Fellowship of the King Book II Chapter Four: The Forging of the Ring, Part One
Jun. 16th, 2025 07:11 am
Jun. 16th, 2025 07:11 am![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
A word you need to know right now
Jun. 15th, 2025 10:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
solarbirdI’ve got a post going up tomorrow (Monday) morning, but the word you need to understand right now is:
Remigration
If you don’t already know this word – or if you’re in certain areas of academia and think you do, but do not in any context outside academia – you need to know what this word means right now. And you need to make sure your friends know what it means.
Wikipedia will explain it to you.
More tomorrow.
Posted via Solarbird{y|z|yz}, Collected.
Babysitting Moose
Jun. 15th, 2025 10:26 pmsilver_chipmunkGot up at 10:00 this morning, had breakfast and coffee, and settled in to read.
Dani, John and the kids left around 12:00 to see Dani's father for his birthday.
I stayed with Moose, who was very well behaved. I read, and napped, and he mostly slept.
They came back around 4:00, and there was just general hanging out for the rest of the day.
At 7:00 I Teamed the FWiB, and at 8:30 I called Middle Brother. All is good, Middle Brother is looking forward to his Spring Fling on the 18th.
After that I had dinner, and read and played on my phone til I started here.
And that was the whole day.
Gratitude List:
1. The FWiB.
2. Middle Brother is doing well.
3. Moose was well behaved.
4. Texted the Kid last night after I wrote here, she is fine.
5. Relaxing day.
6. RK sent pictures of Oreo.
Dani, John and the kids left around 12:00 to see Dani's father for his birthday.
I stayed with Moose, who was very well behaved. I read, and napped, and he mostly slept.
They came back around 4:00, and there was just general hanging out for the rest of the day.
At 7:00 I Teamed the FWiB, and at 8:30 I called Middle Brother. All is good, Middle Brother is looking forward to his Spring Fling on the 18th.
After that I had dinner, and read and played on my phone til I started here.
And that was the whole day.
Gratitude List:
1. The FWiB.
2. Middle Brother is doing well.
3. Moose was well behaved.
4. Texted the Kid last night after I wrote here, she is fine.
5. Relaxing day.
6. RK sent pictures of Oreo.
Persecution of Parents
Jun. 15th, 2025 09:26 pmndrosenThere are several articles in Reason by the estimable Lenore Skenazy which I recommend reading. In one case, after a car hit and killed their seven year old son, his parents are being charged for letting him walk to the store. When I was five years old, I walked to first grade at Easterly Parkway Elementary School, which involved crossing a street. This was normal and accepted at the time. I wasn’t supposed to cross the slightly wider and busier street on which I lived, but one day, caught up in conversation with a couple of friends, I crossed along them. While they headed to their homes, I faced a dilemma. Being a generally good and cautious little boy, I didn’t want to cross the street without someone to cross me, but I could hardly stay on the wrong side forever, so I looked carefully in all directions, and crossed the street on my own. If, somehow, I had failed to spot a car, or dashed out in front of one, it would have been tragic, but I really do not think that my parents would have been prosecuted for letting me walk home on my own.
In another case, a mother has been arrested, and is facing five years in prison for leaving her eight and ten year old boys at home. This article includes a link to contribute to the woman’s legal defense, through Parents USA.
This kind of thing didn’t use to be criminal. I remember that when I was about ten, my parents left me at home in charge of my younger siblings, and promised me a dollar for doing so. The blond brats behaved badly, and I ostentatiously swallowed my first adult aspirin. My father refused to pay me the dollar, which I resented; he held me responsible for my younger brother acting out, although he had not given me the authority to discipline the nasty little twerp. All this was just a little family drama, though, not grounds for a criminal prosecution.
In another case, a mother has been arrested, and is facing five years in prison for leaving her eight and ten year old boys at home. This article includes a link to contribute to the woman’s legal defense, through Parents USA.
