CHENAQRUD was first located by the famed explorer Safi-al-Manit, who was presumed lost when he never returned from his expedition.  His wife Bibi set out in search of him, but also never returned.  When the planet was finally rediscovered decades later by the Atropines, they were shocked to find that both Safi and Bibi had survived, and had passed on the inheritance of Chenaqrud to their son Sadr.  This monarchy continues with the cooperation of the regime on Atropine, who find it convenient to support a legitimate government that supports them in turn.  The core of Chenaqrud is very active both geologically and chemically.  New molecular forms are constantly being created and churned to the surface, where they erupt onto glistening steppes.  Chenaqruders race to gather these flows, often while they are still hot.  When doing so, they usually wear a local vegetable called "qārā" on their feet.  These bulbous roots are quite heat-resistant, and so readily available as to easily serve as disposable footwear.

I had been half intending to just leave the new monitor sitting in its box for a few days, particularly with today's schedule being full (reading and dishes in the morning, a family Ars Magica RPG session in the afternoon, then late supper because of all the chips we eat while roleplaying). But I managed to push through and set up the new monitor, so yay me.

The frame is white, which is a little weird but I'm sure I'll get used to it. The stand that comes with it isn't too adjustable, but I can replace that later if I want to. Max resolution available is 3840x2160, which means I must have gotten the proper HDMI cable this time because I couldn't get near that much with the last monitor and its cable.  This is of course pretty small for my aging eyes so I'm at 175% scale.

I went through something similar with my new monitor at work so I was prepared for Winamp to suddenly look extremely bad. (Yes, I still use Winamp--it's been Good Enough for me for some time now; the only other music player I've really tried was iTunes, which is extremely awful and I only use it to buy music from the store and copy music onto my iPod Touch.) I was aware that Winamp had resurfaced with a new version a few years ago, but when I'd tried to check it out back then I got certificate errors so I just shrugged and went on with my old version.

But the old version does not deal well with screen zoom. I tried out the new version at work, and it seemed to work well enough, so I bit the bullet and installed it at home tonight. (I backed up all my meticulously hand-crafted playlists first, but they seem to have come through unscathed.) The window layout is a little different at the moment, and the font may be a little smaller, but I'm going to give it a try and see how it works out.

I also gave the monitor's built-in speakers a try, but it didn't take long for me to conclude they were pretty bad and switch back to my old ones.

Of course this device is prepared to be a Smart TV as well, but I elected not to give it Wifi access and it seems to have settled successfully into its rule as monitor. Hopefully it won't get ideas.

I should probably try some video games on it. Maybe one of the ones that kept blanking out my screen on the old monitor. Or watch some Star Trek or something.

VÎLCEANU is moderately radioactive, which has caused its population to be affected by numerous mutations.  Those that are not deleterious (and some are even beneficial) have been passed down through the generations by various branches of its people.  The Vîlceanuvians have then sorted themselves into various camps based on their outward appearances.  There is no prejudice behind this practice, as all peoples are considered equal.  Those who bear closest resemblance simply live in the same place and are ruled by the same elected Chief.  Mating is strictly exogamous, taking place only between members of different camps.  When children are born, they are closely examined and are usually judged to belong to one or the other of their parents.  In rare cases a child is deemed to obviously belong in some other camp, and this is not taken as a sign of infidelity or dishonor.  The child must, however, go off to live with an adoptive parent of the appropriate phenotype.  There are elaborate and oft-told Vîlceanuvian myths which explain the origin of their various subtypes, and which are performed theatrically in immense amphitheatres.  Those afflicted by lethal mutations are granted the great honor of participating in the finale of these plays.  Tourism is politely discouraged.

TIBRO is home to a busily competitive society of humans who are proud of their science and engineering.  The nearly indestructible architecture of their cities seems inhuman, however.  Low-ceilinged sleeping areas, ramped entrances, and sloping tunnels between buildings give every indication that they were built for another species entirely.  It seems highly probable
that the descendants of the city builders still live on the planet.  Called "Slinkers" by the human Tibrohs, the shy creatures show no evidence of tool use or advanced organization but do well match the probable anatomy of the missing architects.  They live a nomadic lifestyle, slowly migrating around the planet to avoid what can only be described as "Ghosts".  Resembling the
"Slinkers" in every respect except for their intangibility, the second mystery of Tibro is even greater than the first.  Brave and/or intoxicated Tibrohs have risked physical contact with the "Ghosts" and suffered no ill effects whatsoever.  The "Slinkers" flee from them as if in fear for their lives, though, and legend states that if a "Slinker" ever touches a "Ghost", it turns into one.  No such transformation has ever been recorded on video.

