Seabreeze No!
Mar. 24th, 2026 10:03 pm![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
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a thousand beaks, a million talons, ten billion eyes. RIP Ms. Beakman, you beautiful bird
questionable_content_feedWhere Wolves Don't Die, by Anton Treuer
Mar. 24th, 2026 03:01 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rachelmanija
Ezra, an Ojibwe teenager, has to flee Minneapolis when the home of the racist teenager who bullied him burns down, and he becomes the prime suspect. He goes to Canada to run traplines with his grandfather.
Where Wolves Don't Die is mostly a coming of age story; the thriller/mystery element is present but minor. It was recommended to me "Like an Ojibwe Hatchet," which definitely captures a lot of the vibe though it's about learning in community and family rather than isolation. Ezra goes from boy to man while he learns the old ways with his grandfather, who he loves. It's engrossing and moving. I liked that Ezra actively wants to stay with and learn from his grandfather rather than resisting it and having to come around.
Content notes: Hunting and trapping is central to the story.
Life with two kids: School Days Revisited
Mar. 24th, 2026 08:02 pmandrewduckerThe kids are watching an episode of SpongeBob where he's failing to write an essay. It is, frankly, stressing me the fuck out.
I'm yours in the day and the dead of night
Mar. 24th, 2026 02:24 pmsovayMy poem "ἀγκυλοθάλασσος" has been accepted by Strange Horizons. I am indebted to radiantfracture for his Twine prompt generator designed to produce scientific-sounding compound adjectives and nouns, in this case the irresistible "ankylothalassic" from ἀγκύλος "crooked, bent" and θάλασσα "the sea." I rendered it back into classical Greek and José Esteban Muñoz and Twelfth Night got in there along the way. It was written on New Year's Eve.
While I was out of ambit of the internet for almost all of yesterday, Reckoning: It Was Paradise hit the digital shelves. It is the special issue of the journal of environmental justice on war and conflict and contains a poem of mine which will go live on the internet in a month, or you could pick it up now with the rest of the shatteringly topical e-book if you don't feel like preordering it in print. I wrote it last summer after the—first—U.S. strikes on Iran. I taught myself a small amount of Elamite cuneiform for it. It should not have come around to such relevance again.
The designer of the Paleontological Research Institute's long-running pre-saurian Paleozoic Pals has just branched out into Pleistocene mammals with a Kickstarter for Cenozoic Snuggles. I have put in for a Glyptodon.
I may have slept nine hours. I just heard Rabbitology's "The Bog Bodies" (2026).
radiantfracture for his Twine prompt generator designed to produce scientific-sounding compound adjectives and nouns, in this case the irresistible "ankylothalassic" from ἀγκύλος "crooked, bent" and θάλασσα "the sea." I rendered it back into classical Greek and José Esteban Muñoz and Twelfth Night got in there along the way. It was written on New Year's Eve.While I was out of ambit of the internet for almost all of yesterday, Reckoning: It Was Paradise hit the digital shelves. It is the special issue of the journal of environmental justice on war and conflict and contains a poem of mine which will go live on the internet in a month, or you could pick it up now with the rest of the shatteringly topical e-book if you don't feel like preordering it in print. I wrote it last summer after the—first—U.S. strikes on Iran. I taught myself a small amount of Elamite cuneiform for it. It should not have come around to such relevance again.
The designer of the Paleontological Research Institute's long-running pre-saurian Paleozoic Pals has just branched out into Pleistocene mammals with a Kickstarter for Cenozoic Snuggles. I have put in for a Glyptodon.
I may have slept nine hours. I just heard Rabbitology's "The Bog Bodies" (2026).
Another one?
Mar. 24th, 2026 11:14 amshivverI found out yesterday that my friend Rich just discovered that he has stage 4 pancreatic cancer -- incurable but therapy can prolong life and improve quality for a bit. I play in a concert band with his wife (he occasionally played in it, too) and she had informed the band, which is how I found out, but I've known him (well, worked with him) since the 1990s.
I actually got to work closely with him on a project back in 2012 or so and got to know him pretty well. At one point, we had to go up to Seattle to work in-house with the dev team, so we spent two weeks hanging out. I think the big things about Rich is that he's nice, optimistic, and fun. Maybe that doesn't sound like much, but he is always compared to his brother, who is a mean, conniving sociopath. Everyone loves Rich. No one likes his brother.
Honestly, Rich is awesome. One of the most respected game designers in this game-dev town. My favorite memory is going to this excellent sushi restaurant in Bellevue and sampling everything on the conveyor belt with him. (Ah, the things you do when the company is paying for your meals!) His wife says he still mentions that restaurant. But he's always happy to see you and eager to have fun. Oh, also, he and his kids are Doctor Who fans, so that one time we played Doctor Who: Through Time and Space and I snuck in my Thirteen cosplay under my uniform because the conductor said I couldn't but the president said I absolutely should, Rich wore my Dalek lights headband and his son wore one of my other accoutrements (don't remember what it was).