This kind of thing didn’t use to be criminal. I remember that when I was about ten, my parents left me at home in charge of my younger siblings, and promised me a dollar for doing so. The blond brats behaved badly, and I ostentatiously swallowed my first adult aspirin. My father refused to pay me the dollar, which I resented; he held me responsible for my younger brother acting out, although he had not given me the authority to discipline the nasty little twerp. All this was just a little family drama, though, not grounds for a criminal prosecution.
The Red Queen’s Race
Jun. 15th, 2025 03:48 amndrosenThis past week, a case showed up on my Expedited docket; someone wanted me to consider a new Information Disclosure Statement, and to approve minor amendments to an allowed application. I dealt with this. Also, I was able to post an Office Action in one of the cases on my Amended docket, since my supervisor and another supervisor signed the Examiner’s Answer I had written in response to an Appeal Brief, and returned it to me. So I’m sure fly down to two cases on my Amended docket, and zero on my Expedited docket.
And I finished an Office Action on one of my Regular New cases Saturday evening, the last day of the third quarter. In consequence, my production for the third quarter should be jus5 acceptable, and I will be able to continue racing with the Red Queen.
And I finished an Office Action on one of my Regular New cases Saturday evening, the last day of the third quarter. In consequence, my production for the third quarter should be jus5 acceptable, and I will be able to continue racing with the Red Queen.
Tear gas safety for glasses wearers? [curr ev, health]
Jun. 15th, 2025 01:06 amsidereaI have a question about eye safety, maybe someone here can advise me on.
Apropos of the protests going on, I've seen a lot of helpful pointers about preparing for getting tear gassed or pepper sprayed, such as not to wear contacts and to have tight-fitting chemists' goggles. But not wearing vision correction is not an option for those who need it, and the alternative to contacts is glasses, which are apparently incompatible with most eye protection from gas or particulates.
I am aware of the existence of some models of full-face gas mask that have internal mounting hardware for glasses, but in addition to being expensive themselves, they require getting lenses made and fitted to the gas mask (i.e. not compatible with regular glasses). I'm surmising the existence of these means that other, cheaper, spectacle-compatible eye protection doesn't really exist, but I thought I'd ask.
My personal interest in the topic is less about protecting myself from chemical ordnance at protests – I only wish I could attend protests (though if things got spicy in the right location I suppose I could collect my fair share of tear gas at home) – than from wildfire smoke. The conjunction of the No Kings protests and the local air quality alerts from fires in Canada reminded me I should really be doing some preparation in this space.
I'm allergic to smoke. (It turns out it wasn't con crud I kept getting at Pennsic.) My reactivity to smoke only seems to be gradually getting worse over time. So when I've heard reports or seen pictures from the left coast of the sorts of wildfire smog they have there, I'm like "...not enough steroids in the world." I mostly manage this threat by not crossing the Mississippi, but it could happen here. Or upwind of here. It has. If not quite so "blot out the sun" bad, certainly bad enough for me to feel it.
So I've been looking at half-face elastomeric respirators, but that leave eyes unprotected.
Any suggestions?
Edit: I'm getting a lot of suggestions that aren't really helpful because:
1) Most safety goggles are for protection against impact or splashes, and as such literally have vent holes that make them useless against gases and airborne particulates.
2) Involve buying a prescription eyepiece. The whole point of my question was looking for alternatives to buying additional prescription lenses. Like I said, I am already aware of options that entail ordering custom lenses, I am looking for alternatives that don't involve that and are compatible with regular glasses the wearer already has.
There may not be any*, which would be good to know, but that is the question.
Allow me to put a finer point on this. If there is no affordable, readily available option for eye protection against gas/powder attacks for people who are dependent on vision correction, then that implies something important about protest safety that is entirely missing from all of the discourse of the sort that recommends having a gas mask to go to a protest.
* Since posting, I learned the term PAPR, and am now wondering why they're so expensive and whether that's a technology ripe for DIY.
Apropos of the protests going on, I've seen a lot of helpful pointers about preparing for getting tear gassed or pepper sprayed, such as not to wear contacts and to have tight-fitting chemists' goggles. But not wearing vision correction is not an option for those who need it, and the alternative to contacts is glasses, which are apparently incompatible with most eye protection from gas or particulates.
