Bingo wikipedia
Reddit Fantasy
2008.07.29 23:31 Reddit Fantasy
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2017.01.22 00:23 donotblockthebox Political Compass Memes
Political Compass Memes
2011.07.05 08:22 littlefield20 Beautiful Libertyville
2024.05.15 19:21 elkoubi Calling for Bluey-Themed Cocktail Suggestions
Some of you may recall that I like to make themed cocktails for the semi-regular gatherings I have at our home, including our kids' birthdays.
This July is my youngest's 6th birthday, which will be Bluey themed. As such, I'm looking to crowdsource cocktail suggestions that align to that theme. This gives us a surprisingly wide variety of paths. Cocktails could be inspired by characters's names (Chilli, Bandit, Bluey, Bingo, etc.), episode themes (there are over 154), the fact that the characters are all dogs, that the show is set in Australia, etc.
To me, my home craft cocktailers! Thanks in advance for all your help.
submitted by elkoubi to cocktails [link] [comments]
This July is my youngest's 6th birthday, which will be Bluey themed. As such, I'm looking to crowdsource cocktail suggestions that align to that theme. This gives us a surprisingly wide variety of paths. Cocktails could be inspired by characters's names (Chilli, Bandit, Bluey, Bingo, etc.), episode themes (there are over 154), the fact that the characters are all dogs, that the show is set in Australia, etc.
To me, my home craft cocktailers! Thanks in advance for all your help.
2024.05.13 19:53 UnifiedQuantumField Why Consciousness is a "Hard Problem": the Blind Men and the Elephant
tldr; Old Indian parable of the Blind Men and the Elephant is instructive re: the problem of Consciousness.
Most people have heard of the story. Here's a brief refresher from Wikipedia:
We can't see Consciousness with our eyes or any of the other physical senses. We experience it directly.
From this direct (but limited) experience, we then attempt to understand and describe it.
It's not just Consciousness either. I've noticed the same pattern of "differential explanation + disagreement - hostility" for many other things as well.
submitted by UnifiedQuantumField to consciousness [link] [comments]
Most people have heard of the story. Here's a brief refresher from Wikipedia:
The parable of the blind men and an elephant is a story of a group of blind men who have never come across an elephant before and who learn and imagine what the elephant is like by touching it. Each blind man feels a different part of the animal's body, but only one part, such as the side or the tusk. They then describe the animal based on their limited experience and their descriptions of the elephant are different from each other. In some versions, they come to suspect that the other person is dishonest and they come to blows. The moral of the parable is that humans have a tendency to claim absolute truth based on their limited, subjective experience as they ignore other people's limited, subjective experiences which may be equally true.[1][2] The parable originated in the ancient Indian subcontinent, from where it has been widely diffused.So Consciousness itself is a lot like the elephant... and we're a lot like the Blind Men. How so?
We can't see Consciousness with our eyes or any of the other physical senses. We experience it directly.
From this direct (but limited) experience, we then attempt to understand and describe it.
and their descriptions of the elephant are different from each other.Bingo!
In some versions, they come to suspect that the other person is dishonest and they come to blows.In 2024, we don't have physical fights, but there are lots of arguments and downvotes. So, once more, the parable is accurate.
It's not just Consciousness either. I've noticed the same pattern of "differential explanation + disagreement - hostility" for many other things as well.
2024.05.09 07:05 Comrade_komrad Naples Metro - the wackiest metro system?
I've been reading into the Naples metro lately, but I speak no Italian, and the only accounts of it I can really find of it on the English-speaking internet are on Wikipedia, and even then those sources are pretty sparse on details. From the little I have read though, the Naples metro just seems like the absolute wildest, wackiest and strangest transportation system on the face of the earth, and i'm having a difficult time wrapping my head around how or why any of it came to be.
The first (numbered), and probably most metro-like line on the system is Line 1, represented by the colour yellow. It follow this.. uhh.. spaghetti-shaped alignment? And works are being done to turn it into a full loop line. Great stuff.
Line 1 has a rather odd shape. (courtesy of Wikipedia)
The line opened in the early 90s, but was in planning since the 60s. The line has slowly been extended east since the turn of the century. From what i've heard, the line has been receiving fancy new trains from CAF, but the original trains from the 90s (real pieces of work) still appear to be at large. The line is also supposedly renowned for its various art installations, many of which consist of ancient artefacts recovered during excavation.
Line 1's original trains (and this is without the graffiti!) (courtesy of urbanrail.net)
It doesn't get any less weird with Line 2, which technically opened far before Line 1, dating as far back as the mid 20s. As far as I can tell, it's just straight up a suburban rail line (Naples also has a separate suburban rail network, which is weird in its own way). It was rebranded as metro around the opening of Line 1, taking on its current moniker of Line 2, although some actual regional trains do still seem to run through the line and onto more distant locations.
Line 2 (courtesy of Napolike)
The line still runs mainline trains, in the livery of Trenitalia, Italy's national rail operator, and from what I understand, had a period of time where it was branded as metro but didn't have any actual in station interchanges with Line 1 :).
If that wasn't enough variety, Naples also had an underground light rail line, Line 6. It was under construction and planned to open by 1990 for the World Cup, but missed the deadline by 17 years and opened around 2007. Here's the real kicker: service on the line was suspended in 2013, and to my knowledge, has been entirely shuttered for over a decade. I've read it's planned to reopen soon-ish after refurbishment works, but... yeah.
Line 6, presumably from when it still ran (courtesy of Napolike)
Bonus round! It's not technically a part of the metro, but it's far too weird to leave out.
the rainbow line.
Yes, that's a rainbow-coloured line. The rainbow line. You can mark that off your transit bingo card. Its colour is hardly the strangest part of it though - the line is a fully-underground (from what i can tell), 10km-long, suburban metro branch line. Opened in the mid 2010s, it runs quaint little rectangular 2-car trains that probably would have looked rather dated in the 80s - every 15 minutes at peak times.
Cute little trains (courtesy of Wikipedia)
I hope you've found some satisfaction in my surface-level musings on the insanity of Naples' metro network, and to anybody who does possess any deeper knowledge, I would be very interested in hearing the lore on why any of this actually exists (in the weird and wacky way that it currently does), and how any of it came to be.
submitted by Comrade_komrad to transit [link] [comments]
The first (numbered), and probably most metro-like line on the system is Line 1, represented by the colour yellow. It follow this.. uhh.. spaghetti-shaped alignment? And works are being done to turn it into a full loop line. Great stuff.
Line 1 has a rather odd shape. (courtesy of Wikipedia)
The line opened in the early 90s, but was in planning since the 60s. The line has slowly been extended east since the turn of the century. From what i've heard, the line has been receiving fancy new trains from CAF, but the original trains from the 90s (real pieces of work) still appear to be at large. The line is also supposedly renowned for its various art installations, many of which consist of ancient artefacts recovered during excavation.
Line 1's original trains (and this is without the graffiti!) (courtesy of urbanrail.net)
It doesn't get any less weird with Line 2, which technically opened far before Line 1, dating as far back as the mid 20s. As far as I can tell, it's just straight up a suburban rail line (Naples also has a separate suburban rail network, which is weird in its own way). It was rebranded as metro around the opening of Line 1, taking on its current moniker of Line 2, although some actual regional trains do still seem to run through the line and onto more distant locations.
Line 2 (courtesy of Napolike)
The line still runs mainline trains, in the livery of Trenitalia, Italy's national rail operator, and from what I understand, had a period of time where it was branded as metro but didn't have any actual in station interchanges with Line 1 :).
If that wasn't enough variety, Naples also had an underground light rail line, Line 6. It was under construction and planned to open by 1990 for the World Cup, but missed the deadline by 17 years and opened around 2007. Here's the real kicker: service on the line was suspended in 2013, and to my knowledge, has been entirely shuttered for over a decade. I've read it's planned to reopen soon-ish after refurbishment works, but... yeah.
Line 6, presumably from when it still ran (courtesy of Napolike)
Bonus round! It's not technically a part of the metro, but it's far too weird to leave out.
the rainbow line.
Yes, that's a rainbow-coloured line. The rainbow line. You can mark that off your transit bingo card. Its colour is hardly the strangest part of it though - the line is a fully-underground (from what i can tell), 10km-long, suburban metro branch line. Opened in the mid 2010s, it runs quaint little rectangular 2-car trains that probably would have looked rather dated in the 80s - every 15 minutes at peak times.
Cute little trains (courtesy of Wikipedia)
I hope you've found some satisfaction in my surface-level musings on the insanity of Naples' metro network, and to anybody who does possess any deeper knowledge, I would be very interested in hearing the lore on why any of this actually exists (in the weird and wacky way that it currently does), and how any of it came to be.
2024.05.07 12:02 J-Chapman Old News – Mushroom Season
 | Clare Sentinel 1960-04-28 submitted by J-Chapman to Clare_MI [link] [comments] From Clare to Cheboygan Tasty Morels Wait Pickers Warm, spring rains signal the opening of the morel harvest in Michigan. When temperature and moisture conditions are right, the tasty mushrooms pop out of the ground in a few hours. These cone-shaped delicacies grow most abundantly in aspen and hardwood timberlands. Old neglected orchards and burned-over woodlands are also excellent places to find them. Almost every county from Muskegon and Bay City north to the Straits provides ample opportunity for harvesting morels. On the west side of the state they are usually plentiful in aspen and hardwood areas from Newaygo and Oceana counties north to Emmet county. They generally flourish in the central region from Clare to Cheboygan and on the east side from Arenac to Alpena county. Morels also grow in similar surroundings in southern counties but are not as plentiful as they are farther north. Mushroom hunters should avoid trespassing on private property. The state game and recreation lands in the south and the state and national forests of the north afford plenty of room for everyone. For fear of poisoning, many persons are inclined to regard all wild mushrooms with suspicion. Fortunately, morels are easy to identify. They have no gills). Spores are borne on the surface of the pitted, cone-shaped cap). Varying in color from tan to light brown, the average specimen is three to four inches high and one to two inches at the base of the cap. There is only one mushroom species that might be confused as a morel. This is the saddle fungus, sometimes called the false morel. It also grows in wooded areas, particularly in wet bottomlands and swamps. It has a superficial resemblance to a morel, but differs enough in structure to enable even the novice to recognize it easily. The cap of the saddle fungus is chocolate brown and much ridged and folded. Like the morel, it has a hollow stem. Morels, puffballs, sulphur shell fungus and shaggymanes are commonly called “the fool-proof four” because of their distinctive appearance. This quartet of edible fungi has no poisonous lookalikes. For additional information on mushrooms, specifically these four, mail a request for “Mushrooms and Toadstools”, to the Conservation Department, Information and Publications, Lansing 26. https://preview.redd.it/nt7ydkhivxyc1.jpg?width=1302&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ff48bf76b4d523f99fe1a0ac07dfd439940ba4d6 Clare Sentinel 1955-05-05 1,000,000 Use Parks Already Michigan’s popular state park system has already entertained about 1,000,000 visitors this year, well ahead of the pace set last year. Parks officials say they expect attendance this year will exceed the record 15,200,000 visitors of last year. Managers throughout the state report visitors making use of facilities for picnicking, hiking, fishing and other outdoor activities. A young army of mushroom hunters is also reported poking around in the woods looking for morels, shaggymanes and other luscious growths. Picnic tables, waist-high stoves and the other necessary outdoor facilities are being set up for use as fast as possible. Clare Sentinel 1974-05-15 MUSHROOM FESTIVAL The first annual Mid-Michigan Mushroom Festival will be held at Mid-Michigan College on May 17th, 18, & 19. Events of entertainment is scheduled fro three full days of fun. Lodging facilities for trailers etc. are available on request. Clare Sentinel 1974-05-22 https://preview.redd.it/9oamvkuvvxyc1.jpg?width=1124&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1b37c53159a538e73a2c421c76ee5ca6b4c864f9 Mushroom Season Continues LANSING – It’s morel time in Michigan. Eager mushroom hunters are roaming the countrysides in search of wild mushrooms. They’re plentiful in southern Michigan, northern communities, and the Upper Peninsula according to Michigan Department of Agriculture officials. Nearly 2000 different kinds of mushrooms grow in the state, but most seasoned mushroom hunters use caution and select only a very few species for picking and eating. If you’re inexperienced, warn Agriculture officials, proceed with extreme caution. County extension offices can provide information to help identify the spring morels. If you like mushrooms but are not a morel hunter, cultivated mushrooms are also plentiful in Michigan – not only in May – but year-round. Both wild and cultivated mushrooms can be sauteed in butter with onions, cooked in a marinade, or added to gravies, sauces, casseroles, and vegetables. Mushrooms and beef also complement one another and both are good buys this spring, point out Agriculture officials. Nutritionists say storage time for mushrooms is about four or five days in your refrigerator. They will eventually oxidize and turn dark, but the process is much slower under refrigeration. A slight discoloration will not affect the flavor, but if discoloration continues there will be a loss of flavor and moisture. Mushrooms are a weight-watcher’s delight because there are only about 66 calories per pound. Clare Sentinel 1975-05-14 Mid Michigan College Hosts 3-Day Mushroom Festival May is morel month in Michigan for an uncounted, but large and fast growing, number of enthusiasts. The Mid Michigan College sponsored Mushroom Festival is May 15, 16, 17. Morels resemble other mushrooms by the fact that you see only part of the plant above ground. What you see – the mushroom you want to collect – is the fruit of the plant. It is the whole plant as the apple is to the apple tree. For the beginning mushroom hunter, the half-dozen species of morels are the safest (See program on page 5.) group among the more than 2,000 kinds of wild mushrooms found in Michigan. Knowing that the Mid Michigan area has a bountiful crop of mushrooms located under the fresh spring leaves of oak, maple, and poplar, Mid Michigan Community College, initiated the Mid Michigan Mushroom Festival in May, 1974. The festival was developed to provide an opportunity for participants to enjoy the natural beauty of the Mid Michigan area; to benefit from educational seminars in mushroom identification as well as nature identification classes; to participate in field trips on the College’s 560 acres of beautiful oaks and maples; and to provide an added revenue to civic groups and merchants in the Mid Michigan tourist area. Touring the Mid Michigan area during the springtime gives the tourist or local person a new and fresh perspective. Mid Michigan Community College is located within twenty minutes of 20 lakes. When traveling in the area, you will find various wildlife habitat and glacial landforms. The mushroom hunter will find an abundance of state land from which to select their delicious morsels. The festival, held on the 560 acre Mid Michigan Community College campus, Harrison, has been enlarged this year to include an Arts and Crafts Show and an old fashioned Flea Market. One of the craft exhibitors in this years festival will be Mrs. Ted (Pat) Rachel from Harrison. Pat’s exhibit will be hand constructed “Teddy Bears” which she has made. The bears will be telling the news about the festival via the mushrooms that they hold. Mrs. Rachel started to make the stuffed animals last fall after looking at patterns in a national women's magazine. After locating quality stuffing materials, she began to make the bears for her grandchildren and for gifts. Mrs. Rachel soon found that many people wanted to learn how to make the stuffed animals and approached Mid Michigan Community College staff about the possibility of an adult interest class. A special seminar in stuffed animal construction will be held next fall prior to the Christmas season. Mrs. Rachel has found herself a side business in stuffed animals since she began her hobby. Producing more than fifty of the bears since Christmas has been keeping Pat very busy. “Knowing that some little child will be cherishing the stuffed bear for years is a comforting feeling for me when I make the bears”, states Mrs. Rachel. An Arts and Crafts Bazaar and Flea Market will be held in conjunction with the festival. Rental spaces for the Arts and Crafts Bazaar are available for Saturday, May 17 and Sunday May 18, and the Flea Market is for Saturday only. Reservations are being taken on a “first com, first serve” basis – so make your reservations early. Spaces are available at the rate of $10 for one day or $15 for two days. To reserve your space, send check or money order to Mid Michigan Community College and specify whether space is for Arts and Crafts or Flea Market. For additional information call the College at 386-7792, Extension 35 or 23 and ask for “Pat”. Clare Sentinel 1975-05-21 By SCHROT CROWDS ATTEND MUSHROOM FESTIVAL With perfect weather this past weekend a greater crowd than last year attended the three day Mid-Michigan Mushroom Festival. Over 175 campers were registered and parking made available at the College campus, Intermediate school grounds and at Sno-Snake Mountain. Over 100 people entered the Mushroom Contest on Saturday with 400 that attended the mushroom seminar. Comments were heard about the good food and five events that were held. Clare Sentinel 1977-04-20 Dance set at festival The 4th Annual Mid Michigan Mushroom Festival will include in its schedule of events a “Mushroom Stomp.” The Stomp, an annual event at the festival, is a square dance sponsored by the Mt. Pleasant Belles and Beaus Square Dance Club. The Mushroom Stomp, conducted in the new ballroom on the campus of Mid Michigan Community College, will be held Saturday, May 7, starting at 7:30 p.m. The caller for the square dance will be Duval First from Rosebush. A $3.00 per couple admission charge will be collected. A special “Mushroom Stomp” badge will be available to the participating square dancers. Clare Sentinel 1977-05-04 1977 Mushroom Festival Opens The 4th annual Mid Michigan Mushroom Festival will be conducted this weekend, May 6-8 on the campus of Mid Michigan Community College, Harrison. Mid Michigan Community College initiated the Festival in 1974 to provide an opportunity for participants to enjoy the natural beauty of the Mid Michigan area, in addition to benefiting from the free Mushroom Identification Seminars. Participants in the annual festival come from throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois. The annual event brings hundreds of campers into the Mid Michigan area. Over 150 campers park their self-contained camper units on the college grounds each year during the festival. This year’s festivities start with the King and Queen Pageant Friday evening followed by a sing-a-long around the bonfire. The Mid Statesmen Chorus, which perform barbershop harmony, will be the featured attraction at both of the events. New to the festival this year on Friday evening is a dinner which starts at 7:00 p.m. and includes a special show of Belly Dancers. Saturday’s events include Mushroom Picking Seminars, Arts & Craft Show, Flea Market, tours of the college facilities, bingo), a children’s Pet Show and Parade, and a Skydiving Exhibition. The program in the evening includes a performance of “The Boyfriend” by the Mid Michigan Community College Community Theatre, a Square Dance, and a bonfire and . Events scheduled for Sunday include Interdenomination Church Service at 10:00 a.m., Mushroom Picking Seminars and contest, Skydiving Exhibition, and Arts & Crafts Show. During the entire weekend there will be clowns on the college campus entertaining children of all ages. The college’s food service facilities will be open the entire weekend for festival participants. There is no entrance fee or parking tolls for the Mushroom Festival. Many of the events, including the Mushroom Identification Seminars, are free of admission charge. |
2024.05.07 01:42 shaneka69 DEPRESSION: A NUMEROLOGY DECODE
Let's Decode What Depression Is And More
Today I will be going in depth about depression and decoding the word and reasoning with Numerology. We can already see that depression has a lot of repeated letters which shows there is too much of a focus on one thing and too much of something can usually hinder it or cause imbalance.Let's break down the word DEPRESSION:
The word has E 2 times, S 2 times
D=4
E=5
P=7(16)
R=9(18)
E=5
S=1(19)
S=1(19)
I=9
O=6(15)
N=5(14)
Let's first focus on the obvious! This word has karmic debt numbers for the letters N, P, and S. Let's grab some context from a site that I will link below that explain what these karmic debt numbers mean in detail.
"The 14 Karmic Debt arises from previous actions where human freedom has been abused. Those with a 14 Karmic Debt are forced to adapt to ever-changing circumstances and unexpected occurrences. There is an acute danger of falling victim to drug abuse, alcohol, or overindulgence in sensual pleasures, such as food and sex. Moderation in all affairs is crucial to overcome this Karmic Debt." - credit goes to Karmic Debt Numbers in Numerology World Numerology
"The 16 Karmic Debt – in any area it appears in a chart - means destruction of the old and birth of the new. It is about the fall of the ego and all it has built for itself. It is a watershed, a cleansing. Things the ego has constructed to separate a person from the source of life, are destroyed.
Through the 16, reunion with higher consciousness may be achieved. This can be a painful process because it usually comes after much ego inflation, resulting in a struggle between the ego and higher ideals. Life will present challenges to your grand plans which you may resent and struggle against. It is a losing battle… and you will likely feel humbled in the face of the collapse that follows. However, humility is the key to later success, as you learn to follow the intimations of a deeper reality."
"A person with the 19 Karmic Debt will learn independence and the proper use of power. You will be placed in situations where you are forced to stand up for yourself (and often be left standing alone). One of the central lessons for people with the 19 Karmic Debt revolves around stubbornly resisting help from others. Much of your independence is self-imposed - you simply want to do it your own way.The 19 Karmic Debt can become a self-imposed prison if you don’t recognize the need for interdependence and the mutual need for love.Although you seek to stand on your own feet, you are inextricably connected to others and in need of the support and understanding that all people need - this is the most important lesson for the 19 Karmic Debt." And being personally connected to a lot of 19 energy, this is very true! There is one 19 person I watch on Youtube and he is using this energy pretty well.
DECODING DEPRESSION
Let's take a look at the word. You see it starts with the letter D which is ruled by the number 4 as the 4th letter in the alphabet. 4 energy is connected to privacy, home, family, discontent, restriction, and nonchalant energy. There is many more terms, but you can see where this is going. If you call certain companies toll free, listen to what they say you need to press number 4 for.What just hit me as I looked at the word is the rest of the word after DE...PRESSION. Maybe there is something needing to be expressed(expression!) that isn't being expressed. All depression is, is suppression of something. D/4 can be suppression and withholding. That's why some jobs want you to fill out the W4 which is a withholding form! Depression comes when someone is choosing to withhold expression of emotions and genuine communication that can help. Taking caution to a whole new level and it ends up being destructive. 4 can point to dissipation which makes sense for destruction to mean what it means.
The word starts with the energy of 4 which is about withholding and suppression and end with the energy of 5 which can be conflicting.
All those letters and we only get to the number 5?!. This word is embedded with the energy of 1 and 9 which means that people who claim or feel depression CAN utilize their personal power to get themselves out of said depression. You have the right to process your emotions and once you do, you can start using your strength and power to overcome. Sometimes it starts with the mind.
Now, based on the letters and numbers with the word, let's see what numbers are missing!
We are missing 2,3,and 8! 2 gives a person a natural comfort within self. It can also make them loveable or easily cooperative with others. The energy of 3 gives a person natural optimism and majestic mental capacity. 8 gives a person a steadfast embedded powerful strength. This 8 energy gives a person unstoppable capability.
