Science & Fiction editor/writer. Chemistry PhD ⚛️ Writer: The Crash Course Organic Chemistry & various DK science books 🧪 Deputy Editor at PseudoPod 🦑 Short fiction https://thefictionphial.wordpress.com 🖊️
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Coming over here, taking up the low wage jobs as grasping employers take advantage of the cheap labour, ruining the health service, getting in everywhere when they're just not wanted, mangling the Engish language ... When is the government going to do something about the invasion of generative AI?
#Seaweed farms are a dual solution for climate change & sustainable energy. - don't require freshwater, fertilizer, or arable land to grow, making it one of the most eco-friendly resources - naturally absorbs massive amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through photosynthesis helping 1/...
Aw, this looks so cute! Might it be on other platforms, do you think?
Hi I wrote about Little Problems by Posh Cat Studio because I am here for a detective game where the biggest mysteries include “who broke my favourite mug?” and “where is my essay?” www.theguardian.com/games/2025/s...
Brilliantly written and brilliantly told
Here's something nice for September: A NARROW DOOR for just 99p on Kindle UK till the end of the month! www.amazon.co.uk/Narrow-Door-...
It’s #BloodCancerAwarenessMonth. Blood cancers are widely misunderstood, still. They often come with vague symptoms that get mistaken for other things, meaning long times to diagnoses. Tests, treatments and prognoses are not always as drastic or dramatic as TV shows suggest! Get a blood panel done 🩸
'Mushroom Medley´ by artist/photographer Jill Bliss who explores the coastal forests of the Pacific Northwest, creating nature-inspired work #WomensArt #September
… an otherwise dead thing and trying to give it a soul.
Editing a finished work isn’t the same thing at all. The magic is already there. It’s already woven in. All an editor does is… make it extra sparkly. Co-creation is different, too. Two artists working to build something together, alongside each other – that’s nothing like picking up…
Because your art comes from *you*. If you try to make it come from someone else, it will inevitably be awful. This is also why continuing or finishing another creative’s work rarely works out well. Art and the artist are symbiotic.
Oh who reads that? Who’s even heard of that? Now if Fox news had published the study, *that* would be something.
Results so stunningly clear they inspired this classic xkcd (xkcd.com/2400/):
Yes, you’re right. I suppose we’re all wondering if she could have been the one to spill the beans, but it seems unlikely.
Yes. We haven’t really met Kalatma have we? I don’t feel like I know the character. Who is she?
Who else was paid to play? It wasn’t JUST Rex, I remember Vince’s whole argument was they had to play two players to make it more fair. Who was the second?
My children declared this was actually better than the first one, but that may partly be the cinema experience. Either way, it's certainly not *worse*
The mysterious metal at the heart of the plot being called 'MacGuffinite' also made me laugh. Also, you don't really need to have seen The Bad Guys (1) for this one to make sense. I confess to not having paid proper attention to TBG1, and this one held together regardless.
Just got back from The Bad Guys 2 with the kids. Lots of silly heist fun. Great characters, and some very funny references for the grown-ups (reader: I laughed at the 'Silence of the Lambs' prison visit spoof, and had absolutely no way to explain why it was so funny). Recommended.
No, but probably something similar. "I can't relate to this because it doesn't match my lived experience," may be a true fact, but it is not, I'm afraid, a valid criticism of a piece of artistic work.
Yeah, well, my problem with Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is that I will never be a space, time and probability-hopping hitchhiker in a dressing gown who can, sometimes, fly. I just can't relate to it. (*For the avoidance of doubt, this is not a serious comment.)
“Your friend in time, Doc, Emmett L. Brown. September 1st, 1885.”
“And all at once, summer collapsed into fall.” ― Oscar Wilde. Art by Maggie Vandewalle 🍂
realistic Star Trek
I’m so sorry.
I SWORE no more patterned tights. I don’t wear them enough to justify it. But. But.
The kitchen in particular 🫣
As summer fades, dahlias are blooming. This graphic looks at the chemical cause of their colours and why you won't spot a blue one! www.compoundchem.com/2021/09/12/d... #ChemSky 🧪
Thank you! 💜
This brought a tear. Thanks @chronicleflask.katday.com wp.me/p7oxmE-eT
I read about an owl sanctuary that took in an young injured male owl and after it was released it would drop by semi-regularly with mice and shrews for the owls being cared for there
It seems some people believe taking credit for other people’s work is fair enough.
If you do a foreign tour, if you win a foreign prize, if you do interviews with foreign press, always be aware that your translator deserves half the credit. You didn't create this success. They did. Remember them. Name them. Acknowledge them.
