Locrian

Just finished Locrian by P.C. Brown and I'm completely sucked into the moors of Ireland! 🌕⚔️ If you love YA fantasy with ancient battles and deep lore, add this 2019 debut to your TBR list.




Locrian is a 2019 fantasy fiction novel written by author P.C. Brown. It serves as the debut installment and Book 1 of the author's A Moon Rising novel series.

Here is a breakdown of the key details surrounding the release:

Book Overview & Publication
Title: Locrian: A Moon Rising Novel (Book 1)

Author: P.C. Brown

Publication Date: June 17, 2019

Publisher: P.C. Brown LLC

Format: Hardcover / Paperback (Approx. 416 pages)

Plot Concept
Set against atmospheric backdrops—including the open moors of Ireland—the narrative centers on the "Locrian," a group or entity facing an unprecedented, ancient threat. When an evil unlike anything they have ever encountered before emerges, they are forced to take drastic, desperate measures to combat it and protect their world.

The Series Order
The novel kicked off a larger fantasy saga. The chronological order of the Moon Rising series includes:

Locrian (Book 1) — Released in June 17, 2019

The Veil (Book 2) — Released in February 2020

Note: If you are actually searching for the 2019 timestamp specifically aligns with P.C. Brown's fantasy novel.

The year 2014 was a critical turning point for artificial intelligence. It marked the definitive shift away from "symbolic AI" (rule-based systems) and firmly established the modern era of Deep Learning and Data-Driven AI. Back then, AI wasn't a household utility like it is today, but the foundational breakthroughs of 2014 set the stage for the generative AI revolution that followed.

Here is a comprehensive breakdown of what was happening in artificial intelligence in 2014:

1. The Birth of Generative AI: GANs
The single most influential academic breakthrough of 2014 was the invention of Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) by Ian Goodfellow and his colleagues.

How it worked: It introduced a system where two neural networks competed against each other—a Generator (trying to create fake data, like a face) and a Discriminator (trying to catch the fake).

Impact: This mathematically paved the way for AI to generate completely new, highly realistic images, audio, and video, effectively birthing modern generative media.

2. Rise of the Tech Giants (M&A and Labs)
In 2014, Silicon Valley realized that AI was going to be the next major economic battleground, leading to aggressive acquisitions and talent hoarding:

Google buys DeepMind: In January 2014, Google acquired a relatively obscure London startup called DeepMind for roughly $500 million. This group would go on to create AlphaGo and AlphaFold.

Facebook’s DeepFace: Facebook AI Research (FAIR) published details on DeepFace, a deep learning system that could identify human faces in photos with 97.35% accuracy—essentially matching human capability for the first time.

Google’s Image Captioning: Google researchers revealed an experimental system that could not only detect an object in an image but describe the entire scene in a short, grammatically correct sentence (e.g., "A person riding a motorcycle on a dirt road").

3. The Arrival of Smart Assistants
While Apple’s Siri had introduced the public to voice commands a few years prior, 2014 was the year assistants became deeply integrated ambient tech:

Amazon Echo & Alexa: In November 2014, Amazon quietly introduced the first Echo smart speaker, bringing "Alexa" into people's living rooms and proving that neural networks could process natural speech in real-time from across a noisy room.

Microsoft Cortana: Microsoft launched Cortana in 2014 to compete with Siri, focusing heavily on conversational memory and predictive assistance.

4. The Early Smart Home (Ambient AI)
2014 saw AI moving into physical infrastructure. Google completed its $3.2 billion acquisition of Nest Labs. The Nest Thermostat became the poster child for "applied machine learning" in daily life, tracking a user's daily schedule, movements, and temperature preferences to autonomously manage energy costs.

5. Summary of the AI Landscape in 2014

Metric / Aspect Status in 2014

Primary Approach Transitioning rapidly from traditional software to Deep Neural Networks.Hardware

The massive reliance on GPUs (Graphics Processing Units) for parallel computation was just taking off.

Scale of Research Estimated to make up roughly 10% of all computer science research at the time.

Public Perception Viewed largely as a "cool feature" in smartphones or an impressive tool for tech companies, rather than a disruptive societal force.

A Notable Futurist Prediction from 2014:
Computer scientist and futurist Ray Kurzweil famously predicted in 2014 that human-like machine intelligence (AGI) would be integrated into our daily lives by 2029—a timeline that seemed radically optimistic at the time, but looks increasingly prophetic today.

The debate between gold and Bitcoin has shifted from "digital replacement" to a discussion of how they complement each other in a modern portfolio. As of mid-2026, both assets are viewed as hedges against fiat currency devaluation, but they behave very differently under market stress.