Getting over depression is about rising above a situation and having the capability of strengthening your perspective. Your confidence levels are something you have to personally master. Notice how depression ends with O and N which is 6 and 5. That's a backtrack. We're counting forwards, not backwards. 6 is about overcoming problems while 5 is the problems or insecurities. Depression ending with the energy of 5 is a thinkpiece. 5 deals with the uniqueness of a situation or action. You will have to do something different or new to wake up out of whatever this depression was about and understand that everyone's depression won't be the same!
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2024.05.06 16:13 onsereverra 2024 Hugo Readalong: The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi
Welcome back to the 2024 Hugo Readalong! This week we will be discussing The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty. (Fun fact for the non-Arabic speakers: despite the way it's spelled, Amina's surname is pronounced ahss-Sirafi. This is because of a phenomenon referred to, poetically, as sun and moon letters in Arabic.)
In this post, we will be discussing The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi in its entirety, without spoiler tags, so jump in at your own risk. I will start us off with some discussion questions, but encourage anybody who has a topic in mind to to start threads of their own.
Bingo Squares: First in a Series (NM), Alliterative Title (HM), Criminals (NM), Dreams (HM), Prologues & Epilogues (NM), Reference Materials (NM), Book Club (this one)
You are more than welcome to hop into this discussion regardless of whether you've participated in any other Hugo Readalong threads this year – though we certainly hope you enjoy discussing with us and come back for more! Here is a sneak peek of our upcoming discussions for the next couple of weeks:
submitted by onsereverra to Fantasy [link] [comments]
In this post, we will be discussing The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi in its entirety, without spoiler tags, so jump in at your own risk. I will start us off with some discussion questions, but encourage anybody who has a topic in mind to to start threads of their own.
Bingo Squares: First in a Series (NM), Alliterative Title (HM), Criminals (NM), Dreams (HM), Prologues & Epilogues (NM), Reference Materials (NM), Book Club (this one)
You are more than welcome to hop into this discussion regardless of whether you've participated in any other Hugo Readalong threads this year – though we certainly hope you enjoy discussing with us and come back for more! Here is a sneak peek of our upcoming discussions for the next couple of weeks:
| Date | Category | Book | Author | Discussion Leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday, May 9 | Semiprozine: Uncanny | The Coffin Maker, A Soul in the World, and The Rain Remembers What the Sky Forgets | AnaMaria Curtis, Charlie Jane Anders, and Fran Wilde | u/picowombat |
| Monday, May 13 | Novella | Mammoths at the Gates | Nghi Vo | u/Moonlitgrey |
| Thursday, May 16 | Novelette | The Year Without Sunshine and One Man’s Treasure | Naomi Kritzer and Sarah Pinsker | u/picowombat |
| Monday, May 20 | Novel | The Saint of Bright Doors | Vajra Chandrasekera | u/lilbelleandsebastian |
| Thursday, May 23 | Semiprozine: Strange Horizons | TBD | TBD | u/DSnake1 |
2024.05.02 18:43 Zeddblidd In a Lonely Place (1950)
2024-160 / Zedd MAP: 88.56 / MLZ MAP: 91.92 / Score Gap: 3.36
Criterion Collection / Wikipedia / IMDb / Official Trailer / Our Collection
Before I’d even opened my eyes, I knew it was raining. No sob-story, but the fact is I’ve already got arthritis, and my spine and hips ache when it rains. I feel like I’ve got the cane and the pain, all I need are a front porch and rocking chair - the full “Get Off My Lawn” kit and caboodle… you know, doing up my retirement right. I’m afraid anything of youth had been chased from my bones despite my youthful age of 53 (right, youthful 53 my foot). Come to think of it, that hurts too.
From Criterion: When a gifted but washed-up screenwriter with a hair-trigger temper—Humphrey Bogart, in a revelatory, vulnerable performance—becomes the prime suspect in a brutal Tinseltown murder, the only person who can supply an alibi for him is a seductive neighbor (Gloria Grahame) with her own troubled past. The emotionally charged In a Lonely Place, freely adapted from a Dorothy B. Hughes thriller, is a brilliant, turbulent mix of suspenseful noir and devastating melodrama, fueled by powerhouse performances. An uncompromising tale of two people desperate to love yet struggling with their demons and each other, this is one of the greatest films of the 1950s, and a benchmark in the career of the classic Hollywood auteur Nicholas Ray.
There’s always a rule in this house: pick your movie to fit the mood. There’s nothing in the world as therapeutic as walking the movie racks in the media room without a specific motion picture in mind, just a sense of where my emotional compass sits: melancholy.
Spasms of pain, mixed with rain - we need moody black and white. Mrs. Lady Zedd crushed under a pile of work and meetings, something on the morbid side - film-noir. Sudden flood warning and the knowledge we’ve just crossed the normal yearly rain total (on the low side but it’s only May), it’s spooky, worrisome - better call in the big guns: best get Bogart. Then I cross paths with the spine #810 - In a Lonely Place, bingo.
As this high-contrast oldie-but-goodie flickers to life, I know instantly I’ve made the right choice. Bogart is producing moody-menace straight on, threatening a loud-mouth driver to a knuckle-sandwich. Next he’s on to an obnoxious studio head’s son who never learned to keep his opinions to himself. Bogart’s character Dixon Steele, possessing an explosive temper is… well - his actions are only slightly regrettable. Now that dead girl the police have questions about… that’s regrettable, entirely.
The movie may be centered on Humphrey Bogart but he’s supported by a well-tuned suspenseful story and a great cast: Gloria Grahame, Frank Lovejoy, Art Smith, Jeff Donnell (easily the most lovey Jeff there’s ever been), and a nice handful of “Them”, those characters actors I always keep an eye out for - Cosmo Sardo, Harold Miller, and Mike Lally.
MLZ out of her meeting, she takes her (rightful) place next to me - that helps. She shines her love light on me, checks to make sure I’m doing ok, comments on the correctness of the film rolling on screen. I’m fortunate to have her, she knows I know it but she never presses that advantage. If I’m going to make it through another day like this, making sure we movie on will be key.
Side note: Dixon Steele… really? Ha - Dix to his friends I’m sure. Gloria Grahame, defiant and hostile, looks the police chief square in the eye and pronounces, “I love Dix…” without batting an eye. Beautiful. Reminds me of my father’s Rockabilly buddy Donnie Brooks who had a minor hit under the name Dick Bush - Hollywood Party. Perfect - my melancholy is just melting away.
submitted by Zeddblidd to 500moviesorbust [link] [comments]
Criterion Collection / Wikipedia / IMDb / Official Trailer / Our Collection
Before I’d even opened my eyes, I knew it was raining. No sob-story, but the fact is I’ve already got arthritis, and my spine and hips ache when it rains. I feel like I’ve got the cane and the pain, all I need are a front porch and rocking chair - the full “Get Off My Lawn” kit and caboodle… you know, doing up my retirement right. I’m afraid anything of youth had been chased from my bones despite my youthful age of 53 (right, youthful 53 my foot). Come to think of it, that hurts too.
From Criterion: When a gifted but washed-up screenwriter with a hair-trigger temper—Humphrey Bogart, in a revelatory, vulnerable performance—becomes the prime suspect in a brutal Tinseltown murder, the only person who can supply an alibi for him is a seductive neighbor (Gloria Grahame) with her own troubled past. The emotionally charged In a Lonely Place, freely adapted from a Dorothy B. Hughes thriller, is a brilliant, turbulent mix of suspenseful noir and devastating melodrama, fueled by powerhouse performances. An uncompromising tale of two people desperate to love yet struggling with their demons and each other, this is one of the greatest films of the 1950s, and a benchmark in the career of the classic Hollywood auteur Nicholas Ray.
There’s always a rule in this house: pick your movie to fit the mood. There’s nothing in the world as therapeutic as walking the movie racks in the media room without a specific motion picture in mind, just a sense of where my emotional compass sits: melancholy.
Spasms of pain, mixed with rain - we need moody black and white. Mrs. Lady Zedd crushed under a pile of work and meetings, something on the morbid side - film-noir. Sudden flood warning and the knowledge we’ve just crossed the normal yearly rain total (on the low side but it’s only May), it’s spooky, worrisome - better call in the big guns: best get Bogart. Then I cross paths with the spine #810 - In a Lonely Place, bingo.
As this high-contrast oldie-but-goodie flickers to life, I know instantly I’ve made the right choice. Bogart is producing moody-menace straight on, threatening a loud-mouth driver to a knuckle-sandwich. Next he’s on to an obnoxious studio head’s son who never learned to keep his opinions to himself. Bogart’s character Dixon Steele, possessing an explosive temper is… well - his actions are only slightly regrettable. Now that dead girl the police have questions about… that’s regrettable, entirely.
The movie may be centered on Humphrey Bogart but he’s supported by a well-tuned suspenseful story and a great cast: Gloria Grahame, Frank Lovejoy, Art Smith, Jeff Donnell (easily the most lovey Jeff there’s ever been), and a nice handful of “Them”, those characters actors I always keep an eye out for - Cosmo Sardo, Harold Miller, and Mike Lally.
MLZ out of her meeting, she takes her (rightful) place next to me - that helps. She shines her love light on me, checks to make sure I’m doing ok, comments on the correctness of the film rolling on screen. I’m fortunate to have her, she knows I know it but she never presses that advantage. If I’m going to make it through another day like this, making sure we movie on will be key.
Side note: Dixon Steele… really? Ha - Dix to his friends I’m sure. Gloria Grahame, defiant and hostile, looks the police chief square in the eye and pronounces, “I love Dix…” without batting an eye. Beautiful. Reminds me of my father’s Rockabilly buddy Donnie Brooks who had a minor hit under the name Dick Bush - Hollywood Party. Perfect - my melancholy is just melting away.
2024.04.28 15:35 thepurpleplaneteer Reviews of The Monsters We Defy & Daughter of the Merciful Deep by Leslye Penelope – Should you read?
 | TL;DR: Because I loved Monsters We Defy so much, I was hoping for the same good ol’ time in a different story with Daughter of the Merciful Deep. What I found is Penelope demonstrating her range and versatility within her own style: fantastical historical fiction, inspired by real people and real stories, showcasing the beauty within early 20th century African-American communities while not shying away from the truth and horrors inflicted by Jim Crow laws and hate. In the mood for a fun romp featuring spirits and a ragtag crew? Try The Monsters We Defy. In the mood for an emotional historical drama featuring gods? Try Daughter of the Merciful Deep. submitted by thepurpleplaneteer to Fantasy [link] [comments] https://preview.redd.it/h74qyao6sxwc1.jpg?width=973&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cc53ce42b79df16e9bac2a893e0f4060d53389c9 The Monsters We Defy & Daughter of the Merciful Deep by Leslye Penelope.Monsters: Published August 9, 2022. Paperback: 372 pages; Audiobook 11.5 hours. 5 stars. Bingo: Author of Color, POV (HM), epilogue.Daughter: Expected publishing date June 4, 2024. Paperback: 384 pages; Audiobook: 13 hours. 4 stars. Bingo: 2024 release, Author of Color, small town, reference materials (HM), POV. WHAT ARE THEY ABOUT? Monsters: In a world where the spirits roam, Enigmas offer the desperate charms and tricks, and ancestors watch over their loved ones, Clara Johnson was born with the sight. She’s vowed never again to use her charm, but when her poorer coworkers and neighbors go missing, what will she do to save them? Followed by the spirit of her grandmother, Mama Octavia, and her roommate, Zelda, who can thieve like it’s a gift, Clara sets off on a mission to put together a charmed, ragtag crew who will hopefully help save her community and maybe even save her too. Daughter: Jane Edwards lives in Awenasa, a small and thriving town next to the Noxahatchie River owned by its beloved and Black founder, Old George. Jane has been seeing white men in black Model T Fords going around speaking to residents and she knows something nefarious is afoot. One day she sees a face she could not have possibly seen — and she knows the river has something to do with it. She’ll find herself on an impossible and unfathomable journey to save everything and everyone she loves, with the unlikeliest of helpers along the way. SHOULD YOU READ… …Monsters? This historical fiction fantasy will make you feel like you’re in 1920’s DC, US, with guest star appearances by big names from the time. With lovable characters and characters you’ll love to hate, Penelope created a story that is fun and joyful in a bustling backdrop of the Harlem Renaissance and Black Broadway while showcasing classism and hinting to colorism, racism, hate and Jim Crow segregation. The plot and pace will keep you engaged with a mystery, a heist, loads of humorous dialogue, a smidge of satisfying romance and a burgeoning found family that peels back the layers of shame and regret. This is a must read for anyone who enjoys magical realism, urban fantasy, paranormal or historical fiction. Anyone who likes the arts or art history will likely want to check this out too. …Daughter? A historical fiction fantasy that will transport you to small town America in the 1930s. All is on display, from the community’s beauty and vibrancy to the injustice and cruelty of the Jim Crow era, white supremacy and hate. Penelope again brings her knack for realizing true American history in the form of fantastical fiction, this time in a work with gods and a magic that revolves around objects, memories and sacrifice. It will make you cry, love, hurt and remember. If you read stories exploring trauma and forgiveness, enjoy historical fiction or are a fan of Rivers Solomon I’d recommend this to you. I say Solomon for the way they write protagonists you love and root for, while not at all shying away from the brutality of racism and what white supremacy will do because of their hate and to make claims of what they think is theirs. SOME OF MY THOUGHTS Monsters: I normally don’t like books set in the 20’s, but I LOVED every. single. thing. about this book. The lore explored in this and the mystery around what was happening to people both hooked me from the beginning. Then Penelope takes you on a ride and it was such a fun and enjoyable read overall. I adored every character, well except for the snobs we meet, but they are all written fabulously and I especially adored Clara. What was most impressive is that she felt like a real woman, as imperfect and exceptional, even with her gift and charm. And I wish I had such a boisterous and brave (and a bit reckless) roommate as Zelda, who absolutely shines and got quite a few chuckles out of me. This is multi-POV, but just to help explain some of the backstory of our crew while keeping the main focus on Clara. I’m not saying the book is completely light, there are references to the KKK, slavery and it is clearly the time of Jim Crow. The characters mention they have to navigate their lives around these threats, and there is on-page belittling of characters for their class status. I’m just saying that Penelope has a clear talent for demonstrating how many realities can be true at once, and in this case while making you smile. There’s so much more I want to or could say about his book that is missing here, but I really think it is perfection and I highly recommend this book. Daughter: I received an early ARC and had really high expectations because I absolutely loved Monsters. Penelope yet again presents a MC that feels like a real woman who is both ordinary and extraordinary. Jane clearly has secrets and I wanted to know more, and there is a looming threat and lore that are revealed – and I am always a sucker for stories that bring the gods to the page – so I was quite hooked and invested from the beginning. Around 25-30% I began to have some pacing and abrupt transition issues, and felt like I was reading a tome even though it is far from it, and for me it picked up again around the 70% mark. There is also heavier on-page content in this release and I found it harder to compartmentalize so I took some reading breaks. Again you have characters that shine, but really it was Awenasa and the tertiary characters that eclipsed Jane and the secondary characters for me. Jane’s dad and the townspeople felt like real people, yet they danced on page and brought so much life and joy to the story. Which is fantastic because it is one of the main points of the book. Even though the story is a first-person, (mostly) single POV about Jane, her trauma and journey of self-forgiveness, Awenasa and its people are equally as important as a character and all the things that come with a beautiful community: love, compassion, gossip, care, fear, joy, forgiveness, laughter, coming together and so much more. I so badly wanted a happy ending for Jane and Awenasa, and Penelope warmed my heart with such a powerful story where ancestry and familial and communal love radiates to your soul. FINAL THOUGHTS: I understand that not every fantasy reader enjoys the historical-fantasy mashup, yet I will still say everyone should try at least one Penelope story. In comparing these two I’d say for me the journey through Monsters was smoother than Daughter, but while Monsters is an all time favorite I think Daughter has deeply impacted my being and it is not one I will forget for years to come. Penelope is solidified as an auto-read author for me at this point and I strongly suspect we’ll see a lot more from her. I look forward to exploring more of what she cooks up next AND I need to go back to her releases as L. Penelope. HANDLE WITH CARE Daughter: Hanging – there is on-page of imagery of a man hanging after death in a very emotional scene. Slavery – there is depiction of a slave ship in a storm and lives lost to the sea across two pages. ARC REVIEW Thank you NetGalley, Redhook and Hatchett Publishing for an opportunity to do an early review of Daughters of the Merciful Deep. These thoughts and ramblings are the product of my nervous system (a.k.a. they are my own). |
2024.04.26 06:38 dogobsess Monthly Mini- "The Yellow Wall-Paper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
How about a classic? Written in 1892, this short story is famous for being a pivotal work of feminist literature (spoiler re: themes). A little bit gothic, a little bit unsettling, and a lot of interesting details to take in! Even if you have read this one before, in school for example, it's worth a reread. I definitely enjoyed it more this time, ten years since the last time I read it.
What is the Monthly Mini?
Once a month, we will choose a short piece of writing that is free and easily accessible online. It will be posted on the 25th of the month. Anytime throughout the following month, feel free to read the piece and comment any thoughts you had about it.
Bingo Squares: Monthly Mini, Female Author
The selection is: “The Yellow Wall-Paper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Click here to read it (includes a few funky illustrations!).
[From Wikipedia]: After the birth of her first daughter, Gilman suffered postnatal depression and was treated by Dr. Silas Weir Mitchell, the leading expert on women's mental health at the time. He suggested a strict 'rest cure' regimen involving much of bed rest and a blanket ban on working, including reading, writing, and painting. After three months and almost desperate, Gilman decided to contravene her diagnosis, along with the treatment methods, and started to work again. Aware of how close she had come to a complete mental breakdown, the author wrote ”The Yellow Wallpaper” with additions and exaggerations to illustrate her criticism of the medical field.
Once you have read the story, comment below! Comments can be as short or as long as you feel. Be aware that there are SPOILERS in the comments, so steer clear until you've read the story!
Here are some ideas for comments:
submitted by dogobsess to bookclub [link] [comments]
What is the Monthly Mini?
Once a month, we will choose a short piece of writing that is free and easily accessible online. It will be posted on the 25th of the month. Anytime throughout the following month, feel free to read the piece and comment any thoughts you had about it.
Bingo Squares: Monthly Mini, Female Author
The selection is: “The Yellow Wall-Paper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Click here to read it (includes a few funky illustrations!).
- The story is also available on Project Gutenberg in various other formats/file types. Click here to read it.
- Prefer audio? Here's a dramatic reading of it!
[From Wikipedia]: After the birth of her first daughter, Gilman suffered postnatal depression and was treated by Dr. Silas Weir Mitchell, the leading expert on women's mental health at the time. He suggested a strict 'rest cure' regimen involving much of bed rest and a blanket ban on working, including reading, writing, and painting. After three months and almost desperate, Gilman decided to contravene her diagnosis, along with the treatment methods, and started to work again. Aware of how close she had come to a complete mental breakdown, the author wrote ”The Yellow Wallpaper” with additions and exaggerations to illustrate her criticism of the medical field.
Once you have read the story, comment below! Comments can be as short or as long as you feel. Be aware that there are SPOILERS in the comments, so steer clear until you've read the story!
Here are some ideas for comments:
- Overall thoughts, reactions, and enjoyment of the story and of the characters
- Favourite quotes or scenes
- What themes, messages, or points you think the author tried to convey by writing the story
- Questions you had while reading the story
- Connections you made between the story and your own life, to other texts (make sure to use spoiler tags so you don't spoil plot points from other books), or to the world
- What you imagined happened next in the characters’ lives
- What's your interpretation of the wallpaper? Why did the author choose to focus so heavily on it, and use it as a device in the way she did? Any thoughts about the emphasis on yellowness, the colour getting everywhere, including the fact that it even smelled yellow? Do you think the author was leaning into wallpaper distrust of the time period due to arsenic poisoning, or not so much?
- Let's talk feminism! Did it deliver? Were there bits that you especially enjoyed in this commentary on gender roles and women's issues in the 1800s?
- The ending of the story is up for interpretation. Something I wondered about (and others too, apparently, after doing some googling) is whether she committed suicide in the end of the story or not. The rope, standing on the bed, her husband bursting in and fainting upon seeing her... what's your interpretation of the ending?
2024.04.26 05:05 CapriorCorfu 4-25-24 OLD POSTS that need to be solved
These posts are all over 100 days old. 72 posts total.
SOLVED SO FAR: 21
Newcomers please note: the older the post, the more points you earn!
✅SOLVED Can Tho, Vietnam. PS Nightview of an Asian city with a river circling around. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/hgYobfPlEa
✅SOLVED Madyan, Pakistan I originally thought that this was Turkey, however after seeing the hint I quickly found out that it was Pakistan. I then ruled out the southern half of the country because of the snow capped mountains in the distance and noted the water stream down below, which meant that there was a river that went through the city, after that it only took a bit of searching until I eventually found it. Colorful view of dry mountains from a hilltop, with a river valley and city below. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/n6Wrtm51hy
✅SOLVED San Pedro, Ivory Coast. PS Aerial view of a peninsula with a beach, heavily vegetated, either tropical or subtropical. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/S3mmcAtb29
PS Small red brick house alone in a grass field near the ocean. Southern Hemisphere. Not Argentina. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/3umH5hwgYj
PS View of a city from a tiled public area on a hill. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/nwueFRQkpv
GTC View of a city from the water. Not Hanoi nor Ho Chi Minh City. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/comments/18zk7r3/gtc/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=2&utm_term=1
PS Titled "Find this now cold photosphere". Shows a river or lake with an unusual bridge made entirely of young tree trunks. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/ZtlANmp3wk
✅SOLVED Pajares, Spain. SV In northern Spain, in the Cantabrian Mountains. Picture shows some very old houses with tile roofs and mountains behind. 🧩Province of Asturias. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/E6jKfgia61
✅SOLVED Greece Rocky scrub/forest mixture on high hill overlooking sprawling city and distant shoreline. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/h88FumMXpL
🟪 ONE MCDONALDS PER EVERY U.S. STATE 🟪
Address needed. McDonald's #2 https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/IpFcjWfjkN
Address needed. McDonald's #22 https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/UwCodcouo2
🟪 ILES DE FRANCE SERIES 🟪
SV #1 Narrow road beside a few houses; lots of trees. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/aAb4nqlebt
SV #4 A performance area, outdoors. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/DyS5QnflUn
🟪 DISPUTED TERRITORY SERIES 🟪
👉See Wikipedia's List of Territorial Disputes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_territorial_disputes
SV #1 Parking lot with white apartments beyond. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/comments/18n28cl/disputed_territory_1_find_the_streetview/
SV #2 Residential area with mountains in the distance. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/comments/18n2ax9/disputed_territory_2_find_the_streetview/
PS #4 Cemetery with a few houses beyond. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/comments/18n2x4s/disputed_territory_4_find_the_photosphere/
✅SOLVED Kuril Islands. PS #5 https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/ncJDT0kCNn This is a landscape only russia would love. Landscape is barren, somewhere very far east. Looked around Kuril Islands (disputed with Japan) and found it in a few minutes.
