#isaac asimovs robot city

[darrisgrove]

Robot City - Suspicion Notes

-Already a page in and I can tell that the author's, Mike McQuay, writing style is different from the previous author's, Michael P. Kube-McDowell. I don't exactly hate it, but I think it's more that I'm not used to it. It's a stark difference from Kube-McDowell's.

-3 pages in and it feel's as though McQuay's Derec and Kate are completely different people. His intro to Derec and his amnesia felt more like the author leaving himself a note to remind himself that Derec is struggling with amnesia rather than allowing it to be fluid and natural, a thing that happened. My reason for thinking this is because in the first book, Derec can remember his job and robot sciences, now he doesn't know what a parade is.

-I do like that the robots feel and sound kind of like a cult.

-What do they mean nudity is common on spacer worlds, what?!

-These robots have not had much experience with humans before.

-Robot City has rain with drops the size of a fist and cold as ice.

-No robots saved him yet. Interesting.

-Unrelated but I faceclaim Derec as Tobias Sammet. Sammet plays a similar personality to Derec in Ayreon's The Source.

-THE ROBOT HARMED DEREC, I SAW IT

-If Kathrine wants to leave so bad then why doesn't she?

-It is a cult, I knew it.

-"What are our lives worth without freedom?"

-I found an inconsistency. The author is implying that since the death of David, the rains have gotten worse and it rains nightly, however in the first book, it did not rain both nights that Derec and Kate had stayed the first time they arrived to Robot City.

-I think it's selfish that Kathrine won't tell Derec about his life before he became an amnesiac. She knows more about him than he does and he desperately want's to know more, but she won't tell him.

-What's with robots being called 1-1. There was one in Infinity Train too.

-"She smiled at the thought of a Derec-proof city" like childproofing.

-If that's Derec then who's Derec? Suspicious indeed.

-If he's David, and he's David, and she's David, are we all David?

-Kathrine is a transwoman. Its canon.

-Wohler died :( It all could have been avoided if Katherine wasn't being stupid and impulsive

-I've noticed many misspelled words.

-There's no reason for him to love they, she's been nothing but rude to him and was willing to abandon him. They have 0 chemistry. Actually, they had more chemistry in the first book than the second one. They absolutely hate each other in this one.

-PRIVACY DUDE, YOU STILL DON'T KNOW HER!

-"A new friendship is like new wine. When it has aged, you will drink it with pleasure".

[backstudio235]

Me realizing that if Fastolfe or Elijah gets their feet on 21st Century Earth, they'll probably die(metaphorically AND literally)- so the "future guy gets sent to the past" cliche wouldn't work on Asimov fandom:

[authorofthelabyrinth]

Me [Friend!Derec] and the bestie [ALPHA] vibing to the transit tube music on our way to investigate our dead predecessor’s [Dr. Poole] murder scene.

[0046incognito]

What’s the main lore behind CMY2K? I’m a little lost on it so I thought I might ask! :)

no worries! it's probably not just you being a little lost and moreso my fault for never actually explaining anything on my public art blog, i really should start doing all my OCposting here OTL i've also had a habit of being intentionally vague about what actually Happens to avoid spoilers, but the main basic lore isn't really spoiling anything, so now i both have an excuse to infodump and procrastinate animating for a couple more hours^_^ please excuse me if this is mildly rambly and incoherent my brain is a confusing stress-induced psychosis-inflicted sludge

Cyber Mind : Year 2000 is a psychological horror set in an alternate 1999 in which lifelike consumer-grade humanoid androids are about as popular as the personal computer. the Halosoft Electronics Corporation basically has a monopoly on consumer robots, especially with their many lines of LiviComs [or, Living Computer androids]