Core Comparison: At a Glance

Feature Gold Bitcoin

Asset Class Physical Commodity

Digital Asset (Code) History 5,000+ years 18 years (Since 2008)

Volatility Low to Moderate High

Supply Scarcity (Geological) Finite (Hard-coded at 21M)

Portability Heavy / PhysicalSeamless / Digital

Primary Use Value Storage / Industrial Value Storage / Transactional

Key Dynamics in 2026
1. The "Safe Haven" Performance
Historically, gold is the "risk-off" king. When markets panic, investors flock to gold because it is tangible and decoupled from the tech sector.

Gold's Edge: In recent periods of geopolitical tension, gold has consistently outperformed Bitcoin, which often trades like a "high-beta" tech stock.

Bitcoin's Edge: Bitcoin is increasingly seen as a "monetary expansion" asset. It tends to surge when liquidity is high and central banks are printing money, offering higher growth potential than gold.

2. Institutional Adoption & Accessibility
The landscape changed significantly with the massive success of Spot Bitcoin ETFs, which now rival gold-linked ETFs in total assets.

Gold: Still deeply embedded in central bank reserves. Central banks continue to buy gold to diversify away from the US Dollar.

Bitcoin: Now accessible to pension funds and institutional investors via regulated products. While central banks aren't holding it yet, it has gained legitimacy as a "macro allocation" asset.

3. Scarcity: Geology vs. Code
The Gold Supply: Increases by roughly 1–2% annually through mining. While rare, the total amount of gold remaining in the earth is unknown.

The Bitcoin Supply: Fixed. With the most recent halving cycles, Bitcoin's programmatic scarcity is now more transparent than gold’s. There will never be more than 21 million BTC.

4. Practicality and Sovereignty
Physical Security: Gold is "off-grid." It works if the internet goes down, but it is difficult to transport across borders or verify instantly without professional equipment.

Digital Sovereignty: Bitcoin is highly portable. A user can carry millions of dollars in value in their head (via a seed phrase). However, it requires digital infrastructure and is vulnerable to regulatory crackdowns on "on-ramps" (exchanges).

The "BiG" Ratio (Bitcoin in Gold)
Analysts often track the BTC/Gold ratio to see which asset is "cheaper" relative to the other.

As of 2026, 1 Bitcoin is roughly equal to 16–17 ounces of gold.

Some valuation models suggest Bitcoin remains "undervalued" relative to gold's total market cap, assuming it eventually captures a larger share of the "global store of value" market.

The Consensus: Most modern advisors suggest that gold provides the floor (stability), while Bitcoin provides the ceiling (growth). Many investors now choose a "barbell" strategy, holding both to hedge against different types of economic risk.

Jeff Porcaro (1954–1992)
Jeff Porcaro was more than just a drummer; he was the "heartbeat" of the Los Angeles session scene and a founding member of the multi-platinum rock band Toto. Widely considered one of the most recorded and influential drummers in music history, his impeccable feel and "ghost note" mastery defined the sound of the 1970s and 80s.

Early Life and Musical Pedigree
Born: April 1, 1954, in Hartford, Connecticut.

Family: He was the eldest son of renowned percussionist Joe Porcaro. His brothers, Mike (bass) and Steve (keyboards), were also highly successful musicians and members of Toto.

Early Success: Jeff was a prodigy, leaving high school early to tour with Sonny & Cher before becoming a first-call session player in his late teens.

The Toto Years
In 1977, Jeff co-founded Toto with David Paich and childhood friends. While the band faced critical skepticism early on, their technical proficiency was undeniable.

The Masterpiece: Toto IV (1982) swept the Grammys, featuring hits like "Rosanna" and "Africa."

The "Rosanna Shuffle": This drum pattern is legendary among musicians. It is a "half-time shuffle" that combines the feel of Bernard Purdie’s "Purdie Shuffle" with John Bonham’s "Fool in the Rain" beat and a Bo Diddley influence.

The Session King
If you listened to the radio between 1975 and 1992, you heard Jeff Porcaro. He played on an estimated 1,000+ albums.

Artist Notable Contribution

Michael Jackson Played on much of Thriller, including the iconic beat for "Beat It."

Steely Dan Featured on Katy Lied, Gaucho, and Aja.

Boz Scaggs The driving force behind the classic Silk Degrees album.

Pink Floyd Played on "Mother" from The Wall.

Bruce Springsteen Drummed on the Human Touch album.

Dire Straits Featured on the On Every Street album.

Style and Influence
The "Pocket": Jeff was famous for his "time"—the ability to lock into a groove so perfectly that it felt effortless.

Humility: Despite his genius, he was known for being incredibly humble, often downplaying his skills and crediting his influences.

Equipment: He was a long-time endorser of Pearl Drums and Paiste Cymbals. He also co-invented the Jeff Porcaro Rack (the Pearl DR-1), which revolutionized how drummers set up their hardware.