But the thing that's really getting me down today is that yet another of my friends is being taken by cancer when they're so young. Rich is a couple of years younger than me, and fours years ago, I posted about another friend who didn't even reach fifty.
I'm the last person in my generation on both sides of my family, with uncles and aunts that were 40-50 years older than me and cousins that are thirty years older than me, so for the past twenty years or so, any news from home meant someone had died. I'm used to that. But I'm not old enough yet that any news from my friends should mean the same thing. It's not fair, why Rich, why anyone at all, yadda yadda...
Fuck cancer.
I actually got to work closely with him on a project back in 2012 or so and got to know him pretty well. At one point, we had to go up to Seattle to work in-house with the dev team, so we spent two weeks hanging out. I think the big things about Rich is that he's nice, optimistic, and fun. Maybe that doesn't sound like much, but he is always compared to his brother, who is a mean, conniving sociopath. Everyone loves Rich. No one likes his brother.
Honestly, Rich is awesome. One of the most respected game designers in this game-dev town. My favorite memory is going to this excellent sushi restaurant in Bellevue and sampling everything on the conveyor belt with him. (Ah, the things you do when the company is paying for your meals!) His wife says he still mentions that restaurant. But he's always happy to see you and eager to have fun. Oh, also, he and his kids are Doctor Who fans, so that one time we played Doctor Who: Through Time and Space and I snuck in my Thirteen cosplay under my uniform because the conductor said I couldn't but the president said I absolutely should, Rich wore my Dalek lights headband and his son wore one of my other accoutrements (don't remember what it was).
But the thing that's really getting me down today is that yet another of my friends is being taken by cancer when they're so young. Rich is a couple of years younger than me, and fours years ago, I posted about another friend who didn't even reach fifty.
I'm the last person in my generation on both sides of my family, with uncles and aunts that were 40-50 years older than me and cousins that are thirty years older than me, so for the past twenty years or so, any news from home meant someone had died. I'm used to that. But I'm not old enough yet that any news from my friends should mean the same thing. It's not fair, why Rich, why anyone at all, yadda yadda...
Fuck cancer.
The Big Idea: Tiffani Angus & Val Nolan
Mar. 24th, 2026 05:58 pmscalziwhatever_feed
You know ’em, you love ’em, authors Tiffani Angus and Val Nolan are back again with another installment of their speculative fiction guidebooks. Hop on board the Big Idea to see how they’ve done it again in Spec Fic for Newbies Vol. 3: A Beginner’s Guide to Writing Even More Subgenres of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror.
TIFFANI ANGUS & VAL NOLAN:
Imagine a classic scene: A car driving down a lonely rural road… a bright light overhead… an examination table aboard an alien spacecraft… and then, instead of the typical medical business, our protagonist—let’s call her Sally—finds herself sitting across from an extraterrestrial. This being communicates with a curious thought-to-text translator device it places on the table. When the entity speaks, its words appear in the air between them:
“My species has learned all we can about your physiology. Now we wish to know about your culture. Does your society… tell stories?”
Sally, who’s been studying Creative Writing, is only too happy to discuss this. “We sure do,” she says. “Lots of different kinds! Science Fiction stories, Fantasy, Horror. And they take all sorts of different forms, like written fiction, TV shows, comics books…”
The alien’s already wide eyes expand even further. “And your species just instinctively understands how to tell these stories?”
“I mean, kinda. We’ve been doing it since we sat around campfires in the Ice Age. But we benefit from practice, you know? Plus, it helps to have guidance from enthusiastic instructors. Not literary snobs who want to make everyone write the same way as them but people sympathetic to the kinds of stories you want to tell.”
“And does one need to go to a school or university for this?”
“Not necessarily. Some people who’ve taught Creative Writing at universities have written books about it.” Sally looks around, finds her backpack (which conveniently materialized beside her), and pulls out a copy of Spec Fic for Newbies Vol. 3: A Beginner’s Guide to Writing Even More Subgenres of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror by Tiffani Angus and Val Nolan. “This, for example, helps novice scribblers and even more seasoned writers learn how to write thirty different subgenres and major tropes. It gives deep dives into the history and development of each subgenre or trope, offers spotter’s guides to their typical manifestations, and provides writing exercises to get you started. Plus, it’s all based on real classroom experience!”
“Subgenres…” The alien’s word floats in the air. “We have heard of these. So many to keep track of.”
Sally thinks about this for a moment. She reaches for the translator. “Can I…?”
The alien nods.
Sally quickly finds the translator’s settings and alters a couple of font choices. “There,” she says, returning the device, “I’ve set it so that when I mention a subgenre that’s in Spec Fic 3, it will appear in bold. That’s what they do in the book. Like all this”—she gestures around the silver room—“is a recognizable Alien Abduction narrative. But the book covers everything from Dinosaur Tales to Swashbuckling Fantasy to Fungal Horror to Superheroes.”
“Fascinating.” The alien considers the book. “I wish I’d been able to study this.”
“They don’t teach Creative Writing at Space Academies?”