Huh. Could have weeded that driveway better for a listing...questionable choice of wallpaper, but pretty-stained glass...why is there a...oh God...oh no...please no...*rapid spiral into screaming like Edward Woodward at the end of The Wicker Man*
Moksha is doing scheduled maintenance. Obviously that's our preferred method for receiving subs to the @apexmag.bsky.social flash contest, but if you need to get your story in and the portal is still closed, you can email me at rebecca.treasure@apexbookcompany.com with your story.
How is it the end of August already? Time, eh. Anyway, here's a piece of soft and squishy #FlashFiction to ease you into September... thefictionphial.wordpress.com/2025/08/31/a...
I suppose they cod...
So hard to keep those in tuna.
And you were right about the Turkey teeth. That’s going to be a horrible storyline 😬
Lolol no. He’s expecting Adam to fix all the mess so he can leave it all nice and tidy for his golden girl!
Mussel in, surely?
This is a UK organisation, and the petition currently stands at over 40,000. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the majority are supportive. The noise comes from a tiny minority.
I did say mostly 😆
I'm honored to have my nihilistic, eco-anxious diatribe published at Pseudopod.
This week's comic, inspired by a study showing that AI summaries on top of search results are dramatically cutting traffic to websites.
Today is also #InternationalWhaleSharkDay – these beautiful creatures have constellation-like patterns which are as unique as fingerprints. They’re also the largest fish in the sea – reaching over 12 m in length – but they’re filter feeders so, like Earth, they’re mostly harmless.
And well done to Crystal Clean Windows who cleaned it for free "A huge thank you to Isaac Crystal Clean Windows York Limited. After this incident happened, he kindly came and cleaned our windows for free. We are truly touched by his kindness." www.crystalcleanwindowsyork.co.uk
sorry for multiple replies, but you can get the book here. it's EXCELLENT: ko-fi.com/avramargariti
Has anyone got any erotic poems about moon ghosts? For… research?
A Blood Moon is coming on September 7, and over 6.2 billion people will be able to see it! 🌕🧪 This total lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon moves into Earth’s darkest shadow, causing it to glow red from sunlight refracted through our atmosphere. #LunarEclipse #Astronomy #Space #BloodMoon
North London people. If you a) have kids and b) are around next Sunday, then you should 100% take your kids to see The Listies at ArtsDepot. Trust me, you will all leave having snort laughed so hard for an hour: www.artsdepot.co.uk/event/the-li...
I’m really looking forward to hosting @joannechocolat.bsky.social next Saturday at a charity fundraiser for @folklorelibrary.bsky.social There are just six tickets left from the 100 allocated, so it’s going to be a busy night, with French hot chocolate, chocolatier and chocolate traybakes too!
Forgive my replying in English after reading the translation: I didn’t realise you also don’t routinely have the chicken pox vaccine in Norway. I hope they follow the UK’s lead.
They haven’t said it that directly. But the gist is: “we should just let people die” and “some people just are physically deficient” and. I cannot.
Good lord. That’s twice now I’ve had people arguing “eugenics is good, actually” in my replies. What on earth.
“One thing the Horizon IT system and AI have in common is their fallibility; both are complex systems which generate unpredictable errors. However, while the bugs in Fujitsu’s bodged accounting system stem from shoddy software testing, AI’s problems are foundational.”
“ I do know that for the sympathy of one living being, I would make peace with all. I have love in me the likes of which you can scarcely imagine and rage the likes of which you would not believe. If I cannot satisfy the one, I will indulge the other.” #Frankenstein’s Monster, Mary Shelley #booksky
On the surface, yes, Frankenstein is a book about a man using science and alchemy to create life. On another level, it’s about a huge narcissist being a huge narcissist, destroying everything good around him, and eventually coming to a sticky end. What was my point again?
Born #OnThisDay in 1797 was author Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, who wrote the Gothic novel 'Frankenstein' in 1818. The book is considered by some to be one of the first sci-fi novels, with protagonist Victor Frankenstein using both science and alchemy to create a living creature from dead bodies.
There WAS a huge thunderstorm followed by rainbows yesterday…
" COMIC ◆ www.smbc-comics.com/comic/stop-3 PATREON ◆ www.patreon.com/c/ZachWeiner... STORE ◆ smbc-store.myshopify.com
Sunset after the storm ⛈️
I’m back in the hosting chair this week, enjoy! 🦑
Well, that’s one anti-vaxxer blocked.
