Members only Fiction Is There Life On Mars? (final part) As the title says, this is the twelfth and final part of the story, Is There Life on Mars? It's now available only to subscribers. I hate having to resort to this, but this is the reality of the current internet age, especially with AI scrapers stealing everything
animals Japanese Cicada Why waste time trying to imagine what aliens may look like when you can just look at a Japanese cicada. They're some ugly Mofos if you're asking me. They're also loud AF... And they even make me curse in my blog.
Members only Fiction Is There Life On Mars? (part eleven) As the title says, this is the eleventh and penultimate part of the story, Is There Life on Mars? As we're very close to the end of the story, it's now available only to subscribers. I hate having to resort to this, but this is the
journaling The Story of Vee It's that time of year again. I've wanted to write this story for five years, but I've postponed it every time. I think it's time to finally do it, though. Thirty-five years ago, It was September 1991. I had graduated from high
Members only Fiction Is There Life On Mars? (part ten) As the title says, this is the tenth part of the story, Is There Life on Mars? As we're very close to the end, it's now available only to subscribers. I hate having to resort to this, but this is the reality of the current internet
Members only Thoughts Ugly Japan A little while ago, I read Dogs and Demons by Alex Kerr, whom you’ve probably heard of if you have any interest in Japan. If you haven't, you should. He's one of the most important Japanologists alive today. I’m not going to review the
Fiction Is There Life On Mars? (part eight) As the title says, this is the eighth part of the story "Is There Life On Mars?" Click on this link to read from the start. Alternatively, you can read the entire story as an e-book. Buy the e-book Day 214 Well… No… Today’s entry is still
Thoughts The Kanji for "Cedar" in Japanese It's usually pronounced 'sugi', and I will explain how this character came to be. The left part, also known as the 'radical', is the kanji for 'tree': 木. But what about the part on the right? Well, it's pretty simple.
Fiction Is There Life On Mars? (part five) In which, we learn that not everything is rosy on the trip to the red planet. Being stuck in a tin can for months is starting to take its toll on the crew and passengers.
Fiction Is There Life On Mars? (part four) The journey to Mars has reached its halfway point. How does the crew spend the time?
Fiction Is There Life On Mars? (part three) The trip to Mars makes a detour via Venus? Well, it's not really a detour, it's physics.
Fiction Is There Life On Mars? (part one) Preliminary note: I wrote this story in 2024, and I'm (re)publishing it here now. Since it is about 11,000 words long, I am posting it in several episodes. However, the entire story is available as an e-book if you would prefer to read it all at
Thoughts Valentine's Day in Japan? No, I'm not going to write a cliché and trite post like you can find by the dozens online, what would be the point? I'm going to tell you how Valentine's Day takes place in my household in Japan. Step one Me, some date
Thoughts David Bowie It’s funny how when people ask me who my favorite singer or band is, I almost never say David Bowie. I usually say Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails, or Explosions in the Sky, depending on who I’m talking to. Yet a day rarely goes by without my listening to
Members only Thoughts The Age of Trillionaires The first trillionaire in US dollars could arrive in 2026! It's a sum so vast that our brains have trouble understand it. Well, I may have an easy way to help you understand what it entails.
Future Pasts The Big Picture “Dad, what was that ‘big picture’ you were talking about earlier?” “The one that many people missed just before everything fell apart.” “Could you be more precise?” “Are you recording now?” “Yes.” The old man cleared his throat, took a sip of water, and prepared to share another chapter of
Thoughts Spending Christmas Alone It’s already nighttime on Christmas Eve in my part of the world. The kids are in bed, and we’re waiting for them to be fully asleep so that we can put the presents near the Christmas tree. And I just remembered a thing I wrote a couple of
Thoughts Cultural Stagnation Disclaimer One: I've lived in Japan for 14 years. So, even though I'm observing the whole thing online and from a distance, I'm not always totally up to date on some cultural trends in the West. Disclaimer Two: I am now 52 years old.
Thoughts Is the Fermi Paradox that paradoxical? The Fermi Paradox has been a topic of conversation for decades, but... Is it really that much of a paradox?
Thoughts Our future with AI "Why are all tech companies trying to force AI so desperately on us?" I may not just be a question of money, and could be much darker than that.