SV #6 Highway bridge over wide shallow river. Not Kashmir. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/comments/18n3vll/disputed_territory_6_find_the_streetview/
✅SOLVED Kosovo PS #8 Several medium size buildings, one of brick, in a semi-urban place. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/comments/18nqle3/disputed_territory_8_find_the_photosphere/
SV #19 Residential street. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/comments/18oty5u/disputed_territory_19_find_the_streetview/
✅SOLVED Psirtskhva Cape, Abkhazia PS #24 Train tracks near residential area, with low mountains and the sea in the distance. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/adyDjueCAB HOW IT WAS SOLVED: Looking through the list of ongoing disputes, I wondered if Abkhazia might be one of this series. I found that there is a railway line along the coast of Abkhazia so I looked for PSs there. The first couple I looked at featured the same types of pylon supporting the overhead power cables, so I knew I was on the right track (hur hur) Followed the line from west to east until I found this spot.
✅SOLVED Uman-Dong, South Korea. SV #25 https://maps.app.goo.gl/DMKqcgsJthea2Y9W8 I originally thought it was Taiwan because of the black and yellow striped poles on the highway sign, however I later confirmed it was South Korea because of the Korean text on the red bus, from there I started to check different highways around the country to see if any of them matched the concrete divider with the blue stripe. I eventually found the correct highway after a bit of searching, went east on the highway with no luck, went west and bingo!
PS #26 Some masonry buildings, steps, terraces. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/TYP8qTMXQL
🟪 TWO CITIES WITH SAME NAME SERIES 🟪
SVs(2) Two cities with same name, unnumbered. Not Birmingham. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/tcSEB3gWQK
✅SOLVED SVs (2) two cities with the same name #8 Guadalajara Mexico Spain language is spoken in both cities; one is in Europe, and the other somewhere in either North, Central, or South America. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/tluVsbPZ7r
SVs (2) Two cities with same name #4 - Cordoba in Argentina and Cordona, Spain. This is almost solved - all we need is street views for both. Just travel the google streetviews in each city until you find it. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/O7kgXM3DAM
🟪 U.S. NATIONAL PARK/FOREST/MONUMENT SERIES 🟪
PS U.S. National Park/Forest/Monument #25 Not Great Smoky NP but rather a place further north. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/mIepesegjB
✅SOLVED PS U.S. National Park/Forest/Monument #19 https://maps.app.goo.gl/ZQjRwsmGf6om695a6 This looked like PNW, so I started looking at erosion patterns on mountain sides in national forests in Oregon and Washington. At first I thought I found it at Gifford Pinchot, but there were no photospheres in the valley! So I gradually moved north and found a bunch of PSs there at Baker-Snoqualmie Big Four Ice Caves. Other photospheres confirmed the location. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/ZYAwSaV2if
PS U.S. National Park/Forest/Monument #17 Steep rocky mountain slopes with pine trees, forming a V. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/6gCHexUfhS
PS U.S. National Park/Forest/Monument #13 Mountains, stream, meadow. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/kPAJSPyGlF
🟪 SOUTHEAST ASIA SERIES 🟪
Each of the original 11 posts are in a different SE Asian country. NOTE: the following countries have been solved, so that the remaining posts will NOT be in these countries: ✅ Indonesia ✅ Laos ✅ Thailand, ✅Timor-Leste (East Timor) ✅ Malaysia ✅ Brunei. ✅ Singapore
✅SOLVED Singapore. Southeast Asia PS #11 https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/6DO4ZX6WXH
Southeast Asia PS #10 https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/L7UXiHBw8R
Southeast Asia PS #5 Not Cambodia or Vietnam. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/MDRbBrSW9s
Southeast Asia PS #2 https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/uRBY32m7fe
Southeast Asia PS #1 Not Luzon. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/oziLsK50wp
🟪🟪🟪
PS Deck or rooftop overlooking mountains in fog. Not in Europe. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/qlp8Qfv9e2
Aerial view of a hilltop with houses, in Asia. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/zwrXn2eWzc
PS A long line of people all in white shirts on a levee beside a marsh with some kind of balloons above. NGY. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/v8XZcg2Nyp
🟪 NICE MIX 🟪
👉All these have new hints - open the links to read these mysterious rhyming hints.
PS Nice Mix I. River or lake, dry hills, bridge. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/pAfAbIBrBq
PS Nice Mix VI. View across mountains with a snag. Not in North America. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/7k4VOsZqAb
✅SOLVED Mar de Cobo, Argentina. PS Nice Mix VIII. Beach with houses and flowers. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/LUsGecfyjl
PS Nice Mix X. Painting of a serious looking man. 🧩The man is British. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/1vkmEyBQGM
🟪🟪🟪
PS Hilltop in a mountainous area overlooking a valley. Tile-roofed house. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/9oJ0QSqdt3
GTC PS SV Country Trifecta https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/s44oRgKidy
PS Drone shot of river valley, mountains, and houses along a narrow river. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/IM4kfl70QM
PS Man having a beer on a deck somewhere in Eastern Europe. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/P0UHyjwpmn
✅SOLVED Italy, north of Udine. PS Mountains, very wide river bed with white gravel. 🧩"close" to Slovenia. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/hiAn0oL51X
PS Park or camp with teepee, campfire circle, a pony, and another animal, possibly a small goat. Not in North America. Low mountains behind with a coniferous forest, probably pine. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/FSV6txtN0w
PS Snow covered area with small trees and snags looking like white sculptures; it looks like an area that has been clear-cut. Sunset or sunrise. Mountains in distance. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/zqc9w4sOCd
✅SOLVED Mount Hotham, Australia The trees helped me to figure out that it was Australia, I also made note of how the area looked like a ski resort. I did some searching around and found this website, the picture in #3 looked very similar to the buildings in the photosphere so I decided to check out the area and it matched perfectly Snowy mountains with ski tracks and skiers at bottom. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/aszBuhAe52
PS Landscape with mountains and valley. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/vR4ZvKJWfE
PS Remote falls, northern hemisphere, not Iceland. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/VthMuvHYUi
✅SOLVED Thankful, NC 7432 NC-18 https://maps.app.goo.gl/DNgAG7AqBZ4HJma28 I have family in rural NC (that we visit for thanksgiving!) and this looked a lot like NC in November. I pulled up NC-18 in google maps and started at SC and worked my way north, skipping along to find non-summer street views. Happy Thanksgiving! What is the official US "populated place" name centered at this intersection? https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/mLzplssQxP
✅SOLVED TN-28 in Pikeville, TN! 3009 TN-28 https://maps.app.goo.gl/23uz8J8rdEBW4t8t5 I'm from Pensyltucky so immediately recognized it as ridge and valley province of Appalachian mountains. Checked out a lot of valleys in PA, MD, and VA before landing on this one more or less by luck within 10 minutes of starting on TN.SV Old white diner along road, green truck, deciduous trees with no leaves. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/qzUGKFXYRG
SV Rural or suburban area, very small restaurant with sign "Chinese Fast Food" sign, parking lots, grove of trees. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/zNYTaI1MY1
🟪 DRIFTLESS SERIES 🟪
SV (5) Driftless #1: In the Driftless Region in eastern Wisconsin, NE Iowa and SE Minnesota. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/kBNccfQ7Ci
SV (5) Driftless #2: in the Driftless Area - an unglaciated region that was originally flat, with eroded river valleys unlike the surrounding flat areas. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/oPUykjS5uq
SV (2) Driftless Transportation Image Bonus: one of gray woodframe house with several rusty looking antique cars and the other of a school bus parked on a grassy hill, in this unglaciated hilly region (the Driftless Area) in Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/W3clozeYbW
🟪🟪🟪
Meandering brown river through dense tropical-looking forest, green covered bridge. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/aqXa0VLjaK
SV Rocky Road. Actually rocks placed intentionally on the wide shoulders of the road. In Africa, but not Kenya, Tanzania, or Uganda. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/PJ3osdIsxV
SV Stop sign at a checkpoint area (not a border between countries) with a red building; flat terrain; oil wells (pumpjacks); not in North America. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/b2pWDQkqm0
City in the distance, from low mountains with scattered trees; somewhere in between the Caucasus/central Asia areas. Probably Iran. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/ThXkygjSyM
PS Scenic view from mountains https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/5GLgaKQMt3
A village which starts with a T. European but not British Isles or Croatia. Not Germany "but close". https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/vZYMyEMW6o
✅SOLVED PS Near the Machakhela Gun Monument in southern Georgia https://maps.app.goo.gl/thVrfeE5c81KojMi8 With the country narrowed down to Georgia, I first looked up a map of the railway system thinking the bridge was a railway and searched every bridge in the active railway network. When that didn't work I started searching every river valley in a hilly-but-not-too-mountainous area. I started in the north of the country so it took two months 😅 (I feel like I've been to Georgia at this point)Caucasus Region, restaurant nestled near a trestle https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/wCyeQbzSeB PS drone view of town on a winding river with 4 bridges visible in the photo; not technically Asia, but close to Asia. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/QlPBlTavmF
✅SOLVED GTC village in mountains next to a river with a wooden bridge; not Pakistan, but another of the 'stans. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/gxiqOiinLh Tunikarf, Tajikistan https://maps.app.goo.gl/LgtToL95JCS6nLLh9 Followed rivers, clicked on photospheres.
✅SOLVED Answer: https://www.google.com/maps/@41.9337662,26.4943852,3a,75y,108.53h,69.6t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sZTtfGJaglqcEDKOXM36nSg!2e0!5s20120301T000000!7i13312!8i6656?entry=ttu rural town in Haskovo Province, Bulgaria with donkey pulling cart. 🧩Within 5 miles of international border. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/xa4Ag7WIKr Process: Saw the hints about Haskovo + near international border. Did a scan of all the towns/villages. No match. Extended range a little (maybe even >5mi from border) in case I'd measured wrong (hard to get a precise distance range in GMaps anyway). Soon realized I was going over the same places over and over. Guessed that the OP's pic was from the 2012 SV era from the vibe/weathelighting. Maybe I need to dig back to 2012 for the areas that had been updated? [Asked clarification question but decided to keep looking for a little bit more.] In a re-attempt, focused again on sampling examples of a rural-adjacent street in a (comparatively) large town with a grid system, with the street long enough to stretch straight-ish towards a plains/hills area--but this time considering older SV. On one of the streets in Radovets, I got a vista that gave me a "this could be it" feeling I couldn't shake off. The hills in the distance felt right, and there was one particular house to the right that had the same roof layout, and a wagon parked in the foreground, and a red car (though not a tractor)...The road texture and vegetation were quite different, but I thought "What are the chances there's another block with the same house..." So I tried clicking back to the older SV and started driving up the road, and I saw the back of the man on the donkey cart! (And yes, this was one of the first 3 towns I checked but ignored because of the updated SV.)
SV dirt road in mountains in France, Alpes-Maritimes Departement. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/NW2W1Q9KBP
PS 2 story white building looks like an old school; not in Lithuania or in a country bordering Lithuania, but it is directly south of it. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/9OBz21mspt
PS snowy apartment house, parking lot, "Timberline", #9; not Russia. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/aOVcKn1C6Z
✅SOLVED Trasacco Italy. Abruzzo. Italy Abruzzo https://maps.app.goo.gl/ I saw this comment and started looking for other ag areas in Italy that looked super flat but near tall mountains. I saw this odd "bowl" east of Rome and started checking out street views and saw that it was taken during the right time of year based on plant growth and snow on the distant mountains. Then I had to look around a bit to line up the mountains in the near distance with the ones in the far distance (trial and error). Wh2Q42uAJbpqS5LJ7SV Old farmhouse in ruins surrounded by plowed fields; mountains, some snow capped, in distance. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/3RGfADpVrH
submitted by CapriorCorfu to guessthecity [link] [comments]
SOLVED SO FAR: 21
Newcomers please note: the older the post, the more points you earn!
✅SOLVED Can Tho, Vietnam. PS Nightview of an Asian city with a river circling around. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/hgYobfPlEa
✅SOLVED Madyan, Pakistan I originally thought that this was Turkey, however after seeing the hint I quickly found out that it was Pakistan. I then ruled out the southern half of the country because of the snow capped mountains in the distance and noted the water stream down below, which meant that there was a river that went through the city, after that it only took a bit of searching until I eventually found it. Colorful view of dry mountains from a hilltop, with a river valley and city below. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/n6Wrtm51hy
✅SOLVED San Pedro, Ivory Coast. PS Aerial view of a peninsula with a beach, heavily vegetated, either tropical or subtropical. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/S3mmcAtb29
PS Small red brick house alone in a grass field near the ocean. Southern Hemisphere. Not Argentina. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/3umH5hwgYj
PS View of a city from a tiled public area on a hill. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/nwueFRQkpv
GTC View of a city from the water. Not Hanoi nor Ho Chi Minh City. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/comments/18zk7r3/gtc/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=2&utm_term=1
PS Titled "Find this now cold photosphere". Shows a river or lake with an unusual bridge made entirely of young tree trunks. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/ZtlANmp3wk
✅SOLVED Pajares, Spain. SV In northern Spain, in the Cantabrian Mountains. Picture shows some very old houses with tile roofs and mountains behind. 🧩Province of Asturias. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/E6jKfgia61
✅SOLVED Greece Rocky scrub/forest mixture on high hill overlooking sprawling city and distant shoreline. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/h88FumMXpL
🟪 ONE MCDONALDS PER EVERY U.S. STATE 🟪
Address needed. McDonald's #2 https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/IpFcjWfjkN
Address needed. McDonald's #22 https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/UwCodcouo2
🟪 ILES DE FRANCE SERIES 🟪
SV #1 Narrow road beside a few houses; lots of trees. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/aAb4nqlebt
SV #4 A performance area, outdoors. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/DyS5QnflUn
🟪 DISPUTED TERRITORY SERIES 🟪
👉See Wikipedia's List of Territorial Disputes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_territorial_disputes
SV #1 Parking lot with white apartments beyond. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/comments/18n28cl/disputed_territory_1_find_the_streetview/
SV #2 Residential area with mountains in the distance. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/comments/18n2ax9/disputed_territory_2_find_the_streetview/
PS #4 Cemetery with a few houses beyond. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/comments/18n2x4s/disputed_territory_4_find_the_photosphere/
✅SOLVED Kuril Islands. PS #5 https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/ncJDT0kCNn This is a landscape only russia would love. Landscape is barren, somewhere very far east. Looked around Kuril Islands (disputed with Japan) and found it in a few minutes.
SV #6 Highway bridge over wide shallow river. Not Kashmir. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/comments/18n3vll/disputed_territory_6_find_the_streetview/
✅SOLVED Kosovo PS #8 Several medium size buildings, one of brick, in a semi-urban place. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/comments/18nqle3/disputed_territory_8_find_the_photosphere/
SV #19 Residential street. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/comments/18oty5u/disputed_territory_19_find_the_streetview/
✅SOLVED Psirtskhva Cape, Abkhazia PS #24 Train tracks near residential area, with low mountains and the sea in the distance. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/adyDjueCAB HOW IT WAS SOLVED: Looking through the list of ongoing disputes, I wondered if Abkhazia might be one of this series. I found that there is a railway line along the coast of Abkhazia so I looked for PSs there. The first couple I looked at featured the same types of pylon supporting the overhead power cables, so I knew I was on the right track (hur hur) Followed the line from west to east until I found this spot.
✅SOLVED Uman-Dong, South Korea. SV #25 https://maps.app.goo.gl/DMKqcgsJthea2Y9W8 I originally thought it was Taiwan because of the black and yellow striped poles on the highway sign, however I later confirmed it was South Korea because of the Korean text on the red bus, from there I started to check different highways around the country to see if any of them matched the concrete divider with the blue stripe. I eventually found the correct highway after a bit of searching, went east on the highway with no luck, went west and bingo!
PS #26 Some masonry buildings, steps, terraces. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/TYP8qTMXQL
🟪 TWO CITIES WITH SAME NAME SERIES 🟪
SVs(2) Two cities with same name, unnumbered. Not Birmingham. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/tcSEB3gWQK
✅SOLVED SVs (2) two cities with the same name #8 Guadalajara Mexico Spain language is spoken in both cities; one is in Europe, and the other somewhere in either North, Central, or South America. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/tluVsbPZ7r
SVs (2) Two cities with same name #4 - Cordoba in Argentina and Cordona, Spain. This is almost solved - all we need is street views for both. Just travel the google streetviews in each city until you find it. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/O7kgXM3DAM
🟪 U.S. NATIONAL PARK/FOREST/MONUMENT SERIES 🟪
PS U.S. National Park/Forest/Monument #25 Not Great Smoky NP but rather a place further north. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/mIepesegjB
✅SOLVED PS U.S. National Park/Forest/Monument #19 https://maps.app.goo.gl/ZQjRwsmGf6om695a6 This looked like PNW, so I started looking at erosion patterns on mountain sides in national forests in Oregon and Washington. At first I thought I found it at Gifford Pinchot, but there were no photospheres in the valley! So I gradually moved north and found a bunch of PSs there at Baker-Snoqualmie Big Four Ice Caves. Other photospheres confirmed the location. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/ZYAwSaV2if
PS U.S. National Park/Forest/Monument #17 Steep rocky mountain slopes with pine trees, forming a V. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/6gCHexUfhS
PS U.S. National Park/Forest/Monument #13 Mountains, stream, meadow. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/kPAJSPyGlF
🟪 SOUTHEAST ASIA SERIES 🟪
Each of the original 11 posts are in a different SE Asian country. NOTE: the following countries have been solved, so that the remaining posts will NOT be in these countries: ✅ Indonesia ✅ Laos ✅ Thailand, ✅Timor-Leste (East Timor) ✅ Malaysia ✅ Brunei. ✅ Singapore
✅SOLVED Singapore. Southeast Asia PS #11 https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/6DO4ZX6WXH
Southeast Asia PS #10 https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/L7UXiHBw8R
Southeast Asia PS #5 Not Cambodia or Vietnam. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/MDRbBrSW9s
Southeast Asia PS #2 https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/uRBY32m7fe
Southeast Asia PS #1 Not Luzon. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/oziLsK50wp
🟪🟪🟪
PS Deck or rooftop overlooking mountains in fog. Not in Europe. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/qlp8Qfv9e2
Aerial view of a hilltop with houses, in Asia. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/zwrXn2eWzc
PS A long line of people all in white shirts on a levee beside a marsh with some kind of balloons above. NGY. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/v8XZcg2Nyp
🟪 NICE MIX 🟪
👉All these have new hints - open the links to read these mysterious rhyming hints.
PS Nice Mix I. River or lake, dry hills, bridge. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/pAfAbIBrBq
PS Nice Mix VI. View across mountains with a snag. Not in North America. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/7k4VOsZqAb
✅SOLVED Mar de Cobo, Argentina. PS Nice Mix VIII. Beach with houses and flowers. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/LUsGecfyjl
PS Nice Mix X. Painting of a serious looking man. 🧩The man is British. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/1vkmEyBQGM
🟪🟪🟪
PS Hilltop in a mountainous area overlooking a valley. Tile-roofed house. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/9oJ0QSqdt3
GTC PS SV Country Trifecta https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/s44oRgKidy
PS Drone shot of river valley, mountains, and houses along a narrow river. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/IM4kfl70QM
PS Man having a beer on a deck somewhere in Eastern Europe. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/P0UHyjwpmn
✅SOLVED Italy, north of Udine. PS Mountains, very wide river bed with white gravel. 🧩"close" to Slovenia. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/hiAn0oL51X
PS Park or camp with teepee, campfire circle, a pony, and another animal, possibly a small goat. Not in North America. Low mountains behind with a coniferous forest, probably pine. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/FSV6txtN0w
PS Snow covered area with small trees and snags looking like white sculptures; it looks like an area that has been clear-cut. Sunset or sunrise. Mountains in distance. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/zqc9w4sOCd
✅SOLVED Mount Hotham, Australia The trees helped me to figure out that it was Australia, I also made note of how the area looked like a ski resort. I did some searching around and found this website, the picture in #3 looked very similar to the buildings in the photosphere so I decided to check out the area and it matched perfectly Snowy mountains with ski tracks and skiers at bottom. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/aszBuhAe52
PS Landscape with mountains and valley. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/vR4ZvKJWfE
PS Remote falls, northern hemisphere, not Iceland. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/VthMuvHYUi
✅SOLVED Thankful, NC 7432 NC-18 https://maps.app.goo.gl/DNgAG7AqBZ4HJma28 I have family in rural NC (that we visit for thanksgiving!) and this looked a lot like NC in November. I pulled up NC-18 in google maps and started at SC and worked my way north, skipping along to find non-summer street views. Happy Thanksgiving! What is the official US "populated place" name centered at this intersection? https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/mLzplssQxP
✅SOLVED TN-28 in Pikeville, TN! 3009 TN-28 https://maps.app.goo.gl/23uz8J8rdEBW4t8t5 I'm from Pensyltucky so immediately recognized it as ridge and valley province of Appalachian mountains. Checked out a lot of valleys in PA, MD, and VA before landing on this one more or less by luck within 10 minutes of starting on TN.SV Old white diner along road, green truck, deciduous trees with no leaves. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/qzUGKFXYRG
SV Rural or suburban area, very small restaurant with sign "Chinese Fast Food" sign, parking lots, grove of trees. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/zNYTaI1MY1
🟪 DRIFTLESS SERIES 🟪
SV (5) Driftless #1: In the Driftless Region in eastern Wisconsin, NE Iowa and SE Minnesota. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/kBNccfQ7Ci
SV (5) Driftless #2: in the Driftless Area - an unglaciated region that was originally flat, with eroded river valleys unlike the surrounding flat areas. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/oPUykjS5uq
SV (2) Driftless Transportation Image Bonus: one of gray woodframe house with several rusty looking antique cars and the other of a school bus parked on a grassy hill, in this unglaciated hilly region (the Driftless Area) in Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/W3clozeYbW
🟪🟪🟪
Meandering brown river through dense tropical-looking forest, green covered bridge. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/aqXa0VLjaK
SV Rocky Road. Actually rocks placed intentionally on the wide shoulders of the road. In Africa, but not Kenya, Tanzania, or Uganda. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/PJ3osdIsxV
SV Stop sign at a checkpoint area (not a border between countries) with a red building; flat terrain; oil wells (pumpjacks); not in North America. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/b2pWDQkqm0
City in the distance, from low mountains with scattered trees; somewhere in between the Caucasus/central Asia areas. Probably Iran. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/ThXkygjSyM
PS Scenic view from mountains https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/5GLgaKQMt3
A village which starts with a T. European but not British Isles or Croatia. Not Germany "but close". https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/vZYMyEMW6o
✅SOLVED PS Near the Machakhela Gun Monument in southern Georgia https://maps.app.goo.gl/thVrfeE5c81KojMi8 With the country narrowed down to Georgia, I first looked up a map of the railway system thinking the bridge was a railway and searched every bridge in the active railway network. When that didn't work I started searching every river valley in a hilly-but-not-too-mountainous area. I started in the north of the country so it took two months 😅 (I feel like I've been to Georgia at this point)Caucasus Region, restaurant nestled near a trestle https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/wCyeQbzSeB PS drone view of town on a winding river with 4 bridges visible in the photo; not technically Asia, but close to Asia. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/QlPBlTavmF
✅SOLVED GTC village in mountains next to a river with a wooden bridge; not Pakistan, but another of the 'stans. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/gxiqOiinLh Tunikarf, Tajikistan https://maps.app.goo.gl/LgtToL95JCS6nLLh9 Followed rivers, clicked on photospheres.
