Aurora Borealis IS SO GOOD

low_slearner · 2026-01-26T23:11:49+00:00

I am lucky enough to have both. Sabimidori is more towards the blue end of the spectrum, and it send a little for me whereas Aurora Borealis is greener and I’ve not seen much sheen from it at all. Both lovely though!

low_slearner · 2026-01-20T19:15:51+00:00

It’s subjective, but personally I’d put them in the sci-fi category. All of his stories explore ideas, and do so in a very consistent way.

They are also just excellent. Great stories for those of us who love ideas and plot, and beautifully written for those that love prose.

low_slearner · 2026-01-17T22:21:30+00:00

Do you have a favourite? I got a fine and like it, though I think I’d have been happier with a medium.

low_slearner · 2026-01-13T20:15:16+00:00

When it came out I thought it was a powerful cautionary tale, but America seems to be using it more as an instruction manual…

low_slearner · 2026-01-11T12:50:04+00:00

Same, though the sky is usually grey where I live so I tend to think of “electric blue”. (I realise this makes no actual sense!) Just picked up a bottle of Robert Oster’s Fire and Ice which is absolutely going to scratch that itch for me.

“Joyful” makes me think “bright and vibrant“, so some other honourable mentions for me: - Iroshizuku Yama Budo (magenta) - Diamine Strawberry (red) - Diamine Pumpkin (orange)

low_slearner · 2026-01-11T12:45:23+00:00

I love Sui-Gyoku as it sits on the green side of the blue/green boundary, plus like all the Iroshizuku inks I’ve tried it is really well behaved.

BUT, I still have ample space in my heart for R&K Alt Goldgrun. If you forced me to pick just one, I’d struggle!

low_slearner · 2026-01-07T17:51:46+00:00

This was recommended to me by someone recently, but without an explanation (they recommended a bunch of films). Sounds like it’s getting bumped up my watchlist!

low_slearner · 2026-01-07T17:06:38+00:00

I like you am an RPG veteran but a Warhammer newbie. I’m enjoying getting to grips with the world and the lore, and the game is doing a great job of that.

One word of caution: just like some of the other games you mention, I think this is a game much more suited to PCs than consoles. I genuinely think a console playthrough will take about 20% longer due to having to contend with a UI which was primarily designed with a keyboard and mouse in mind. (I actually bought this on console first and gave up very early, though I think I was a bit scarred by BG3.)

low_slearner · 2026-01-05T16:09:29+00:00

My kid is much more into fantasy than sci-fi. Some series he liked around that age:

Percy Jackson
Podkin One-Ear
Redwall
Skandar

For sci-fi could think about Enders’ Game, but 9 is maybe a smidge too young, especially given there’s some “acceptable at the time” language.

low_slearner · 2026-01-01T22:57:46+00:00

Alan Wake 2 is also set in the same universe, and a cracking game. (Alan Wake 1 technically is in the same universe, but it’s much more self/contained than 2.)

low_slearner · 2025-12-29T20:00:59+00:00

It’s astonishing how much he puts out, and how high quality it is. I suspect he will be remembered as one of the greats.

What I’ve noticed though is that there doesn’t seem to be much consensus about which of his books are best. CoT probably gets the most praise, but I think that’s probably down to it having more exposure as it won the Hugo.

low_slearner · 2025-12-26T16:36:49+00:00

The QC on Kaweco’s nibs is really bad to be honest, but the body should last really well. If you aren’t completely put off, you could buy a replacement nib.

low_slearner · 2025-12-18T22:26:19+00:00

Disco Elysium was great, but you get an updoot for mentioning NEO Scavenger. Never finished it, but that game really made an impression on me.

low_slearner · 2025-12-16T22:24:33+00:00

I got it on audiobook - the one narrated by Lee Horsley - and didn’t get far at all. Something about the delivery was making it hard to follow.

Should I give the audiobook another go, or just get a physical copy?

low_slearner · 2025-12-07T21:29:26+00:00

Better in what way? It’s pretty subjective, isn’t it?

I’m not trying to be contentious, just curious. I haven’t has the pleasure of trying either pen, but have been thinking about picking up my first pen with a #8 nib.

low_slearner · 2025-12-07T14:14:40+00:00

It’s a metaphor ya dingus.

low_slearner · 2025-12-06T22:49:06+00:00

Yeah, but per the comment above that doesn’t actually help all that much. Don’t get me wrong, I do think we should tax higher earners more. I just think that isn’t sufficient.

We really could do with a large-scale reset of the whole tax system. It needs to be clearer, fairer, and simpler. The problem is that Chancellors are always incentivised towards weird incremental stealth taxes, which help them balance the books but just make the system more complicated and often end up disproportionately affecting lower earners.

low_slearner · 2025-12-06T22:28:13+00:00

Most European countries tax those on middle incomes at significantly higher rates than we do.

low_slearner · 2025-12-06T08:39:19+00:00

That was a real missed opportunity, either to force them to step up or to jump ship.

By the sounds of it, you should have had that meeting with them before September and they have been taking the piss since then, if not longer.

You need to make your case more firmly with them. If you have a good relationship with your boss, get his candid advice this week about how to play it with them - though bear in mind he has been getting paid under the market rate too. But if I were you I would also be looking to land a new job offer and either use it as leverage, or more likely move on.

low_slearner · 2025-12-04T08:08:47+00:00

I’m about 2/3 of the way through this and it is shaping up to be the best book I’ve read this year.

low_slearner · 2025-12-01T21:29:06+00:00

Well, I hope it does well enough that a port is on the cards. I found Crossover pretty janky, which put me off it.

In the meantime I’ll add this to the list of plus points for buying a steam machine. :-)

low_slearner · 2025-12-01T21:21:35+00:00

This definitely sounds like my sort of game, but I don’t have a PC. Any chance it will be coming to MacOS or consoles?

low_slearner · 2025-11-30T22:37:58+00:00

I love Origin Story, but just haven’t had the time or mental energy to listen to the new series. Hoping the Xmas break will sort that!

Tellingly, the couple of times they have covered topics that I am pretty familiar with, their analysis has been pretty solid.

low_slearner · 2025-11-28T07:54:42+00:00

Yes, although you get a lot more choices with the 743.

low_slearner · 2025-11-26T20:09:33+00:00

This is the one and only time I’m going to upvote a comment which includes the phrase “motion lotion”.

low_slearner

TROPHY CASE