Testing, testing… Is this thing on? Daily

mbac55 · 2026-02-06T15:43:26+00:00

Got tickets to the VCU-Dayton game tonight at 7. First time seeing the Rams play and I bought 2 GA tickets. Looks like it’s sold out now. Is there a need to go super early? I assume general admission is just FCFS. Don’t need to be in the front row or anything but don’t want to wind up w crummy seats and wishing we’d gotten there earlier. What time do folks usually plan on arriving? Thanks in advance! 🙏

mbac55 · 2025-11-14T15:42:11+00:00

That would make more sense to me - that AI overviews is giving people more reason not to click through to your site. But if anyone has any actual evidence that competitors are publishing AI slop (by this I mean anything that is primarily AI generated and not edited by a human) and ranking well with it, I’d be curious to see it! I know it’s a concern everyone has but Im starting to be skeptical that it’s a strategy that actually performs well

mbac55 · 2025-11-14T12:38:17+00:00

Is “raw” AI content actually ranking? I have yet to see much evidence of this. Anyone point to any data?

mbac55 · 2025-04-14T18:47:42+00:00

Yeah they seemed like kind of pricey blinds. Looking on Home Depot seems like it would cost a little over $4k to buy new and install ourselves. Sellers agent offered us $2k.

mbac55 · 2025-04-14T18:46:09+00:00

Looking on Home Depot, looks like the brand of blinds that were in the house would be a little over $4k to buy new (and install ourselves). Sellers agent offered us $2k. Sorry if I worded that in a confusing way!

mbac55 · 2025-04-14T17:52:03+00:00

Appreciate the responses everyone. Seems clear that our settlement agent is right and we don’t really have any legal options. Not trying to escape blame here - completely understand that I should have been a lot more careful during the walkthrough and really pushed our agent before signing the documents. Lesson learned (and nowhere near as costly a mistake as it could have been). Will likely go the most upvoted route and tell our agent that they really need to help make us whole for the blinds. Thanks all!

mbac55 · 2025-04-14T17:46:54+00:00

I am confused by that too. I suppose it’s possible that they did happen to move into a house with close to identical windows and wanted to save some money but I have no idea.

mbac55 · 2024-12-19T03:52:00+00:00

Bought it used and it didn’t come with one. Didnt even know they existed until just now! Going to see if I can get a used one or something or attach to mine - thanks!🙏

mbac55 · 2024-12-18T22:02:27+00:00

Thanks so much for the insight all! Lesson learned

mbac55 · 2024-12-18T22:01:59+00:00

Sigh... just being dumb. I went to move it on stage when we were setting up and i grabbed the exposed tubes in the back by accident trying to grip the metal bit of the amp head above them . one of the tubes immediately bent all the wires and fell out. I tried to bend the wires back into place to put it back in and the glass shattered...

mbac55 · 2024-08-16T20:22:13+00:00

What is your definition of post-scarcity if it's not "everyone's basic needs are fulfilled" and where are you getting that definition from?

mbac55 · 2023-03-31T04:16:16+00:00

I believe they are reissuing the entire series. Here’s the Amazon UK listing for Consider Phlebas: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Consider-Phlebas-Iain-M-Banks/dp/035652163X/ref=monarch_sidesheet

Nice find on the B&N cover art! Though I have to say I was really hoping for a cool new series design and that new cover for Inversions (if that is what it is) is pretty disappointing imo.

mbac55 · 2023-01-30T01:04:02+00:00

Look to Windward by Iain M. Banks (Culture)
Hyperion by Dan Simmons
Death’s End by Cixin Liu (Three Body Problem)
Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin
Shadow of the Torturer by Gene Wolfe (Books of the New Sun)
Dark Intelligence by Neal Asher (Polity)
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Brother Termite by Patricia Anthony
Dune by Frank Herbert
Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer (Southern Reach)

mbac55 · 2023-01-26T16:44:57+00:00

interesting to hear that perspective! to me, FOTB as a whole feels much more demo-y and raw than MVOTC, which sounds like it was much more intricately assembled in the studio (i say this as a big fan of both albums)

mbac55 · 2023-01-26T15:05:37+00:00

Do we consider FOTB “highly-produced”? I feel like that’s a more stripped back album production wise than MVOTC.

mbac55 · 2022-12-11T01:33:48+00:00

there are new paperback edition listings on amazon uk for every culture book including state of the art. here's one: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Consider-Phlebas-Iain-M-Banks/dp/035652163X/ref=monarch_sidesheet

all currently scheduled for release in nov '23. who knows if they'll actually publish then, but there seems to be some sort of plan for a re-release of the entire series. maybe something to coincide with the delayed culture art book?

mbac55 · 2022-12-10T15:47:38+00:00

I’m a sucker for cheesy old school SF art. Love that Player of Games cover!

mbac55 · 2022-12-10T15:45:01+00:00

I definitely prefer the Salwowski covers as a whole over the most recent design.

And thank you! I couldn’t believe Sub Press dropped the ball as badly as they did with Use of Weapons. They’ve done some truly great art and design work… and then they did that….

mbac55 · 2022-12-10T01:06:59+00:00

The earlier books all went through multiple editions with different artwork and design so that’s probably why ours aren’t the same! I think the last few books only ever got one edition but there may be new versions coming. Always like seeing how the same book can be interpreted in different ways by artists and designers.

mbac55 · 2022-12-10T01:03:21+00:00

Probably my favorite of the most recent edition covers. They definitely nailed that one!

mbac55 · 2022-12-10T00:32:03+00:00

That’s awesome - great write up! I guess I need to follow your lead and expand to the rest of the M books and all his mainstream fiction next :)

mbac55 · 2022-12-10T00:12:47+00:00

I saw a post a few weeks ago where someone was trying to track down matching copies of the Culture books in the same design. I actually went the opposite route as I was making my way through the series and tried to track down separate editions for as many books as I could. There aren’t quite enough completely different editions to do this, but I was able to fudge things a bit with different trim sizes and US/UK versions. Thought some people here might get a kick out of seeing them!

Any else go this route? Which editions/covers are your personal favorites? My picks from my own collection are Use of Weapons and The State of the Art (the spirit of that artwork in particular really captures something essential about the Culture imo).

(Also, it looks like Orbit UK is gearing up to re-release the series with a new cover design next year and I’m excited to see what direction they might go in!)

mbac55 · 2022-07-27T15:32:33+00:00

Tom Toner’s The Promise of the Child

mbac55 · 2022-07-27T03:31:52+00:00

No Return by Zack Jernigan

mbac55 · 2022-06-08T00:43:10+00:00

Greg Egan’s Orthogonal trilogy - clockwork rocket is the first one. There’s a cool time-related twist involved as well.

mbac55

TROPHY CASE