“Our universities mostly produce Mad Scientists,” the alien says. “Oh!” It points at the bolded word. “It did the thing!”
Sally smiles. “It’s fun, isn’t it? Plus, when Angus and Nolan discuss subgenres in the other volumes of the series, they underline its name so you can track it down easily.”
“Yes.” The alien turns Spec Fic for Newbies over in its spindly fingers. “I was wondering: can I just jump in with this third volume?”
“Oh absolutely! They’re all stand-alone books. Though if you want to know more about the previous ones…” She takes out her phone. “Have you got wi-fi here? Like, space wi-fi?”
The alien turns the translator upside down and shows her the password.
“Okay, cool,” Sally says, logging on. “So, Angus and Nolan have written about the previous volumes on Scalzi’s blog. You can read about Volume One here and Volume Two here.” She passes her phone to the alien, who reads the blog posts with interest.
“And people find these guides useful?” it asks.
“Useful and enjoyable,” Sally says. “The first two volumes were included on the Locus Recommended Reading List and shortlisted for the British Science Fiction Association Awards and British Fantasy Awards. Those are, like, big deals on our planet.”
“The section on Magic Schools and Dark Academia sounds interesting,” says the alien, now looking through the table of contents. “As does the section about Magical Realism.”
“I like some of the horror stuff myself,” Sally says. “I’ve lately given a go to writing about Near Death Experiences and Urban Gothic and Weird Fiction.”
“And?”
“And I’ve been trying lots of things that I never thought I’d try. The book is really encouraging that way. Angus and Nolan don’t believe in gatekeeping. The whole ethos of Spec Fic for Newbies revolves around bringing people into the realms of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror by giving them the tools to explore these really rich and rewarding imaginary worlds.”
“I see there’s lots of jokes, too,” the alien says, the translator registering its chuckles as a series of curious emojis.
Sally makes an affirmative noise. “Yeah, the authors have a really snarky sense of humor. Angus and Nolan don’t take themselves too seriously, which is another thing that separates this book from the really dry, old-school academic writing guides. Though, of course, that doesn’t mean the book isn’t smart—”
The alien holds up the section on End of the Universe stories. “I can see that.”
“—but it does mean it’s approachable. Anyone can read Spec Fic for Newbies. Anyone can learn from this book. That’s their big idea!”
“Bugs!!!” the alien suddenly shouts.
“Where?!”
“Page 229!”
Sally laughs. “I haven’t got to that part yet!”
“This book tells us much about humanity,” the alien says, “as well as things about Elves and Kaiju.”
“And we’ve barely even covered half of the subgenres here!”
The alien returns the book to Sally. “Where can I get my own copy?”
“Direct from Luna Press.” She opens up the website. “Or from any of your usual retailers.”
“I think I would like to beam down and pick one up right away!”
“Great,” says Sally, “let’s go get you writing!”
Spec Fic For Newbies Vol. 3: Amazon|Barnes & Noble|Amazon UK|Blackstone UK|Waterstones UK
Author socials: Tiffani’s Website|Val’s Website|Tiffani’s Bluesky|Vals’ Bluesky
This Rough Magic: chapters 9-11
Mar. 24th, 2026 05:10 pmshewhostaples posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
girlmeetstroubleChapter 9, and Lucy and Max are trying to rescue the dolphin. ( Read more... )
Chapter 10 takes them both to the Castello to dry off and warm up. ( Read more... )
In chapter 11 it's finally time for Lucy to find out what Max has been up to. ( Read more... )
Well, that was quite a night! Discuss in comments once you've got your breath back. Chapters 12-14 for next time.
Chapter 10 takes them both to the Castello to dry off and warm up. ( Read more... )
In chapter 11 it's finally time for Lucy to find out what Max has been up to. ( Read more... )
Well, that was quite a night! Discuss in comments once you've got your breath back. Chapters 12-14 for next time.
Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal - Phi
Mar. 24th, 2026 11:20 amsmbc_comics_feed
Click here to go see the bonus panel!
Hovertext:
There should be demotivational youtube math videos. Just to be different.
Today's News:
Five Stories About the Dangerous Business of Truth-Telling
Mar. 24th, 2026 11:30 amjames_davis_nicoll
Telling the truth can make you unpopular... or put you into real peril.
Five Stories About the Dangerous Business of Truth-Telling
Guizhou: Beautiful Geography, Wondrous Projects
Mar. 25th, 2026 12:41 amtcpipI have just spent the past four days in Guizhou, a south-western inland district of China. The physical geography is nothing short of stunning, with most of the area covered in lush woodlands over karst hills and mountains, which, even in spring, are often shrouded with cool mists underneath grey skies. It is among some of the most beautiful landscapes I have seen, and I have been fortunate enough in life to see a great deal. One such area includes the Huangguoshu Scenic Area with its numerous waterfalls; the main one (at 100m wide and 78m high) includes a cave system behind the waterfall. This is also the location where, according to legend, the classic story "Journey to the West" begins, and the site has many monuments to this tale. I thoroughly enjoyed teaching our local guide the opening verse and chorus to the BBC series "Monkey Magic". What little flat land exists in valleys is home to packed population centres and intensive farming. As always, the physical geography has a profound influence on social geography, with Guizhou being home to numerous ethnic minority groups, such as the Buyi, Miao, Dong and Yao, whose language and culture are not just recognised but celebrated and are prevalent in locations such as the Qingyan Ancient Town.
