"All this he saw, for one moment breathless and intense, vivid on the morning sky; and still, as he looked, he lived; and still, as he lived, he wondered."

― Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows

Qin Shi Huang and his love for Mercury

Qin Shi Huang was the guy who basically invented the concept of “Emperor” in China, around 250 b.C., and I’m sure you’re familiar with his grand Terracotta Army. A thing you might be less familiar with? His love for mercury.

In order to boost some of his shapeshifting abilities and when the shit hits the fan, my main character sometimes drinks a mixture he calls amalgama, which is basically any mineral alloy with mercury in it, and it’s basically the only practical way to have liquid metal at hand without going full-on Smaug. While he does that, he warns the readers that the stuff will get them killed and briefly mentions Qin Shi Huang, but why?

We take a look at that today on my Patreon.
books and literature

Werewolves Wednesday: The Wolf-Leader (14)

A werewolf story by Alexandre Dumas père. Chapter XIV: A Village Wedding He had made but a few steps within the forest, when he found himself surrounded by his wolves. He was pleased to see them again; he slackened his pace; he called to them; and

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May 28, 2025 10:00 am
architecture, engineering and construction

Interoperability Is a Cultural Problem, Not a Technical One

I know, I know. I don’t speak about interoperability much, and ya’ll know what I think of IFC, but a recent discussion prompted me to submit to you a more articulated argument around the issue, because I do not think, in fact, that IFC is

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May 28, 2025 8:07 am
note to self

Notes on the Tuscany tour

It was very fulfilling to bounce around in Florence and hook up with people in my industry. Everyone seems to have a different angle on what’s not working in the way we’re approaching the digitisation of the construction sector — from norms to interoperability to

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May 27, 2025 1:40 pm
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It was very fulfilling to bounce around in Florence and hook up with people in my industry. Everyone seems to have a different angle on what’s not working in the way we’re approaching the digitisation of the construction sector — from norms to interoperability to

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