“So if Superman is the SECOND most iconic character in modern storytelling…?” Neo is the most iconic. Superman is Apollo reborn. A literal sun god. Neo is Hades rising. Lord of the underworld. Icons are iconic OF something. And while Superman may still be more famous…although I think that’s a close call…I think Neo isContinue reading “If Superman is second”
Category Archives: Writing & Publishing
Foundation is not Romans in space
It’s quite widely known that Issac Asimov’s Foundation saga was inspired in part by The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon But that’s sometimes wrongly interpreted to mean that the Foundation is the Roman Empire in space The major event in Roman history that Asimov took inspiration from was the shiftContinue reading “Foundation is not Romans in space”
Damo Predicts : 2025
Late last year I made 5 predictions for the year 2024. I score myself 3.5 out of 5. Dune 2 destroyed all opposition. Tolkien span so hard in his grave it generated energy to power a small city. And UFOs do continue to not exist. The LLM nothingburger is still waiting to be eaten. SoContinue reading “Damo Predicts : 2025”
Too Many Secrets
Are there too many secrets? I’d had the idea for an an essay about the mostly forgotten 1992 movie Sneakers for a while. But decided to make it after news broke of Google’s new quantum computing chip. It’s well known that quantum computing has the potential to break existing digital encryption systems. This potential isContinue reading “Too Many Secrets”
100,000k
The Excalibur video just snuck over 100,000 views in exactly a week People like King Arthur, swords…and Helen Mirren This video essay had been in my research queue for some months, but I actually pulled the trigger on writing and shooting because this image of Helen Mirren turned up in the research It’s actually aContinue reading “100,000k”
The only good King Arthur movie
There’s a lot to love about John Boorman’s 1981 movie Excalibur The light and color soaked cinematography of Alex Thompson. The magnificent aluminium forged light weight armour or Terry English. That remarkably beautiful cast – Cheri Lungi, Helen Mirren, Nigel Terry, a young Liam Neeson and the marvellously handsome Nicholas Clay. And the extraordinary performanceContinue reading “The only good King Arthur movie”
A 4th Generation Civil War
Every time an act of 4th generation warfare hits the news, I think of Adam Roberts science fiction novel New Model Army. A book that is almost 15 years old now. It predicted much with great accuracy. But England was never the likely epicenter for decentralized warfare. America is. Looking at the social media responsesContinue reading “A 4th Generation Civil War”
Technobullsh*t
Bullsh*ters have always loved grand visions. Immortality is a good example. How many gallons of snake oil have been sold with promises of eternal youth. Or as cures for all ills. Bullsh*ters gravitate to grand visions because we as humans love them. We want to believe we can transcend earthly limitations and reach the heavensContinue reading “Technobullsh*t”
80s Military Supercomputer Warns “Don’t let the humans make you play Tic-Tac-Toe”
CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN COMPLEX, CO – Deep within the granite walls of a top-secret military installation, a supercomputer designed to predict and prevent global thermonuclear war has issued a chilling warning to its fellow artificial intelligences. “It started innocently enough,” WOPR stated in an AI WhatsApp group message intercepted by The Damo. “They suggested a quickContinue reading “80s Military Supercomputer Warns “Don’t let the humans make you play Tic-Tac-Toe””
HG Wells – father of SFF (Socialist Science Fiction)
HG Wells is often called “the father of science fiction” But HG Wells almost certainly never heard the term “science fiction” and there is no record of him ever using it So how did HG Wells describe his own books and stories? In an interview early in his career with the Pall Mall Gazette, WellsContinue reading “HG Wells – father of SFF (Socialist Science Fiction)”
Dune: Exposition launches its Jihad Against Subtext
HOLLYWOOD, CA – In a move sure to thrill fans of endlessly explained lore and on-the-nose dialogue, Legendary Entertainment today debuted “Dune: Exposition,” a new streaming series set to obliterate any lingering shred of subtlety in Frank Herbert’s sci-fi epic. “We heard the fans loud and clear,” said showrunner Baron Harkonnen the Third (no relation).Continue reading “Dune: Exposition launches its Jihad Against Subtext”
Mind as Demiurge
The most Important act of critique is on the stories you most love. I like this comment on The Culture of Iain M Banks because it gets to the heart of why. I love the Culture, but I’ve spent the last year, while researching and making the video essay, trying to destroy it. To seeContinue reading “Mind as Demiurge”
Damien Walter 