In more recent years, Guizhou has become home to some truly remarkable projects, which I also had the opportunity to visit. This includes the world's longest and highest bridge at Huajiang Canyon, which was completed last year. Over 2km in length and a deck height of 625m, the bridge has a walkway underneath with a magnificent view, including a bungy jump, albeit at the eye-watering price of 3000RMB. Another project of note is FAST, the Five-Hundred-Metre Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST), the world's largest and most sensitive single-aperture spherical radio telescope and includes a well-designed Astronomical Experience Museum, which includes a theatre, planetarium, and a special exhibit on black holes. It also includes a bungy jump, which at 80RMB was incredibly affordable, but alas was closed because it wasn't holiday season - stymied again! FAST is in a radio-quiet zone, which means no digital cameras, mobile phones, or even gate buzzers. The surrounding Tianyan Scenic Area more than makes up for this minor inconvenience, and one could easily spend at least a week here. Finally, Guizhou is also home to the first National Big Data Pilot Zone, which makes a great deal of sense given some of the scientific projects that are occurring nearby.
Although often overlooked by foreign tourists, in many ways, Guizhou represents a remarkable combination and harmonious balance between ancient and modern China. This is a place which, whilst clearly self-sufficient due to soil and rainfall, was less developed than the populous big trading regions of the east and southern coast. It is certainly a place that could cultivate a slower-paced and peaceful life, and unsurprisingly features heavily in classical Chinese artwork as well as being a home for the contemplative and ecologically-minded. New constructions, such as the projects just mentioned, and the extensive fast train networks with their tunnels and bridges abound, have all been introduced gently and alongside the natural environment. Although my stay was fairly short and I did not nearly visit all the remarkable sites, I feel quite confident in recommending Guizhou as a place that is well worth a visit, and I hope to do so again one day soon.
In more recent years, Guizhou has become home to some truly remarkable projects, which I also had the opportunity to visit. This includes the world's longest and highest bridge at Huajiang Canyon, which was completed last year. Over 2km in length and a deck height of 625m, the bridge has a walkway underneath with a magnificent view, including a bungy jump, albeit at the eye-watering price of 3000RMB. Another project of note is FAST, the Five-Hundred-Metre Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST), the world's largest and most sensitive single-aperture spherical radio telescope and includes a well-designed Astronomical Experience Museum, which includes a theatre, planetarium, and a special exhibit on black holes. It also includes a bungy jump, which at 80RMB was incredibly affordable, but alas was closed because it wasn't holiday season - stymied again! FAST is in a radio-quiet zone, which means no digital cameras, mobile phones, or even gate buzzers. The surrounding Tianyan Scenic Area more than makes up for this minor inconvenience, and one could easily spend at least a week here. Finally, Guizhou is also home to the first National Big Data Pilot Zone, which makes a great deal of sense given some of the scientific projects that are occurring nearby.
Although often overlooked by foreign tourists, in many ways, Guizhou represents a remarkable combination and harmonious balance between ancient and modern China. This is a place which, whilst clearly self-sufficient due to soil and rainfall, was less developed than the populous big trading regions of the east and southern coast. It is certainly a place that could cultivate a slower-paced and peaceful life, and unsurprisingly features heavily in classical Chinese artwork as well as being a home for the contemplative and ecologically-minded. New constructions, such as the projects just mentioned, and the extensive fast train networks with their tunnels and bridges abound, have all been introduced gently and alongside the natural environment. Although my stay was fairly short and I did not nearly visit all the remarkable sites, I feel quite confident in recommending Guizhou as a place that is well worth a visit, and I hope to do so again one day soon.
How to Build a Planet by Poul Anderson & Stephen L. Gillett
Mar. 24th, 2026 08:57 amjames_davis_nicoll
A brief guide to creating plausible planets.
How to Build a Planet by Poul Anderson & Stephen L. Gillett
Book Review: Pax
Mar. 24th, 2026 08:07 amosprey_archer(I actually wrote this review before my trip, then ran out of time to post it.)
Sometimes you just know, just from looking at a book’s cover, that this book is in some way For You. Such is the case with Sara Pennypacker’s Pax, with its Jon Klassen cover of a fox standing on a wooded hill gazing across a plain at a sunset. I’ve looked at this book for years and always meant to read it and somehow never quite picked it up.
But at last I’ve read it, and I was correct that it IS for me, full of solid fox action (which you would expect from the cover) and also surprisingly serious musings about war (which you would not guess from the cover, but it works).
