Protesilaos Stavrou

  1. On the strategic consequences of the US-Iran deal

    The US-Iran negotiations are part of a wider shift towards a new world order.

    Published

  2. Selfie: relaxing at home

    Take a rest while at home.

    Published

  3. Emacs: modus-themes version 5.3.0

    Information about the latest version of my highly accessible themes for GNU Emacs.

    Published

  4. Emacs: ef-themes version 2.2.0

    Information about the latest version of my colourful-yet-legible themes for GNU Emacs.

    Published

  5. Re: how to practice for public speaking?

    My response to a question about having the courage to talk in public.

    Published

  6. Interpretation of “The sea is deep” by Nana Mouskouri

    Translation of---and philosophical commentary on---a Greek song whose translated title is 'The sea is deep'.

    Published

  7. Emacs: testing common colour values with the doric-themes

    Code I use to get a preview of common colours that I need to configure for my Doric themes.

    Published

  8. Beyond the want for happy endings

    An entry from my journal in which I comment on how I accept the world as-is.

    Published

  9. Selfie: sunbathing around my plants

    Plants all around me with the sun shining on my face.

    Published

  10. Emacs: flat Dired listing for REGEXP, optionally up to DAYS since last modification

    Two custom Dired commands I use to have flat listings of files inside of Emacs.

    Published

  11. Interpretation of “In the night of the others” by Trypes

    Translation of---and philosophical commentary on---a Greek song whose translated title is 'In the night of the others'.

    Published

  12. Games: Tales of Berseria

    A nice Japanese role-playing game with a profound story.

    Published

  13. Emacs live with Sacha Chua about ‘Underappreciated Built-ins’ on Thursday 11 June 17:30 Europe/Athens

    We will talk about the Emacs blog carnival topic for June, which is about underappreciated features that are built into Emacs.

    Published

  14. Interpretation of “My expatriated birds” by Alkyone (traditional)

    Translation of---and philosophical commentary on---a Greek song whose translated title is 'My expatriated birds'.

    Published

  15. Selfie: beardless once again

    I shaved earlier today. Took a picture of the beard and then of the end result.

    Published

  16. Games: Limbo

    A puzzle platformer with a dark aesthetic and solid mechanics.

    Published

  17. Games: Age of Empires II

    The Age of Empires II is one of the best games ever made. It is still getting support and has practically infinite replay value.

    Published

  18. On the absence of Greeks from Hollywood’s Odyssey movie

    I explain why the lack of Greek actors from a Hollywood production is not a problem, given what art is about.

    Published

  19. Re: On learning something new

    A private exchange in which I comment on how I approach the topic of learning something new.

    Published

  20. Games: Hyper Light Drifter

    A wonderful adventure with impressive pixel art, memorable music, and interesting story-telling.

    Published

  21. Poem: Prints in the sand

    Just read the poem. No further comment.

    Published

  22. Re: Living in seclusion and the woman question

    An excerpt from a private exchange in which I answer how can I live in the mountains where there are no women, money, and status.

    Published

  23. Re: how to avoid doing XYZ when I want to do ABC?

    Excerpt from a private exchange in which I comment how to recondition ourselves to do something we want.

    Published

  24. Games: Borderlands 3

    An excellent first-person shooter that provides a commentary on the excesses of our world.

    Published

  25. Games: Florence (plus the First Six Months of Love)

    Barely a 'game', but a fine story regardless.

    Published

  26. Selfie: experiment with light and shadow

    Looking at the camera with part of my face exposed to direct sunlight.

    Published

  27. Emacs live with Sacha Chua about ‘May I recommend’ on Thursday 28 May 17:30 Europe/Athens

    We will talk about the Emacs blog carnival topic for May, which is 'May I recommend'.

    Published

  28. Games: Gorogoa

    A brilliant puzzle game with valuable lessons for life.

    Published

  29. Games: What Remains of Edith Finch

    An interactive narrative about the misfortunes of the Finch family, plus some philosophical commentary of mine.

    Published

  30. I now also write about video games

    My website has a new section dedicated to video games.

    Published

  31. Life issues and practical philosophy with Amin Bandali

    A 2-hour talk about all sorts of issues that are relevant in our everyday life.

    Published

  32. Selfie: something a little bit more artistic

    Three pictures I took using my phone's camera timer functionality.

    Published

  33. Emacs: ef-arcadia and ef-atlantis are part of the ef-themes

    I added a new light and dark theme to my 'ef-themes' package for Emacs.

    Published

  34. Emacs: Denote version 4.2.0

    Information about the latest version of my Denote package for GNU Emacs.

    Published

  35. Comment on a Marxist critique of Free Software

    My thoughts on a 15.000-word essay that criticises free software without showing an alternative.

