I Write. I make films. Transmedia artist. My blog @dilman is about my works and life. I daydream a lot and want to be paid for it. Been creating #sff #scifi for long but only recently was BSFA + Nommo Awards + PKD Awards 2024 finalist!
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2026-07-11T05:20:31Z Event JSON
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Last Notes npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila Need feedback. I'll share stories via @nprofile…0njf but hate that #wordpress has no print-style layout for text, indent first line of, and no space between, paragraphs. (Really, why?) So I installed a plugin, Simple eBook Viewer, that allows me to embed epub in my post, giving an ebook reader layout. See this example at the bottom of the page in this first tale. npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila Austin Powers aged very poorly. I tried watching it again and not even one laugh. I can't remember what was so funny about it when it had just come out, perhaps the scene in the tent with the lights and shadows, in The Spy Who Shagged Me. npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila Question on #copyright I intend to publish a public domain book, Myths and Legends of the Bantu. I think it's an important documentation of our cultures, but it has problematic and racist content. So my goal is to strip it of racism, fix some factual errors, etc. I can't claim authorship, original author has moral rights to that. I'll only claim editorship. But 1) Can I legally register a copyright to this edition? 2) Is this whitewashing the author of her racism? npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila The moon looks lovely tonight (is there some celestial event going on?) but my phone camera is too crappy. npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila #AI hallucination in #wikipedia is disheartening. This topped a search result (startpage). I at once knew it is false for I've never heard of "Basimba community". It mixes it up with an actual people, the Ngo (leopard) clan of Buganda. Proof of hallucination? It claims to be a Ugandan community but mentions places in Angola, and Portuguese (who never came anywhere close). I've seen other wiki articles of this thing, and also in grok vomit. npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila Long shot, but hopefully I get results. In the early 2000s, I read a Ugandan newspaper article about two Indian scientists trying to genetically engineer the anopheles mosquito. That set off alarm bells so I wrote a short story, which some universities in UK and Kenya teach in a course Applied African Science Fiction. I've looked for that article but can't find it. I guess it must have been via Reuters or AP or such a newswire. npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila So in #Uganda they have found a way to deny internet access if you use vpn? I used to imagine VPN's actually hide you from such things. They banned all social media (but I guess the fediverse is not on their crosshairs either because they don't know about it, or its not ban-able due to the numerous sites? So we've been using VPN but now if you have vpn running you don't get any access. This is frightening. npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila If you develop for #linux please make offline installation possible, for people in countries with restricted internet. Came back home last night and today I want to install Luminance HDR but their only option for linux is via the terminal, and yet, while I can access full internet on my phone using a VPN, I can't access any on my laptop/workstations, so I can't install this program, unless I use Wine. I'm in #Uganda They cut off internet during elections and it has now been partially restored. npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila Has anyone used BookFunnnel? Any pros or cons? I'm planning to start self-publishing this year so exploring the tools/platforms people use. Any tips? npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila @nprofile…upzx Thanks for this thread, and this map! It would however be nice, when talking of nations, to see that most of the continent was decentralized, but they don't get attention like Ethiopia, Egypt, Mali, Zimbabwe, because we love stories of empires and powerful kings, not those varying forms of direct democracy and communal governance; systems that the colonialist dismissed as anarchic and evidence of primitivity for they equated civilisation with authoritarian rule. And they still do! npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila Fedi hive mind, I'm writing a story. The MC investigates a Luo folk song (re: oral history, Uganda/South Sudan) that has clues saying 500 yrs ago an astronomer from China visited and documented Luo space travel technologies (portals to the stars). This knowledge is now lost and my MC has to unravel the clues, but what clues could point to China without usung racist stereotypes? Perhaps a word, a name, a description, something? npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila Excerpt from a book I'm reading, Slow Poison, by Mahmood Mamdani, father of Zorhan Mamdani. npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila A video doing the rounds in Kampala. The first person speaking after that robot voice is saying "...