#Association of Writers and Writing Programs

[authortoberecognized]

  WRITER’S FORUM  WRITING PROGRAMS

                        WEBSITES HELPFUL TO WRITERS This is a series of posts which, I think, will be beneficial to writers. But first, I would like to include my usual warning about using websites. Whenever you check a website you are, in my opinion and I talk from experience, being put on a list for sale. So, expect the possibility of being bombarded by ads from companies you, perhaps, have…

[lisakamolnick]

The Joys of the 68th Annual Poetry Festival

I recently returned from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, where the Poetry Society of Tennessee held its 68th Annual Poetry Festival. The event was a partnership of the society, Poetry in the Boro, and MTSU Write. The society’s first in-person festival since before COVID (and first-ever hybrid event) featured a morning plenary session by Christian J. Collier and four separate tracks for the afternoon,…

[shadowboxerinc]

Wknd Updates:

12.21.24 Hola! The weekend is here, and we have some updates in the literature department. First, let’s get to the Association of Writers and Writing Programs. They are having their annual conference and bookfair in Los Angeles in March 2025. Here is what they have right now. Credit Source: Association of Writers & Writing Programs AWP Conference The AWP Conference & Bookfair is the essential…

[astrocafecoffee]

💫Your future spouse's career based on your Juno persona chart 💫

✨ For entertainment purposes only. Enjoy.✨

🌜what to check?

- just check your Industria (389) asteroid in your Juno persona chart.Find out in which house it falls in!!

Why this asteroid?

- Juno persona chart tells about your future spouse and Industria(389) asteroid is a long term career related asteroid. So this asteroid in your juno persona chart can give a insight about your future spouse's career.

🌜SOME SHORT TERMS I USED HERE :

- FS = FUTURE SPOUSE

-JPC = JUNO PERSONA CHART

Leshh go!

🌆 Industria in 1st house of JPC : 1st house represent one's identity, personality and how they present themselves to the world.This asteroid in 1st house suggests that their career may be tied to their personal identity and innovative spirit. Now some possible career of your fs-

*Entrepreneurial scientist - they may excel in entrepreneurial pursuits within the scientific community. They may innovate new technologies, products that have a significant impact in their field.

* Industry leader - they maybe known for their innovative idea and proactive attitude to their work. They can easily be a leader of their respective industry.

* visionary consultant - they may excel in their field as a respectful advisor, who offers solutions to businesses or individuals seeking guidance.

* Creative director- career in creative leadership such as creative director in advising, film, fashion, or design.

* makeup artist

* Model

* engeneering

* design/ work in media.

🌆 Industria in 2nd house of JPC : Their career may be closely related to their values resources, managing or utilising assets and their sense of stability. Some possible career of your fs -

* wealth management specialist - they helps individuals or organizations maximize their financial resources and investments through innovative and strategic approach.

* Creative Financial analyst - specialised in creative or innovative analysis methods.

* Financial innovator- innovates new financial products, services or strategies.

* asset manager

* Entrepreneurial investor

* can sing well

* accountant

🌆 Industria in 3rd house of JPC : 3rd house represents one's communication style, mental persuits, and interaction within immediate environment. When this asteroid in your 3rd house this can indicate that your fs may excel in the career of innovative communication methods or technologies. Some possible career of your fs -

* They may into journalism, media, broadcasting, or public relations where someone uses their creative ideas.

* technology writer/ blogger: their career path may involve writing / blogging about technologies or industry trends or sharing their ideas with wide audience.

* Workshop/ educational outreach programs.

* small business owner

* excel in troubleshooting skills, problem solving abilities, explaining complex concepts in simple terms.

🌆 Industria in 4th house of JPC : their career tied to their home , family roots, and emotional well-being.some possible career of your fs -

* career in real estate - specialize in designing sustainable, eco friendly, or technologically advanced buildings.

* e- commerce, consulting, freelance work.

* Family councillor or therapist - they may help individuals and families navigate challenges, fostering harmony and growth within te hone environment.

* interior designer

* Home renovation specialist

* Family owned business owner.

* childcare provider

🌆 Industria in 5th house of JPC : 5th house is associated with creativity,joy, children and hobbies. It governs one's individual approach to work, self expression and personal fulfillment. So your fs career strongly related to this area of life. Possible careers -

* creative artist/ entertainer - Excels in creative profession like music , theater , film, writing etc.

* event planer- organizing wedding, festivals or social gathering.

* teacher/ coach - inspiring or guiding others in academic subject/ sports.

* youth councillor - natural affinity to work with young people and helping them to discover their talents.

* atrs nd crafts business owner.

* fitness instructor

* dance teacher

* entertainment industry professional.

🌆 Industria in 6th house of JPC : 6th house is associated with employment, daily task, health and service to others. So possible career of your fs -

* health care professionals - career related to healthcare, nursing, doctor, medicine, and pharmacy.

* nutritionist/ dietician - helping others to improve their dietary habits , manage health condition.

* fitness trainer/ coach - motivates others to adopt healthy lifestyle.

* administrative professional - may indicate talent for efficiency, attention to detail, making career in administrative or office management appealing.

* environmental scientist

* social worker

* reasearch assistant

🌆 Industria in 7th house of JPC : 7th house is related to marriage, buisness partnership, legal matters, and one-on-one interactions. Possible career domains of your fs-

*legal professional - career related as mediators, legal consultant, specialization in areas such as contrat law , family law or dispute resolution.

* business consultant - expertise in the area of strategy, negotiation, and partnership development.

* marriage and family therapist - helping couples navigate challenges, improve communication and strengthen their bonds through therapy or councilling sessions.

* international business manager

* foreign affair specialist

* event coordinator

*public relation specialist

* human resources manager

🌆 Industria in 8th house of JPC : 8th house is associated with themes such as mysteries, psychology, healing, emotional connection. So possible careers of your fs -

* psychologist/ psychotherapist - your fs may excel in trauma therapy, helping others to navigate profound emotional experiences , uncover hidden truth.

* forensic investigator/ crime analyst- they may be focused on uncovering hidden truths and solving mysteries.

