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 […]

In 1918 — 107 years ago today — at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month, fighting between the Allied Forces and Germany stopped, ending World War I. The date was originally commemorated with the intent of celebrating peace. In 1954, Armistice Day was changed to the more inclusive Veterans Day, […]

This was Vic’s great Aunt, the renowned Nellie Bly, nick-named for the intrepid lady aviatrix in the early age of flight. She retained that nickname beyond the recollection of anyone who knew her in a legal perspective. Vic waved his tablet that displayed the fruits of two Artificial Intelligence algorithms to demonstrate what the faded […]

Vic was sort of out of sorts with his experiment. The only way he had known his grandfathers were in musty, faded images in black and white that had faded into a sort of sepia. He had started with the direction from Section Leader Miles to see if he could generate a complete new manuscript […]

Moon Rise over The Rotonda at Tysons, VA, 06 November 2025 So there is something natural to celebrate this morning as opposed to the election news. The Creative Section continued Happy Hour through a little after six when Vapor announced he could see the moon rise, which was actually sort of a diagonal appearance from […]

This was the picture of Vic’s Grandfather that started the current furor in the Creative Section. Vic never met him, and this is the only close-up picture that was passed down. Vic was waving around something new he had composed with the aid of the AI program to see if there is value-added in artificial […]

Well, we started the big labor-saving Artificial Intelligence experiment a week ago today. You may have observed that the task has destoryed ordinary regular production in a sea of news, current affairs and political mayhem. We have generated about zip-squat on anything publishable. Well, except for some rough outlines, which is impressive for a machine, […]

Front Matter — Long ShadowsTitle Page LONG SHADOWSBy Vic Socotra Socotra House PressArlington, Virginia Copyright © 2025 Vic SocotraAll rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission […]

This was, at one point, an official US Navy picture of one-time grooming standards in the the Sea of Japan. The thought had been, as best we can reconstruct the reasoning, that after the loss of the Vietnam conflict, recognition should be made to the changed social standards back home. And make shipboard life a […]