Doomsday Machines is a Substack newsletter/blog about the post-apocalyptic imagination in fact and fiction.
Doomsday Machines will have at least one weekly post in one of the following categories, each of which are designated as separate sub-newsletters:
- Post-Apocalyptic Road Trips: Discussions of self-consciously fictional media (novels, films, games, etc.) portraying post-apocalyptic worlds, analyzed for their themes, tropes, and historical context.
- Interesting Times: Profiles and analysis of historical documents, events, plans, and so on, relating to apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic conditions, which are not self-consciously fictional (however “imaginary” or “unreal” they may be). For example, discussions of US government nuclear war plans, or nuclear war survival plans.
- End of the World-Building: Posts related to the development of the Oregon Road ‘83 post-apocalyptic video game, ranging from things that are very strictly in the category of “game design,” as well as things that are really about creating a coherent conception of the underlying world of the game.
- Doominations: Conversations between me and various smart, interesting people I’ve met over the years who generally think about some aspects of the end of the world for a living.
There will are also Mutually Assured Distractions (brief posts that are heavy on interesting media) sprinkled in along with these regular sections.
See this post for more information about the motivations behind the blog.