Nevin Flanagan
@nevin.playsmith.net
Reader, gamer, designer, programmer, teacher.
Yuudan sae dekiru…
January 11, 2026 at 10:40 PM
Yuudan sae dekiru…
We’ve always been at war with Eastasia.
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January 8, 2026 at 5:23 PM
We’ve always been at war with Eastasia.
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I said a while ago that if a bruised thumb could wear a tweed suit and mug for the press camera, it would not look exactly like Nigel Farage, but those who knew him would find it uncomfortably familiar.
January 8, 2026 at 3:41 PM
I said a while ago that if a bruised thumb could wear a tweed suit and mug for the press camera, it would not look exactly like Nigel Farage, but those who knew him would find it uncomfortably familiar.
All the things you won’t let yourself say on YouTube.
January 7, 2026 at 11:09 PM
All the things you won’t let yourself say on YouTube.
That’s also the fascist principle: the important thing is for leaders to act decisively, without dithering or listening to arguments.
January 7, 2026 at 3:41 PM
That’s also the fascist principle: the important thing is for leaders to act decisively, without dithering or listening to arguments.
After my game dev program changed schools, I was teaching my games history class, talking about what art meant to me, and one of the students asked me to relate what I meant to Brecht’s plays. Never would have happened at the old school.
January 7, 2026 at 3:27 AM
After my game dev program changed schools, I was teaching my games history class, talking about what art meant to me, and one of the students asked me to relate what I meant to Brecht’s plays. Never would have happened at the old school.
There is an amazing sermon delivered to a school of sharks about the virtue of disciplining one’s gluttonous impulses.
January 6, 2026 at 12:27 AM
There is an amazing sermon delivered to a school of sharks about the virtue of disciplining one’s gluttonous impulses.
I’ve seen it described as three different books interlaced together:
One is a documentary about whaling;
One is a buddy movie/romance;
One is a revenge tragedy/morality play.
The protagonist of one is Ishmael; the protagonist of the other is Ahab.
…Ahab is the antagonist of both.
One is a documentary about whaling;
One is a buddy movie/romance;
One is a revenge tragedy/morality play.
The protagonist of one is Ishmael; the protagonist of the other is Ahab.
…Ahab is the antagonist of both.
January 6, 2026 at 12:25 AM
I’ve seen it described as three different books interlaced together:
One is a documentary about whaling;
One is a buddy movie/romance;
One is a revenge tragedy/morality play.
The protagonist of one is Ishmael; the protagonist of the other is Ahab.
…Ahab is the antagonist of both.
One is a documentary about whaling;
One is a buddy movie/romance;
One is a revenge tragedy/morality play.
The protagonist of one is Ishmael; the protagonist of the other is Ahab.
…Ahab is the antagonist of both.
Interview with the Vampire. The sun sweeping across the floor toward Claudia and Madeleine despite Paris being too far from the equator to shine that vertically.
January 4, 2026 at 8:59 PM
Interview with the Vampire. The sun sweeping across the floor toward Claudia and Madeleine despite Paris being too far from the equator to shine that vertically.
That and the one about “Africa” being about a guy looking for a cure for lycanthropy.
January 4, 2026 at 4:12 PM
That and the one about “Africa” being about a guy looking for a cure for lycanthropy.
Super prolific. The colony in our yard came from a planted pot that was left outside.
January 3, 2026 at 12:44 AM
Super prolific. The colony in our yard came from a planted pot that was left outside.
I remember reading an interview with the delightful @jessfink.bsky.social where she said something about an afternoon where she saw back-to-back broadcasts of Rocky Horror and Ziggy Stardust and concluded, “You know, I think people can basically just whatever with whoever, really.” In a nutshell.
January 2, 2026 at 9:20 PM
I remember reading an interview with the delightful @jessfink.bsky.social where she said something about an afternoon where she saw back-to-back broadcasts of Rocky Horror and Ziggy Stardust and concluded, “You know, I think people can basically just whatever with whoever, really.” In a nutshell.
When I teach people about the Hero’s Journey, I’m pretty careful to tell them it’s absolutely not a checklist they should be going down. But if some part of their story isn’t coming together, a template like that may help them grasp why.
December 31, 2025 at 5:24 PM
When I teach people about the Hero’s Journey, I’m pretty careful to tell them it’s absolutely not a checklist they should be going down. But if some part of their story isn’t coming together, a template like that may help them grasp why.
What I tell my students is that tension lies at the heart of most stories. Conflict is a common kind of tension, but pretty much any tension can work.
December 31, 2025 at 5:22 PM
What I tell my students is that tension lies at the heart of most stories. Conflict is a common kind of tension, but pretty much any tension can work.
And if there were, it’s not like they could have just stayed writing checks to all the aid orgs to keep them open.
December 29, 2025 at 8:36 PM
And if there were, it’s not like they could have just stayed writing checks to all the aid orgs to keep them open.
Not translation specifically, but I read someone’s post about how a friend read their book recommendation by having ChatGPT summarize each chapter into three paragraphs.
Then I imagined someone trying to do this with Joyce’s _Ulysses_ and was almost physically ill.
Then I imagined someone trying to do this with Joyce’s _Ulysses_ and was almost physically ill.
December 28, 2025 at 6:02 PM
Not translation specifically, but I read someone’s post about how a friend read their book recommendation by having ChatGPT summarize each chapter into three paragraphs.
Then I imagined someone trying to do this with Joyce’s _Ulysses_ and was almost physically ill.
Then I imagined someone trying to do this with Joyce’s _Ulysses_ and was almost physically ill.
Right; none of these were developed with the needs of creatives in mind, but rather for the interests of the developers, which are almost diametrically opposed.
Pull the plug on them, go back to the table, and talk about what, if any, creator needs the technology can be built to address.
Pull the plug on them, go back to the table, and talk about what, if any, creator needs the technology can be built to address.
December 28, 2025 at 4:50 PM
Right; none of these were developed with the needs of creatives in mind, but rather for the interests of the developers, which are almost diametrically opposed.
Pull the plug on them, go back to the table, and talk about what, if any, creator needs the technology can be built to address.
Pull the plug on them, go back to the table, and talk about what, if any, creator needs the technology can be built to address.
My Mandarin is pretty rudimentary but I feel like most good Chinese catch phrases, proverbs, etc. have four characters.
December 28, 2025 at 3:04 PM
My Mandarin is pretty rudimentary but I feel like most good Chinese catch phrases, proverbs, etc. have four characters.
“Now, dance for our pleasure!”
December 28, 2025 at 3:06 AM
“Now, dance for our pleasure!”
Is there a difference?
December 27, 2025 at 10:17 PM
Is there a difference?
Yeah, a lot of the time I’m talking I use “they” as a “this person’s gender is not germane to this discourse” signifier.
December 26, 2025 at 6:33 PM
Yeah, a lot of the time I’m talking I use “they” as a “this person’s gender is not germane to this discourse” signifier.