If you haven't blocked Cuban here, now's a great time to start.

i think what gets overlooked is that part of the humor and charm of edits like these is that you're perfectly aware that someone sat down and spent their own time making it. they chose to do something cool or silly or stupid or genius, regardless of the results that human element elevates the work

In light of recent Ai related nonsense in the creative industry, I wanted to present some easy-to-digest facts about Generative Ai

I passed WWE Superstar Rikishi in a men's room at Rhode Island Comic Con. I nodded, said good morning, he nodded back, said good morning, off we went.

If you know someone who crochets, forward them this pattern link and show them some puppy dog eyes when you ask them to make you one. amiamour.com/cuddly-tiger...

Along with the racist fake grievance of "apologizing for being white," there's also the fact that a bunch of white folks seem to believe (and/or are willing to suggest) that even acknowledging systemic advantages they get for being white is the equivalent of being "forced to apologize."

Excellent!

Your fun(ish) Uhura fact: an early TOS episode intended to establish that Uhura was fourth in the chain of command on the Enterprise, but network execs freaked out at the thought of a black woman in charge, so a random white guy, who didn't appear in the show previously or since, was swapped in.

If your compliment is transactual, it's not a compliment and rightfully should not be returned.

You don't need AI as an indie author, you need community. You need people who can help you when you're burning out (and vice versa, importantly). Trade labor with each other, beta read for one another, connect with editors and cover artists. Teach & learn. Help promote one another.

Here's a simple happiness hack: Do something for someone that is truly altruistic. Do it in secret if you can, and take no credit, if you can manage that in a world that sees everything. Do this as often as your circumstances allow, which may be once a year or once a day. Try it and see.

I unfriended Erin Underwood after I watched her argue with an avid Black Star Trek fan, a friend of mine, incidentally, about Blackness in Star Trek, so pardon me if I think her take on when AI should be acceptable in publishing is probably lacking nuance and insight.

Art thieves bemoaning becoming the victim of art theft.

American Werewolf in London. My mother brought me to see it because I loved monster movies, but she had no idea this was not a Creature Double Feature old-school B flick. I tapped out after the dream sequence in the first act.

I'll always prefer tartar sauce for onion rings (trust me, it works!) but for fries, I'll go plain salted. Unless gravy and cheese curds are available.

My addenda: 4: The tired cliche that writing is an unpleasant, grueling task and writers are inherently miserable. 5: Prizing ideas over execution. 6: The lie that you have to write every single day. 7: AI. 8: Writing to the market. 9: In case it hasn't been mentioned already, AI.

Next time someone says they don’t have to apologize for being white anymore, ask them to tell about the most recent time they were forced to apologize for being white and who made them do it.

Underrated point of discussion with the AI + social media uproar is giving thanks to patrons of the arts, especially non-artists, who are willing to put in the effort to support artists at a time when it has never been easier or more normalized to do the opposite.

Hey y’all are doing that thing again where you’re relentlessly bullying a young woman for her appearance… and you won’t stop until they’re completely broken, then act like it wasn’t you and start making their mental health recovery part of your online identity. Stop it.

That Thing You Dune.

It should be a huge red flag that this is named after the all-seeing eye that wants to destroy everything good in Middle Earth and reduce it to a flaming hellscape like Mordor, but I think we've well established that media literacy is not what it once was.

For whatever reason, I don't mind my biannual bill for website hosting. Maybe because it means I made it through another two years of being a working writer and actually making money off my novels. Not a lot, but most authors can say the same thing.

Tennessee knows what's good in life.

Apparently I'm doing this -- my open letter to that open latter about AI in writing and publishing. I emerged from Hibernation Week to write it, so god only knows how much sense it makes. But at least a human wrote it, so that's nice. Bonus: picture of my "cat," sweet baby Boomba.

Try and argue "GenAI is good and useful actually" & I assume you don't know what you're talking about (because it isn't, it's crap at its job & a theft engine) but when you make claims that things like spell check, or text-to-speech, etc are GenAI I KNOW you're a lying fool trying to gaslight.

