To be perfectly candid, I could copy-paste October’s intro here and it would fit. Nothing really changed during the past month (and probably for the best). Time still goes very slow and stupidly fast at the same time.

I feel that something is missing, and some days I am in a constant state of low-level anxiety that wears me out like drops of water on a stone.

To fight that, I am trying to focus on the two things I find so entrancing and that I like so much they can cut through the bulletproof glass of apathy I feel on the worst days: music and RPGs. We’ll see how it goes.

And hey, it’s not that bad. I can find a constellation of happy, relaxed, fun moments. The problem, maybe, is that I don’t find “something” to bind them all into a coherent “life story.”

Anyhow, we have many things to talk about. After all, I write this to remind myself of all the cool things worth reading, watching, listening to, and playing. So let’s go!

Housekeeping

I crossed 60% on the rewrite of my second novel. I wrote the first draft a billion years ago, and two things happened while reading it. First, I find a picture of my old self, of the man I was, and of the pains I lived at the time (the entire book is a gigantic allegory, after all). It is an interesting experience to see that, even if it doesn’t feel like it, I am much stronger than before, but also to see the small things that are still the same. Second, following the “invisible progress” trope, I can see that I am a way better writer than I was five years ago.

Now I am in a part that I am completely rewriting from scratch, so the pace is slower, but I am also happy with the result.

I wrote a small article about the Golden Rule of AI Coding.

Ah, I also changed some typography parameters on the blog. So it may look weird for a bit.

Reading

• The Eye of the Bedlam Bride and The Inevitable Ruin by Matt Dinniman. I reached the end of what Dinniman has written in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series so far. What a fun voyage it was. The last two books are still insanely entertaining and emotional, with varying degrees of success. They are both 800 pages long, and yet they went by effortlessly. Book 6 has a trading-card gimmick, while book 7 is a “final showdown” between alien factions in a simulated war environment. And book 8? We will see. In the meanwhile, I have a Donut-shaped hole in my heart.
• Enshittification by Cory Doctorow. After inventing the word enshittification to describe the unrelenting decay of online services (and, in general, of everything that can be connected to the internet), Doctorow decided to cash in with the definitive explanation book. He goes over the definition, the causes, and what we can do to stop the Internet from becoming a cesspool. If you have followed Doctorow for all these years, there is little new in the book. If not, I think it is one of those mandatory reads to be able to discuss the problem of online platforms.

Watchlist

Frankenstein (2025)

Riding the wave of Halloween, my sweet half and I embarked on a Guillermo del Toro Victorian horror spree. We started with Crimson Peak (2015) and moved to the latest release: Frankenstein.

These kinds of Gothic horror/sci‑fi movies are my jam, and Frankenstein is one of my favorite stories. I really liked this version. Del Toro decided to highlight the humanity of the creature, which is one of my favorite aspects of the Frankenstein lore. It went almost too far: the creature only kills in self-defense, while in the book the creature is legitimately pissed off on many occasions.

But I don’t mind. The film is still a very beautiful (and sometimes disgusting) spectacle. The costumes and the setting are amazing.

PS: If you want a modern Frankenstein rendition that follows the book almost religiously, you can try the 2004 Hallmark miniseries.

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)

So, as you know, I am going over the entire 007 franchise. I am still in the ’60s, and I don’t know what to think. There are many iconic moments, but overall, ridiculousness is still the dominant emotion. I cannot list all the times I laughed out loud during the clunky fight scenes.

Then there is this one where George Lazenby, an Australian model, momentarily takes the role of James Bond from Sean Connery (who will be back in the next one). Lazenby, while he doesn’t nail the funnier deliveries of Connery’s Bond interpretations, brings to the table a more intimate and “mature” version of Bond.

Yes, it is a bit too long (some scenes could be cut without much loss), and the idea of a room full of beautiful women (the Angels of Death) as an excuse for Bond to go flaunting around is kind of hilarious and stupid. And, sure, we could have avoided chasing scenes with every single vehicle (from sky to cars to helicopters to mother*uking bobs!). And, of course, this is so close to being Austin Powers.

But I think it is pretty good. The story-for Bond’s standards-is solid, and FOR THE FIRST DAMN TIME, fights look like fights, chases look like chases, gunfights look like gunfights, and so on. I’m really pleased that no one dies from a mild punch on the shoulder anymore.

But, Jesus Christ, that ending, though….

House of Dynamite (2025)

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This is more of a Public Service Announcement than a movie, but a captivating one. It is a clear reminder that we are currently building much of our stability on “protocols.” But when protocols fail, when shit hits the fan, what do you do? There are only men and women with heavy decisions to make. What would you do?

