Author: vicSocotra

Process is the Punishment

Process is the Punishment

Miles gave a little frown from his seat at the head ofhte conference table. There was some crimson flashing at the Rotonda high-rise condo development through the wall-to-ceiling windows of the 4th Floor of The Trillium. He was hold a glowing phone with a note from an old shipmate out west. The letters were tiny, […]

15-Minute County Update

15-Minute County Update

We recently ran a story on this place over on Marble Lane near Fair Oaks Mall. Some of the interns were dispatched to check it our and report back to Section Leader Miles and the Boomers who no longer have the enrgy to get up early and work. The matter at hand falls into the […]

Digital Revelations

Digital Revelations

So, there was that and the news that the 26-point Ukraine Peace Offering is actually a proposal from Mr. Putin, not Mr. Zelensky. We do not claim to know if what Secretary Rubio is saying this morning, or if a shaky peace might break out. Oh, Rocket made a short announcement that most of the […]

Reconstruction

Reconstruction

There was some wild excitement displayed in the 4th Floor Conference Room on Friday. There was noise, of course, but it was louder than the sirens that normally call attention to the street at all hours of the day. There was some of that calling attention of course, the sound of which brought the smaller […]

Thriller

Thriller

We had talked about the Socotra House encounter with Artificial Intelligence. The hope from Section Leader Miles was that we could mine the exhaustive archive that sleeps on the big machine in the basement of The Trillium, Socotra House HQ. There is material that dates nearly to the turn of the century, plus added debris […]

The Writer’s Circle at Socotra House

The Writer’s Circle at Socotra House

Miles looked round the circle at the conference table. There was a lot to cover, including the fact that the nature of war has changed. The “WAR” that people around the table knew had changed into something the GenZs and interns understood. The new one includes member of Congress telling America’s proud men and women […]

Coming Through

Coming Through

We did not know why Miles was carrying am acetylene torch to the morning meeting, but things unfolded almost immediately. Vic produced a cartoon image that resembled our Section Leader in action. “We need to turn up the heat on a few things. I want to ignore the Epstein noise. That is all a smokescreen […]

NJMBYs and YIMBYs

NJMBYs and YIMBYs

“Not in my back yard!” are the words Vic saying to the GenZers at the conference table. Holly looked concerned and had the ArlNOW paper on the table with bold type “NIMBYs fight YIMBYs!” on the banner headline. “I think the middle is missing.” Miles was getting is second cup of coffee and sat down […]

Afternoon Astrophysics Edition

Afternoon Astrophysics Edition

The conference room was still empty when AJ came by with the morning bagels. He had not stayed up last night to see the United States Government burp and decide to resume the simulation of constructive activity. Paid activity. That is the aspect that interests the bakery, which has been reduced to a plaintive request […]

Le Grand Tour D’Europa, 1903

Le Grand Tour D’Europa, 1903

Created by W.E. Socotra, 1903 Edited by Vic Socotra, 2025 Photo enhanced with ChatGPT 5.0 & Google Gemini Editor’s Note: There was something a little hung-over the morning after the Veteran’s Holiday, and this is the first experiment in turning actual cognitive human thought over to two AI computer programs and a record compiled 122 […]