Be The Power
by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner
This was bound to happen. Trump is determined to ruin everything — including the Social Security Administration — so I guess it was inevitable that shit like this would be proposed.
So, there you go. Millions of people may be in the lurch because Trump is a very stupid tyrant. If those checks are processed on time for April — and it definitely seems like that’s a possibility — all hell may break loose.
by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner
The novel that my novel is meant to be an homage to, The Girl Who Played With Fire, is, as I recall, about 160,000 words. That is way, way too long for my novel for a number of reasons, the biggest being it would be my first novel.
And, yet, here I am — it definitely looks like I could blow past the 100,000 sweetspot of a first novel in a pretty big way.
I don’t know yet because I haven’t gotten that far in the process — I work in terms of scenes, not word count, so I don’t get around to finding out how many words something I’ve worked on is until pretty late in the process.
I have been very careful in the other projects I have been working on to do everything in my power to get them in at about 100,000 words.
Despite all that, I still am fixated on this passion project to the detriment of the other novels I should be working on. So, all this time I should be using on a scifi novel of about 100,000 words, I’m using on a thriller that could be close to 160,000 words.
Yikes!
But, like I said, I don’t know yet. It could be that the novel — which is probably going to be more than 100,000 words no matter what — could come in at something closer to 120,000 or maybe 140,000.
I’m really enjoying myself, though, with this passion project. Once I get into the second act, I think things are going to slow down a great deal ’cause I’m going to be working with the second draft material. I probably am going to have to root around in that second draft material a lot to have it synch up with all the changes I made between the second and third draft of the novel.
by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner
As I constantly say, you go bankrupt gradually, then all at once and I’m growing a bit unnerved that ICE or the FBI is going to come after me at some point in the not-too-distant future.
I’m totally harmless and there’s no reason for anyone to want to lock me up other than I hate MAGA and can get into a diatribe about that fact here on this blog every once in a while.
And, yet, Trump is slowly circling the US like an anaconda and soon enough he will consolidate power to the point that he can strangle what little is left of our democracy altogether.
Really, the only issue is how far he will ultimately go. It is clear to me that he is probably finally going to do something really bad to the point that either he is deposed (don’t know how that will happen) or we lurch into being a legalistic autocracy like Russia.
It seems as though the thing Trump and Musk will do that will finally cause a lot of otherwise blasé people to sit up and take notice is something to do with the Social Security Administration. If it really does collapse and checks are delayed for a significant amount of time, that would probably be enough for massive demonstrations or maybe, just maybe some sort of General Strike.
But I have severe doubts about that. Americans just don’t think in those terms and ultimately Trump will consolidate power, run for an illegal third term, shuffle off this mortal coil and then whomever succeeds him will be our dictator for the rest of my life.
by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner
As it stands, I’m going through the latest version of my passion project at a nice little clip. So fast that it’s at least possible that I will finish this fourth draft soon enough to query in about a year.
That is, of course, unless the Singularity happens and or Trump’s stupidity causes the country to collapse into chaos.
But as all of this is happening, I continue to realize I probably need a backup novel that is a bit more marketable and maybe doesn’t have stripper elements to it. I have a number of scifi novels done to varying degrees and pretty much all I need to do is just sit down and burrow through an outline and finish something, anything — at least a first draft.
And, yet, the call of the passion project thriller is just too strong most of the time.
I really want this homage to Stieg Larsson to be my first novel. And, yet, I know I probably can write a really good scifi novel if I just get over myself and focus. It’s all very difficult for various reasons.
I think what I may do is edit the first act of the thriller then with that as a place to pause, I will piviot to one or several of the other novels and use that distraction to clear my head.
by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner
The one book that has been my guiding light, my true north throughout the years and years I’ve been working no this thriller is The Girl Who Played With Fire. I’ve studied it every which way.
It took me forever to figure out its structure and, in fact, it wasn’t until I learned it was mean to be one huge novel with its successor that I understood what what was going on. (The two novels are connected by a cliffhanger.)
I bring this up because I’ve printed out the first act of the novel so I can edit it and it’s kind of long at about 63 scenes. (I have no idea how many words it is, I go by scenes, not word count.) But The Girl Who Played With Fire’s first act — if you include a longish prelude-like part is about 70 scenes, so I don’t feel so bad about it. And I’m still at a point in the process when if I somehow get an editor they could probably figure out how to cut a lot from the first act.
Once I read over the first act, then I’m going into the first half of the second half and that’s where I have to begin to bring in the second draft of what was supposed to be the second novel in the series. I’ve decided to make the first book in the series a more traditional murder-in-a-small town novel as opposed to something that is clearly just setting up a bigger universe.
I still have A LOT of work to do, but I’m feeling pretty confident that I will be in a position to query the novel in about a year, maybe. Of course, my life could totally be turn upside down by this or that unexpected event — and I’m going to be really old to try to get a first novel published — but, lulz.
There is also the issue of the name. I have pretty accessible name I want to use, but it’s so generic that I’m SURE someone else has already published a novel by that name. I have a more unique name, but it’s not as accessible and at least one person has rolled their eyes when I told them what it is.
I just don’t know on that front. I think for the time being I’m going to assume I’m using the less accessible name unless I get an agent and they tell me it just won’t sell.
by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner
I just have to believe when it comes to this novel. I have all these other novels I want to work on, but the central passion project is something I have to just believe in.
The main reason for this is I’m using a lot of the structural elements of Stieg Larsson’s work — multiple POVs within chapters being one of them — and I keep feeling insecure about that. That’s why I think of this novel as a passion project — I really need a back up or two that will be more marketable in a traditional manner.
Sometimes I just feel really meh and don’t do anything for a few days because what I really want to do — which is to focus exclusively on the passion project — I know I probably shouldn’t do. I need a backup plan, but I just sometimes don’t feel like it.
