Binged East of Eden on Netflix this weekend. I haven’t read the book, but as watchable as it all was, the good/evil theme felt forced to me. Spoilers…
Catherine Shaffer
@cathshaffer.bsky.social
Freelance Science Journalist | SFF Writer MSU/UM grad | Ann Arbor 🏠 | Clarion '97 | AnLab 🏅 | Obligate herbivore | Cat lover | Allergic to cats | Achoo! www.CatherineShaffer.com
10/ Still, consider what we do know. Ukraine struck major Russian digital infrastructure. Automated traffic from Yandex’s network reportedly plunged. And Zelenskyy described a calmer online atmosphere.That leaves a question worth asking: how much of the anger we see online is artificially amplified?
My new Genre Grapevine covers the continuing issues with Must Read Magazines, the new owner of Asimov's, Analog and F&SF. Must Read Magazines has pushed the patience of the science fiction and fantasy genre with secrecy, silence, bad contracts, and bad statements. www.patreon.com/jasonsanford...
Genre Grapevine: Must Read Magazines MUST Change or They’ll Destroy Asimov’s, Analog and F&SF | Jason Sanford's Genre Grapevine
Reminder: If you like my journalism or my fiction writing, please consider becoming a paid Patreon supporter. I deeply love the so-called “
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It really seems like LLMs have their own voice. I find myself picking up on it much quicker than I used to. As if it’s the of a really quirky character like Yosemite Sam or Gollum. Most people I know can do an AI impression for laughs.
Yet Another Literary Prizewinner Seems to Be AI
The prestigious Caine Prize, announced last week, went to a story with many red flags.
theatlantic.com
Whoever prompted the model to assemble this catalog couldn't be bothered to even casually look at the images
Beth Cato@bethcato.bsky.social · yesterdayThe annoying: Sam’s Club is apparently using AI to create official product pics. The horror: AI made Little Debbie Oatmeal Crème Pies into tacos. 😱 (Hat tip to Reddit. Verified in Sam’s app. This is image 9 of product.)
Rumor has it there’s an entire section dedicated to MAGA merch at one of the local resale shops here. I’ve never seen it in any other. That’s a choice either way.
Bluesky Fanatic@blueskyfanatic.bsky.social · yesterday
If you have many dogs in one house, they usually nominate one dog for guard duty, even if all are guarding breeds. In the past we’ve had mastiffs/gsd/eskimo/etc combos. Currently, our beagle/Newf/lab household is protected by this puppy’s smol bork borks.
When you just want to enjoy a cup of coffee on your nice sectional on a misty Sunday morning but the beagle is cold.
Having and maintaining a billion dollars in wealth is a mental disorder. In future more enlightened times it will be added to the DSM. I am not kidding. Thread!
By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C)@doctorow.pluralistic.net · 3d agoThere are many ways in which every billionaire is a policy failure, but the most corrosive and destructive way in which billionaires are policy failures is this: billionaires, despite being unelected and unaccountable, possess the power to control - and ruin - millions of peoples' lives.
Of course they are. This is exactly the kind of use case they’ve been marketed for.
WIRED@wired.com · 3d agoMore than two dozen workers at three major publishing houses—HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, and Hachette—tell WIRED that LLMs are being used for publicity, cover art, back cover copy, and emails, as some execs push junior staff to champion the tech. Read the full story: buff.ly/p0ymGmN
Watching a lot of YouTube today because I’m sick. This image popped up on a video about how to talk to your dr by John torquato and now I’m scared. It flexes, too.
The productivity hack no one wants to hear is going to therapy. The human neocortex integrates poorly with the reptile brain. This means everyone should ideally have some therapy in early adulthood to integrate better. Look around you at the people you know…
This is why I don’t use AI “just for research.” In my experiments with AI, I’ve often been unsatisfied with results, so I would push myself to do the thing I was making AI do and MY work was so much better…
Using AI for just 10 minutes erodes your ability to persist at hard things - Berkeley News
A UC Berkeley researcher co-authored a study that raises profound questions about how we interact with artificial intelligence in education — and daily life.
news.berkeley.edu
If you're 45 or older and have not had a colonoscopy yet, it's time, and it's not that bad.
John Scalzi@scalzi.com · 5d agoI had a colonoscopy yesterday and of course I wrote about the experience. Come read why my colonoscopy was not bad at all, why I encourage those of you putting it off to actually schedule it if you can, and what a teddy bear has to do with the whole experience: whatever.scalzi.com/2026/10/08/c...
I decided to update my list of publications to pitch by checking the AI policies at each one. To my dismay, several big publications have partnerships with OpenAI that either explicitly allow content to be used for training or don't seem to rule it out.
My article, "Experts say it's too early to ditch the Lp(a) hypothesis," made the front page at Medscape today. Direct link here: www.medscape.com/viewarticle/...
Experts Say It’s Too Early to Ditch the Lp(a) Hypothesis
The highly anticipated phase 3 Lp(a)HORIZON trial misses its primary endpoint, but it is not time yet to give up on the Lp(a) hypothesis.
medscape.com
There are many reasons to be cautious about multicancer detection tests. I was offered a free test in Barcelona two years ago while attending ESMO, and I did consider running to the lab to have blood drawn... www.statnews.com/2026/10/06/g...
I finally got around to watching the LOTR extended versions and I’m obsessed with the Mouth of Sauron. I can’t get over the ridiculous “HRRR” noises he makes with the toothy grin. Cracks me up.
Please Ugly: Terrifying Monster Mask
Alt: Mouth of Sauron says HRRR HRRR
static.klipy.com
Sandra has a wealth of knowledge to share about the practicalities of the writing life
Sandra Tayler@sandratayler.bsky.social · 6d agoLooking for a gift to give a creative person in your life? Give the gift of community, support, or coaching! www.patreon.com/Sand...
London-based Resurrect Bio solved the Irish Potato Famine using cutting edge gene-editing technology nearly two hundred years after the blight wiped out a quarter of Ireland’s population. The company represents a new wave of startups applying gene editing technologies to improve crop plants.
A year or two ago, Gannett was advertising heavily on LinkedIn for AI reporter roles, described as a reporter that would use AI to assemble large numbers of stories with fast turnover. I didn’t apply. Worth reading the whole thread here.
Nicole Bedera@nbedera.bsky.social · last wk.While digging around their website, I found their ethics policy—including a section on AI-generated content. I suspect that’s a part of what happened here. And I’m upset about that too! I did NOT speak to a journalist with the assumption that my interview would be funneled into producing AI slop.
I’m so confused. Are they even Catholic? What business purpose does this serve?
Parkscope Joe@parkscopejoe.bsky.social · 2w agoThis is insane.
I accidentally closed my main browser window with the tabs I've been keeping open and restarting on for months. I feel oddly relieved.
In addition to the points raised in this excellent thread, I'll note that competitors pay from $999 up to nearly $20,000 to join the "contest." This is just marketing for the company.
Bethany Brookshire@beebrookshire.bsky.social · last wk.This contest might seem cool and interesting, who doesn’t want to know what their “biological age” or “real” age is? But I find this deeply, deeply dystopian. People “racing to biological youth” is a fundamentally deeply conservative and selfish mindset. www.technologyreview.com/2026/10/02/1...
I used to occasionally offer my sources the option to do an interview by email, if it was too difficult to align schedules for a call or if it was easier for them, though a live call was always on offer. I've stopped recently because I started getting AI-generated interviews back.
By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C)@doctorow.pluralistic.net · last wk."Email Interview" (n): A process by which a stranger commissions you to write several short essays on subjects of their choosing, for free, which then runs under their byline.