An Indian class 9 student (from Gujarat) emailed me asking for feedback on a story he's written. He's used genAI for the 'covers' of his work (& perhaps for the stories too). Can anyone recommend a 'genAI is bad' explainer/article for the arts that's okay for a 13/14 yo to grasp?

I have not slept nearly enough for this bullshit. *gestures at the entire US*

I don't know why Walz has made this decision, but if it's because he was bullied and threatened out by MAGA, then that is political violence. A state whose governor chooses to drop out after its House speaker was assassinated is not a state with free and fair elections.

Love this from Guillermo del Toro

Re-sharing this with alt text added (image appears twice because the text didn't quite fit and is continued on image #2). This is an incredibly important message from Colin and Sophie Hortman, the children of Melissa and Mark Hortman.

At least it's shorter than 1-2-3-4-5-5-6.

Brooke is one of my very dearest friends, and I love him endlessly. He is disabled, as he very ably explains for himself in the text of this fundraiser. His washing machine has died a horrible death, and he needs help. Please can we help Brooke? www.gofundme.com/f/dear-inter...

This must be what going mad feels like. *stares at the Doom Patrol episode Immortimas Patrol*

Another post from a Venezuelan friend:

Without vultures, we are screwed. www.aaha.org/trends-magaz...

This is my favorite headcanon and it's a great example of how readers can offer a different reading of a text that the author never considered and did not intend, but is nonetheless validated by the text itself.

Yes, hello? I don’t think 2026 is working properly. I’d like to cancel my free 5 day trial please.

Describing my day to my also-Jewish bestie (study welsh, prep food for the week) and she's all "Yep, study a language the English tried to stamp out and failed, then eat. This is the way." "This is the way."

I want to remind everyone that the US has sanctioned members of the International Criminal Court for going through a formal legal process to identify international leaders who engaged in war crimes, making them vulnerable to arrest.

Staggering around trying to wake up, and Pumpkin and Callie are out front. So I go and feed them. The crows are also calling, so I go and feed them in the backyard.

Woozily kicking my brain until words come out of it. With donuts. Kicking my brain with donuts.

Starting in two days! Early Medieval Brittany online course - sign up at medievalstudies.thinkific.com/courses/earl... #history

and as someone who has long worked around the edges of int'l law - in disaster response & development & digital rights - I am incredibly frustrated that people talk as though this flagrant criminality was the only option for getting rid of Maduro. 1) if the int'l community acted like int'l law

it's funny when watching US movies or tv shows i used to be like "man, they sure do use food poisoning as a plot device *a lot* in america..." then i learned their food poisoning statistics and it blew my mind. that's just how they live! people DIE of food poisoning regularly in the US. it's MAD.

The book gods have determined that THE STAIRCASE IN THE WOODS is a mere $1.99 on your favorite electromagnetic reading platform if you’d like an easy entry point to friendship breakups, broken people, creepy interstitial terrain, and a haunted house that is a house that haunts. Tell your friends!

A sad announcement.

Grab tissues before reading

This approach presumes a functioning constitutional republic. It breaks down when "electing better civilians" becomes impossible due to Citizens United, gerrymandering and voter suppression. It breaks down when the legislative and judicial branches endorse a corrupt and lawless executive branch.

The New York Times has just confirmed that 40 civilians died in President Trump's invasion. This is the aftermath in one area

Gilbert and Sullivan has entered the novel.

RENFAIRE ENTHUSIAST IN OREGON TODAY IS YOUR LUCKY DAY

None of us knows exactly what's going to happen next. Too much is being decided by chaotic buffoons. Even if you accurately map what major players would do to best serve their own interests, that's not a reliable map. Uncertainty is difficult and also a real condition.

Called Mom (and steadfastly refused to talk about Current Events, so we just talked about people's health and my new air fryer) and she reminded me of the existence of this clip so I present it to you as a nice distraction for a few minutes. A breath of fresh air.

I'm boosting myself to say this: You're going to see people On Here tell you calling electeds doesn't matter. That's not true. Some are bots. Some are people who like being contrary to be edgy. But calling moves the needle, especially against a blatantly illegal act by Trump and Co. ACT.

🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠

I wonder if my Latin American History professor from high school is still around to see this shit today. I'm imagining him slumped over his desk sighing heavily.

Update 4.3 - Now at $424/$500. Thank you so much, please help me y'all. 🥹 💕💸

weird how much power mitch mcconnell had when he had no power

Things are horrible, but the crows watched me put food out I think with some cheer and friendliness. There were some uncommon calls today, and ... I don't know how to describe it, their posture was alert without being fearful. Like they were enjoying the slightly warmer weather and glad to see me.

Small amounts add up.

I’m at Times Square, where an emergency “No War On Venezuela” protest just took to the street. Easily a thousand people here in real-feel 20°F weather. “No more coups, no more wars, Venezuela’s not yours!” “No boots on the ground no bombs in the air, U.S. out of everywhere!”

Important info for those who are considering opting out of the Anthropic settlement. Once this deadline passes, you lose your right to sue Anthropic for infringement of your works included in the settlement (but you still have till March 30 to file a claim)

*2026

Hi! Are you doomscrolling? Do you have something fun planned today? Naps and trips to Costco count! If your job does not involve being on social media, I recommend logging off and doing something else. Lots of options, including reading a book, going to a museum and watching the gay hockey show. 🏒

In all seriousness, if anyone knows any queer-friendly writing/social groups around North London please let me know, every one I've found so far either imploded or had weird vibes

Best thing I’ve read this morning, from a human rights lawyer in Mexico. Translation is in the ALT-text.

This may seem trivial in light of everything else fucked up but I don’t want to hear ONE FUCKING WORD from any other USAmericans about the Canadian boycotts and Canadian anger unless it’s “Yep, that’s fair.” Not. One. Word.

Time to dust this one off again

We are here because the Bushes, Reagan, and Nixon were never held accountable for their crimes and instead the fascists behind their actions ran rampant in capturing every institution that could hold them accountable if they ever woke the fuck up.

Call your reps + please read the thread. Do it now, please. Script.

Well,

Are you fucking telling me that in the last year we’ve made strides in 1) a treatment for ALS 2) a reversal of Alzheimer’s A) I swear there was something about Parkinson’s in there 3) AND NOW HUNTINGTON’S??

“Why are Americans mistrustful of AI?” asks the morning briefing thing I’m skimming while I “no” through literally a dozen questions being asked to me by a robot who stands between me and the person I need to talk to to schedule the x-ray that I really, really need