Tragic Passing
Jeff Porcaro died on August 5, 1992, at the age of 38.

Initial Reports: Early media reports suggested he died from an allergic reaction to garden pesticides while working in his yard.

The Reality: The Los Angeles County Coroner's office later determined the cause of death was a heart attack brought on by occlusive coronary artery disease (hardened arteries), complicated by previous co***ne use. His death sent shockwaves through the music industry.

Legacy
"He was the guy who defined what a professional studio drummer was. He had the best ears, the best heart, and the best time." — Steve Lukather (Toto guitarist)

In the years since his death, Jeff Porcaro has been inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame. His grooves remain the gold standard for aspiring session musicians, and his work continues to be studied in drum clinics worldwide.

The phrase "We just can't ship junk" is one of Steve Jobs' most famous declarations regarding Apple's product philosophy. He said this during a Q&A session at an Apple Special Event in August 7 2007, at Apple’s Town Hall in Cupertino., shortly after the launch of the original iPhone and during the introduction of new aluminum iMacs.

The comment wasn't just a witty remark; it defined Apple’s refusal to compete in the "race to the bottom" of the budget PC market.

The Context: The $500 Computer Question
During the event, journalist Molly Wood (then at CNET) asked Jobs why Apple didn't produce a "budget" computer to capture more market share, specifically pointing out that most PCs sold for under $1,000, while Macs remained relatively expensive.

Jobs' response focused on three core principles:

Quality Thresholds: He argued that there is a minimum level of quality required to make a computer "useful." Below that price point, the hardware becomes "junk" that Apple simply refuses to build.

The "Value" Argument: Jobs contended that Apple products weren't actually "premium priced" when compared feature-for-feature. He claimed that if you added the necessary software and hardware components to a cheap PC to make it as capable as a Mac, the price gap would vanish.

Targeting the Right Customer: He stated that Apple was content with a smaller slice of the market if it meant serving customers who cared about the experience and longevity of their tools.

The Famous Quote
"There are some thresholds we just won’t cross. We can’t ship junk. There are thresholds that we can’t cross because of who we are... We want to make the best personal computers in the industry."

Why It Mattered in 2007
This moment occurred at a pivotal time for Apple:

The Halo Effect: The iPod was dominant, and the iPhone had just been released. People were looking for "The Apple Experience" at lower prices.

The Netbook Era: Shortly after this, the "Netbook" craze (cheap, low-power laptops) took over the industry. While competitors rushed to make $300 laptops, Apple stayed the course.

Validation: Years later, the Netbook market collapsed because the devices were, as Jobs predicted, "junk." Apple eventually entered the lower-priced market with the iPad and the MacBook Air, but only once they could meet their own performance standards at those prices.

Summary of the Philosophy

Principle Apple's Stance

Price vs. Value Don't lower the price if it destroys the user experience.

Brand Integrity Shipping a bad product hurts the brand more than missing a sales target.

Market Share It is better to own 10% of a high-quality market than 50% of a low-quality one.

In 146 BC, the fate of Athens and the rest of Greece was sealed at the Battle of Corinth. After the Roman General Mummius defeated the Achaean League, Greece was effectively annexed into the Roman Republic.

While many Greek cities were looted or destroyed, Athens occupied a unique, almost paradoxical position: it was a conquered city, yet it remained the intellectual "university" of the Roman world.

Political Status: The "Free City"

Unlike other regions that were immediately turned into standard tax-paying provinces, Athens was initially granted the status of Civitas Libera (Free City).

Autonomy: Rome allowed Athens to keep its own laws, its democratic institutions (the Assembly and the Areopagus), and its own coinage.

No Garrison: Initially, no Roman troops were permanently stationed inside the city walls.

Diplomacy: This wasn't necessarily out of kindness; the Romans deeply admired Greek culture and used Athens as a "showcase" of Roman benevolence.

The Cultural Conquest

There is a famous quote by the Roman poet Horace: "Captive Greece took captive her savage conqueror and brought the arts to rustic Latium."

Education: Athens became the "Ivy League" of the ancient world. Elite Romans—including Cicero, Horace, and later Ovid—traveled to Athens to study philosophy, rhetoric, and oratory.

Philosophy: The four great schools (the Academy, the Lyceum, the Epicureans, and the Stoics) continued to operate, making the city the philosophical capital of the Mediterranean.

The Arts: Roman elites began collecting (and often stealing) Greek statues and scripts to bring back to Italy, sparking the "Graeco-Roman" aesthetic that defined the Empire.

The Turning Point: Sulla’s Siege (86 BC)

Athens' special treatment lasted until it made a fatal geopolitical mistake. During the Mithridatic Wars, Athens sided with Mithridates VI of Pontus against Rome.

