We’ve made it to another year! What’re you planning for the new year? Are you just riding it out and seeing what happens?

If you (somehow) haven’t heard me talk about it yet, my EP is out! You can check it out here: https://tcannonfodder.bandcamp.com/album/mesh-network

Let me know what you think of it! I still can’t believe I actually finished it by the end of 2022, it was really close to the wire. Now that it’s over, I’m going to focus on getting it out to more people, listen to music again (when I’m working on my own, I can’t listen to anyone else’s, it’s “fun”), and experiment as I find inspiration. One of the things I personally struggle with is self-promotion, so I’m going to work at it this year, since I believe in this EP.

This week has had some truly bizarre things come across my inbox, so I want to quickly share some links and get to those.

Hey there!

I’ll keep it short, because I still can’t believe I actually did it: Mesh Network, my ambient solarpunk EP, is out!

It’s a meditation on what a grounded solarpunk future could be like; without some of the annoyances I have with both ambient music & solarpunk work.

Each track is a different look at the same world. They’re independent, but connected, building the eponymous mesh network.

​Sorry this one’s short! I’ve been working nonstop on a new feature at work; so there hasn’t been much time to think. I​ ​have​​, however, had a whole bunch of good links to share! I’m still working on my EP; putting together the last track. Then it’s getting the album art & liner notes together​ 💪

How was your Thanksgiving? Are you doing any traveling for the holidays?

What I’ve been reading

• Nicholas Britell Made Andor Sound Nothing Like Star Wars: it’s no secret that I love ​Andor​, and the score is a huge part of that. Knowing that significant care and a critical eye was behind the entire process only amplifies that.
• Mick Gordon’s statement on what went wrong with ​DOOM: Eternal​: Wooof. What a shitshow. Corporations slaughtering their golden geese will always be mind-boggling. How do you willingly, deliberately pull a stunt like this, especially when Mick gave one of the best GDC talks about his creative process.
• This travel piece about Uruguay’s wide margin on renewal energy is conveniently research for Mesh Network
• When Old-Fashioned Candy Was New: All I’m going to say is that I love the universal truths of humanity
• Should I Cook For My Dog?: This was a complete, frustrating, nerve-wracking rollercoaster. I was TERRIFIED to listen, because ATK is a very bougie publication, so I was bracing to be bashed over the head with anti-kibble propaganda. But they actually did a really good job laying out all the complications and how the entire argument plays on our anthropomorphizing and consumer fears

Yep, like everyone else, I let my newsletter get dusty in 2022; and have only been spurred on by the implosion of Twitter. 😬 I’ve only got an hour to put this out, but it’s always better to do the damned thing.

Are you watching Andor?

If yes, we need to talk about it

If no, we also need to talk about it

It’s been a wild 2 months here, wrapping up big work projects and reflecting.

What I've been reading

Not a whole lot, sadly. It’s been a lot of work wrangling, so I haven’t been reading much.

However I’ve been playing more games, which has been exciting. I’m about a quarter of the way through Coffee Talk, which I’ve been loving. I’m also midway through Dishonored 2, which is a bit of a mixed experience. I love the worldbuilding, I love how dark and cynical everything is, but I can’t say I enjoy playing the game? I’m just extremely bad at it, so I need to save-scum all the time.

Hey there!

I’m only just now starting to be half a human again, the past 6 months have been…intense.

Okay, so what’ve I been up to?

What I’m reading

I’m continuing to chip away at Indigenous Prosperity and American Conquest: an academic paper about Native American agriculture. It’s been incredibly eye-opening, and I highly recommend it so far.

I read a lot more this month than I remembered!

• The Pillars of The Earth: This took months of chipping away at, but I enjoyed it immensely. The generational arcs, mixed with a deep appreciation for the engineering feats of cathedrals & pure genre crunchiness was an excellent combination. I can’t wait to start the second book, but it’s set during the Black Plague, so I’m gonna hold off for a bit 😅
• Tehanu: Reading the Earthsea cycle for the first time has been fascinating. I loved how much this book challenged the norms of fantasy (especially the tropes within the series itself!) I don’t want to spoil much, but the afterward from Ursula K. Le Guin really helped me put this into context and galvanized my thoughts on it.
• Two stories from Rebecca Roanhorse, featured on episodes of Levar Burton Reads: The Takeback Tango and Wherein Abigail Fields Recalls Her First Death and, Subsequently, Her Best Life. The audio production was excellent, and I enjoyed the thematic layering, which felt like Ann Leckie’s work.

2020

Fuck. Just, fuck, y'all.

To answer the immediate questions:

• I've been making it through alright, I hope you are too.
• I didn't forget this newsletter, but it felt wrong to write it in the midst of everything happening.
• I haven't cut my hair, and at this point the stubbornness has kicked in and I'm waiting until I'm vaccinated.
• I'm 1,000% ready to do the work to close this chapter and learn from our lessons.

February was a whirlwind of a month, culminating in a nasty cold that's knocked me out. I'm having a hard time remembering everything that happened, but luckily there's more than enough to fill a newsletter. 😅

What I've made recently

If you've had a conversation with me in the past month, you've likely heard me grumble about the ink parser I'm writing for the game development stuff. I've decided to redo everything and make it a (mostly) straightforward port of the canonical engine. The writeup will be interesting, but I'll also be glad to see it behind me.

My goto sick meal right now (aside from soup) is:

How're you? How've things been?

We're a month into the new year, which is exciting, but also a little bit daunting. What've you been up to? Is there anything you're excited about in February?

What I've read

Some excellent articles ended up my way this month, which was exciting!

NYE 2019: New Year, New Beans

First off, thank you so much for subscribing. I'm really excited to be able to share more stuff with you, and hopefully you'll enjoy it and we can keep in better touch!

This is a bit of an experiment, so it'll probably grow and change, but I'm excited to see where it goes.

What I've been reading