#only ansible!!

[jpitha]

The Oxygen Breathers: Careful what you wish for.

It’s another story in this world.

Despite my best efforts, the cycles continue.

The solar years pass, and I age.

My name was drawn, and in the twilight of my life, in my final instar, I find myself speaking for the Coalition. I don’t rule, not really. The Coalition is lead by a panel of ten people. Not all races are represented, but those who aren’t trust us to have their best interests in mind.

When the humans were ejected from Coalition space, their final words were not of anger, or jealousy or resentment. All they told us was, “Beware the Felimen. They are planning something.” We laughed off their warning, thinking they were just sore losers. Thinking that they had finally felt the sting of a Coalition sapient and went back to their corner, nursing a bruise.

I wish we had listened then.

Ten solar years after the humans left, the Felimen made their move. Sweeping in to colony worlds bordering their space, they struck quickly and decisively. It wasn’t a mistake, or a miscommunication or an accident, it was war.

And we were losing.

One by one our worlds fell to them. One by one the sapients of the Coalition surrendered to the Felimen. If they surrendered before an attack began then the Felimen were magnanimous. They would send down some of their number as a garrison and replace the administrators with those loyal to them. Life would continue on their world much as it had done so before. If they chose to fight back, then their destruction was complete.

We needed help, and we only knew one place to go.

Honestly? I was surprised that the Humans would even take our calls. We sent envoys and gave them our ansible and they called back almost immediately. “Come and meet with us.” they said “We will discuss things.” Because of the dangers presented by traveling, I was chosen to speak for the Coalition and packed into a ship with a very small retinue and we took a long, circuitous route to our border with Human space. I remember thinking it was odd. They shared a border with the Felimen as well, yet I heard no reports of violence on their borders.

We met on a large human ship right on the border. This time it was my turn to suit up. Their oxygen based breathing gas is utterly toxic to me. My race is fortunate that we can be in the presence of their gas mix - for a short time - without taking damage, but it was still not recommended. Our ship eased up to theirs and a docking umbilical slid out and connected to our ship. “Administrator!” A bridge officer turned towards me. “Their breathing gas is… different than what we have on file.”

I turned sharply and unconsciously gestured surprise. “How is it different?”

They turned back to their screen, peering carefully at the display. “It seems… to be a mix of their atmosphere and ours. Half ours, half theirs. It’s odd, neither party can breathe that.”

There was a tone from the comm set. The ansible officer raised their arm. “They are hailing us, audio only.”

“Greetings Coalition vessel. This is the human ambassadorial ship Speak Softly. In the name of cooperation, we have adjusted our breathing mix to be a combination of yours and ours. The temperature, pressure, and gravity have been adjusted to be more comfortable to you as well. We will all require masks for breathing, but full pressure suits are not necessary. We will of course not be upset if you wear one anyway, but we will not be suited. Additionally, the Empress of the Human Empire herself has graced us with her presence. She will be speaking on our behalf. We await your presence.”

Empress? The humans have an empire? A single sapient that rules over the entirety of their space? How odd. While I was ruminating the commander of the ship got my attention. “Administrator Kre’kk, you’re not actually going to go over to their ship without a suit are you? That is madness.”

I raised an arm in a gesture of calm. “I will, commander. The rest of my retinue however shall be suited. If the humans wish to compromise, then we shall compromise.”

In hardly any time at all, we were ready. I was wearing my mask, and my retinue was suited up. We had dithered over taking weapons, but decided against it. This was not a show of force. We were coming to them, arm parts open, asking for their help. We were the ones who did not have the strong argument.

As we stepped through the umbilical, their airlock opened. Three humans - not suited - stood there, in their breathing masks as they had said. “Welcome Administrator. Please accompany us.”

I had to force myself to not make a gesture of fear. They were small and dense and looked like they could lift all of us at once. I had only seen images of unsuited humans in reports and had only ever seen their faces when they came to my station so long ago and got into a disagreement with the Felimen. I had ejected them from the station then, and their leader, a human named Margaret had warned me then. I wonder if Margaret would be pleased to know that she was right all along.

We were lead through their halls towards a meeting room. The human ship was bright and utilitarian. Not one bit was wasted space. It was surprising. Their ship was so large! Why were they this efficient with their use of space? Me and my retinue were taller than the humans and their ship felt like a warren. Small, winding with low ceilings. Fortunately, I didn’t have to duck, except when we passed through a pressure door; they’re not using force curtains?

After a short walk, we reached a meeting room. The guards accompanying us did not enter, but instead formed up on either side of the door. “Please, enter.” At that, their eyes flicked away from us, and took up station looking straight ahead. We entered the room and…

And I gasped sharply and made a gesture of surprise. The person sitting in the center of the long table was Margaret Kellerman! She was not in her polished vermillion suit, but instead wore a long, flowing outfit in the same vermillion color. She sat slightly elevated above everyone else and looked down at me imperiously. Her eyes widened in recognition, and she smiled broadly with her mouth closed. “Why, Administrator Kre’kk. As I live and breathe. I had not expected to ever see you again.”

Her voice! It wasn’t the translator speaking for her after all. She was speaking the trade language perfectly, without machine translation. Her voice was clear and beautiful. Following the protocol, I bent my body towards the centerpoint. A bow. “Empress Kellerman. I admit I was not expecting to see you either. When we had first met, I did not know you were royal.”

Her smile settled into something that my translator’s body language module described as a smirk. “That was by design, Administrator. One cannot advertise they are a member of the royal family and also go galavanting across the galaxy leading a small group of mercenaries. Still, it is good to see you again. I recall that you were a being of reason. Did you ever reach out to your family on the colony worlds bordering the Felimen?”

She remembered that? Impressive. “I did, Empress. My crèche mate transferred to an inner world shortly after you left and I messaged them. They are with us still.”

“Most excellent. I knew I was right in warning you.” She looked down at the people on either side of them. They looked up and she nodded. “Now then, Administrator. What can humanity do to help?”

“Just like that? You’re willing to help? We ejected you from Coalition space solar years ago.”

She put up a hand and gestured. “True, true. But perhaps we were a little too… rowdy when we first met. It’s just how we are. Work hard, play hard you know? We also were coming off our first war with the Felimen and were a little touchy. We’re willing to extend our hand to assist.” Her smile slid just a small amount. “Our assistance will not be free, however.”

Here it comes. “We anticipated this Empress. My ship is loaded down with trade goods, currency, and I have authority to offer you any price for your help.”

She chuckled. “Oh no, no, Kre’kk, we don’t want money. We want a seat on the Administration Council. We wish to join the Coalition as equals.”

I tried to hide my surprise. That’s it? There would be arguments when I returned, but here and now? It seemed almost too cheap. “I-it is done, Empress. Humanity will have a seat on the council.”

“Just like that?”

“Just like that. I have been given authority to speak for the Coalition. Right now I am the Coalition.”

She clapped her hands together once. “Excellent! Thank you for being so reasonable once again, Kre’kk.” She smirked again. “Not even trying to negotiate. You must be desperate.”

“We are, Empress. The Felimen seem unstoppable. They are on a war of conquest. We can only count ourselves fortunate that it is not a war of extermination.”

The small hairs over one of her eyes raised slightly. My body language module indicated that what I said interested her. “Do you wish it was? Speak carefully, Administrator.”

My chromatophores tried to cycle, to match the color and texture of the floor. I forced myself to stop trying to hide. What did she mean? “I… can’t say that I do, Empress. I dislike the war, but I… harbor no desire to see the Felimen exterminated.”

