Category: fantastic points of ignorance
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The best really short stories
Talking through the Robert Sheckley stories made me ponder what the best really short stories might be. They’d need to be the sorts of things you could read in under 15 minutes, preferably in under 10. It would also be skewed towards what I myself have read, which admittedly is significantly less than some of…
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Baron Edward John Moreton Draw Plunkett Lord Dunsany
There are sometimes where I wonder if my titles are good enoughand then I come across yet again the title The Book of Wonder by Baron Edward John Moreton Draw Plunkett Lord Dunsany. Then I realize no, nothe problem is not my titles, the problem is my byline. I don’t have a name like Winthrop…
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Chat GPT Ethics, Uses, and Other Ai Ethics — Heliosphere
We gathered at Heliosphere this year for several panels and one included a talk on Chat GPT Ethics, Uses, and Other Ai Ethics. The talk featured Chris Kreuter, Renee Ritchie, and Elektra Hammond — so of course, I was out of my league trying to keep my head above water. We talked through all manner ethical…
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Heliosphere Convention Schedule 2023
Hey gang, just got my Heliosphere convention schedule this last week, so I wanted to toss it in here in case anyone’s coming. We’re bringing several writers and creative types down to New Jersey from NYC: FRIDAY 5:00 pm – 6:15 pm – Salon CExploring the Uses and Ethics of ChatGPT and Other AI Models…
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New Year’s Habits, Fasts, and Feasts
So it’s been a minute since you’ve resolved your New Year’s habits, your fasts may have begun, you’ve already feasted at least once: What are they? Let me know in the comments what your resolutions are, if you made them, what habits you hope to focus on this quarter, how you’re fasting, how you’re feasting:…
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12 Years a Librarian
In June of 2019 I finished 12 years and begin my 13th year as a librarian at Queens Library, my eighth year serving as a supervisor. With this milestone I believe I am accomplishing one of the pillars of a human being’s life journey: finding meaningful work. We all know the game of information seeking…
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And Now a Word from Our Other Lancelot : Lancelot Link and The Missing Link
Happy Friday, folks. Here’s an episode of Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp to send you on your way.
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sleep requirements : St. Benedict Says Sleep 8 hours
Reading through St. Benedict’s Rule for Monasteries in my morning study time right now. It’s basically the handbook that monks used throughout the Middle Ages and gives a ton of insight to how they structured their lives and chased after virtue. There’s a super funny piece, though, in chapter 8: On the Divine Office During the Night. Remember…
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War for Your Mind: Information in 2016
 Today’s Guest Post comes from Cassie Phillips of Culture Coverage: There’s a war for your mind. While this statement can be cast aside as hyperbolic fearmongering, there is no denial that media, art, words and publishing have had a massive impact in molding our social mindset throughout history. From the playwrights of ancient Greece to our modern…
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Our Technological Wish List
These aren’t “Tall Tower” or “Hyperloop” or “3D Printing Organ” ideas, they’re just tweaks on current software. I would love for us to add more tweaks in the comments and see if we can’t get a nice list going.
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Why I, an Adult, Believe in Santa
As you prepare your Christmas lists, let me tell you a story… A long time ago in an oppressive empire far far away, there lived a Saint known to all as Nicolas. We know that Nicolas oversaw the diocese of Myra in Lycia (south-western Asia Minor) during the fourth century. Story goes that he rescued three…
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On Good Catastrophes
Pneumonia. Turns out, something does beat the shingles and it comes in the form of a needle thick as an IV and full of muscle-maddening antibiotic. That was last week, who knows what adventures this one will behold? Anyways, sorry to hide under a wet, cold dishrag all week but I’m back in the space-saddle editing…