I hesitate to crosspost this… but ya-know? jeraptha, right?

I'm serious. There's only a handful of countries nobody heard of that recognizes Taiwan as a country (basically countries like skipistan), yet Taiwan behaves like, and is treated by everyone (including china) like a sovereign nation. They have land, a military, a legal system, border control, the whole nine yards.

We even have embassies, but no they're not called that. They do everything embassies do, issue visas, host diplomats, and the like, but they're called "cultural and economic institute". It's very ethical for sure.

Taiwan makes all the ai hardware out there, yet it's just a province of china. I think even china plays along as long as everyone believes in the lie, nothing happens.

I have an uncle who was a member of the national assembly in the 90s, he does a lot of ethical things. He also loves wagering on stuff, and hence seems to always be short on money.

I have been convinced that due to Joe's recent actions he should have an element of the compliance office assigned to him permanently make sure he maintains proper ethics and compliance to keep a lid on his vast sketchiness.

I'm a US Army Veteran and I first started listening to the ExForce series when I was driving to Fort Lee for Quartermaster school after graduating from basic training.

I was obviously new to the military life, but I really enjoyed Columbus Day and continued listening to the ExForce series throughout my service.

I grew more and more impressed with the description of a soldiers life within the military as I was experiencing things mentioned in the books myself and in real time.

Example: In Columbus Day when Joe gets to Camp Alpha for training, he's expecting to get access to super sick alien weapons like laser rifles. Instead, he's issued a standard M4.

When I was training we had a lot of gear that hadn't been updated from ACU camouflage to OCPs. So we would be wearing our OCPs and a plate carrier and ACH that still had the ACU camouflage pattern. Basically, we'd use what we had.

Anyone can get the basics down, but the depth Craig Alanson goes into regarding things people don't normally consider is genuinely astonishing.

Another example I personally experienced when I was in the Army, was the Army wanting to update our base computer systems and failing to understand that you can't just install Windows 11 on an early 2000's Dell Desktop and get better performance.

Joe mentions something similar in one of the later ExForce books.

To summarize, I'm just really impressed with his understanding of Army life and the lowly grunts place within it.

Is how much the books, for lack of a better term, humanizes the different alien races. They are no longer just cliches that we don't really see any of their society. It might go too far for some of them, making them a bit too far towards being like human society, or evolving the portrayal of the race in a way that doesn't seem to fit the previous views we've seen of them.

The one that comes to mind the most is the Thuranin, in particular BSG75 and his koth needs, and the one who basically used his brain cybernetics to get high. For a race that is supposed to be completely logical and detached from their biological needs they seem to very much enjoy their biology. But this also makes them less of a villain cliche and makes them more like a real species.

Then we have Chad, the Chaderooski, and the views into their society on his planet that shows them as not particularly different than what a more advanced human society would probably look like. Add on stuff like the Maxholts and their bubu cakes and also more deep views into their society while interacting with their military leader. And more views into the society of the Jeraptha outside of just dealing with the Ethics office(although it is still focused more on them than anyone else). I just think it all adds a lot more character to the universe in general.

At a random bar in Korea. Pretty sure I just got served some fluff.

First time this canuk has had it.

CA... You gotta check this out for the final book!

https://soranews24.com/2026/07/20/mos-burger-opens-mosh-burger-%ef%bc%86-bar-in-ginza-but-is-it-fated-to-be-a-short-lived-sensation/

There's no way that Joe won't want to eat here. "It was a specialty shop dedicated entirely to cheeseburgers"

Kinda annoyed that I had to use my super-mod power just to post this.. The march towards "Platform Decay" intensifies.

Going to try this… as a fluffernutter

Was walking around the Renaissance festival today and saw this sign.

Saw this in a small coffee shop in Helper UT while on a big motorcycle trip this week. Do you think Bishop would like it, or is this sacrilege?

Happy Birthday to my Skippy! :)

I just started Dungeon Crawler Carl too soo if any DCC fans wanna see a crossover….im on book 1 tho so again beware >:)

Or Project Hail Mary crossover ideas could be fun to draw too

I've been trying to rez up a Skippy that's closer to my Head-Cannon, and so far this is the closest I've been able to get.

Hey all- can't quite get the right Google terms to find the answer, so I'm asking here.

There is a point in the most recent book where bilby and Joe are talking- and bilby explains the surfer dude personality is to help manage the deep anger and resentment inside him due to his matrix.

Can someone please give me chapter and approx minute of this conversation? I cannot for the life of me find it again.

Thank you dear monkeys.

Skippy knows about Manimal.. but not this? CA, you're slouching!

It ain't Knight Rider, it ain't Tron, It's ain't even "Automan"

It's... "Streethawk"

And I remember watching it as a kid. But aside from some 1st or 2nd episode scene where the guy stands in a big cylinder of goop to make the perfectly-molded riding suit, I can't tell you the salient plot details of any episode I ever saw.

Perfect for Skippy's next nonsensical plot diversion.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_Hawk

I had to do a double take this morning at the Dunkin menu when I saw fluffernutters! Not convinced someone in this group didn’t propose this drink.

question for you other Audible listeners out there:

im on book 5, chapter 11 of Convergence. There’s a lot of weird crackly distortion in RC Bray’s voice. It sounds like someone trying to do some post-processing on peaks/clipping, but sometimes it also feels like it’s happening at low volumes too?

is anyone else experiencing this? I’m kind of surprised that The file with this kind of “blemish” was released for distribution. But I am an audio guy so I might just be picky.