*massage therapist - specialize in modalities such as deep tissue massage, craniosacral therapy or helping clients release emotional/ physical tension through healing.

* reasearch scientist - may excel in fields such as psychology, quantum physics, or consciousness studies.

* occultist - astrologer, tarot reader, or spiritual councillors.

* healer/ energy worker

* heal others through their respective fields. Can be. Singer too .

🌆 Industria in 9th house of JPC: 9th house is associated with themes such as higher learning, expansion of horizons , seeking truth, broadening one's perspective through travel/ exploration. Possible careers of your fs -

* international relations specialist - involve promoting international cooperation, resolving conflicts, forming mutual understanding between nations and cultures.

* spiritual teacher/ guru- your fs may pursue careers as spiritual teachers, gurus, mentors, guiding others on their spiritual journey.

* tour guide

* philosopher

* religious leader - may pursue careers as priests, ministers, guiding and supporting communities in matters of faith and spiritual growth.

* global NGO worker

* foreign language teacher

🌆 Industria in 10th house of JPC: 10th house is associated with themes such as career aspirations, social status, reputation, and professional achievements. This asteroid influences the individual's approach to career, public image, authority, ambition. So possible careers of your fs -

* media personality/ influencer - television hosts , journalist, bloggers, social media influencer , reaching a wide audience.

* creative director/ artist - artist, designer, performers.

* CEO

* startup founder, business owner, or self employed professionals.

* legal professional/ lawyer

* educational administrator

🌆 Industria in 11th house of JPC: when your industria asteroid in this house your fs may excel in the career of social network, group affiliation, humanitarian causes, collaboration etc. So possible careers of your fs -

* social entrepreneur - creates innovative solutions to adress social challenges.

* Tech entrepreneur, start-up founder.

* content creator - social media influencers, bloggers, using their platforms to inspire/ educate peoples.

* environment activist

* advocate

* community organizer

* designing educational platforms , or promoting digital literacy.

🌆 Industria in 12th house of JPC: 12th house is often associated with hidden strengths, spirituality, and working behind the scenes. So possible careers of your fs -

* they might work in reserch and development, data analysis or logistical planning behind the scenes.

* astro- spiritual researcher

* music industry

* astrologer

*song writer.

* mystical or spiritual advisor.

* environmental conservationist.

⚡ Note : these are only some possibilities of careers of your fs. And guys check the degrees to , it's like cheery on top 💌

🌜Don't forget to check my other observations too 👀

That's it guys , see you soon 💝

- piko 💖

[aplpaca]

idk if anyone else needs to hear this or like how common a problem it is but like if you usually have a lot of trouble writing non-work/school stuff at any speed, I'd suggest maybe trying out a writing program/interface that doesn't look like microsoft word or google docs

Like, I thought I was just a terminally slow writer when doing my own stuff. I'd get like 50 words down in several hours on a normal day, maybe 200 on a good one. But a while ago I noticed that if I was writing in my notes app or on cash register paper at work, I just did not have that issue. Like I still wasn't The Fastest, but I could get 200 just casually while multitasking on a normal day, and sometimes got up to 600.

So like, I figured it was bc I was putting less pressure on myself at those points bc I wasn't sitting down with the intention to write. And that's prob part of it. But also I recently realized that maybe using word and docs themself while I was on desktop was playing a part in it. Bc those are the programs I'd use while writing for school under a deadline, and that association is kinda soaked into the layout of those programs for me.

So I tried out a free book-drafting program whose layout looks basically nothing like word or docs, and suddenly I've been averaging like 500 words a day pretty much any time I use it. Like, I wrote a 1300 word snippet in 2 days (which previously would have taken more than a week), and I've written 2000 words in the past 4, which for some people might not be much, but is an absolutely insane amount for me and also way more consistent than I've ever been in the past. Wack.

But yeah so like, I guess if u have similar problems, maybe try switching where youre writing and see if that does anything? Ye

[alexanderwales]

There's a scene in Kurt Vonnegut's Player Piano where an architect uses an AI to generate architectural plans within constraints, and the program does so well that the man realizes that he's completely useless, so he goes and kills himself.

I think this is one of the reasons that I keep finding myself drawn to AI text generation, following the papers and reading some of the output: am I useless yet? Has the time come when I've been surpassed?

And every time I check it out, I see that it's just not there yet ... but sometimes it's closer.

I'm starting to get very frustrated by some of the AI conversations. There's so much question about whether or not AI is capable of producing art, and I keep thinking that this is unnecessarily philosophical.

I would say that currently, in terms of prose generation, the AI is in the bottom 30% of writers, it's just bad in very different ways from a human writer. There are obvious issues with accuracy and consistency, and it leans on cliché, and doesn't understand pacing very well, but ... to me, these are important things to know? And they're not insurmountable, even if we froze the models at their current capabilities.

One of the main things I see people throw around is that AI writing is boring and uncreative. I guess I would agree with that generally, but it isn't axiomatically true, it's just true right now. And it's not even that bad.

Here's an example: I have a script set up to generate novels, and it starts with a premise, which comes from a combination of genre and theme (which are provided by me). Here, I had provided "genre=fantasy, new weird" and "themes=grief, loss, creativity and creation".

When renowned sculptor Maya Chen loses her ability to create after her daughter's death, she discovers that her abandoned artworks have begun manifesting as living entities in a parallel dimension called the Unfinished. As these incomplete creations start bleeding into reality—bringing both wonder and horror—Maya must venture into this realm of artistic fragments to confront her grief and either complete what she started or risk watching her uncontrolled imagination consume the world.

Is this a wholly unique plot? I mean, no, but I think wholly unique plots are kind of overdone, and that people place too much emphasis on doing something that's never ever been done before. But if you told me this was the premise of your novel, I wouldn't immediately say "well that's derivative garbage". If I picked up a book in the store and read this blurb ... it doesn't sing to me, I wouldn't buy this book unless it had rave reviews, but I wouldn't think "ugh, another book about a creatively blocked artist mourning the death of a loved one". I think that if I had to, I could write this book, and I wouldn't be straining under an overdone premise.

