This week's Highlighter is a little light. I spent most of my available listening hours on the podcast version of Michael Nagler's Nonviolence Today course. If you're not already a committed pacifist, it will probably bore you to tears or infuriate you. So, I'm not recommending it to anyone who isn't a pacifist. At some point, I'll find a good introduction to pacifism and promote that.
- Audio:
- LibriVox's recording of Bram Stoker's Dracula. The original vampire novel for free! Van Helsing could kill Edward Cullen with a look and Dracula would find it quite funny. The book meanders on a bit, but some of the readers are incredibly good and even with the meandering, it's way better than Twilight.
- Escape Pod 216: βoyfriend by Madeline Ashby. What happens when AI becomes advanced enough to be a boyfriend or girlfriend? There's a few snide remarks at our present society too, but I'm not sure they're easy to spot.
- PodCastle 072: The Exit Sign by Ursula Pflug. This one is quite a bit saucier than most stories I'm likely to link to. It isn't that alluring, actually, but there are lots of clear mentions of various fetishes. The story itself is an examination of new types of prejudices, the dangers of these prejudices, and the beauty and strength that go to those who overcome them.
- Non-audio:
- Who You Are and Who You Ain’t by James N. Frey. This is a somewhat longish essay on the importance of writing, the persecution of the writer, etc. In a way, it reminds me of aspects of Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash (which is a great book and you should read it). Anyway, if you're a writer and you're not struck with the feeling of being a superhero or a prophet by the time you finish reading this, you're doing it wrong. Either your writing, or the reading.
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