    Published

  36. Emacs coaching with Amin Bandali about ffs, display-buffer-alist, Org, and more

    I had a meeting with Amin Bandali in which we talked about his ffs.el package, display-buffer-alist, and a couple of Org-related topics.

    Published

  37. Reading my ‘The mask of Phantes’ story

    In this video I read out loud the story I wrote titled 'The mask of Phantes'.

    Published

  38. The mask of Phantes

    The story of a magic mask that brings attention to whoever is wearing it.

    Published

  39. Western strategic constraints in the war on Iran

    Western powers are facing robust constraints. They cannot afford to treat issues lightly.

    Published

  40. Philosophy: Hades, introspection, wealth, misery, and resurrection

    In this video I expound on the connection between deep thought and misery.

    Published

  41. Emacs coaching with Amin Bandali

    I met with Amin Bandali to talk about Emacs, specifically Amin's upcoming ffs.el package.

    Published

  42. On Yanis Varoufakis’ appearance at ‘The Rest Is Politics’ podcast

    I analyse the problems that leftists in Europe face in dealing with European Union affairs.

    Published

  43. Selfie: it snowed, then I got some sunshine

    Topless picture of me enjoying the sunshine after an unprecedented snowfall in early May

    Published

  44. On the coming economic crisis

    A major economic shock is coming our way and we are woefully unprepared to deal with it.

    Published

  45. Emacs live with Sacha Chua and Philip Kaludercic on 2026-05-14 17:30 Europe/Athens

    We will talk about Emacs 31 and other developments for Emacs 32. We will also discuss the newcomer experience.

    Published

  46. Re: Emacs and keyboard ergonomics

    I comment on keyboard ergonomics and Emacs key bindings.

    Published

  47. Emacs: save any buffer as PDF (my new buffer-to-pdf package)

    Video demonstration of my new Emacs package called buffer-to-pdf.

    Published

  48. Selfie: from scholar to pirate

    I cut my hair short but kept the beard with a light trim.

    Published

  49. Emacs: decent defaults I shared with Sacha Chua

    Some basic settings for Emacs that I consider useful for most users.

    Published

  50. Poem: The echo of my steel

    Just read the poem. No further comment.

    Published

  51. Doing what I must

    An excerpt from my journal in which I comment on how I handle my everyday affairs in my land while respecting the greater magnitudes

    Published

  52. Philosophy: violence, safe spaces, and inevitability

    In this video I explain the connection between violence and safe spaces.

    Published

  53. Selfie: looking away from the camera

    Close up picture of me looking away from the camera.

    Published

  54. Emacs spontaneous live stream on Denote, TMR, and more at 19:00 Europe/Athens

    I will continue my package maintenance work for Emacs, focusing on Denote and TMR.

    Published

  55. Selfie: the dogman (technically not a selfie)

    Picture of me holding my four dogs on the leash while on a walk through some built-up area.

    Published

  56. Emacs live stream with Sacha Chua on 2026-04-30 17:30 Europe/Athens

    I will do a live stream together with Sacha Chua where we will do some programming on Emacs.

    Published

  57. Interpretation of “Do not ask me” by Manos Loizos

    Translation of---and philosophical commentary on---a Greek song whose translated title is 'Do not ask me'.

    Published

  58. Omitting the surname

    From now on I will only be called 'Protesilaos' instead of 'Protesilaos Stavrou'.

    Published

  59. Interpretation of “The world that changes” by Alkinoos Ioannidis

    Translation of---and philosophical commentary on---a Greek song whose translated title is 'The world that changes'.

    Published

  60. That which is inescapable

    An entry from my journal in which I comment about processes in our world that do not fit into some neat divide between right or wrong.

    Published

  61. Emacs: new modus-themes-exporter package live today @ 15:00 Europe/Athens

    I am doing a live stream where I will develop the new modus-themes-exporter package live.

    Published

  62. Not interfering in the affairs of others

    An entry from my journal in which I comment how I do not meddle in other people's affairs.

    Published

  63. A lunch without alcohol

    An entry from my journal in which I describe a little bit of life in the mountains and my experience at an Easter celebration.

    Published

  64. There goes another Easter

    An entry from my journal in which I describe my thoughts as they occur moments to midnight.

    Published

  65. Emacs modus-themes live stream today @ 14:00 Europe/Athens

    I am doing a live stream related to Emacs, where I will write tests for my modus-themes.

    Published

  66. Interpretation of “The Elves” by Socratis Malamas & Ioulia Karapataki

    Translation of---and philosophical commentary on---a Greek song whose translated title is 'The Elves'.

    Published

  67. Selfie: a casual afternoon

    Selfie picture of me on a walk wearing sunglasses

    Published

  68. Poem: From the age of myth

    Just read the poem. No further comment.

