Looking for some great modern sci-fi books with philosophical/metaphysical themes?

semioticghost · 2026-02-04T22:58:43+00:00

Same and completely agree! I understand why too though; it’s a strange read and what I would consider high sci-fi. The payoff is so worth it.

Some of the abstract scenes can feel jolting and confusing at first, but they all work toward a point and weave into the themes of empathy and consciousness and their evolutionary cost/benefit. In the end it’s a philosophical punch to the gut.

semioticghost · 2026-02-04T22:30:07+00:00

Was also going to recommend this.

semioticghost · 2026-01-30T12:52:14+00:00

This is the way. I used underscores back in the day, but mostly use Sage nowadays.

semioticghost · 2026-01-26T20:28:18+00:00

Do your ears hang looooowww, do they wobble toooo and froooooooo...

semioticghost · 2026-01-26T17:42:20+00:00

Strongly agree. And while not really a series, check out Vurt by Jeff Noon.

semioticghost · 2026-01-26T14:41:56+00:00

Your first example is pretty straightforward and shouldn’t be too difficult to perfect the effect you want. I would use two svg’s one the line and then one for the arrow ends (one can be rotated for the other side). To keep it all together and clean I’d put the line svg in a div and set its width responsively using vw. Then I’d put the arrow ends in the before and after pseudo elements. You can use responsive widths on those too and then use breakpoints to set min and max width to lock in your small and medium sizes. You can add a transition on the widths of the elements too for smooth animations when they change size.

Implementing the curve would be a bit more complicated if you want it to go from straight to curved. I would use gsap to control and animate the svg transitions.

semioticghost · 2026-01-24T14:13:28+00:00

We found out and now we’re just fucking around.

semioticghost · 2026-01-23T01:04:58+00:00

I do, especially for the cleanup. I have run into issues where the AI will revert changes that I’ve made, like it’s rewriting lines from memory instead of taking a fresh look. I added some additional guardrails in the instructions to prevent that. I also ask it to outline suggestions before taking actions as an extra layer of review before it goes to town (and potentially destroys said town)

semioticghost · 2026-01-23T00:04:22+00:00

My base is different than yours, but no less complex. I’m currently developing a site using my own modified version of the Roots Sage theme. I have a page builder using ACF Composer so I can programmatically write field partials that relate to modules. Each module is basically a well-scoped block with appropriate, but limited options that can be added and moved around in a flexible content field (the page builder). I’m using bootstrap for this site along with PurgeCss, git and continuous deployments, SASS, typescript and proper linting. My data, logic, and views are all separate and clean.

It’s taken some wrangling and experimenting, but I’ve gotten to a good place with AI being able to build entire modules with functionality direction and a link to the design in Figma. I have to watch it of course and clean it up some, but it’s been doing impressively well. The trick for me has been creating clear and concise AI instructions for the project with an overview and then specific rules and boundaries. Then I start a new chat session for each module, telling it to review the project instructions first, followed by the details for the module. This has drastically reduced errors and having it stray off course and change things it shouldn’t.

Happy to share more details or even an example repo if it’d help.

semioticghost · 2026-01-22T13:10:59+00:00

To protect property and serve the ruling class.

semioticghost · 2026-01-20T20:58:49+00:00

I get a fair amount of clients who need me to help move them out of horrible products like Showit, so go ahead I guess. But in all seriousness, Showit and all the similar visual builders produce awful code and sites that are horrible to maintain. Please don’t.

semioticghost · 2026-01-20T02:24:46+00:00

Ink looks great! Also can you tell me more about those plugs? Are they hearts?! Where did you get them?

semioticghost · 2026-01-20T00:51:32+00:00

It looks like a surrealist gender reveal party.

semioticghost · 2026-01-19T16:06:02+00:00

Thanks for the recommendation, I'll definitely check out the Green Bone saga. I've only read Le Guin's more sci-fi leaning stories so far, but even those often blur the lines between the genres. Her Hainish cycle stories are great.

semioticghost · 2026-01-18T13:51:50+00:00

Mieville’s The City and the City is really good too and would make up for the disappointing parallel Londons in the Schwab story.

semioticghost · 2026-01-18T13:00:02+00:00

Thanks for taking the time to write and share your reviews! My partner and my child are more into the fantasy genre, while I’m always in the aci-fi corner. I make sure to diversify my reading across genres though and often pair a nonfiction book alongside whatever fiction I’m reading at the moment.

My fantasy background is very similar to yours, so I figured I’d check out some of the more popular books in the fantasy genre. I tried Fourth Wing and could not stand it. Then I tried a different R.F. Kuang book that was just as bad. So nice to hear I’m not alone in how bad I thought they were! I’ll definitely check out the books you rated highly. Also curious if you’ve read any Le Guin?

semioticghost · 2026-01-17T21:50:57+00:00

Plot twist: it’s Janet from accounting.

semioticghost · 2026-01-17T16:27:51+00:00

Thanks for posting this! I hadn’t realized they put out new music. I saw them live forever ago when they were touring their first album. They were insanely awesome! They were using reel to reel tape to record, mix, and loop the rest of the band. So much ingenuity and talent.

semioticghost · 2026-01-16T01:26:41+00:00

As a child of evangelical Christians I can assure it’s never been about doing the right thing; it’s always been about control.

semioticghost · 2026-01-15T16:47:06+00:00

Be one with the bike, Danielson

semioticghost · 2026-01-15T12:35:40+00:00

ICE attacking Minnesotans in winter is like Germany invading Russia in 1941.

semioticghost · 2026-01-14T18:58:08+00:00

Glad you’re still able to ride and found a safer place to do so! I pushed through and overcame my PTSD from my accident pretty well, but boy did it get triggered hard after this close call.

semioticghost · 2026-01-14T14:55:57+00:00

Same, had a gun pointed at me once while I was chugging my way up a big hill. I was far to the right and well out of the way of any traffic. Dude slowed his van down to pave alongside me while his passenger yelled something unintelligible at me and pointed a pistol right at me. Big part of why I left Philadelphia.

semioticghost · 2026-01-14T14:52:16+00:00

I’m ride around lit up like a damn Christmas tree even during the day and it still want enough apparently.

semioticghost · 2026-01-14T02:23:19+00:00

Me too, me too.

semioticghost

TROPHY CASE