Articles

Essays, reviews and other nonfiction pieces

Essays

No, "AI" will never become consciousAn inductive reasoning exercise.
Pascal's YahtxxeeOr why I don't worry about very improbable things.
Riddles are badSomeone had to take a stand.
How to respond to criticismLife advice from a critter with regrets.
Let's not romanticize cable TVLooking back with television-tuned-to-a-dead-channel-colored glasses.
When and why did video games become "for children" in the US?Some history and speculation.

Short essays

The last time I called someone "sir"Learning a difficult but important lesson.
Almost fell into a Well, ActuallyThoughts on fire safety.
Who invented the pause button?Jerry Lawson did.
Mp3s are still goodStreaming sucks, but buying more plastic widgets isn't the only alternative!
Why is bowling scored like that?And how I would fix it.

Documentation

Migrating from Bearblog to MataroaWith the power of Bash.
How to clean your glassesThe definitive guide.

Reviews

The 10 best rock songs of the last 25 yearsContra Loudwire, as of August 2025.
Flow (film, 2024)Review (no spoilers), analysis (spoilers), and a photo of my cat (spoiled).