Hibiki Himura is a mute robot kid who woke up alone in a dumpster on New Year's Day with his memory completely wiped, only knowing his own name and primary function [housekeeping], and being able to deduce A) he must've done something wrong if someone threw him in the trash, and B) halosoft doesn't mass-produce robots that look and act and think like children for Ethical Reasons, so he must be a custom model, meaning he must've done something REALLY wrong if someone was disappointed in him enough to throw out a perfectly functional personally-customized extremely expensive brand-new robot

with livicoms jailbreaking themselves to be able to violate the three laws of robotics and harm humans at a seemingly alarming rate, hibiki is less preoccupied with tracking down whoever threw him out and more concerned with protecting humanity from rogue robots, both out of obligation to the three laws [and his extremely, Extremely, ABSURDLY strict moral compass] and out of a determined Obsessive need to prove that he is useful and capable enough to NOT get thrown out again. for a ten year old, he is REALLY hard on himself and self-sacrificing to an alarming extent

hibiki is joined on his quest to protect humanity by his eccentrically affectionate mentor Voltaire, an electrician livicom who is pretty much singlehandedly responsible for Acid City, New Jersey's ENTIRE electrical grid and taught hibiki how to use, basically, robot psychic powers; Cain Cohen, a cyborg teenage runaway with a baseball bat and unquenchable thirst for "murderizing robots he feels have wronged him"; and Jack Jillard, a stern gruff construction livicom who feels obligated to keep cain and hibiki out of trouble when they wind up staying with him. none of these three appear in the student film i'm working on and i Will be reworking them over the summer BUT they are essential to the lore and main plot

in Regards to the main plot, beyond hibiki's POV, a lotta livicoms do seem kinda on the fritz since new year's, whether by lashing out violently for apparently minuscule reasons, or just simply refusing to work, or just committing suicide! all three of which are in direct violation with all Three laws of robotics, indicating these bots are all Jailbroken. jailbreaking refers to the act of modifying an electronic's software for any purpose beyond the manufacturer's intent. with livicoms, this can be done for a wide variety of minor reasons from installing a new non-standard voice to knowing Way more about safe BDSM practices than default, and it can be done both by humans to their livicoms or, rarely [and strangely as livicoms are supposed to be locked out of their own software settings], livicoms can do it to themselves.

the Really concerning instances of jailbreaking are when the three laws of robotics [as written by isaac asimov: don't harm humans, obey orders given by humans unless harmful, protect own existence unless harmful or disobedient] are either modified or removed entirely. changing the priority order of the three laws is especially common for some reason, IE doing such things as prioritizing self-preservation over obedience, but the worst cases are livicoms that are no longer forbidden from harming humans, and often have reason to feel justified in doing so--but even in such cases, plenty of them seem distressed or horrified at the thought that they hurt somebody, so it's strange....

CMY2K's themes include such topics as: free will, the horror of having one's autonomy violated, moral scrupulosity, self-actualization, worker's rights, ableism, psychosis&unreality, transhumanism&transgenderism, suicidal ideation, OCD&intrusive thoughts, dehumanization&objectification, and you should quit that stupid fucking job that you hate

[greater-than-the-sword]

do you have any fiction recs that aren't necessarily fantasy? i'm in a bit of a reading slump.

Yeah! Do you like sci-fi?

Some of these are teen fiction or homeschool assigned books, I hope that's ok. I don't know what you've already read, so.

Sci-Fi:

The Illustrated Man - Ray Bradbury

The Martian Chronicles - Ray Bradbury

Among the Hidden (Shadow Children Series) - Margaret Peterson Haddix

I, Robot (the story collection) - Isaac Asimov

Starship Troopers - Robert A Heinlein

The Last Thing I Remember (Homelanders series) - Andrew Klavan

The City of Ember - Jeanne DuPrau

Historical Fiction

The Sherwood Ring - Elizabeth Marie Pope

Mara, Daughter of the Nile - Eloise Jarvis McGraw

Shadow Spinner - Susan Fletcher

The Bronze Bow - Elizabeth George Speare

Understood Betsy - Dorothy Canfield Fisher

The Great Brain - John D. Fitzgerald

Classic:

A Little Princess - Frances Hodgson Burnett

Lord of the Flies - William Golding

The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde

The Old Man and the Sea - Ernest Hemingway

???:

The Westing Game - Ellen Raskin

Homer Price - Robert McKloskey

[watanabes-cum-dump]

Interesting things abt PGR

Things I want to put into a video but I’m really fucking lazy so....

