May 15, 2025

134: In the Framework of Linear Time

58 minutes

John has shortlisted, Alison has worked in large organisations, and Liz has done a spot-the-difference.

An uncorrected transcript of this episode is available here. Please email your letters of comment to [email protected], join our Facebook group, and tag @OctothorpeCast (on X or on Mastodon or on Bluesky) when you post about the show on social media.

Content warnings this episode: LLMs

Letters of comment

Chris Garcia

Clarrie Maguire

Colette Reap

Roseanna Pendlebury

Her Death of Stalin review

Tobes Valois

We also heard from Ali Baker Brooks, Ang Rosin, Brian Nisbet, Caroline Mullan, DC, Doug Faunt, Ed Morland, Esther MacCallum-Stewart, Farah Mendlesohn, Gareth Kavanagh, Ivan Sinha, Jonathan Baddeley, Jonathan Cowie, Kin-Ming Looi, Lilian Edwards, Meg MacDonald, Neil Ottenstein, Phil Dyson, Raj, Sandra Bond, Shi Lala, Tammy Coxen, Tony Keen, TrishEM, ‪Zoë O’Connell‬

Corflu

FAAn Award Winners

Ada Palmer runs a class called “The Italian Renaissance: Dante, Machiavelli, and the Wars of Popes and Kings,” better known by students as “pope class” or “pope LARP”

Archive.is

Chris Barkley has sued Dave McCarty

Shot

Chaser

Locus

2025 fundraiser

Revenue is flat and costs are up 21%

Clarke Award

The shortlist has been announced

Worldcon 2025: Seattle

“Statement from the Worldcon Chair”

“Apology and Response From Chair”

“May 6th Statement From Chair and Program Division Head”

Resignation statement from WSFS division

Picks

John: The Mark by Frìða Ìsberg

Alison: Sinners

Liz: Blue Prince

Credits

Cover art: “Sample FAAn Award” by Alison Scott

Alt text: A photograph of a yellow square on a mantlepiece. On the yellow square is black text and a red shape with yellow text. The text reads “Corflu 42. 2025 FAAn Awards. Best Immutable Object: Octothorpe”. Text overlaid on the photograph reads ‘Octothorpe 134. “Don’t believe everything you read on ChatGPT.”’

Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)

...more

View all episodes

By John Coxon, Alison Scott, Liz Batty

66 ratings