This came from the preface of The House of Government, a whirlwind summary of Bolshevik testaments. Andrei Sverdlov, a commander in the Soviet secret service, wrote three detective novels based on his experiences. Andrei’s father was Yakov, first head of the Soviet state and organiser of the red terror.

Zarf dug up this gem of a photo, which suggests some wonderful images of astronauts struggling with early IF parsers (I'm sorry, I don't understand the word "hatch.") As well as being a teenage RPGer I also programmed IF on a Sinclair Spectrum (which only boasted 42k more RAM than the 1966 Apollo 11 PC – anomalous to Moore’s Law, maybe). Zarf is right, I think; there is something powerful and flexible in this restrained, 2D interface. Perhaps it’s time for the return of verb noun IF (set on a rocket flying to the moon).

A lovely read on maps in fantasy books. I was a teenage RPGer, which involved drawing maps of made up, mostly medieval worlds. What is the meaning of this? – Containment, control, wish fulfillment for a teenage boy, probably. Also notes Nabokov’s precise, cartographic geography in Pale Fire and Pnin (around Waindell and Cremona, as well as Zembla), and Kinbote’s handsome, accurate plans of the Onhava palace. Nabokov also encouraged his students to map Dublin when teaching Ulysses.

I like this image, mainly for its modernist Europeanism, which offers all Brits redemption. Once gave the book to a relative for Christmas. (Image credit: Moshood Adekunle)