A Pivotal Year and Useless Knowledge

The Pivot

Charlie Stross | Charlie’s Diary | 17th October 2025

Science fiction writer reflects on the future he now inhabits at the age of 61, "which increasingly resembles the backstory from a dystopian 1970s SF novel in which two-fisted billionaires colonise space in order to get away from the degenerate second-hander rabble downstairs". This year feels pivotal: if humanity survives without nuclear war or global financial collapse, we might make it past the 2030s (3,200 words)

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My Hard-Won, Useless Knowledge

Helen Fields | Last Word On Nothing | 3rd October 2025

The lessons learned with effort and experience, whether travel hacks or linguistic idioms, are being overwritten by technology. "I used to be an expert of Western European transit ticket buying. What am I supposed to do with my obsolete knowledge now?" Knowing your way around without a map, reaching for the right coin, long-gone keyboard shortcuts: these are outmoded skills to cherish (800 words)