I am aware of the existence of some models of full-face gas mask that have internal mounting hardware for glasses, but in addition to being expensive themselves, they require getting lenses made and fitted to the gas mask (i.e. not compatible with regular glasses). I'm surmising the existence of these means that other, cheaper, spectacle-compatible eye protection doesn't really exist, but I thought I'd ask.
My personal interest in the topic is less about protecting myself from chemical ordnance at protests – I only wish I could attend protests (though if things got spicy in the right location I suppose I could collect my fair share of tear gas at home) – than from wildfire smoke. The conjunction of the No Kings protests and the local air quality alerts from fires in Canada reminded me I should really be doing some preparation in this space.
I'm allergic to smoke. (It turns out it wasn't con crud I kept getting at Pennsic.) My reactivity to smoke only seems to be gradually getting worse over time. So when I've heard reports or seen pictures from the left coast of the sorts of wildfire smog they have there, I'm like "...not enough steroids in the world." I mostly manage this threat by not crossing the Mississippi, but it could happen here. Or upwind of here. It has. If not quite so "blot out the sun" bad, certainly bad enough for me to feel it.
So I've been looking at half-face elastomeric respirators, but that leave eyes unprotected.
Any suggestions?
Edit: I'm getting a lot of suggestions that aren't really helpful because:
1) Most safety goggles are for protection against impact or splashes, and as such literally have vent holes that make them useless against gases and airborne particulates.
2) Involve buying a prescription eyepiece. The whole point of my question was looking for alternatives to buying additional prescription lenses. Like I said, I am already aware of options that entail ordering custom lenses, I am looking for alternatives that don't involve that and are compatible with regular glasses the wearer already has.
There may not be any*, which would be good to know, but that is the question.
Allow me to put a finer point on this. If there is no affordable, readily available option for eye protection against gas/powder attacks for people who are dependent on vision correction, then that implies something important about protest safety that is entirely missing from all of the discourse of the sort that recommends having a gas mask to go to a protest.
* Since posting, I learned the term PAPR, and am now wondering why they're so expensive and whether that's a technology ripe for DIY.
Seeing the FWiB!!!
Jun. 14th, 2025 10:28 pmsilver_chipmunkI got up at 9:00, breakfasted and coffeed, showered, washed my hair and used the curl product the Dani showed me, and then was ready by 10:00.
Dani drove me and Winnie to Wadsworth to pick up the FWiB! He was waiting outside the condo, and looked good.
Dani drove us to Barnes and Noble and dropped us off and it was wonderful. We went to the cafe and had drinks, then went to the science fiction and fantasy section. I found the book that I thought I had bought at the Barnes and Noble with Winnie, the third in the Godkiller trilogy.
After that we went around the store, the magazine rack, children's section, and the YA section. Then we got food in the cafe again.
By that time Dani and Winnie came back. They sat with us for awhile, and went to the children's section for while.
Finally it was time to go, the FWiB had to get back and Winnie was getting tired. So we took him back home and then came back here.
It was wonderful actually being with him after the years since the last time I was able to see him. Which was I think 2019. Or 2018. I would have to go check my journal to be sure.
Anyway, I ate when I got back, and then we Teamed even though we had seen each other.
Now Dani and John are watching Ghosts UK.
Gratitude List:
1. The FWiB.
2. Actually getting to see him, hug him, and kiss.
3. Got that book.
4. Dani being willing to drive me.
5. Dani liked him.
6. Barnes and Noble.
Dani drove me and Winnie to Wadsworth to pick up the FWiB! He was waiting outside the condo, and looked good.
Dani drove us to Barnes and Noble and dropped us off and it was wonderful. We went to the cafe and had drinks, then went to the science fiction and fantasy section. I found the book that I thought I had bought at the Barnes and Noble with Winnie, the third in the Godkiller trilogy.
After that we went around the store, the magazine rack, children's section, and the YA section. Then we got food in the cafe again.
By that time Dani and Winnie came back. They sat with us for awhile, and went to the children's section for while.
Finally it was time to go, the FWiB had to get back and Winnie was getting tired. So we took him back home and then came back here.
