Oliver Plaschka
@rainlights.net
Writer, translator & classically trained hodad
(F&SF&everything. PhD from HD, sometimes teaching at HHU. 70s proghead, middle-aged father, decent tour guide, very bad surfer.)
GER/ENG
☄️ www.rainlights.net
(F&SF&everything. PhD from HD, sometimes teaching at HHU. 70s proghead, middle-aged father, decent tour guide, very bad surfer.)
GER/ENG
☄️ www.rainlights.net
@leaflet.pub Hi there! Quick question: Is it possible to delete a custom domain? I added several domains while trying around, and can't find a way to get rid of them again 😅 Now the disconnected domains just keep spinning in the settings ...
February 2, 2026 at 9:36 AM
@leaflet.pub Hi there! Quick question: Is it possible to delete a custom domain? I added several domains while trying around, and can't find a way to get rid of them again 😅 Now the disconnected domains just keep spinning in the settings ...
that awkward moment when DYI science fails you #stillundertheweather
January 31, 2026 at 7:28 PM
that awkward moment when DYI science fails you #stillundertheweather
People actively trying to bring about the uprising
January 31, 2026 at 6:10 PM
People actively trying to bring about the uprising
I think I'm going to nuke parts of my sprawling webpagery.
Last chance to check on any of ye olde stuff
Last chance to check on any of ye olde stuff
January 31, 2026 at 4:16 PM
I think I'm going to nuke parts of my sprawling webpagery.
Last chance to check on any of ye olde stuff
Last chance to check on any of ye olde stuff
#NowPlaying @craigfortnam.bsky.social has a new album out, along with Laurent Valero, James Larcombe and Annie Barbazza.
My favorite track atm is "Cries of London", a beautiful tune that reminds me a bit of the old "Arch Garrison" days
My favorite track atm is "Cries of London", a beautiful tune that reminds me a bit of the old "Arch Garrison" days
Empty Vessels, by Craig Fortnam & Laurent Valero
9 track album
darkcompanionrecords.bandcamp.com
January 31, 2026 at 2:12 PM
#NowPlaying @craigfortnam.bsky.social has a new album out, along with Laurent Valero, James Larcombe and Annie Barbazza.
My favorite track atm is "Cries of London", a beautiful tune that reminds me a bit of the old "Arch Garrison" days
My favorite track atm is "Cries of London", a beautiful tune that reminds me a bit of the old "Arch Garrison" days
Reposted by Oliver Plaschka
Hugo eligibility post!
“The Cuddled Little Vice,” my book-length essay on the poison legacy of Sandman, is eligible for Best Related Work.
“The Cuddled Little Vice,” my book-length essay on the poison legacy of Sandman, is eligible for Best Related Work.
The Cuddled Little Vice (Sandman)
Previously in The Last War in Albion: Alan Moore wrote Watchmen, which, for complicated reasons involving William S. Burroughs and the weak nuclear force, ended the Cold War and replaced it with a mag...
www.eruditorumpress.com
January 31, 2026 at 4:58 AM
Hugo eligibility post!
“The Cuddled Little Vice,” my book-length essay on the poison legacy of Sandman, is eligible for Best Related Work.
“The Cuddled Little Vice,” my book-length essay on the poison legacy of Sandman, is eligible for Best Related Work.
Reposted by Oliver Plaschka
January 31, 2026 at 2:34 AM
#NowListening to: Roy Harper, Lifemask (1973).
A new time sink. I only knew "Stormcock", which is an exeptional album. But, maybe not surprisingly, the albums before and after "Stormcock" are also quite good.
A new time sink. I only knew "Stormcock", which is an exeptional album. But, maybe not surprisingly, the albums before and after "Stormcock" are also quite good.
January 31, 2026 at 8:24 AM
#NowListening to: Roy Harper, Lifemask (1973).
A new time sink. I only knew "Stormcock", which is an exeptional album. But, maybe not surprisingly, the albums before and after "Stormcock" are also quite good.
A new time sink. I only knew "Stormcock", which is an exeptional album. But, maybe not surprisingly, the albums before and after "Stormcock" are also quite good.