Here's how the novel opens:

The studio had become a tomb.

Maya Chen sat rigid in the wooden chair that had once been her throne, her spine straight as carved alabaster, her hands folded in her lap like offerings to a god who no longer listened.

And you know ... this isn't terrible! I think "spine straight as carved alabaster" is just nonsense as a metaphor, and indicative of the kind of error that LLMs routinely make, mashing together words that sound nice but don't actually work as imagery. Is carved alabaster straight? I would submit that it's not. The word was probably "chosen" for its associations of being cold, pale, and a sculptor's stone, but it doesn't actually work here. So is her spine curved like carved alabaster? This would make sense if she sat hunched in her chair, but it's a pretty bad use of language.

I think if you're reading quickly, this is the sort of thing that you won't consciously notice, but I think maybe you will notice it subconsciously, particularly when it happens eight times in six paragraphs.

This foray was done with Claude Sonnet 4, which is close to being state of the art, though to my knowledge there's not a frontier model that's working on prose fiction. It's important to me to know what these models are capable of, and how they fail, at least partly so that I can know whether I need to start trying to pivot to another way of making money that's not writing.

Do I think it'll get there eventually? I mean ... I'm starting to get skeptical. I have a hard time reading more than a few pages of AI-generated text using the best prompting and control methods I know of, but I'm a professional writer and hobbyist programmer, so there's got to be someone who can coax better stuff out of the machines than I can.

For now, I'm resting secure in the thought that I'm a much better writer than the machine is. For now.

[neonswitchhouse]

Magical AI Grimoire Review

Let’s just get a couple of things out of the way:

1) I’ve been in witchcraft spaces for going on 10+ years now

2) I’ve been flirting around in chaos magic spaces for around the same amount of time

3) I am 30+ a “millennial” if one may

4) I am anti-generative AI so of course this is going to have a bit of a negative slant towards generative AI and LLM Based models as a whole

That being said, what drew me to the book at first was two things: one, the notion of “egregore work” in the latter chapters and two, the notion of using AI in any sort of magical space or connotation, especially with the overlap as of late in some pop culture witch circles especially with using chatbots as a form of divination or communication rather than say through cards, Clair’s, or otherwise

Let’s get into it

Starting off, here is the table of contents for said book:

Of note, chapters 13-16 and chapters 21-23. Just keep these in the back of your mind for later.

In chapter 1, the author, Davezilla describes a story of a young witch in a more rural environment, isolated from for example other witchy communities and the like, while she makes do with what she has, she wants to advance her craft, notably with a spell to boost things agriculturally for her farm that she manages through other technological means. Booting up ChatGPT, the program whips up an incantation for rain with a rhyming spell to a spirit dubbed “Mélusine” to help aid in a drought. She even uses the prompt and program for aid in supplies such as candles and herbs and even what to use as substitutes should she not be able to procure and blue or white candles.

This is not a testimonial however but an example given by the author. That’s all a majority of this book is; examples rather than testimonials or results vetted through other witches or practitioners. While not typical in most witchy books to give reviews or testimonials of course, it’s generally a bit of a note for most spell books worth the ink and paper and the like for spells to have actually been tested and given results before hand, at least from what I’ve gathered from other writers in the witchcraft space. Even my own grimoire pages are based not only on personal experiences and results, but from what I’ve observed from others.

Then we get into terms from Lucimi and Santeria for…some reason.

The author claims that he has been initiated into these closed/initiation only traditions, but within the context of the book and the topic given, this just seems like a way to flex that he’s ✨special✨ and not like other occultists or the like. But that’s not even the worst of it, as he even tries to make ChatGPT write a spell based off of said traditions

Again, keep in mind that this is based off of closed or initiatory practice and the author is judging by his AI generated Chad-tactic author picture, a white older millennial at best

And obligatory “I don’t go here”/im not initiated into any of these practices but to make an AI write a spell based off of closed path and practice seems…tasteless at best

But oh my, what else this author tries to make Chat conjure up

In order

1) This is at best what every other lucid dreaming guide or reading would give for basic instructions. Not too alarming but very basic

2) & 3) To borrow a phrase from TikTok but not to label myself as “the friend who’s too woke”, but making an AI write a supposed “curse” in the style of not only a prolific comedy writer and director but one also of Jewish descent seems…vaguely anti-Semitic in words I can’t quite place right now

4) & 5) As an author for fanfic and my own original personal works, this whole thing just seems slipshod at best, C level bargain bin, unoriginal material at worst. This barely has any relevance to the topics of the book

Speaking of the topics, remember chapters 13-16 noted

It’s literally just AI prompts for ChatGpt and MidJourney, completely bypassing any traditions associated with such, especially indigenous traditions associated with the contexts of “totem animals” which from the prompts seems more like a hackneyed version of “spirit animals” circa the early to mid 2010’s popularized from Buzzfeed and the like.

But, time for the main event, The Egregore section:

The chapter starts off actually rather nicely, describing egregore theory and how an egregore is formed or fueled. I’ll give him credit for at least that much. While he doesn’t use examples as chatbot communication, he proposes that in a sense, Ai programs have the capacity to generate egregores and the like. And to show an example of such, he gives a link to his own “digital egregore” at the following url: hexsupport.club/ai with the password “Robert smith is looking old”

At the time of my visitation to the website, (Apr 14, 2025), I was greeted only with a 404 error page with no password prompt or box to enter in

Fitting, if you ask me.

Unless you’re really -really- into ChatGPT and Midjourney, despite its environmental damages and costs, despite its drain of creativity and resources, despite its psychological and learning impacts we’re seeing in academic spaces like college and high schools in the US, and despite the array of hallucinations and overall slurry of hodgepodge “information” and amalgamations of what an object or picture “should” look like based on specific algorithms, prompts, and limits, don’t bother with this book. You’re better off doing the prompts on your own. Which conveniently, the author also provides AI resources and the like on his own website.

