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astralcomputing

@[email protected]

Refugee from twit.social

#Hacker #Doomer #OldTimer
#SciFi #Geek #RetroComputing

Forgotten more computer stuff than most people ever learn...

Interested in #Literature #SciFi #ScienceFiction #books #reading #bookstodon #scifiart #sciencefictionart #retro #retrofuturism #pulpfiction #pulp #bookart #bookcovers #coverart

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@astralcomputing@bookstodon.com avatar astralcomputing , to random

Isaac Asimov b(01/02/1920) (d. 04/06/1992)
Isaac Asimov was a Russian-born American author and biochemist who published over 500 books. Best known for the Foundation series, which won the 1966 Hugo for Best All-Time Series, and his Robot stories, he coined the term "robotics" and formulated the Three Laws of Robotics, profoundly shaping science fiction and real-world AI discourse.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Asimov


@books

@astralcomputing@bookstodon.com avatar astralcomputing , to scifi group

Born this Day:
Allen Mulherin Steele, Jr. (born January 19, 1958) is an American journalist and science fiction author. Multiple Hugo and Locus Award winner. He gained prominence with his debut novel, Orbital Decay, which won the Locus Award.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allen_Steele







Groups:
@books
scifi@a.gup.pe icon scifi group
@ @Scifiart
@ScienceFiction

https://astralcomputing.com

A massive space station, colored cyan, white, and slate grey, dominates the upper left, angled diagonally to show its underside. The torus wheel design features a central cylindrical hub topped by a vertical antenna and sensor spike. Rows of tiny yellow rectangular lights band the hub, interspersed with mechanical seams. Two cylindrical spokes connect the hub to the vast outer ring. This ring consists of segmented modular plates detailed with intricate grid lines, cross-bracing trusses, and recessed bays. Red numeric identifiers—17, 20 on the left, 29, 31, 35 on the right—are stenciled onto segments. The partial text "OLYMP" is visible in black on the ring's inner face. Stark shadows fall heavily on the station's right side. The background is a black void filled with swirling crimson and faint violet nebula clouds. Two brilliant white stars with sharp four-point diffraction spikes burn in the central gap between the hub and ring. A diffuse white haze glows behind the text in the middle right. In the top right, the quote "'Reads like golden age Heinlein'" appears in white serif type above "GREGORY BENFORD" in sans-serif capitals. The author's name, "ALLEN STEELE," floats in the center right, rendered in large, metallic silver block letters with a horizontal gradient. The bottom third displays the title "ORBITAL DECAY" stacked in two lines of massive sans-serif characters. These letters possess a textured, pitted silver surface resembling hammered metal.
ALT
@nixCraft@mastodon.social avatar nixCraft , to random

What is a programming language you learned and mastered, but that is now completely obsolete in your work?

astralcomputing ,
@astralcomputing@bookstodon.com avatar

@nixCraft

BASIC
(all versions)

@ChrisJagged@mastodon.social avatar ChrisJagged , to random

So I had someone over yesterday, and she said it really weirded her out that I didn't have any wall decor (paintings, posters, hangings, anything, really).

I just sorta don't care much about what my living space looks like in a general sense. Function over form, for the most part.

So how 'bout it, ? Anyone else out there like me? Or am I just the weirdest weirdo who ever weirded?

astralcomputing ,
@astralcomputing@bookstodon.com avatar

@ChrisJagged

The wife puts a few things up... but she has to keep the walls in the hallways, and the bedrooms clear, as I tend to bounce off the walls in the dark.

I balance with my eyes, so there's that.

@astralcomputing@bookstodon.com avatar astralcomputing , to scifi group

Born this Day:
Harlan Jay Ellison (May 27, 1934 – June 28, 2018) was an 8 time Hugo and 4 time Nebula Award winning science fiction author

His best-known work was the 1967 Star Trek episode "The City on the Edge of Forever", considered by some to be the single greatest episode of the Star Trek franchise

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlan_Ellison







Groups:
@books
scifi@a.gup.pe icon scifi group
@Scifiart
@ScienceFiction

Cover illustration, created in a retro-style reminiscent of classic film posters, is primarily rendered in shades of vivid blue, black, and white, creating a striking, vintage aesthetic. Dominating the central composition is a prominently depicted portrait of a woman, Edith Keeler, whose elegant, refined features, styled hair, and thoughtful expression convey an aura of beauty, mystery, and melancholy. Above her, starkly written in white lettering, is the compelling phrase: "EDITH KEELER MUST DIE," immediately setting a dramatic, emotionally charged tone. Flanking Edith's portrait are two distinct male faces illustrated in detailed, black-and-white line drawings. The left face shows a Spock wearing a knit cap, his expression intense and deeply troubled. The face on the right depicts Kirk sharply groomed, looking deeply conflicted. Below the portraits, a detailed, smaller scene depicts three figures standing before a large, glowing, rock-like portal—a key symbolic element. This portal radiates light, emphasizing its narrative importance as a gateway, perhaps metaphorical or literal. These figures, drawn from behind, gaze toward the portal with a sense of awe, uncertainty, and expectation. At the bottom, in bold, stylized white lettering against the rich blue background, appears the title "CITY ON THE EDGE OF FOREVER," along with detailed production credits, giving the cover a cinematic authenticity and suggesting narrative complexity and emotional depth.
ALT
@nixCraft@mastodon.social avatar nixCraft , to random

A lot of people don't know this, but you can use nano and not tell anyone you don't know how to exit vim

astralcomputing ,
@astralcomputing@bookstodon.com avatar

@nixCraft

Makes me feel "dirty" somehow...

@JessTheUnstill@infosec.exchange avatar JessTheUnstill , to random

[Thread, post or comment was deleted by the author]

    •
    astralcomputing ,
    @astralcomputing@bookstodon.com avatar

    @JessTheUnstill

    I think this is broken too...
    I use a giant filter of non-english characters to "filter" out the other languages...

    @mcc@mastodon.social avatar mcc , (edited ) to random

    People who have a specific interest in / capacity for exploring the undocumented features of the human brain.

    astralcomputing ,
    @astralcomputing@bookstodon.com avatar

    @mcc

    Experimental neuroscientists?
    Psychonauts?
    🤷

    @nixCraft@mastodon.social avatar nixCraft , to random

    A Perl programmer is asked to write a script to find all the prime numbers. They finish in 5 minutes. "How did you do it so fast?" asks their coworker. "I just used the is_prime function," they reply. "But Perl doesn't have an is_prime function!" yells back the coworker. The Perl programmer laughs. "I know. I wrote it in three lines."

    astralcomputing ,
    @astralcomputing@bookstodon.com avatar

    @nixCraft

    Probably just a call to an online AI ...

    If we all do it at once, together, we can probably crash all their giant GPU data centers!

    <evil grin>
    ☠️