It was wonderful actually being with him after the years since the last time I was able to see him. Which was I think 2019. Or 2018. I would have to go check my journal to be sure.
Anyway, I ate when I got back, and then we Teamed even though we had seen each other.
Now Dani and John are watching Ghosts UK.
Gratitude List:
1. The FWiB.
2. Actually getting to see him, hug him, and kiss.
3. Got that book.
4. Dani being willing to drive me.
5. Dani liked him.
6. Barnes and Noble.
photographs are important
Jun. 14th, 2025 10:14 amsolarbirdSeeing the usual In-Love-With-Failure and/or disruptors saying don’t take or post photos.
If you’re saying this: THERE IS MORE THAN ONE KIND OF PROTEST.
Don’t take photos at a direction action were laws may be violated, of course. But this isn’t that kind of protest. This is a LOUD AND VISIBLE protest, where showing massive numbers is the entire point, and having lots of sources posting massive numbers is more critical than ever.
A flood of sources is important, because the more A.I.-generated images are used to flood the zone, the more many sources of photographs matter. We have to out-flood their flood.
Now, if you are taking photos, don’t take close-ups without permission! That’s always true. But I advise that you DO take and post WIDE AREA PHOTOS which INCLUDE PEOPLE WHO COULD FIT IN AT A MAGA RALLY.
Middle-aged white men in particular.
MAGAts don’t give a shit until it’s them. If you see someone and think “yeah, they look like they could be someone at a Trump rally,” include them in the shot. That’s what they need to see.
You want to scare Trump, make it look like he’s losing “his people” to opposition rallies in your photographs.
No time to rewrite this better, I’m out the door. See you on the streets.
Posted via Solarbird{y|z|yz}, Collected.
No Kings Day
Jun. 14th, 2025 09:44 amsolarbirdToday’s the day. It’s not too late to get out there. In Cascadia, most protests haven’t even started yet. If you can’t do the mornings, some protests start late – Lake Forest Park’s protest starts at 4:30 in the afternoon.
So find your local No Kings protest and show up. More different protests are better, not worse; one huge protest is easy to crack down upon; a dozen across the same area is impossible.
All protests right now are important, but today’s is particularly important.
Get out there. Go.
Posted via Solarbird{y|z|yz}, Collected.
Books Received, June 7 to June 13
Jun. 14th, 2025 09:03 amjames_davis_nicoll
Ten books new to me: 4.5 fantasy, 1 horror, 1 mystery, 3.5 science fiction, of which only two are identified as series.
Books Received, June 7 to June 13
Poll #33251 Books Received, June 7 to June 13
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 53
Which of these look interesting?
View Answers
This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews (March 2026)
20 (37.7%)
The Swan’s Daughter: A Possibly Doomed Love Story by Roshani Chokshi (January 2026)
13 (24.5%)
Storyteller: A Tanith Lee Tribute Anthology edited by Julie C. Day, Carina Bissett, and Craig Laurance Gidney (June 2025)
27 (50.9%)
The Storm by Rachel Hawkins (January2026)
4 (7.5%)
What Stalks the Deep by T. Kingfisher (September 2025)
30 (56.6%)
Red Empire by Jonathan Maberry (March 2026)
3 (5.7%)
The Two Lies of Faven Sythe by Megan E. O’Keefe (June 2025)
14 (26.4%)
The Young Necromancer’s Guide to Ghosts by Vanessa Ricci-Thode (April 2024)
14 (26.4%)
The Poet Empress by Shen Tao (January 2026)
6 (11.3%)
Shroud by Adrian Tchaikovsky (June 2025)
25 (47.2%)
Some other option (see comments)
0 (0.0%)
Cats!
34 (64.2%)
Mostly stayed in
Jun. 13th, 2025 10:31 pmsilver_chipmunkGot up at 10 with Theo knocking on my door. Came downstairs and had breakfast and coffee.
Eventually everyone was upstairs except me so I took the opportunity to shower and dress.
Hung out in the living room after that. Dani sent Theo over to the library, and eventually he came back with his friend Uriah, who stayed the rest of the day.