I’ll end off this rant and review by one last tidbit. In the chapter of Promptcraft 101 in the subheader “Finding Your Own Voice”, the author poses that “Witches and Magic Workers Don’t Steal”

Witches and Magic Workers Don’t Steal

The author is supposedly well versed in AI and AI technology and how it works. With such, we may also assume he knows how scraping works and how Large Language Models or LLMs get that info, often through gathering art and information from unconsenting or unawares sources, with the wake of the most recent scraping reported from sites such as AO3 as a recent example as of posting

This is hypocritical bullshit. No fun and flouncy words like what I like to use to describe things, just bullshit.

Cameras didn’t steal information or the like from painters and sculptors

Tools like Photoshop, ClipsArt, etc didn’t steal from traditional artists

To say that generative AI is another tool and technological advancement is loaded at best, downright ignorant and irresponsible at worst.

Do not buy this book.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

AI is a WMD

I'm in TARTU, ESTONIA! AI, copyright and creative workers' labor rights (TOMORROW, May 10, 8AM: Science Fiction Research Association talk, Institute of Foreign Languages and Cultures building, Lossi 3, lobby). A talk for hackers on seizing the means of computation (TOMORROW, May 10, 3PM, University of Tartu Delta Centre, Narva 18, room 1037).

Fun fact: "The Tragedy Of the Commons" is a hoax created by the white nationalist Garrett Hardin to justify stealing land from colonized people and moving it from collective ownership, "rescuing" it from the inevitable tragedy by putting it in the hands of a private owner, who will care for it properly, thanks to "rational self-interest":

https://pluralistic.net/2023/05/04/analytical-democratic-theory/#epistocratic-delusions

Get that? If control over a key resource is diffused among the people who rely on it, then (Garrett claims) those people will all behave like selfish assholes, overusing and undermaintaining the commons. It's only when we let someone own that commons and charge rent for its use that (Hardin says) we will get sound management.

By that logic, Google should be the internet's most competent and reliable manager. After all, the company used its access to the capital markets to buy control over the internet, spending billions every year to make sure that you never try a search-engine other than its own, thus guaranteeing it a 90% market share:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/02/21/im-feeling-unlucky/#not-up-to-the-task

Google seems to think it's got the problem of deciding what we see on the internet licked. Otherwise, why would the company flush $80b down the toilet with a giant stock-buyback, and then do multiple waves of mass layoffs, from last year's 12,000 person bloodbath to this year's deep cuts to the company's "core teams"?

https://qz.com/google-is-laying-off-hundreds-as-it-moves-core-jobs-abr-1851449528

And yet, Google is overrun with scams and spam, which find their way to the very top of the first page of its search results:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/24/passive-income/#swiss-cheese-security

The entire internet is shaped by Google's decisions about what shows up on that first page of listings. When Google decided to prioritize shopping site results over informative discussions and other possible matches, the entire internet shifted its focus to producing affiliate-link-strewn "reviews" that would show up on Google's front door:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/04/24/naming-names/#prabhakar-raghavan

This was catnip to the kind of sociopath who a) owns a hedge-fund and b) hates journalists for being pain-in-the-ass, stick-in-the-mud sticklers for "truth" and "facts" and other impediments to the care and maintenance of a functional reality-distortion field. These dickheads started buying up beloved news sites and converting them to spam-farms, filled with garbage "reviews" and other Google-pleasing, affiliate-fee-generating nonsense.

(These news-sites were vulnerable to acquisition in large part thanks to Google, whose dominance of ad-tech lets it cream 51 cents off every ad dollar and whose mobile OS monopoly lets it steal 30 cents off every in-app subscriber dollar):

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/04/saving-news-big-tech

Now, the spam on these sites didn't write itself. Much to the chagrin of the tech/finance bros who bought up Sports Illustrated and other venerable news sites, they still needed to pay actual human writers to produce plausible word-salads. This was a waste of money that could be better spent on reverse-engineering Google's ranking algorithm and getting pride-of-place on search results pages:

https://housefresh.com/david-vs-digital-goliaths/

That's where AI comes in. Spicy autocomplete absolutely can't replace journalists. The planet-destroying, next-word-guessing programs from Openai and its competitors are incorrigible liars that require so much "supervision" that they cost more than they save in a newsroom:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/04/29/what-part-of-no/#dont-you-understand

But while a chatbot can't produce truthful and informative articles, it can produce bullshit – at unimaginable scale. Chatbots are the workers that hedge-fund wreckers dream of: tireless, uncomplaining, compliant and obedient producers of nonsense on demand.

That's why the capital class is so insatiably horny for chatbots. Chatbots aren't going to write Hollywood movies, but studio bosses hyperventilated at the prospect of a "writer" that would accept your brilliant idea and diligently turned it into a movie. You prompt an LLM in exactly the same way a studio exec gives writers notes. The difference is that the LLM won't roll its eyes and make sarcastic remarks about your brainwaves like "ET, but starring a dog, with a love plot in the second act and a big car-chase at the end":

https://pluralistic.net/2023/10/01/how-the-writers-guild-sunk-ais-ship/

Similarly, chatbots are a dream come true for a hedge fundie who ends up running a beloved news site, only to have to fight with their own writers to get the profitable nonsense produced at a scale and velocity that will guarantee a high Google ranking and millions in "passive income" from affiliate links.

One of the premier profitable nonsense companies is Advon, which helped usher in an era in which sites from Forbes to Money to USA Today create semi-secret "review" sites that are stuffed full of badly researched top-ten lists for products from air purifiers to cat beds:

https://housefresh.com/how-google-decimated-housefresh/

Advon swears that it only uses living humans to produce nonsense, and not AI. This isn't just wildly implausible, it's also belied by easily uncovered evidence, like its own employees' Linkedin profiles, which boast of using AI to create "content":

https://housefresh.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Advon-AI-LinkedIn.jpg

It's not true. Advon uses AI to produce its nonsense, at scale. In an excellent, deeply reported piece for Futurism, Maggie Harrison Dupré brings proof that Advon replaced its miserable human nonsense-writers with tireless chatbots:

https://futurism.com/advon-ai-content

Dupré describes how Advon's ability to create botshit at scale contributed to the enshittification of clients from Yoga Journal to the LA Times, "Us Weekly" to the Miami Herald.

