James Oswald
@sirbenfro.bsky.social
I write stuff He/Him https://jamesoswald.co.uk
Book #89 of 2026 - The Violent Hour, 15th in the Inspector McLean series by James Oswald ( @sirbenfro.bsky.social ). These are excellent- an honest & determined man has unnatural events intrude into his cases. The series is so good I order the new releases from the UK rather than wait here in the US
Today's book choice is The Violent Hour by @sirbenfro.bsky.social #AmReading 📖 #TheViolentHour #JamesOswald #BookSky 📚💙 #⚡📚 #Books
Professional writer organizations should not send out pro-AI propaganda in the form of tantrum-having "essays" to their members, and I don't think that's controversial.
Regarding The Pro-AI Tantrum In The HWA Newsletter
Today I, and every other HWA member, received the HWA newsletter in our inboxes. In that newsletter was an essay (“essay”) of pro-AI propaganda that made a number of specious points in …
terribleminds.com
Don't look now, but the world has now installed 3TW of solar. Took 10 years to get from 100GW to 1TW. Less than 3 years to get to 2TW. Less than 2 years to get to 3TW. Analysts expect *9TW* by 2036.
The World Crossed a Major Solar Milestone. No One Noticed
The next phase of the boom may reveal a shift in who is gaining access to the technology.
bloomberg.com
Pleased to say I managed to get both ‘Pervert Glasses’ and ‘Specs Offender’ into the WIP today.
damp shrug of cow horn “we’re hairy for a reason” – summer in Scotland —a haar coo
James Oswald@sirbenfro.bsky.social · 2d agoLonesome coo
Last chance to respond to this consultation - it closes today! Annoyingly they haven't put the exact closing time on it, but the cut-off is usually 11:59pm on the day
Tits McGee@scientits.bsky.social · 3w agoSelf-employed people! Sorry to put a downer on your Sunday, but in case you'd not seen, the Government wants us to pay our tax *monthly* like we're employees or something With the World Cup and all the politics, I'd missed the consultation they put out last month, which is here: 1/
Petition: Moratorium on planning applications for all hyperscale data centres in Scotland until their environmental impacts have been fully assessed petitions.parliament.scot/petitions/PE...
Petition: Moratorium on planning applications for all hyperscale data centres until their environmental impacts have been fully assessed
Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to introduce a moratorium to prohibit planning permission from being granted for any hyperscale data centres, until it has carried ou...
petitions.parliament.scot
This is arguably Viz’s greatest contribution to culture and still makes me smile.
My daughter has just sent me this lovely photo where you get an even better view of the puffin.
Silly money for a brilliant book. You know what to do.
Philip Gwynne Jones@pgjonesvenice.bsky.social · 2d agoFor those of you in the UK....there's a cracking offer this month with the ebook of "The Venetian Candidate" at just 99p for the whole of August! There's a bit of history, a new enemy is introduced, Nathan goes ice-skating and...just what lies within The Visconti Box?
Crops grown underneath solar panels produce more, require less water and are more resistant to extreme weather, even during a hot, dry summer. We need agrivoltaics to be rolled out asap, for both the electricity and the better growing conditions. microgridmedia.com/solar-panels...
Solar Panels Are Helping Crops Grow Better, Global Studies Show - Microgrid Media
For farmers worried about losing land to solar energy, new research brings surprising news: many crops actually produce more food when grown beneath solar
microgridmedia.com
Downplay a book or film (or both): To Live And Dine In LA.
Dr Kate Le Fou 🏴@katelaity.eurosky.social · 3d agoDownplay a book or film (or both): The Man in the Velvet Mask
What Danie says. I'm not sure what the point of @amnestyuk.bsky.social is if it's not standing up to bullies.
Danie Ware@danacea.bsky.social · 3d agoYour regular reminder that you can't appease a bully. You show them your belly, they'll just bully you even more. Seriously, @amnestyuk.bsky.social, on behalf of all of us, stand up to this spoiled, schoolyard beehutch, will you? Give her the bloody nose she deserves. You're letting everyone down.
Morning Womble! After a customer suggested @sirbenfro.bsky.social's Inspector McLean books might be right up my street, I've read the first two, and am onto the third. Customer described them as 'detective fiction with a bit of the occult!'. Very much enjoying them, and yes, right up my street 🙂
Neoclassical econ assumes rationality. The corollary of, "If you're so smart, why aren't you rich?" is "you're rich, so you must be very smart!" Thus, people assume that if powerful, well-compensated CEOs insist that "AI is changing everything," well then, *AI must be changing everything*. 1/
Why is it that something only ever breaks on the tractor just after noon on a Saturday, when the agricultural merchants are all closed until Monday morning? So much for getting the hay bales in this weekend.
Whoever needs to hear this, this is for you. If you knowingly use ai, in any of its shapes or forms, ( outside of being forced to for your job ) you are insulting me & pretty much every creative person you think you admire. You’re doing harm & damage to people, the environment & your own self.
If your legal department isn't made up of bloodthirsty idealists sharpening their teeth fantasising about reaching legal valhalla through glorious battle in the courtroom, you are not doing it right. Your aspiration should be to drag Rowling to the stand and humiliate her like Irving.
Every writer I know, and for my sins I know a lot of them, is absolutely 100% delighted for you to get their book out from your local library.
Friendly reminder: a lot of people aren’t going to get to see the new Spider-Man movie right away, and we won’t be able to filter every possible surprise cameo. Please hold off on spoilers until more people have had a chance to see it.
When you tell me you use 'AI', my mind reacts as if you told me you like to masturbate in public. Just in case you were wondering.