After awhile Dani, Winnie, and Uriah went out and walked to a small store and got ice cream. Came back, and continued just hanging out.
Around 6:30 Dani and I went to Walmart and got some stuff, mainly a dog house for Moose. We also got some food, including a pizza for Dani and I for dinner.
Came back and Dani and John put the dog house together while I Teamed the FWiB. Then Dani put the pizza on and when it was done I got off, and ate.
Tomorrow Dani is going to take me to see the FWiB!!!
Gratitude List:
1. The FWiB.
2. Ice cream.
3. Quiet day.
4. Seeing the FWiB.
5. Got my prescription refill approved andmashfanficchick is going to pick it up for me.
6. Friends.
Eventually everyone was upstairs except me so I took the opportunity to shower and dress.
Hung out in the living room after that. Dani sent Theo over to the library, and eventually he came back with his friend Uriah, who stayed the rest of the day.
After awhile Dani, Winnie, and Uriah went out and walked to a small store and got ice cream. Came back, and continued just hanging out.
Around 6:30 Dani and I went to Walmart and got some stuff, mainly a dog house for Moose. We also got some food, including a pizza for Dani and I for dinner.
Came back and Dani and John put the dog house together while I Teamed the FWiB. Then Dani put the pizza on and when it was done I got off, and ate.
Tomorrow Dani is going to take me to see the FWiB!!!
Gratitude List:
1. The FWiB.
2. Ice cream.
3. Quiet day.
4. Seeing the FWiB.
5. Got my prescription refill approved and
mashfanficchick is going to pick it up for me.6. Friends.
Murderbot Day
Jun. 13th, 2025 12:08 pmmarthawells* Interview with Sue Chan, the production designer:
https://filmstories.co.uk/news/murderbot-designing-a-future-world-that-doesnt-look-like-alien/
“I started out by taking the most ancient societies on each continent – Etruscans, Asian, European, and African cultures,” Chan tells us. “I looked at the most fundamental motifs and gathered them into a bible, then asked my team to imagine 100 generations from now, when the diaspora of Earth have chosen to live together in society. How would they evolve a unified set of symbols? A language that really honours where they came from.”
This informed the alphabet that can be seen in the decoration painted across the otherwise grey, corporate habitat the PresAux crew are leasing. At the same time, acknowledging how much of the crew is queer and polyamorous, the colours of the rainbow are also entwined into their decorations.
“All of that is mashed up but it has a fundamental logic to it,” says Chan.
* Interview with Akshay Khanna (Ratthi):
https://squaremile.com/style/akshay-khanna-murderbot-actor-interview/
I’m incredibly excited for people to watch Murderbot on Apple TV+. Sci-fi has been my favourite genre by a country mile forever, and being on a show like this has always been a career goal of mine. Frankly, I had too much fun filming that show, and getting paid to do it constantly felt like I was getting away with something on set.
And the show is just so good. I can confidently say it’s fantastic – and if you don’t like it, then I would gently tell you that it’s OK to be wrong sometimes.
* Interview with Sabrina Wu (Pin-Lee):
https://www.autostraddle.com/sabrina-wu-interview-murderbot/
And then once I got the role, I read the books and I was legit just blown away at how funny the books were. I just haven’t seen such a dry sarcastic sensibility with this kind of hero sci-fi stories. And then I also just really liked that it was in the tradition of I felt like Octavia Butler, where it’s like, “oh, this is a queer imagining of the future.” So I don’t know. I just thought it was a really sweet, funny, different world. I also, obviously every comedian who becomes an actor, their dream is to get to work on something with action to move beyond an It’s Always Sunny kind of comedy. I believe there was already an opportunity for me to be in a spaceship and shoot guns, and it just made me happy that it was genuinely funny source material.