War is coming to the country. Which country? The country, which is similar to America but perhaps not America. With whom? The enemy. What for? The water. Why? Because the humans are war-sick. This vagueness might not work for me in a different book, but here it works well to highlight the destructiveness of war, not only for people but for the land and the animals.
Peter’s father has joined the army. Since Peter’s mother is dead, he’s going to live with his grandfather, which means he needs to get rid of his pet fox Pax. So Peter’s father drives him to an isolated road, and Peter throws Pax’s favorite toy into the woods, and Pax chases after it.
But as soon as Peter arrives at his grandfather’s house, he realizes he’s made a horrible mistake. There’s nothing for it: he’s got to run away and trek cross-country to find Pax.
Meanwhile, Pax intends to sit by the side of the road and wait for his boy. But hunger and thirst force him to begin exploring the forest, where he meets other foxes… and they discover that the human armies are drawing closer.
Really enjoyed this. Great fox POV. There’s a sequel, so I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say that Pax lives. Don’t want to give too many spoilers, but I found Peter’s journey unexpected and satisfying, and Pax’s journey pretty much what you might expect from that summary but also satisfying. Sometimes stories hit certain beats for a reason, you know?
Sometimes you just know, just from looking at a book’s cover, that this book is in some way For You. Such is the case with Sara Pennypacker’s Pax, with its Jon Klassen cover of a fox standing on a wooded hill gazing across a plain at a sunset. I’ve looked at this book for years and always meant to read it and somehow never quite picked it up.
But at last I’ve read it, and I was correct that it IS for me, full of solid fox action (which you would expect from the cover) and also surprisingly serious musings about war (which you would not guess from the cover, but it works).
War is coming to the country. Which country? The country, which is similar to America but perhaps not America. With whom? The enemy. What for? The water. Why? Because the humans are war-sick. This vagueness might not work for me in a different book, but here it works well to highlight the destructiveness of war, not only for people but for the land and the animals.
Peter’s father has joined the army. Since Peter’s mother is dead, he’s going to live with his grandfather, which means he needs to get rid of his pet fox Pax. So Peter’s father drives him to an isolated road, and Peter throws Pax’s favorite toy into the woods, and Pax chases after it.
But as soon as Peter arrives at his grandfather’s house, he realizes he’s made a horrible mistake. There’s nothing for it: he’s got to run away and trek cross-country to find Pax.
Meanwhile, Pax intends to sit by the side of the road and wait for his boy. But hunger and thirst force him to begin exploring the forest, where he meets other foxes… and they discover that the human armies are drawing closer.
Really enjoyed this. Great fox POV. There’s a sequel, so I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say that Pax lives. Don’t want to give too many spoilers, but I found Peter’s journey unexpected and satisfying, and Pax’s journey pretty much what you might expect from that summary but also satisfying. Sometimes stories hit certain beats for a reason, you know?
Just one thing: 24 March 2026
Mar. 24th, 2026 06:38 amjazzyjj posting in awesomeersIt's challenge time!
Comment with Just One Thing you've accomplished in the last 24 hours or so. It doesn't have to be a hard thing, or even a thing that you think is particularly awesome. Just a thing that you did.
Feel free to share more than one thing if you're feeling particularly accomplished!
Extra credit: find someone in the comments and give them props for what they achieved!
Nothing is too big, too small, too strange or too cryptic. And in case you'd rather do this in private, anonymous comments are screened. I will only unscreen if you ask me to.
Go!
Comment with Just One Thing you've accomplished in the last 24 hours or so. It doesn't have to be a hard thing, or even a thing that you think is particularly awesome. Just a thing that you did.
Feel free to share more than one thing if you're feeling particularly accomplished!
Extra credit: find someone in the comments and give them props for what they achieved!
Nothing is too big, too small, too strange or too cryptic. And in case you'd rather do this in private, anonymous comments are screened. I will only unscreen if you ask me to.
Go!
Team Mirai and Democracy
Mar. 24th, 2026 11:03 ambruce_schneier_feedJapan’s election last month and the rise of the country’s newest and most innovative political party, Team Mirai, illustrates the viability of a different way to do politics.
In this model, technology is used to make democratic processes stronger, instead of undermining them. It is harnessed to root out corruption, instead of serving as a cash cow for campaign donations.
Imagine an election where every voter has the opportunity to opine directly to politicians on precisely the issues they care about. They’re not expected to spend hours becoming policy experts. Instead, an AI Interviewer walks them through the subject, answering their questions, interrogating their experience, even challenging their thinking.
Voters get immediate feedback on how their individual point of view matches—or doesn’t—a party’s platform, and they can see whether and how the party adopts their feedback. This isn’t like an opinion poll that politicians use for calculating short-term electoral tactics. It’s a deliberative reasoning process that scales, engaging voters in defining policy and helping candidates to listen deeply to their constituents.
This is happening today in Japan. Constituents have spent about eight thousand hours engaging with Mirai’s AI Interviewer since 2025. The party’s gamified volunteer mobilization app, Action Board, captured about 100,000 organizer actions per day in the runup to last week’s election.
