Category Archives: social media

No Maps of Hell

Posted on February 19, 2025 by JE

Saw the article below on Bluesky and felt the irritation that almost always accrues when scrolling through social media. But this irritation was really specific. Demanding a historically accurate version of a myth is like trying to find the zip … Continue reading →

Posted in academia, ancient art, art, books, fantasy, fantasy art, magic, Morlock, Roman history, Rome, science, sff, social media, sword-and-sorcery, writing | Comments Off on No Maps of Hell

AI Without the I

Posted on January 15, 2025 by JE

Seen on Bluesky. I’m guessing that “until it gets a bit better at this AI thing” ≈ forever

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The Message

Posted on January 11, 2025 by JE

Remembered belatedly that I have a Medium account. I have to say, I’m making quite a splash over there. I may be more than Medium. Possibly Extra Large.

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More Like Un-ergy

Posted on January 11, 2025 by JE

“To assert dignity is to lose it.” Nero Wolfe in Stout’s The League of Frightened Men. One might say the same thing about “masculine energy”.

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Breslin vs. Trump

Posted on May 31, 2024 by JE

As Fate or Chaos would have it, the LoA collection of Jimmy Breslin arrived on my doorstep this week, so that on the evening when Trump’s guilty verdict was announced in Manhattan, I got to read Breslin’s verdict on Trump … Continue reading →

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Eldritch Lore of Lightning, Stars, and Magic

Posted on August 10, 2023 by JE

On Facebook, Michael Swanwick mentioned a historical (or maybe apocryphal) episode when the Pope invited Etruscan seers to use lightning magic to defend Rome against Alaric and his Ostrogoths. It’s a pretty good story, whether or not it’s actually history. … Continue reading →

Posted in academia, Adventures in the Public Domain, astronomy, books, fantasy, history, language, magic, Myth & Legend, Roman history, Rome, science, sff, social media, sword-and-sorcery | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Eldritch Lore of Lightning, Stars, and Magic

Not Feeling SANQUINE About This

Posted on July 6, 2023 by JE

Yet another Faceplace ad that falls between sad and funny. I’m pretty sure the Latin on this very serious “blood oath” coin is supposed to mean “what is owed in blood” (quod debitum sanguine) only they misspelled “blood” as SANQUINE, … Continue reading →

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Just Be Cos

Posted on June 21, 2023 by JE

Typo of the day is cosgender which I discovered by mistyping cisgender in some sentence like “Cisgenger is not a slur”—a statement too obvious to need saying, except that we live in the Worst Timeline. “Cosgender. That ought to be … Continue reading →

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A Trialogue

Posted on June 5, 2023 by JE

ME: “But the claim in that post is NONSENSE. I can prove it!” MYSELF: “Or I could go back to writing those books I say that I’m writing.” I: “WHY DRAG ME INTO THIS?”

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Fellowship of the Thing

Posted on May 20, 2023 by JE

Apologies for my relative silence on social media. I’m engaged on a lunatic plan to write a pair of novels over the summer, and I’ve made some significant progress. This evening I got north of 20,000 words on one (a … Continue reading →

Posted in academia, fantasy, language, Myth & Legend, social media, writing | Tagged , | 4 Comments