Rory Price @RoryPrice@writing.exchange

Hey everyone. My name is Rory Price and I'm a science-fiction writer. I recently self-published my first novel, Opt Out. It follows a group of free software activist who get very worried about a new form of invasive proprietary technology known as smart implants.

Other than that, I'm a dedicated free software user and take privacy very seriously. I'm very interested in storytelling in general.

Check out my website at https://roryprice.net/

I'm honestly starting to wonder if I'll ever be able to get a paper print. Ingram took 3 weeks to reply to a simple query, and their response was extremely unprofessional and didn't address any of my concerns. Amazon is obviously out of the question, and so many smaller companies are really just vanity presses looking to scam writers.

I'll admit, I'm at my wits end.

I wrote an article for the Defective by Design FSF campaign. Check it out, and do support them if you can. @endDRM

https://defectivebydesign.org/blog/platform_exclusivity_drm_and_independent_authors_cautionary_tale

That we still have to fight so statements like black lives matter or trans rights are human rights are recognized as universal truths shows how backwards the human civilization still is. Accepting diversity is basic decency. Celebrating diversity is where greatness starts.

I've witnessed some pretty despicable acts of bigotry lately, and it made me think about these things.

https://fediverse.blog/~/RoryPricesBlog/characters-and-active-goals/

New blog post. I decided to talk about characters a bit.

I really should get back to blogging. Haven't written anything other than my story in months. I just need to find a good topic that isn't political.

I installed Thunderbird 78 separately to see if I could get it to work in a way that doesn't screw over my work flow. While it wasn't as bad as I expected, it's still garbage and it looks like shit.

Here's a hint to software developers out there. If users have to waste their entire morning trying to regain lost functionality, you're doing it wrong.

I'm getting my flu shot this afternoon. I'm a bit nervous at going out in a relatively crowded place, hopefully they have good safety measures in place.

https://harmonysquare.game/en/ Interesting game about social media manipulation and fake news. The goal is to ruin a fictional town square as much as you can. Apparently it was designed to teach people how to recognize fake news and trolling.

I may be in the minority, but I never really understood the appeal of NaNoWriMo. I've always been a "slow and steady" kind of writer, often rewriting on the spot and sometimes taking a long time to consider a scene before I start the first draft. Also, I've seen how terrifying fanfiction sites look the following month.

If it helps you all be more productive though, good luck and more power to you.

https://spacewatch.global/2020/10/spacewatchgl-columhttps://spacewatch.global/2020/10/spacewatchgl-column-the-hell-of-humans-in-heaven-debating-the-risks-of-space-technology-and-habitation/n-the-hell-of-humans-in-heaven-debating-the-risks-of-space-technology-and-habitation/

Very interesting article about the dangers of space habitats, from a sociological point of view. It's very relevant to the book I'm currently writing, but I thought I'd share just out of general interest.

I do agree that space habitats and settlements away from Earth have the potential to open the door to horrible forms of authoritarianism. I think the potential for free societies is there as well. Interesting stuff to think about.