(don't know what) there is no way you can open for him. These cars were built badly" then they say "have they opened" then "let me climb and see" or words to that effect. I'm not fluent in Luganda. npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila I'm going to be live on this radio in a short while, if anyone is listening, with dJ Debbie npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila @nprofile…pjqk Do you get to sleep after the first alarm goes off? Once I awake I don't even get the luxury of a second alarm, until day time npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila It's almost 5am here. Woke up an hour ago for no reason. Insomnia sucks npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila "In a capitalist media ecosystem, the primary frame of reference for understanding the world of technology is profit. If something doesn't generate profit, has no obvious pathway to profit, and isn't backed by people who are viewed as experts on making profit, it is assumed to be a failure by default. From that point forward, any success is accepted reluctantly, slowly, or not at all." npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila #silentsunday npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila @nprofile…np83 Just so you know, my film career really took off after a film lab Mira Nair organized in my country, and we worked on a documentary together, though it was a corporate something for unicef. I also directed the bts film of her film Queen of Katwe ;-)) npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila I don't understand why a lot of software in #linux don't read external hard drives. Trying to use Gaupol subtitle editor and it is functional. But it can't read files on external HDD or flash drives, which makes it the only pain. npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila After today's donations, I'm about 7% funded 2days after I begin seeking your support to make a #solarpunk shortfilm themed on direct democracy, community governance, and self-sustaining villages with all the goodies needed in modern life. I'm excluded from platforms like #kickstarter so I'm counting on you to help spread the word, or give what you can to help me visualize this future🙏 npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila #silentsunday #screenshotsaturday npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila I'm crowdfunding for my new short film, a #solarpunk story focused on direct democracy, and need your support. I can't do a kickstarter since all such platforms only allow creators from particular countries, excluding mine, yet I really want to imagine a future without capitalism and central governments. There are lots of perks for each $$ you can spare! npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila I'm making a new film, a dark comedy set in a #solarpunk world where direct democracy thrives, no politicians, no central governments, where communities are self-sufficient and help each other to survive the climate crisis. But I need your support to imagine this future. npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila Oh, and I'm making a new film, a dark comedy in the #solarpunk genre, about a man in an African techno-utopia who is banished from his village for a crime he did not commit. It's the last short I'm doing as target practice before I embark on a feature film next year, and if you have a few coins to spare, please help me figure out how to imagine this future. npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila Yay! A non-fiction anthology to which I contributed an essay detailing the world building process for my #solarpunk stories in the Yat Madit (Big Tree) world, has won The Ignyte Awards. npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila I wish I knew the different names of flowers. It seems a bit rude to call them all flowers and not by their name. npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila So #vfxpeople I won't be continuing with mocap anymore so I'm giving up my Rokoko Smartsuit Pro 1. Included are three textiles (Large, Medium, Small) and a Smart Gloves (still boxed). If you want it please message me, offer what you think is a fair compensation and pay for shipping (from Uganda, so might be between $50-100, depending on where you are). Or tell someone who you think might want it :-)) npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila Something interesting is happening to the fedi, I keep running into more accounts of people based in my side of the world, those close to East Africa (I even saw a Shona poem today, from further down south). I know it's not a mass migration but it's a snail spreading the word. Not a cheetah. So I will have a reason to smile today. npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila I've finished setting up my own #peertube instance and I'm beating myself why I didn't do it earlier! It's as easy as doing a website, and I now have total control over my videos, and can install plugins to customize it. (Like annotations similar to YouTube cards). If you are a #filmmaker with regular uploads, it makes a lot of sense to set up your own peertube. npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila I need a prop for a film project which has a character who loves to watch anime films, and so I'm looking for any good quality anime that is in the public domain, that this character can watch and we can show bits of what she is watching. Any tips? npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila So this #followfriday here are two new accounts you might find worth giving a follow. npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila @nprofile…aswq @nprofile…h4at @nprofile…ngtn There's a new one indiefilmmakers.social npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila #silentsunday #nature #photography npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila I keep dreaming that the future is de-urbanized, and I'm working on a novella that is set in such a world, sort of a utopia. No mega cities, no mega urban centers. Life retreats to settlements that by today's standards are considered rural. But I want it to be 'hard scifi', meaning it is possible to achieve in the near future. Question then, is this