* Video interview with Tattiawna Jones (Arada) and Tamara Podemski (Bharadwaj):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NllgfEekw9s
* And a video interview with Noma Dumezweni (Mensah)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZpigqUqZXQ
* and a video interview with Noma and David Dastmalchian (Gurathin)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=361cKOujISE
* And a video interview (with a transcript) with Alexander Skarsgard, Jack McBrayer, and Paul and Chris Weitz:
https://collider.com/murderbot-alexander-skarsgard-jack-mcbrayer-creators-paul-weitz-chris-weitz/
* And there is a profile of me in The New Yorker (!!)
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/persons-of-interest/do-androids-dream-of-anything-at-all
* ETA: In ‘Murderbot,’ an anxious scientist and an autonomous robot develop a workplace-trauma bond
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2025-06-13/murderbot-episode-6-alexander-skarsgard-noma-dumezweni
Leading a TV series is a first for Dumezweni, who has previously been cast in smaller roles. She wasn’t convinced by the initial pitch at first because sci-fi hasn’t traditionally had a lot of major roles for actors of color.
“Usually I’d come in and play the receptionist,” she says. “I love to watch sci-fi. But I wondered: Who am I going to be in this sci-fi world?”
However, once she learned more about the world and the character, the actor changed her mind.
“It was an absolute joy to discover that there was nothing that Chris and Paul had to change to make it representational,” Dumezweni says. “It’s lovely not to have to fight for people’s positions in the world based on their skin color.”
*
ETA: Wanted to add this one real quick from BlueSky:
Vestal Magazine: Noma Dumezweni -- Off Canvas
https://www.vestalmag.com/noma-dumezweni
Set in a near future where the line between machine and human is increasingly blurred, Murderbot explores themes of identity, autonomy, and what it truly means to be alive through the eyes of a self-aware security android. Adapted from Martha Wells’s beloved The Murderbot Diaries novels, the series blends gripping sci-fi action with sharp, witty humor. At the heart of the story is Noma Dumezweni’s portrayal of Dr. Ayda Mensah, the thoughtful leader of a pacifist civilization struggling to uphold her community’s ideals amid a universe dominated by corporate greed and political tensions. Noma brings to the role a grounded strength, embodying the delicate balance between idealism and pragmatism as her character wrestles with the burdens of leadership and moral compromise. The parallels between Noma and Ayda run deep: both choose to lead with heart, courage, and conviction. “Your head will try to talk you out of that feeling of expansion. It will tell you, ‘You can’t do this,’” Noma says. “Trust your body, trust your instinct. Your body knows the truth.” That instinct and bravery have guided her career, from becoming the first Black actress to portray Hermione Granger on stage, a landmark moment for representation in theater, to winning two Laurence Olivier Awards and becoming a beacon of inspiration for a new generation of actors. Like Ayda, Noma has forged a path not only of leadership, but of quiet, transformative power.
Lovely photos in this!
https://filmstories.co.uk/news/murderbot-designing-a-future-world-that-doesnt-look-like-alien/
“I started out by taking the most ancient societies on each continent – Etruscans, Asian, European, and African cultures,” Chan tells us. “I looked at the most fundamental motifs and gathered them into a bible, then asked my team to imagine 100 generations from now, when the diaspora of Earth have chosen to live together in society. How would they evolve a unified set of symbols? A language that really honours where they came from.”
This informed the alphabet that can be seen in the decoration painted across the otherwise grey, corporate habitat the PresAux crew are leasing. At the same time, acknowledging how much of the crew is queer and polyamorous, the colours of the rainbow are also entwined into their decorations.
“All of that is mashed up but it has a fundamental logic to it,” says Chan.
* Interview with Akshay Khanna (Ratthi):
https://squaremile.com/style/akshay-khanna-murderbot-actor-interview/
I’m incredibly excited for people to watch Murderbot on Apple TV+. Sci-fi has been my favourite genre by a country mile forever, and being on a show like this has always been a career goal of mine. Frankly, I had too much fun filming that show, and getting paid to do it constantly felt like I was getting away with something on set.
And the show is just so good. I can confidently say it’s fantastic – and if you don’t like it, then I would gently tell you that it’s OK to be wrong sometimes.