✅SOLVED Answer: https://www.google.com/maps/@41.9337662,26.4943852,3a,75y,108.53h,69.6t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sZTtfGJaglqcEDKOXM36nSg!2e0!5s20120301T000000!7i13312!8i6656?entry=ttu rural town in Haskovo Province, Bulgaria with donkey pulling cart. 🧩Within 5 miles of international border. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/xa4Ag7WIKr Process: Saw the hints about Haskovo + near international border. Did a scan of all the towns/villages. No match. Extended range a little (maybe even >5mi from border) in case I'd measured wrong (hard to get a precise distance range in GMaps anyway). Soon realized I was going over the same places over and over. Guessed that the OP's pic was from the 2012 SV era from the vibe/weathelighting. Maybe I need to dig back to 2012 for the areas that had been updated? [Asked clarification question but decided to keep looking for a little bit more.] In a re-attempt, focused again on sampling examples of a rural-adjacent street in a (comparatively) large town with a grid system, with the street long enough to stretch straight-ish towards a plains/hills area--but this time considering older SV. On one of the streets in Radovets, I got a vista that gave me a "this could be it" feeling I couldn't shake off. The hills in the distance felt right, and there was one particular house to the right that had the same roof layout, and a wagon parked in the foreground, and a red car (though not a tractor)...The road texture and vegetation were quite different, but I thought "What are the chances there's another block with the same house..." So I tried clicking back to the older SV and started driving up the road, and I saw the back of the man on the donkey cart! (And yes, this was one of the first 3 towns I checked but ignored because of the updated SV.)
SV dirt road in mountains in France, Alpes-Maritimes Departement. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/NW2W1Q9KBP
PS 2 story white building looks like an old school; not in Lithuania or in a country bordering Lithuania, but it is directly south of it. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/9OBz21mspt
PS snowy apartment house, parking lot, "Timberline", #9; not Russia. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/aOVcKn1C6Z
✅SOLVED Trasacco Italy. Abruzzo. Italy Abruzzo https://maps.app.goo.gl/ I saw this comment and started looking for other ag areas in Italy that looked super flat but near tall mountains. I saw this odd "bowl" east of Rome and started checking out street views and saw that it was taken during the right time of year based on plant growth and snow on the distant mountains. Then I had to look around a bit to line up the mountains in the near distance with the ones in the far distance (trial and error). Wh2Q42uAJbpqS5LJ7SV Old farmhouse in ruins surrounded by plowed fields; mountains, some snow capped, in distance. https://www.reddit.com/guessthecity/s/3RGfADpVrH
2024.04.12 18:47 Arckay009 Is it relatable to any of you?
 | Is it just me ? I can clearly check all of the boxes except 2 or 3. Also it would be nice if you could share what were the worst most difficult struggles you had with ADHD. And how you overcame it submitted by Arckay009 to adhdindia [link] [comments] |
2024.04.12 14:02 bearsncubs10 New PT Uniforms
June 2003. Get selected for a " Fitness Uniform Performance Assessment" or "FUPA" for short. Apparently there are going to be new Fitness Standards and CSAF General Jumper wants a new PT uniform on top of it. I don't know WHY, I like my cotton PT uniform. Its simple and comfy, just like my pudgy ass.
Room gets called to attention. Major players in the room are senior leaders from the enlisted and officer ranks. I'm the most junior officer there, just to take notes and get coffee.
"Alright folks, what ideas do we have for the new PT uniforms?" Jumper asks
"Well sir, due to connections with the private sector, we have secured a cost efficient option through Reynolds for fabric and material"
On the slide show, the fabric is shown to be a blend of aluminum foil and wax baking sheets used for cooking.
wait. W....T....F....
"Excellent" Jumper responds "With the growing conflict in the Middle East, it'll be good save some costs. Now how about reflectivity. I want so much reflectivity to keep our Airmen safe." Well that's a good idea, add some reflectivity so we don't have to wear those nerdy reflective belts? Maybe our senior leaders aren't that tone deaf.
"As you can see, Sir" the briefer responds "Everything that is printed on the uniform will be reflective in nature, ensuring the safety of our Airmen".
"Excellent!" Jumper exclaims "When they wear this uniform in combination with their reflective belts, everyone will know where our Airmen are at all times!"
...DAMNIT.....
"And the printing on this uniform, will it break or fade immediately?" Jumper asks.
"Oh yes Sir, after one wash, the print on the shorts, pants and jacket will look like trash" the briefer answers. "There will be cracks and fading immediately"
"Brilliant. That means they'll have to buy more uniforms when they are unserviceable. That'll make our contractors happy. Maybe one us will get on their board when we're out!" Jumper says jokingly. The room all chuckles. "Now, our Airmen need the ability to PT during inclement weather. What precautionary measures have we taken for that?" Jumper asks.
"Oh, we've added a hood in a zipper pocket, so that when they wear the jacket they look like a linebacker wearing a cowboy collar" the briefer answers.
"Well that'll look....as the kids say these days 'badass', wouldn't you agree?" Jumper surveys the room. The entire room nods up and down so fast they get whiplash, and add another VA claim. "And how did field testing go when we gave it to Airmen?" he continues.
"Testing was..." the briefer pauses "Inconclusive. We couldn't hear any of the responses from the test subjects over the material of the uniform. Apparently whenever you move, the uniform produces a sound that rivals the Sun Chips bags."
"Oh they'll figure it out" Jumper scoffs. "Now we need to prioritize who gets these uniforms FIRST. I say our deployed Airmen should receive them initially. It'll be an added benefit to ease deployment lifestyle"
"Great idea, Sir." The room all agrees as the briefing begins to conclude. I raise my hand.
"Sir, wouldn't it be better to get a PT uniform from...maybe a company that specializes in Fitness? I think the Marines are field testing gear from Under Armour. That'd be kind of cool. I think if we field this uniform, we will be the butt of a lot of jokes about how ridiculous our PT uniforms look..."
The room goes silent. Jumper locks eyes with me. What the fuck did I just say? Why the hell did I have to say ANYTHING-you were selected to this FUPA because you're SMART and you just did the dumbest fucking thing in your career! And that includes the time you told your Group Commander that he is "bingo on the velcro for his flight suit".
"Son, I don't know who you are or where you came from, but this is the United States Air Force. We specialize in Air and Space Dominance and lining defense contractors pockets with FAT CASH so we can have a seat on the board when we retire. I didn't get to where I am today by not knowing a thing or two. Sit down, shut up, and color"
The meeting adjourns in awkward silence. The next day I get 1095 day deployment to Eareckson Air Station. Damn, I didn't know they made 3 year deployments.
BLOB: OP helps Air Force PT Uniforms get updated.
submitted by bearsncubs10 to AirForce [link] [comments]
Room gets called to attention. Major players in the room are senior leaders from the enlisted and officer ranks. I'm the most junior officer there, just to take notes and get coffee.
"Alright folks, what ideas do we have for the new PT uniforms?" Jumper asks
"Well sir, due to connections with the private sector, we have secured a cost efficient option through Reynolds for fabric and material"
On the slide show, the fabric is shown to be a blend of aluminum foil and wax baking sheets used for cooking.
wait. W....T....F....
"Excellent" Jumper responds "With the growing conflict in the Middle East, it'll be good save some costs. Now how about reflectivity. I want so much reflectivity to keep our Airmen safe." Well that's a good idea, add some reflectivity so we don't have to wear those nerdy reflective belts? Maybe our senior leaders aren't that tone deaf.
"As you can see, Sir" the briefer responds "Everything that is printed on the uniform will be reflective in nature, ensuring the safety of our Airmen".
"Excellent!" Jumper exclaims "When they wear this uniform in combination with their reflective belts, everyone will know where our Airmen are at all times!"
...DAMNIT.....
"And the printing on this uniform, will it break or fade immediately?" Jumper asks.
"Oh yes Sir, after one wash, the print on the shorts, pants and jacket will look like trash" the briefer answers. "There will be cracks and fading immediately"
"Brilliant. That means they'll have to buy more uniforms when they are unserviceable. That'll make our contractors happy. Maybe one us will get on their board when we're out!" Jumper says jokingly. The room all chuckles. "Now, our Airmen need the ability to PT during inclement weather. What precautionary measures have we taken for that?" Jumper asks.
"Oh, we've added a hood in a zipper pocket, so that when they wear the jacket they look like a linebacker wearing a cowboy collar" the briefer answers.
"Well that'll look....as the kids say these days 'badass', wouldn't you agree?" Jumper surveys the room. The entire room nods up and down so fast they get whiplash, and add another VA claim. "And how did field testing go when we gave it to Airmen?" he continues.
"Testing was..." the briefer pauses "Inconclusive. We couldn't hear any of the responses from the test subjects over the material of the uniform. Apparently whenever you move, the uniform produces a sound that rivals the Sun Chips bags."
"Oh they'll figure it out" Jumper scoffs. "Now we need to prioritize who gets these uniforms FIRST. I say our deployed Airmen should receive them initially. It'll be an added benefit to ease deployment lifestyle"
"Great idea, Sir." The room all agrees as the briefing begins to conclude. I raise my hand.
"Sir, wouldn't it be better to get a PT uniform from...maybe a company that specializes in Fitness? I think the Marines are field testing gear from Under Armour. That'd be kind of cool. I think if we field this uniform, we will be the butt of a lot of jokes about how ridiculous our PT uniforms look..."
The room goes silent. Jumper locks eyes with me. What the fuck did I just say? Why the hell did I have to say ANYTHING-you were selected to this FUPA because you're SMART and you just did the dumbest fucking thing in your career! And that includes the time you told your Group Commander that he is "bingo on the velcro for his flight suit".
"Son, I don't know who you are or where you came from, but this is the United States Air Force. We specialize in Air and Space Dominance and lining defense contractors pockets with FAT CASH so we can have a seat on the board when we retire. I didn't get to where I am today by not knowing a thing or two. Sit down, shut up, and color"
The meeting adjourns in awkward silence. The next day I get 1095 day deployment to Eareckson Air Station. Damn, I didn't know they made 3 year deployments.
BLOB: OP helps Air Force PT Uniforms get updated.
2024.04.05 18:27 VoiderOfWarranties One Man’s Bingo is Another Man’s Bingo: Books I Read for 2023 Bingo and What Categories YOU can Use Them For in 2024!
I usually start my Bingo planning sometime in January or February, playing mix and match with the pile of books I’ve already read that year and then figuring out what I’ll need to scramble to finish in time to fill the five or six squares for which I couldn’t find any matches. This post is for everyone who’s better at planning ahead than I.
This was the first year I’ve started writing down thoughts on books I’ve read (thank you to the Bingo Hero Mode button for shaming me each year I did not), and I’m very glad I began. Taking some time to reflect on each book has done a lot to force me to consume media more critically, and I think that I’ve gotten much more out reading this year than I would have if I’d read the same books without reviewing.
Some disclaimers: the books below are grouped by tier, but not necessarily ordered within each tier. For 2024 categories, I did my best to remember stuff like number of POV characters and whatnot, and looked back when I could to check for the trickier to recall squares: prologues and epilogues, dreams, reference materials, etc. Despite my best efforts I’ve certainly failed to list all the potential categories for every book, and likely listed a few that don’t belong, so buyer beware.
I don’t believe I read anything at all for 2023 that could count for Orcs, Trolls, and Goblins, Published in 2024, or Dark Academia. For Judge a Book by its Cover, I really like the covers for Untethered Sky, The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, Chain Gang All-Stars, and Don’t Bite the Sun. The last two in particular would have fulfilled the category for me had it existed in last year’s Bingo.
R.J. Barker is an absolute wizard at marrying worldbuilding with characterization and narrative. Many authors create imaginative worlds that are in reality just new polities or magic systems papered over a world fundamentally similar to our own, and then populate it with characters who seem to take the same axioms of life for granted as we do. Not so in Barker’s equally excellent Tide Child books, and not so here - the world of the Wyrdwood is a truly foreign one, and the people that populate it feel as if they are genuine products of that world, steeped in all its alien mores and expectations.
I was enraptured by Gods of the Worldwood from start to finish, and will be reading the sequel as soon as it comes out this fall.
Between Two Fires, by Christopher Buehlman I read it for: Horror (HM) 2024 Possibilities: Dreams, Prologues and Epilogues (HM), Survival, arguably Eldritch Creatures (HM).
I’d never thought of myself as a horror guy, so to have this square produce a contender for my favorite book of the year was a delightful surprise. Between Two Fires is weird; it’s on the one hand an extensively researched book about the disintegration of society during the real life Black Death in medieval France, while on the other being a story about biblical Satan and the hordes of hell romping around Earth while they think God’s not watching. It’s got monsters galore, it’s got people acting just as bad as the horror monsters that surround them, it’s got a truly insane ending that I will not spoil here. It’s phenomenal.
A Conspiracy of Truths, by Alexandra Rowland I read it for: Queernorm Setting (HM) 2024 Possibilities: First in a Series, Under the Surface (I think?), Criminals, Bards, Dreams (HM), Reference Materials, Book Club.
Chant, the main character, belongs to an order of itinerant storytellers, who traverse the world learning stories from each culture and telling those stories to all those who want to hear them. While we get to hear a great number of these stories, we do not get to see many of the cultures that spawn them, as Chant is arrested before the book even starts, and spends essentially the entire time moving from one place of captivity to another, frantically trying to weasel, horse trade, and manipulate his way to freedom.
I’m a sucker for stories about stories and about storytelling, and about the way societies treat stories and storytellers. A Conspiracy of Truths was basically made for me. I loved the unconventionally static setting of the book, the glimpses of fantastic realms we see through Chant’s storytelling, and most of all the steadily growing loss of sympathy I felt for Chant and his actions throughout the book.
Note: I read the omnibus edition of the duology, and counted it as one work for things like POV characters, prologue/epilogue, etc.
Guy Gavriel Kay is deservedly well-regarded and pops up frequently in the discourse of this subreddit, so I won’t bother reviewing in too much detail. For those who enjoy Kay’s formula of history with a “quarter turn to the fantastic,” this is a first class addition to his oeuvre, probably my favorite of his after The Lions of Al-Rassan. For those who don’t, it’s more of the same.
One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel García Márquez I read it for: Magical Realism 2024 Possibilities: Dreams (HM), Author of Color, Set in a Small Town.
It’s billed as an all-time classic, and I think it lives up to that promise. Not much more to say that hasn’t been said a thousand times before. The guy won a Nobel Prize for Literature for crying out loud.
Labyrinth’s Heart, by M.A. Carrick I read it for: Sequel 2024 Possibilities: Dreams, Criminals, Prologues and Epilogues (HM), Romantasy, Multi-POV, Reference Materials (HM).
I read all three books in this trilogy back-to-back (the first one counts for First in a Series!) and they all blended together, so this is more just musings on the trilogy as a whole.
The Mask and Mirror trilogy is really dang good. It’s got crime and conspiracy galore, one of the most fascinatingly nuanced cultures I’ve ever read for a fictional city, plots that are satisfyingly contained within each book but nonetheless well foreshadowed and connected across the trilogy, an excellent romance, found family, the works. I liked this series enough that I spent a good half hour after finishing it with Wikipedia and Google Maps trying to find the real city that Nadežra is based on (I’m pretty sure it’s Zadar, Croatia). I think the trilogy taken together would get bumped up to the Books I Loved category.
My one nitpick would be with the sheer number of lies and secret identities that pile up on one another. For the most part they are tense and gripping, or sometimes absurd enough to be hilarious, but once in a while it felt like there was just one layer too much and the actual plot was getting lost as everyone stumbled around in a haze trying to uncover each other’s secrets.
The Rook, by Daniel O'Malley I read it for: Title with a Title (HM) 2024 Possibilities: First in a Series, Dreams, Character with a Disability (HM), Book Club. Could make arguments for Survival (HM), and the letter but not the spirit of the law for Entitled Animals (the title refers to the chess piece, which appears to be etymologically unrelated to the bird).
Does anyone know what’s going on in Britain that makes all their urban fantasy about how the supernatural is very real and very scary, but not nearly so scary as the inevitable governmental bureaucracy that deals with it? I’m not sure, but between this and Charles Stross’ even-bleaker Laundry Files series I can’t say I’m eager to follow any career paths that might lead me into civil service across the pond.
Engagingly written, with a strong pair of mysteries that each unravel the other - who is the traitor in the Checquy, and who was Myfanwy Thomas before she lost her memory? Amnesia stories can be very tricky to pull off, but I thought this one was handled excellently.
The Justice of Kings, by Richard Swan I read it for: Book Club OR Readalong Book 2024 Possibilities: First in a Series, Dreams, Bards (technically, due to the framing device), Prologues and Epilogues, Character with a Disability (alcoholism), Eldritch Creatures (HM), Reference Materials.
I don’t know that the Empire of the Wolf books are for everyone, but they were certainly for me. The central theme of the books revolves around the relationship between law and empire - how the benefits of law can or cannot justify the sins of empire, and whether the protections of the law can remain in place even as the empire which built it collapses.
For all the action-horror of the books themselves, there’s a lot of philosophy going on throughout. Despite one thematic choice regarding the overall cosmology of the world in the third book that I thought undermined an unfortunate amount of the trilogy’s main thesis, I spent more time thinking about these books after finishing them than I did just about anything else I read this year.
Don't Bite the Sun, by Tanith Lee I read it for: Features Robots 2024 Possibilities: First in a Series, Under the Surface, Dreams (HM), Character With a Disability (HM), Reference Materials (HM).
This is a quick little novel, as a lot of pre-90’s sci fi tends to be. I read it on a bit of a whim, based on the phenomenal title and cover and a vague recollection that I’d been meaning to read something by Tanith Lee. I have rarely if ever felt so attacked in my life as I did reading this book. Though it was written nearly half a century ago, reading it felt like Lee had spent years tapping into my brain during the most listlessly depressive time of my college years.
It’s always a bit of an odd thing, reading a groundbreaking work with the benefit of decades of hindsight and societal growth. No one would call The Left Hand of Darkness revolutionary if it was published today. Changes in how we use pronouns to delineate gender, two and a half whole waves of feminism shifting expectations of the roles of both men and women in society, and countless other little anachronisms combine to make a lot of the book feel archaic. Yet the core of the novel - the examination and questioning of the functions that gender and gender roles play in a society - remains surprisingly fresh.
I felt like I did this book a bit of a disservice in how I read it; work was very hectic at the time and I only managed to get through it in little sips and spurts, which made it difficult to get into the flow of things. I think if I had been able to read it in longer sittings it would have jumped up a tier.
Untethered Sky, by Fonda Lee I read it for: Mythical Beasts (HM) 2024 Possibilities: Author of Color.
Something in my paleolithic pack-bonding DNA always enjoys a good boy-and-his-dog story, and Untethered Sky is an excellent addition to that genre. In this example, the boy is an orphaned young woman named Ester, and the dog is a roc - a massive bird of prey trained to hunt and kill the man-eating manticores would otherwise kill with impunity across the kingdom, the same creatures that killed Ester’s family. Though there is good stuff about Ester’s coming of age and her friendships and fallings-out with her fellow roc-tamers, the core of the story lies with the tenuous bond of trust and love between Ester and her own roc, and what happens when the cruelties of the world test that bond.
The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi, by Shannon Chakraborty I read it for: Coastal or Island Setting (HM) 2024 Possibilities: First in a Series (Depending on the release date of book 2), Alliterative Title (HM), Criminals, Book Club or Readalong Book, Dreams (HM), Prologues and Epilogues (HM), Reference Materials (HM).
I’ve always felt like there are two major axes along which I rate my enjoyment of books: the amount of fun I had reading them, and the amount they made me think. By pure fun, this was one of my favorite books of the year. It’s a delightful nautical romp, a getting-the-band-back-together story with a genre-appropriately colorful cast of characters, a despicable villain, and enough skeletons in everyone’s closets to fill a graveyard. It got put in this tier because it was only that. I had a great time reading it while I was reading it, but as soon as I finished it vanished from my brain. I’ll be excited to read the forthcoming sequel when I’m in the mood for another romp, but I’ll most likely need to read a plot summary of this one before doing so.
Thornhedge, by T. Kingfisher I read it for: Myths and Retellings (HM) 2024 Possibilities: Under the Surface, Dreams (HM), Prologues and Epilogues.
Thornhedge was not the first fairy tale retelling or pastiche I’ve read by Kingfisher, and, so long as she keeps writing them, it will not be the last. Her style falls comfortably in the middle ground between the poles of the often dark and moralizing tales of the brothers Grimm and their ilk and the much more saccharine happily-ever-afters of Disney. Thornhedge, like her other works, retains that classic fairy tale aura while still feeling fresh and grounded in the modern day, avoiding the pitfalls of both tired retreads and gratuitous edginess.
The Killing Moon, by N.K. Jemisin I read it for: Middle Eastern SFF 2024 Possibilities: First in a Series, Criminals, Dreams, Author of Color, Prologues and Epilogues, Multi-POV.
I came into The Killing Moon with high expectations - both her Inheritance Trilogy and Broken Earth books rank among my all time favorites, and I hoped that The Killing Moon would be similarly spectacular. Unfortunately, while there is some genuinely excellent stuff to be found here, it’s often stifled by the book’s unfortunate pacing and lack of focus. It felt like Jemisin had two major themes she wanted to explore, but the book ended up not being big enough to contain both of them. If it had been a third again as long, it could have done justice to each, and if it had been slashed by a third she could have really honed in on just one, but as it was the whole thing felt all over the place and frustratingly dissolute. The book’s problems did not prevent me from liking it, but they did prevent me from loving it, and were all the more aggravating for how truly brilliant her other books are.