a pipe dream? What would happen if this became the future? Would we be happier? Would it reverse climate change? npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila It would be nice if @nprofile…kz02 could add the ability to put your own language on videos. Right now, there is a list of languages, which are perhaps the most popular, but it doesn't include every language in the world. For example, I'm uploading a film in Acholi, but there is no option to specify that this is the language. Even a major language like Kiswahili, I don't see it in the drop down. #peertube npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila Book lovers in #berlin you might be interested in this festival happening this weekend in your city. I'm one of the guests, and I'll read from/talk about two of my books, A Fledgling Abiba and Where Rivers Go To Die, and I'll be on some interesting panels as well. Pass by if you can! It will be lovely to see this city in a warm month. I hope its sunny. npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila Last night I thought I had encountered my first UFO. Turned out to be the moon sneaking out from wherever it goes to hide. npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila @nprofile…gk57 @nprofile…0wqz Now I want to drink this tea 😅😅 npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila Did you see my new film? About a cheating husband who turns into a flower monster and haunts his wife.... I feel like doing a sequel to focus a lot more on the haunting part. npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila @nprofile…gk57 Can you boost my post so that the magic happens for me too? ♥️😊 npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila Seen on a door today, when I went to visit the studio of a visual artist. npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila @nprofile…009v I need to set myself these goals too. Film takes so much of my time that I haven't written anything for almost a year 😭 npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila Kimuli translates to flower, a thing that is supposed to be beautiful. A symbol of love and cuteness. But since I have an evil mind, I thought of a man turning into a flower monster, and haunting his wife. At least I stayed away from gore, so perhaps there's still some cuteness. npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila Have you seen my new short film yet? It's a kind of horror about a cheating husband and a flower monster. npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila Yesterday I went to town and this flower caught my eye. You can't believe it is a shrub in a very busy and noisy part of Kampala. npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila Is there a way to schedule a @nprofile…kz02 video and have a premiere? I have a new short film and would want to set a premiere, have people sign up to watch and they get a notification once it goes live (there's a feature like that on youtube) so we can have a watch party or something..... npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila This story bundle with many African scifi books, including mine, ends in 16 days. If there are any "book influencers" here, or perhaps you want to run a campaign of some sort and need to give people a gift or bonus or something, let me know and I can get you gift codes. npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila If you want to get into African scifi, there is a story bundle with lots of good books on it, including my collection of short stories, Where Rivers Go To Die. npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila Dear good people, I need your help to make my next short film, #TheNightDancer so I'll do a crowdfund here as I can't create on the main platforms. Expect a lot of begging posts from me for the next month, but the film is complicated; a revenge fantasy based on Luo mythology, where dance is a powerful magic. It pushes my production costs beyond usual. npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila A bit pissed off. My machine is stuck on this, and whatever I do, I can't seem to fix it. The last thing I remember trying to do is install AppImage Launcher via the terminal, and then I launched Audacity, and I kdenlive (which didn't run) I went for lunch and came back to this annoyance. Been searching online for solutions. Now stuck. Sadly, I had not enabled timeshift (not sure its on by default) but when I try recovery mode it says no backups. Not fun at all. npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila @nprofile…xvlc Its crazy good. Can't imagine how long you've spent on it! npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila It has just struck me that I haven't written any fiction since July of last year 😭 npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila @nprofile…xvlc You did put in the 10000 hours to end up with such gifted hands. I envy you 😊 npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila @nprofile…xvlc How long does it take you to draw each? They are so good they look like photos with filters thrown on them 😊 npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila I contributed an essay to this book, which is a collection of academic-type writings by Africans who write speculative fiction, on their influences and worldbuilding and such things. I particularly talk about how my research into pre-colonial African cultures inspired me to imagine a future without central governments, where technology has enabled direct democracy. It's now a a Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Finalist! npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila @nprofile…k3n9 do they have some telepathic communication or were the others watching and waiting 😁 npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila Are there any good open-source newsletter or mailing list tools that someone can recommend? I met a person who had a newsletter (not sure what service she was using) but she said the costs kept going up and she couldn't afford it anymore, so I promised I'd ask around and see if she can get something good and affordable. I've heard of Ghost, but wonder if there are free ones as well? npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila I remember when AI was short for Artificial Insemination npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila I'm trying to read This Is How You Lose The Time War, but I'm struggling to understand what is going on, and I'm not sure if it gets better. It feels like a dense read. I heard so much about it, but perhaps I'm too impatient? npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila @npub1hpc…hjn3 At least they are not telling you to help a prince who became an immigrant due to war and have a bag of gold they need some kind of help with. npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila I just got a rejection letter and it looks like these guys judged my pitch based on my personality, not my experience, not what I intended to do with their money, but "There was a slight lack of enthusiasm during the pitch, which did not completely convince the jury." npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila @npub1c57…awu5 How do you listen? I want to go one-by-one but the link I got led to a 5hr stream npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila @npub10zv…nz7m they are ancestral spirits, according to some people in the West Nile region of Uganda npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila Been a while since I encountered some drama on the fedi, I was beginning to wonder if this place had become peaceful. :-) npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila According to research by the Havard School of Futurism, by 2030 bananas will officially be called bananum, and strawberries will be strawberrum, because the Large Lying Models will make us believe these are the right words. The researchers quoted Aristotle who said "If you tell a lie three times while drinking a town's water supply, it will become the truth." npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila @npub1mqx…xqll Big Big World, Emilia npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila May the Fourth be with you as we watch the first Star Wars film, this chilly night in the outskirts of Kampala, in the compound of a film studio. npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila Looks like book submissions are becoming like movie pitches, with moodboards and character sketches and all that. I guess I should stick to working with indie press and small press publishers, just for a peace of mind, because the gatekeeperism of trad publishing is going up a notch.... npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila A drug to cure loneliness? This is some scifi film cowdung. npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila When is Fire Day, and Water Day, and Air Day? It seems unfair to the other nations to celebrate only Earth Day. npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila #silentsunday #trees #nature npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila @npub1vqm…ccpx muting the name here seems to have worked for me. Now I only know of the trial because you didn't use the name. npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila #writerscoffeeclub Apr 5: What's the best thing about being a writer? npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila @npub1e7p…nvup been a while since I watched a horror, will look for this. But yes, the content warning here is silly. It's a horror, and that word alone is content-warning enough! It's like going to a strip club and you get a warning about nudes..... npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila @npub10n9…tjug I find hooks to be a little tedious sometimes, so I try to engage the reader throughout the chapter rather than put everything in the hook. npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila Anyone know an art director/production designer willing to train/mentor? I stupidly built a film studio in Kampala, now struggling with studio set constructions. Talking to someone experienced might help. npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila So for those of you who love the story behind the story, about why writers wrote this or that, I've written this blog post about my second collection of stories, Where Rivers Go To Die, which is a finalist for the PKD Awards and longlisted for BSFA. npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila @npub1kkp…5sfx Thanks! Hoping I get voted into the shortlist of this one, though ;-)) npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila So the good news continues as my book, Where Rivers Go To Die, makes it to the #BSFA longlist for Best Collection, shortly after it became a finalist at the Philip K Dick Awards. Yay! npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila I'm overwhelmed by all the engagement that my post about being nominated for Philip K Dick Awards generated. I haven't stopped smiling since yesterday, seeing all these strangers, over 1000 strangers, being happy for me and congratulating me. (1k? I thought such numbers are a rarity in Mastodon) I still don't know why people are being nice to me but it makes me happy 🤗❤ npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila Oh my God! Oh f*ck! I wake up to this big news and all I can say is f*ck! I went to bed having read something about Philip K Dick Awards (I can't even remember what I read about it!) and I wake up to learn that my book, Where Rivers Go To Die, has been nominated for this and its a big