Ugh.
by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner
Trump is pushing and pushing our political system to the breaking point…or is he? Maybe the our political system is just going to bend so far as to be unrecognizable.
It could be that we’ll have what I’ve heard as a “competitive autocracy.” And yet I wonder if we are heading towards some sort of final spasm of consolidation that turns us into a full-blow autocracy.
Maybe this is just a mid-way point. Maybe we’re in a transitional phase that isn’t over yet and this liminal space is just a temporary moment in time. I just don’t know it could go either way.
But I think what’s really happening, which is kind of dark, is Trump is going to be a Julius Cesar like transitional figure who destroys what’s left our democracy and we turn into a full-blown autocracy in the style of Russia.
Whenever Trump shuffles off this mortal coil, there will be a huge power struggle until we get the official successor who will be president for 30 to 40 years. That seems like one potential fate.
Of course, there’s a chance that Trump could finally do something so stupid that he gets deposed then there’s a civil war when Red States get mad and leave the Union. So, there is a wide range of possibilities.
Who knows what is going to happen. Probably whatever is the worst possible outcome.
Introduction:
Imagine a scenario ripped from the pages of science fiction: Earth is facing imminent destruction from a swarm of self-replicating von Neumann machines. Humanity’s only hope lies in a desperate gamble – a mass migration to three newly discovered habitable planets, offered by a technologically superior galactic empire. This isn’t just about finding new homes; it’s about rebuilding civilization from scratch, and that includes creating a functioning, fair, and stable economy. This blog post explores the innovative economic model being developed for “Project New Dawn,” humanity’s last stand.
The Challenge: Economic Survival in the Face of Existential Threat
The situation is dire. With the clock ticking down to Earth’s demise, the first settlers – a vanguard of 2850 individuals spread across 19 settlements on three planets – face an unprecedented challenge. They must not only survive but also lay the foundation for the eventual migration of billions. Traditional economic models, built on established infrastructure and societal norms, are simply inadequate. We need a system that is:
The Solution: A Hybrid Crypto-Token Economy, Backed by Gold (Eventually)
The proposed economic model for Project New Dawn is a fascinating blend of cutting-edge technology and time-tested principles. It leverages the power of blockchain and cryptocurrency, initially operating as a pure crypto-token system, and then transitioning to a gold-correlated (and potentially gold-backed) system as resources allow. Here’s how it works:
Phase 1: The Crypto-Token Foundation (First 3 Months)
Upon arrival at the new settlements, a blockchain is launched, creating a new cryptocurrency (let’s call it “Genesis” for this example). This isn’t Bitcoin or Ethereum; it’s a custom-designed cryptocurrency tailored to the specific needs of the colony.
Phase 2: The Gold Standard 2.0 (Months 3-12 and Beyond)
While the Genesis token provides an immediate, functional economy, its initial value is based primarily on trust and the ability to acquire essential goods. To provide a more robust and universally recognized foundation, the plan is to transition to a gold-correlated (and ideally, gold-backed) system.
The Role of the Artificial Superintelligence (ASI)
A crucial element in this entire plan is the involvement of a human-aligned ASI. This ASI acts as a:
Why This Approach?
This hybrid crypto-token/gold-backed model offers several key advantages:
Challenges and Considerations:
This ambitious plan is not without its challenges:
The Future of Humanity’s Economy
Project New Dawn represents a radical experiment in building a new economic system from the ground up, under the most extreme circumstances imaginable. The combination of blockchain technology, a phased approach to gold backing, and the oversight of a benevolent ASI offers a potential path to economic stability and prosperity in a new world. While the challenges are immense, the potential rewards – the survival and future flourishing of humanity – are worth the effort. This is more than just building an economy; it’s about building a future.
by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner
I’ve officially reached the age where I have to adjust my priorities. No longer can I dream wistfully of dating hot 24-year-olds and partying the night away. I have to put on my big-boy pants and realize there are two things to think about: time and money.
And, yet, I also keep seeing tech developments that make me wonder if maybe, just maybe a hard Singularity is going to happen in my lifetime to the point that I can live a lot — A LOT — longer than I might otherwise.
This gives me pause for thought.
I keep thinking of the Spacers in the Isaac Asimov universe of novels and how they had all these androids and lived for hundreds of years. Is that something that might happen in a post-Hard Singularity world in real life?
Could it be that everyone will have a personal android and they’ll live for 500 years? If I had an extra few hundred years to work with, I think I might be able to figure out away — eventually — to make something of myself.
And maybe Singularity technology would help me overcome how bonkers I am. Maybe. And, yet, maybe being bonkers is so essential to who I am that that is not something I can mess with without changing who I am altogether?
Who knows.
But I can’t get too wrapped up in things. I have to accept that barring something really unexpected, I’m very, very fucked at the moment.
by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner
I’m a huge fan of Chappell Roan, and, yet, uh, she can be quite explicit in her lyrics in a way that can potentially turn off the normies. As such, I think she’s a symbol of why fascists won the 2024 election — Blues got cocky.
While we were jamming out to Roan singing about lesbian sex, we totally ignored that a lot of centrists might be turned off by such things. It is growing abundantly clear to me that the fixation on advocating the most extreme position possible on Trans rights isn’t exactly helping Blues woo the critical centrist vote.
The great irony is, of course, that Trump is now using anything to do with Trans people as a catch-all applause line — he knows that him being anti-Trans played well with middle America and so he goes nuts in hating on them. (Ugh.)
I’ve even had a close, conservative relative tell me, essentially, that he believes Blues hate the traditional nuclear family. Ugh. And so here we are. The fascists are consolidating power and there’s just not much we can do. It’s only going to get worse, I fear.
You must be logged in to post a comment.