* Interview with Sabrina Wu (Pin-Lee):
https://www.autostraddle.com/sabrina-wu-interview-murderbot/
And then once I got the role, I read the books and I was legit just blown away at how funny the books were. I just haven’t seen such a dry sarcastic sensibility with this kind of hero sci-fi stories. And then I also just really liked that it was in the tradition of I felt like Octavia Butler, where it’s like, “oh, this is a queer imagining of the future.” So I don’t know. I just thought it was a really sweet, funny, different world. I also, obviously every comedian who becomes an actor, their dream is to get to work on something with action to move beyond an It’s Always Sunny kind of comedy. I believe there was already an opportunity for me to be in a spaceship and shoot guns, and it just made me happy that it was genuinely funny source material.
* Video interview with Tattiawna Jones (Arada) and Tamara Podemski (Bharadwaj):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NllgfEekw9s
* And a video interview with Noma Dumezweni (Mensah)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZpigqUqZXQ
* and a video interview with Noma and David Dastmalchian (Gurathin)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=361cKOujISE
* And a video interview (with a transcript) with Alexander Skarsgard, Jack McBrayer, and Paul and Chris Weitz:
https://collider.com/murderbot-alexander-skarsgard-jack-mcbrayer-creators-paul-weitz-chris-weitz/
* And there is a profile of me in The New Yorker (!!)
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/persons-of-interest/do-androids-dream-of-anything-at-all
* ETA: In ‘Murderbot,’ an anxious scientist and an autonomous robot develop a workplace-trauma bond
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2025-06-13/murderbot-episode-6-alexander-skarsgard-noma-dumezweni
Leading a TV series is a first for Dumezweni, who has previously been cast in smaller roles. She wasn’t convinced by the initial pitch at first because sci-fi hasn’t traditionally had a lot of major roles for actors of color.
“Usually I’d come in and play the receptionist,” she says. “I love to watch sci-fi. But I wondered: Who am I going to be in this sci-fi world?”
However, once she learned more about the world and the character, the actor changed her mind.
“It was an absolute joy to discover that there was nothing that Chris and Paul had to change to make it representational,” Dumezweni says. “It’s lovely not to have to fight for people’s positions in the world based on their skin color.”
*
ETA: Wanted to add this one real quick from BlueSky:
Vestal Magazine: Noma Dumezweni -- Off Canvas
https://www.vestalmag.com/noma-dumezweni
Set in a near future where the line between machine and human is increasingly blurred, Murderbot explores themes of identity, autonomy, and what it truly means to be alive through the eyes of a self-aware security android. Adapted from Martha Wells’s beloved The Murderbot Diaries novels, the series blends gripping sci-fi action with sharp, witty humor. At the heart of the story is Noma Dumezweni’s portrayal of Dr. Ayda Mensah, the thoughtful leader of a pacifist civilization struggling to uphold her community’s ideals amid a universe dominated by corporate greed and political tensions. Noma brings to the role a grounded strength, embodying the delicate balance between idealism and pragmatism as her character wrestles with the burdens of leadership and moral compromise. The parallels between Noma and Ayda run deep: both choose to lead with heart, courage, and conviction. “Your head will try to talk you out of that feeling of expansion. It will tell you, ‘You can’t do this,’” Noma says. “Trust your body, trust your instinct. Your body knows the truth.” That instinct and bravery have guided her career, from becoming the first Black actress to portray Hermione Granger on stage, a landmark moment for representation in theater, to winning two Laurence Olivier Awards and becoming a beacon of inspiration for a new generation of actors. Like Ayda, Noma has forged a path not only of leadership, but of quiet, transformative power.
Lovely photos in this!
Tax Issue
Jun. 13th, 2025 09:13 amndrosenNo good deed goes unpunished.
I scrupulously filled out a form and paid gift tax on the money I gave my sister in 2024 to help pay for my niece’s tuition; I enclosed a check, which showed up the next month (May) as debited from my account. Yesterday, a letter arrived from the IRS, saying that I owed the money, and have to pay it, with a few more dollars in interest and penalty.
A telephone number is given, so I plan to call today, and see if the matter can be straightened out.