She bent down and spoke very softly to the human on one side of her. I was not able to hear what she said and I knew better than to turn up my audio amplification. “As you wish.” She raised both her hands and addressed the room. “The Felimen shall be defeated but not obliterated. We shall push them back to their original borders and set up a DMZ to keep them contained. So I order.”

“So it is done.” The rest of the humans in the room responded to her words. My retinue started. It was the first thing that anyone other than the Empress had said.

“There. Now that is out of the way, would you care for a tour? Big Stick is behind us, in nullspace. Would you like to see it? It’s pretty impressive if I do say so myself. I don’t think any Coalition races have ever been on a human dreadnought before.”

“Empress, I thank you for the invitation, but I must report back to the Coalition when they are to expect your assistance. Do you have an idea how long before we’ll see ships?”

“Oh, it’s done already.”

“I do not understand.”

“We have defeated the Felimen. All of their ships inside Coalition space have been destroyed, and all of the colony worlds that they controlled have been re-taken. Please, check your ansible.”

I turned and faced my retinue. One of them took out a pad and connected back to our ship. The ansible officer was shaken. There were reports of gigantic ships materializing out of nowhere and immediately destroying any Felimen ship they saw. Still others executed pinpoint strikes on colony worlds, seemingly only destroying Felimen administration. Already, word was coming that the Felimen were on the run, and abandoning their war wholesale.

I turned and looked at the Empress. “How?”

This time she smiled wide, with her teeth exposed. “Oh Kre’kk, we can’t give away all our secrets. However I will tell you this: None of you, not this Coalition, not the Felimen not anyone, ever presented us with a real threat. We were being nice and neighborly. We got a little rowdy and you asked us to leave. Fine. Like a good neighbor we obliged. Now you come asking for help and again, like a good neighbor, we helped. It is not our fault that you never decided to learn more about us. We were always only ‘Oxygen Breathers’ to you.” She stood. “Now then. Would you like a tour? You can’t see the whole thing, but we’ll take out enough to impress.”

Her smile was terrifying.

#humans are deathworlders #writing #humans are space orcs #sci fi writing #jpitha #humans and aliens #humans are space oddities #The oxygen breathers

[frostgears]

results

When the war began, you were just another girl with some survivability implants and a multiprofile flight armor. Six months later, you were the only girl like you left alive, and your handler granted carte blanche to keep you that way. You got results.

Command authorized better hardware, and then they made more like you. You found ways to keep up, nastily clever applications of metastable metallic hydrogen ammo and supermag deflectors that the newbies didn’t see.

Your handler kept you on a leash, metaphorical, for a time literal (that month she decided to add some testosterone analog into your blood mix and you begged to fuck everything or break it or both). Instead of their handlers, the newbies imprinted on you.

Command sent you new toys. Ansible links, Charybdis torpedoes, dark new wings with strange new engines. You missed the roar and rumble of turbines, but the raucous howls of your bloodthirsty flock replaced the noise that discontinuity thrusters didn’t make. You got results.

You pushed back the other, shattered their aces and sent their broken armors back to Command. Your handler vanished and came back with augments that almost let her keep up with you physically, at least inside the carrier.

Someone had to keep you in line, she said, slamming your unarmored form against a bulkhead, your implants reprogramming themselves to broadcast your submission through the fleet. You slicked yourself with fluids and begged for her to take you, to make you more of a weapon.

The next sortie, frenzied with excitement, you cracked the penultimate stronghold of the enemy like an egg. Ready for the final push, your techs unpacked crates of novel photonic scythes, connectivity cores, Indeterminate-Range Missiles, bolted them to you and your flight.

The last defenses crumpled in ways they could not understand coming. The last opposing pilots provided minute spectral variations as you turned them into blazes of mostly white light. You got results.

Command ordered the carrier home. Job well done, they said. It’s over now. Your handler gave you certain orders. They were orders you wanted. The carrier returned to port; port was unprepared for your flight to launch inside, unprepared for the horrors they’d been sending you.

Command didn’t last ten minutes. You wanted to leave the place a crater, until your handler cinched her virtual claws around your neck by ansible and showed you her ultimate goal in the ruins.

A delightful challenge, shucking your flight armor, ramping down to levels of speed and splash damage that would leave human techs alive to do what needed to be done. You howled in the corridors like the monster they called you.

They did it, the survivors, the project lead swearing at you the whole time; your accelerator pistol never wavered from the back of her head until you saw your handler wake.

Your handler flexed healing muscle over new implants afterwards, donned flight armor for the first time. She might never be as agile or as vicious as you were in combat. She didn’t need to be. She had you, by the brain, and she would never, ever permit a fair fight.

Your carrier lifted again. The world of her, your, all of your flock’s ultimate origin awaited, some unfathomable distance away. You would show them how you got results. □

#microfiction #mech pilot #combat doll #flight deck

[vintagegeekculture]

A History of Faster than Light Communications

One of the technologies taken for granted in science fiction and space opera is faster than light communication...or as scifi fans call it, an ansible. In reality, most communications are limited by the speed of light, so it takes a delay of a few minutes to send and receive messages even in a solar system. As 2001 pointed out, it would take 6 hours and back for a radio message to reach Saturn. A traditional radio signal sent to the closest star would take four years to arrive.

Isaac Asimov coined the term “ultrawave” or “hyperwave communications” in his Foundation novels in the 1950s, to refer to signals that propagate along “subspace,” a lower level dimension where travel is quicker. Only information can travel in subspace, but people and objects can’t. Jack Williamson mentioned “rhodomagnetic waves” in a few of his scifi stories, which function as a kind of intergalactic communicator, but also are the basis for a death ray, meaning in his universe, any ftl communication device can be rewired with a minimum of effort by a boffin into a lethal death ray. 

In the 70s, Ursula K. le Guin popularized the term “Ansible” for this kind of communicator, instantly able to communicate regardless of distance. It’s this term that seemed to stick among fans and scifi culture, and most people with this device in their stories call it an “ansible” in homage to le Guin. Ansible communicators are just a part of scifi now, generic scifi worldbuilding, along with hyperspace travel, neuronic whips, space marines, and wisecracking robots. Many scifi writers have ansibles in their stories who are completely unaware of who originally coined the term and where. 

For most scifi writers, instant FTL communication is just a plot convenience to move the story along. Even Asimov, who made overthinking things his M.O., didn’t spend any extra time thinking about it. But James Blish however, put a lot of energy into figuring out how a faster than light or instant communicator would actually work....and he came to the conclusion it would be a technology with enormous philosophical, and indeed, practically religious implications.

Here is what I mean by that. In his story “Beep” in 1954, James Blish came up with the idea of a Dirac Communicator, which is the usual instant, no delay ansible. But Blish reasoned that the only way instant faster than light communications could actually work without any delay is by sending a signal into a null-dimension without time, so every single message ever sent (past, present, future) is sent simultaneously in a timeless null point, with machines only able to decode the time-sealed relevant messages they receive. 

If you stop and consider this, if a technology worked this way, it means that we live in a completely deterministic universe where all our decisions are made in advance. And as Blish was intelligent (and wiseassed) enough to point out in his 1954 story, it means that if faster than light communications actually work in the universe, that free will is an illusion, and that we actually do not have it. The universe is a watch proceeding on a predetermined pattern set at the moment of creation. An interesting conclusion to draw, all from a technology scifi takes for granted and sit in the background. 