A Shadow in Summer, by Daniel Abraham I read it for: Published in the 00s (HM) 2024 Possibilities: First in a series (HM), Alliterative Title, Eldritch Creatures (HM), Dreams (HM), Prologues and Epilogues, Multi-POV (HM), Reference Materials.
This was more or less the polar opposite of The Killing Moon for me - an extremely well crafted book by an author I had only middling expectations of. However, despite being technically impressive, it was frankly a bit too heavy for me to enjoy wholeheartedly. The entire book revolves around selfish and power hungry people doing terrible things to others in pursuit of their own goals, and features a nonstop carousel of grim topics - slavery, sexual exploitation, industrialized child abuse, genocide, and of course the plot’s central conspiracy - tricking an innocent woman into having an abortion without her consent or knowledge in order to drive a man to suicide. Yeesh.
Lent, by Jo Walton I read it for: Angels and Demons (HM) 2024 Possibilities: Criminals (if you count excommunication), Dreams.
What a delightfully odd book! Groundhog Day, set in a meticulously researched and lovingly portrayed late-fifteenth century Florence. The pacing was so wack as to be essentially absent, the acceptance of Girolamo’s friends when he explains his situation to them in each subsequent life was difficult to credit, and the ending made little sense, but this was the kind of book that’s so wonderfully unlike anything else I’ve read as to make all the little flaws seem negligible by comparison.
The Will of the Many, by James Islington I read it for: Multiverse and Alternate Realities (HM) 2024 Possibilities: First in a Series (depending on sequel release date), Under the Surface, Criminals, Dreams (HM), Prologues and Epilogues, Reference Materials (HM).
I thought this was pretty good! I didn’t think it was great, and the level of buzz I saw after reading it myself took me aback a little, but I certainly enjoyed it. The majority of the book is really just paint-by-numbers magic school/dystopia stuff, executed competently but mostly forgettable beyond the fun quasi-roman trim. The ending, however, took a hard left turn into some much weirder and more interesting stuff. I’ll be reading the sequel and hoping that the series as a whole will be following that last-minute swerve.
Burning Chrome, by William Gibson I read it for: Five SFF Short Stories (HM) 2024 Possibilities: Five SFF Short Stories (HM), the titular novella qualifies for Criminals (HM).
Pretty hit or miss, frankly. There were some excellent stories, some that probably were excellent but have not held up so well to the progress of technology or society, and some that were just not for me. I’m glad I read it, as there’s a lot in there that you can tell played a big role in setting the foundations for cyberpunk as a whole, but there wasn’t much that really hit me right in the gut the way the best SFF short fiction can.
Houston, Houston, Do You Read?, by James Tiptree, Jr. I read it for: SFF Novella (HM) 2024 Possibilities: Alliterative Title.
Speaking of the best SFF short fiction, let’s talk about James Tiptree, Jr. I realized while writing these reviews that I screwed up how I shuffled things around for Bingo submission: I ought to have put something else in this category and bumped Burning Chrome out of it’s Short Stories slot in favor of Her Smoke Rose Up Forever, the transcendent Tiptree collection in which I read Houston. James Tiptree, Jr. was a pseudonym wielded by one Alice Sheldon, and as I lack the space to give her wild life the detail it deserves, I encourage you to at least glance through her Wikipedia article.
Houston is a good novella that has the rotten luck to be ruthlessly outshone by its neighbors, collected as it is in one of the best short story collections I’ve ever read. Tiptree’s writing is sharp, incisive, sometimes even cruel in peeling back skin to reveal rottenness beneath. Far from seeming dated, as so many works in Burning Chrome did, the bulk of the stories in here are either timeless, or else only strengthened by the passage of time. Reading Burning Chrome lets the reader see how much society has changed; reading Her Smoke Rose Up Forever forces the reader to acknowledge how much it has remained the same. The collection as a whole belongs up in the Books I Loved category.
Nova, by Samuel R. Delany I read it for: POC Author (HM) 2024 Possibilities: Bards, Character with a Disability, Author of Color, Space Opera.
Nova is a lot, in a lot of ways. It’s intentionally grand, explicitly hearkening back to things like the Grail Quest of Arthurian legend and the Argonauts' hunt for the Golden Fleece, and deals with events meant to indelibly transform the power structures of an interstellar society. It elevates notions of omen and fate to equal status with technology and free will. Every character feels larger than life, more archetypal than individual. Yet it packs all this into less than three hundred pages, split between events both past and present. As a result, specifics of plot and character are often revealed more in broad outline than they are in detail, and the whole book is sort of impressionist, more reminiscent of a myth told by the fire-side than a traditional novel.
Hench, by Natalie Zina Walschotts I read it for: Superheroes (HM) 2024 Possibilities: First in a Series, Criminals (HM), Bards, Character with a Disability (HM, but perhaps not in the spirit of things), Book Club/Readalong, Dreams (HM).
Hench left me torn - the premise of an outraged victim of collateral damage going on a crusade to prove that “heroes” cause far more damage than they prevent is a great one, particularly as American society continues to reckon with its relationship with policing. However, the way it actually approaches that premise, and particularly the ending, were not always as coherent as they could have been. The book often seemed torn as to how much it wanted Anna to be a Good Guy rather than just a protagonist, and this caused some weird narrative tension as her character arc of fully becoming a supervillain in her own right progressed. By the end of the book that question still feels muddy, and while things are set up for an interesting sequel I think it undermines the ability of Hench to stand on its own merits.
The Captain, by Will Wight I read it for: Self-Published/Indie Author 2024 Possibilities: First in a Series, Self-Pub/Indie, Prologues and Epilogues, Reference Materials
The Captain just barely made the cut for the Books I Like tier, and was saved more by the amount I didn’t enjoy reading my bottom three books than by its own merit. I enjoyed Wight’s previous Cradle books on that same Fun vs Thinking axis as Amina al-Sirafi - they are a lot of fun, but not much else. I still had some fun with The Captain, but this time it was not enough to make up for the lack of else. My central issue with the book is its departure from the formula I read Cradle for: Varic starts out literally from page one as one of the most powerful people in the galaxy, and kind of breezes his way through most everything he encounters. Sure, there are even more powerful threats on the horizon, but the fact that he’s topped out already makes each one feel like it’s going to be a puzzle rather than a journey to overcome them. I know Wight can write great journeys, but I haven’t yet seen the same appeal in the puzzles.
I did not like reading Chain-Gang All Stars, but I didn’t dislike it as a book either. It has a lot of decent stuff and a lot of less enjoyable stuff that didn’t really do much to offset one another - the good was good, and the bad was bad, so it was hard to come up with a definitive final rating. Lots of thinking, no fun at all.
Adjei-Brenyah did a tremendous amount of research in order to make sure that all of his characters and the abuses and injustices they suffered closely parallel real events that happen daily throughout America - false accusations, racial sentencing disparities, guard-inflicted brutality in prisons, and countless other atrocities that make our carceral system a national embarrassment. However, the way that the explicating footnotes were so densely strewn throughout the text felt patronizing, like Adjei-Brenyah was afraid that without them we wouldn’t get that this fictional book about the barbarity of the American justice system was (gasp) actually about barbarity of the REAL American justice system! Perhaps I’m coming from a place of too much optimism, but I feel like I would have gotten it either way. Then again, while I might have “gotten it” regardless of whether the real names and stories were interleaved with the fiction, those real names and stories deserve to be heard, and putting them in footnotes made them much less likely to be skimmed through than had they been confined to an introduction or author’s note.
Ironically enough, the most frustrating part of Chain-Gang All Stars was the stuff that dealt with the gladiatorial combats directly. Adjei-Brenyah writes the combat in voyeuristic, even pornographic, levels of detail in order to force the reader into the same point of view as those in the story who eagerly consume deadly combat like any other sport. The problem is that it’s just… not very good to read. The fighters’ gimmicks and WWE-like personas, the slog of pages that are just people repetitively hacking into one another, it all felt lackluster. I’m not much of a combat sports guy, but I couldn’t imagine the nation becoming so hooked on this redwash drudgery that everyone just became ok with the death and cruelty involved.
Fourth Wing, by Rebecca Yaros I read it for: Young Adult (HM) 2024 Possibilities: First in a Series, Romantasy, Character with a Disability (HM), Survival (HM), Dreams (HM), Reference Materials.
My least favorite post on this sub and /books this year was the clone army of self-congratulating people going “I just don’t get how anyone could like this book.” I absolutely get how people could like it! Romantasy is often a lot of low-to-mid quality writing, rigidly formulaic genre conventions, and cast of largely recognizable stock characters. Oh, excuse me, did I say Romantasy? I meant LitRPG. Oh, excuse me, did I say LitRPG? I meant Wuxia webnovels. Oh, excuse me, did I say Wuxia webnovels? I meant -
Romantasy, as with LitRPG or approximately eight billion other subgenres with similarly dedicated fanbases and low barriers to self-publishing, is the way it is because that’s how people like it! Predictability can be comforting. Tropes get reused because people enjoy them. “Poor” writing is forgiven because writing quality isn’t an equally important criterion across genres. Romantasy is, frankly, much more able to churn out works with lasting or crossover appeal than a lot of reddit’s favorite web-based microgenres because, unlike them, it’s old and big enough to have a good buffer against Sturgeon’s Law.
I didn’t happen to enjoy Fourth Wing because I’m not really compelled by the trappings of romantasy. But it was massively popular for a lot of very good reasons, and acting like a Fourth Wing or something by Sarah J. Maas is any worse on some “objective” scale than one of the subreddit’s current books à la mode like Dungeon Crawler Carl or The Shadow of the Gods is just delusion.
Tress of the Emerald Sea, by Brandon Sanderson I read it for: Elemental Magic (HM) 2024 Possibilities: Under the Surface, Bards, Character with a Disability, Prologues and Epilogues.
This was, hands down, my least favorite book I read last year. Not just on the Bingo card; least favorite book period. I read a lot of Brandon Sanderson prior to 2020, but this is only the second thing of his I’ve read since then and it did nothing at all to convince me I needed to reverse that trend. The narratorial voice was grating and obnoxious, the characters were two dimensional cardboard cutouts, the writing was uninspired, and the ending felt insipid and unearned. It read like a children’s book, save for the fact that it was nearly five hundred pages long and required half a dozen tabs open to the dedicated Cosmere wiki in order for all the not-so-subtle nods to other Cosmere works to be anything other than smugly opaque. I’m glad Tress exists, as hundreds of thousands of people clearly love it, but it’s the only book on this list I regret reading.
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This was the first year I’ve started writing down thoughts on books I’ve read (thank you to the Bingo Hero Mode button for shaming me each year I did not), and I’m very glad I began. Taking some time to reflect on each book has done a lot to force me to consume media more critically, and I think that I’ve gotten much more out reading this year than I would have if I’d read the same books without reviewing.
Some disclaimers: the books below are grouped by tier, but not necessarily ordered within each tier. For 2024 categories, I did my best to remember stuff like number of POV characters and whatnot, and looked back when I could to check for the trickier to recall squares: prologues and epilogues, dreams, reference materials, etc. Despite my best efforts I’ve certainly failed to list all the potential categories for every book, and likely listed a few that don’t belong, so buyer beware.
I don’t believe I read anything at all for 2023 that could count for Orcs, Trolls, and Goblins, Published in 2024, or Dark Academia. For Judge a Book by its Cover, I really like the covers for Untethered Sky, The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, Chain Gang All-Stars, and Don’t Bite the Sun. The last two in particular would have fulfilled the category for me had it existed in last year’s Bingo.
Books I Loved
Gods of the Wyrdwood, by R.J. Barker I read it for: Druid (HM) - perhaps stretching the definition, but I thought it fit. 2024 Possibilities: First in a Series, Criminals, Prologues and Epilogues (HM), Multi-POV, arguably Eldritch Creatures (HM), Reference Materials.R.J. Barker is an absolute wizard at marrying worldbuilding with characterization and narrative. Many authors create imaginative worlds that are in reality just new polities or magic systems papered over a world fundamentally similar to our own, and then populate it with characters who seem to take the same axioms of life for granted as we do. Not so in Barker’s equally excellent Tide Child books, and not so here - the world of the Wyrdwood is a truly foreign one, and the people that populate it feel as if they are genuine products of that world, steeped in all its alien mores and expectations.
I was enraptured by Gods of the Worldwood from start to finish, and will be reading the sequel as soon as it comes out this fall.
I’d never thought of myself as a horror guy, so to have this square produce a contender for my favorite book of the year was a delightful surprise. Between Two Fires is weird; it’s on the one hand an extensively researched book about the disintegration of society during the real life Black Death in medieval France, while on the other being a story about biblical Satan and the hordes of hell romping around Earth while they think God’s not watching. It’s got monsters galore, it’s got people acting just as bad as the horror monsters that surround them, it’s got a truly insane ending that I will not spoil here. It’s phenomenal.
Chant, the main character, belongs to an order of itinerant storytellers, who traverse the world learning stories from each culture and telling those stories to all those who want to hear them. While we get to hear a great number of these stories, we do not get to see many of the cultures that spawn them, as Chant is arrested before the book even starts, and spends essentially the entire time moving from one place of captivity to another, frantically trying to weasel, horse trade, and manipulate his way to freedom.
I’m a sucker for stories about stories and about storytelling, and about the way societies treat stories and storytellers. A Conspiracy of Truths was basically made for me. I loved the unconventionally static setting of the book, the glimpses of fantastic realms we see through Chant’s storytelling, and most of all the steadily growing loss of sympathy I felt for Chant and his actions throughout the book.
Books I Liked A Lot
The Sarantine Mosaic, by Guy Gavriel Kay I read it for: Mundane Jobs (HM) 2024 Possibilities: First in a Series (Sailing to Sarantium), Dreams (HM), Prologues and Epilogues (HM), Multi-POV (HM), Published in the 90s (HM).Note: I read the omnibus edition of the duology, and counted it as one work for things like POV characters, prologue/epilogue, etc.
Guy Gavriel Kay is deservedly well-regarded and pops up frequently in the discourse of this subreddit, so I won’t bother reviewing in too much detail. For those who enjoy Kay’s formula of history with a “quarter turn to the fantastic,” this is a first class addition to his oeuvre, probably my favorite of his after The Lions of Al-Rassan. For those who don’t, it’s more of the same.
It’s billed as an all-time classic, and I think it lives up to that promise. Not much more to say that hasn’t been said a thousand times before. The guy won a Nobel Prize for Literature for crying out loud.
I read all three books in this trilogy back-to-back (the first one counts for First in a Series!) and they all blended together, so this is more just musings on the trilogy as a whole.
The Mask and Mirror trilogy is really dang good. It’s got crime and conspiracy galore, one of the most fascinatingly nuanced cultures I’ve ever read for a fictional city, plots that are satisfyingly contained within each book but nonetheless well foreshadowed and connected across the trilogy, an excellent romance, found family, the works. I liked this series enough that I spent a good half hour after finishing it with Wikipedia and Google Maps trying to find the real city that Nadežra is based on (I’m pretty sure it’s Zadar, Croatia). I think the trilogy taken together would get bumped up to the Books I Loved category.
My one nitpick would be with the sheer number of lies and secret identities that pile up on one another. For the most part they are tense and gripping, or sometimes absurd enough to be hilarious, but once in a while it felt like there was just one layer too much and the actual plot was getting lost as everyone stumbled around in a haze trying to uncover each other’s secrets.
Does anyone know what’s going on in Britain that makes all their urban fantasy about how the supernatural is very real and very scary, but not nearly so scary as the inevitable governmental bureaucracy that deals with it? I’m not sure, but between this and Charles Stross’ even-bleaker Laundry Files series I can’t say I’m eager to follow any career paths that might lead me into civil service across the pond.
Engagingly written, with a strong pair of mysteries that each unravel the other - who is the traitor in the Checquy, and who was Myfanwy Thomas before she lost her memory? Amnesia stories can be very tricky to pull off, but I thought this one was handled excellently.
I don’t know that the Empire of the Wolf books are for everyone, but they were certainly for me. The central theme of the books revolves around the relationship between law and empire - how the benefits of law can or cannot justify the sins of empire, and whether the protections of the law can remain in place even as the empire which built it collapses.
For all the action-horror of the books themselves, there’s a lot of philosophy going on throughout. Despite one thematic choice regarding the overall cosmology of the world in the third book that I thought undermined an unfortunate amount of the trilogy’s main thesis, I spent more time thinking about these books after finishing them than I did just about anything else I read this year.
This is a quick little novel, as a lot of pre-90’s sci fi tends to be. I read it on a bit of a whim, based on the phenomenal title and cover and a vague recollection that I’d been meaning to read something by Tanith Lee. I have rarely if ever felt so attacked in my life as I did reading this book. Though it was written nearly half a century ago, reading it felt like Lee had spent years tapping into my brain during the most listlessly depressive time of my college years.
Books I Liked
The Left Hand of Darkness, by Ursula K. Le Guin I read it for: Bottom of the TBR (HM) 2024 Possibilities: Survival, Book Club, Dreams, Reference Materials.It’s always a bit of an odd thing, reading a groundbreaking work with the benefit of decades of hindsight and societal growth. No one would call The Left Hand of Darkness revolutionary if it was published today. Changes in how we use pronouns to delineate gender, two and a half whole waves of feminism shifting expectations of the roles of both men and women in society, and countless other little anachronisms combine to make a lot of the book feel archaic. Yet the core of the novel - the examination and questioning of the functions that gender and gender roles play in a society - remains surprisingly fresh.
I felt like I did this book a bit of a disservice in how I read it; work was very hectic at the time and I only managed to get through it in little sips and spurts, which made it difficult to get into the flow of things. I think if I had been able to read it in longer sittings it would have jumped up a tier.
Something in my paleolithic pack-bonding DNA always enjoys a good boy-and-his-dog story, and Untethered Sky is an excellent addition to that genre. In this example, the boy is an orphaned young woman named Ester, and the dog is a roc - a massive bird of prey trained to hunt and kill the man-eating manticores would otherwise kill with impunity across the kingdom, the same creatures that killed Ester’s family. Though there is good stuff about Ester’s coming of age and her friendships and fallings-out with her fellow roc-tamers, the core of the story lies with the tenuous bond of trust and love between Ester and her own roc, and what happens when the cruelties of the world test that bond.
I’ve always felt like there are two major axes along which I rate my enjoyment of books: the amount of fun I had reading them, and the amount they made me think. By pure fun, this was one of my favorite books of the year. It’s a delightful nautical romp, a getting-the-band-back-together story with a genre-appropriately colorful cast of characters, a despicable villain, and enough skeletons in everyone’s closets to fill a graveyard. It got put in this tier because it was only that. I had a great time reading it while I was reading it, but as soon as I finished it vanished from my brain. I’ll be excited to read the forthcoming sequel when I’m in the mood for another romp, but I’ll most likely need to read a plot summary of this one before doing so.
Thornhedge was not the first fairy tale retelling or pastiche I’ve read by Kingfisher, and, so long as she keeps writing them, it will not be the last. Her style falls comfortably in the middle ground between the poles of the often dark and moralizing tales of the brothers Grimm and their ilk and the much more saccharine happily-ever-afters of Disney. Thornhedge, like her other works, retains that classic fairy tale aura while still feeling fresh and grounded in the modern day, avoiding the pitfalls of both tired retreads and gratuitous edginess.
I came into The Killing Moon with high expectations - both her Inheritance Trilogy and Broken Earth books rank among my all time favorites, and I hoped that The Killing Moon would be similarly spectacular. Unfortunately, while there is some genuinely excellent stuff to be found here, it’s often stifled by the book’s unfortunate pacing and lack of focus. It felt like Jemisin had two major themes she wanted to explore, but the book ended up not being big enough to contain both of them. If it had been a third again as long, it could have done justice to each, and if it had been slashed by a third she could have really honed in on just one, but as it was the whole thing felt all over the place and frustratingly dissolute. The book’s problems did not prevent me from liking it, but they did prevent me from loving it, and were all the more aggravating for how truly brilliant her other books are.
This was more or less the polar opposite of The Killing Moon for me - an extremely well crafted book by an author I had only middling expectations of. However, despite being technically impressive, it was frankly a bit too heavy for me to enjoy wholeheartedly. The entire book revolves around selfish and power hungry people doing terrible things to others in pursuit of their own goals, and features a nonstop carousel of grim topics - slavery, sexual exploitation, industrialized child abuse, genocide, and of course the plot’s central conspiracy - tricking an innocent woman into having an abortion without her consent or knowledge in order to drive a man to suicide. Yeesh.
What a delightfully odd book! Groundhog Day, set in a meticulously researched and lovingly portrayed late-fifteenth century Florence. The pacing was so wack as to be essentially absent, the acceptance of Girolamo’s friends when he explains his situation to them in each subsequent life was difficult to credit, and the ending made little sense, but this was the kind of book that’s so wonderfully unlike anything else I’ve read as to make all the little flaws seem negligible by comparison.
I thought this was pretty good! I didn’t think it was great, and the level of buzz I saw after reading it myself took me aback a little, but I certainly enjoyed it. The majority of the book is really just paint-by-numbers magic school/dystopia stuff, executed competently but mostly forgettable beyond the fun quasi-roman trim. The ending, however, took a hard left turn into some much weirder and more interesting stuff. I’ll be reading the sequel and hoping that the series as a whole will be following that last-minute swerve.
Pretty hit or miss, frankly. There were some excellent stories, some that probably were excellent but have not held up so well to the progress of technology or society, and some that were just not for me. I’m glad I read it, as there’s a lot in there that you can tell played a big role in setting the foundations for cyberpunk as a whole, but there wasn’t much that really hit me right in the gut the way the best SFF short fiction can.
Speaking of the best SFF short fiction, let’s talk about James Tiptree, Jr. I realized while writing these reviews that I screwed up how I shuffled things around for Bingo submission: I ought to have put something else in this category and bumped Burning Chrome out of it’s Short Stories slot in favor of Her Smoke Rose Up Forever, the transcendent Tiptree collection in which I read Houston. James Tiptree, Jr. was a pseudonym wielded by one Alice Sheldon, and as I lack the space to give her wild life the detail it deserves, I encourage you to at least glance through her Wikipedia article.
Houston is a good novella that has the rotten luck to be ruthlessly outshone by its neighbors, collected as it is in one of the best short story collections I’ve ever read. Tiptree’s writing is sharp, incisive, sometimes even cruel in peeling back skin to reveal rottenness beneath. Far from seeming dated, as so many works in Burning Chrome did, the bulk of the stories in here are either timeless, or else only strengthened by the passage of time. Reading Burning Chrome lets the reader see how much society has changed; reading Her Smoke Rose Up Forever forces the reader to acknowledge how much it has remained the same. The collection as a whole belongs up in the Books I Loved category.