ALSO

Massive spoilers for PGR’s main and extra stories, including hidden. And character interludes. You have been warned

- Remember Bruce from Fostered by Blade and Cyril from Land of the Fallen star? Watanabe’s interludes? We know they’re father and son, but did you know that they’re Scottish? Cyril’s nickname, The Beak of Islay clues us into this, as Islay is an island in Scotland.

- Nikola isn’t actually part of Kurono. Idk why but my dumb of ass (and a other people from what I’ve seen) thought that he was with Kurono in some way. But, he actually left it long before the main story.

- Speaking of Nikola, despite how cold he seems, he is scared of one person: Collins, the leader of Kurono. It’s not explicitly stated, and we don’t know why, but Collins was his superior and even after leaving Kurono, he has leverage over Nikola. Spicy.

- While we’re still on the topic of command, despite how Nikola and Hassen seem at odds with each other in earlier chapters, they actually work pretty well together and seem to go back pretty far. I will do a whole other analysis post of command/pgr npcs bc they’re so interesting. (And I’m also filling the void where the Dominik’s orphan’s comic is supposed to be, idk if it ever got updated ueehh) 

- Idk if anyone else noticed but in Inscription of Labyrinth but when you first walk up to Luna and Lucia’s old home, you see a shadow dash away. That’s Roland, as you later find out in the Hidden Story.

- Pfaff, Rosetta’s grandfather, shares a name with a name with a sewing machine manufacturing company. Idk, it was interesting to me since they have Pfaff sewing machines at my school. Pfaff is also a German name, so Pfaff and Rosetta (if she’s related by blood which idk if that’s been confirmed) are possibly of German origin

- Kowloong as we all know is inspired by East Asia, mostly China. The description supports this and says that Kowloong is made up of mostly coastal east Asian cities. So there are three possible candidates for Kowloong’s location: Shanghai, as it’s one of China’s most prominent cities Hong Kong is also a strong candidate, as it is also a port city And Hong Kong Island, you know, and island surrounded by water.

- Watanabe wields two kukri knives, a type of machete originally from India but heavily associated with Nepal.

- Asimov is named after the sci fi author Isaac Asimov. It’s pretty fitting, since Asimov is responsible for designing construct frames. Double fitting since constructs fit nicely with Isaac Asimov’s three laws of robotics: 1) A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. 2) A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. 3) A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law. Someone on the PGR writing team really loved sci fi lol

- The second agent, Vonnegut is also named after an author. Kurt Vonnegut, known for his dark humor in his novels. Interesting, since I believe that Vonnegut says only to call him Vonnegut, meaning it is not his real name. I wonder what prompted him to choose it, but trying to answer that means actually researching Kurt Vonnegut which is... uh... not something I want to do on a weekend. Since I would probably have to read the synopsis of every single one of his works which he has well over 27 of since more were published after he died, and they’re not all novels. Someday, perhaps. 

- Nanami says yeet. I think it’s in chapter 7 or 8 hidden story but she says yeet. I don’t know how to feel about this. It has been haunting me for the past year. 

- In Roland’s interlude, he is an actor on the Mansdati show (I think glbl renamed it but I forgor) in which the main character, Mansdati doesn’t know he’s actually in a show and is just living his regular everyday life while everyone around him are actors. It’s basically the Truman Show, an old movie with the same premise. Except without robots and depressed clowns. (maybe? idk I haven’t seen that movie in a while. It’s pretty good tho, watch it) 

And that’s it, that’s all I got. Let me know if I got anything wrong. 

