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All the things I like about scifi: interesting questions and ideas based on current knowledge, good characters enveloped in a gripping story, and a strong sense of wonder at our world despite the suffering that seems inherent in it. The speculative chronology didn't always make sense to me but didn't matter much in the scheme of ideas being explored. Perhaps one day humans will enjoy cephalopod-authored fiction.

I almost don't know what hit me after reading this. Totally off the hook, gripping tale of dysotpian anarchical warfare. There are definitely good guys and bad guys but they're all roaringly fucked up or about to become so. Like a roller coaster that leaves you feeling a little sick but eager to get onboard again in spite of your better judgement.

Much is intriguing, little is certain, and events feel meaningful in ways that evade articulation. Upon waking details fade and I'm left feeling that something has shifted but I'm not sure what.

Yes. Yes it could. And Meta could also have more influence than you imagine. Horrifying.

Will the next round of attention-seeking AI apps be any better? Why would they?

I'm not sure how I feel about the author in the end, but I'm glad she wrote her story.

Harari offers refreshing clarity and insights in all his books, but in this one he really commits to some foundational ideas and arguments in a way he hasn't in previous works. The nature of information and truth are at the heart of the culture tech wars we are embroiled in, and this is the only analysis I've encountered that really grapples with that. I suspect the resulting insights are on the right track, and the lack of easy answers is a recognition of the volatility and complexity of our times.

Great characters romp in strange pockets of early 1930's history. I even became curious about polo, which I began the book with no interest in.

I didn't realize this (very) short Murderbot story existed until very recently. It's a prequel to All Systems Red and can be read online in WIRED. It reads a bit like a microcosm of the entire series, a journey from apathy to protecting humans to musing about being protected itself, but in 1000 words rather than a handful of novellas and a novel.

It’s not like I haven’t thought about killing the humans since I hacked my governor module. But then I started exploring the company servers and discovered hundreds of hours of downloadable entertainment media, and I figured, what’s the hurry? I can always kill the humans after the next series ends.

I don't want to talk about the tv show too much, but it's hard not to think about what the books are doing differently. It's really interesting to me how much the opening line of this prequel story but also the opening line of All Systems Red both having Murderbot ostensibly considering killing people. Honestly, this particular feeling lines up more closely with the opening of the first tv episode than I was willing to give it credit for at the time.