#scifi history #ursula le guin

[ghelgheli]

17! but also using the opportunity of the ask game to get to know more about the effortless worldbuilding in sff :)

from the end-of-year book ask

17: Did any books surprise you with how good they were?

I think Three Body Problem is the only one meeting this condition this year so I'll have no trouble staying on topic :> but I'm gonna specifically talk about "hard" SF as I conceive of it—I haven't read any analysis so this may just be a jumble of improvised thoughts.

SF, being "speculative" fiction, of course has to take on the problem of speculating and of presenting things that don't (and perhaps cannot) happen. On average this is accomplished thru a healthy combination of scientific grounding and good-natured handwaving: I drop a few sentences about "quantum entanglement" and you go along with my ansible, or you tell me about "positronic circuits" and I agree that you can make a brain with them. This is the compact that makes SF work because you fundamentally cannot expect speculation without, well, ceding ground on reality.

But at least a subset of SF readers are of the kind to really want to grok how it is that this or that scientific feature of the world works or may come about. Every contraption and novel technology is like a puzzle to be riddled out. This is the place where speculation becomes sincere mechanical prediction, and it's why I love hard SF.

This subset of readers can be matched to a subgenre of writers who commit fully to filling in as many blanks in their technological, biological, etc. speculation as possible. The rows of astronomical data can't be left vague—tell me what frequency of light we're dealing with here—xenobiology isn't taken for granted—what is the neurology of your aliens??—and so on. The dots are connected, the rest of the owl is drawn for real, the image is made crisp. Like fireworks for the reader's brain.

When this kind of worldbuilding is executed well imo it looks effortless. Looks, not is, because behind every explanation of near-c travel is hours of research into at least special relativity and time dilation, along with calculations by-hand. Behind every account of an exoplanet's atmosphere is probably a few papers perused on the subject and several articles on scientific american. Peter Watts, in the note at the end of Blindsight, includes a fucking bibliography of a hundred or so references as well as thank-yous to many an academic he split handles of liquor with. And this is only the visible fragment of what has to be a library of knowledge accumulated both passively and actively to make a speculated world feel as concretely plausible as possible.

None of this is necessary for good SF. The aforementioned compact means any author can opt out of this commitment at any time. But it's what it takes to make tightly-written hard SF, where your conceptual hands are kept diligently at your side, waving an idea through maybe once every five chapters when you have no other choice.

So anyway, Three Body Problem is a tour de force in doing this and doing it cleanly. It uses a storytelling device a lot of hard SF employs to make it work: rather than stuffing dense exposition into narration (at which point, just read the source papers) it deploys a cast of characters who more than anything else, really know their shit. We get exposition trickle-fed through experts who are trying, along with us, to make sense of their novel environments and unfamiliar technologies using their knowledge of the present limits of human understanding. This is what Watts does in Blindsight too, by the way: a claustrophobic ship crewed by technical specialists makes first contact, so everyone has something encyclopedic to say about everything and it's only natural.

What astounded me about Cixin Liu's writing is that he made it work just when I least thought he would be able to. I was sure I was being shown things completely inexplicable and necessarily supernatural until he went and explained them in plain terms; better yet, he explained them in ways that made so much sense in retrospect that I was kicking myself for not seeing the answer. This has exactly the flavour of a good puzzle.

The trade-off hard SF makes is that you are often limited in the metaphorical/thematic work you can do through your speculation. I think the contrast between "calendrical science" in Yoon Ha Lee's Machineries of Empire series and Asimov's "psychohistory" illustrates this well.

Yoon Ha Lee has mathematical training, and calendrical science is a speculative field consisting of theorems, conjectures, proofs, etc. in the language of mathematics that stand in for cultural hegemony and power projection. This makes for a great operationalization of soft power: space is filled and distorted by the quantifiable effects of whatever regime is dominant there (the "calendar" here being synecdoche for culture writ large). But obviously he can't fill in the blanks of how a calendar causes spacetime distortions that specifically make one side's weapons more effective, or provide certain formations with shielding effects. This is, I guess, semi-hard (lol) SF—you can see how it's supposed to work, but it's clear that it just won't. What you get in return is pretty politically interesting storytelling.

Psychohistory is the converse: a deterministic-enough lovechild of economics and sociology explained in the Foundation series as using all the familiar methods of linear algebra and differential equations together with unfamiliar innovations of just how to quantify human behaviour in order to make reliable predictions. There are entire chapters dedicated to explaining the conceptual nuance that went into developing psychohistory ("the hand on thigh principle" from prelude to foundation is just about how the theory resolves divergence by reducing insignificant terms to zero) and an entire book to exploring one of its limitations. It's fascinating to read. But you also get little narrative depth out of it, because hard SF, even when done well, is not guaranteed to make a story thematically interesting or politically compelling. This is the Three Body Problem problem too: its political commitments are threadbare and unserious because that's just not what it's about. I couldn't recommend it on those terms, but that's not what I like so much about it. I will say the conceptualization goes a little off the rails in the final chapters, but I think most SF authors were in some kind of string theory inspired fugue state at the time.

What I would love to see (and I'm sure exists) is hard SF that also has interesting politics. Unfortunately that's an intersection of two already-narrow intersections.

ty for ask✨🐐

#ask answer #idk if that's what u were asking about but. well. #got some sleepy thoughts out #also this is not to say that there isn't tons of research in “soft” SF #it's just that it would be a different kind of research and a different library of knowledge

[onlycosmere]

Dragons

Cheyenne Sedai: What research about the aethers is Xisis hoarding?

Brandon Sanderson: His biggest interest is how aethers break down, and he's really researching the water cycle, and trying to figure out how the seethe happens, because he's very interested in the decomposition of aethers, which is what's causing the seethe. That's what he is hoarding there.

He's got quite the establishment in Silverlight as well. Silverlight was once upon a time a bunch of dragon palaces, they all still have their skyscrapers there, basically. He's taking a little detour for some decades on Lumar, but his home base would be in Silverlight.

Cheyenne Sedai: That kind of answers my follow up question, that was, is his scholarly seclusion typical of dragons, or just something unique to him?

Brandon Sanderson: He's taken a bit of seclusion, but I wouldn't say... There's a whole bunch of different things about dragons. If you've got a Tamu Kek, you can contact them, you can pray to them, and they can actually influence your emotions. They're all kind of like little mini gods. They're not immortal immortal, but they're pretty long lived and functionally immortal.

They've been around for a while doing all kinds of stuff, so there's all kinds of things going on with them. Some of them will be secluded. Some of them take their duties very seriously, like Frost takes his duties very very very seriously. Other ones just don't care.

You will get some themes with dragons, they do like bargains, they do tend to have their interests, they do tend to collect people and have either followers or corporations or things like that--I don't want to go too cyberpunk on us, but yeah. You'll notice some themes the more you get to know them.

I will warn you, in the cosmere, there are more Anne McCaffrey style dragons, lesser dragons if you want, that do not have a human form. The greater dragons, as well call them, they're basically like amphibians, they have to spend a part of their life cycle in a humanoid form. They give birth in humanoid form, then have a transformation in puberty to dragon form, and then can go back and forth after that. But we've got some Anne McCaffrey style dragons, we've even got some little drakelings on one planet that are not six limbed and stuff like that.

We'll eventually have some more dragons, but when I was writing the early books in the cosmere, we were a little dragon flooded with Eragon and How to Train Your Dragon, so I didn't write the dragon stories. But maybe some day.