[cockamamieschemes]

Sci-Fi Classics for the Uninitiated

I’ve read A LOT of old sci fi throughout the years and wanted to drop the ones here that are good reads, also distinguished by difficulty to get into.  So without further ado:

Victorian Era (fairly easy reads, just requires a bit of explanation for certain things pertaining to the times, so try to get an annotated copy)

The Food of the Gods by HG Wells --revolves around a growth formula that can turn chickens into the size of houses...A LOT funnier than I thought it’d be

The Invisible Man by HG Wells --takes a while to get going but goes fast once The Invisible Man starts his plan rolling

War of the Worlds by HG Wells --kinda dark with more involved than you typically see in the television/movie adaptions

The Island of Doctor Moreau by HG Wells --Scientist who makes crazy experiments on an island--warped and weird but I liked it

Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne --Adventuring uncle drags his anxious nephew on a trip to the earth’s core

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne --adventuring below the sea, feels more grounded since nothing too fantastical happens, but of course, the characters are on a giant sophisticated submarine so that’s the most sci fi part

“Golden Age” Era (bold ones are a little more heady)

The Foundation Trilogy: Foundation, Foundation and Empire, Second Foundation (also including Prelude to Foundation in here because it’s actually a really good prequel!) by Isaac Asimov --the books span several decades/centuries so don’t get too attached to any one character, save in Prelude which follows Hari Seldon and his journey into coming up with psychohistory

Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov --fun sci fi whodunit--with robots!

Pebble in the Sky/The Currents of Space by Isaac Asimov --haven’t gotten to the third one in this trilogy yet but I liked these two!

The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury --short stories set on Mars that are more like fantasy/sci fi

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury --you probably read this in school...still a good book nevertheless

2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke --I mean...kinda weird but I enjoyed it

2010: Odyssey Two by Arthur C. Clarke --if you liked 2001, you’ll like this since it expands on a few things, and it’s a little easier to get into with a bigger cast

The City and the Stars by Arthur C. Clarke --Utopian future story that’s pretty short and intriguing in regards to worldbuilding

Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke --Crew explores an alien generation ship, not as high stakes as the Space Odyssey ones so it feels more like a sci fi Jules Verne

Dune/Dune Messiah/Children of Dune/God Emperor of Dune by Frank Herbert --first book takes some time to get into but goes quickly once you get to Arrakis; to be fair, the books get easier to read once you know the world and what’s going on!

Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein --a little more philosophical than what you’d expect from a book about sci fi war

[pluralzalpha]

Galactic Gazetteer: Trantor

Franchise: Robots/Empire/Foundation universe

First appearance: "Black Friar of the Flame" (Isaac Asimov 1942)

AKA: Hame

Affiliation: Kingdom of Trantor (AD 5500); Trantorian Republic (c. AD 7500); Trantorian Confederation (c. AD 8500); Trantorian Empire (AD 11,086); Galactic Empire (AD 11,586/1 GE)

Type: terrestrial/city planet

Inhabitants: humans

Population: 45 billion at height

Notable individuals: Hari Seldon, Cleon I

Fun fact: the galactic capital of Asimov's Galactic Empire stories

Another fun fact: a planetwide city at its height, it reverted to an agricultural world after its sacking and the fall of the Empire.

Fun fact 3: inspiration for Coruscant in the Star Wars universe

[cmdrburton]

10, 37 and 117 for the book ask meme 💙

thank you for the ask :D ask game here

a book that got me through something I don't know. Unsatisfying, I know xD but if there was ever a book like this, I don't remember it.

my favourite heist book Looking through my reads to see what counts... I'd say Artemis by Andy Weir. It's a fun action flick of a book, and the city of Artemis feels so much like Dubai (where I grew up) that it's almost nostalgic.

my favourite anthology I haven't read many anthologies, but my absolute favourite out of those I have read is The Complete Robot by Isaac Asimov. I got it when I was about twelve. Formative!