Nova is a lot, in a lot of ways. It’s intentionally grand, explicitly hearkening back to things like the Grail Quest of Arthurian legend and the Argonauts' hunt for the Golden Fleece, and deals with events meant to indelibly transform the power structures of an interstellar society. It elevates notions of omen and fate to equal status with technology and free will. Every character feels larger than life, more archetypal than individual. Yet it packs all this into less than three hundred pages, split between events both past and present. As a result, specifics of plot and character are often revealed more in broad outline than they are in detail, and the whole book is sort of impressionist, more reminiscent of a myth told by the fire-side than a traditional novel.
Hench left me torn - the premise of an outraged victim of collateral damage going on a crusade to prove that “heroes” cause far more damage than they prevent is a great one, particularly as American society continues to reckon with its relationship with policing. However, the way it actually approaches that premise, and particularly the ending, were not always as coherent as they could have been. The book often seemed torn as to how much it wanted Anna to be a Good Guy rather than just a protagonist, and this caused some weird narrative tension as her character arc of fully becoming a supervillain in her own right progressed. By the end of the book that question still feels muddy, and while things are set up for an interesting sequel I think it undermines the ability of Hench to stand on its own merits.
The Captain just barely made the cut for the Books I Like tier, and was saved more by the amount I didn’t enjoy reading my bottom three books than by its own merit. I enjoyed Wight’s previous Cradle books on that same Fun vs Thinking axis as Amina al-Sirafi - they are a lot of fun, but not much else. I still had some fun with The Captain, but this time it was not enough to make up for the lack of else. My central issue with the book is its departure from the formula I read Cradle for: Varic starts out literally from page one as one of the most powerful people in the galaxy, and kind of breezes his way through most everything he encounters. Sure, there are even more powerful threats on the horizon, but the fact that he’s topped out already makes each one feel like it’s going to be a puzzle rather than a journey to overcome them. I know Wight can write great journeys, but I haven’t yet seen the same appeal in the puzzles.
Books I Did Not Like
Chain-Gang All Stars, by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah I read it for: Published in 2023 (HM) 2024 Possibilities: Criminals, Multi-POV (HM), Character with a Disability, Author of Color (HM), Survival (HM), Dreams (HM), Prologues and Epilogues, Reference MaterialsI did not like reading Chain-Gang All Stars, but I didn’t dislike it as a book either. It has a lot of decent stuff and a lot of less enjoyable stuff that didn’t really do much to offset one another - the good was good, and the bad was bad, so it was hard to come up with a definitive final rating. Lots of thinking, no fun at all.
Adjei-Brenyah did a tremendous amount of research in order to make sure that all of his characters and the abuses and injustices they suffered closely parallel real events that happen daily throughout America - false accusations, racial sentencing disparities, guard-inflicted brutality in prisons, and countless other atrocities that make our carceral system a national embarrassment. However, the way that the explicating footnotes were so densely strewn throughout the text felt patronizing, like Adjei-Brenyah was afraid that without them we wouldn’t get that this fictional book about the barbarity of the American justice system was (gasp) actually about barbarity of the REAL American justice system! Perhaps I’m coming from a place of too much optimism, but I feel like I would have gotten it either way. Then again, while I might have “gotten it” regardless of whether the real names and stories were interleaved with the fiction, those real names and stories deserve to be heard, and putting them in footnotes made them much less likely to be skimmed through than had they been confined to an introduction or author’s note.
Ironically enough, the most frustrating part of Chain-Gang All Stars was the stuff that dealt with the gladiatorial combats directly. Adjei-Brenyah writes the combat in voyeuristic, even pornographic, levels of detail in order to force the reader into the same point of view as those in the story who eagerly consume deadly combat like any other sport. The problem is that it’s just… not very good to read. The fighters’ gimmicks and WWE-like personas, the slog of pages that are just people repetitively hacking into one another, it all felt lackluster. I’m not much of a combat sports guy, but I couldn’t imagine the nation becoming so hooked on this redwash drudgery that everyone just became ok with the death and cruelty involved.
My least favorite post on this sub and /books this year was the clone army of self-congratulating people going “I just don’t get how anyone could like this book.” I absolutely get how people could like it! Romantasy is often a lot of low-to-mid quality writing, rigidly formulaic genre conventions, and cast of largely recognizable stock characters. Oh, excuse me, did I say Romantasy? I meant LitRPG. Oh, excuse me, did I say LitRPG? I meant Wuxia webnovels. Oh, excuse me, did I say Wuxia webnovels? I meant -
Romantasy, as with LitRPG or approximately eight billion other subgenres with similarly dedicated fanbases and low barriers to self-publishing, is the way it is because that’s how people like it! Predictability can be comforting. Tropes get reused because people enjoy them. “Poor” writing is forgiven because writing quality isn’t an equally important criterion across genres. Romantasy is, frankly, much more able to churn out works with lasting or crossover appeal than a lot of reddit’s favorite web-based microgenres because, unlike them, it’s old and big enough to have a good buffer against Sturgeon’s Law.
I didn’t happen to enjoy Fourth Wing because I’m not really compelled by the trappings of romantasy. But it was massively popular for a lot of very good reasons, and acting like a Fourth Wing or something by Sarah J. Maas is any worse on some “objective” scale than one of the subreddit’s current books à la mode like Dungeon Crawler Carl or The Shadow of the Gods is just delusion.
This was, hands down, my least favorite book I read last year. Not just on the Bingo card; least favorite book period. I read a lot of Brandon Sanderson prior to 2020, but this is only the second thing of his I’ve read since then and it did nothing at all to convince me I needed to reverse that trend. The narratorial voice was grating and obnoxious, the characters were two dimensional cardboard cutouts, the writing was uninspired, and the ending felt insipid and unearned. It read like a children’s book, save for the fact that it was nearly five hundred pages long and required half a dozen tabs open to the dedicated Cosmere wiki in order for all the not-so-subtle nods to other Cosmere works to be anything other than smugly opaque. I’m glad Tress exists, as hundreds of thousands of people clearly love it, but it’s the only book on this list I regret reading.
2024.04.02 03:48 AnnTickwittee /r fantasy 2024 Bingo
I'm participating in /r fantasy's bingo this year and some of the squares are tricky for a horror coward like me. Does anybody have any cozy suggestions for these squares please?
submitted by AnnTickwittee to CozyFantasy [link] [comments]
- Eldritch Creatures: Read a book featuring a being that is uncanny, unearthly, and weird. This can be a god or monster from another plane or realm and is usually beyond mortal understanding. HARD MODE: The book is not related to the Cthulhu mythos.
- Dark Academia: Read a book that fits the dark academia aesthetic. This includes school and university, secret societies, and dark secrets. Does not have to be fantasy, but must be speculative. HARD MODE: The school itself is entirely mundane.
2024.04.01 16:02 happy_book_bee OFFICIAL r/Fantasy 2024 Book Bingo Challenge!
WELCOME TO BINGO 2024!
It's a reading challenge, a reading party, a reading marathon, and YOU are welcome to join in on our nonsense!Fantasy Book Bingo is a yearly reading challenge within our community. Its one-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new authors and books, to boldly go where few readers have gone before . . . (well, many actually because this is the TENTH year of our existence).
The core of this challenge is encouraging readers to step out of their comfort zones, discover amazing new reads, and motivate everyone to keep up on their reading throughout the year.
You can find all our past challenges at our official Bingo wiki page for the sub.
RULES:
Time Period and Prize- 2024 Bingo Period lasts from April 1st 2024 - March 31st 2025.
- You will be able to turn in your 2024 card in the Official Turn In Post, which will be posted in mid-March 2025. Only submissions through the Google Forms link in the official post will count.
- 'Reading Champion' flair will be assigned to anyone who completes the entire card by the end of the challenge. If you already have this flair, you will receive a roman numeral after 'Reading Champion' indicating the number of times you completed Bingo.
- You can’t use the same book more than once on the card. One square = one book.
- You may not repeat an author on the card EXCEPT: you may reuse an author from the short stories square (as long as you're not using a short story collection from just one author for that square).
- Only ONE square can be a re-read. All other books must be first-time reads. The point of Bingo is to explore new grounds, so get out there and explore books you haven't read before.
- You may substitute ONE square from the 2024 card with a square from a previous Fantasy bingo card if you wish to. EXCEPTIONS: You may NOT use the Free Space and you may NOT use a square that duplicates another square on this card (ex: you cannot have two 'Goodreads Book of the Month' squares). Previous squares can be found via the Bingo wiki page.
- HARD MODE: For an added challenge, you can choose to do 'Hard Mode' which is the square with something added just to make it a little more difficult. You can do one, some, none, or all squares on 'Hard Mode' -- whatever you want, it's up to you! There are no additional prizes for completing Hard Modes, it's purely a self-driven challenge for those who want to do it.
- HERO MODE: Review EVERY book that you read for bingo. You don't have to review it here on Fantasy. It can be on Goodreads, Amazon, your personal blog, some other review site, wherever! Leave a review, not just ratings, even if it's just a few lines of thoughts, that counts. As with Hard Mode there is no special prize for hero mode, just the satisfaction of a job well done.
And now presenting, the Bingo 2024 Card and Squares!
The Squares:
First Row Across:- First in a Series: Read the first book in a series. HARD MODE: The series is more than three books long.
- Alliterative Title: Read a book where multiple words in the title begin with the same letter. For example, Legends and Lattes, A Storm of Swords, Children of Blood and Bone. HARD MODE: The title has three words or more that start with the same letter.
- Under the Surface: Read a book where an important setting is either underground or underwater. HARD MODE: At least half the book takes place underground or underwater.
- Criminals: Read a book in which the main character is a criminal. This could be a thief, assassin, someone who commits mail fraud, etc. HARD MODE: Features a heist.
- Dreams: Read a book where characters experience dreams, magical or otherwise. HARD MODE: The dream is not mystical or unusual, just a normal dream or nightmare.
- Entitled Animals: Read a book that has an animal in the title. The animal in the title does not have to appear in the story. Examples: The Raven Tower, Wolfsong, A Feast for Crows. HARD MODE: The animal in the title is a fantasy or sci-fi creature, i.e. The Last Unicorn, Leviathan Wakes, or The Kaiju Preservation Society.
- Bards: Read a book in which the primary protagonist is a bard, musician, poet, or storyteller. HARD MODE: The character is explicitly called a bard.
- Prologues and Epilogues: Read a book that has either a prologue or an epilogue. HARD MODE: The book must have both.
- Self-Published or Indie Publisher: Self-published or published through an indie publisher. If a formerly self-published novel has been picked up by a publisher, it only counts for this challenge if you read it when it while was still only self-published. HARD MODE: Self-published and has fewer than 100 ratings on Goodreads OR an indie publisher that has done an AMA with Fantasy.
Third Row Across
11) Dark Academia: Read a book that fits the dark academia aesthetic. This includes school and university, secret societies, and dark secrets. Does not have to be fantasy, but must be speculative. HARD MODE: The school itself is entirely mundane.
12) Multi-POV: Read a book with at least three point of view characters. HARD MODE: At least five point of view characters.
13) Published in 2024: A book published for the first time in 2024 (no reprints or new editions) First translations into your language of choice are allowed. HARD MODE: It's also the author's first published novel.
14) Character with a Disability: Read a book in which an important character has a physical or mental disability. HARD MODE: A main character has a physical or mental disability.
15) Published in the 1990s: Read a book that was published in the 1990s. HARD MODE: The author, or one of the authors, has also published something in the last five years.
Fourth Row Across
16) Orcs, Trolls, and Goblins - Oh My!: Read a book featuring orcs, trolls, or goblins. HARD MODE: As a main character.
17) Space Opera: Read a sci-fi book that features a large cast of characters and has a focus on social dynamics which may be political or personal in nature. Set primarily in space or on spaceships. HARD MODE: Written by an author of marginalized gender identity (e.g. women, trans people, non-binary people).
18) Author of Color: Read a book by an author of color. HARD MODE: Must be a debut novel published in the last five years.
19) Survival: Read a book in which the primary goal of the characters and story focuses on survival. Surviving an apocalypse, surviving a war, surviving high school, etc. HARD MODE: No superviruses or pandemics.
20) Judge A Book By Its Cover: Choose because you like its cover. HARD MODE: Pick the book based only on the information available on the cover. No reading the blurb!
Fifth Row Across
21) Set in a Small Town: The primary setting is a small town. HARD MODE: The small town can be real or fictional but the broader setting must be our real world and not a secondary world.
22) Five SFF Short Stories: Any five short stories or novelettes. HARD MODE: Read an entire speculative anthology or collection.
23) Eldritch Creatures: Read a book featuring a being that is uncanny, unearthly, and weird. This can be a god or monster from another plane or realm and is usually beyond mortal understanding. See this link for further information. HARD MODE: The book is not related to the Cthulhu mythos.
24) Reference Materials: Read a book that features additional material, such as a map, footnotes, glossary, translation guide, dramatis personae etc. HARD MODE: Book contains at least two types of additional materials.
25) Book Club or Readalong Book: Any past or active Fantasy book clubs count as well as past or active Fantasy readalongs. See our full list of book clubs here. NOTE: All of the current book club info can also be found on our Goodreads page. Every book added to our Goodreads shelf or on this Google Sheet counts for this square. You can see our past readalongs here. HARD MODE: Must read a current selection of either a book club or readalong and participate in the discussion.
FAQs
What Counts?- Can I read non- speculative fiction books for this challenge? Not unless the square says so specifically. As a speculative fiction sub, we expect all books to be spec fic (fantasy, sci fi, horror, etc.). If you aren't sure what counts, see the next FAQ bullet point.
- Does ‘x’ book count for ‘y’ square? Bingo is mostly to challenge yourself and your own reading habit. If you are wondering if something counts or not for a square, ask yourself if you feel confident it should count. You don't need to overthink it. If you aren't confident, you can ask around. If no one else is confident, it's much easier to look for recommendations people are confident will count instead. If you still have questions, free to ask here or in our Daily Simple Questions threads. Either way, we'll get you your answers.
- If a self-published book is picked up by a publisher, does it still count as self-published? Sadly, no. If you read it while it was still solely self-published, then it counts. But once a publisher releases it, it no longer counts.
- Are we allowed to read books in other languages for the squares? Absolutely!
- You can read or listen to any narrative fiction for a square so long as it is at least novella length. This includes short story collections/anthologies, web novels, graphic novels, manga, webtoons, fan fiction, audiobooks, audio dramas, and more.
- If your chosen medium is not roughly novella length, you can also read/listen to multiple entries of the same type (e.g. issues of a comic book or episodes of a podcast) to count it as novella length. Novellas are roughly equivalent to 70-100 print pages or 3-4 hours of audio.
- Do I have to start the book from 1st of April 2024 or only finish it from then? If the book you've started is less than 50% complete when April 1st hits, you can count it if you finish it after the 1st.
- Don't worry, we have a Simple Questions thread every day where you can ask for clarifications.
Resources:
If anyone makes any resources be sure to ping me in the thread and let me know so I can add them here, thanks!- 2024 Bingo Recommendations List
Editable Canva Bingo Card- please be considerate when using this. Make a new page within the canva document and edit that one, then delete when done. Otherwise we will all be working over each other to make a pretty card.- Editable Canva Card - this should pull up a fresh document for you to play around with (:
- Improperly Paranoid's Simple Bingo Tracking Spreadsheet Google Drive Version and Excel Version. Reddit link here.
- u/g_ann made a Storygraph Challenge for folks!
- u/messi1045 created an awesome interactive web app for Bingo! Find it on Reddit and the app itself.
Thank You, Fantasy!
A huge thank you to:- the community here for continuing to support this challenge. We couldn't do this without you!
- the users who take extra time to make resources for the challenge (including Bingo cards, tracking spreadsheets, etc), answered Bingo-related questions, made book recommendations, and made suggestions for Bingo squares--you guys rock!!
- the folks that run the various Fantasy book clubs and readalongs, you're awesome!
- the other mods who help me behind the scenes, especially u/eriophora for making the awesome card graphic and u/Farragut and u/kjmichaels for their continued support - love you all!