    Published

  69. Emacs live stream for writing Denote tests and more on Monday 6 April @ 20:00 Europe/Athens

    I am doing a live stream related to Emacs, where I will write tests for Denote.

    Published

  70. Emacs live stream with Sacha Chua on 2026-04-16 17:30 Europe/Athens

    I will do a live together with Sacha Chua where we will do some programming on Emacs.

    Published

  71. Emacs: new sequence scheme for the ‘denote-sequence’ package

    Information about a new feature that I just added to the 'denote-sequence' package.

    Published

  72. Prot Asks: Hjalmar about Emacs for music, the joy of art, and Internet sociability

    In this 2-hour video I talk with Hjalmar about using Emacs to write music, the joy of artistic expression, and sociability in the Internet era.

    Published

  73. Learning from the land

    An entry from my journal where I comment on how I learn by observing the phenomena around me.

    Published

  74. When knowing it all does not matter

    An essay from my journal in which I express the connection with my surroundings and how I do not need all the answers.

    Published

  75. Emacs coaching with Sacha Chua

    I will do a coaching session with Sacha Chua. She wrote a blog post about it and I am making comments on it.

    Published

  76. Sacrifice in the era of the adultchild

    An essay from my journal in which I comment on the prevailing norms in my culture and, probably, that of other cultures around the world

    Published

  77. Philosophy: about the God of war, anger, and nuance

    In this video I expound on the Greek notion of 'god of war' and how we can generally think in nuanced terms.

    Published

  78. Maintaining projects long-term

    An entry from my journal where I explain how long-term projects help me stay focused and not get disheartened.

    Published

  79. Prot Asks: Arkadiusz about blindness, Emacspeak, Hyperbole, Chinese and Slavic culture

    In this 2-hour video I talk with Arkadiusz about how he uses the computer as a blind person and several other topics.

    Published

  80. Poem: Of carmine clouds

    Just read the poem. No further comment.

    Published

  81. Emacs: spontaneous live stream Tuesday 24 March @ 21:30 Europe/Athens

    I am doing a live stream related to Emacs, where I will continue working on my denote-sequence package.

    Published

  82. Emacs: spontaneous live stream Monday 23 March @ 17:00 Europe/Athens

    I am doing a live stream related to Emacs, where I will try to implement a new feature for the denote-sequence package.

    Published

  83. Emacs: doric-themes version 1.1.0

    Minimalist themes for GNU Emacs to complement my ef-themes (maximalist) and modus-themes (moderate).

    Published

  84. The responsibility to keep flowing

    I describe the prevailing conditions in my mountains and how those relate to matters of complacency, responsibility, foresight, and adaptability.

    Published

  85. Maintaining the long-term view

    An entry from my journal in which I describe how I do not lose my patience while working in my land.

    Published

  86. Preparing for springtime

    I describe what I am doing these days and how I feel about the living environment I am a part of.

    Published

  87. Selfie: beard and hair are growing

    Selfie picture of me from the side showing my beard while holding my hair

    Published

  88. Computing in freedom with GNU Emacs

    A holistic introduction to Emacs: how useful it is and how it champions free software.

    Published

  89. My Emacs talk for FLOSS @ Oxford

    I talked about how to do computing in freedom with GNU Emacs.

    Published

  90. This Thursday I will talk about Emacs @ OxFLOSS (FLOSS @ Oxford)

    In this upcoming event I will introduce GNU Emacs to people at the University of Oxford.

    Published

  91. New coaching prices to reflect the current market

    I have lowered the price of my coaching services to 10 EUR per hour.

    Published

  92. Emacs: four new themes are coming to the ‘doric-themes’

    I am developing four new themes for my minimalist 'doric-themes' package.

    Published

  93. Taking it easy

    An entry from my journal where I comment on how I do not worry about what will happen to this world.

    Published

  94. I talk with Joshua Blais about Emacs and life issues

    I had a ~2-hour chat with Joshua Blais, a fellow Emacs user, about Emacs and philosophy.

    Published

  95. Poem: Not for an eternity

    Just read the poem. No further comment.

    Published

  96. Finding enthusiasm in the face of boredom

    A journal entry where I describe how boredom works and why it helps to be honest with our feelings.

    Published

  97. Selfie: reviewing some manual labour I did earlier

    Selfie picture of me with part of the land I was working on earlier

    Published

  98. Keeping calm in the face of war and uncertainty

    An entry from my journal in which I describe my immediate experience in light of the war that might affect Cyprus.

    Published

  99. Vlog: preparatory work for an infrastructure project at the hut

    In this video I show some of the work I do to collect soil for an infrastructure project at the hut.

    Published

  100. International relations and impunity

    Global justice is not attainable. What we can hope for is a viable balance of forces.

    Published