It’s how Team Mirai, which translates to ‘The Future Party,’ does politics. Its founder, Takahiro Anno, first ran for local office in 2024 as a 33 year old software engineer standing for Governor of Tokyo. He came in fifth out of 56 candidates, winning more than 150,000 votes as an unaffiliated political outsider. He won attention by taking a distinctive stance on the role of technology in democracy and using AI aggressively in voter engagement.
Last year, Anno ran again, this time for the Upper Chamber of the national legislature—the Diet—and won. Now the head of a new national party, Anno found himself with a platform for making his vision of a new way of doing politics a reality.
In this recent House of Representatives election, Team Mirai shot up to win nearly four million votes. In the lower chamber’s proportional representation system, that was good enough for eleven total seats—the party’s first ever representation in the Japanese House—and nearly three times what it achieved in last year’s Upper Chamber election.
Anno’s party stood for election without aligning itself on the traditional axes of left and right. Instead, Team Mirai, heavily associated with young, urban voters, sought to unite across the ideological spectrum by taking a radical position on a different axis: the status quo and the future. Anno told us that Team Mirai believes it can triple its representation in the Diet after the next elections in each chamber, an ostentatious goal that seems achievable given their rapid rise over the past year.
In the American context, the idea of a small party unifying voters across left and right sounds like a pipe dream. But there is evidence it worked in Japan. Team Mirai won an impressive 11% of proportional representation votes from unaffiliated voters, nearly twice the share of the larger electorate. The centerpiece of the party’s policy platform is not about the traditional hot button issues, it’s about democracy itself, and how it can be enhanced by embracing a futuristic vision of digital democracy.
Anno told us how his party arrived at its manifesto for this month’s elections, and why it looked different from other parties’ in important ways. Team Mirai collected more than 38,000 online questions and more than 6,000 discrete policy suggestions from voters using its AI Policy app, which is advertised as a ‘manifesto that speaks for itself.’
After factoring in all this feedback, Team Mirai maintained a contrarian position on the biggest issue of the election: the sales tax and affordability. Rather than running on a reduction of the national sales tax like the major parties, Team Mirai reviewed dozens of suggestions from the public and ultimately proposed to keep that tax level while providing support to families through a child tax credit and lowering the required contribution for social insurance. Anno described this as another future-facing strategy: less price relief in the short term, but sustained funding for essential programs.
Anno has always intended to build a different kind of party. After receiving roughly $1 million in public funding apportioned to Team Mirai based on its single seat in the Upper Chamber last year, Anno began hiring engineers to enhance his software tools for digital democracy.
Anno described Team Mirai to us as a ‘utility party;’ basic infrastructure for Japanese democracy that serves the broader polity rather than one faction. Their Gikai (‘assembly’) app illustrates the point. It provides a portal for constituents to research bills, using AI to generate summaries, to describe their impacts, to surfacing media reporting on the issue, and to answer users’ questions. Like all their software, it’s open source and free for anyone, in any party, to use.
After last week’s victory, Team Mirai now has about $5 million in public funding and ambitions to grow the influence of their digital democracy platform. Anno told us Team Mirai has secured an agreement with the LDP, Japan’s dominant ruling party, to begin using Team Mirai’s Gikai and corruption-fighting Mirumae financial transparency tool.
AI is the issue driving the most societal and economic change we will encounter in our lifetime, yet US political parties are largely silent. But AI and Big Tech companies and their owners are ramping up their political spending to influence the parties. To the extent that AI has shown up in our politics, it seems to be limited to the question of where to site the next generation of data centers and how to channel populist backlash to big tech.
Those are causes worthy of political organizing, but very few US politicians are leveraging the technology for public listening or other pro-democratic purposes. With the midterms still nine months away and with innovators like Team Mirai making products in the open for anyone to use, there is still plenty of time for an American politician to demonstrate what a new politics could look like.
This essay was written with Nathan E. Sanders, and originally appeared in Tech Policy Press.
It's New Toy Day for Sea Otters
Mar. 24th, 2026 09:26 amdaily_otter_feed
Via Oregon Coast Aquarium, which writes, “A special thanks to the donor who shopped our wishlist! It’s safe to say that the otters are thoroughly enjoying their new enrichment items!”
The why and what of the CIDR Report
Mar. 24th, 2026 05:02 amapnic_blog_feedGeoff Huston explains the reasons for the CIDR Report, what's in it, and shares some thoughts as to its usefulness to the Internet routing community today.
Review: A Shadow in Summer
Mar. 23rd, 2026 09:40 pmeaglespath_feedReview: A Shadow in Summer, by Daniel Abraham
| Series: | Long Price Quartet #1 |
| Publisher: | Tor |
| Copyright: | March 2006 |
| ISBN: | 0-7653-1340-5 |
| Format: | Hardcover |
| Pages: | 331 |
A Shadow in Summer is a high fantasy novel, the first of (as the name implies) a completed four-book series. Daniel Abraham is perhaps better known as half of the writing pair behind James S.A. Corey, author of the Expanse series. This was his first novel.
