A spark, a hiccup. That’s all that humanity ever was on the planet’s geological timescale. A brilliant colorful flicker, a burnt fuse, then time carries on. As they grow and expand, all civilizations are easily deceived by their own momentum. After reaching a certain size, they become arrogant enough to call themselves “empires”. A web … Continue reading The Arrogance of Empire
Although “sentience” is defined as “being able to perceive or feel things”, nowadays the term seems to be used exclusively in the context of comparing humans to animals, or to artificial intelligence applications. There is a desperate effort to prove, once and for all, that humans are the only species, or machine for that matter, … Continue reading The Absurdity of Human Sentience
There was a time when humans were foragers. There were no supermarkets, not even agriculture – in other words, there was no “food production system” as such. The system was Earth itself, and it was the level of food supply that moderated demand, which in turn, controlled population (and this further limitted demand). As long … Continue reading The Myth of a Sustainable Humanity
Mr Tsakraklides' new novel gives us a clue on what could happen if Mother Nature decides to reclaim what is hers in this exciting eco-thriller. The New Earth is an interesting book and shows that Tsakraklides has talent when it comes to narrating descriptive passages which carry the reader into the near future with spark … Continue reading Book Review for A New Earth – Literary Licence Podcast
Imagine if the world economy had suddenly fallen appart. Container ships would pile up at ports like driftwood in a clogged river. Factories would shut down in China and people would be sent home to watch cat videos on TikTok. Supermarkets would struggle to fill up shelves with items because moving food around the globe … Continue reading What Would A Total Collapse Look Like?
continued from previous The bioluminescent plankton had begun to approach the city, riding on the northerly current. It became visible first as a faint, thin bright line just below the evening horizon. As it got closer, it broadened into a deep turquoise-blue ribbon that began to cast its glow into the sky above. It was … Continue reading A New Earth – The One
continued from previous Olivia was out on an evening stroll. She begun to curiously walk towards the far end of the beach, where a medium-sized group of Minimalists had set up a permanent vigil for months now. Tonight, the atmosphere was different: re-energized by the latest reports of new variants arising across the globe, the … Continue reading A New Earth – To All New Arrivals
He reached deep into one of the pockets in his jacket and took out the packet of Black Sky that one of the Revelers at the shelter had sneaked in as a goodbye present. He held the tiny ziploc bag up to the faint light, looking at the transparent crystals inside. Turning the bag sideways … Continue reading A New Earth – Petunia
continued from previous She closed the notebook shut with a single, slow but decisive hand movement. She kept on staring at it for a few seconds, almost in a comatose state, as she tried to wake up from her daydream. How could it be that the entire world was sitting inside a notebook, in a … Continue reading A New Earth – Disaster Gene
continued from previous Olivia was sitting by herself on a stool by the bench, reading John’s lab notebook just as he walked in. She looked up at him with an “I’ve been caught” expression, as John looked down towards her chest and recognized his notebook in her hands. “I… was looking at your notes” she … Continue reading A New Earth – The Drawing
George Tsakraklides 