Micronations aren't "real" nations, and that's a good thing!

 A frequent criticism of micronations is that we're "just playing" because we're "not real nations". Well, that's actually a good thing, in my opinion.

In order to explain why, I'm going to start with a quote from Belle of the Ranch (YouTube), who often states, "Nations don't have friends, they have interests." In other words, nations are always looking for a competitive advantage, and that drives who they ally with. Micronations, on the other hand, are not competing with each other (for the most part they don't have shared economies, they aren't claiming the same land, and they aren't competing for other resources, except maybe citizens), and therefore self-interest does not drive which other micronations they maintain relations with.

Thus, a micronation is free to choose its "friends" using any criteria it likes, including shared interests, shared beliefs, or even just shared experiences (such as MicroCon!). It's because of this that I've formed a number of good friendships through the micronational community - since I am not wondering what another micronational ruler is trying to gain from me, I don't have to second-guess every word and gesture in a conversation.

Of course, that's also why Slabovia doesn't bother signing "recognition treaties" with other micronations - there's no need for them in our view. Your micronation exists (in our eyes) from the moment you declare it, and it will continue to exist until it explicitly doesn't - i.e. you state (for whatever reason) that you're wrapping it up or subsuming it in another micronation or whatever. Arguably, your micronation continues to exist even after you've departed this world, as long as there's someone around to remember it.

A centrepiece of micronational flags
MicroCon 2019

Statement on the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI)

 For the record, I'm not a huge fan of GenAI systems such as ChatGPT, Claude, and the like. I'm not a total Luddite, I recognize that these systems have their place, and I even use them occasionally. However, I do not, and will not, allow such systems to speak for me. I don't let them write my social media posts, although I sometimes use one as a "sounding board" to get some ideas, and I only use their art sparingly when there's no other alternative - I think I've used exactly ONE AI-generated image on this blog, and I called that out in the post at the time.

I don't see this changing in the future, either. Yes, sometimes it's hard to come up with ideas for social media posts, but the various issues associated with GenAI systems (such as the environmental costs, the copywrite issues, and the cognitive effects that are exhibited by heavy users of such systems) make them a tool that I'm only willing to use sparingly, and with extreme care.

In short, this blog remains 100% written by a real human being, and that's not something that's liable to change any time soon.

Picture for the algorithm

Whoops! I was supposed to have a post ready...

 Oh look, someone forgot to have a post queued up again!

In my (rather weak) defense, I'm in the middle of another cybersecurity competition, keeping my skills (skillz?) tuned up for the defense of the cyber realm.

But that got me thinking earlier this week that Slabovia has more of a military presence than we really claim to. If you believe our outward statements, we mainly just have a Navey (sic) and a Maroon Corps. But we also have SCENTDROP (our cybersecurity force), drones, a trained and capable space force in BARFleet, and a nascent Space Maroon capability.  We're currently seeing in various world conflicts that drones are rapidly changing the face of combat, the US military has created a "Space Force" to prosecute war in that domain, and a couple of years ago Canada created a separate Cyber Command within their military structure (led by Major General Dave, who I've known since he was Officer Cadet Dave).

What I'm driving at, I think, is that micronations can't compete with macronations in the traditional military space - the cost of a single destroyer would collectively bankrupt pretty much all of the micronations, much less being able to pay to fuel and arm it. But where we can maybe "compete", or at least be near-peers, is in the emerging military sectors of cyber, drone, and space. 

The ship's crest of the USS Don Quixote,
the flag ship of BARFleet

The First Slabovian Crown Jewel?

Long time readers of this blog might recall that 2024 was a double jubilee year for Slabovia, marking both its 40th year of existence and my 25th year as its ruler. To mark the occasion, during that year I acquired this ring which symbolizes both my own 25th jubilee (via the silver making up the ring itself, since silver is a traditional 25th anniversary gift) and Slabovia's 40th jubilee (by way of the ruby, which is traditionally the material that marks a 40th anniversary).

Excuse the cat hair - the royal mouser sheds EVERYWHERE

We are still planning other official crown jewels, including a crown, a scepter, and an orb, but this piece marks the start of the collection!

Five Reasons NOT to Start Your Own Micronation

 I previously posted "Ten Reasons You Should Start Your Own Micronation". So, to be fair, here are five reasons you should not start your own micronation:

5. You're happy with things the way they are. You think the government is doing a fine job, and have no reason to wish things were run better or differently.

4. You think it's silly, dumb, or immature. But maybe you could ask questions before judging?

3. You have absolutely zero free time or money, ever. That's actually very sad.

2. You don't want to make new friends. That's also very sad, in a different way.

1. You're a very boring person with zero creativity. Speaking of sad, that might be the saddest of all... 

Picture for the Algorithm

Ten Reasons You Should Start Your Own Micronation

 From the home office, here are ten reasons you should start your own micronation!

10. You have a lot of creative ideas. Micronations offer many opportunities for creativity!

9. You want to make new friends. The micronational community is large and very friendly!

8. You're a "political science geek". Micronations allow you to simulate various forms of government to "see what would happen".

7. You need a conversation-starter. There's nothing like "Well, actually, I'm a king/prince/duke" to get people's attention!

6. It's good practice for the seemingly-inevitable "balkanization" of society. (I wish I was kidding...)

5. You feel the need for more pageantry in your life. A little pomp and circumstance, so to speak. (But also see my series on "Making your life more royal")

4. You're quite sure you know how to run things better than those idiots in [insert name of capital city here]. So prove it!

3. You have too much money. Seriously, this can get rather expensive!

2. It can be a lot of fun! (Although there's also way too much drama sometimes...)

1. Because you want to. And in a modern society, that might just be the best reason of all!

EDIT: Bonus reason! Because as a ruler you're a fons honorum which means you can bestow royal titles on your friends and family!

Picture "for the algorithm"

Happy Declaration Day to Obscurium!

 I first met Zar Antonov, the President of Obscurium, in 2019 at MicroCon (yes, the one we hosted in Hamilton). He's a very interesting sort of person, and some of his ideas have inspired some of my own ideas, as often happens in the micronational community. And so, it is with the utmost respect and pride that I congratulate both Obscurium and President Antonov on their eight "Declaration Day", and I wish them many more to follow!

The flag of Obscurium
(Source: MicroWiki)