Reposted by Oliver Plaschka
"Pictures at an Exhibition" Modest Mussorgsky
"My Fucking Amazing Symphony in A Minor" Boastful Mussorgsky
"My Fucking Amazing Symphony in A Minor" Boastful Mussorgsky
January 29, 2026 at 11:49 AM
"Pictures at an Exhibition" Modest Mussorgsky
"My Fucking Amazing Symphony in A Minor" Boastful Mussorgsky
"My Fucking Amazing Symphony in A Minor" Boastful Mussorgsky
Saw someone apologize for a post (not naming names cause I don't want to attract harassment) in which he blamed non-voters (specifically leftists angry with Harris) for the election of Trump.
It's a difficult question especially in a two-party system: Would you vote "lesser evil" or not at all?
It's a difficult question especially in a two-party system: Would you vote "lesser evil" or not at all?
January 29, 2026 at 11:37 AM
Saw someone apologize for a post (not naming names cause I don't want to attract harassment) in which he blamed non-voters (specifically leftists angry with Harris) for the election of Trump.
It's a difficult question especially in a two-party system: Would you vote "lesser evil" or not at all?
It's a difficult question especially in a two-party system: Would you vote "lesser evil" or not at all?
Reposted by Oliver Plaschka
Everything is awful but the creativity behind some of these handmade posters gives me a glimmer of hope in humanity.
January 25, 2026 at 1:21 PM
Everything is awful but the creativity behind some of these handmade posters gives me a glimmer of hope in humanity.
TIL "Sturm der Liebe" hat über 4500 Folgen der Plot ist völlig durch den Wind aber die ziehen das knallhart durch
(ja, bin etwas krank & hab zu viel Zeit für Internet)
(ja, bin etwas krank & hab zu viel Zeit für Internet)
January 29, 2026 at 8:22 AM
TIL "Sturm der Liebe" hat über 4500 Folgen der Plot ist völlig durch den Wind aber die ziehen das knallhart durch
(ja, bin etwas krank & hab zu viel Zeit für Internet)
(ja, bin etwas krank & hab zu viel Zeit für Internet)
Seeing some of the old frustration with the state of our book market and the reputation of SF&F in general.
Opposing view: the field was never more welcoming for people like us. It's just that lots of readers have debatable tastes
Opposing view: the field was never more welcoming for people like us. It's just that lots of readers have debatable tastes
January 28, 2026 at 1:34 PM
Seeing some of the old frustration with the state of our book market and the reputation of SF&F in general.
Opposing view: the field was never more welcoming for people like us. It's just that lots of readers have debatable tastes
Opposing view: the field was never more welcoming for people like us. It's just that lots of readers have debatable tastes
Thinking a lot about old age and dying these days, and whether it's worth to make up with people just because they're further down the drain than myself
January 28, 2026 at 9:41 AM
Thinking a lot about old age and dying these days, and whether it's worth to make up with people just because they're further down the drain than myself
Reposted by Oliver Plaschka
I still had this on my phone (never updated)
It's gone now, along with my last account
It's gone now, along with my last account
January 28, 2026 at 6:17 AM
I still had this on my phone (never updated)
It's gone now, along with my last account
It's gone now, along with my last account
Reposted by Oliver Plaschka
For a while I had the urge to put a dedicated amount of music onto tape to listen to it while walking. Not "all there is" online
Searched for old style cassette players. And they are all klutzy today
Then I found this interesting video. Walkmen are literally #lostech D:
youtu.be/2DWtkSVNvTg?...
Searched for old style cassette players. And they are all klutzy today
Then I found this interesting video. Walkmen are literally #lostech D:
youtu.be/2DWtkSVNvTg?...
Why are cassette and CD players so bulky now?
YouTube video by The Verge
youtu.be
January 25, 2026 at 2:51 PM
For a while I had the urge to put a dedicated amount of music onto tape to listen to it while walking. Not "all there is" online
Searched for old style cassette players. And they are all klutzy today
Then I found this interesting video. Walkmen are literally #lostech D:
youtu.be/2DWtkSVNvTg?...