ATROPINE was the first outer rim system to be colonized, which seems unlikely because it is so cold and marginally habitable.  But being out-of-the-way and inconspicuous is an advantage in certain occupations, and Atropinians have been moderately successful in taking advantage.  They are a high-technology society, and they are known to provide free use of their advanced tools to those who are willing to cut them in on their profits.  One particular region is known for its abandoned settlements, which are used for weapons tests and anything else too dangerous to do within populated areas.  The ruins could tell a story or two, if anything on Atropine was amenable to talking about what happens there.

KATUBA is an oceanic world both ruled and wholy owned by a queen who traces her matrilineal bloodline back to the first human to live there.  Almost all economies are to some degree based on an agreed fiction, but the Katuban economy is more imaginary than most.  The queen literally owns everything on the planet, including the people.  So any object to be used or meal to be eaten is officially lent or gifted by the queen herself.  Obviously she can't be expected to personally announce these grants all the time, so one must simply take what one considers to be fair and hope that the queen agrees.  Within her experienced mind there is presumed to exist a sort of ledger which tracks each person's merit as balanced against the resources consumed by that person.  There is minimal scarcity on Katuba, with abundant food everywhere and no need for shelter or clothing in its warm calm waters.  Only technological facilities are very limited, and these are predominantly used in the creation of esoteric vehicles.  When someone gets an idea for a new one, they wait their turn at the nearest fabrication shop so they can produce a novel design which will delight the queen.  Annual parades and races show off all of them, and promote community spirit on this strange but peaceful planet.

VELEŠIĆI is a planet rich with life that once also had a large human population, but pollution damaged most of the arable land.  The centuries of emigration that followed have resulted in more people of Velešići heritage living off-world than on Velešići itself.  A few ancient families remain, within well-defended enclaves.  For although the ecology of the planet was disrupted, many creatures survived and adapted to the polluted land.  Of particular interest are the vukpas, which are very dangerous carnivorous pack animals.  In addition to their teeth and claws, vukpas bear one more unusual weapon:  a virus.  Anyone within shouting distance of a pack of vukpas is at risk of infection, and the primary symptom of uncontrollable laughter serves to both attract vukpas and incapacitate their prey.  Hunting parties on Velešići must be extremely cautious, because he who laughs does not last.

I voted by mail at least a week ago. I like voting by mail. I used to vote by mail in order to volunteer for 866-Our-Vote, but I have not done that since 2016. Many reasons, not relevant here.

Today, I am off the internet, except for the part where all my work is done remotely. Tonight I'm hanging at my favorite bar which is running karaoke tonight, so no teevees. I suppose I'll see some returns without trying, but I'll try anyway.

I always vote. I have often canvassed. I've volunteered. But I have never enjoyed the U.S. tradition of sport in elections, and, for more than 20 years, that tradition has made me sadder, angrier, and increasingly disengaged each election. I do my research; I make my choices; I cast my ballot but I can't care. And I simply will not watch. I will not engage with the game.

It's the tribalism. It's the reactionary "they're all the same".  It's the bluster and shouting, dressing up disengagement with critical thinking as passion. It's the denigration of expertise, service and the refusal to accept that complex problems, large systems—as well as the balancing of differing interests—do not have simple or universally appealing solutions.

So I try to find things which tell me which choices acknowledge that none of this should be a game, none of it should be us vs. them. It's not bon mots, soundbites, zingers or points. It's people's lives and health and well-being. I make my choices; I cast my ballot and I disengage.

I don't know if that's right but it's sustainable in all this despair, rage, helplessness and terror.