Otah was the sixth son of a Khai, sent like many of the unwanted later children of the powerful to learn the secrets of the andat and be trained as a poet. He learned his lessons well enough to reject the school and its teachings and walk away.
Amat Kyaan has worked her way up from nothing to become the senior overseer of the foreign Galtic House Wilsin in the sun-drenched port city of Saraykeht. Liat is her apprentice, distracted by young love. Maati is a new apprentice poet, having endured his training and sent to learn from Heshai how to eventually hold the andat Removing-The-Part-That-Continues, better known as Seedless. None of them know they will find themselves entangled in a plot to destroy the poet of Saraykeht and, through him, the city's most potent economic tool.
A poet in this world is not what we would think of a poet. They are, in essence, magical slave-drivers who capture the essence of an andat, a spirit embodying an idea that is coerced into the prison of volition and obedience by the poet. The andat Seedless, the embodiment of the concept of removing the spark of life, is central to the economic wealth of Saraykeht in a way that is startling in its simplicity: Seedless can remove the seeds from a warehouse full of cotton at a thought. This gives Saraykeht a massive productivity advantage in the cotton trade.
Seedless is also a powerful potential weapon. What he can do to cotton, he could as easily do to any other crop, or to people. The Galts are not fond of the independence and power of Saraykeht, but as long as the city controls a powerful andat, they do not dare to attack it directly. Indirectly, though... that's another matter.
This is one of those fantasy novels with meticulous and thoughtful world-building, careful and evocative prose, and a complex ensemble cast of interesting characters that the novel then attempts to make utterly miserable and complicit in their own misery. There should be a name for this style of writing. It's not tragedy because the ending is not tragic, precisely. It's not magic realism; the andats are openly magical, which makes this clearly high fantasy. But Abraham approaches the story from the type of realist frame that considers the pain and desperation of the characters to be more interesting than their ability to overcome challenges.
Amat starts the story as an admirable, sharp-witted expert manager, so her life is destroyed and she's subjected to sexual violence. Heshai loathes himself and veers between a tragic figure and a wastrel as the story systematically undermines opportunities for redemption. Maati is young and idealistic, so of course every character in the book sets out to crush his idealism under the weight of unforeseen consequences. There is a sad and depressing love triangle, because this is exactly the sort of book that has a sad and depressing love triangle. At the end of the novel, everyone who survives is older and wiser in the sense that some stories seem to think wisdom comes from the accumulation of trauma.
I find books like this so immensely frustrating because their merits are so clear. The world-building is careful and detailed in a way that includes economic systems, unlike so much fantasy. It is full of small, intriguing touches, such as the use of posture and gesture to communicate the emotional valence of one's words. Abraham understands the moral implications of poets and andats and the story tackles them head-on. The writing flows beautifully and gave me a strong sense of the city. I wanted to like this book for the obvious skill that went into it, and sometimes I even managed.
And yet, it's taken me three months to finish A Shadow in Summer because I simply do not want to spend this much time around miserable people. I would get through one or two chapters in a night and then wanted to read something happy or defiant or heroic, rather than watching slow-motion train wrecks intermixed with desperate attempts to navigate stifling layers of immoral systems. It's not that the story lacks a moral compass. The characters are sincerely trying to make the world a better place, with some success. It even delivers a happy ending of sorts. But so much of the journey was watching the lives of the characters fall apart.
I am completely unsurprised that some people loved this book. I'm still intrigued enough by the world-building that I'm half-tempted to try to read the sequel even after having to drag myself through this one. I had a similar reaction to Abraham's The Dragon's Path, though, so I think Abraham is just not for me. I may get back to the Expanse at some point, but having to drag myself through both of his solo novels I've tried, in two different series, probably indicates an incompatibility between author and reader. That's a shame, given the quality of the writing.
Followed by A Betrayal in Winter.
Content notes: Sexual and reproductive violence as significant plot elements.
Rating: 6 out of 10
Just took time to say, I'll drop you a line
Mar. 23rd, 2026 11:26 pmsovayselkie's birthday was duly observed with my parents and my husbands, a meal of much carnivory, and an apricot marmalade cake doused in whipped cream, strawberry sugar, and candles that burned like driftwood salts. Many deeply goofy photos were taken of various combinations of us. So much is wrong with the world and it is still true that my family for an evening is happy. A photogenic snow began to drift the streets as I drove everyone home.
(no subject)
Mar. 23rd, 2026 11:52 pmsorcyressAustin is over for his usual Monday datenight, made harder by both of us being very _very_ worn out.
(the weather is not helping. the fascism definitely not)
We had a little bit of a "blaaaah what do" and then Austin asked "what do you want to do" and I paused a long while and admitted that what I wanted to do was play video games and not think. And so he pointed out that Slay the Spire 2 has just come out in early release and maybe we could try it? I hemmed a little (I don't like the idea of playing games in early release) and we read some of the literature, and I decided "sure, let's give it a shot".
