I first heard Bob Lazar’s story on the Joe Rogan podcast. On it, I remember he mentioning that UFO craft were apparently found as part of an archaeological dig. I later read his book “Dreamland” and saw no mention of this, which was disappointing, because it’s one of this nuggets that really gets your imagination going. Regardless, it’s all fun stuff. Here’s the clip from the episode: Bob Lazar Says UFO was an Archaeological Finding A rough quote transcribed from the auto-generated subtitles: ...

I read “Incident at Devils Den” yesterday. A spooky story for sure. True? I have no idea, nor care. What I liked the most was the structure of the story telling. Specifically, the lead-up to the “1977 incident” and the twice retelling. It’s a great progression. First, we get hints while retelling background and prior incidents. It’s why the the book exists, to document an encounter: The genesis of this book is an event that occurred in 1977. While camping at a state park, a friend and I encountered an enormous UFO. It was triangular-shaped, and each side was approximately a city block in length. ...

I am working my way through the latest season of Black Mirror (S7) and watched the Plaything episode (E4) the other day. Here’s a one paragraph summary via grok3: In Black Mirror’s “Plaything,” set in the Bandersnatch universe and aired on April 10, 2025, Cameron Walker (Peter Capaldi and Lewis Gribben) faces murder charges in 2034 and recounts his 1990s past as a video game journalist. Invited by eccentric programmer Colin Ritman (Will Poulter) to review Tuckersoft’s Thronglets—a game featuring digital creatures without conflict—Cameron becomes obsessed, believing he can communicate with them after an LSD-fueled night. His fixation escalates as he upgrades his computer to enhance their interactions, leading to a violent act tied to the murder charge. Exploring AI, human connection, and digital ethics, the episode, written by Charlie Brooker and directed by David Slade, was praised for its unsettling tone and accompanied by a real-world Thronglets mobile game. ...

I re-read Solaris last week. There is a great scene in the book, an interview with a pilot named Berton who “saw things”. It starts with the pilot’s log, then moves into an interview. And it’s super creepy as we discover what he, a top pilot, saw and the effect it had on him, and the fact that the panel of interviewers think him insane. While I was still some distance away, I noticed a pale, almost white, object floating on the surface. My first thought was that it was Fechner’s flying-suit, especially as it looked vaguely human in form. I brought the aircraft round sharply, afraid of losing my way and being unable to find the same spot again. The shape, the body, was moving; sometimes it seemed to be standing upright in the trough of the waves. I accelerated and went down so low that the machine bounced gently. I must have hit the crest of a huge wave I was overflying. The body — yes, it was a human body, not an atmosphere-suit — the body was moving. ...

I’m re-reading “The Case for Keto”. I re-read this one a lot. It has a great group feeling while reading, as in “some people just can’t eat carbs, and that includes you and me”, e.g. the author too. “The message should be straightforward: Carbohydrate-rich foods are fattening. Or to complicate it slightly such that naturally lean people might more likely understand: For those of us who fatten and particularly those who fatten easily, it’s the carbohydrates that we eat—the quantity and the quality—that are responsible. The relevant mechanism appears to be simple, as well: Carbohydrate-rich foods—grains, starchy vegetables, and sugars—work to keep insulin elevated in our circulation, and that traps the fat we eat in our fat cells and inhibits the use of that fat for fuel.” ...

I’m re-reading Gary Taubes books. I re-read them, and similar books, about once per year to brainwash myself to stay off the simple carbs. It seems to only stick for about 6-9 months before I need a reminder re-brainwashing. I’m lean, but it takes work. At core, calories in, calories out (CICO) works, but there is an undeniable level above that and it’s a level of simple carbs. For whatever reason, my frame fattens quickly when I eat them and staying lean requires complete abstinence. ...

I was joking to my wife that people will get sick of AI writing and will push back with a reactive style. Something like impressionistic and abstract art pushing back against polished realism. We have seen this with music as well, the preference for analogue vinyl records over CDs. Or the preference for being disconnected like CD and tape walkmans over streaming. Jokes often have a kernel of truth, I think some version of this will happen. ...

I just read pg’s latest essay “What to do”. It’s great, as always. He gives the generally good base advice of: “One should help people, and take care of the world.” He then goes on to suggest: “Make good new things.” Clumsy phrasing, but great advice. The rest of the essay mops up. I can’t argue. But I was thinking about this myself, personally. For me, I follow the maxim: ...

I’m revising my next novella. And it’s coming out dark. Each revision is even darker. I’m reminded of Steven Pressfield in “Do the Work”: My friend Paul is writing a cop novel. He’s never written anything so ambitious—and he’s terrified. “The story is coming out dark,” he says. “I mean twisted, weird-dark. So dark it’s scaring me.” Paul wants to know if he should throttle back. He’s worried that the book will come out so evil, not even Darth Vader will want to touch it. ...

I’m re-reading Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones. Like her Wild Mind, it’s less on tactics and more on the mindset of a writer and the writer life. The books make you feel okay with the disgust you have for your own writing and self-loathing you feel almost continuously. Or maybe that’s just me. I have internalized an early chapter in the book: “Writing as a Practice”. You write every day. It’s what you do. And the more you do it, the more it be comes a habit and hopefully the better you get. ...