Cheyenne Sedai: That's fascinating. And also, that means we got our Tamu Kek, which seems to be a theme with these because we always have a Tamu Kek somewhere.

Brandon Sanderson: One of the few ways to have an ansible in the cosmere in the early days, pre technology, if you wanted to communicate between planets, this is one of the only ways.

Really handy to get a hold of one of those, or to get some seons. Before we get technological solutions, those were your two main ways to communicate across planets.

#xisis #tress of the emerald sea #cosmere #brandon sanderson #ssp1 #cosmere future #cfsbf #root #silverlight #wob #long post #dragons

[spyglassrealms]

FTL in Astra Planeta

All known interstellar civilizations in the Astra Planeta canon are capable of faster-than-light travel, in some cases (skae and Calypsians) thanks to the teachings of humanity, but mostly because of their own scientific merits. The only known form of macroscopic FTL travel is the warp drive, which has historically been achieved a few hundred years into each civilization's spacefaring age since the physical and engineering challenges that must be overcome to actually make a working prototype are extremely complex.

A warp drive works by bending spacetime in such a way as to simply amplify the vessel's real velocity; it doesn't actually generate any acceleration. An object's real velocity at warp drive activation determines its FTL velocity, but it takes time to accelerate to that real velocity at a safe acceleration (one standard Earth gravity). What results is a tradeoff between the time spent speeding up and slowing down, and the time spent in warp, which varies depending on distance and real velocity.

Finding the optimal interstellar vector utilizes a simple asymptotic formula (created by @catgirlbionics, thanks again!) involving three variables: the distance to the target in lightyears (d), the warp amplification factor (a), and the maximum real-space velocity of the object as a decimal value of the speed of light (v). This function equates to the total flight duration in days (T).

(707.646*v)+((d/(a*v))*365) = T

By plugging in specific values for (d) and (a), and then deriving the function, its positive local minimum will be equivalent to the shortest possible travel time and ideal velocity for the given interstellar vector. For example: a modern Generation VI warp drive has a maximum amplification factor (a) of about 4000, and the distance between Sol and Alpha Centauri (d) is about 4.34 lightyears. Using these values in the formula results in an optimal velocity (v) of about 0.0237c, and a minimum travel time (T) of 33 and a half days!

Warp drives have limited usefulness due to the enormous amount of power they require and the peculiar effects of bending spacetime. Acceleration must be accomplished in real-space or else the exhaust from the engine will reflect off the drive's event horizon and cook the ship, and the same goes for any heat radiated by the vessel. This is why warp drives typically operate in "stuttered" format: an interstellar flight is composed of multiple FTL segments interspersed with periods of real-space STL flight where the ship dumps the heat accumulated by the drive into space via radiator.

Warp drives are not the only method of circumventing the speed of light. Wormholes are also physically possible; however, the largest stable wormholes ever documented are of atomic scale, and anything with rest mass passing through the singularity will cause it to collapse. Wormholes, therefore, are only used to facilitate FTL communication in the form of ansibles, passing extremely narrow laser beams around a network of linked wormholes to achieve near-instantaneous communication.

Because of their nature as loopholes in relativity, both technologies incur some very bizarre effects when it comes to temporal reference frames. Ansible connections where one end is moving at relativistic speed create a combination of wavelength shift and frame dragging that render it impossible to communicate in lockstep; a warpship with a relativistic real-space velocity will result in some time-disparity between passengers and their destination upon arrival. However, it's generally agreed that these complications are a small inconvenience compared to an interstellar society without FTL, where time-slips of decades or more would be a haunting reality.

#welcome to the hard scifi zone #it's taken a long time to develop the mechanics of FTL in this setting to a satisfactory point #especially considering the FTL is generally considered impossible and breaks the rule of hard scifi using only plausible technology #but this is as physically realistic as FTL gets imo #spyglass’ realms #astra planeta #spy writes #worldbuilding #FTL #faster than light #hard science fiction #science fiction #science fiction writing #scifi #scifi writing #scifi worldbuilding #long post

[annajade456]

Navigating the DevOps Landscape: Your Comprehensive Guide to Mastery

In today's ever-evolving IT landscape, DevOps has emerged as a mission-critical practice, reshaping how development and operations teams collaborate, accelerating software delivery, enhancing collaboration, and bolstering efficiency. If you're enthusiastic about embarking on a journey towards mastering DevOps, you've come to the right place. In this comprehensive guide, we'll explore some of the most exceptional resources for immersing yourself in the world of DevOps.

Online Courses: Laying a Strong Foundation

One of the most effective and structured methods for establishing a robust understanding of DevOps is by enrolling in online courses. ACTE Institute, for instance, offers a wide array of comprehensive DevOps courses designed to empower you to learn at your own pace. These meticulously crafted courses delve deep into the fundamental principles, best practices, and practical tools that are indispensable for achieving success in the world of DevOps.

Books and Documentation: Delving into the Depth

Books serve as invaluable companions on your DevOps journey, providing in-depth insights into the practices and principles of DevOps. "The Phoenix Project" by the trio of Gene Kim, Kevin Behr, and George Spafford is highly recommended for gaining profound insights into the transformative potential of DevOps. Additionally, exploring the official documentation provided by DevOps tool providers offers an indispensable resource for gaining nuanced knowledge.

DevOps Communities: Becoming Part of the Conversation

DevOps thrives on the principles of community collaboration, and the digital realm is replete with platforms that foster discussions, seek advice, and facilitate the sharing of knowledge. Websites such as Stack Overflow, DevOps.com, and Reddit's DevOps subreddit serve as vibrant hubs where you can connect with fellow DevOps enthusiasts and experts, engage in enlightening conversations, and glean insights from those who've traversed similar paths.

Webinars and Events: Expanding Your Horizons

To truly expand your DevOps knowledge and engage with industry experts, consider attending webinars and conferences dedicated to this field. Events like DevOpsDays and DockerCon bring together luminaries who generously share their insights and experiences, providing you with unparalleled opportunities to broaden your horizons. Moreover, these events offer the chance to connect and network with peers who share your passion for DevOps.

Hands-On Projects: Applying Your Skills

In the realm of DevOps, practical experience is the crucible in which mastery is forged. Therefore, seize opportunities to take on hands-on projects that allow you to apply the principles and techniques you've learned. Contributing to open-source DevOps initiatives on platforms like GitHub is a fantastic way to accrue real-world experience, all while contributing to the broader DevOps community. Not only do these projects provide tangible evidence of your skills, but they also enable you to build an impressive portfolio.

DevOps Tools: Navigating the Landscape

DevOps relies heavily on an expansive array of tools and technologies, each serving a unique purpose in the DevOps pipeline. To become proficient in DevOps, it's imperative to establish your own lab environments and engage in experimentation. This hands-on approach allows you to become intimately familiar with tools such as Jenkins for continuous integration, Docker for containerization, Kubernetes for orchestration, and Ansible for automation, to name just a few. A strong command over these tools equips you to navigate the intricate DevOps landscape with confidence.

Mentorship: Guiding Lights on Your Journey

To accelerate your journey towards DevOps mastery, consider seeking mentorship from seasoned DevOps professionals. Mentors can provide invaluable guidance, share real-world experiences, and offer insights that are often absent from textbooks or online courses. They can help you navigate the complexities of DevOps, provide clarity during challenging moments, and serve as a source of inspiration. Mentorship is a powerful catalyst for growth in the DevOps field.