2024.03.30 01:30 manowar88 2023 Bingo - Trans Hard Mode Card + Reviews
 | submitted by manowar88 to Fantasy [link] [comments] https://preview.redd.it/1qzs56zkrcrc1.png?width=1722&format=png&auto=webp&s=36bc19db039a0af39fbed0e0898475b23c3cb5de The Chatelaine by Kate Heartfield (Title With a Title HM, trans male character) - 4* A fun retelling of a Flemish folktale that I had never heard of. Having a curmudgeonly older woman as a main character is a nice change of pace. Well, I'm pretty sure she's only in her 30s, but 30s was “older” for a commoner in medieval Bruges. This is a revised edition of the book previously published as Armed in Her Fashion in 2018, and according to the content note, has "much less misgendering" of the trans character than the first edition. I picked up the original from the library to compare, and it's pretty yikes. Claude is a trans man, and in both versions, he's introduced as male and his third person limited sections gender him correctly, but in the original, he's referred to as a "girl" in all other characters' sections, both in their thoughts and by the third person narration. There's no way I would have finished the book with that version (gendering the trans character correctly in the narration is the bare minimum), let alone rated it positively. In The Chatelaine, the only times he's misgendered are in dialogue, some of the dialogue mentions are made neutral, and most of the main characters gender Claude correctly in general. With those simple changes, the representation is surprisingly good. It really goes to show how literally just gendering the character correctly goes so far, but hey, it's cool to see the author learning from her mistakes and I'm glad it got fixed. Sovereign by April Daniels (Superheroes HM, trans female and nonbinary characters) - 4* A solid sequel to Dreadnought. Danny is impulsive, angry, and resilient and I love her (and I'm very glad she's gonna go get some therapy after this). Trans author. In addition to the trans lesbian main character Danny aka Dreadnought, we also get a nonbinary/genderqueer side character Kinetiq. It may be partly due to the types of books I've been reading this year, but I've been noticing more books with multiple trans characters and I really like that. For one, it helps represent a diversity of trans experiences, but also, most trans people nowadays do interact with other trans people at some point, and there are a lot of interesting interpersonal dynamics involved in that. Kinetiq is a bit of a punk/anti-capitalist trans stereotype, but I don't mind because I personally know people are the same, and I don’t think it’s well known outside the trans community anyways. Danny deals with some on-page transphobia and misgendering (plus literal torture) from the TERF villain Greywytch, but I think it's handled well and doesn't come off as "trans trauma porn." This is partly because we experience it from Danny's POV, and she treats Greywytch with exactly the contempt she deserves, plus the torture happens early in the book for not-entirely-trans-related reasons and helps set up some arcs (rather than at the end of the book for "impact" as it would be with trauma porn). I also thought it was funny how Danny's idea at the end to use the wealth confiscated from the billionaire supervillain to provide free transition services is basically the same idea as in Future Feeling by Joss Lake (where a billionaire's kid makes free trans healthcare widely available). The Will to Battle by Ada Palmer (Bottom of the TBR HM, nonbinary character, genderless culture) - 5* The Will to Battle is the third book in the Terra Ignota series, and had been on my TBR since 2017. It wasn't the absolute bottom of my SFF TBR (that honor goes to Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson, added in 2015), but it was the third oldest, and the oldest that fit my theme. I originally wanted to wait for the series to be completed before reading, but by the time the fourth and final book rolled out in 2021, it just wasn't a priority anymore, especially since these books are dense and complex and philosophical, making them hard to just pick up on a whim. But I'm thankful for the nudge to finally read them, because once I started back up, I was hooked all over again. This series is set in a society where everybody uses they/them pronouns and gender is a taboo subject, so the concept of being transgender doesn't exist. If I had to identify some explicit rep, I would point to Sniper, who would almost certainly fall under our modern definition of nonbinary (which usually falls under the trans umbrella because in our current society, nonbinary people inherently have a gender different from the one assigned to them at birth, but that definition breaks down a bit in a society which does not assign genders at all, let alone at birth). Sniper likes using the "it" pronoun instead of the standard "them", though they're not sure if they want it for everyday use by strangers/acquaintances (hence why I will use they/them). At the end of the series, they get put in charge of a committee to study gender for the first time in centuries and decide whether to re-integrate it into society. Their initial thinking is to start with research, particularly with the divisions in sporting competitions that replaced gender-segregated sports (they are an Olympic athlete so it makes sense they would think to start there, but ugh I'm so tired of the whole trans-people-in-sports debate). They also propose a program for people to take a year to explore gender and talk to others about what gender means, which I think would be pretty cool. Dead Collections by Isaac Fellman (Magical Realism HM, trans male and nonbinary characters) - 4* It's a bit rambly in parts, but it's refreshing and actually hits the cozy/heartwarming vibe better than a lot of books I've tried that specifically target that "cozy fantasy" niche. I like the take on vampirism-- Sol's vampirism is more like a chronic illness than anything, and used as a treatment/life extension for terminal conditions; instead of getting super-speed, bodily changes happen in slow motion. This is a perfect fit for Mundane Jobs, especially because the author is an archivist IRL, but unfortunately it's not HM for that so I shoved it in the only other slot I could justify it in. Trans author. The main character Sol is a trans man. He became a vampire at a year on T, and his changes have slowed to a crawl, leaving him stuck long term in that weird middle ground of not-quite-passing (which happens to plenty of people without vampirism involved). He meets and befriends a fellow Jewish trans man at the blood bank. He falls in love with a person who turns out to be questioning their own gender (and ends up settling on nonbinary). I liked getting to see Sol's doubts and dysphoria as Else explores their masculinity while he still supports their exploration and affirms their new understanding of their gender. I'm always wary of books that focus on the cis partnerelative/friend of a trans person, because they so often end up either misgendering or tokenizing the trans person, or trivializing their suffering in favor of the cis person who has it oh-so-hard dealing with a trans partnerelative/friend. But it really can be tough to adjust to someone you know transitioning, so it was nice to see it from Sol's perspective, even if it could have been explored in more depth. Fellman also tries to tie being trans to fanfiction writing but doesn't dig too deep into it other than some surface-level stuff about exploring repressed gender feelings through slash fic. I did see some reviews that accuse the book of being lesbophobic for having a transphobic butch lesbian and a lot of lesbian characters that end up being trans (like Else) or possibly-trans (like Else’s dead wife), but I think this is just a side effect of having a limited cast and a strong focus on the experiences of transmascs who used to be lesbians. It's not trying to erase lesbians, it's just not really about them, and that's ok. Anyways, some of the themes/connections could have been explored more, but I think the rep is great overall. Plus it's got one of the best trans one-liners I've seen in print ("God misheard my very simple request, so he made me a pianist") and a possible nod to the Terry Pratchett book "Feet of Clay" (which introduced trans-coded female dwarfs). Their Heart A Hive by Fox N Locke (YA HM, nonbinary character) - 3* I liked the slice of life bits, but wasn't invested in the overarching mystery/plot. I was hoping it would be cozier, but I've been struggling to find books that hit that Legends and Lattes niche quite right. Trans author. There's a genderqueer Lord and Lady of Honeymoore Manor. For most of the book, they seem to be a fairly standard form of genderfluid, swapping between male and female on a regular basis (though not always completely gender-conforming). At the end, it's revealed that they're an immortal who has faked their death many times to pose as different people throughout the years, with various names and genders, though none of them fit perfectly. After revealing this, they choose a new name meaning "daughter of the stone, son of the sea" and announce themself to be both lord and lady at once (with our modern terminology, they would be considered bigender). The rep is fine overall, though it is some of the most binary nonbinary rep I've ever seen, and that's not a compliment. The Healers' Home by S E Robertson (Mundane Jobs HM, trans female character) - 3* This book didn't hit the cozy slice of life vibe as nicely as the first book in the series, which was disappointing. I found Kei's point of view extremely frustrating to read, with his self-hatred and completely illogical negativity. I'm not planning to read the next book in the series. Fun fact— I was the 100th person to rate this book on Goodreads, so I'm sorry if anybody wanted to use it for Self-published HM. Trans author. Agna's Aunt Naire is a trans woman (note she has a very small role and I don't think she even gets any direct page time, so this wouldn't necessarily count if you're trying to sub the 2021 bingo square in somewhere). Unfortunately, it's mentioned exclusively in the context of her medical transition making her "more susceptible" to certain kinds of cancer. There's a common myth that hormone therapy is "dangerous" and increases the risk of cancer, though this is NOT supported by medical research (source 1, source 2, source 3). I've seen a lot of parents (some well-meaning but misinformed, some blatantly transphobic) try to stop their kids from getting life-saving medical treatment because of it. Given the harm this myth causes to real-life trans people, I think it's irresponsible to legitimize it even in a fantasy setting. The Bone Doll's Twin by Lynn Flewelling (Published in the 00s HM, gender swap shenanigans but no explicit trans rep) - 5* I liked this enough that I binged the whole series. No particular book in the trilogy stands out as a 5* on its own, but I'll give the series a 5 for being consistently well-executed throughout. I liked the characters, and I liked the relationship dynamics, particularly between Tobin and the other noble kids in the Companions. While I found books exploring nonbinary genders through aliens and far-future worlds in every decade from the 60s to 90s, the options for the 00s were pretty limited. Tobin/Tamir was born female, had their body magically transformed into their murdered twin brother's body, and was raised as a boy before ultimately learning that they are "really" a girl and physically transforming back to their original body (I don't think this much is a spoiler as the general story arc is obvious very early on). They're not really trans as we would understand it, but they do go through some similar experiences to trans people. The books generally use he/him pronouns before the transformation, and she/her pronouns after (which makes sense within the story but isn't good practice for most real-life trans people), so I'll just use they/them for simplicity. Tobin/Tamir doesn't show any "signs" other than liking dolls and like-liking boys. They seem to like their male body, are resistant to the idea of being/becoming a girl, and actively miss their penis after it's gone (though it's not clear if that's due to their residual connection to Brother, which causes "phantom penis" sensations and is removed/resolved at the very end of the trilogy), but also seem to accept being a woman at the end. It's not really clear how they would "identify" if given the choice, as neither the author nor any of the characters show any awareness of the possibility of being trans. I would've liked to see Tobin/Tamir connect more to other female characters-- there's a hint of it in the way they relate to the ghost of the first Queen Tamir, but their friend Una was criminally under-utilized. The most relatable part was actually the other characters' reactions to Tobin/Tamir's transformation, in particular Ki (the best friend/love interest) with his struggle to adjust. So overall, the identity aspects were super under-developed by modern standards, but whatever, it was the early 00s. When the Angels Left the Old Country by Sacha Lamb (Angels and Demons HM, nonbinary nonhuman character) - 4* This was a fun, easy read with wonderfully endearing characters. I loved the idea of an angel and a demon as chavrusa (Talmud study partners). It was nice to learn some new Yiddish vocab and Jewish mythology. Trans author. The angel is genderless and uses it/it/its pronouns. It chooses to look like a man for convenience (since women weren't often able to study freely at the time), and it doesn't particularly mind being misgendered. While this was pretty unique, it doesn't really feel like representation because for much of the book, the angel is very non-human and does not think in human ways. However, I did like that even as it takes on a permanent name and becomes more human-like in its thoughts, it remains genderless. The angel and the demon are very close and implied to be more than "just" friends, but their relationship isn't necessarily romantic and certainly isn't sexual-- they could equally be interpreted as close friends, as a romantic couple, or as a queerplatonic partnership, which is cool because you don't often see that kind of ambiguous close relationship represented. Transmogrify!: 14 Fantastical Tales of Trans Magic edited by g haron davis (Five Short Stories HM, nonbinary, trans male, and trans female characters) - 3* This is feel-good trans wish fulfillment, and felt like a spiritual successor to my trans bingo anthology from 2021, No Man of Woman Born. Quality-wise, it was a bit of a mixed bag, as anthologies often are, and a lot of the morals/endings were a bit too simple/convenient for my taste, but I enjoyed it overall. My favorites were "Dragons Name Themselves" by A R Capetta and Cory McCarthy and "Espejismos" by Dove Salvatierra. My least favorites were "Bite the Hand" (1*/DNF since the writing style just didn't work for me) and "The Door to the Other Side" (2* since I finished it, but I really disliked the handling of suicide, especially with its placement as the last story of the book). There were a lot of Harry PotteJK Rowling references, and a few stories seemed like direct attempts to reclaim certain tropes (e.g. magic schools, broomstick sports). Trans authors. Story by story, the written representation itself was great, all the way down to the details. It's at the macro level where this anthology suffers. Out of 14 stories, 11 had nonbinary main characters, 1 had a trans girl, 1 had a trans boy, and 1 had dual nonbinary and transmasc protagonists. All of the authors seem to be nonbinary (at least based on their pronouns listed in the bios). Nowhere in the synopsis or marketing is this nonbinary focus acknowledged. I feel like the editors/publishers should have looked at this and gone "whoops, we accidentally made a nonbinary anthology, let's pivot." For a general trans anthology that specifically sets out to represent "many different genders and expressions and experiences" to include so little binary representation feels like it's saying that binary trans people either don't have a variety of experiences/expressions or don't need/deserve representation. A lot of the characters' struggles were also very straightforward "nonbinary person finds/makes a place for themself in a binary world," which got a bit repetitive. The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White (Horror HM, trans male and female characters) - 5* I ended up having more YA on this board that I would have liked, just because there's comparatively a lot of trans rep in YA and my choices were limited on some of the squares. I had a bad YA run right before reading this and almost replaced it, but I'm glad I didn't because this was actually really fucking good. I loved the Victorian London setting with a spirit-based magic system. Trans author. The main character, Silas, is a trans boy. I loved how Dr. James Barry) (a real-life trans man from the early 1800s) is featured as an inspiration for Silas. Silas is autistic, which was also exciting to see because people who are trans are more likely to be autistic than the general population, but I hadn't seen that intersection represented until this year. He meets both a fellow trans person (Daphne, a trans girl and his betrothed) and a fellow autistic person for the first time in this book, and I think the way he sees himself reflected in them really hammers in the importance of representation. I think White also does a good job of highlighting the hazy border between dysphoria about a feature and dysphoria about how society views that feature. For example, before Silas meets Daphne, he's absolutely disgusted by the idea of pregnancy, to the point of researching and fantasizing doing a hysterectomy on himself. After he meets her, he realizes that he "doesn't actually know how much of [his] fear and revulsion is linked to the world's inherent gendering of everything reproductive." Body After Body by Briar Ripley Page (Self-Published HM, trans male and female characters) - 4* I quite enjoyed this fever dream of a novel. I don't think it'll ever enjoy mainstream success, and I honestly wouldn't recommend it to most people, but it's a quick read, so if you're in that niche where queer (both in the "weird" sense and in the "trans/LGBT" sense) anti-capitalist body horror appeals to you and you're fine with some weird sex and vulgar language, maybe give it a shot. Trans author. This book is set in a future where poor people can access advanced medical care by selling themselves into 7 years of indentured servitude (only a slight exaggeration of the current American healthcare system) with their memories wiped. This deal includes medical transition, but only one-size-fits-all binary transitions, and only people who can fully "pass" afterwards are accepted. Even with those stipulations, it's stated that about 89% of the indentured servants are trans. All four of the main characters (3 men, 1 woman) transitioned in this way, though one of them didn't get a fully binary transition despite wanting one (because plot reasons), and another one would have preferred a less binary transition if he were given the option. It's mentioned that rich people have other transition options including nonbinary body mods available, though the general public seems to be transphobic overall. There's some on-page transphobia, mostly in flashbacks as the memory-wiped laborers regain their memories, but it wasn't gratuitous. The book uses terminology that many trans people may find uncomfortable-- for example transsexual/cissexual and references to a trans man's cunt-- but at the same time, some trans people do use these terms to describe themselves. Personally, knowing the author's identity is important to me in this situation; I would not feel comfortable with a cis author using those terms, but I'm okay with it from a trans author. On a separate note, I've been seeing a lot of trans authors writing monsters and body horror, and it makes a lot of sense-- you know, something about the experience of being vilified by society and/or feeling disconnected from (or even disgusted by) one's own body leads a person towards certain themes. The Bruising of Qilwa by Naseem Jamnia (Middle-East HM, nonbinary and trans male characters) - 4* A quick read, it brings up some interesting questions for the reader to chew on but doesn't quite have the page length to explore the answers. I really liked the dynamic of Firuz (the main character) and Afsoneh (their blood magic student)-- I've read plenty of stories from the perspective of the young, naturally gifted protege impatient with their older, more knowledgeable but less powerful mentor, but I've rarely seen it from the POV of the mentor. Trans author. The main character Firuz is nonbinary, their younger brother Parviz is a trans boy, and there are mentions of minor characters using a few different kinds of neopronouns. Firuz and Parviz come from Dilmun, a queernormative culture where people are introduced with their pronouns (as in, they-Firuz or he-Parviz) and medical transition is readily available, but they are currently refugees in Qilwa, where gender-affirming medical treatment is not readily available. Firuz medically transitioned in Dilmun, and is trying to learn the spells to help Parviz to medically transition as well-- in particular, they are trying to learn to perform a version of top surgery, as Parviz has severe chest dysphoria. This dynamic hits pretty hard at a time (May 2023) when some states in the US are passing laws to limit access to medical transition, which tend to affect younger trans people and people trying to start transition more than older, post-transition folks, and I think Jamnia did a great job of showing Parviz's frustration and desperation and anger. The Chromatic Fantasy by HA (Published in 2023 HM, trans male characters) - 5* I'm not usually a big fan of graphic novels, but I really liked this. It's whimsical and earnest, the gay romance was cute, and the fantasy trappings (cloaks and castles and all that jazz) in riotous color are exactly my aesthetic. Trans author. The main characters, Jules and Casper, are two trans men in a relationship with each other, and there's a minor character labeled with she/they pronouns. There are several explicit sex scenes, and I think the author is good at making them look masculine even when drawing them naked without having had any gender-affirming surgeries. I liked the personification of Jules's self-doubts-- in particular, there's a rant about Jules's relationship with his genitals that feels way too specific to be completely made up, which makes the representation feel very personal and real. The Last Echo of the Lord of Bells by John Bierce (Multiverse HM, nonbinary and trans female characters) - 4* A solid ending to a great series. The number of side character POV chapters was a little indulgent, but it had plenty of the imaginative uses of magic and cute found family vibes that I love the series for. Note: There are some doors that lead to other worlds in this multiverse, but I consider this HM because doors aren't the main way to travel between worlds, and I feel like traveling to a different plane via labyrinth is a sufficiently unique method that this deserves HM. And technically, I don't think anybody ever walks through a door to another world in this book (though one character flies through one). I read this book without having planned to use it for bingo and was pleasantly surprised to find some trans rep. There's a prominent nonbinary side character, Shimmering Cardovan, and a minor trans woman (well, minor in prominence, but major in power), Threadqueen Iblint. Shimmering Cardovan is tall, muscular, and bearded, and I appreciate the representation that people can use they/them pronouns without being physically androgynous. Though they're also very flamboyant, and control rainbow gemstones with their magic, so they'd still be considered very queer-presenting by our world's standards. Threadqueen Iblint is the second character in the series noted to have trained in magic to a high level in order to physically transition (the first was Zophor, a mangrove lich briefly mentioned in this book), which implies that medical transition isn't easily available in this world. Dawn by Octavia Butler (POC Author HM, nonbinary aliens) - 5* This is science fiction at its best. It's got strong themes (consent/control/freedom) and one of the most truly alien depictions of an alien species that I've ever read. I read the whole series back-to-back-to-back. The Oankali have three sexes, male, female, and ooloi. Ooloi and ungendered children are properly referred to using it/its pronouns, though a lot of the human characters struggle with this and end up using he or she pronouns instead. Oankali children are not sexed or gendered until they reach puberty, and their adult sex depends on their childhood experiences-- children tend to become the same sex as their favorite parent, and the opposite sex of their closest sibling. So in a way, all Oankali children get some amount of choice in their adult sex. In later books, there's a mention of some Oankali-human construct children developing into a different sex than would be expected based on their childhood appearance, but there's no acknowledgement of human LGBT+ diversity. The Final Strife by Saara El-Arifi (Book Club HM, nonbinary and trans female characters, trinary-gender culture) - 3* The only major character I really liked was Hassa. Sylah was okay, but Anoor was actively annoying. They didn't have much chemistry and I skimmed through a lot of the romantic bits, but to be fair I find myself doing that a lot when reading YA-- and despite the fact that Sylah and Anoor are 20, and my local library shelves this as "adult," it very much reads like a YA novel. The one part of the romance I did like was how Anoor cut off the relationship after learning just how much Sylah lied to her about— but I'm sure they'll end up just getting back together in book 2. I won't be continuing with this series. The Wardens' Empire is queernormative, with a trinary gender system of men, women, and musawa. Their god Anyme is musawa, there are several musawa minor characters, and the tritagonist Hassa is a trans girl. The trans inclusion in the world-building felt very surface-level and tacked-on. For example, it's explicitly mentioned out that musawa can use any pronouns, and that anybody can identify as any gender without physically transitioning, which is great, but there's no mention of any way that people might signal their correct gendepronouns to others, and we never see anybody ask for another person's pronouns. There aren't any musawa-specific terms mentioned for things you might expect like family relations (e.g. mothefather, etc), lady/gentleman, boy/girl, etc. It is mentioned that hormone herbs and gender-affirming surgeries are widely available, but it doesn't make much sense that the oppressed Ghosting servant caste would have easy access to affirming surgeries when they're not allowed to have hands or tongues (the Embers literally cut them off at birth) and are forced to work as soon as they can walk. That said, I'd rather have a lazy attempt at queernormativity than an even lazier imposition of real-world transphobia. Werecockroach by Polenth Blake (Novella HM, nonbinary and trans female characters) - 4* This is exactly the kind of story that works well as a novella; there's a fun premise with the werecockroaches and the alien invasion, some solid themes about misfits and found families, and it doesn't overstay its welcome and make you question the logistics too much. I liked Rin's dry humor a lot. Trans author. The main character Rin is agender, asexual, and aromantic, a combination sometimes referred to as AAA (triple-A, as in the batteries). I don't remember ever reading another book with a AAA character, so it was cool seeing that represented for the first time, especially with Rin being poor and a person of color, attributes which also tend to be underrepresented among trans characters. I liked how all of Rin's identity labels are mentioned explicitly in the book, but in a way that made sense and felt natural. Their friend Addie is a Jamaican-British trans woman, but we the audience don't learn she's trans until the epilogue/extra short story from her perspective, which is cool to see. A lot of trans people are not openly trans, either because they are closeted (they live as the gender they were assigned at birth) or stealth (they live fully as their true/target gender), but it can obviously be tough to represent this when all other characters believe they are cis. The best way I know of to represent closeted/stealth trans characters is to give insight into the trans character’s POV as done with Addie. Another option is to go the “Dumbledore is gay” route and reveal the character’s trans status outside of the text. I’ve seen this in The Fated Sky by Mary Robinette Kowel, and while I prefer that over shoehorning in an outing scene, it can make the rep feel “tacked-on” or unsubstantiated. Dear Mothman by Robin Gow (Mythical Beasts HM, trans male characters) - 4* A very sweet book about grief, loneliness, acceptance, and growing up. I'm not generally a big fan of poetry-- I probably would've liked the story better in prose-- but I loved Noah's development, and getting attached to the characters is usually one of the most important factors in my enjoyment of any given book. Trans author. The main character, Noah, is an autistic trans