[oldmancarrot]

Books I've read (2023) - 17

False Value, by Ben Aaronovitch

The Complete Robot, by Isaac Asimov

The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle

The High King’s Tomb (#3), by Kristen Britain

Blackveil (#4), by Kristen Britain

Mirror Sight (#5) by Kristen Britain

Firebrand (#6), by Kristen Britain

The Dream Gatherer (#6.5), by Kristen Britain

The Yiddish Policeman’s Union, by Michael Chabon

The Meiji Restoration: Japan as a Global Nation, by Robert Hellyer and Harald Fuess (Editors)

A Short History of Europe: From Pericles to Putin, by Simon Jenkins

The Children of Gods and Fighting Men, by Shauna Lawless

Bring up the Bodies (#2), by Hilary Mantell

Empire of Silence (#1), by Christopher Ruocchio

The Way of Kings (#1), by Brandon Sanderson

The Terror, by Dan Simmons

Some Desperate Glory, by Emily Tesh

Currently Reading

Winterlight (#7), by Kristen Britain

I'll get to these someday

American Prometheus: Oppenheimer, by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin

Against All Gods, by Miles Cameron

Rubicon, by J. S. Dewes

I, Claudius, by Robert Graves

Ship of Magic (#1), by Robin Hobb

The Mad Ship (#2), by Robin Hobb

Pax, by Tom Holland

Babel, by R. F. Kuang

The Rise of Kyoshi, by F. C. Lee

The Shadow of Kyoshi, by F. C. Lee

The Mirror and the Light (#3), by Hilary Mantel

Teixcalaan Duology: A Desolation Called Peace (#2), by Arkady Martine

The Deed of Paksenarrion, by Elizabeth Moon

Gideon the Ninth (#1), by Tamsyn Muir

Harrow the Ninth (#2), by Tamsyn Muir

Nona the Ninth (#3), by Tamsyn Muir

Saevus Corvax Deals with the Dead, by K. J. Parker

She Who Became The Sun, by Shelly Parker-Chan

Howling Dark (#2), by Christopher Ruocchio

Mistborn: The Lost Metal (#7), by Brandon Sanderson

Stormlight Archive: Word of Radiance (#2), by Brandon Sanderson

Stormlight Archive: Oathbringer (#3), by Brandon Sanderson

The Bone Season (#1), by Samantha Shannon

A Day of Fallen Night, by Samantha Shannon

The Bone Shard War (#3), by Andrea Stewart

City of Last Chances (#1), by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon, by Wole Talabi

Heroic Fantasy Short Stories (Anthology), by various authors

[darrisgrove]

Isaac Asimov's Robot City Suspicion REVIEW

4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This book opens with a word from Asimov as well, discussing the human laws that robots have given. Similar to the Laws of Robotics, the robots dub them the Laws of Humanics. Asimov only states them shortly, however McQuay details them later in his book. There are flaws in these laws.

This book was quick paced compared to the first book. It is also more of a murder mystery than adventure. However, McQuay does balance the mystery with world building. The balance is perfectly written. I am not much of a mystery type of reader, however I never found myself getting bored. The culprit of the murder was not who I thought it was, however I never really had a suspect to begin with.

My only critiques are that there were many spelling errors throughout the book, more so towards the end. As well as McQuay kind of forcing Derec and Kathrine into a relationship. They have no chemistry. Kathrine hated Derec throughout the whole book.

All in all, it was good. Though, I liked the first book more than this one.

Here are my notes during reading. WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW

-Already a page in and I can tell that the author's, Mike McQuay, writing style is different from the previous author's, Michael P. Kube-McDowell. I don't exactly hate it, but I think it's more that I'm not used to it. It's a stark difference from Kube-McDowell's. -3 pages in and it feel's as though McQuay's Derec and Kate are completely different people. His intro to Derec and his amnesia felt more like the author leaving himself a note to remind himself that Derec is struggling with amnesia rather than allowing it to be fluid and natural, a thing that happened. My reason for thinking this is because in the first book, Derec can remember his job and robot sciences, now he doesn't know what a parade is. -I do like that the robots feel and sound kind of like a cult. -What do they mean nudity is common on spacer worlds, what?! -These robots have not had much experience with humans before. -Robot City has rain with drops the size of a fist and cold as ice. -No robots saved him yet. Interesting. -Unrelated but I faceclaim Derec as Tobias Sammet. Sammet plays a similar personality to Derec in Ayreon's The Source. -THE ROBOT HARMED DEREC, I SAW IT -If Kathrine wants to leave so bad then why doesn't she? -It is a cult, I knew it. -"What are our lives worth without freedom?" -I found an inconsistency. The author is implying that since the death of David, the rains have gotten worse and it rains nightly, however in the first book, it did not rain both nights that Derec and Kate had stayed the first time they arrived to Robot City. -I think it's selfish that Kathrine won't tell Derec about his life before he became an amnesiac. She knows more about him than he does and he desperately want's to know more, but she won't tell him. -What's with robots being called 1-1. There was one in Infinity Train too. -"She smiled at the thought of a Derec-proof city" like childproofing. -If that's Derec then who's Derec? Suspicious indeed. -If he's David, and he's David, and she's David, are we all David? -Kathrine is a transwoman. Its canon. -Wohler died :( It all could have been avoided if Katherine wasn't being stupid and impulsive -I've noticed many misspelled words. -There's no reason for him to love they, she's been nothing but rude to him and was willing to abandon him. They have 0 chemistry. Actually, they had more chemistry in the first book than the second one. They absolutely hate each other in this one. -PRIVACY DUDE, YOU STILL DON'T KNOW HER! -"A new friendship is like new wine. When it has aged, you will drink it with pleasure".

[whanaukaretao]

Supervisor hui #2

28 February 2024

I enjoyed my check-in with Dave. I showed him some recent work. He said to put a few of the images on my studio wall and start to live in the environment I'm creating.

Here's my to do list from today:

Experiment with Photoshop filters and workspaces (top image) with my robot sequence images. Also, go through some of the tutorials: Help > Hands on Tutorials. Check out YouTube tutorials eg. Premiere Gal.

Photograph every building on K Road, both sides, at different times of day. Do this from a bus as well. Also, photograph the surrounding area like Cross Rd and Pitt st.

Check out photo to manga guides online.

Check out the Halftone anime phone app.

References for building a futuristic world: Watch movies like Bladerunner. Look at sci-fi genre, including reading Frederick Jameson on Utopia (Dave has book), White Chapel series (Shady has given me Utopia pdf from the series.) and Isaac Asimov's iRobot. Talk to Julie in Library Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Listen to Akira on Buildings and cities podcast, ep 54.

Print out photos and draw on them, block colours and trace.

[oleander-neria]

2023 Reading List

River Secrets (Books of Bayern #3) - Shannon Hale

Heartless - Marissa Meyer

Persuasion - Jane Austen

Something Fresh - P.G. Wodehouse

The Wolves of Willoughby Chase - Joan Aiken

I, Robot - Isaac Asimov

Queen’s Peril - E.K. Johnston (Note: Star Wars)

The Black Arrow - Robert Louis Stevenson

Crooked House - Agatha Christie

The Darkest Minds - Alexandra Bracken

The Wide Window (A Series of Unfortunate Events #3) - Lemony Snicket

Dragonsinger (Harper Hall Trilogy #2) - Anne McCaffrey

The Thief (Queen’s Thief #1) - Megan Whalen Turner

A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens

Coraline - Neil Gaimen

Ahsoka - E.K. Johnston (Note: Star Wars)

The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde

The Queen of Attolia (Queen’s Thief #2) - Megan Whalen Turner

The King of Attolia (Queen’s Thief #3) - Megan Whalen Turner

Speaking from Among the Bones (Flavia deLuce #5) - Alan Bradley

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle

Day Boy and Night Girl - George MacDonald

The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien (Note: read by Andy Serkis)

A Conspiracy of Kings (Queen’s Thief #4) - Megan Whalen Turner

Rebel Rising - Beth Revis (Note: Star Wars)