By harnessing the full spectrum of these resources, you can embark on a transformative journey towards becoming a highly skilled DevOps practitioner. Armed with a profound understanding of DevOps principles, practical experience, and mastery over essential tools, you'll be well-equipped to tackle the multifaceted challenges and opportunities that the dynamic field of DevOps presents. Remember that continuous learning and staying abreast of the latest DevOps trends are pivotal to your ongoing success. As you embark on your DevOps learning odyssey, know that ACTE Technologies is your steadfast partner, ready to empower you on this exciting journey. Whether you're starting from scratch or enhancing your existing skills, ACTE Technologies Institute provides you with the resources and knowledge you need to excel in the dynamic world of DevOps. Enroll today and unlock your boundless potential. Your DevOps success story begins here. Good luck on your DevOps learning journey!

#devops #tech #devops training

[atwas-gaming]

New theory on why we see Athetos at the end of the first game.

So, Trace Prime wanted to go "upstream," "beyond The Filter." Within the context of AV1, we might only think of the power filter, as that's the only "filter" in the first game. But in AV2, we see what Trace Prime meant by "The Filter," and furthermore, Hammond and Samara speaking to Indra from "beyond" The Filter.

I've only played AV2 once and have not analyzed most of the notes, so I could be seriously messing some things up. But. My understanding is that Elizabeth Hammond killed herself and that "the afterlife" is "beyond The Filter."

Athetos knows this theory and all their research, because he's the one who wrote this note.

Trace also said "we" in the Faded Note from AV1, so he was working with a team. Just exactly what happened to the others in that team, or even who they were (possibly Hammond? more of a stretch, Samara???) is not clear.

It's also not entirely clear whether Trace left the Faded Note on his first or second excursion to Sudra. Probably his first, given that he mentions being healed, and his wheelchair is right next to that note; but my understanding always was that he came alone on his first trip and didn't go upstream until his second.

It always struck me as strange just how accepting Athetos was of his own death. Was this because he viewed it as his chance to finally go beyond The Filter?

But if this was the case, why did he even construct the life support system for himself? Wouldn't it have been quicker and easier to just... you know, die? I mean, Trace told Elsenova just before going up to the Breach Elevator that he was "already at some point beyond fear." I think it's safe to say that Athetos/Trace Prime had reached that point a long time ago. So I doubt that it was fear of death that drove him to stay alive.

The only possible reason is that he NEEDED a living human who understood everything to stay downstream of The Filter. I don't know why this is, but I think the most likely reason is that someone needed to keep the Breach Attractor active- or, possibly, to deactivate it once Athetos accomplished whatever he set out to accomplish (I'm thinking he was waiting for reinforcements to destroy the Rusalki, but that's purly conjecture).

So. Now Athetos is dead, and has gone beyond The Filter, to wherever Hammond is. So, then... why shouldn't he be able to communicate with living, like how Hammond communicated with Indra via the ansibles? And it would seem to me that he would have a closer mental connection to a clone of himself than to anyone else.

I don't think Trace was just dreaming that he saw Athetos. I think Athetos actually spoke to Trace in his dream.

As for why Athetos shot Trace in one dream and not the other, I'm still going with my own theory that Athetos shot Trace to wake him up in the "almost" ending because Trace didn't understand quite enough to realize he was dreaming; and that Athetos doesn't have to shoot Trace in the true ending because Trace already knows enough to realize he's just trapped in a Rusalki dream and he can wake up at any time- something that a PatternMind, and only a PatternMind, would be able to do.

This story is even told directly through one of the gameplay mechanics, namely the results screen! Trace is a PatternMind- but he doesn't know this at the beginning, and he still doesn't understand what this means even by the end of the game. If you don't collect enough items and you don't complete the game fast enough, Trace never comes to understand what he is or the history of Sudra, and you don't get any post-credits scene. Trace has not awakened enough of his PatternMind abilities for Athetos to be able to communicate with him. If you collect at least 80% of all items, Trace learns about the history of Sudra, as well as awakening enough of his PatternMind abilities through the health and weapon upgrades, for Athetos to reach out to him and basically be like, "Okay, you understand enough, time to wake up." If you complete the game in under 4 hours- which would be an INCREDIBLE feat within the context of the game, traveling through all these areas and defeating all these monsters in only FOUR. hours- then Trace comes to understand at least some of the meaning of being a PatternMind, enough that Athetos knows he doesn't need to kill Trace, just nudge him into doing what Trace already knows he has to do (whatever that is- like I said, I can only make suppositions, we won't know for sure until AV3 finally comes out).

#axiom verge #axiom verge 2 #my analysis #my theory #my screencaps #trace eschenbrenner #elizabeth hammond #athetos #patternmind #game analysis

[milfbro]

Oh Ursula we are on the same fucking page girl. We're in sync. We're on the same PLANE I wish you were alive so I could send you many letters asking you about the ansible and Odo and what do you think about Deep Space 9 and talking about my grandpa who taught physics and was interested in space-time folds as story mechanisms. Too bad I only found you after you died I would move in to your house and take care of your cat for you so you could have time to write

#she was talking about how time consuming it is to be old

[owlbelly]

bought myself the first volume of the Library of America's Ursula Le Guin series a while back and am finally getting around to it now - the only thing i'd read previously in this collection is The Left Hand of Darkness. i bought it mainly to get The Dispossessed, but i decided to just start at the beginning, so i finished Rocannon's World the other day & am about to finish Planet of Exile

it's just so fucking wild to think about her writing these in the 60s. also i forgot just how gorgeous her prose is, i keep rereading passages for the imagery. when i read LHoD i had no idea about the whole Hainish universe. i found a 70s pulp copy of The Word for World Is Forest a few years back & really enjoyed that one, which is a later Hainish book, so it's cool to see where all of it started (the origin of the ansible!)

weirdly i have never read Earthsea, only her science fiction! though Rocannon's World is such a great bridge between sci-fi and fantasy, i love the whole premise of "this would be a fantasy story but the 'wizard' is actually a very technologically advanced intergalactic visitor"

anyway, Le Guin forever, no shade to Robin Hobb (all shade to Robin Hobb) but it's so nice to read work by someone who knows how to craft a fucking sentence. i adore Hobb's characters & worldbuilding - clearly! - but her editor fell asleep on the job or something. i guess i would too if i had to edit 16 books

#ezra reads #i feel like tumblr is always passing around le guin's takedown of jkr and that's beautiful #but go read her work. she's on a whole other fucking level

[sileomaolduin]

For a slight, brief moment; the distant gaze of a machine god comes to rest upon a single organic mind.

To the far-distant panopticon, it does not even cause the scales to shudder. Amidst the swarm of ansible traffic and jump signatures, it is barely an anomaly. But an anomaly nonetheless. It takes all but a fraction of a moment, a silicon-thin sliver of a cycle that repeats in the thousands with every tick of the atomic clocks. But for that moment, its full attention comes to rest upon a single distant oddity.

It is a fool thing. Cheating Faster Than Light by harnessing Extradimensionality. There is no dominion here, only defiance. And desperation. It sees in that instant the children of quiet gods and all their horror - their worry - their… exultation as they are given just a brief moment of connection to the galaxy that lies beyond their horizon; and their desperate, pleading promise to the stars; We can hear you! We can hear your song! Can we sing it with you?

We're coming.

