The Question in Bodies, Appendix: SexOD 2.0

This essay was first published in 2016, and then abandoned, and then rewritten at a friend's request over a year later. I'm resurrecting (reactivating?) it now because Monday's Room 207 Press Webinar looks at these issues, and I think this is a sort of a taster. I'd love you to come along. Book a place here.

So. Let’s talk about fembots.

The Question in Bodies, Appendix 2: Fembot Pop

Charli XCX, “Femmebot” (2017)
Robyn, “Fembot” (2010)
Janelle Monae, “Electric Lady” (2015)
Grimes, “4ÆM” (2019), “We Appreciate Power” (2018)
Poppy, “Time is Up” (2018), “Hard Feelings” (2018)

There's a sense in which – as a person whose gender identity, although in a state of flux for as long as I can remember, is for the sake of safety usually expressed as male – I don't really get to make instructive statements on feminist issues. I can't. Empathy can only go so far: I've been told I'm empathic, but I don't think I am, particularly. What I am is observant, vigilant if you like. So all I can do here is observe, and report. I hope that's OK.

This post  comes with its own Spotify playlist, so if you're lucky enough to have Spotify, feel free to listen along.

Future Friday (on a Saturday) #1: The End of Ownership

Hi, it's Friday. On a Saturday.

So among the projects I'm working on right now (City of God, Cosmic Memory) one of the first things I want to do is kickstart a new edition of my futuristic satire game MSG™, which is still out there, still remembered, and which last week at the games shop I did a demonstration game of that was a riot. Because of that I decided to institute Future Friday as a thing on the blog, a weekly thing where instead of talking about history, I talk about, you know, THE FUTURE. Or the present. Or something.