Jackson Allen's Blog

Dateline – Eugene, OR – The dirty little Bandon Zoo – an ailing roadside attraction – now an evocative metaphor for the naive indifference of the American oligarchs in 2026. Don’t believe me, look no further than the ignominious information provided in nearly four-dozen counts of animal neglect, racketeering, methamphetamine delivery, and reckless endangerment. This...

Read More “Notes from Eugene – 04/23/2026” »

The post Notes from Eugene – 04/23/2026 first appeared on Inkican.

Happy Monday – here’s the Solarpunk Digest for April. You and I have heard enough scary, dim, dismal or depressing news in the past month. Now more than ever, I need to hear solutions, not problems we’re not rich or influential enough to solve. Dystopia isn’t going to be fun and we need to start...

Read More “Solarpunk Digest – April ’26 | Biohacking & Games” »

The post Solarpunk Digest – April ’26 | Biohacking & Games first appeared on Inkican.

Breaking news out of Mesh – the feedback has arrived from the editors and they have a lot to say. I’ll give you the breakdown in a second. You may be aware of the Pareto principle – where you spend 20% of your time getting 80% of the way, but 80% of your time on that...

Read More “The Pareto Principle of Writing” »

The post The Pareto Principle of Writing first appeared on Inkican.

Quick notes on Project Hail Mary – having seen the movie over the weekend I feel comfortable calling it ‘the scifi step-down transformer.’ I’ve been alarmed for a while about scifi’s toxic death spiral – Project Hail Mary is the antidote we’ve all been looking for. HuH, Whu – you say? What’s a step-down transformer?...

Read More “Project Hail Mary: Scifi Step-Down Transformer” »

The post Project Hail Mary: Scifi Step-Down Transformer first appeared on Inkican.

Woo – SciFriday is back with an Artemis II and Orion edition – the first translunar space mission in nearly 60 years! Enjoy some facts, figures, and live updates on this historic space mission. Like you, I’m concerned about Artemis’ safety record but now that the astronauts are aboard all we can do is wish...

Read More “Sci-Friday #226 – Artemis II and Orion” »

The post Sci-Friday #226 – Artemis II and Orion first appeared on Inkican.

Like you, super-excited about the success of ‘Project Hail Mary,’  imagine my surprise to find scifi fans angry at Andy Weir – is Andy Weir getting cancelled? I sure hope not. I mean, start with the grief we’ve been processing over Neil Gaiman, Jonathan Majors, Joss Whedon, and HugoGate. We’re numb to the idea of...

Read More “Is Andy Weir Getting Cancelled?” »

The post Is Andy Weir Getting Cancelled? first appeared on Inkican.

Continued from Part One – No blog containing ‘Notes on Getting Your Book Out There’ would be complete without articulating the frustrations behind the statement. The semantic satiation of ‘getting your book out there’ seems to imply that the people trying the hardest to succeed are the ones least likely to succeed. Every hour spent...

Read More “Notes on Getting Your Book Out There – II” »

The post Notes on Getting Your Book Out There – II first appeared on Inkican.

Some notes on getting your book out there. As an author, an article from the NYT gives me a mix of cringe, despair, and determination. I’d like to talk about some strategies toward getting your book out there and collect your feedback, notes, frustrations. Maybe all this discussion can help us arrive at the Holy...

Read More “Notes on Getting Your Book Out There” »

The post Notes on Getting Your Book Out There first appeared on Inkican.

If recent Meta layoff have you down, take this opportunity to build a Crisis Plan. I’ve talked about emotional crisis plans for Star Wars fans – they’re helpful ways to manage strong negative emotions.  ECPs are designed to guide you through low moments and struggles. They help us respond effectively to stress, disappointment, and anxiety....

Read More “Your Meta Layoff Crisis Plan” »

The post Your Meta Layoff Crisis Plan first appeared on Inkican.

I first started writing this Solarpunk Digest for March 2026 a few days ago – a palette cleanser from the scaries outside. It’s too easy to get sucked into the violent vortex of misery and chaos. Who needs reminding that we’re living in a dystopia every three seconds? We all know, folks! We haven’t done...

Read More “Solarpunk Digest – March 2026” »

The post Solarpunk Digest – March 2026 first appeared on Inkican.