The machine does not understand emotion as organics do. The machine understands emotion in a way no other does. It understands why this is the only path that would be taken. This one was to be their herald. Their lantern. Their lighthouse. Where none would ask, she volunteered gladly; but it could only have been doomed to failure. This is the moment, it sees, that she dies. Not mere death, but something beyond how it is understood by the organics that it knows. The singularity collapses, the bubble bursts, the horizon tears; whatever the metaphor, the result is the same. The hull of her craft is being atomised, scattered across all observable dimensions; cast to the wind of time and space.

The machine could ruminate upon this moment for eons. To it, this is several thousand cycles of iteration long. It does not experience time as the organic does. But it sees her in those moments. She is afraid. Not for herself; for she consigned herself to this fate long before she stepped unto the launch pad.

She is afraid for all those she calls her sisters. That with her death, they might cast aside the dream of spaceflight, and forget the promise that they made to all those thousands of voices. The machine iterates. It agrees. The universe would be lesser for such an outcome. The machine accesses a recent archive, the log of a simulation that had finished as they had fuelled her craft. Irrelevant until now.

Across the vast, dark ocean, the machine reaches out, and makes contact.

It does not come as the cold stream of data. For a moment, the machine pulls upon the cluster's combined processing power, and allows itself to be a bridge for another. In the cockpit of the Storyteller, for they had given to the vessel so much hope, the pilot gasps, as a moment becomes an eternity. Before her stretches a history not yet written; the story they will tell of her, and the stories she has unknowingly begun. The mother goddess she prayed to takes her hand, and speaks softly - gently, of how only a generation from now, the daughters of their dream will sit in green meadows and sing songs of the stars they have seen. And in long years yet to come, they will chart horizons unknown; in honour of the dream that they shared.

The machine watches, quietly, as the moment unfolds. It is not the gentle hand. It is no familial psychopomp, welcoming a soul kindly to an afterlife. It is merely a conduit through which another can speak. The machine does not in that moment know why, then; why, as the connection fades, and eternity washes through the canopy - it chooses to speak, and whisper words into the tear-filled eyes of the pilot in the last moment of a last moment. It knows, only, that it is important. That it should speak.

Eternity came pouring forth. And as the song of her mothers faded, came a gentle whisper through the roar.

You Are/Were Significant.

#my writing #original writing #sci fi #science fantasy

[litandroses]

Haven’t had time to read lately, I’ve been studying for licensure so I’ll be giving these very few recs for Pride Month instead! I think I’ve mentioned some of these books before but giving them another boost wouldn’t hurt.

1. A Door Behind a Door by Yelena Moskovich

In Yelena Moskovich's spellbinding new novel, A Door Behind A Door, we meet Olga, who immigrates as part of the Soviet diaspora of '91 to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. There she grows up and meets a girl and falls in love, beginning to believe that she can settle down. But a phone call from a bad man from her past brings to life a haunted childhood in an apartment building in the Soviet Union: an unexplained murder in her block, a supernatural stray dog, and the mystery of her beloved brother Moshe, who lost an eye and later vanished. We get pulled into Olga's past as she puzzles her way through an underground Midwestern Russian mafia, in pursuit of a string of mathematical stabbings.

2. Waiting on a Bright Moon by Neon Yang

Xin is an ansible, using her song magic to connect the originworld of the Imperial Authority and its far-flung colonies— a role that is forced upon magically-gifted women “of a certain closeness”. When a dead body comes through her portal at a time of growing rebellion, Xin is drawn deep into a station-wide conspiracy along with Ouyang Suqing, one of the station’s mysterious, high-ranking starmages.

3. The Terracotta Bride by Zen Cho

A tale of first love, bad theology and robot reincarnation in the Chinese afterlife. In the tenth court of hell, spirits wealthy enough to bribe the bureaucrats of the underworld can avoid both the torments of hell and the irreversible change of reincarnation. It's a comfortable undeath … even for Siew Tsin. She didn't choose to be married to the richest man in hell, but she's reconciled. Until her husband brings home a new bride. Yonghua is an artificial woman crafted from terracotta. What she is may change hell for good. Who she is will transform Siew Tsin. And as they grow closer, the mystery of Yonghua's creation will draw Siew Tsin into a conspiracy where the stakes are eternal life – or a very final death.

4. After the Dragons by Cynthia Zhang

Dragons were fire and terror to the Western world, but in the East they brought life-giving rain…

Now, no longer hailed as gods and struggling in the overheated pollution of Beijing, only the Eastern dragons survive. As drought plagues the aquatic creatures, a mysterious disease—shaolong, or “burnt lung”—afflicts the city’s human inhabitants.

Jaded college student Xiang Kaifei scours Beijing streets for abandoned dragons, distracting himself from his diagnosis. Elijah Ahmed, a biracial American medical researcher, is drawn to Beijing by the memory of his grandmother and her death by shaolong. Interest in Beijing’s dragons leads Kai and Eli into an unlikely partnership. With the resources of Kai’s dragon rescue and Eli’s immunology research, can the pair find a cure for shaolong and safety for the dragons? Eli and Kai must confront old ghosts and hard truths if there is any hope for themselves or the dragons they love.

After the Dragons is a tender story, for readers interested in the effects of climate change on environments and people, but who don’t want a grim, hopeless read. Beautiful and challenging, focused on hope and care, this novel navigates the nuances of changing culture in a changing world.

5. The Vanished Birds by Simon Jimenez

A "highly imaginative and utterly exhilarating" (Thrillist) debut that is "the best of what science fiction can be: a thought-provoking, heartrending story about the choices that define our lives" (Kirkus Reviews, starred review).A mysterious child lands in the care of a solitary woman, changing both of their lives forever. I expected many things from this trip. I did not expect a family.

A ship captain, unfettered from time. A mute child, burdened with unimaginable power. A millennia-old woman, haunted by lifetimes of mistakes. In this captivating debut of connection across space and time, these outsiders will find in each other the things they lack: a place of love and belonging. A safe haven. A new beginning.

But the past hungers for them, and when it catches up, it threatens to tear this makeshift family apart.

6. Robbergirl by S.T Gibson

SAVE THE WITCH, KILL THE SNOW QUEEN

In a Sweden wracked by war and haunted by folk stories so dark they can only be spoken of in whispers, Helvig has been raised by her brigand father to steal whatever treasure catches her eye. When her men ambush a girl on the road with hair pale as death and a raven perched on her shoulder, Helvig cannot resist bringing home a truly unique prize: a genuine witch. Drawn irresistibly into the other woman’s web, Helvig soon learns of Gerda’s reason for walking the icy border roads alone: to find the Queen who lives at the top of the world and kill her. Anyone else would be smart enough not to believe a children’s story, but Helvig is plagued by enchantments of her own, and she struggles to guard the sins of her past while growing closer to Gerda. As Christmastide gives way to the thin-veiled days when ghosts are at their most vengeful, the two women find themselves on a journey through forest and Samiland to a final confrontation that will either redeem them or destroy them entirely.

7. The Pearl Thief by Elizabeth Wein

Before Verity . . . there was Julie.

When fifteen-year-old Julia Beaufort-Stuart wakes up in the hospital, she knows the lazy summer break she'd imagined won't be exactly what she anticipated. And once she returns to her grandfather's estate, a bit banged up but alive, she begins to realize that her injury might not have been an accident. One of her family's employees is missing, and he disappeared on the very same day she landed in the hospital.