This is good news. The UK was far behind other countries on this. More children, in absolute terms, get severely ill from chicken pox than get severely ill from meningitis. news.sky.com/story/chicke...
I also invite you to actually look up some of the things Plato advocated (spoiler: eugenics! The extra nasty kind!!). If he’s your role model, we have a bit of a problem.
See, I shouldn’t have to explain this. I really shouldn’t. But I will do it just the once: We judge people based on their actions, not physical characteristics which innocent bystanders may well share, because the former is morally sound while the later is being a prejudiced little shitweasel.
No. But also, props to the editor who insisted on the properly subscripted 2.
This. I’m all for intensely disliking people, but FFS, don’t criticise their physical attributes. You’ve got plenty to work with based on their horrible, horrible actions.
King of the organs...
Yep, that one was great. I’d been hoping they’d do that.
They are so WEIRD
Word of the Day: SCIENTASTER (19th century) - someone who claims to have scientific knowledge but lacks real understanding.
Yeeesssss! We have been promoting anthologies and collections for years, of course 😁
This whole episode was fascinating. I had heard the seed oils thing, but had no idea where the notion they were harmful was from (and not the patience to hunt it down). Thank you, Michael and Aubrey, for doing the good work 🌻😄
The vaccine is widely available in the US, of course. But you’ll need to seek it out and pay for it, and yes, given your current administration, I don’t imagine that will be made as easy as it could be.
‘If you learn things,’ she finished softly, ‘you might find yourself building a different kind of kingdom.’ The Shepherd’s Crown, by Terry Pratchett. Published 10 years ago #OTD, 27 August 2015. You should read it. Especially the footnotes 🩶
The numerically aware will notice that this episode is out of sequence. See, it fell into the Tower moat, and got swallowed by the monster, and, well, it took a while to get it… out…
A writer is a person who cares what words mean, what they say, how they say it. Writers know words are their way towards truth and freedom, and so they use them with care, with thought, with fear, with delight. By using words well they strengthen their souls.
That very fact is what allowed them to make this observation: they effectively ended up with a perfectly randomised controlled trial.
Heh.
I’m sorry that happened 💔
Oh bah!!
I’m going to get it done privately because, although it’s a bit pricy, this is a significant potential risk reduction. And in the grand scheme of things, and extremely worthwhile investment. (And worst case scenario: I don’t get shingles.)
More here: med.stanford.edu/news/all-new...
Maps used to be so much better in the old days, because they would show you where the monsters are. Now, we have to stumble upon them ourselves.
This is very exiting news: a shingles vaccine could prevent (or at least significantly delay) 1 in 5 Alzheimer’s diagnoses! 😲 www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
📢 This is great news - but we need to see more improvements for leukaemia. We’re calling for full blood counts to be offered as part of core phlebotomy services at all Community Diagnostic Centres, to ensure earlier diagnosis and better outcomes.
For a word to be spoken, there must be silence. Before, and after.
Unsolicited writing advice, no. 350: Respect your readers. Think of them with affection and trust. If you think of them with contempt, resentment, or a sense of superiority, it will show up in your writing.
Link to article: www.pcgamer.com/software/ai/...
Trigger warning for maths and science teachers: the bar chats shown here are extremely upsetting.
![Screenshot from article: Most obviously, the claimed SWE-bench performance of GPT-5 versus older model shown on launch day was badly botched. The chart showed accuracy figures of 74.9% for ChatGPT 5, 69.1% for OpenAi 03 and 30.8% for GPT-40. [pink and white bar charts: heights bear no relation to the y axis, or each other] Problem is, the bar graph heights were exactly the same for the latter two, giving the at-a-glance impression of total dominance for GPT-5 when in fact it is only marginally superior to OpenAl 03.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:icsm7hd2dok5lxddyrig4gbt/bafkreiaskejsp3z6jigmmnyqhxgtb327225zvfy2li3aq4lvxqyex3skvi@jpeg "Click to view full size")
No, you won't be an Olympic-grade swimmer. Not many people are. You'll learn how not to drown and probably manage to swim a few lengths, though. And that's more than worth it.
Do you want to be a swimmer? Get in the sodding water.
You don’t learn to swim by reading about water. You definitely don’t learn to swim by asking an algorithm to produce something about how humans can propel themselves through water.
Premee is very dear to me as a person but even if I did not know her at all she would still be one of my very favorite authors. Her work balances the best of the science-y and the deeply relatable human ends of the speculative genre and the futures she imagines feel so real. She’s also funny af.
The idea is like grass. It craves light, likes crowds, thrives on crossbreeding, grows better for being stepped on.
That's what I've been saying
