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I believe the Turian Hierarchy has some sort of hover-tank mentioned in Cerberus daily news. I think it's just that ground fighting vehicles have been eclipsed by basically all other military tech. The emphasis in the Mass Effect universe seems to be on speed; i.e. get the hell out of the way...

While I'm sure Societism will be dystopic, we should keep in mind these snippets we're hearing about are from cultures that oppose Societism in a Cold War. While the West was a obviously a less dystopian place than the Red Bloc during the OTL Cold War, stuff like "Marxists who want to destroy...

I thought Loki called Natasha a quim, or is that just another pronunciation of quean?

You know, I was just looking up the etymology of "Queen" after reading about an Anglo-Saxon queen on the "God Save Us From the Queen" TvTropes page, and stumbled upon the word quean as yet-another-synonym-for-a-woman-of-ill-repute, and I was wondering what it would be like if that word made it...

That's just the thing about Stirling: His mediocre jokes are recycled again and again and again, as if he doesn't think the same people read all of his books and won't notice. His jokes aren't the only lines he recycles. There's this line he has soldier characters spout, where they nod...

Some dudes hit on the Mary Sue daughters of his Mary Sue characters, and then a waitress hits on them, and of course one of the guys turns out to be a murderer for some reason, and murders the bisexual waitress and frames it on one of the Mary Sues, and there's lots of discussion about how boys...

I've read some of the anthology. Some of the stories are okay. But just okay. Stirling's story is the worst, in my opinion. Every beat in the story was 100% his recycled cliches. I rolled my eyes the whole way through.

Dat map... *heavy breathing* Glad it's back!

It's an interesting concept. Reminds me of the way Mass Effect does FTL.

I too was expecting something low-key. Like a few men with guns. 2700 civilians dead and relations between the ENA and the Howden probably permanently soured is not what I thought.

Lot's of ominous mentions of economic power and the UPSA. I really wonder how that is going to turn out, which I suppose is the point. The usage of slaves as oarsmen in the Trident is really pointed, actually. Guarantees that the awesome moment of the first submersible vehicle will always be...

Incidentally, any culture that colonized Antarctica would probably wipe out penguins completely anywhere they settled. Flightless bird species with no previous contact with land-bound predators do not have a strong survival record when humans arrive, historically. Even today, penguins might walk...

Still, Bossman is a ridiculous word. But then Stirling's characters often do speak like humanoid simulacra that have just barely managed to scrape their way out of the uncanny valley, so perhaps it fits. But more likely he thinks Iowans would really call our leader that.

Yeah, I never understood why they called him the Bossman in the first place. That is not a word I've ever heard anyone use.

The explanation I've heard is that Africans had immune systems to deal with epidemics in general (if not the specific diseases Europeans brought), having had them before, which granted them resistance. Whereas the Amerindians did not have immune systems ready to deal with any epidemics, prior...

Ah, I've been eagerly awaiting the ATL version of the Des Moines settlement to be mentioned, but IIRC wasn't it in Britannia province, not Wisconsin province?

Oh. Mo Quedling is Mowque! I need to pay more attention.

I just couldn't find any reference to it with google that was not from ASOIAF. But I can see how that easily could have been the traditional phrasing.

Forgive me if I'm being historically ignorant, but I've never actually seen this "the Nth of His/Her Name" phrase used to declare regnal name numbering outside of ASOIAF. Is there actual historical precedent or is this a deliberate reference? Either way, it's a magnificent phrase and I'm glad to...

Warwick Davis as Tyrion Lannister. Benedryl Cabbagepatch as anyone (because of the annoying fans it would create).