A scifi exploration on objects with digital shadows, and what it means for society.

This one is a reread for a circular design project: our society knows full well what happens to products until they’re purchased, but has not a clue (or cares about) what happens after they’re bought. A digital shadow means we can track not only how it’s assembled, but how it’s discarded and somewhat of how it’s been used (by pairings).

Tracking is creepy, but we can’t prescribe changes without describing it.

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The history and culture of Brazil from before colonizers came, and a little bit of the struggle, alliances, and resistance once they arrive. View in goodreads

Although capitalism is (rightfully) blamed by our environmental crisis, reading this book made me realize that western world (capitalist or communist) has a fixation on growth and labor.

Nature, for them, is “anything untouched by human labor”. And human labor is seen as the highest quality. They have no concept of neighbors, of what’s neither for us neither about us.

The only agents they see are other humans, assuming they can exercise it. It’s dishartening, most of the time reading communist ideology feels like dead white men gossip, and at some point you ask “what’s even the point”.

And author does a great job to unearth what marxists think of environmental degradation -the issue of our times- but you end up with a western, male-centric approach that can’t even consider how we impact non-human agents and the roles we should have with our neighbors. Frankly they can’t even see neighbors: Western thought only consider what they can measure, and omit a lot to close the books and feel good about themselves.

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A rapid-fire of eerie terms to familiarize with the weird world we’re about to encounter as human interiority becomes legible by machines.

Although book is thick, it’s all 2-3 pages per concept, then next. It’s a great read and food for thought.

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I promised to jump to Xiran Jay Zhao at earliest possibility, but I miscalculated my jump and went staight to book 2. Oh well. She does a great job to explain the world either way, so we’re good.

It’s the second book in the Iron Widow series, blending science fiction and fantasy with Chinese history and mythology.

It’s mecha, spiritual warfare, thawed historical figures, laborist revolution against Gods.

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I’ve read both A Wizard of Earthsea and The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K. Le Guin.

I love how she explains the true names magick, and how wizards start foolish and power-hungry, to measured and aware of interconnectedness everywhere.

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