Ross
@rosstmcd.bsky.social
Their reference volume is a large - *very* large - binder of safety regulations, where every single rule is named after the person posthumously responsible for the rule's creation.
February 19, 2026 at 7:17 AM
Their reference volume is a large - *very* large - binder of safety regulations, where every single rule is named after the person posthumously responsible for the rule's creation.
Blues Brothers has a special place in my heart.
But for thoroughness I have to admire Inglourious Basterds, in which Hitler and several high-ranking Nazis are simultaneously riddled with bullets, burned to a crisp, and blown to bits.
But for thoroughness I have to admire Inglourious Basterds, in which Hitler and several high-ranking Nazis are simultaneously riddled with bullets, burned to a crisp, and blown to bits.
February 19, 2026 at 4:23 AM
Blues Brothers has a special place in my heart.
But for thoroughness I have to admire Inglourious Basterds, in which Hitler and several high-ranking Nazis are simultaneously riddled with bullets, burned to a crisp, and blown to bits.
But for thoroughness I have to admire Inglourious Basterds, in which Hitler and several high-ranking Nazis are simultaneously riddled with bullets, burned to a crisp, and blown to bits.
SI units are a rationally designed system.
Imperial units are desire paths.
Imperial units are desire paths.
February 16, 2026 at 4:13 PM
SI units are a rationally designed system.
Imperial units are desire paths.
Imperial units are desire paths.
I have not seen it yet but my wife has and raves about it. Says it some of the best that Trek has ever been.
February 14, 2026 at 7:37 AM
I have not seen it yet but my wife has and raves about it. Says it some of the best that Trek has ever been.
Yeah. Our electoral system makes third parties almost impossible, so your only real choice is to hollow out one of the existing parties and wear its skin. That's what the Tea Party/MAGA did with the Republican Party. We can do the same thing with the Democratic Party, only for good instead of evil.
February 13, 2026 at 11:57 PM
Yeah. Our electoral system makes third parties almost impossible, so your only real choice is to hollow out one of the existing parties and wear its skin. That's what the Tea Party/MAGA did with the Republican Party. We can do the same thing with the Democratic Party, only for good instead of evil.
What are your thoughts on the dice pool vs. step dice variants? The only one I've actually played is Blade Runner, which uses step dice. (The BR starter set is fantastic, but we ran out of time before getting to the big combat set piece so we didn't really exercise the combat rules.)
February 13, 2026 at 10:49 PM
What are your thoughts on the dice pool vs. step dice variants? The only one I've actually played is Blade Runner, which uses step dice. (The BR starter set is fantastic, but we ran out of time before getting to the big combat set piece so we didn't really exercise the combat rules.)
- and there are a LOT of new systems since then. I've been browing through AGE, 2d20, Year Zero Engine, Cypher, the FF/Edge version of Star Wars, Fabula Ultima, Outgunned, Blades in the Dark, Haunted West, and others I can't call to mind at the moment.
The challenge will be to pick one...
The challenge will be to pick one...
February 13, 2026 at 2:41 AM
- and there are a LOT of new systems since then. I've been browing through AGE, 2d20, Year Zero Engine, Cypher, the FF/Edge version of Star Wars, Fabula Ultima, Outgunned, Blades in the Dark, Haunted West, and others I can't call to mind at the moment.
The challenge will be to pick one...
The challenge will be to pick one...
I wrapped up a D&D5E campaign a year ago, and I've been using the idea of wanting to run a non-d20 SF game as an excuse to scout new systems. The last time I was broadly familiar with what was out there was the early 90s - GURPS, RuneQuest, HERO, World of Darkness, among others -
February 13, 2026 at 2:41 AM
I wrapped up a D&D5E campaign a year ago, and I've been using the idea of wanting to run a non-d20 SF game as an excuse to scout new systems. The last time I was broadly familiar with what was out there was the early 90s - GURPS, RuneQuest, HERO, World of Darkness, among others -
I knew somebody was going to post this.
February 11, 2026 at 11:12 PM
I knew somebody was going to post this.
Your stories often start out in such a way as to lull the reader into thinking they're reading a nice pleasant cozy adventure/romance.
And then they come to That One Part.
It's a different That One Part in ever book. But it's always there.
And then they come to That One Part.
It's a different That One Part in ever book. But it's always there.
February 11, 2026 at 11:05 PM
Your stories often start out in such a way as to lull the reader into thinking they're reading a nice pleasant cozy adventure/romance.
And then they come to That One Part.
It's a different That One Part in ever book. But it's always there.
And then they come to That One Part.
It's a different That One Part in ever book. But it's always there.
- Could we develop that technology?
- Maybe! If we started several serious long-term research projects.
- Which we have not started, and none of the people talking about colonizing space seem interested in starting.
