As a lover of The Expanse, I recently picked up The Mercy of Gods by James S.A. Corey and ended up binging it in a day while waiting for work. Spoilers ahead.

The book is set on a world inhabited by two competing forms of life: carbon-based organisms introduced by humans around 4,000 years ago, and the native crystalline lifeforms. Just as a team of scientists makes a genetic breakthrough—enabling these very different life forms to coexist—they detect a gravity anomaly that functions as an “Outside Context Problem.”

Now, as a newly subjugated species, the scientists must prove to their new overlords that humanity still has something to offer to the vast, interconnected web of civilizations that make up the alien polity.

As a soft science fiction space opera, I really enjoyed the book. The Carryx, with their striking orange-and-blue morality, are fascinating, and humanity’s attempts to "humanize" them predictably fall flat. I do wish it had been longer—the 400 pages flew by—and the “

I had a plan in my head for a custom end table for quite a while, something made of local wood, a book shelf, and integrated wireless charger. This is the result.

Wood is arbutus wood, treated with tung oil just need to add a drawer. Plans are entirely unique, made in Civil3d. I took the raw wood, rough cut it, planed it, sanded and polished. It's as close to scratch as you can get.

I want to make my own bed, and have several example pictures. Where do people find plans for their furniture?

Really pissed off that we are fighting inflation, skimpflation and shrinkflation all at the same time.

Buying chocolate granola bars, only to realize after they only "chocolaty" instead really pissed me off!

heyo,

im trying to remember the name of a short story i read about three years ago online.

A girl was sent by her bible thumping parents in to an... AI controlled prison. the AI explains how this is permanent, but they are studying humans.

Its explained how the coffin sized room can simulate any situation, and over time she realizes that she can request drones be sent to real planets, and these drones can have humans forms. Each "prison cell" is either 1 cubic km, or 10 cubic km of support infrastructure to allow them to deliver the perfect VR experience.

Managed to refine my search terms a bit, and by using "AI prison" instead of "vr prison" found it!

https://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/sacrids-pod/

Anyone find the their e-reader struggles with the Secret Projects?

The epubs have these massive, beautiful drawings which my (1 year old) e-reader struggles with every time i reach the end of the chapter, and then because they are so large they are overly zoomed in.

i'm tempted to run them through something like Libre to see if i can compress the images down to something my ereader can handle.

The fact that this has been replicated is amazing!

My garage has an AC, which is never used (its so wasteful to heat and cool the room! prefer just to put on a fan) Thinking that if i install a unit like this, i can break this in to two separate 20 amps circuits for outlets, or use the AC if i feel the need. https://www.amazon.ca/Baomain-Universal.../dp/B08HWM7CMR/

Anyone do something similar?

I recently stumbled upon this list of scifi based on Invasive Species, and one that caught my eye was "The Pollinators of Eden" by John Boyd. Unfortunately, finding a physical copy was a challenge, so I opted for the online version on Open Library.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆

Boyd's novel takes readers on a thought-provoking adventure that blends the essence of the 1960s with a futuristic setting in the year 225x. The retro-futurism aspect adds a fun and nostalgic touch to the narrative, creating an interesting backdrop for the story to unfold.

However, one aspect that stands out is the unusual emphasis on sexuality throughout the book. The main character, Freda Caron, initially presents herself as a tight-laced, career-driven woman with an aversion to physical contact. However, her character undergoes a rather forced transformation, facilitated by