Tag Archives: science fiction

Star Flash

Posted by Piscis on

Fish Notes

 

What’s this? More music? The only creative thing I can complete lately!?

 

 
I encountered a thread on Twitter a couple weeks back of people posting their favorite (invariably science fiction) ’80s cartoon opening themes, which left me with the urge to write something along those lines.

As a side note, if you crave an exercise in madness, try coming up with a title consisting of “Star” followed by a cool/short/punchy word that isn’t already the name of some existing sci-fi show, movie, book, game, or what have you.

 

Bene scribete.

Mass Effect – Open Auditions

Posted by Piscis on

explorerswanted

 

Fellow Mass Effect / Sci-Fi / video game fans!  BioWare is holding auditions for a couple small rolls in their upcoming game, Mass Effect: Andromeda.  Feeling adventurous enough to try out?  Check out the details on their ‘blog.

If you need a little encouragement, you can watch me make a fool of myself and throw my own hat into the ring below.

 

 

Bene scribete.

Prisoner 721

Posted by Piscis on

Prisoner 721 by Aaron Lowry

 

I read this neat little novelette a few weeks back, and figured its merits deserve a shout-out.

Prisoner 721 is, simply put, about a restless inmate who takes it upon himself to teach his prison’s artificial intelligence system how to analyze and interpret visual art.

My favorite thing about this story – what I think makes it – is that it’s told in first-person from the perspective of the AI itself.  Exploring the internalization of a ‘mind’ like this is always a fascinating exercise in thought, and Lowry does a great job of conveying the machine point of view in a unique, believable manner (the “X% chance of Y” trope may be a bit overused, but it has its pulp charm).

The setting, primarily regarding the AI’s role and regulations, is well thought-out, so the scenario evolves in a natural way that doesn’t require sacrificing consistency or technical plausibility for the sake of the plot (a definite plus for any science fiction piece).

It’s a clever, quick, worthwhile read, and you can download it for free on Smashwords, as well as most major eBook retailers.  Check it out!

And take a closer look at that cover – how cool is that?

 

Bene scribete.