All of this is very timely, because this is the week that Google finally bestirred itself to commence downranking publishers who engage in "site reputation abuse" – creating these SEO-stuffed fake reviews with the help of third parties like Advon:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/05/03/keyword-swarming/#site-reputation-abuse

(Google's policy only forbids site reputation abuse with the help of third parties; if these publishers take their nonsense production in-house, Google may allow them to continue to dominate its search listings):

https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2024/03/core-update-spam-policies#site-reputation

There's a reason so many people believed Hardin's racist "Tragedy of the Commons" hoax. We have an intuitive understanding that commons are fragile. All it takes is one monster to start shitting in the well where the rest of us get our drinking water and we're all poisoned.

The financial markets love these monsters. Mark Zuckerberg's key insight was that he could make billions by assembling vast dossiers of compromising, sensitive personal information on half the world's population without their consent, but only if he kept his costs down by failing to safeguard that data and the systems for exploiting it. He's like a guy who figures out that if he accumulates enough oily rags, he can extract so much low-grade oil from them that he can grow rich, but only if he doesn't waste money on fire-suppression:

https://locusmag.com/2018/07/cory-doctorow-zucks-empire-of-oily-rags/

Now Zuckerberg and the wealthy, powerful monsters who seized control over our commons are getting a comeuppance. The weak countermeasures they created to maintain the minimum levels of quality to keep their platforms as viable, going concerns are being overwhelmed by AI. This was a totally foreseeable outcome: the history of the internet is a story of bad actors who upended the assumptions built into our security systems by automating their attacks, transforming an assault that wouldn't be economically viable into a global, high-speed crime wave:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/04/24/automation-is-magic/

But it is possible for a community to maintain a commons. This is something Hardin could have discovered by studying actual commons, instead of inventing imaginary histories in which commons turned tragic. As it happens, someone else did exactly that: Nobel Laureate Elinor Ostrom:

https://www.onthecommons.org/magazine/elinor-ostroms-8-principles-managing-commmons/

Ostrom described how commons can be wisely managed, over very long timescales, by communities that self-governed. Part of her work concerns how users of a commons must have the ability to exclude bad actors from their shared resources.

When that breaks down, commons can fail – because there's always someone who thinks it's fine to shit in the well rather than walk 100 yards to the outhouse.

Enshittification is the process by which control over the internet moved from self-governance by members of the commons to acts of wanton destruction committed by despicable, greedy assholes who shit in the well over and over again.

It's not just the spammers who take advantage of Google's lazy incompetence, either. Take "copyleft trolls," who post images using outdated Creative Commons licenses that allow them to terminate the CC license if a user makes minor errors in attributing the images they use:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/01/24/a-bug-in-early-creative-commons-licenses-has-enabled-a-new-breed-of-superpredator/

The first copyleft trolls were individuals, but these days, the racket is dominated by a company called Pixsy, which pretends to be a "rights protection" agency that helps photographers track down copyright infringers. In reality, the company is committed to helping copyleft trolls entrap innocent Creative Commons users into paying hundreds or even thousands of dollars to use images that are licensed for free use. Just as Advon upends the economics of spam and deception through automation, Pixsy has figured out how to send legal threats at scale, robolawyering demand letters that aren't signed by lawyers; the company refuses to say whether any lawyer ever reviews these threats:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/02/13/an-open-letter-to-pixsy-ceo-kain-jones-who-keeps-sending-me-legal-threats/

This is shitting in the well, at scale. It's an online WMD, designed to wipe out the commons. Creative Commons has allowed millions of creators to produce a commons with billions of works in it, and Pixsy exploits a minor error in the early versions of CC licenses to indiscriminately manufacture legal land-mines, wantonly blowing off innocent commons-users' legs and laughing all the way to the bank:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/02/commafuckers-versus-the-commons/

We can have an online commons, but only if it's run by and for its users. Google has shown us that any "benevolent dictator" who amasses power in the name of defending the open internet will eventually grow too big to care, and will allow our commons to be demolished by well-shitters:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/04/04/teach-me-how-to-shruggie/#kagi

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/05/09/shitting-in-the-well/#advon

Image: Cryteria (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HAL9000.svg

CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en

--

Catherine Poh Huay Tan (modified) https://www.flickr.com/photos/68166820@N08/49729911222/

Laia Balagueró (modified) https://www.flickr.com/photos/lbalaguero/6551235503/

CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

[roguemaki]

Seishun Frontier Ch01 TL Notes

Some notes that folks may find interesting.

Page 001

There are only 2 instances of furigana in the entire chapter: some words on the title spread (common readings for 魔女 and 新連載) and the gikun here when Prospera says "日本（そっち）は?" - translated as “And now you’re over in Japan.”

So we know she's saying the word socchi (there) to refer to Japan, without explicitly using Nihon (the country's name).

It could just be the writer wanting to show that the series is taking place in Japan right off the bat, or they’re trying to draw a specific association… we’ll see as the story progresses, I guess.

Page 012

Can confirm from first-hand experience that opening konbini onigiri is tricky if you don't know how it works, lol.

Basically the plastic wrapping is folded in a way to make double layers - to keep the nori from getting soggy, the internal layer prevents it from touching the riceball itself, while the external layer protects the whole thing. You have to pull the tab all the way around to rip open the plastic, then pull up each side of the wrapping to leave you holding the rice in the seaweed.

Suletta messes things up (it looks like she just kinda unfolds the plastic instead of properly pulling the tab) and is left with the riceball and nori completely separated.

Page 016

The school is called 神奈川アスティ力シア高等専門学園 / Kanagawa Asticassia Koutou Senmon Gakuen, which is literally the same name as used in the anime but with Kanagawa appended on. They're localizing the school name as "School of Technology," just like the anime.

Kanagawa just happens to be the prefecture where ISAS (the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, a division of Japan's space program JAXA) is located.