Searched for old style cassette players. And they are all klutzy today
Then I found this interesting video. Walkmen are literally #lostech D:
youtu.be/2DWtkSVNvTg?...
Reposted by Oliver Plaschka
URSULA K. LE-PLOW 🤗😁😂👏
January 24, 2026 at 1:45 PM
URSULA K. LE-PLOW 🤗😁😂👏
Great essay on Pluribus, AI and everything
@indrapramitdas.bsky.social, author of The Devourers, reflects on Pluribus, the transformation–of people, countries, art–without consent, and why we hate the hivemind just as much as Carol:
Resisting the Hivemind: Pluribus, Generative AI, and Empire - Reactor
While its creator tell us that Pluribus is not about advent of generative AI, it's difficult not to spot the many places where the fledgling tech and extraterrestrial hivemind overlap.
reactormag.com
January 24, 2026 at 12:58 PM
Great essay on Pluribus, AI and everything
Samuels Geschichte verdient Aufmerksamkeit.
January 24, 2026 at 9:18 AM
Samuels Geschichte verdient Aufmerksamkeit.
Reposted by Oliver Plaschka
WOW, this is the earliest known group of chess pieces in the world! 🤩
It includes two foot-soldiers, two mounted riders, an elephant with rider, a figure driving two horses, and a figure driving a three-horse chariot. Ivory, AD 700s.
Samarkand State Museum-Reserve, Uzbekistan. 📷 me
#Archaeology
It includes two foot-soldiers, two mounted riders, an elephant with rider, a figure driving two horses, and a figure driving a three-horse chariot. Ivory, AD 700s.
Samarkand State Museum-Reserve, Uzbekistan. 📷 me
#Archaeology
January 21, 2026 at 4:40 PM
WOW, this is the earliest known group of chess pieces in the world! 🤩
It includes two foot-soldiers, two mounted riders, an elephant with rider, a figure driving two horses, and a figure driving a three-horse chariot. Ivory, AD 700s.
Samarkand State Museum-Reserve, Uzbekistan. 📷 me
#Archaeology
It includes two foot-soldiers, two mounted riders, an elephant with rider, a figure driving two horses, and a figure driving a three-horse chariot. Ivory, AD 700s.
Samarkand State Museum-Reserve, Uzbekistan. 📷 me
#Archaeology
Frage für die Germanisten und Mittelalter-Nerds: Oswald von Wolkenstein benutzt in "Es fügt sich" ein sechshebiges Metrum und als Versmaß AAA-B-CCC-B usw.
Ist das was Bestimmtes, hat die Form einen Namen?
Ist das was Bestimmtes, hat die Form einen Namen?
January 23, 2026 at 1:18 PM
Frage für die Germanisten und Mittelalter-Nerds: Oswald von Wolkenstein benutzt in "Es fügt sich" ein sechshebiges Metrum und als Versmaß AAA-B-CCC-B usw.
Ist das was Bestimmtes, hat die Form einen Namen?
Ist das was Bestimmtes, hat die Form einen Namen?
Problem is billionaires like him tell governments what they need (in order to make more money), governments tell universities what they need to do (for great optics), and unversities don't want to feel "backward-looking", and so nobody has the balls to clearly come out against AI
Calling all the PhDs I know to make monumental annoyances of themselves (and honestly, who better)
January 23, 2026 at 9:12 AM
Problem is billionaires like him tell governments what they need (in order to make more money), governments tell universities what they need to do (for great optics), and unversities don't want to feel "backward-looking", and so nobody has the balls to clearly come out against AI
My day: discovering mold in the corners of my room
It's dead now
It's dead now
January 22, 2026 at 5:54 PM
My day: discovering mold in the corners of my room
It's dead now
It's dead now
The most remarkable band I recently discovered is actually several bands: Black Country, New Road started out as psychedelic post-punk and burnt through two male leads (one left for SA allegations, one for mental health issues) ...
January 21, 2026 at 10:23 AM
The most remarkable band I recently discovered is actually several bands: Black Country, New Road started out as psychedelic post-punk and burnt through two male leads (one left for SA allegations, one for mental health issues) ...