# martie (blogs) — RSS Amplifier Recent posts from the 1 feeds in the RSS Amplifier directory that cover martie. Page: Feed: --- ## [The Big Idea: Suyi Davies Okungbowa](https://whatever.scalzi.com/2026/08/21/the-big-idea-suyi-davies-okungbowa/) _2026-08-21 · Athena Scalzi · Whatever_ In times of turmoil, where is our caped crusader to save the day? Heroes are good, villains are bad, and real life people are a whole lot more complicated. Author Suyi Davies Okungbowa examines this idea further, showing how people, while sometimes heroic, also contain multitudes and aren’t just one thing. Follow along in the \[…\] ## [And Now, An EP-Sized Selection of Deep Cuts](https://whatever.scalzi.com/2026/08/20/and-now-an-ep-sized-selection-of-deep-cuts/) _2026-08-20 · John Scalzi · Whatever_ Because I feel like moving a bit beyond the hits. Enjoy. — JS ## [Daily Reminder To Not Listen To Google’s AI Overview](https://whatever.scalzi.com/2026/08/19/daily-reminder-to-not-listen-to-googles-ai-overview/) _2026-08-19 · Athena Scalzi · Whatever_ Hey y’all, I’m here today with a PSA that I find myself repeating multiple times a day, every single day. And I’m going to do it again. AI is wrong a lot. And I mean a lot. Both about inconsequential things and extremely consequential things. But the fact it is so wrong so consistently about inconsequential \[…\] ## [The Big Idea: Tim Pratt](https://whatever.scalzi.com/2026/08/19/the-big-idea-tim-pratt-5/) _2026-08-19 · Athena Scalzi · Whatever_ There’s the safe way to write a novel, and then there’s Tim Pratt’s way to write a novel. Abandoning any worries of appealing to the masses, Pratt hit the gas on all of their most interesting ideas and crafted the newest addition to their Nigh-Space series, The Jewel and the Comet. TIM PRATT: I mean, \[…\] ## [Warning: Smudge is Likely Judging You](https://whatever.scalzi.com/2026/08/19/warning-smudge-is-likely-judging-you/) _2026-08-19 · John Scalzi · Whatever_ You know what you did. You may admit to it in the comments, if you like. — JS ## [The Big Idea: James Patrick Kelly](https://whatever.scalzi.com/2026/08/18/the-big-idea-james-patrick-kelly-2/) _2026-08-18 · Athena Scalzi · Whatever_ Humans have been fascinated by robots for as long as the idea of a machine with a heart has existed. Hugo award-winning author James Patrick Kelly is no exception, evidenced by his newest collection of short stories all about robots and AI. He even threw in two brand new pieces just for The Book of Bots, \[…\] ## [Trying Out Thrive Market: The Last Installation Of My Online Grocery Shopping Membership Journey](https://whatever.scalzi.com/2026/08/18/trying-out-thrive-market-the-last-installation-of-my-online-grocery-shopping-membership-journey/) _2026-08-18 · Athena Scalzi · Whatever_ With both Misfits Market and Martie Goods having been reviewed, it’s finally time to talk about the third and final horse in the race, Thrive Market. Just like Misfits Market and Martie Goods, it’s an online grocery store that claims to give deep discounts on good products to their customers. One difference I noticed with \[…\] ## [The Big Idea: David Ebenbach](https://whatever.scalzi.com/2026/08/17/the-big-idea-david-ebenbach-3/) _2026-08-17 · Athena Scalzi · Whatever_ Sometimes it feels like the world is being rapidly overtaken by AI, but author David Ebenbach is here to remind us that this a world of humans, not robots. In the Big Idea for his newest poetry collection, The AI Suspects It Might Be a Hungry Ghost, he encourages us to rage against the machine, and \[…\] ## [Trying Out Martie Goods](https://whatever.scalzi.com/2026/08/17/trying-out-martie-goods/) _2026-08-17 · Athena Scalzi · Whatever_ After my positive experience with Misfits Market, I decided to try out some other online grocery store delivery systems and see how these services compare. Today I’ll be talking about my experience with Martie Goods; another online grocery store with a mission of reducing food waste and making pricier items more accessible. Founded by two \[…\] ## [Say Hello to My Warty Friend](https://whatever.scalzi.com/2026/08/15/say-hello-to-my-warty-friend/) _2026-08-15 · John Scalzi · Whatever_ This little dude was on the doorstep of my garage around 4am (i.e., when the dog told me she really really had to go pee). That’s not a great place for a smallish amphibian to be, considering there are predatory mammals who patrol the territory and would be happy to take a run at a \[…\] ## [Stocks ranked by what execs say (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/Lt4N2Mdj7UYw) _2026-08-15 · **Sponsored**_ Evidence-backed watchlists from earnings calls and filings, cited to real transcripts—not guesses. ## [The Big Idea: Ryan Lowell](https://whatever.scalzi.com/2026/08/13/the-big-idea-ryan-lowell/) _2026-08-13 · Athena Scalzi · Whatever_ Miles of open road, a Big Gulp, and literal tons of steel. A trucker’s life ain’t an easy one, as author Ryan Lowell knows from years of experience as a dispatcher. This experience gave him the ideas and know-how he needed to write his newest novel, Freight. RYAN LOWELL: I spent much of the 2010’s dispatching \[…\] ## [Giving Misfits Market A Try](https://whatever.scalzi.com/2026/08/12/giving-misfits-market-a-try/) _2026-08-12 · Athena Scalzi · Whatever_ In recent weeks (probably months, if we’re being honest), I have felt stuck in a rut when it came to groceries. I had no ideas, and frankly no motivation, to get anything other than the basic essentials like milk, bread, and maybe eggs if I wanted to bake something. My groceries were uninspired, and I was \[…\] ## [The Shattering Peace Now Out in Trade Paperback](https://whatever.scalzi.com/2026/08/11/the-shattering-peace-now-out-in-trade-paperback/) _2026-08-11 · John Scalzi · Whatever_ That’s it; that’s the post! Well, also that it’s a New York Times best seller and also nominated for the Dragon Award (by itself) and the Hugo Award (as part of the Old Man’s War series), got great reviews and also I was very happy with it as a novel. If you’ve not read it \[…\] ## [Why My Father Is Wrong: A Defense Of Guitar Hero](https://whatever.scalzi.com/2026/08/10/why-my-father-is-wrong-a-defense-of-guitar-hero/) _2026-08-11 · Athena Scalzi · Whatever_ My father recently wrote a piece detailing some of his thoughts on AI, and in doing so he compared using generative AI to playing Guitar Hero. I shall not let this analogy stand. If you think I’m pro-AI, you couldn’t be more wrong. There is no bigger hater of AI in the world than yours \[…\] ## [I Ate a Large Meal of Indian Food and Foolishly Assumed I Would Then Be Able to Function in the Afternoon, So Here is Saja and Charlie to Cover For Me While I Recover](https://whatever.scalzi.com/2026/08/10/i-ate-a-large-meal-of-indian-food-and-foolishly-assumed-i-would-then-be-able-to-function-in-the-afternoon-so-here-is-saja-and-charlie-to-cover-for-me-while-i-recover/) _2026-08-10 · John Scalzi · Whatever_ The Indian food was delicious and also literally all my blood went to my stomach, causing my cognitive abilities to throttle to maybe, like, 30%, so, uh, yeah, not a lot of work done after lunch. I did take a nap, though. Which was important, I think. Anyway, Saja and Charlie are pals. Isn’t that \[…\] ## [New Cover: “So Alive”](https://whatever.scalzi.com/2026/08/08/new-cover-so-alive/) _2026-08-09 · John Scalzi · Whatever_ Yes, I’m slowly working my way through the 80s on KROQ. This one is from Love & Rockets, a spin-off of Bauhaus, but a lot more commercially accessible. This is their biggest hit (it went to #3 in the US and #1 in some other countries). My version is slightly more upbeat than the original, \[…\] ## [Thrifting A “Gift Closet”](https://whatever.scalzi.com/2026/08/07/thrifting-a-gift-closet/) _2026-08-07 · Athena Scalzi · Whatever_ Sometimes I see a video of someone doing something and immediately think, why didn’t I think of that sooner? One such thing is the idea of a “gift closet,” which is a collection of items you have that are meant specifically for gifting to other people on such occasions as: bringing a hostess gift to \[…\] ## [Generative “AI”: The Guitar Hero of Creativity](https://whatever.scalzi.com/2026/08/06/generative-ai-the-guitar-hero-of-creativity/) _2026-08-06 · John Scalzi · Whatever_ So, you’re a person who has decided to embark on a creative journey of self-expression — to make art, in other words. First off, this is awesome! The universe needs more people making art, whether that art is writing, painting, music or any other form that humans are capable of creating. You have the drive, \[…\] ## [The Big Idea: Shami Stovall](https://whatever.scalzi.com/2026/08/06/the-big-idea-shami-stovall/) _2026-08-06 · Athena Scalzi · Whatever_ Revenge is a dish best served cold, and in author Shami Stovall’s case, her desire to get back at those who have wronged her ended up being just what she needed to write a John Wick-esque revenge story. Sharpen your skills and your blades, and follow along in the Big Idea for her newest novel, One-Fifth \[…\]