Wondering why your utility bills are getting so expensive? AI could be a big reason why. AI data centers cost a ton to upkeep, and big tech companies are passing on those costs to local communities. I'm pressing for answers.

Conventions, if you use AI do not be surprised if creators turn down your invitations to be guests or even to be on panels. Do not use tools trained on stolen work from creators and then tell them you want to honor or uplift them - that’s not what you’re doing. You’re stealing and being lazy.

“Perform or else,” they say, as they defund rehearsal rooms, close stages, underpay artists, strip the arts and humanities from schools, and call the collapse of cultural infrastructure in the name of white nationalists “the arts for everyone.”

I refuse to believe that this is anything but a deliberate, conscious, cynical effort to profit off the "male loneliness epidemic."

I don't think you could come up with a list more designed to inflame sentiments than "here is a list of things that publishers MUST use AI to do and remain competitive, but don't worry, this isn't pushing out creative labor"

With new years approaching: the real ones will NEVER shame you for coming to the gym. Even if you don’t know how to do the things. Even if you’re not in the best shape you’ve ever been. We are happy to see you moving your body and chasing your goals.

Always good to keep in mind that Guardian has a partnership with OpenAI.

❤️💙

Today's gAI slop cover from my ebook newsletter. The bad anatomy is a tipoff, but check out that mangled hand with its stubby fingers not actually holding that arrow in place.

Keep On Truckin' - 21st Century Cat Edition.

I'll probably watch this later 'cuz it's relevant to my interests, but also. Fanfiction isn't ruining writing. You have to go higher. No, not the tradpubbed authors. Higher. Yeah, higher. Did you find the people who make decisions on what gets published yet? What do they want? Money? There you go.

1970—no fault divorce finally legalized, female suicide rates drop 20% 1974—Equal Credit Opp Act passes, women finally have basic access to finances 1993—Marital rape finally criminalized Call me old school but countering record high suicide, financial imprisonment, & suffocating DV IS Liberation

Conservatives hate the idea of UBI and single-payer health care because it's "socialism," but they think AI will eliminate the need for a lot of people to work, but we're all supposed to work until we're dead and earn a living, but we're not entitled to living wages or good healthcare benefits.

New Year's resolution: Gonna mix it up, try something new, stunt on the skyline a little less dipshit, more cumclown

FYI, the quote is from Kennedy Center spokesperson Roma Daravi, who I bet would be singing a very different tune (so to speak) if an artist performed explicitly anti-Trump material at that venue.

"Academics literally cannot make genAI go away" we also can't make underage drinking go away and we're not advocating for installing bar carts in every classroom.

Stumbled across one of those book cover design services, which I'm going to say is suspect in terms of its gAI use considering its own logo has mangled AI hands.

Quite a few new people following me this week. So, hi. couple of things: * If you use gAI for any reason -- ANY reason -- you might as well fuck off right now because we are not going to be friends * I do not auto-follow-back anyone, you have to interact with me first so I know you're cool (1/2)

Released a novella that, in the course of writing it, helped me identify and define a lot of unresolved trauma from lockdown that led to a period of serious depression and anxiety. Writing has always been therapeutic for me, but that particular project especially so.

No, it's just fucking made up. White men are still hugely-well represented in book publishing. The idea that they're not is just a lie, perpetrated by people who are twitchy about any advances by people who aren't straight and white and male, even if straight white males are still in the majority.

Techies are so blinded by their shiny new toys, they can't/don't want to see their often glaring fatal flaws. Also see: gAI.

Amok Thyme Darmok and Salad at Tanagra The Truffle With Tribbles OR The Trouble With Nibbles

I'd believe this anecdote because I've met guys like this at conventions. People do ask (politely) about their work and they can't pitch it because what makes it special is that they are the specialest boy. They go to panels and hear queer and BIPOC writers talk about their work and think "ah ha". +

It's almost impressive how new media is constantly reinventing existing concepts without actually improving anything. To wit: A podcast with video is a TV show.