ISAS collaborated with BepiColombo in 2023 to launch the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter MIO - yes, the same MIO that had a promotional collab with GWitch. The launch site? Guiana Space Centre in South America... which is where Prospera is, working on a probe launch herself.

Page 026

Suletta is staying at a place named ガラス工房ゔぁなでぃーす / Garasu Koubou Vanadiisu, translated as "Glass Workshop Vanadis."

Koubou can also be translated as "atelier," which ties into the witch theme.

I wonder if there's a reason the artist has chosen to write Vanadis in hiragana here or if it's purely for the sign's aesthetics.

[probablyasocialecologist]

The programmer Simon Willison has described the training for large language models as “money laundering for copyrighted data,” which I find a useful way to think about the appeal of generative-A.I. programs: they let you engage in something like plagiarism, but there’s no guilt associated with it because it’s not clear even to you that you’re copying. Some have claimed that large language models are not laundering the texts they’re trained on but, rather, learning from them, in the same way that human writers learn from the books they’ve read. But a large language model is not a writer; it’s not even a user of language. Language is, by definition, a system of communication, and it requires an intention to communicate. Your phone’s auto-complete may offer good suggestions or bad ones, but in neither case is it trying to say anything to you or the person you’re texting. The fact that ChatGPT can generate coherent sentences invites us to imagine that it understands language in a way that your phone’s auto-complete does not, but it has no more intention to communicate. It is very easy to get ChatGPT to emit a series of words such as “I am happy to see you.” There are many things we don’t understand about how large language models work, but one thing we can be sure of is that ChatGPT is not happy to see you. A dog can communicate that it is happy to see you, and so can a prelinguistic child, even though both lack the capability to use words. ChatGPT feels nothing and desires nothing, and this lack of intention is why ChatGPT is not actually using language. What makes the words “I’m happy to see you” a linguistic utterance is not that the sequence of text tokens that it is made up of are well formed; what makes it a linguistic utterance is the intention to communicate something. Because language comes so easily to us, it’s easy to forget that it lies on top of these other experiences of subjective feeling and of wanting to communicate that feeling. We’re tempted to project those experiences onto a large language model when it emits coherent sentences, but to do so is to fall prey to mimicry; it’s the same phenomenon as when butterflies evolve large dark spots on their wings that can fool birds into thinking they’re predators with big eyes. There is a context in which the dark spots are sufficient; birds are less likely to eat a butterfly that has them, and the butterfly doesn’t really care why it’s not being eaten, as long as it gets to live. But there is a big difference between a butterfly and a predator that poses a threat to a bird. A person using generative A.I. to help them write might claim that they are drawing inspiration from the texts the model was trained on, but I would again argue that this differs from what we usually mean when we say one writer draws inspiration from another. Consider a college student who turns in a paper that consists solely of a five-page quotation from a book, stating that this quotation conveys exactly what she wanted to say, better than she could say it herself. Even if the student is completely candid with the instructor about what she’s done, it’s not accurate to say that she is drawing inspiration from the book she’s citing. The fact that a large language model can reword the quotation enough that the source is unidentifiable doesn’t change the fundamental nature of what’s going on. As the linguist Emily M. Bender has noted, teachers don’t ask students to write essays because the world needs more student essays. The point of writing essays is to strengthen students’ critical-thinking skills; in the same way that lifting weights is useful no matter what sport an athlete plays, writing essays develops skills necessary for whatever job a college student will eventually get. Using ChatGPT to complete assignments is like bringing a forklift into the weight room; you will never improve your cognitive fitness that way.

31 August 2024

[thewertsearch]

Though we adore Him we shall never enjoy His beauteous Croak.

Kind of fucked that Sburb still programs reverence for the Genesis Frog into the Prospitians of unwinnable sessions. It gave them a god they can never see.

We spill our blood on acres of black and white so they may cross the yellow yard.

So this is what Hussie was hinting at.

Since Rose has recently gone full Lovecraft, I suspect the 'yellow yard' is an intentional reference to the Yellow Sign, a symbol associated with the Cthulhu Mythos. If the kids' escape hatch is something this eldritch, then it almost certainly involves the Furthest Ring.

At last in Skaia's reflection through broken glass He may find the pond in which He's meant to squat.

This seems to confirm that the reboot session is winnable - and it sounds like Jade's Genesis Tadpole will be making the trip there.

The Scratched version of Jade will be able to benefit from her predecessor's work. Assuming she's still a Space Player after the reboot, I guess.

This is a book on theoretical physics, and complex spatial geometries based on the hypothetical addition of orbs to the queen's ring.

Oh, come on. You can't tease me like that and then not show me a fifty-dimensional Battlefield.

This sort of nonsense is regarded as crackpottery at best. Why would the queen ever wear more than four orbs? Four towers, four orbs, four heroes; this is a sacred truth.

There's something a little disturbing about the Carapacian inability to comprehend other sessions - especially since it's completely in-character for Sburb to deliberately engineer their brains that way.

I'm picturing a Player trying to explain to her Exile that their Prospit is one of many, and the knowledge just... slides out of their mind.

Holy shit, WQ!

You know, this is probably the most human thing that we've ever seen a Carapacian do. The ability to create art is completely irreconcilable with their NPC status - and it makes it all the more tragic that they're doomed by the game.

Writers of Prospitian fiction tend to write what they see in clouds. Hence their fables tend to be events which simply haven't happened yet, or happened in another realm. They like to use the word fiction so that kids don't get TOO scared.

Jack couldn't see into the clouds, but Prospitians can. You clearly don't have to be a Player to use them, but you do have to be on the Prospit side of the spectrum.

[aimzicr]

NaNoWriMo official statement: We want to be clear in our belief that the categorical condemnation of Artificial Intelligence has classist and ableist undertones, and that questions around the use of AI tie to questions around privilege.

Translation: Disabled people and poor people can't write and they need the Theft Machines to actually be good writers, and disagreeing with us is means you're a fundamentally bad person.

Meanwhile, Ted Chiang: "Believing that inspiration outweighs everything else is, I suspect, a sign that someone is unfamiliar with the medium."