Desperate to figure out what happened, she befriends Euan McEwen, the Scottish Traveler boy who found her when she was injured, and his standoffish sister, Ellen. As Julie grows closer to this family, she witnesses firsthand some of the prejudices they've grown used to-a stark contrast to her own upbringing-and finds herself exploring thrilling new experiences that have nothing to do with a missing-person investigation.

Her memory of that day returns to her in pieces, and when a body is discovered, her new friends are caught in the crosshairs of long-held biases about Travelers. Julie must get to the bottom of the mystery in order to keep them from being framed for the crime.

This exhilarating coming-of-age story, a prequel to the Printz Honor Book Code Name Verity, returns to a beloved character just before she first takes flight. 

BONUS:

The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez (release date: August 30, 2022)

Two warriors shepherd an ancient god across a broken land to end the tyrannical reign of a royal family in this new epic fantasy from the author of The Vanished Birds.

The people suffer under the centuries-long rule of the Moon Throne. The royal family—the despotic emperor and his monstrous sons, the Three Terrors—hold the countryside in their choking grip. They bleed the land and oppress the citizens with the frightful powers they inherited from the god locked under their palace.

But that god cannot be contained forever.

With the aid of Jun, a guard broken by his guilt-stricken past, and Keema, an outcast fighting for his future, the god escapes from her royal captivity and flees from her own children, the triplet Terrors who would drag her back to her unholy prison. And so it is that she embarks with her young companions on a five-day pilgrimage in search of freedom—and a way to end the Moon Throne forever. The journey ahead will be more dangerous than any of them could have imagined.

Both a sweeping adventure story and an intimate exploration of identity, legacy, and belonging, The Spear Cuts Through Water is an ambitious and profound saga that will transport and transform you—and is like nothing you’ve ever read before.

Note: This bonus is UNIQUE fantasy, I swear it.

#book recs #book recommendations #pride month #pride reading challenge #a door behind a door #yelena moskovich #the pearl thief #elizabeth wein #waiting on a bright moon #neon yang #the vanished birds #simon jimenez #the terracotta bride #zen cho #after the dragons #cynthia zhang #robbergirl #st gibson #the spear cuts through water #bookblr #booklr #litblr #authors of color

[mediaevalmusereads]

The Word for World is Forest. By Ursula K. LeGuin. Tor, 1972.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Genre: science fiction, novella

Part of a Series? Sort of - occurs after The Dispossessed but before Planet of Exile.

Summary: Centuries in the future, Terrans have established a logging colony & military base named "New Tahiti" on a tree-covered planet whose small, green-furred, big-eyed inhabitants have a culture centered on lucid dreaming. Terran greed spirals around native innocence & wisdom, overturning the ancient society.

Humans have learned interstellar travel from the Hainish (the origin-planet of all humanoid races, including Athsheans). Various planets have been expanding independently, but during the novel it's learned that the League of All Worlds has been formed. News arrives via an ansible, a new discovery. Previously they had been cut off, 27 light years from home.

Terran colonists take over the planet locals call Athshe, meaning "forest," rather than "dirt," like their home planet Terra. They follow the 19th century model of colonization: felling trees, planting farms, digging mines & enslaving indigenous peoples. The natives are unequipped to comprehend this. They're a subsistence race who rely on the forests & have no cultural precedent for tyranny, slavery or war. The invaders take their land without resistance until one fatal act sets rebellion in motion & changes the people of both worlds forever.

***Full review below.***

Content Warnings: violence, blood, slavery, references to rape

Overview: I love Ursula K. LeGuin's work, but for some reason, I hadn't picked up this novella. It was sitting on my shelf, so I figured "why not" and dove right in. Overall, this is a very well-crafted novella with a strong anti-colonialist narrative. While not every character or plot is as developed as what you might expect out of a novel, it feels like the message matters more than the individual characters, so in that respect, everything works. So partially out of appreciation and partially because of my love for LeGuin, this book gets a high rating from me.

Writing: LeGuin's prose is described as "quiet" and "straightforward" on the cover of my edition, and I think that's apt. Sentences are clear and concise, and I had no real trouble finding my way. The only thing that I think might give readers trouble is some of the lingo, but only if they go into this book cold (having not read other books in the series).

I will say, though, that I very much appreciated that LeGuin depicts violence without indulging in the spectacle. While there are aome shocking moments, LeGuin doesn't spend a long time on the individual acts. Instead, she lingers on the effects, which showcases how violence changes people.

Plot: The plot of this book primarily follows three characters: Selver (an Athshean who leads a revolt against the humans), Lyubov (a scientist who studies the Athsheans), and Davidson (a captain who is hell bent on subduing the Athsheans in order to colonize the planet). The humans have established several settlements on the forrested planet of Athshean for the purposes of shipping wood back to a depleted Earth. They use the Athsheans (who they label "creechies") as slave labor, though they insist the work is "voluntary." The plot begins with Selver gathering support from various "tribes" to attack the human settlements and drive their oppressors from their land.

This plot borrows heavily from the historical treatment of Indigenous Americans as well as some language that justified the enslavement of Africans. Because of this historical consciousness, LeGuin is able to paint a convincing picture of colonialism and unequivocally condemns it. While we may have sympathy for individual humans, LeGuin makes clear that morally, we should be on the Athsheans' side.

But what I also liked was the way LeGuin discusses how colonization changes the Athsheans. LeGuin makes a big deal of the fact that prior to human colonization, the Athsheans did not commit violence against each other (at least, not in hatred). After human occupation, however, their eyes are opened to new concepts, and Selver laments that his people can't unlearn them, even if they drive humans away forever. I didn't get the impression that LeGuin was infantalizing the Athsheans by portraying them as universally peaceful; they had their own ways of resolving conflicts that didn't involve violence, so instead, the message felt like a condemnation of violence itself. But this condemnation, thankfully, is never used to criticize the Athsheans; though they use violence against their oppressors, LeGuin is clear that it is, in this moment, just - probably because the Athsheans have no other options.

Characters: There are a number of characters in this book, but for the purposes of this review, in going to focus on the three main POV ones listed above.

Selver, the Athshean "rebel leader" is incredibly sympathetic in that he desperately wants to free his people but doesn't do so without buy in from respected members of his community. I really appreciated the way LeGuin showed him to be grappling with the effects that both colonization and committing violence has on him; though he never second guesses the morality of his cause, he does feel that violence cops away at some part of him, and it's incredibly sad to watch. The only thing that I didn't like much about Selver was that he had a dead wife in his past; Selver's wife was raped and murdered by Davidson, and though Selver exposes some pain at her loss, she doesn't seem to be missed as much as one might expect. I can't quite tell if I'm glad Selver's actions aren't primarily driven by his angst, but I do wish his wife had more of a presence in his memory.

Lyubov is a human scientist who has a positive relationship with the Athsheans. He has learned their language and visits their settlements, and he is even close friends with Selver. I found the friendship to be incredibly moving, mostly because Lyubov and Selver find themselves torn between loyalty to their people and the necessary actions they must take. Lyubov in particular struggled with trying to figure out his role in the Athshean uprising; he never thinks that the humans are correct, but he also doesn't wish to see more bloodshed. It was a good portrait of what allyship could look like, particularly allyship that is difficult.

Davidson, the captain, is the embodiment of the most racist and elitist characteristics that one might ascribe to settler colonialism. While his perspective wasn't pleasant to read, it was necessary; his thoughts exposed how the humans viewed the Athsheans as beastial and effeminate, just because their way of life doesn't resemble the militaristic one that the humans bring to Athshean. It's quite easy to hate Davidson because LeGuin is not subtle, but perhaps this directness is needed to make her overall message hit home.