(I still have steambux from my da, and certainly Slay the Spire original is one of those games that I have put a staggering number of hours into1 so I do not at all begrudge giving the makers another round of dollarbux in thanks)
And so we went ahead and hit play and cooperated and chatted and balanced our different playstyles and charged on through. And won! We won very satisfyingly, by mostly creating a good deck vibe (all combos around casting vulnerable) and then immediately blowing that up when given a super powerful artifact at the end of act II.
It was a really lovely balance between "this is extremely familiar" and "this is new and exciting". It's very funny playing my obsessive games with other people, because like, I don't think of myself as being an expert in this game or anything, but I suppose yes, I do immediately know what the cards do or which cards are new. There's definitely some intriguing new options popping up and I look forward to doing some replay.
The timeline is going to be absolutely lovely to find out more about --I like me a little bit of explicit lore sometimes! I mean, I do enjoy the scraps and fragments of the story that you get in the first game, but it's _so_ barebones sometimes that there's nothing really to hang onto.
And it's nice that being cozy and silly and collaborative was able to really turn my mood around at least, and hopefully Austin's as well. Now I can go to sleep feeling a little bit better about my universe (in which my last two workdays were 9.5(today) and 12.5(Fri) hours of active work, and the rest of the week is not looking milder.)
The world is bad but sometimes escapism can be quite nice! Especially when done in good company! I hope you are finding some of that too.
~Sor
MOOP!
1: According to a quick skim of my steam library:
1st place: Crypt of the Necrodancer, 631.5 hours
2nd place: Slay the Spire, 416.8 hours
3rd place: Stardew Valley, 388.9 hours2
4th place: Heroes of Might and Magic III, 324.8 hours3
5th place: Rogue Legacy - 293 hours
In summation, I am not a _broad_ video game player, I am a _deep_ video game player. This is why I am still running through the steambux from my da from two years ago, I just don't buy games very much.
2: Please do not observe that the first time I played this game was like, end of May 2025. The rest of these times are on much longer timeframes (like, multiple years apiece).
3: Heroes should be much higher, there's been lots of times where I've owned this through GoG and emulators not through steam, and I should get that set up again because I miss having phoenixes (and the Steam version doesn't have the expansions, sigh.) It's basically been incomplete playing since I switched away from my mac, so like, since 2019 since I've played it "proper".
(the weather is not helping. the fascism definitely not)
We had a little bit of a "blaaaah what do" and then Austin asked "what do you want to do" and I paused a long while and admitted that what I wanted to do was play video games and not think. And so he pointed out that Slay the Spire 2 has just come out in early release and maybe we could try it? I hemmed a little (I don't like the idea of playing games in early release) and we read some of the literature, and I decided "sure, let's give it a shot".
(I still have steambux from my da, and certainly Slay the Spire original is one of those games that I have put a staggering number of hours into1 so I do not at all begrudge giving the makers another round of dollarbux in thanks)
And so we went ahead and hit play and cooperated and chatted and balanced our different playstyles and charged on through. And won! We won very satisfyingly, by mostly creating a good deck vibe (all combos around casting vulnerable) and then immediately blowing that up when given a super powerful artifact at the end of act II.
It was a really lovely balance between "this is extremely familiar" and "this is new and exciting". It's very funny playing my obsessive games with other people, because like, I don't think of myself as being an expert in this game or anything, but I suppose yes, I do immediately know what the cards do or which cards are new. There's definitely some intriguing new options popping up and I look forward to doing some replay.
The timeline is going to be absolutely lovely to find out more about --I like me a little bit of explicit lore sometimes! I mean, I do enjoy the scraps and fragments of the story that you get in the first game, but it's _so_ barebones sometimes that there's nothing really to hang onto.
And it's nice that being cozy and silly and collaborative was able to really turn my mood around at least, and hopefully Austin's as well. Now I can go to sleep feeling a little bit better about my universe (in which my last two workdays were 9.5(today) and 12.5(Fri) hours of active work, and the rest of the week is not looking milder.)
The world is bad but sometimes escapism can be quite nice! Especially when done in good company! I hope you are finding some of that too.
~Sor
MOOP!
1: According to a quick skim of my steam library:
1st place: Crypt of the Necrodancer, 631.5 hours
2nd place: Slay the Spire, 416.8 hours
3rd place: Stardew Valley, 388.9 hours2
4th place: Heroes of Might and Magic III, 324.8 hours3
5th place: Rogue Legacy - 293 hours
In summation, I am not a _broad_ video game player, I am a _deep_ video game player. This is why I am still running through the steambux from my da from two years ago, I just don't buy games very much.
2: Please do not observe that the first time I played this game was like, end of May 2025. The rest of these times are on much longer timeframes (like, multiple years apiece).
3: Heroes should be much higher, there's been lots of times where I've owned this through GoG and emulators not through steam, and I should get that set up again because I miss having phoenixes (and the Steam version doesn't have the expansions, sigh.) It's basically been incomplete playing since I switched away from my mac, so like, since 2019 since I've played it "proper".