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I Almost Used ChatGPT to Proofread my Story – Then This Happened

I have a confession to make: I don’t like editing.

Writing is fun. Editing is a chore. Not only is it a slow slogg, you have to be ever-vigilant and outright meticulous, both things that I don’t enjoy when reading.

So when I played around with ChatGPT (admit it, you’ve done it too!), on a whim, I asked it what the word “crudmunching” meant in the text I’d fed it. And to tell the truth, ChatGPT’s answer blew me away. (more…)

How to Terraform Mars Using Giant Lasers

Forget gentle terraforming techniques. We’re here to melt stuff and blow shit up!

Bread – Except that It’s Not Bread…

Industrial break isn’t bread. Not even close.

But on the up-side, it is an amazing accomplishment of engineering!

You Have to Build Your Creative Tribe

Banner - rowersSo you’ve written a novel, or a story, or a comic, and you want to turn that into a career. What do you do now?

First, you need to assess your mental state. Are you strong enough to handle people seeing it? Commenting upon it? Critiquing it?

If not, don’t worry. Fear is a normal reaction. Listen to it, query it, figure out what you’re afraid of. You might need professional help here, or just a good friend that won’t hurt you.

But let’s assume that you have built up a thick skin. You can handle it. What then? (more…)

The US is Giving Away Wasps – And it’s a Good Thing!

So the US Department of Agriculture is giving away wasps. Real, live wasps. And incredibly, it’s not only a good thing, but it’s a necessary thing. Check it out:

1000 Published Stories – Inspiration for Writers

Banner - TypewriterLet me share something written by Kristine Kathryn Rusch:

Now, before I go too far here, let me clear up something. I do own a publishing company. WMG Publishing publishes all of my work. (Eventually, anyway. I do publish some things in anthologies and other venues, sometimes first.) The team there does a huge amount of advertising, usually on a budget, and always effectively. They’re refocusing their efforts because we have a new Shopify store. They’re slowly getting our 1,000 titles on the site.

Note that 1000 titles at the bottom. That’s a thousand titles put out by Kris and her husband Dean Wesley Smith. A thousand titles by two authors. And that’s not even fast. (more…)

Molluscs that Protect Warsaw’s Drinking Water

It’s called “biomonitoring” and it’s real…

The Best, Most Underappreciated YouTube Channel for Wargamers and Grognards

This is going to be a complete fanboy rave. That does not mean it’s not true.

For those of you who don’t know me, I’m a military history geek, especially modern military history, say 1930’s and onward. Not enough to lecture at university, but enough to know what the War of the Running Dogs was, and who Martin van Creveld is.

And I love Perun.

There are a lot of great military history channels on YouTube. HistoryMarche for ancient history, Drachinifel for naval history, Lindybeige for, well, everything (including jitterbug). But Perun stands out. (more…)

Slaver Ants – World War A is Here!

Sometimes, not working is the way to go…

My 5-Year-Old Son is a Star Realms Automata – or – The Difference Between a Game and a Lottery

Star Realms Frontiers Box CoverBefore we begin, you need a bit of background on what a Star Realms Automata is.

Star Realms, in case you haven’t heard of it, is a expandable, tabletop, deck-building, engine-building, science fiction card game with open drafting and a take-that mechanism.

And for all of you for which the previous sentence made absolutely no sense: Star Realms is a card game where you buy star ships and bases, then use those to buy better star ships and better bases, and use them to damage and destroy your opponent.

An Automata is an algorithm, a way of performing actions for an opponent when you want to play a multiplayer tabletop game on your own.

Put them together, and you get someone who plays Star Realms according to set rules. That’s my son. (more…)

Dreams of Futures Past Book Cover