed-Fits is born of two central motivations at Calendar of Fools: the desire to create truly unique books and reading experiences for our readers, and the desire to provide a service or fill a gap we see in the professional short fiction space. In this case, the gap we saw was a relative dearth of stories of a certain length (1,200 to 2,100 words)…

I backed an earlier Calendar of Fools campaign and am happy to see that these anthologies are still going strong.

Given that I like books, often write stories that don’t fit traditional venue length requirements, and enjoy supporting artists, this is right up my alley. 

Perhaps these are things you like too?

* * *

Not Too Long & Not Too Short

Here’s a quick notification for anyone interested in writing and publication venues and supporting a fun Kickstarter:

Missed-Fits: A Calendar of Fools Anthology by Storm Humbert

The idea for Missed-Fits is born of two central motivations at Calendar of Fools: the desire to create truly unique books and reading experiences for our readers, and the desire to provide a service or fill a gap we see in the professional short fiction space. In this case, the gap we saw was a relative dearth of stories of a certain length (1,200 to 2,100 words)…

I backed an earlier Calendar of Fools campaign and am happy to see that these anthologies are still going strong.

Given that I like books, often write stories that don’t fit traditional venue length requirements, and enjoy supporting artists, this is right up my alley. 

Perhaps these are things you like too?

* * *

Not Too Long & Not Too Short

Here’s a quick notification for anyone interested in writing and publication venues and supporting a fun Kickstarter:

Missed-Fits: A Calendar of Fools Anthology by Storm Humbert

The idea for Missed-Fits is born of two central motivations at Calendar of Fools: the desire to create truly unique books and reading experiences for our readers, and the desire to provide a service or fill a gap we see in the professional short fiction space. In this case, the gap we saw was a relative dearth of stories of a certain length (1,200 to 2,100 words)…

I backed an earlier Calendar of Fools campaign and am happy to see that these anthologies are still going strong.

Given that I like books, often write stories that don’t fit traditional venue length requirements, and enjoy supporting artists, this is right up my alley. 

Perhaps these are things you like too?

* * *