James Cunningham

Steady-state is a nice idea but it rarely works out in practice. Fortunes change for better or worse, and while everyone likes to think eternal growth is attainable it's at the mercy of forces people really don't like to think of being outside their control. When the mechanic Morgan returns to her home town to stay with her aunt she finds the region in decline, with derelict machinery everywhere and businesses just barely hanging on. Aunt Ilonka's rocket project is sealed shut and she won't talk about it, and while the townsfolk are cheery enough it's clear there's a pall hanging over the place. Cute, vibrant, and cozy are all very well and good, but without some serious inspiration backed up by hard work there's no avoiding that the town is in a death spiral. If only an energetic and helpful mechanic was available to fix everything. If only...

There's a lot to be said about space, but one of the biggest things to keep in mind is that it's completely unforgiving. Space isn't by any means hostile, of course, in the same way air isn't hostile to fish; it's not a fish's environment, so if very specific precautions aren't taken then the results are a lifespan measured in seconds. Take that seriously (while throwing in sci-fi ideas like artificial gravity) and people can survive in space, but otherwise it's probably a terrible idea. Still, space is where everything is, with riches far beyond anything that one lone, comfortable planet could ever provide, so while the losses may be potentially huge, the gains can be even bigger. This works out great for the corporations, but maybe not so much for the workers caught up in the occasional disaster.

Infrastructure has become a favored asset class in recent years given its outperformance in high-volatility periods like 2022 and its overall ability to provide alpha, yield, an inflation hedge, and a cushion against economic shocks. Our research suggests that private infrastructure:

James Cunningham's Top 10 Films of 2024

The real secret of 3D space is just how much of it there is, and Kero Quest 64 is a reminder of how satisfying that can be to explore.

Dungeons & Dragons: The Tyrant's Eye is set in the classic D&D world of The Forgotten Realms, complete with all the trappings of a campaign

Forty years ago there was a decade that had an outsized influence on all pop culture moving forward. The music of the 60s may have still gotten persistent airplay in the 80s but music from the 40s was almost completely outdated, and we all assumed pop culture would... I want to say keep up the 20 year cycle but all kids think their music is the best music and will last forever without realizing that it's kind of weird when it actually happens. Not all of it, of course, because radio-filler drek and flash-in-the-pan earworms have a lifespan measured in minutes and it's always a bit of a relief when realizing it's been months since hearing whatever it may have been, but ignoring the generic and deservedly forgotten, the musical katamari of the 80s is still rolling along with a surprising vitality.

Airborne Empire is a laid-back, accessible open-world adventure where the main "character" is a growing city, as playable as it is unique

There are many things dogs aren't noted for, like being judgmental about their human or picky about what they eat. Somewhere in that list is probably an entry for a lack of rhythm, because a moving doggy is a happy doggy and restricting that energy to a beat would inhibit its canine exuberance. That's why dogs sometimes need people, for those rare occasions when rhythm matters every bit as much as a fluffy heart and optimistic attitude.

No matter what it looks like mountains aren't trying to kill you. Leave them alone and absolutely nothing bad will happen, with the disclaimer that volcanoes are a whole other thing. The rocky spires, hidden caves, dark crevasses, and sheer cliffs aren't forcing anyone to explore their secrets, much less wait for a lovely day to race down them at full speed. Mountains are only as dangerous as the person risking their life on them makes it, and for the really good times that's incredibly dangerous indeed.