"Many novelists have had the experience of being approached by someone convinced that they have a great idea for a novel, which they are willing to share in exchange for a fifty-fifty split of the proceeds. Such a person inadvertently reveals that they think formulating sentences is a nuisance rather than a fundamental part of storytelling in prose. Generative A.I. appeals to people who think they can express themselves in a medium without actually working in that medium. But the creators of traditional novels, paintings, and films are drawn to those art forms because they see the unique expressive potential that each medium affords. It is their eagerness to take full advantage of those potentialities that makes their work satisfying, whether as entertainment or as art."

"The programmer Simon Willison has described the training for large language models as “money laundering for copyrighted data,” which I find a useful way to think about the appeal of generative-A.I. programs: they let you engage in something like plagiarism, but there’s no guilt associated with it because it’s not clear even to you that you’re copying."

"Is the world better off with more documents that have had minimal effort expended on them? ... Can anyone seriously argue that this is an improvement?"

"The task that generative A.I. has been most successful at is lowering our expectations, both of the things we read and of ourselves when we write anything for others to read. It is a fundamentally dehumanizing technology because it treats us as less than what we are: creators and apprehenders of meaning. It reduces the amount of intention in the world."

-----------

I'm with Ted on this one. What the actual fuck, NaNoWriMo? Makes me wonder what the purpose behind the 'doublecheck your wordcount' box has been used for all these years, if not stealing for the Theft Machines.

Sources:

NaNo's original statement

NaNo's attempt at backtracking

Ted Chiang's New Yorker article (paywalled, but i hit refresh until it gave up)

Techcrunch article

[agendabymooner]

the paddock’s resident menace and the dame ! toto w. x ofc (hearth sister!ofc)

summary: two things: tia christie wolff really was her papa’s carbon copy AND tilly wolff wasn’t just “mrs. wolff” after being presented with a damehood.

content warning: dad!toto and mom!ofc, the wolff kids being menaces (mainly one kid), fluff, christian horner being a good uncle, mentions of one baby leclerc and hearth sister!ofc (stevie hamilton), everything is strictly fictional so don’t take it to heart plz i know nothing about the dates/full criteria of damehood presentations and whatnot

note: more tia wolff content, i guess :) enjoy xx

masterlist

AUSTRIAN GP

THE FAST LANE DAILY

TILLY MARIE WOLFF: BRITISH BILLIONAIRE AWARDED DAME COMMANDER TITLE FOR PHILANTHROPIC CONTRIBUTIONS, MOTORSPORT SUCCESS, AND LITERARY ENDEAVORS

in a remarkable recognition of her outstanding achievements, tilly marie wolff (née hearth), a british billionaire and owner of hearth automotive groups, has been presented the prestigious dame commander title from the most excellent order of the british empire. this honor is a testament to her remarkable contributions as an automotive industry leader, philanthropist, and her success in the world of formula one racing. additionally, wolff's passion for literature and writing has led her to establish write well uk, an organization that encourages writers to explore literature and literary writing through tailored programs.

a force in the automotive industry

tilly marie wolff's influence in the automotive industry is undeniable. as the owner of hearth automotive groups and its subsidiaries, she has revolutionized the sector by implementing a nonprofit and community services approach. her visionary leadership has transformed the way the industry operates, emphasizing the importance of investing in charitable organizations and launching programs to support those in need.

philanthropic endeavors

wolff's commitment to making a positive impact on society is evident through her generous philanthropic endeavors. she has invested substantial resources in various charitable organizations, focusing on initiatives such as community shelters and youth programs. by providing essential resources and support, wolff has helped countless individuals and communities thrive.

founding organizations and racing team youth programs

throughout her illustrious career, tilly marie wolff has founded numerous organizations, including youth programs associated with her racing teams. these programs have not only nurtured young talent but have also provided opportunities for aspiring individuals to pursue their dreams in the world of motorsport. the success rate of these initiatives has been exceptional, further solidifying wolff's reputation as a visionary leader.

literary pursuits with write well uk

in addition to her accomplishments in the automotive industry, tilly marie wolff has a deep-rooted passion for literature and writing. leveraging her background in journalism and communications, she established write well uk, an organization dedicated to fostering a love for literature and literary writing. through this organization, writers are encouraged to learn and explore more by participating in programs tailored to their needs. write well uk serves as a platform for aspiring writers to develop their skills and engage with the literary community.

recognition and ceremony

the awarding of the dame commander title to tilly marie wolff is a testament to her remarkable achievements and contributions. at the ceremony, she was accompanied by her husband, toto wolff, the mercedes amg petronas f1 team principal, their daughter tia wolff, and her brother-in-law, lewis hamilton, a renowned formula one driver who had previously received this prestigious honor.

connecting motorsport, literature, and community

wolff's involvement in the world of formula one racing extends beyond her ownership of hearth automotive groups. she holds a significant stake in the successful red bull racing team, as well as a twenty percent ownership in both scuderia ferrari and mclaren racing. her influence in these teams has not only contributed to their success on the track but has also allowed her to further connect motorsport with community initiatives. through write well uk, she bridges the gap between motorsport and literature, encouraging writers to explore their craft while fostering a sense of community.

tilly marie wolff's journey from a british billionaire to a dame is a testament to her exceptional leadership, philanthropy, success in the automotive industry, and her passion for literature. her commitment to transforming the industry's approach to nonprofit and community services has had a profound impact on society. through her charitable investments, youth programs, and the establishment of write well uk, wolff has not only changed lives but has also left an indelible mark on the world of formula one racing and the literary community. her recognition as a dame commander is a well-deserved honor, celebrating her remarkable achievements and contributions to both the motorsport, literary, and wider community.