It may not be an exciting movie, but it has a clear message to deliver.

(And there is Rebecca Ferguson; that is a great plus for the film)

All the Rest

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• Crimson Peak (2015) Yep. I already told you about that!
• From Russia with Love (1963) There is a really stupid scene where Bond fights with little sissy kicks that obliterates everything else.
• Goldfinger (1964) This is the first 007 movie that I kind of liked, even if it is pretty weird.
• Fantastic Four First Steps (2025) I really loved the “aesthetic” of the Silver Age of comics they gave this movie. Unfortunately, the story is weak.
• Thunderball (1965) Another Bond movie. There is a never-ending underwater frogmen fight scene that knocked me out.
• You Only Live Twice (1967) This 007 movie is a disaster, but if you always desired to see Sean Connery dressed as a Vulcan, this is the movie for you.
• Now You See Me (2013) I honestly think this is the worst movie I have watched in my life so far.

This month I also resubscribed to Apple TV+ to catch up with some TV series I accumulated over these months. For now, we only watched The Studio, where Seth Rogen plays a Michael Scott–like head of a movie studio. It is great fun (some episodes more than others, of course), and it showcases some amazing directorial skills. I can also see how Apple dropped heavy money to secure some crazy guest stars. But you don’t need me to praise a show that won 13 Emmys.

Music

Waxahatchee is the unpronounceable name of the solo project of Katie Crutchfield, a 36-year-old singer-songwriter from - you guessed it - Waxahatchee Creek in Alabama. She plays mostly indie rock, but her latest album from 2024, Tigers Blood, is markedly more alt-country sounding.

Tigers Blood is an intimate work about self-reflection and the messy truths of adulthood, but it never hides a deep sense of acceptance and resilience. In some ways, it describes life’s contradictions: the longing for innocence versus acceptance of reality; the impulse to flee versus commitment; yearning versus contentment, and so on.

All that is merged with intricate, unrelenting guitar strumming and melodies.

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I had this album stuck in a loop in my brain for the entire November. If you know me, you’ll know how difficult this is. Therefore, Tigers Bloods wins the spot as my recommended November album.

I’ve been yours for so long We come right back to it I let my mind run wild Don’t know why I do it But you just settle in Like a song with no end If I can keep up We’ll get right back to it

• Spotify
• Apple Music
• Qobuz
• Bandcamp

Some New Albums

• The End by Mammoth. A hard-rock band from Los Angeles, California. They remind me of the Foo Fighters but a bit heavier. I hope The End will not be the end.
• Flowers by Durand Jones & The Indications. This is a smooth soul band from Bloomington, Indiana. This album sounds like something straight out of the late ’70s, in the best way possible.

Gaming

I waited for this game for so long. So why did I wait more than two years before playing it? Because I knew it was LONG. I never found the motivation to invest my spare gaming time in a 100+ hours game.

This year, the time was right. I don’t know why, but the Christmas holidays put me in the mood for some RPGs. Is Baldur’s Gate 3 a Christmas game? For some weird reason, it is for me.

Of course, I am just scratching the surface of it, but so far I am really pleased with it. I’ll make a final comment when I finish it. Probably in six months.

Other Interesting Things

• 📝 Personal blogs are back, should niche blogs be next? – disassociated.com. I am not sure “personal blogs are back.” They are more active than five or six years ago, but they are not (and never will be) as relevant as in the early 2000s. However, there are many interesting points in this article, and I am always ready to re-share something that says, “Yes, you should carve your personal space on the Internet.”
• 📝 Don’t Download Apps – If you must choose between a web app and an app, choose the web app. Websites (newspapers, services, etc.) push you toward their app because, by doing so, they can spy on you and control your experience (you cannot ad-block an app). Don’t give them this power.
• 🎮 Steam Machine – Yes! Steam Machines have been announced. I am kinda excited about this.
• 💾 Racket v9.0 – A cool Lisp-like language I am really fond of reached version 9.0! Enjoy!

Conclusions

And we reached the end of this improvised issue (more improvised than usual). I hope it was at least partially coherent.

The next issue will be in 2026. Can you believe it? It will be closer to 2050 than 2000.

Anyhow, I don’t want to end by triggering everybody’s existential crisis. Let’s live day by day. Before the 2026 issue, we still have to live in December! I am so excited for Christmas time. I love Christmas time.

I wish you all a wonderful, cozy time with your family and/or friends!

See you in 2026!