Jackson Allen's Blog

When it comes to Mesh and Stars in a Jar – that idea is based in historical examples. Today I want to tell you about one of them: John Von Neumann. He died nearly 70 years ago at the age of 54, but man did he prove to be a ‘Star in a Jar’ for […]

The post Mesh: Historical Stars in a Jar first appeared on Inkican.

AI's ancient problem also has a solution. The technology may be new, but the human problems are ancient.

The post AI’s Ancient Problem first appeared on Inkican.

This was a choice find – Cliff Stoll telling the story of hacking the hackers from 40 years later. Stoll is one of my hacking heroes. Here’s Cliff, a few weeks ago at DefCon 34, telling ‘The Cuckoo’s Egg’ story 40 years later. Here’s why you should care: Forty years ago – the concept of […]

The post Hacking Hackers: Cliff Stoll 40 Years After the Cuckoo’s Egg first appeared on Inkican.

Brief analysis of scifi this week. I finished doing some tweaks to the website to make it easier for people to find things. In the meantime, I turn my attention back to different science fiction topics and how that’s impacting everyone else. The business of analyzing science fiction is a natural adjunct for anybody who […]

The post Scifi Analysis: the Atlantic Thinks Elon Musk is a Teenager first appeared on Inkican.

When it comes to Hollywood and Simon Stålenhag and his brand of science fiction let me be perfectly clear: they just don’t get it. Sorry, I’m a little fired up right now. Let’s take a step back. It always makes me sad when something beautiful ends up on the scrapheap. That visceral reaction you get […]

The post Hollywood Doesn’t Get Simon Stålenhag  first appeared on Inkican.

It’s time to discuss everything I hated about Jurassic Park. I feel so dirty. Somebody get me a dirty soda. Or maybe not – I don’t really enjoy them. Moxie and Mason are here to be my emotional support Authorcats as I do some heavy personal work. It’s time to discuss everything I hated about […]

The post Everything I Hated About: Jurassic Park first appeared on Inkican.

“How to Fix Star Wars?” You bet! Kudos to Jamelle Bouie for his insightful takedown on everything that’s wrong about Star Wars and how to fix it. Disney take note, this is how to fix your dipping movie / streaming sales. Will Disney listen? Will Star Wars get fixed? Who knows! But first, a reminder […]

The post Sci-Friday #229 – How to Fix Star Wars first appeared on Inkican.

The road less traveled comes from Frosts eponymous poem, but it's a larger metaphor for the choices we make in life. As a person who's made plenty of bad choices, I'd like to help you identify how to make good choices of your own. I can't put my brain in your head, but I can tell you to take the road less traveled whenever you're facing big choices. That's what this essay is all about.

The post STL: The Road less Traveled first appeared on Inkican.

Dateline: Eugene, Or – zombie bears and phantom data centers are just two of the strange and unusual events taking […]

The post Notes from Eugene – 08/10/2026 – Zombie Bears and Phantom Data Centers first appeared on Inkican.

We must say ‘No toxic influence’ in science fiction. Toxic influence is killing our community, it’s killing our genre, and it’s killing US. We must say ‘No’ to toxic influence in science fiction. Toxic influencers – they make about as much sense as a protein shake made with one drop of poison. All the mental […]

The post STL: Say No to Toxic Influence first appeared on Inkican.