The Siege: The Roman General Sulla besieged the city in 86 BC.

The Destruction: When the walls finally fell, Sulla’s troops massacred thousands. He looted the city's treasures and destroyed many of the long walls connecting Athens to the port of Piraeus.

Architectural Theft: Sulla famously took several massive columns from the unfinished Temple of Olympian Zeus back to Rome to use in the Temple of Jupiter.

Physical Changes to the City

Under Roman influence, the city's layout began to shift to accommodate Roman civic life:

The Roman Agora: As the old Greek Agora became cluttered with monuments, a new commercial center was funded by Julius Caesar and Augustus.

The Tower of the Winds: Built around 50 BC, this octagonal clocktower served as a sundial, water clock, and weather vane—a masterpiece of ancient engineering.

Odeon of Agrippa: A massive concert hall built in the heart of the old Agora by Augustus’s right-hand man.

Summary of Roman Impact

Aspect Influence

Military Athens lost its navy and walls, becoming militarily insignificant.

Economic Transitioned from a trade power to a "tourist" and educational hub.

Religious The Romans identified their gods with the Greek pantheon (e.g., Athena became Minerva), preserving the city's temples.

Language Greek remained the language of the elite, even as Latin became the language of law.

The ATO: The only business partner that doesn’t help with the work but takes 43% of the profit. 🇦🇺

On a $1,000,000 salary in Australia, you aren’t just a high earner—you’re a primary funder for the nation. After the 45% top bracket and the Medicare Levy, your $1M turns into roughly $568,000. It’s the ultimate lesson in the difference between "what you make" and "what you keep." 💼💸

The seven-figure milestone hits differently when you realize you’re splitting the bill with the taxman. 🥂➡️📉

In Australia, earning $1,000,000 means:

Gross: $1,000,000

Tax + Medicare: ~$432,000

Take-Home: ~$568,000

The math is simple: at this level, every extra dollar you earn is shared 53/47 with the government. Time to call the accountant? I think so.

A $1M salary in Australia is just a $568k salary with a lot of extra paperwork. 🇦🇺💼

Earning $1,000,000 is a feat; keeping it is a strategy. 📈

In the Australian tax system, a seven-figure salary triggers the 45% top marginal rate on everything over $190k. Without smart structures—like family trusts, investment offsets, or superannuation strategies—you’re looking at a $432,000 tax bill.

Success isn’t just about the top line; it’s about the bottom line. 🇦🇺💰

From 1908 to 1942, Sears, Roebuck and Co. revolutionized the American dream by selling more than 70,000 "Modern Homes" directly through their mail-order catalogs. It was essentially the 20th-century equivalent of "ordering a house on Amazon," and many of these structures still stand as highly valued real estate today.

How the "Kit House" Worked

Sears wasn't just selling blueprints; they were selling a giant, 30,000-piece puzzle. Once an order was placed, the entire house was shipped via railroad boxcar.

The Contents: A typical kit included everything needed to finish the home—pre-cut lumber, shingles, windows, doors, nails, paint, and even the varnish for the floors.

The "Instruction Manual": Each kit came with a 75-page leatherette-bound instruction book. To make assembly easier, the lumber was stamped with numbers to show exactly where each piece fit.

The Labor: While some people hired local contractors, many families built the homes themselves with the help of neighbors, saving significantly on labor costs.

Price and Variety

Sears offered over 440 different models to suit various budgets and tastes, from simple cottages to elaborate multi-story residences.

Model Example Original Price (Approx.) Features

The Chelsea ~$650 A simple, budget-friendly "no-frills" cottage.

The Vallonia ~$2,000 A classic, popular two-story bungalow style.

The Magnolia ~$6,000 The most expensive luxury model; a massive Neoclassical mansion.

Why They Stopped
The program was incredibly successful until the early 1940s. Several factors led to its demise:

The Great Depression: Sears had acted as a lender for many of these homes. When the economy crashed, they were forced to foreclose on thousands of their own customers, which was both a financial and PR disaster.

World War II: Product shortages and the redirection of timber and steel for the war effort made it impossible to maintain the kit business. The final "Modern Homes" catalog was issued in 1940, and the department officially closed in 1942.

How to Spot One Today
If you think you’re living in a Sears home, there are a few "tells" to look for:

Stamped Lumber: Look in the attic or basement for exposed joists. If you see a letter followed by a number (like A124), it’s a strong sign.

Unique Hardware: Sears used specific patterns for doorknobs and hinges that were exclusive to their catalogs.

The Shipping Label: Sometimes, old shipping labels from "Sears, Roebuck and Co." can still be found on the back of baseboards or window trim.

Fun Fact: Because the lumber was pre-cut at a factory using high-precision saws, Sears kit homes were often higher quality and more "square" than houses built from scratch by local carpenters at the time.