Author: Alex Ross

Talking about the space exploration and building self-sustainable settlements in space or on other planets, we need to remember that humanity so far could not achieve self-sustainability even on the water, in a friendly environment of our home planet. When your old home vessel will start leaking, can you manufacture the new one, while on the water? No. So, before dreaming of space colonies, go back and do the homework then.

I have to say, was totally amazed today by a Kuretake brush pen. I’ve tried quite a few brush pens before, but this one is the most brush by far. Probably the closest you can get to a real brush, but without all the difficulties of a real brush.

https://www.kuretake.co.jp/en/product/brushpen/

I’ll be publishing the new short story on Wattpad scene by scene as I finish editing, you can start reading here: https://www.wattpad.com/741686577-two-lighters-scene-1

Suddenly, in just a few days, a new short story materialized, and I love it. Will try my best now to finish the editing and publish it before I overwork it and the love will wear out. Romantic and sad, again.

Unlike photography or sketches from life, drawing from imagination requires much more discipline. You got to think very carefully of what you want to say, and add just that on a blank sheet of paper, because any extra detail costs you time and effort, nothing comes for free, and nothing is random. Much closer to refined symbols. Quite applicable for writing too. Cross-training in a way.

What was the last book you read, or last movie you watched, which described the world you’d like to live in? I found it difficult to recall one. Many interesting ones around, but living in it – no, thank you.

While the average internet users’ level of sophistication has mostly plateaued, the states’ desire to control the mass communication is far from being satisfied, so for the average users it would be a losing battle. There was just a brief period of total online freedom, until the government bodies caught up with the latest tech. The control is not the worst part of it—after all, it is just natural. The worst part is that we are steadily moving towards the algorithmic version of karma and retribution, which will inevitably re-instill fear. The very moment you or somebody you know will be banned, without any explanation, from doing something you used to do all your life, you will feel it. Humanity just recently has mostly got rid of the fear of God, but sadly, life without irrational fear didn’t last for long.

The human brain is the human’s biggest strength and also the biggest weakness. Same as muscles, you got to exercise it to get most of it. After I found out that the modern biofeedback solutions for brain are still very inconvenient, I decided to switch to something more traditional – doing something very different from what I usually do, to activate parts of the brain that are not much used otherwise. I picked drawing. I used to draw quite a lot up to late primary school age, then it gradually stopped – maybe together with a good deal of fantasies and imagination. It’s very interesting to get back to it now, focusing especially on imaginary things which do not exist – because for things that do exist there’s photography.

Finally, the first draft of my new novella is very near completion so the editing will commence in January, plus any possible queuing time – editors are so busy these days. So many people who write, so few people who know how to make it into a good shape (: Now the most challenging part is still outstanding – the title for it.

We now live in an era of permanently broken things and services. Nobody has the desire, capacity or incentive to get anything right any more. If you happen to come across anything different – treasure it.