Klaatu

Klaatu is a POSIX geek and an open source enthusiast. He has worked in the film industry and the IT industry, and in both of those combined. He podcasts for Hacker Public Radio and GNU World Order, he maintains several SlackBuild.org packages, and helps maintain the Slackermedia information site.

And yes, he's an Emacs user.

Website: http://slackermedia.info
Blog: http://gnuworldorder.info

anarchism    gaming    geek    geek culture    linux    nerd culture    opensource    posix    python    rpg    slackware    unix   

• Street Candles on Aug. 28, 2023
  
  This book gets into your head. I've read a lot of science fiction, but this is the single most affecting book in that genre I've read. The setting is rich, and the level of detail about everything from social structure to computer systems adds to not only the immersion you feel as a reader, but also, brilliantly, to the story being told. It ALL comes back around in the end, and it's so satisfying. "Street Candles" isn't always a "fun" read, but it's always engrossing. There are some really hard moments in this book. You don't make it through this story without a few scars. But like the main character, Ejoq Dosantos, I can honestly say that after this book, I was not the same person. It changed the way I view the world and it changed the way I view fiction.
  
• Motherload on Aug. 28, 2023
  
  To me, this is CLASSIC Stardrifter, and that's in part because it's classic space opera. Spaceships, technobabble, drama among the crew, external threats that are never quite what they seem. It's all here, and it sets the stage for the amazing books that follow. The Stardrifter setting is consistent. The world is well-defined and the plots work within those parameters. I appreciate that because there's plenty of science fiction out there that relies on once-in-a-lifetime technological quirks or sudden unexpected anomalies. Those can be fun plot devices, but I don't think they're ultimately as satisfying as problems that make sense within a setting. The story of "Motherload" doesn't happen because space magic goes wrong, or the [sci fi] laws of physics suddenly change for the sake of the plot. This story is about things that could happen on a space vessel in a future that, aside from advanced technology, is very much like our own present. People argue. Corporations pursue an agenda. Equipment breaks down. And regular people doing their everyday jobs sometimes rise to the occasion to make thing right. This is a great book, and a great introduction to the Stardrifter universe.