About the Author
I'm Stephan, a Linux user with a passion for open-source, UI/UX design, and exploring what makes fiction work.
In my spare time, I focus on (and write about):
- Programming (mainly in Python and Rust)
- Retrocomputing (mostly DOS but, as of January 2023, I also own a machine running Mac OS 9.2)
- Reading and Reviewing Fiction
- The odd bit of UI/UX design or literary theory
For notification of significant updates to existing posts, consider following me on Mastodon.
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Author Archives: Stephan Sokolow
Good Villain, Bad Villain
The difference between a well-done villain like Ursula in Disney’s The Little Mermaid and a poorly done one like Rasputin in Don Bluth’s Anastasia is actually pretty simple. With a well-done villain, you can understand and sympathize with whatever made … Continue reading
Posted in Writing
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Freeman’s Mind, Humor, And Themes As A Writing Aid
From a structural standpoint, one of the biggest reasons Freeman’s Mind works so well as humor is that, in the Half-Life story, Ross Scott’s version of Gordon Freeman embodies not one or even two, but three humorous juxtapositions which can … Continue reading
Posted in Writing
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My Sites: Now 100% Google-free (FeedBurner excepted)
I’ve been meaning to minimize Google’s ability to track me and my visitors for quite a while now, but this post about Google+ which I stumbled across recently came as an appropriately timed reminder. I’d like to announce that every … Continue reading
Posted in Geek Stuff
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WordPress: Flushing Spam Comments Quickly
While I love a well-configured copy of Spam Karma 2 as an effortless way to keep my blog free of spam, it doesn’t seem to have a way to automatically purge/expire comments after they sit in the spam bin for a … Continue reading
Posted in Geek Stuff
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Open-Source Licensing For The Lay Programmer
When trying to get a new project off the ground, there’s no doubt that community is important, but from all the stuff I’ve run across, one of the least understood and most important aspects of doing so seems to be … Continue reading
Posted in Geek Stuff
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Second-Tier Cartoon Classics and The Effects of Perspective
I just discovered something rather interesting about the cartoons I and those of my generation grew up with. If you ask us about companies, everyone can probably name the top-tier ones: Disney, Warner Brothers and Hanna-Barbera… and deservedly so. Walt … Continue reading
Posted in Otaku Stuff, Web Wandering & Opinion
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A Few New Projects Up on GitHub
Over the last few days, I’ve been trying to clean out a bunch of old TODO notes. One of the more procrastinated ones has been to tidy up as many of my in-progress projects as possible and get them up … Continue reading
Posted in Geek Stuff
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