Richard Butner
@richardbutner.com
Writer, occasional performer, shipwrecked jester (ghost mixologist, Eagle Scout).
When the legend becomes fact, print the fact and also print an extensive historiography of the legend, with footnotes.
January 28, 2026 at 3:11 PM
When the legend becomes fact, print the fact and also print an extensive historiography of the legend, with footnotes.
I was thinking about watching this new show "Landman," but honestly that sounds pretty boring, a superhero with all the powers of a plot of land.
January 19, 2026 at 7:31 PM
I was thinking about watching this new show "Landman," but honestly that sounds pretty boring, a superhero with all the powers of a plot of land.
I wonder if Eudora Wetly is already taken as a burlesque/drag name...
January 18, 2026 at 4:50 AM
I wonder if Eudora Wetly is already taken as a burlesque/drag name...
Words I just typed and sent to some friends:
"God = rock. Christ = scissors. Holy Ghost = paper."
"God = rock. Christ = scissors. Holy Ghost = paper."
January 15, 2026 at 5:11 PM
Words I just typed and sent to some friends:
"God = rock. Christ = scissors. Holy Ghost = paper."
"God = rock. Christ = scissors. Holy Ghost = paper."
How old were you when you realized that "the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing" were mostly tedious assholes?
January 3, 2026 at 4:53 PM
How old were you when you realized that "the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing" were mostly tedious assholes?
Post a perfect album from the 90s that isn't Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, or Alice In Chains
December 28, 2025 at 2:56 AM
Post a perfect album from the 90s that isn't Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, or Alice In Chains
The Society of the Continuous Portable Micro-Spectacle
December 24, 2025 at 3:24 PM
The Society of the Continuous Portable Micro-Spectacle
It is well worth a couple minutes of your time to read "Linus Shows Up," by Scott Huler.
precedenteddays.substack.com/p/linus-show...
precedenteddays.substack.com/p/linus-show...
Linus Shows Up
Which Turns Out to Be Pretty Much the Whole Deal
precedenteddays.substack.com
December 20, 2025 at 9:29 PM
It is well worth a couple minutes of your time to read "Linus Shows Up," by Scott Huler.
precedenteddays.substack.com/p/linus-show...
precedenteddays.substack.com/p/linus-show...
Sure, 20. Also, for at least ten of these, I could write a post about how they're still worth using. (Also, as my pal Monica pointed out: MIX TAPE not mixed tape.)
Show your age
17 (have never used a fax machine, a record player, or a phone booth)
17 (have never used a fax machine, a record player, or a phone booth)
December 16, 2025 at 1:21 PM
Sure, 20. Also, for at least ten of these, I could write a post about how they're still worth using. (Also, as my pal Monica pointed out: MIX TAPE not mixed tape.)
You'll be visited by 3 spirits
The three spirits
The three spirits
November 26, 2025 at 1:39 PM
You'll be visited by 3 spirits
The three spirits
The three spirits
Lotsa Small Beer Press books (including mine) 25% off for the rest of 2025 when you use coupon code SBP25 at Indiepubs.
smallbeerpress.com/not-a-journa...
smallbeerpress.com/not-a-journa...
Indiepubs Sale: 25% off these titles | Small Beer Press
From now until the end of the year with this coupon on Indiepubs: SBP25
smallbeerpress.com
November 7, 2025 at 3:14 PM
Lotsa Small Beer Press books (including mine) 25% off for the rest of 2025 when you use coupon code SBP25 at Indiepubs.
smallbeerpress.com/not-a-journa...
smallbeerpress.com/not-a-journa...
It strikes me that some of y'all might not have seen the video for "I Do the Rock" lately. Time to remedy that. "It's very stimulating."
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXPC...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXPC...
Tim Curry Official Music Video - I Do The Rock
YouTube video by Tim Curry
www.youtube.com
November 1, 2025 at 3:11 PM
It strikes me that some of y'all might not have seen the video for "I Do the Rock" lately. Time to remedy that. "It's very stimulating."
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXPC...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXPC...
"You may choose one person to tell you The Aristocrats joke"
October 26, 2025 at 2:42 PM
"You may choose one person to tell you The Aristocrats joke"
Most interesting (in a not-good way) part of the AWS outage was that none of the affected sites and services I saw put up any kind of "we are experiencing an outage" notice. Things ... just ... didn't ... work. That's as bad or worse than the outage itself.
October 21, 2025 at 12:48 PM
Most interesting (in a not-good way) part of the AWS outage was that none of the affected sites and services I saw put up any kind of "we are experiencing an outage" notice. Things ... just ... didn't ... work. That's as bad or worse than the outage itself.
Thinking about an alternate timeline where Ted Nelson's vision of hypertext and permanent attributions caught on. As opposed to the Berners-Lee implementation and "info wants to be free," which begat some good things, sure. But also enabled LLMs and disenfranchised creators.
October 14, 2025 at 5:36 PM
Thinking about an alternate timeline where Ted Nelson's vision of hypertext and permanent attributions caught on. As opposed to the Berners-Lee implementation and "info wants to be free," which begat some good things, sure. But also enabled LLMs and disenfranchised creators.