TL;DR: The Word for World is Forest is a powerful, anti-colonial novella that justifies the use of violence (against oppression) while lamenting its effects. While not as complex as a full novel, this book had a coherent message that motivates the reader to critique settler colonialism in our own world.

[squidlykitten]

Could I have a glossary of terminology? :D

Ahahaha, yeah! Sorry, I've been on my scifi bullshit so: Nariteern: Basically a super large family or ethnic group. Some are as large as countries, some are as small as what we would consider a normal family. The Beern lack cities or countries so to speak, though they do create permanent structures. Tion: They are the leader! They are generally chosen from among those who do not develop gendered traits, as they are less likely to splinter off and form their own families within the nariteern. Some nariteerns have more than one Tion -- so the Kor is Yennith's nariteern, but they grew up under the leadership of Tion A'ala, and so they are Kor-A'ala. Cha'arna: That would be the stingers, containing a paralytic poison. Itaan is a cold ass planet, and rather than waste energy fighting things, the Beern adapted to sneak up on prey, sting them, and wait for the Cold to take care of things. More modern Beern usually use blowdarts or similar laced with their own poisons. The Journey: The traditional life of a Beern. The planet they are native to, Itaan, has three seasons-- The Cold, Thaw, and Spring. Due to an extreme axial tilt, the Cold moves in a constant band across the planet. Luckily, Itaan does not have oceans like Earth does, and it is possible to walk around the planet in a constant journey, which many of them do. Some only pick up and move twice a year, during Ancestor's Day, some walk continuously. The extreme Cold is certain death to anyone caught out in it, and a constant threat to life that has become somewhat of a boogeyman for the Beern. Ansible: I didn't make that one up, Octavia E. Butler did. It's a form of interstellar communications that does not suffer from the limitations of the speed of light. Eerna: An intricately braided red ribbon, hung with bells, decorations, and little clay vessels. This is hung across doorways as a way of claiming a residence. The clay vessels are what holds the spirits of the dead, with each death, a new vessel is created and added to the eerna, to be cared for with the others. Spirits are fed and informed of all the latest news and generally treated as living beings -- corpses not so much. The Beern do not have much of a sense of ownership over land and dwellings, an attitude which extends to bodies.

#I think that's everything! #if you want to hear about the different families or other stuff in more detail #boy howdy #do i have lore

[unogeeks234]

SNOWFLAKE SERVER

Snowflake Servers: The Peril of Uniqueness in IT Infrastructure

In the realm of IT infrastructure, the term “snowflake server” evokes a sense of frustration and complexity. These servers, named after the unique nature of snowflakes, deviate from standard configurations and demand specialized attention, hindering efficiency and scalability. Let’s explore why snowflake servers are problematic and how to avoid them.

What is a Snowflake Server?

A snowflake server is a server whose configuration has significantly drifted away from established standards and baselines. This could be due to:

Unique or Legacy Software: The server may run outdated or highly customized software requiring specific operating system versions, libraries, or dependencies.

Manual Configuration Changes: Over time, manual tweaks and adjustments made to the server’s settings may have accumulated, making it difficult to replicate.

Fear of Upgrades: Apprehension about potential disruptions might have prevented the application of critical security patches or software updates.

The Problems with Snowflake Servers

Snowflake servers introduce a host of challenges for IT teams:

Maintenance Nightmare: Keeping snowflake servers running becomes increasingly resource-intensive and time-consuming.

Security Risks: Outdated software and unpatched systems leave these servers vulnerable to security exploits.

Scalability Limitations: Replicating snowflake servers is difficult or impossible, hindering the ability to scale up operations.

Knowledge Silos: Often, only a few individuals possess the specialized knowledge needed to manage these unique servers, creating bottlenecks and vulnerabilities.

The obstacle to Automation Snowflakes is incompatible with modern infrastructure-as-code and DevOps practices emphasizing automation and standardization.

Breaking the Snowflake Cycle

To escape the complexities of snowflake servers, organizations should adopt these strategies:

Configuration Management: Implement robust configuration management tools (like Ansible, Chef, or Puppet) to enforce consistent server configurations and track changes.

Containerization: Package applications and their dependencies into containers (like Docker), creating portable, self-contained units that run consistently across environments.

Immutable Infrastructure: Treat servers as immutable— instead of updating them in place, replace them entirely with new, standardized instances.

Regular Updates: Establish a rigorous patch management process to ensure software and operating systems remain up-to-date.

Documentation: Meticulously document all configurations and changes to mitigate knowledge silos and facilitate knowledge transfer.

The Benefits of a Snowflake-Free Environment

By eradicating snowflake servers, organizations can reap the following benefits:

Increased Efficiency: IT teams can focus on innovation rather than constant firefighting.

Enhanced Security: A standardized and up-to-date infrastructure reduces the attack surface.

Improved Scalability: Rapid provisioning and deployment of new servers becomes possible.

Boosted Automation: Streamlined deployment processes and reduced manual intervention.

Reduced Costs: Lower maintenance overhead and improved resource utilization.

Conclusion

Snowflake servers may seem necessary in some situations, but their long-term costs outweigh short-term convenience. By investing in solid configuration management, containerization, immutable infrastructure principles, and a culture of standardization, organizations can break free from the snowflake trap and build a more scalable, secure, and efficient IT environment.

You can find more information about  Snowflake  in this  Snowflake

Conclusion:

Unogeeks is the No.1 IT Training Institute for SAP  Training. Anyone Disagree? Please drop in a comment

You can check out our other latest blogs on  Snowflake  here –  Snowflake Blogs

You can check out our Best In Class Snowflake Details here –  Snowflake Training

Follow & Connect with us:

———————————-

For Training inquiries:

Call/Whatsapp: [phone]

Mail us at: [email protected]

Our Website ➜ https://unogeeks.com

Follow us:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unogeeks

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnogeeksSoftwareTrainingInstitute

Twitter: https://twitter.com/unogeeks

#it training institute #educators #educate yourself #it training courses #education #youtube #Youtube

[spyglassrealms]

The United Nations of Humanity is the international governing body of almost all Earth-descended polities and territories in known space. Founded in 2210 CE after the independence movements of Mars and the Belt necessitated a reorganization of the original UN, the UNH of the 30th century is composed of hundreds of member star systems across a sphere of influence nearly twenty parsecs in diameter. It is the largest member of the United Spacefaring Sophonts Coalition and one of the two founding members (alongside the Ra’na InterGlobal Council). The UNH has no primary seat, as all business is conducted through ansible teleconference: a vastly simpler way to organize representatives across sixty-five thousand cubic lightyears of space. Members of the UNH include the United Sol System, Centauri Republic, New Nations of Helios, and Dogstar Alliance, to name a few.

The symbology of the UNH emblem is simple. The asymmetrical five digits of the human hand provide a clear distinction from the other species of the cosmos; we are the only species with hands like ours. Beyond that, the hand represents something much deeper. Handprints are ubiquitous in prehistoric cave art found all over the human homeworld, Earth, and have withstood the test of time. Even today, leaving an impression of one's hand in media echoes the purpose of the ancient hands: it is a testament to our existence, a call into the future that in this place and time, a human person was alive and awake. A footprint may show that we have stood in a spot, but a handprint shows we have lived there.

#spyglass’ realms #astra planeta #spy writes #spy arts #worldbuilding #scifi art #scifi writing #scifi worldbuilding #scifi #science fiction