TAMBO was founded by an eccentric scientist searching for a way to produce limitless quantities of food.  He found it in a self-replicating catalyst that converts seawater into an edible paste.  This paste is revolting to look at, horrifying to smell, and achingly bitter to taste, but it is edible.  The surface of Tambo used to be over 90% covered by ocean, so now it is over 90% covered by this stuff.  They say that if you strain out the liquid from the paste, you can more easily choke it down with a glass of pure rainwater.  "They" are of course the nonviolent criminals and other undesirables who have been exiled to Tambo from the rest of the Nag sector.  The remorseful scientist attempted to flee, but was located and humanely imprisoned elsewhere rather than subjected to his creation.  His researches are closely supervised lest he achieve similar success again.

I blogged a few years ago on Wordpress about how I was reading. Mostly it still seems to be accurate. Still trying to balance male and female, and add diversity.

One thing I'd done since then was make a separate list of books that I'd basically acquired on a whim, by an author I'd never heard of before, and only had one book by that author. Really, I pulled them all off of my shelves and then ended up stacking them on the disused pool table in our basement. So I added a sixth stroke to the cycle, for trying these books, and giving myself the permission to give up on the book if it doesn't grab me. Because normally I just read the book to the end anyway.

I've found a few decent authors that way, particular Rosemary Kirstein ("The Steerswoman" was great, but I was blown away by the sequel, "The Outskirter's Secret"), Jon Skovron, Jaida Jones & Danielle Bennett, Joe Zieja, and Charles Palliser.  I also found a few decent books that I finished but probably won't seek out the authors again, and several duds that I did not get through.

I'm still doing a lot of rereads--doing a lot of series, with some standalones in between, and slower rereads of Discworld, Dick Francis, and Star Trek. For a while it's been less of "series that I enjoy" and more of "series that I haven't read for a long time". Like the Thomas Covenant books, or the Incarnations of Immortality, or the Fifth Millennium series, or, most recently, the Deryni books.

For the record: the Thomas Covenant books seem to have held up pretty well (with the huge proviso that you have to get past the rape in the first book, which not everybody should be expected to do), and I've even started the Last Chronicles.  The Incarnations of Immortality start off well, but I was not imagining the decline, and I had apparently completely forgotten about the pedophilia apologism in the last book; I think I've weeded all but the first off my shelf.  The Fifth Millennium books are mostly pretty good, but I feel like they'd do better if I just took out the first book, S.M. Stirling's "Snowbrother", so we can pretend Sh'kaira isn't a bad person.

I'm still on my Deryni series reread. I know for a fact I got into these because of the mentions in Dragon Magazine, as part of a psionics-focused issue (I believe it was Issue #78), so I've never been able to see the Deryni "magic" as anything but psionics. They came out originally as several trilogies in non-chronological order; I read them in chronological order, with the Camber trilogy first before the original Deryni trilogy (which it precedes by a century or two), and then a sequel trilogy to each. (There's more besides those, but I haven't read them.)

The Camber trilogy was not bad; it gets a little downbeat towards the end, as persecution of Deryni starts, but the frequent high-handedness of some of our main characters feels like ample justification. The sequel trilogy gets pretty dark at times, but it was actually better than I had remembered. The Deryni trilogy itself was...not great. The main characters are not great, and the whole trilogy ends with a major confrontation that...gets wrapped up in a very unsatisfactory way. Like...let's say that ASOIAF ended with the Starks facing off against the Lannisters...and then suddenly one of the Lannisters revealed they'd been a (previously unknown) Lannister enemy in disguise the whole time and they'd just poisoned all the Lannisters and so the Starks got to win.

I've been showing a peculiar dedication to my 100-book-per-year Goodreads goal, too, and I've been trying to set regular reading quotas. Mostly this has been four or five days per book, sometimes more of the book is longer (I took seven days to get through Stephen King's "Duma Key"). You'd think this wouldn't work for reading 100 books a year, but I'm usually done my quota before supper, and then I can snatch a little bit more reading in the evening, like nonfiction books, or comics, and some of that counts as well, so it's mostly been working out.  (And I started off the year frontloading it with a few short novellas, to get an early lead, so that also helped.)

Before I go on to the next Deryni trilogy, though, I've decided to reread "Les Misérables"--even the bits about the bishop and Waterloo and stuff--so we'll see how that works.  I've got like a two-book lead right now. We'll see if that's enough.