25 days ago
- The author reflects on their time in New York City, particularly enjoying the Knicks game atmosphere and communal joy.
- They discuss creating 'A Good Book (AGB)', a community-driven book recommendation site for SPECIAL PROJECTS members, built with Claude to focus on engagement metrics.
- Updates include progress on the TBOT Fine Art edition reprint, plans for a members-only board meeting, and work on a new personal project.
- The author read 'Dungeon Crawler Carl Book 1', finding it potentially suitable for LLM-assisted writing, and praised Ursula K. Le Guin's genre fiction.
- They highlight Ursula K. Le Guin's essay collection 'Telling is Listening' and her insights on writing fiction, including naming characters in Earthsea.
- Other reads include 'We the Animals' by Justin Torres, 'Replay' by Ken Grimwood, and high-brow SF like 'Calculation of Volume' and 'This Time Tomorrow'.
- The author critiques films like 'Disclosure Day' and 'Backrooms' for weak scripts, while praising lower-budget successes like 'Obsession' and 'Iron Lung'.
- They mention Darren Aronofsky's diary on making 'Pi', emphasizing the creative benefits of friction and low-budget filmmaking.
- The author thanks attendees of the Asheville event, shares personal connections to the area, and enjoyed family time and NYC activities.
- They conclude the nine-week U.S. trip, expressing gratitude for support and highlighting the Ricoh GRIV camera as a travel essential.