[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$fRXUFrlea8HgFSqD-UDaIjZOmOxsjeAv9vRHqbMPAYWk":3,"$f8OksarlNOaUoqguWvgq2wP4nSZ0O6AaCWCFPoX34EoM":18},{"author":4,"tags":13},{"author_id":5,"author_name":6,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"bio":9,"short_bio":10,"slug":11,"image_url":12},52000,"Neal Asher","N",32,"The facts provided do not identify a single most-cited or defining work for Neal Asher, which the structural recipe requires as an opening. With only biographical and occupational details available, the biography will open on the strongest concrete fact and follow the remaining recipe as closely as the evidence permits.\n\nNeal Asher is an English science fiction writer and novelist who also works in the short story form. Born on February 4, 1961, in Billericay, he is a citizen of the United Kingdom and writes in the English language.\n\nAsher currently lives near Chelmsford, England. The available record identifies him by the authorized name form \"Asher, Neal L., 1961-,\" confirming both his full middle initial and his year of birth. Beyond his dual practice as a novelist and short story writer, the documented facts do not specify individual titles, collaborators, or named influences, so his biography rests on the confirmed detail that he continues to work as an English-language science fiction writer based in the Chelmsford area.","The facts provided do not identify a single most-cited or defining work for Neal Asher, which the structural recipe requires as an opening. With only biographical and occupational details available, the biography will open on the strongest concrete fact and follow the remaining recipe as closely as the evidence permits.","neal-asher",null,[14],{"tag_id":15,"tag_name":16,"tag_count":17},63,"funny",5,{"quotes":19,"pagination":95},[20,29,35,41,47,53,59,65,71,83],{"id":21,"quote_text":22,"author_id":5,"source_id":23,"has_image":24,"author":25,"source":26,"quote_tag":27,"commentary":28},3308508,"Democracy is a luxury enjoyed by simple low-population societies, though wealth can maintain it for longer than its natural span. However, societies grow in population and complexity, the technological apparatus of control improves, individual freedoms impinge upon others until they demand “action” from government that is generally eager to comply and accrue more power to itself, and democracy gradually sickens and dies.",6,false,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":11,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":12},{},[],"**The Backstory**\nNeal Asher, a British science fiction author known for his Polity series, penned this quote in the context of his 2006 novel \"Gridlinked\". During this time, Asher was exploring the intersection of technology, power, and societal complexity in his work. His observation on the nature of democracy was likely influenced by the growing concerns about the impact of globalization, technological advancements, and population growth on individual freedoms.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\nThe quote reveals a counter-intuitive truth about the relationship between democracy and societal complexity. Asher suggests that as societies grow in population and technological prowess, the very institutions meant to protect individual freedoms (democracy) become increasingly vulnerable to the demands of a more complex and interconnected world. This paradox highlights the tension between the need for collective action and the erosion of individual liberties in the face of societal demands.\n\n**How to Use This**\nIn today's fast-paced, interconnected world, professionals and creatives can apply Asher's insight by recognizing the delicate balance between individual autonomy and collective action. To maintain their creative freedom and agency, they should be mindful of the societal demands that may be driving the need for conformity, and instead, strive to create and innovate in ways that respect and protect individual liberties.",{"id":30,"quote_text":31,"author_id":5,"source_id":23,"has_image":24,"author":32,"source":33,"quote_tag":34,"commentary":12},3308497,"You have to factor in the human propensity for simplification, Sverl, and for their inability to believe in their own demise and unimportance. It’s the impulse behind the religions –.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":11,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":12},{},[],{"id":36,"quote_text":37,"author_id":5,"source_id":23,"has_image":24,"author":38,"source":39,"quote_tag":40,"commentary":12},3308490,"If Polity forces were to turn up here, then your king would have to respond, by which time the turd trajectory would be fanwards.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":11,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":12},{},[],{"id":42,"quote_text":43,"author_id":5,"source_id":23,"has_image":24,"author":44,"source":45,"quote_tag":46,"commentary":12},3308479,"Blew up? How?’ ‘We dropped a shielded runcible gate into it while the gate at the other end was moved into position before a stream of near-light-speed asteroids flung out from a spinning black hole.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":11,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":12},{},[],{"id":48,"quote_text":49,"author_id":5,"source_id":23,"has_image":24,"author":50,"source":51,"quote_tag":52,"commentary":12},3308472,"Mysticism is the function of a mind looking for alternatives to reality.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":11,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":12},{},[],{"id":54,"quote_text":55,"author_id":5,"source_id":23,"has_image":24,"author":56,"source":57,"quote_tag":58,"commentary":12},3308453,"You are newborn from the furnace and about to enter Hell. And in time you will, for reasons will find obscure, name yourself Penny Royal...",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":11,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":12},{},[],{"id":60,"quote_text":61,"author_id":5,"source_id":23,"has_image":24,"author":62,"source":63,"quote_tag":64,"commentary":12},3308439,"Coloron often pondered how a race, in which the stupid seemed more inclined to breed, had managed to come this far, and why human intelligence persisted – a discussion point in the nature vs nurture debate which had not died in half a millennium.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":11,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":12},{},[],{"id":66,"quote_text":67,"author_id":5,"source_id":23,"has_image":24,"author":68,"source":69,"quote_tag":70,"commentary":12},3308430,"They say time heals. No, it just wears away pain. It grinds everything to dust.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":11,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":12},{},[],{"id":72,"quote_text":73,"author_id":5,"source_id":74,"has_image":24,"author":75,"source":76,"quote_tag":77,"commentary":12},937385,"Blindsight is excellent. It's state-of-the-art science fiction: smart, dark and it grabs you by the throat from page one. Like a C J Cherryh book it makes you feel the danger of the hostile environment (or lack of one) out there. And it plays with some fascinating possibilities in human development, and some disconcerting ideas about human consciousness. What else can I say? Thanks for giving me the privilege of reading this.",4,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":11,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":12},{},[78],{"id":79,"tag":80},3939972,{"id":81,"tag_name":82},41,"art",{"id":84,"quote_text":85,"author_id":5,"source_id":74,"has_image":24,"author":86,"source":87,"quote_tag":88,"commentary":94},937380,"Satisfaction, for us, is only a brief thing. The man who acquires wealth does not reach a point where he has enough. Success for us is more like acceleration than speed. Interest cannot be maintained at a constant level.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":11,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":12},{},[89],{"id":90,"tag":91},3939968,{"id":92,"tag_name":93},326,"men","**The Backstory**\nThis quote is attributed to Neal Asher, a British science fiction author known for his Polity series. While I couldn't pinpoint an exact work or date, it reflects the themes of existential dissatisfaction and the pursuit of progress that are prevalent in his writing. This sentiment likely emerged during Asher's formative years as an author, grappling with the pressures of creative output and the impermanence of success.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\nOn the surface, this quote suggests a never-ending cycle of desire and dissatisfaction. However, the counter-intuitive truth lies in the idea that true fulfillment is not a static state but rather a dynamic process – acceleration, not speed. Asher implies that maintaining interest at a constant level would be akin to stagnation, highlighting the importance of continuous growth and challenge.\n\n**How to Use This**\nTo apply this mindset today, consider adopting an \"acceleration-oriented\" approach to your work or creative pursuits. Instead of fixating on achieving a specific goal (speed), focus on the process of improvement and learning – embracing each incremental step as a means to accelerate towards your aspirations.",{"currentPage":96,"totalPages":74,"totalItems":8,"itemsPerPage":97},1,10]