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Newsletter Archive
September 17, 2022
Prize winner announced!
Hello again, Reader.
You might have noticed that this newsletter is a little bit late this week - and I'm sorry about that. I changed over to a new task manager app recently, and got my dates confused. As a result, I've had to put this email together this morning rather than taking my time over it. So apologies for any typing errors you might spot. On the subject of task management, I use the "Getting Things Done" method - a very succinctly named practice by David Allen. It's deceptively simple, easy to implement and I've found that it hugely reduces the stress of keeping on top of the million or so different activities I need to do to keep the books coming. You can follow it with just a notebook, or a few index cards, or there are a multitude of ways to make it work using digital support. Check it out at books2read.com
The app I'm using is called Nirvana, and you can try it out at nirvanahq.com Neither David nor Nirvana are sponsoring me, this is a recommendation based on my own experience. How do you cope with feeling overwhelmed at work? What techniques do you use to keep on top of your to-do list?
Space News
NASA's Perseverance Mars rover has made oxygen 7 times in exploration milestone
After landing on the surface of Mars, NASA's Perseverance rover took its first breath. Or rather, one of its instruments did.
Led by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment (MOXIE) is a small instrument on the Perseverance rover that's designed to transform carbon dioxide, which comprises some 96% of the atmosphere on Mars, into breathable oxygen. Oxygen, of course, is crucial for a human mission to Mars. Since February 2021, the device has run seven times, each time producing about 0.2 ounces (6 grams) of oxygen per hour. That's on par with the abilities of small trees here on Earth.
Source: space.com
Other Books To Check Out
I've gathered a few great books from independent authors like me, I hope you'll check them out.
And let me know if you have any books to recommend! I'm particularly interested in indie authors, but anything you've read and loved would be awesome.
UBL
Grounded, under suspicion for attempted murder, and betrayed, Key finds himself in over his head...
A meeting with an old associate goes horribly wrong and Key finds himself on the wrong side of justice. On trial, Key learns losing will strip him of his freedom, his life, and leave him confined to a prison cell. He has no idea that winning his and Sera's freedom... might just cost him the only thing he cares about-his daughter.
Elemental Dragons
Free
Not every dragon is born with a voice
Read about four dragons who face difficult decisions and tough times ahead, but refuse to lie down and accept their fate. A fantasy story collection with dragons as the main characters.
Review Copy
Ancient machine intelligences. Resurrected species with no memories of the past. Creatures composed of gravity strings. What is hidden in the void between galaxies?
Science Fiction September!
If you're a subscriber to Kindle Unlimited, I've got a great selection of SciFi books for you to choose from this month. Through the entire month of September the books on this list are utterly free to KU subscribers, so you can try out some new authors with absolutely zero risk.
Don't have KU? Curious about it? You can sign up here for two free months, and if it's not for you then you can cancel even before they ask you to pay! amzn.to
Strange News
Why Does This Horrifying Woman Keep Appearing in AI-Generated Images?
Via
AI image generators like DALL-E and Midjourney have become an especially buzzy topic lately, and it's easy to see why. Using machine learning models trained on billions of images, the systems tap into the allure of the black box, creating works that feel both alien and strangely familiar.
Naturally, this makes fertile ground for all sorts of AI urban legends, since nobody can really explain how the complex neural networks are ultimately deciding on the images they create. The latest example comes from an AI artist named Supercomposite, who posted disturbing and grotesque generated images of a woman who seems to appear in response to certain queries.
AI image generation is developing rapidly - and so are the myths associated with it. This thread shows one 'emergent entity' that is both fascinating and disturbing. Note: some images are flagged as sensitive, so view at your own peril. They'll be hidden unless you click on them.
Source: vice.com
Miscellany
War of the Worlds - The True Story
If you enjoyed my take on the War of the Worlds, you might also enjoy this short film. From their synopsis: The movie assumes an Earth/Mars War actually occurred in the year 1900 and is presented as the eyewitness memoir of journalist Bertie Wells, the last living survivor as he struggles to find his wife amidst the destruction of humankind at the hands of terrifying alien invaders.
Source: vimeo.com
Alice in Wonderland Syndrome
I've long been a fan of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (ask me about my collection one day!) and there is a mental condition called Dysmetropsia which is popularly named after it. It results in you perceiving things around you as much smaller or larger than they actually are, something which is very familiar to fans of the books. It's thought that Lewis Caroll himself might have experienced this condition, and it inspired him. I had some episodes of this as a child, but lacked the words to explain it. Curiouser and curiouser (sorry), it seems that between 10% and 20% of people have had a similar experience!
Source: lithub.com
Booky Call - A book matching app
Booky Call is an app for book lovers that is set up like a dating app. 'Boo, the app's matchmaker, showcases innovative book reviews in the form of a 'dating profile' and provides potential book matches based on the likes and dislikes', BuzzFeed reports.
Source: twitter.com
And Finally
I hit my 1,000 days of consecutive writing! I had a quiet celebration, and then got on with the next day's words... I'm up to 1,010 days now, and have no intention of stopping just yet.
And we have a winner of the book giveaway! Congratulations to Jo-Ann from Canada, who has won the complete collection of my written works so far. I'm packing them up and sending them off right now, though since the country is currently immobilised by the funeral arrangements for Queen Elizabeth II, it might take a little while for them to make it over the pond.
I'm also going to be contacting the runners up today, who will each get a signed copy of 'The Return of the Martians', so keep an eye on those mailboxes! If you haven't already, please do add my email address to your contacts or allow list (instructions are below) as sending emails with 'Congratulations, you won!' tend to look like spam...
For those who weren't as lucky, thank you for sticking around. Have a picture of my cat Lola as a steampunk with a ray gun.