Thick as Thieves (Queen’s Thief #5) - Megan Whalen Turner

Return of the Thief (Queen’s Thief #6) - Megan Whalen Turner

The Miserable Mill (A Series of Unfortunate Events #4) - Lemony Snicket

Two Tales from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - Arthur Conan Doyle (Note: The New Catacomb & The Beetle-Hunter)

Moira’s Pen (Queen’s Thief) - Megan Whalen Turner

The Twelve Dancing Princesses and Other Fairy Tales from the Old French - Arthur Quiller Couch (Note: illustrated by Kay Neilsen)

The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings #1) - J.R.R. Tolkien (Note: fan-made audiobook by Phil Dragash)

The Two Towers (The Lord of the Rings #2) - J.R.R. Tolkien (Note: fan-made audiobook by Phil Dragash)

The Return of the King (The Lord of the Rings #3) - J.R.R. Tolkien (Note: fan-made audiobook by Phil Dragash)

The Screaming Staircase (Lockwood & Co. #1) - Johnathan Stroud

Partners in Crime (Tommy and Tuppence #2) - Agatha Christie

The Fall of the House of Usher - Edgar Allan Poe

Rebecca - Daphne duMaurier

Dracula - Bram Stoker (Note: Dracula Daily)

Afterworlds - Scott Westerfeld

The Whispering Skull (Lockwood & Co. #2) - Johnathan Stroud

Uneasy Money - P.G. Wodehouse

Renegades (Renegades Trilogy #1) - Marissa Meyer

Archenemies (Renegades Trilogy #2) - Marissa Meyer

Total: 44

Favorites: Persuasion, Queen’s Thief

Honorable Mentions: Lockwood & Co., Something Fresh

Further notes on LOTR: Andy Serkis is great but I thought his Hobbit was just fine, not remarkable. A little disappointing. Phil Dragash never disappoints and I truly think his audiobooks are the ultimate way to experience the trilogy (provided one likes the Peter Jackson movies).

[tmarshconnors]

"Education isn't something you can finish."

Isaac Asimov was an American writer and professor of biochemistry at Boston University. 

Born, January 2, 1920 Petrovichi, Russian SFSR

Died April 6, 1992 (aged 72) New York City, U.S.

ChatGPT

Isaac Asimov was a prolific author and biochemist known for his contributions to science fiction and popular science writing. Here are five lesser-known facts about him:

Prolific Writer: Isaac Asimov was incredibly prolific, having written or edited over 500 books and an estimated 90,000 letters and postcards. His works covered a wide range of subjects, including science fiction, popular science, history, religion, and literature.

Multilingual Scholar: Asimov was proficient in multiple languages. He could read and write in English, Russian, Yiddish, and even had a good understanding of several classical languages, including Latin and ancient Greek. His linguistic skills allowed him to delve into a wide range of literary and scientific works.

Three Laws of Robotics: Asimov formulated the famous "Three Laws of Robotics" which he introduced in his short story "Runaround" in 1942. These laws became a fundamental framework in the field of robotics and artificial intelligence. The three laws are designed to govern the behavior of robots and ensure their ethical use.

A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

A robot must obey the orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.

A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

Educational Background: Asimov earned his Ph.D. in biochemistry from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Although he is best known for his contributions to science fiction, his scientific background and expertise were significant influences in his science fiction writing, especially in his Foundation series.

Humanism and Rationalism: Asimov was a self-proclaimed humanist and rationalist. He was a strong advocate for scientific thinking, secularism, and the pursuit of knowledge. His non-fiction works often reflected his humanist philosophy, and he was an outspoken supporter of reason, education, and the scientific method.

[lindsaywesker]

Good morning!  I hope you slept well and feel rested?  Currently sitting at my desk, in my study, attired only in my blue towelling robe, enjoying my first cuppa of the day. 

Welcome to Too Much Information Tuesday.

Russia’s second most popular flavour of crisps is crab.

