This week: an update on my writing; Musk x Farage; The Spike-related links; and Nick Cave plays Leonard Cohen.
progress_report
A week off from my day job was an opportunity to progress a few different areas around my writing that wasn’t just putting words on a page (although there was some of that too). It also gave me a bit of a rest after completing the November challenge of writing 50k words; I felt a little burnt out.
My first tasks were devising the format for this blog, creating the header image, and researching the links provided below. They will become a regular part of my schedule now, so I won’t mention them every week.
Feedback is welcome. Is there anything you want to see more/less of?
I did some research around rereleasing The Spike Volume 1 with a new cover. The plan is to do that in the approach to the release of Volume 2.
Lastly, I chipped away a bit more on draft 2 of part 2 of Volume 2, and will likely be focussing on that in the coming week.
status.vol2
The Spike Volume 2 will contain three separate books from the perspective of seven characters.
Part 1 – draft 2 complete; further chapters to add.
Part 2 – draft 2 written up to chapter 67; nine chapters to go.
Part 3 – draft 2 written up to chapter 18; forty-eight chapters to go.
The intention is to complete draft 2 for all three parts by the end of February 2025.
Then a readthrough will determine how much revision is required.
The ultimate aim is to have Volume 2 finished by the end of 2025 for publication early 2026.
opinion\musk+farage
There are rumours that Elon Musk is considering a “donation” of $100m to Reform UK.
I use quotation marks around donation because anyone who thinks Musk won’t expect something in return hasn’t been paying attention. In the USA elections, he bought votes, and he bought himself a role in government. Keep an eye out for Musk-linked companies getting government contracts in the near future.
Politics in the UK and US operated for years on the idea of norms and decency, believing regulation around these was not necessary. Boris Johnson and Donald Trump both demonstrated zero respect for historical norms – indeed Trump made tearing these up a central pillar of every campaign – and no-one could seriously call either adulterous, corrupt liar a decent person.
No previous holder of the Richest Man In The World title has so brazenly involved themselves in politics, and the protections in place are woefully inadequate. The other political parties are reticent to legislate against it because they don’t want to stop their own flow of money. Let’s be honest – there isn’t a political party in either country that would turn down that amount. What will be interesting is whether any party is scared enough for their own existence to do something to block such “donations”, because self-preservation is the only thing more valuable to them than cold hard cash.
connecting_links
The Spike is set in our world, incorporating real events; the links below are relevant to the themes and overarching storyline, and may or may not provide clues to the direction of the series.
I do not necessarily agree with or endorse any of the views within.
Trump’s America – what does it mean for the global tech sector?
https://eandt.theiet.org/2024/12/02/et-podcast-episode-8-trumps-america-what-does-it-mean-global-tech-sector
The Fifth Wave, organised crime in 2040
https://globalinitiative.net/analysis/organized-crime-in-2040/
ChatGPT will lie, cheat and use insider trading when under pressure to make money, research shows
https://www.livescience.com/technology/artificial-intelligence/chatgpt-will-lie-cheat-and-use-insider-trading-when-under-pressure-to-make-money-research-shows
Council insists robot cleaners will not reduce jobs
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cdrd13y5v2ko
AI has officially hit a dead end
https://medium.com/predict/ai-has-officially-hit-a-dead-end-cf260ae5b2de
weekly_inspiration
Every week I share something that’s inspired my creativity.
This week, I’ve been listening regularly to the below performance by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis of a song originally written by Leonard Cohen, “Avalanche”. Nick Cave is likely to appear quite often on here, he’s a unique artist, and I could listen to Warren Ellis play violin all day.
What’s inspired you this week? Please share in the comments.
See you next week.
Arrowmaker Books 