This is my mechanical keyboard. There are many others like it, but this one is mine.
Is it my best friend? No. Is it my life? Also no. But it is pretty handy, and I'll take mechanical keys and a wire over chiclet keys and Bluetooth any day.
Is it my best friend? No. Is it my life? Also no. But it is pretty handy, and I'll take mechanical keys and a wire over chiclet keys and Bluetooth any day.
October 14, 2025 at 5:10 PM
This is my mechanical keyboard. There are many others like it, but this one is mine.
Is it my best friend? No. Is it my life? Also no. But it is pretty handy, and I'll take mechanical keys and a wire over chiclet keys and Bluetooth any day.
Is it my best friend? No. Is it my life? Also no. But it is pretty handy, and I'll take mechanical keys and a wire over chiclet keys and Bluetooth any day.
Why yes, I am pondering the utility of adding the fox/hedgehog dichotomy to the ol' pirate/ninja and dwarf/elf matrix.
October 1, 2025 at 6:10 PM
Why yes, I am pondering the utility of adding the fox/hedgehog dichotomy to the ol' pirate/ninja and dwarf/elf matrix.
Reposted by Richard Butner
antifa literally means anti-fascist. that's all it means. it's a descriptor, not a group. declaring yourself against "antifa" means you are the other thing
September 18, 2025 at 1:15 AM
antifa literally means anti-fascist. that's all it means. it's a descriptor, not a group. declaring yourself against "antifa" means you are the other thing
I talked to podcaster/writer/human extraordinaire Scott Edelman about all kinds of stuff. Give it a listen!
Episode 263 of Eating the Fantastic with @richardbutner.com is now live! Eavesdrop on our Readercon lunch and learn why he defines his writerly self as being neither gardener nor architect but explorer, what ambiguity truly means and why it matters — and more. www.scottedelman.com/wordpress/20...
September 15, 2025 at 1:28 PM
I talked to podcaster/writer/human extraordinaire Scott Edelman about all kinds of stuff. Give it a listen!
Reposted by Richard Butner
Coming next month on my Eating the Fantastic podcast — you're invited to join @karenheuler.bsky.social and @richardbutner.com at their Readercon lunches as we discuss how they do what they do and manage to do it so well. I hope you'll subscribe to be among the first to eavesdrop. pod.link/1083737796
August 31, 2025 at 11:34 PM
Coming next month on my Eating the Fantastic podcast — you're invited to join @karenheuler.bsky.social and @richardbutner.com at their Readercon lunches as we discuss how they do what they do and manage to do it so well. I hope you'll subscribe to be among the first to eavesdrop. pod.link/1083737796
Sometimes I still really love the internet: "Investigating the Provenance of a Widely Shared Anthony Bourdain Quotation"
docs.google.com/document/d/1...
docs.google.com/document/d/1...
Bourdain Quote Origin Investigation
Investigating the Provenance of a Widely Shared Anthony Bourdain Quotation I. Introduction: The Enduring Words (Mis)Attributed to Bourdain A. Anthony Bourdain's Legacy and Voice Anthony Bourdain (1956...
docs.google.com
August 30, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Sometimes I still really love the internet: "Investigating the Provenance of a Widely Shared Anthony Bourdain Quotation"
docs.google.com/document/d/1...
docs.google.com/document/d/1...
A daily question: Do I have outrage fatigue or outrage fatigue fatigue?
August 25, 2025 at 5:04 PM
A daily question: Do I have outrage fatigue or outrage fatigue fatigue?
A list of good books you can buy and read. For pleasure, even.
Distracted from news by
1) sleeping (aka blasted long covid)
&
2) calculating writers' royalties (aka hoping US dollars still ok usable)
So: thanks for buying these books! — most still orderable from any bookstore or this handy place:
bookshop.org/lists/small-...
(illo by @tanaudel.bsky.social)
1) sleeping (aka blasted long covid)
&
2) calculating writers' royalties (aka hoping US dollars still ok usable)
So: thanks for buying these books! — most still orderable from any bookstore or this handy place:
bookshop.org/lists/small-...
(illo by @tanaudel.bsky.social)
Small Beer Press titles
Checkout out this list on Bookshop
bookshop.org
August 25, 2025 at 5:03 PM
A list of good books you can buy and read. For pleasure, even.
"captive on a carousel of time"
August 18, 2025 at 1:53 PM
"captive on a carousel of time"
Help keep this historic tradition going: the Fantastic Fiction reading series at KGB Bar.
Our longrunning Fantastic Fiction at KGB reading series needs your help to continue. Would you please donate and share? @datlow.bsky.social
www.gofundme.com/f/fantastic-...
www.gofundme.com/f/fantastic-...
Donate to Fantastic Fiction reading series at the KGB Bar, organized by Matthew Kressel
Fantastic Fiction at KGB is a monthly speculative-fiction reading seri… Matthew Kressel needs your support for Fantastic Fiction reading series at the KGB Bar
www.gofundme.com
August 6, 2025 at 1:33 PM
Help keep this historic tradition going: the Fantastic Fiction reading series at KGB Bar.