- Maybe! If we started several serious long-term research projects.
- Which we have not started, and none of the people talking about colonizing space seem interested in starting.
February 10, 2026 at 1:42 AM
- Could we develop that technology?
- Maybe! If we started several serious long-term research projects.
- Which we have not started, and none of the people talking about colonizing space seem interested in starting.
- Maybe! If we started several serious long-term research projects.
- Which we have not started, and none of the people talking about colonizing space seem interested in starting.
I would say their thesis is:
- None of the commonly cited reasons for colonizing space really stand up to inspection.
- It would be cool, though.
- Humans do lots of things just because they're cool.
- So do we have the technology to build cities in orbit/on the moon/on Mars?
- No.
- None of the commonly cited reasons for colonizing space really stand up to inspection.
- It would be cool, though.
- Humans do lots of things just because they're cool.
- So do we have the technology to build cities in orbit/on the moon/on Mars?
- No.
February 10, 2026 at 1:42 AM
I would say their thesis is:
- None of the commonly cited reasons for colonizing space really stand up to inspection.
- It would be cool, though.
- Humans do lots of things just because they're cool.
- So do we have the technology to build cities in orbit/on the moon/on Mars?
- No.
- None of the commonly cited reasons for colonizing space really stand up to inspection.
- It would be cool, though.
- Humans do lots of things just because they're cool.
- So do we have the technology to build cities in orbit/on the moon/on Mars?
- No.
_A City on Mars: Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought This Through?_, by Kelly and Zach Weinersmith (the Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal people) is a pretty good book on this.
February 10, 2026 at 1:42 AM
_A City on Mars: Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought This Through?_, by Kelly and Zach Weinersmith (the Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal people) is a pretty good book on this.
On opposite sides of me are areas labeled "American Progressive Democrats" and "Progressive American Democrats."
February 9, 2026 at 6:04 AM
On opposite sides of me are areas labeled "American Progressive Democrats" and "Progressive American Democrats."
Then you use tags to find people posting about things you're interested in, follow them, follow anyone they reblog that seems interesting, reblog aggressively yourself, and pretty soon you'll have a nicely active curated feed.
February 8, 2026 at 7:12 PM
Then you use tags to find people posting about things you're interested in, follow them, follow anyone they reblog that seems interesting, reblog aggressively yourself, and pretty soon you'll have a nicely active curated feed.
OK, fair, Tumblr search is famously useless.
But if you use a browser with an ad blocker instead of the app, live in the "Following" tab instead of "For You," and turn off "Best stuff first" in your dashboard preferences, you get rid of basically all the porn bots and algorithmic shit.
But if you use a browser with an ad blocker instead of the app, live in the "Following" tab instead of "For You," and turn off "Best stuff first" in your dashboard preferences, you get rid of basically all the porn bots and algorithmic shit.
February 8, 2026 at 7:12 PM
OK, fair, Tumblr search is famously useless.
But if you use a browser with an ad blocker instead of the app, live in the "Following" tab instead of "For You," and turn off "Best stuff first" in your dashboard preferences, you get rid of basically all the porn bots and algorithmic shit.
But if you use a browser with an ad blocker instead of the app, live in the "Following" tab instead of "For You," and turn off "Best stuff first" in your dashboard preferences, you get rid of basically all the porn bots and algorithmic shit.
I'm active on Tumblr and I genuinely don't know what you all are talking about. It has its problems but it's quite usable.
February 8, 2026 at 6:09 PM
I'm active on Tumblr and I genuinely don't know what you all are talking about. It has its problems but it's quite usable.
If someone wants to learn about the history of science fiction as a genre, then yeah there are a selection of GA works they should probably read.
If someone is asking you to rec SF stories they will enjoy, Golden Age should probably not be your first choice.
If someone is asking you to rec SF stories they will enjoy, Golden Age should probably not be your first choice.
February 6, 2026 at 3:35 AM
If someone wants to learn about the history of science fiction as a genre, then yeah there are a selection of GA works they should probably read.
If someone is asking you to rec SF stories they will enjoy, Golden Age should probably not be your first choice.
If someone is asking you to rec SF stories they will enjoy, Golden Age should probably not be your first choice.
For novels, you can do worse than use the Hugo and Nebula nominees for any given year as a starting point. Look up the descriptions on the book review platform of your choice and see which ones sound interesting.
February 6, 2026 at 3:27 AM
For novels, you can do worse than use the Hugo and Nebula nominees for any given year as a starting point. Look up the descriptions on the book review platform of your choice and see which ones sound interesting.
That is a good idea, especially because SF has such a rich short story tradition. And multiple Best Of collections from most years.
February 6, 2026 at 3:27 AM
That is a good idea, especially because SF has such a rich short story tradition. And multiple Best Of collections from most years.