I've started a series of reviews of my core library: those books that are perennial sources of surprise, astonishment, and inspiration. My first choice is one of the foundational texts of 'posthumanism'--the idea that humans are not the only game in town.
open.substack.com/pub/kschroed...
I did do a shared world anthology! Metatropolis, which I edited and featured stores by Jay Lake, @matociquala.bsky.social, @tobiasbuckell.bsky.social, @karlschroeder.bsky.social and myself. It was nominated for a Hugo!
We need an alternative software stack that can't be captured by bad state actors and used against us. Is it possible for non-technical users to install and run an alternative to Windows or MacOS? Yes, actually, it is.
open.substack.com/pub/kschroed...
Be one of the first 100 civilians to remotely drive a rover on the moon in 2028. Or, give the opportunity to a friend or loved one.
open.substack.com/pub/kschroed...
@karlschroeder.bsky.social pushes this concept in incredible directions in his book Stealing Worlds www.goodreads.com/book/show/41...
We keep hearing about how AI is being used in business, or personally. But what about for designing and implementing public policy? Here's an example.
open.substack.com/pub/kschroed...
The book "Late Soviet Britain" by Abby Innes is a devastating critique of neoliberal economics. It also has implications about how AI is going to impact how we work and live.
open.substack.com/pub/kschroed...
This week's #FreeFictionFriday pick, "The Baker of Mars" by @karlschroeder.bsky.social follows Myrna, a chef serving settlers colonizing Mars. Relocation seems promising, until a visit with a friend reveals the expansion is quickly draining the planet's aquifers.
www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/3ipli...
Now that AI is being driven by the same user-engagement algorithms that enshittified social media, we need an alternative business model. Why not take a lesson from the past, with a new kind of PDA?
open.substack.com/pub/kschroed...
Because they're intelligent, educated people who have agency and (increasingly) a lot of money. I could turn your question around and ask why you think they will be helpless?
Last week's post inspired some lively debate. I'm following up with an even more provocative idea--the question of whether quantum mechanics can tell us something about how to improve our political institutions.
open.substack.com/pub/kschroed...
While good people debate, bad people act. We're all concerned with finding the ground for a new social contract; but we're out of time to do that. Why not abandon that effort, and start building a pluralistic society based on the complete lack of common ground...?
open.substack.com/pub/kschroed...
Wow, thanks! I love this
Because the world is a bad place right now and I'm in a bad headspace, here are 5 copies of @karlschroeder.bsky.social 's _Stealing Worlds_.
#KindleBookGiveAway
I took the summer off to write. Amazingly, I accomplished everything I planned for, including preparing a new short story collection for publication, and finishing the novel I've been promising. I'm back online now and resuming my newsletter, Unapocalyptic.
open.substack.com/pub/kschroed...
Bought! A theme I'm working towards in my Substack, but haven't yet felt confident to take on. Also relevant to the new novel, which is about the future of the Arctic and Indigenous self-governance.
Let’s talk about an Edmonton science fiction institution -- On Spec, Canada’s most prominent English-language science fiction magazine.
onspec.ca/about-on-spec
Can't do that if Tor still holds the audiobook rights. I'll have to review my contract. Rolling my own audiobook would also be A) time-consuming, or B) money-consuming. I have neither the time nor the money to do it right now.
Frankly, I chose Substack because I was unable to import my mailing list to any of the alternatives. And I've heard Substack's reputation, but Margaret Atwood and Salman Rushdie trust it.
I'm interested in Ghost but have no time to explore it right now.
I am on Facebook but don't post.
I've paused my Substack newsletter for the summer so I can focus on writing fiction. Got a novel to finish.
I think I'll have to narrate that one myself. Yeah, it was always intended to be the end of the series. It was all wrapped up, and I wanted to make room in my brain for new characters in new worlds. Of which, there are a lot.
Including the actual link might help. Duh.
kschroeder.substack.com/p/our-subtop...
I've written an introduction to the 2x2 scenario-planning method, using the example of the future of the Hinterland.
Well, I did write a book based on the idea that intelligence's purpose is to make it possible for an entity to move into environments it isn't directly adapted to. But direct adaptation is always "cheaper" in the long run and will render intelligence unnecessary in the end, every time.
Can Canada become an Arctic superpower? How could we achieve it? And--most importantly--is it worth trying?
open.substack.com/pub/kschroed...
