sequestering carbon, several books at a time CLX

The latest batch:

sequestering carbon, several books at a time CLIX

The latest (small!) batch:

sequestering carbon, several books at a time CLXIII

The latest batch, comprising his'n'hers reciprocal birthday presents.

sequestering carbon, several books at a time CLXII

The latest batch. (I'm trying to do these posts before the batches get too big, which means they are more frequent.)

sequestering carbon, several books at a time CLXI

The latest batch:

The photography book is in response to the recent attempts to capture images of insects in the garden.  My other half wants to learn how to do it better.  Which will probably include a new fancy lens or two.

sequestering carbon, several books at a time CLX

 The latest batch:

A friend was having a clearout, so we got a few old classic computer books.  And the ZWO SeeStar User Guide should help us make better use of that telescope.

sequestering carbon, several books at a time CLIX

The latest batch:

sequestering carbon, several books at a time CLVIII

 The latest batch:

sequestering carbon, several books at a time CLVII

The latest batch, including a few belated Christmas presents that were ordered well in advance, but delivered less so.

sequestering carbon, one Christmas at a time XIII

His'n'hers Christmas presents (including a DVD, for a change)

sequestering carbon, several books at a time CLVI

The latest batch, before the Christmas batch arrives.

book review: Gideon the Ninth

Tamsyn Muir.
Gideon the Ninth.
Tor. 2019

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Gideon Nav, bonded servant, and Harrowhark Nonagesimus, Daughter of the House, are the only members of their generation in the Ninth House, and have hated each other since birth. Which is a pity, as the Emperor has summoned representatives from each House, and they must go as Necromancer and Cavalier, and work together, or die.

This is difficult to classify. After a few grim chapters in the fantastical Ninth House, the pair travel off-world to a 10,000 year old decaying palace, where they meet the representatives of the other Houses, and are set a task. The old palace is extraordinarily atmospheric, and the tale changes to exploration of a decayed technological civilisation, then becomes a murder mystery, then a monster fight, then… Well, there’s a lot going on.

I was bored to start, then swept up in the old palace, then confused, then struggling to follow the mystery, then excited by the monsters, then… Well, it twists and turns a lot.

When I finished it, I thought “that was interesting, I think I enjoyed that, and I never want to read anything in that universe ever again”, and then went and bought the sequel immediately. Yes, it’s confusing.

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For all my book reviews, see my main website

still retired

A year ago today was the first day of my retirement.  As I mentioned at the time, I have several academic retirement projects on the go.  So how has the first year gone?

Pretty well, actually. I have been to three conferences: CapoCaccia in May, UCNC in August, and ALife in October.  I have had multiple papers published, some of which I did a large chunk of the work for. I have started learning about Topological Data Analysis, and am applying it to some real biological data sets; I've really enjoyed writing all the code for this.  Our new LoCoMo ARIA project is fascinating, with our two post-docs making great strides, and I am pulling ideas from both simulation and open-ended evolution into it.  My penultimate PhD student has passed his viva.  Added to this, I have a handful of other papers and projects also making progress.  

And I think I have figured out how to level up the open-ended evolution experiments I have been thinking about, thanks to a chance conversation at ALife that put me on the beginning of the track to a relevant 2003 paper (many thanks to whoever that was; I spoke to so many people there I'm afraid I have forgotten who pointed me in this direction originally).  But it's still just pages of scribbled notes and fever dreams for now; watch this space!

On the non-academic side, I am managing to do more reading, too.

So, all in all, a productive, enjoyable, and actually amazingly relaxing, first year.  Not having a fortnightly 175-mile commute is a wonderful lifestyle change.  It did take me about 6-9 months to stop going: "wait, what is it I'm forgetting to do?"  Particularly when doing some of that fiction reading.  But I'm now past that, and looking forward to year two of fun research.

sequestering carbon, several books at a time CLV

The latest batch

book review: How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying

Django Wexler.
How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying.
Orbit. 2024

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Davi has been stuck in a time loop for centuries. Every time she dies, she wakes in a pond, and told she must save the kingdom from the Dark Lord. She has been getting better and better at doing so, but eventually the Dark Lord prevails, and Davi dies. This time, she wakes after a particularly painful death, and snaps. Rather than save the kingdom, she decides to become the Dark Lord herself! And with the power to learn that the time loop gives her, she sets out on her new quest.

Davi is a gloriously sarcastic, competent, and (mostly) moral character. Even while pursuing the goal of becoming Dark Lord, she has clearly read and follows the sensible rules in Peter Anspach’s list of The Top 100 Things I’d Do If I Ever Became An Evil Overlord, or, possibly more relevantly, Things I will do when I become Evil Empress, particularly in her (mostly) civilised behaviour to her minions and enemies.

After many thrilling adventures, some involving her death, Davi does finally achieve her goal (no spoiler: it’s in the title!), but what to do then? That’s for the sequel, which I am eagerly awaiting.

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For all my book reviews, see my main website

sequestering carbon, several books at a time CLIV

The latest batch:

Some of these are due to recommendations at the Belfast Eastercon; some from the Seattle Worldcon (which we attended virtually).

sequestering carbon, several books at a time CLIII

The latest batch, comprising his'n'hers birthday presents.

sequestering carbon, several books at a time CLII

The latest batch:

book review : Some Desperate Glory

Emily Tesh.
Some Desperate Glory.
Orbit. 2023

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Kyr is a dedicated and loyal soldier on Gaea Station, pushing herself and her team hard, so that one day they can help avenge the destroyed Earth. But then she meets a captured alien, leaves Gaea Station, and experiences the strangeness of the larger universe. And then something totally unexpected happens.

This is a great space opera, as Kyr, not a very pleasant protagonist at all, keeps getting her world-view changed. And the plot keeps making right-angled turns just when you think you know where it might be going. It’s a great page-turner.

It’s a fascinating tale of fanaticism, second chances, growing up, what decisions to make, who has the right to make them, and whether choosing some appalling action is justified if you know, without a shadow of a doubt, that making any other choice would result in even worse outcomes.

Recommended.

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For all my book reviews, see my main website.

sequestering carbon, several books at a time CLI

The latest batch:

Some of these are recommendations, or acquisitions, from the recent Eastercon.