I was recently reminded that I have this blogspot blog keyed to show up on Goodreads.
I don't really take advantage of that fact much. Heck, I barely remember to post anything at all. Part of that is where I am in my career, which is to say.. it's largely over. I'm not really writing much these days so it's not like I really need something like this for publicity's sake.
But you know what journals like this used to be and what Goodreads often still is? Community.
And who doesn't need community?
Lately, I've been on a short story kick. So, I'm thinking that this might be a place where I keep track of the short stories I'm reading (or, often, listening to). I might give a little review or just generally post a few thoughts on the story's theme or whatever.
Because, why not?
If you're interested, great. If not, this will be a nice little reference for me.
I'm going to start with a set of two that I listened to last night.
Both of these (arguably) cyberpunk stories are about The Algoritm, all caps.
In "RedChip BlueChip" we follow fifteen year-old Mikila, on their birthday, the day that their brand loyalty is chosen for them with the insertion of a bio-wired chip (either Red or Blue). In "The Perfect Match" we follow Sai who is so plugged into a (not-so-distant) future version of Alexa that she makes all of his decisions for him, even who he might date.
Somewhat SPOILERY thoughts:
Of the two of them, I preferred "RedChip BlueChip." Both stories have downbeat endings where, essentially, the evil corporations win. What I preferred was the ending. I was actually shocked and surprised by the big reveal at the end of "RedChip BlueChip." The ending of "The Perfect Match" felt more made-for-TV? By which I mean that I have seen endings like it before enough that the impact of it was lessened. I didn't necessarily see it coming far in advance. But, the "twist" was very strongly telegraphed if you pay attention to the music that the Not-Alexa plays for Sai when he wakes up.
I may also have just preferred the narrator of "RedChip BlueChip." I listened to audio performances of both stories and the narrator of "RedChip BlueChip" had a slightly more fluid, natural style, which I tend to prefer. This will obviously make less of a difference if you choose to read these stories with your eyes.
Both of these stories paints a grim picture of a future consumed, if you will, by hyper-consumerism. We are only what we buy. And, the sellers of products are watching our every move, every linger of our gaze. It's hardly even speculative? Much of what is proposed in both these stories is already happening. In fact if you listen to the afterwards with the narrator on Escape Pod's podcast of the story (which is linked above), you will discover that "RedChip BlueChip" is based loosely on a real life story.
There's a lot of discussion on and off about whether or not cyberpunk is dead. I think that one of the reasons that people think it is, is because of Gibson's idea of the Singularity. We are, in fact, rushing towards a future that is almost impossible to truly speculate about because we are becoming it, almost as fast as we can think about it. In some cases, the truth of the technology is hidden and so speculation just feels like telling things like they already are.
Yet, these stories still ask really interesting questions. If our preferences were erased from the web, who even are we? Isn't all of this harmless, just trying to help consumers consume the things they like? Do we drive the market or does the market drive us?
I feel like these questions are very relevant to life in 2026.
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