Orland’s MINESWEEPER is a fun read. Maybe I should give the game another go.

(via @bossfightbooks.com)

bossfightbooks.com/products/min...

And of course, there was massive drama surrounding high scores on internet guest books. It’s reassuring to be reminded that the internet was always the internet. And then there’s rip-offs and spinoffs and roguelite remakes with daily challenges…

Minesweeper’s development & release were certainly atypical. I’m familiar with moral panics around video games, but it’s wild that Minesweeper had one. WaPo columnists were saying that Gates “ruined the lives of billions of perfectly nice people.” Companies went apeshit over productivity losses.

Thankfully, Orland’s MINESWEEPER explains how a skunkworks project at Microsoft, that came close to being killed a half dozen times, became a worldwide phenomena. From Bill Gates’ obsession with the game, to its inclusion in Windows 3.0 that almost didn’t happen,

Even after I learned the premise of the game, I never understood the appeal of Minesweeper. I was definitely late to the party; neopets and newgrounds were my time wasters. But I was still aware of how massive Minesweeper was, and I never understood why.

Favorite Stories: “I Love You, Lola!” by @stacywayne.bsky.social, “Hemorrhage,” by @cyrusafisher.bsky.social, “First Feast on Film,” by @superfiend.bsky.social, “Caregiver,” by @amandamblake.bsky.social.

www.amazon.com/Book-Queer-S...

These stories exist in defiance of that demand. Vol. 1 was great, and Vol. 2 is too. This collection has bangers that I’ve read before, but also surprises from authors I’ve never heard of. There’s some truly heinous shit here (complimentary) that you need to read to believe.

@haileypiperfights.bsky.social, in her foreword, says that “the genesis for the original anthology sparked from a problem that’s been going on for many years—a demand that others write the suitable queer, the unassailable queer, the queer who assimilates to the point of existing beyond reproach.”

IIRC @remapradio.bsky.social read an email suggesting "lore and logic" as a genre and i like that

(via @apocalypseparty.bsky.social)

www.apocalypse-party.com/convulsive.h...

I’ve read a decent amount of Joe’s work, and it’s wild how distinctive his voice is. I’m fairly certain I could pick it out of a line-up. An entire book of his work is exhausting, but in a good way. “The viewer feels detached, dirty, and used.” But in a good way! (I promise).

CONVULSIVE has: stories with titles like “The Anatomical Christ,” “How to Fillet Angels,” and “Mr. Bones Puzzle Candy”; stories fucked up enough to warrant those bonkers titles; a recursive snuff film; retellings of Madeline Usher and Snow White; a tree taking root in a starved spaceship—