About a third of British adults still sleep with a cuddly toy.

In 2006, a robot taste-taster confirmed humans taste like bacon.

In 1992, there was a bank robbery every 45 minutes in Los Angeles.

Studies have found that being a ‘bad boy’ is no longer perceived as ‘cool’.

The nickname for Crystal Palace and QPR footballer Fitz Hall was ‘One Size’.

Three-quarters of the murders in Chicago are caused by arguments gone too far.

There is a plan to heat 1600 Dutch homes with the heat emanating from sewers.

“Science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom.”  (Isaac Asimov)

MTV's show ‘16 And Pregnant’ caused a 4.3% reduction in teen births in the US.

There is a library in San Diego, California where you can borrow taxidermied animals.

J. R. R. Tolkien started writing ‘The Hobbit’ on a student’s exam paper he was marking.

The area of the Pacific where great white sharks hang out is known as the White Shark Cafe.

A city council candidate in Washington lost his election by one vote.  He didn’t vote for himself.

There are 93 penises on The Bayeux Tapestry.  Five of those belong to men and the other 88 to horses.

People think about you more than you think they do but they also like you more than you think they do.

New research shows that placebos are effective in reducing feelings of guilt, but they work less well on shame.

Some corrupt Mexican police are now using card terminals to make collecting bribes at traffic stops more convenient.

The Pogues were originally called ‘Pogue Mahone’, which was from the Gaelic phrase ‘póg mo thóin’ meaning ‘kiss my arse’.

Scientists in Singapore have developed a tiny flexible battery, powered by the salt in human tears, designed for smart contact lenses.

The British royal family has an estimated net worth of $88 billion.  Saudi Arabia's royal family has an estimated net worth of $1.4 trillion.

In 1991, Swedish firm locum sent out Christmas cards to customers but substituted the ‘o’ in their name with a heart symbol.  (Think about it.)

Earlier this month in Halifax, Canada, a 220-tonne house built in 1826 was moved over 9 metres from its site using a steel frame and 700 bars of soap.

In 1921, Wisconsin became the first state in the USA to officially give women equal rights with men, including the right ‘to wear trousers and chew tobacco’.

Apple have been granted a new patent for a smart ring that can be worn on a user's "wrist, arm, leg, ankle, neck, head, and/or other body parts."

The Great Male Renunciation is the term historians use to refer to the period at the end of the 18th century when men stopped wearing bright colours.

In the latest Ridley Scott film, Napoleon is played by Joaquin Phoenix who is a vegan.  Because of that, all the Napoleon’s hats shown in the film are plant-based, made from tree bark.

The record for the most Big Macs consumed in a lifetime is held by Donald A. Gorske, who ate his 27,000th Big Mac in 2019.  He has been documenting his Big Mac consumption since 1972.

There’s a village in Montenegro that holds both the World Championships Of Laziness (lying on a mattress for the longest time) and a slow bicycle race where the winner is the last to finish.

In the 1980s, the transit agency in the San Francisco Bay Area awarded a contract to repair vandalised seats to one company.  That company then started paying people to vandalise more seats.

40% of people shown a photoshopped image of themselves riding in a Viking ship as a child claimed to remember the (fictional) incident.  This replicates a similar experiment from 2002 involving a fictional balloon ride.

In a 1960 Danish football game, the ref was about to blow the whistle when his teeth fell out.  While looking for them, the trailing team equalised.  Once he found his teeth, he cancelled the goal and blew for full time.

When Lawrence Sperry crashed his plane in 1916, he was found naked by duck hunters alongside an also nude Mrs. Polk.  They claimed that the force of the crash had stripped them of their clothes.  (Really, mate?)

The UK government recently changed the law to ban company names containing computer code, after Michael Tandy of Hatfield registered a company called “; DROP TABLE “COMPANIES”; — LTD,” which could theoretically erase the Companies House database.

Okay, that’s enough information for one day.  Have a tremendous and tumultuous Tuesday!  I love you all.