I scrupulously filled out a form and paid gift tax on the money I gave my sister in 2024 to help pay for my niece’s tuition; I enclosed a check, which showed up the next month (May) as debited from my account. Yesterday, a letter arrived from the IRS, saying that I owed the money, and have to pay it, with a few more dollars in interest and penalty.
A telephone number is given, so I plan to call today, and see if the matter can be straightened out.
A Rebel’s History of Mars by Nadia Afifi
Jun. 13th, 2025 09:04 amjames_davis_nicoll
The embittered Martian aerialist and the nonconformist live a thousand-plus years apart, in different solar systems. What, then, connects them?
A Rebel’s History of Mars by Nadia Afifi
Japanese market
Jun. 12th, 2025 10:17 pmsilver_chipmunkGot up and had breakfast and coffee, then hung out for awhile until Dani suggested going to the Japanese market for awhile with Winnie.
So I got dressed and that's what we did. The ramen place was closed until 4:00, but the sushi place was open, so we had sushi for lunch. We went to the Japanese grocery first to get drinks. It was very tasty.
After that we went to the gift type shop. I looked around for something I could get as a souvenir for the Kid, but didn't see anything.
Then we went to the Japanese bakery and I got a mocha mousse. Delicious.
Then we came back to the house and more or less just hung out for the rest of the day. Dani did a craft with the kids while I Teamed the FWiB. Then at 8:30 I called Middle Brother. He's fine, had a music thing yesterday, and looking forward to McDonald's tomorrow.
Dani was supposed to take me to see the FWiB tomorrow but he had to cancel, and hopefully reschedule for Saturday (the day after tomorrow).
The Kid texted me about the NYC Mayoral debate which was tonight. My union is backing Mamdami.
I sat for an hour with Theo, watching him use the computer.
RK facebook messaged Dani with pictures of Oreo cause he fed him tonight.
Gratitude List:
1. The FWiB.
2. My friends here.
3. Sushi.
4. The Kid.
5. Lovely summer weather.
6. Middle Brother is well.
So I got dressed and that's what we did. The ramen place was closed until 4:00, but the sushi place was open, so we had sushi for lunch. We went to the Japanese grocery first to get drinks. It was very tasty.
After that we went to the gift type shop. I looked around for something I could get as a souvenir for the Kid, but didn't see anything.
Then we went to the Japanese bakery and I got a mocha mousse. Delicious.
Then we came back to the house and more or less just hung out for the rest of the day. Dani did a craft with the kids while I Teamed the FWiB. Then at 8:30 I called Middle Brother. He's fine, had a music thing yesterday, and looking forward to McDonald's tomorrow.
Dani was supposed to take me to see the FWiB tomorrow but he had to cancel, and hopefully reschedule for Saturday (the day after tomorrow).
The Kid texted me about the NYC Mayoral debate which was tonight. My union is backing Mamdami.
I sat for an hour with Theo, watching him use the computer.
RK facebook messaged Dani with pictures of Oreo cause he fed him tonight.
Gratitude List:
1. The FWiB.
2. My friends here.
3. Sushi.
4. The Kid.
5. Lovely summer weather.
6. Middle Brother is well.
Thousand Shinji Chapter 20 (Ending Special): You Can (Not) Be Codex Compliant
May. 26th, 2025 06:31 pm
If there is only one (1) time you turn out, do it this weekend
Jun. 12th, 2025 12:04 pmsolarbirdFind your local No Kings protest and show up. More different protests are better, not worse; one huge protest is easy to crack down upon; a dozen across the same area is impossible.
If you’re new at protests, show up at the Event Attendee Pre-Mobilization Mass Call today, 5pm Cascadian/Pacific, 8pm Eastern.
If you’re military or ex-military or military family, here’s extra information for you – 4pm Cascadian/Pacific, 7pm Eastern.
Turn out. Show up. Be there.
Posted via Solarbird{y|z|yz}, Collected.
Bundle of Holding: Coriolis Mercy of the Icons T
Jun. 12th, 2025 10:41 amjames_davis_nicoll
The corebook + the ICONS adventure trilogy from Free League.
Bundle of Holding: Coriolis Mercy of the Icons