deal to me and all I can day is f*ck! What a way to start the year! npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila When I was 20 I thought by the time I hit mid-40s, I'd be a world famous writer and filmmaker, but well, here I am, only mildly successful but getting a lot of praise for each story from the very few who find them. Uhm.... So, I turn to teaching, and mentoring. This is one of the classes I give, and it's online so you can sign up, if you ever want to get into #screenwriting npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila I made a list of some great comedies that you can watch on the internet archive, some from 1904, which is a great little film that was a meme even before anyone thought of the internet. npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila I just binged on Silo, the Apple TV series, and it's so hooking. Kind of a fresh take on dystopia. Now I want to read the books, they are by Hugh Howey, and I wonder if they are worth a read? Anyone got an insight? npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila This year I published my second collection of short stories, and all are eligible for the Nebula Awards. Since nominations are open, please consider my stories! I've provided free reading samples to three of them. I like all the stories, but these three make for splendid holiday reading! npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila killing open source and decentralised projects are really conscious objectives... But the Fediverse is not looking for market dominance or profit. The Fediverse is not looking for growth. It is offering a place for freedom. People joining the Fediverse are those looking for freedom.... We should not try to include as many people as we can at all cost. We should be honest and ensure people join the Fediverse because they share some of the values behind it. npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila @npub1zdp…vqv8 Same with film. It sometimes takes a whole year to make a film that will be consumed in under five minutes, but we still do it ;-) npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila Its now a year since I joined Mastodon and since it is fashionable to do so, here is me celebrating my one year anniversery via my blog @npub1ftl…sw8y (give it a #follow for more!) It isn't just a repeat of what everyone is saying about how awesome the fediverse is, but it turned out to be about a brief history of me on the internet and the fedi is an experience very much like my first ventures. npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila Since #fedibookfair is happening this weekend, let me tell you about my book, it's a collection of short stories, which some people say are horror. Where Rivers Go To Die. I love the cover, and it should convince you to take a look. npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila I can't believe I sat up the whole night working on a screenplay, 15 hours straight from 3pm to 6am. I had a deadline. npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila Rain all day today spoilt my fun in Accra. I had to stay indoors for a large part of the day. But in the morning I went to see an artist gallery, and a carpentry workshop with these fancy fantasy coffins..... strange thing to see on a travel trip, but the coffins in Ghana are worth writing home about! 😊 npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila @npub1k24…26zw @npub1ftl…sw8y Thanks! Might be a server issue perhaps. @npub14rp…3dyy any ideas? npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila Does anyone have any experience with the #activitypub plugin for #wordpress I have installed it and I can see my profile @npub1ftl…sw8y but when I hit 'follow' I only get a 'follow requested' and I can't see how to accept this request on the wordpress dashboard, or make it that people don't need to request a follow. Any ideas? npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila @npub1qsp…xyhn I make short films regularly, and you can see some in #DilmanShortFilms or some on my pinned posts. npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila Question. I'm writing a scifi novel about a 15yo boy with severe disability. He crawls rather than use a wheelchair as his family mistreats him, believing he is demon possessed, kept him in solitary confinement since birth. He, and the reader, is confused whether he is human or a creature, and he wonders: "Am I bipedal, or quadrapedal?" But.... would this be considered offensive to people-with-disability? (I'm one, for context) npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila @npub1kkp…5sfx @npub1qwf…tac7 I could give this a try, though living in a different time zone from others sometimes makes time travel impossible for me....😊 npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila @npub1hpc…hjn3 The good one that used to work was adding "congratulations" or perhaps "happy birthday" to posts. Always made the algorithm go crazy. I saw someone using "congs" to push a message about registering for medic when Trump was sabotaging obamacare. npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila I'm obsessed with a world without central governments (see this story https://brittlepaper.com/2020/10/yat-madit-by-dilman-dila-afrofuturism-anthology/ ) decentralised governance powered by good algorithm, and modelled on a precolonial system of the Acholi people (nothern Uganda/southern South Sudan). When I discovered the fediverse, I re-built this world to get rid of algorithm, and every village becomes a kind of server/instance, a country of its own within the federation. npub1qf0e5aq0zszrtzv3axf3m8lemtf583zw494kqceg9mtuc4z0jaesqd35c8 Dilman Dila @npub135d…tg9k Oh you dear. Forgot to untag the other, but I was asking because your handle reads Fulani Girl 😊