boy whose best friend Lewis (also a trans boy) recently died in a car crash. Noah and Lewis were out only to each other, so he has to navigate the loss of affirmation of his identity in addition to his grief. I didn't relate to everything about Noah's experience, but some of the details hit hard, like the way he feels like nobody but Lewis really knows who he is. I liked the connections/themes drawn around trans people as "monsters" ("It seems to me that 'monsters' are almost always misunderstood-- that 'monster' is what people become when other people are afraid of them for being different. People like me are called monsters sometimes."). I also liked how Noah and Lewis were friends before either of them realized they were trans-- I know it seems unlikely on the face of it, but it's a real phenomenon where unrealized queetrans people are drawn to each other without even knowing what they have in common. The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas (Elemental Magic HM, trans male and nonbinary characters) - 4* This is a solid YA book with some fun characters and fun superpowers. The plot is a bit predictable at times, but I'm interested to see how things progress with the next book. Trans author. This book has a trans boy main character, several trans side characters including a nonbinary god, and a queernormative setting with mentions of readily available hormone therapy and top surgery. I liked how Teo was a role model for Xio— finding trans mentors/role models is really important to a lot of young and/or early-transition trans people, and I don't think we see that represented often enough. I liked how Teo's wing color was relevant to his transition, but I think the way it was resolved was a bit too convenient. I liked how Ocelo is allowed to be nonbinary and a jerk without those things being related. I know those of us who grew up with the queer-coded villain trope may be nervous or skeptical at the prospect, but variety is important for representation, and to me, that includes representing the fact that trans people can be assholes-- not because they're trans, but because they're human. It's also interesting that this is the third book I've read this year that includes a nonbinary deity (Bruising of Qilwa, Final Strife, Sunbearer Trials)-- perhaps it's the other side of the coin to the theme of nonbinary priests/monks from my last trans bingo. The Wicked Bargain by Gabe Cole Novoa (Myths and Retellings HM, transmasc and nonbinary characters) - 4* This is another solid YA book, and honestly very comparable to The Sunbearer Trials-- I read them back to back, and they would have benefited from more separation. I found Mar's hesitancy to use his powers frustrating (I'm glad Teo's hangups were resolved much earlier in his book). It made sense given his backstory, but it's just not a plotline I personally care for. I did like the Caribbean setting a lot though. Trans author. The main character Mar prefers gender-neutral forms of address, but while feminine terms feel completely wrong for them, "man" is "not quite right, but [...] not entirely wrong" and boy "feels better-- good, even-- though it's not completely right, either." They're fine with he/him pronouns, and prefer to pass as a boy-- if the book were solely from another character's perspective, they would probably seem like a binary trans boy. Nonbinary transmasc guys like Mar are very common and very underrepresented. I've met a ton of trans people who use terms like "nonbinary man" or "demiboy," or who identify with terms like "guy"/"boy"/”boi” but not "man," yet nonbinary representation is still very much dominated by androgynous agendegenderqueer types or genderfluid/bigender types. In fact, the major secondary character Dami is a genderfluid demonio of the latter group (in this world, demons are humans who have sold their souls, so they're still human) with shapeshifting powers. They're characterized as being very attractive, but well, it's YA, so everybody of a certain age is attractive. River of Teeth by Sarah Gailey (Queernorm HM, nonbinary character) - 4* The story itself is solid, but it's the basic premise of hippo wranglers in the 1890s Louisiana bayou that really sells this. Trans author. One of the main characters, Hero, is nonbinary. They're pretty cool, they get a nice romance. I forgot to write this review for several months so my goldfish brain is blanking on the details, but I remember liking the rep overall. The Thirty Names of Night by Zeyn Joukhadar (Coastal or Island Setting HM, trans male and nonbinary characters) - 5* It was a little hard to get into at first (I often struggle with books with multiple narratives), but the prose was lovely and I ultimately liked it a lot. I saw a review describing it as "intimate" and I thought that was a very fitting description. Trans author. The main character is a transmasc person just beginning to socially transition, and he chooses his name (Nadir) partway through the book. His transition is a major plotline in this story, but it's far from the only thing going on in his life. There's also a secondary nonbinary character, Qamar, and a trans boy mentioned in the past (Laila's notebook) storyline, Ilyas. As mentioned, I always love seeing trans people connecting with each other. It was especially cool to see the connection between Nadir and Ilyas, because trans people in history are so often erased. I loved the descriptions of dissociation; it's often overlooked in favor of the more dramatic and overly painful forms for dysphoria. I like the way Nadir's birth name is always scribbled out, making it clear that it's purposefully hidden from the reader. I loved seeing him navigate his nonbinary identity ("I want to tell Reem that maybe I am something there is no word for [instead of a boy], but I am afraid that I am already invisible enough to her as it is")-- he's similar to Mar from The Wicked Bargain in that he publicly comes out as a boy but privately feels nonbinary. I love the themes of names and naming, both in a trans context and in a cultural/immigrant context. Flowerheart by Catherine Bakewell (Druid HM, trans female and nonbinary characters) - 3* Well, it's another YA novel with a magical protagonist afraid of their own powers. I'm really not a fan of this "super powerful but hindered by anxiety/trauma" trope, and in general I find it frustrating to read anxious/illogical thought patterns. It also just didn't hit the cozy vibe as much as I wanted. Clara's favorite former teacher, Madam Ben Ammar, and her apprentice Robin are both trans. Neither of them gets a ton of screen time, but Robin mentions to Clara that they're glad that they have a trans mentor to relate with. On one hand, I like that even with the trans representation being so peripheral, we still get two characters with a hint at how their shared experiences affect their mentoapprentice dynamic. On the other hand, the whole interaction just feel weird and stilted and poorly executed overall. It also feels iffy to be learning that Madam Ben Ammar is trans secondhand from Robin when it's not entirely clear if Clara knew about her trans status beforehand, but that's partly projection on my part. I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt and assume that this isn't an issue for the characters in question within the queernormative setting of the book, but in the real world, outing people like that is a big faux pas unless you have explicit permission from the trans person in question. System Collapse by Martha Wells (Robots HM, genderless non-human characters) - 4* I struggled with getting back into this because it picks up right from the end of Network Effect, and it had been a while since I read that. Other than that, this was a great addition to the Murderbot series, and I loved getting to see some of that slow burn character development coming through. Murderbot is a genderless robot-human construct. I think it's in a similar boat to the angel in When the Angels Left the Old Country in that it's not really great representation for human gender diversity, because it's not clear how much of its gender (or lack thereof) comes from its non-human side. Come Tumbling Down by Seanan McGuire (Sequel HM, trans male character) - 3* I've enjoyed most of the other Wayward Children books but had been putting this one off because I wasn't a big fan of Jack and Jill or The Moors in general. It was about what I expected. It was fun enough and quick enough that it was worth reading just for the completionist in me, but it felt gratuitous. One of the side characters, Kade, is a trans boy who has been featured in several Wayward Children books so far. He doesn't do a ton in this book, but I like him as a character. McGuire has stated (link in comments) that she plans to write his origin story, but Kade is a boy/man "who will honestly and unflinchingly say that once, he was a little girl," so the beginning of his story will have a lot of misgendering and deadnaming, and given "as little good trans rep as we have," she doesn't want to fuck it up. Some trans people (like Kade) do refer to their past selves as their assigned gender, most trans people prefer either gender-affirming or gender-neutral language even when talking about the past. So I understand McGuire's reservations, especially as a cis author who may not get the automatic benefit of the doubt that a trans author might. That said, I've read enough of her work and enough different trans stories in general that I personally would trust her to tell Kade's story well. |
2024.03.27 01:07 mnshurricane1 Can't download for Mac
 | Hey all, I'm almost certain I used my Macbook in the past for ignition but now when I download it from the Ignition site for my mac mini I get this message. Anyone know a workaround for this? Thanks submitted by mnshurricane1 to ignition [link] [comments] https://preview.redd.it/kiihhsmdqrqc1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=88cb01ce6a0d658a29d2bebfc7b33b3b378ebf00 |
2024.03.25 14:06 dommeking Lieferkettenweichware macht brrr 🚀
 | WKN: A1178T submitted by dommeking to mauerstrassenwetten [link] [comments] Branche: Spezialweichware ZL;NG: Lieferketten müssen sich digitalisieren, um kompetitiver zu werden. Zweistelliges Wachstum garantiert, lang auf Kinaxis! Achtung: Ganze Bibel, halber Hurensohn: Ist bisschen viel Text und nicht so viele bunte Bilder geworden; bei Weichware ist es auch bisschen schwieriger die Materie für euch Legastheniker und Aufmerksamkeitsspannengestörte angenehm aufzubereiten. Nächstes Mal wird's besser, versprochen! DD enthält mehr Wörter als die Polizei erlaubt Sehr geehrte Glattgehirner und Spielsüchtige, Heute möchte ich euch eine Perle aus dem Land vorstellen, was normalerweise für Eishockey, Ahornsirup, und am Kapitalmarkt für seine Pfennigstöcker bekannt ist: Kanada. Kinaxis spezialisiert sich auf Weichware für Lieferketten und bietet seine Produkte im allseits bewährten Abonnementmodell, auch genannt Weichware-als-eine-Dienstleistung (SaaS), an. Mit einem durchschnittlichen Umsatzwachstum von 21% in den letzten 13 Jahren fängt die Hockeystick-Entwicklung gerade erst an. https://preview.redd.it/j3f5tc3y9hqc1.png?width=272&format=png&auto=webp&s=5b609c2004835ae6337d38f0969cdb9001f364f0 Geschichte: Nach seinem Masterabschluss in Elektro-/Informationstechnik Mitte der 80er begann der Nerd Duncan Klett seinen ersten Job beim kanadischen Telekommunikationsausrüster Mitel, wo er für rechnergestütze Entwicklung von Platinen verantwortlich war. Damals war Rechenleistung noch ein sehr begrenzter Rohstoff und die Abstimmung von spezialisierter Hartware und Weichware auf das zu lösende Problem war sehr wichtig (vergleichbar mit den heutigen KI-Chips). Duncan und sein Team entwickelten einen Chip, der 1000x schneller als damalige Alternativen im Lösen von speziellen Optimierungsproblemen war (MRP: alle benötigten Materialien sind an den Produktionsstätten vor Ort und auf dem niedrigst möglichen Niveau; heute würde man vielleicht Optimierung von Die Anwendung von Kinaxis sieht fast so aus wie die sankeys bei finanzen; und es geht auch um's Geld sparen 😱 In den Anfangsjahren haben sie jedem Kunden ihren eigenen Rechner gebaut und geliefert; das skaliert erstens nicht so geil wie Weichware, und zweitens waren Kunden besorgt aus ein so kleines Unternehmen wie es Kinaxis damals war für Betreuung angewiesen zu sein. Mitte der 90er wurde unser Boi Duncan dann CEO und änderte die Strategie von Hartware zu ausschließlich Weichware, ab sofort gilt das, unverzüglich! Die Expansionsstrategie ging dann richtig los und man partizipierte auch am Geld des Neuen Marktes. Nach dem Platzen der Punkt-Kom-Blase wurden Kunden jedoch zusehends defensiver, auch weil Produktion oftmals ausgelagert wurde. Unter einem neuen CEO wurde dann 2005 der Name ins heutige Kinaxis geändert und man setzt seitdem auf ein Abonnement-Modell. Der neue Plan scheint zu funktionieren: Seit Daten verfügbar sind wächst die Bude schneller als mein Brusthaar und hat von 2011-2022 seinen Umsatz verzehnfacht. Im Sommer 2014 kam man dann in Toronto an die Börse und ist seit Börsengang ein Zehntascher. Geschäftmodel: Die zentrale Anwendung, die Kinaxis ihren Kunden bietet, heißt RapidResponse (SchnelleAntwort; die bekomm ich von meinen Zunder-Streichhölzern leider nicht). SchnelleAntwort beinhaltet mehrere buchbare Optionen für Kunden. Die Hautpfunktionalität ist dabei die Projektplanung, die Daten von Produktions- und Lagerstätten mit Terminkalendern und Zeitansprüchen der Kunden über mehrere Projekte hinweg automatisch analysiert und optimiert. Die große Herausforderung dabei ist die sehr individuellen Datensätze Anforderungen von Kunden zusammenzufassen und dann übersichtlich darzustellen. Dafür werden oft "Digitale Zwillinge" der Lieferketten erstellt, um Echtzeitentscheidungen zu ermöglichen. Die Kundenbasis besteht aus vielen Blaue-Fritierte-Kartoffelscheibe-Unternehmen, aber seit 2021 erweitern sie ihre Kundenbasis auch um mittelgroße Unternehmen (Jahresumsatz 500M - 1.5B USD). AIAIAIAI: Wenn ein Weichware-Unternehmen heutzutage nicht KI macht, ist es dann überhaupt ein Weichware-Unternehmen? Das entsprechende Produkt von Kinaxis heißt Planning.AI (Planend.KI) und besteht auch Demand.AI (Nachfrage.KI) und Supply.AI (Angebot.KI). Auch wenn sie ruhig ChatGPT nach besseren Namen hätten fragen können, scheinen die Produkte gut anzukommen: die ebenfalls kanadische Celestica (WKN: 914782), die Spezialhalbleiterprodukte anbietet und vertreibt, hat nicht nur Interesse an den zusätzlichen Fähigkeiten von SchnelleAntwort bekundet, sondern auch solide +50% gemacht seit ich sie mir vor 3 Moanten auf die Kuckliste gelegt habe 🥲 Anteile an den von Kinaxis beantragten Patenten; KI ist mehr als die Hälfte! -> Mond 🚀 UmweltSozialFührung: Die ESG-Kriterien sind sehr wichtig für die Firma und da holen die sich in den Unternehmenspräsentationen 2022 auch dick einen drauf runter. Auf der ersten Seite zeigen sie Umfragen laut denen sich >90% der Mitarbeitenden*innen* im Unternehmen respektiert und als Teil eines tollen Teams fühlen. Es werden so Sachen wie Singen, Yoga, Konzertbesuche, und Sporttreffen mit Spenden für einen guten Zweck für die Angestellten veranstaltet. Was ich noch nie vorher gesehen habe: Kinaxis möchte eine Quote von 1% an Mitarbeitenden mit Autismus haben, also kann sich vielleicht der ein oder andere von euch mit seinem Verlustporno bei denen bewerben. Sagt mir in dem Fall Bescheid, weil dann geh ich auf jeden Fall kurz. Außerdem sind sie CO2-neutral und MSCI bewertet die Firma mit AAA. Alles in allem sehr kanadisch; mir persönlich ist das ganze ESG-Thema nicht so wichtig, aber besser so als eine Situation wie bei AktivierungSchneesturm. Zahlenwerk: In ihren Unternehmenspräsentationen geben sie ausschließlich das adjustierte EBITDA an, was Christian W. Röhl bestimmt wieder zur Weißglut treiben würde. Deswegen schauen wir uns die richtigen (IFRS) Kennzahlen an:
2020 und 2021 hat man sehr viel in zusätzliches Verkaufspersonal investiert, um Wachstum um jeden Preis zu bekommen. Deswegen sind die Nettozahlen 2020 und 2021 so schlecht. Die Bruttomarge war immer sehr stabil bei ~70%, hat sich seit 2020 aber leider auch verschlechtert. Die Auftragsbücher sind für die nächsten Jahre sind auch voll wie eh und je (da helfen natürlich die planbaren SaaS-Umsätze), also sehe ich das zukünftige Wachstum nicht gefährdet. Laut dem Magischen Quadranten des Analüsehauses Gartner ist Kinaxis ein Führer 👀 Konkurrenz: Mitbewerber sind alle auf der Grafik von Gartner (direkt drüber) genannten Unternehmen. In den "Führern" ist Orcale die einzige andere Firma am Kapitalmarkt. Blue Yonder war früher auch an der Börse, wurde aber 2021 von Panasonic gekauft. Witzigerweise hatte diese Firma Kinaxis in 2020 wegen Diebstahl Intellektuellen Eigentums verklagt, die ihrerseits dann wieder Blue Yonder wegen Verrats von Handelsgeheimnissen verklagten. Ich bin kein Anwalt also hab ich keine Ahnung, aber ich finde keine Nachrichten nach 2021 also vermute ich, dass die beiden ihren Streit außergerichtlich beiseite gelegt haben. In dem harten Markt scheint mir Kundenakquise elementar zu sein, da wenn man einmal in so einem System feststeckt auch wahrscheinlich nicht mehr so leicht rauskommt (ähnlicher Einsperr-Effekt wie bei SAP). Auf Wachstum: Kinaxis möchte hauptsächlich organisch wachsen, da der Markt noch groß und unerschlossen genug ist, wovon man sich als einer der Platzhirsche (oder eher Paltzelche) Vorteile erhofft. Der Markt ist noch recht unerschlossen und jeder neue Kunde bedeutet langjährige wiederkehrende Umsätze. Gerade die Lieferkettendisruptionen im Zuge der Corona-Pandemie, dem Verstopfen des Suez-Kanals, und dem jetzigen Theaters der Huthis zeigt Unternehmen, dass sie ihre Lieferketten flexibler gestalten und Entscheidungen auf einem digitalen Fundament aufbauen müssen, um auf besondere Situationen schnell und datengetrieben (Bingo: Lieblingswort der EZB) reagieren zu können. Nennenswerte Übernahmen gab es 2020 mit Rubikloud, einem KI-Spezialisten, und 2022 als die niederländische MPO für 42 Millionen fettbürgerische Taler dazugekauft wurde. Die Kompetenz von MPO wird noch unter eigenem Namen weitergeführt, soll aber nach und nach in SchnelleAntwort integriert werden. Ein buntes Bild, das globale Lieferketten darstellt. Hier könnt ihr euch von dem vielen Text ausruhen. Bewertung: Kinaxis ist hoch bewertet. Noch nicht ARM-hoch, aber haushoch. Für 2023 sprechen wir von einem KUV von 7,7 und einem KGV von 310. Laut Yahoo Finanzen (Achtung: Angaben in CAD nicht USD!) rechnen die Analysten dieses Jahr mit einem Umsatzanstieg von 14% und für 2025 mit 20%. Damit wären wir beim aktuellen Kurs immer noch bei einem KUV von 5,6 und einem KGV von 74. Diese hohen Bewertungen scheinen aber branchenüblich: Als Panasonic Blue Yonder übernahm geschah dies für 6,72Mrd USD bei einem KUV von 6,4. Verschuldungsgrad liegt bei knapp unter 1x Bruttogewinn, ist also überschaubar. Die Anzahl der Aktien steigt jedes Jahr um ca. 2%, die aus Optionen aus dem Vergütungsmodell kommen. Seitswärtskonsolidierung sollte langsam beendet und Dreiecksformation nach oben aufgelöst werden, Ausbruch Richtung Mond ist freigegeben, über. 🚀🚀🚀 Zusammenfassung: Der Markt von Lieferkettenweichware wächst mit enorm hohen Raten und ist noch weit davon entfernt, komplett erschlossen zu sein; Firmen müssen umstellen, um kompetitiv zu bleiben, und wenn sie sich einmal für eine Lösung entschieden haben, ist es schwer Anbieter zu wechseln. Wachstum wird dieses Jahr auf nur 14% prognostiziert; ich denke da könnte es aber noch positive Überraschungen geben. Die großen Investitionen in den Verkauf und die später im Jahr noch sinkenden Zinsen Haftungsausschluss: Nachdem ich letztes Mal groß angekündigt habe, dass ich mir jede Bude, zu der ich ne DD verfasse in die Deponie lege, hab ich mir widerwillig auch dieses sauteure Ding gekauft. Mir war im Vorhinein nicht klar, dass Kinaxis so hoch bewertet ist, aber versprochen ist versprochen. Dies ist keine Ahnlageberatung; macht mit den obigen Informationen was ihr wollt. Soßen: Ein Zwischensicht mit dem Mitgründer Duncan Klett; ein Artikel von theglobeandmail, und natürlich die Unternehmenswebseite. |
2024.03.19 12:39 DernhelmLaughed [Discussion] Discovery Read Historical Fiction - The Middle Ages The Divine Comedy by Dante Inferno - Cantos 1 to 7
Buongiorno e buonasera my bookish friends,
Welcome to the first discussion of The Divine Comedy, which we shall discuss over the next 12 weeks with my fellow read runners, u/thebowedbookshelf, u/Greatingsburg, u/Amanda39, u/lazylittlelady, and u/Blackberry_Weary.
What a beginning! I hope you have enjoyed these opening cantos. Dante (the author) immediately gets us oriented via Virgil's helpful expositions to Dante (the protagonist of this story). And off they go into the Inferno, quick as you please, with Virgil leading the way and describing the sights like the best tour guide in the underworld.
Is The Divine Comedy a medieval road trip blog and a self-insertion fanfic? Is it an instructive guide to morality, a treatise on theology, or a fever dream of a writer who loved other thinkers and writers? Probably all of the above.
Below are summaries of Cantos 1 to 7. I'll also post some discussion prompts in the comment section. Feel free to post any of your thoughts and questions up to, and including, Canto 7! I can't wait to hear what everyone has to say!
A couple of our eagle-eyed bookclubbers have pointed out that PBS (an American TV channel) is showing a documentary film about Dante, entitled DANTE: Inferno to Paradise. I think you might be able to watch it on their website, depending on your location (or VPN settings). It is also available on Amazon Prime. Thanks, u/tomesandtea and u/thebowedbookshelf !
Our next check-in will be on March 26th, when we will discuss Inferno - Cantos 8 to 16.
If you are planning out your bookclub 2024 Bingo card, The Divine Comedy fits the following squares (and perhaps more):
Canto 1
Dante is lost in a dark forest, having strayed from the right path. He attempts to climb a sunlit mountain, but three ferocious animals bar his path and he retreats back to the forest. There, he meets the great Roman poet, Virgil. Virgil will guide Dante on an alternate path through a terrible place, after which a worthier guide will lead Dante towards heaven.
Canto 2
Dante does not think he is strong enough for the journey ahead, but Virgil chides him for his cowardice. Virgil says that the lady Beatrice descended from heaven to ask Virgil to help Dante on his journey.
Canto 3
Virgil leads Dante through the gates of hell. They see the tormented souls of people who were neutral - neither good nor evil in life, and did not side with God nor Satan. Thus they are rejected by both heaven and hell and follow a blank banner. At the river Acheron, Dante and Virgil meet Charon, who ferries the dead across the river into hell. Virgil has to persuade Charon to ferry the living Dante into hell. Dante collapses in fear during an earthquake.
Canto 4
Dante and Virgil descend into the first circle of hell, which is a Limbo full of groaning souls. They did not actually sin, but were not Christians, either by being unbaptized, or simply because they had been living in the time before Christ. Only a few chosen people from the Old Testament have been saved from Limbo by Jesus.
Dante and Virgil meet a few notable writers who escort them - Homer, Ovid, Horace and Lucan. They see famous persons and heroes from ancient history, as well as ancient thinkers and philosophers.
Canto 5
In the second circle of hell, souls confess their sins to Minos, judge of the underworld. He then sends the souls to the appropriate circle of hell. Again, Virgil speaks up to explain the living Dante's passage through hell. They see famous mythological persons who are guilty of the sin of lust. Dante recognizes Francesca da Rimini, who recounts how she committed the sin of lust with her husband's younger brother, Paolo.
Canto 6
In the third circle of hell, the three-headed dog Cerberus mauls the souls of gluttons. One such soul is someone Dante knows - Ciacco, a former resident of Florence. He foresees violent upheavals for Florence, and that Dante will meet other prominent dead Florentines in the lower circles of hell. The gluttons will be returned to their corporeal bodies on Judgment Day for more perfect (greater) punishment.
Canto 7
As Dante and Virgil enter the fourth circle of hell, they meet Pluto, and Virgil again declares that Dante is on a journey willed by God. Here, they see the souls of spendthrifts and greedy clergy. These souls have lost their individual identities. Dante and Virgil discuss the concept of Fortune. They see the souls of the wrathful wallowing in a marsh.
END OF THIS WEEK'S SUMMARY
Useful Links:
submitted by DernhelmLaughed to bookclub [link] [comments]
Welcome to the first discussion of The Divine Comedy, which we shall discuss over the next 12 weeks with my fellow read runners, u/thebowedbookshelf, u/Greatingsburg, u/Amanda39, u/lazylittlelady, and u/Blackberry_Weary.
What a beginning! I hope you have enjoyed these opening cantos. Dante (the author) immediately gets us oriented via Virgil's helpful expositions to Dante (the protagonist of this story). And off they go into the Inferno, quick as you please, with Virgil leading the way and describing the sights like the best tour guide in the underworld.
Is The Divine Comedy a medieval road trip blog and a self-insertion fanfic? Is it an instructive guide to morality, a treatise on theology, or a fever dream of a writer who loved other thinkers and writers? Probably all of the above.
Below are summaries of Cantos 1 to 7. I'll also post some discussion prompts in the comment section. Feel free to post any of your thoughts and questions up to, and including, Canto 7! I can't wait to hear what everyone has to say!
A couple of our eagle-eyed bookclubbers have pointed out that PBS (an American TV channel) is showing a documentary film about Dante, entitled DANTE: Inferno to Paradise. I think you might be able to watch it on their website, depending on your location (or VPN settings). It is also available on Amazon Prime. Thanks, u/tomesandtea and u/thebowedbookshelf !
Our next check-in will be on March 26th, when we will discuss Inferno - Cantos 8 to 16.
If you are planning out your bookclub 2024 Bingo card, The Divine Comedy fits the following squares (and perhaps more):
- Big Read
- Historical Fiction
- Fantasy
- Gutenberg
- Discovery Read
Canto 1
Dante is lost in a dark forest, having strayed from the right path. He attempts to climb a sunlit mountain, but three ferocious animals bar his path and he retreats back to the forest. There, he meets the great Roman poet, Virgil. Virgil will guide Dante on an alternate path through a terrible place, after which a worthier guide will lead Dante towards heaven.
Canto 2
Dante does not think he is strong enough for the journey ahead, but Virgil chides him for his cowardice. Virgil says that the lady Beatrice descended from heaven to ask Virgil to help Dante on his journey.
Canto 3
Virgil leads Dante through the gates of hell. They see the tormented souls of people who were neutral - neither good nor evil in life, and did not side with God nor Satan. Thus they are rejected by both heaven and hell and follow a blank banner. At the river Acheron, Dante and Virgil meet Charon, who ferries the dead across the river into hell. Virgil has to persuade Charon to ferry the living Dante into hell. Dante collapses in fear during an earthquake.
Canto 4
Dante and Virgil descend into the first circle of hell, which is a Limbo full of groaning souls. They did not actually sin, but were not Christians, either by being unbaptized, or simply because they had been living in the time before Christ. Only a few chosen people from the Old Testament have been saved from Limbo by Jesus.
Dante and Virgil meet a few notable writers who escort them - Homer, Ovid, Horace and Lucan. They see famous persons and heroes from ancient history, as well as ancient thinkers and philosophers.
Canto 5
In the second circle of hell, souls confess their sins to Minos, judge of the underworld. He then sends the souls to the appropriate circle of hell. Again, Virgil speaks up to explain the living Dante's passage through hell. They see famous mythological persons who are guilty of the sin of lust. Dante recognizes Francesca da Rimini, who recounts how she committed the sin of lust with her husband's younger brother, Paolo.
Canto 6
In the third circle of hell, the three-headed dog Cerberus mauls the souls of gluttons. One such soul is someone Dante knows - Ciacco, a former resident of Florence. He foresees violent upheavals for Florence, and that Dante will meet other prominent dead Florentines in the lower circles of hell. The gluttons will be returned to their corporeal bodies on Judgment Day for more perfect (greater) punishment.
Canto 7
As Dante and Virgil enter the fourth circle of hell, they meet Pluto, and Virgil again declares that Dante is on a journey willed by God. Here, they see the souls of spendthrifts and greedy clergy. These souls have lost their individual identities. Dante and Virgil discuss the concept of Fortune. They see the souls of the wrathful wallowing in a marsh.
END OF THIS WEEK'S SUMMARY
Useful Links:
2024.03.17 14:15 monsieur_red Let me know if I forgot anything lol
 | submitted by monsieur_red to TheDeprogram [link] [comments] |
2024.03.17 14:06 monsieur_red Let me know if I forgot anything lol
| | submitted by monsieur_red to TankiesAndTankinis [link] [comments] |
2024.03.16 07:42 Peleg625 Tell me if I missed anything
 | submitted by Peleg625 to Destiny [link] [comments] |