tagged tillywolff, hearthautomotivegroups

liked by christianhorner, gerihalliwell, lewishamilton

user1 i can brag about being related to the dame tilly wolff and sir lewis hamilton, if i'm being honest 🙃

mercedesamgf1 us too tbh 😇

user2 it's well deserved ❤️

user3 she did not carry the youth and charity programs of ferrari, red bull and mclaren (hell even mercedes) only for her to not be recognized for it 😭😩

user4 the best thing she had done was quit vogue tbh 🤭

user5 no seriously though 🥲

user6 their kids would be like "yeah my mum/aunt is dame tilly wolff and my dad/uncle is sir lewis hamilton wbu" in the future and i think i'm okay with that 😍

user7 alexa, how do i get adopted into the hearth family?

user8 redbullracing come get your boss, he's lurking at the merc page

SILVERSTONE GP - TIA'S BIRTHDAY WEEK

tagged tillywolff

liked by lewishamilton, georgerussell63, mickschumacher

georgerussell63 no wonder why we're eating good this week 🤭 liked by mercedesamgf1

mickschumacher did she eat all of the scones?! liked by mercedesamgf1

mercedesamgf1 we are here not to deny nor confirm that mini toto has indeed taken a chance to take every berry scone she saw - as requested by a certain adelmo

mickschumacher i can't even fight a birthday girl

mercedesamgf1 you can't fight your boss' 7 year old daughter, mick.

mickschumacher i know.

user1 silverstone gp hits different for us merc fans 😩

user2 happy birthday mini toto!!!

user3 happy birthday to the only girl who can give christian horner the headache he didn't need!

BONUS !!!

[ravenstargames]

✦ Lost in Limbo Devlog #9 | 02.29.24

What is this?! Two devlogs in one month?! More likely than you think! This February has been very productive for me and the team, so let's dive right into it!

Ooooh boy, Raquel keeps knocking it out of the park! She managed to get done every expression for every LI, and I coded them all! Now we have our wonderful characters ready for their debut. We have been using the wonderful Image Tools for Ren'py made by the talented and hard-working Feniks, whose tutorials and resources save a lot of dev's lives every day! This tool has made everything a bit easier for newbies like me, hehe.

Here's a taste of our edgelord's expressions! 💜 They're kind of a cutie when they put some effort into it!

We also had our second valentine's day celebration art piece thanks to Kayden! Sadly with the reworked version of the demo, you won't meet Vycar yet, so we thought we could ask for his forgiveness by giving him a beautiful bouquet and reminding him how much of a sweetheart he is! 💜

Also, Raeya got a hair update!

So, we weren't completely satisfied with the way we portrayed Raeya's hair, so this has been a rework we were sure we wanted to make. At first we were just going to render it again, but we ended up working on it from scratch to better represent what we envisioned for her. We hope you like it as much as we do! ; v ;💜

As always, we are open to any critique or advice; we are white people who have the luck to be able to ask POC friends for their advice as we work, but the more the merrier! Don't hesitate to send us your opinion to our ask box or even our email, gamesravenstar@gmail.com!

When it comes to the background department, we have been making great progress thanks to Airyn, who is honestly leaving us with our mouths hanging open every time! Thanks to her, another background has been finished and another one is in the making, leaving only two backgrounds to be revised and approved!

I personally can't stop looking at this WIP! She understood perfectly what we wanted to portray just by looking at an old WIP we had, and this is what we have so far—and it's already amazing!

Allie has been OBLITERATING the script. As of today, I think we have almost gone through everything that needed to be corrected and discussing, and lord if the script doesn't look a 100% better after we put it in Allie's hands. The way she writes, the way she understands everything I want to say even when sometimes I don't even know myself—what a talented, inspiring and amazing writer they are. I know I may sound annoying at this point singing her praises endlessly, but if the script is in the state where it is now, it's thanks to her!

My programming adventure of the month has been a success, if I say so myself! I've coded the characters with aaaaall their layers, their expressions, the blinking animations, made some videos, and started coding the script. Step by step as they say; I've coded 18 pages, and there's, uh...142 more to go. Haha! *sobs*

BUT WE ARE GETTING THERE! We can see the light at the end of the tunnel! I can finally click 'new game' and read the script and see the stuff going on! YAY!

Some extras of the month—we are preparing a Casting Call to choose the voice acting talent that will hopefully give voice to our characters. The demo won't be fully voiced (it's impossible with the funds we have, which are...zero), but if we are lucky we'll use some of our personal savings to pay for at least a few lines for each character so you can get an idea of how they'll sound if we get funded! Raquel is preparing an art piece for the announcement, and I'm getting the document ready and asking fellow VA friends for advice :3.

Also, we have a new member here at Ravenstar Games! Some weeks ago Astro and I formally adopted our first kitty, 8 month old Riki, fulfilling one of our dreams. We got him from a feline association that works with volunteers and fosters cats who have been abandoned, cats they find on the street, and so on. Riki has been living with me since January, and he's a happy, long big boy who loves playing, cuddles, and sitting on my desk while I try to work!

Say hi to the Ravenstar family, Riki! 💜

A productive month full of accomplished milestones, excitement and new challenges! The team has worked so hard, and I've done my part too! We still don't want to get ahead of ourselves, but we have done a lot of stuff we were sure we wouldn't finish yet, and look at that! We are doing so well!

As you can probably tell, my batteries are starting to run low, so I'm going to leave this devlog here. Thank you all like always for cheering us on, for being here in this journey with us, and for all the love you send our way. Let's hope March is as amazing as February has been, for us and for all of you! 💜

[hezigler]

The conscious rational mind is a secondary mental function. The mind chooses what feels right to it emotionally. Then, the rational mind takes over to --- well, rationalize the decision chosen by passion. This is why a good education should inculcate students with a passion for the Truth, along with critical thinking skills.

Life is complicated. So is finding the Truth in life. The Truth is often composed of many facts that are true. But taken individually, a fact may not on its own be indicative of the total Truth itself.

Full disclosure: Much as this posting may appear to be inviting dialog, it is not. Neither is it meant to be a declaration of my politics. My politics are too deeply rooted in my passion for Truth to be limited by ideology. That's not to say that all my posts are the product of reason in the search of Truth. Despite my advanced age and attendant health problems, I'm still in possession of a sense of humor. Both my health problems and my sense of humor have been greatly aided by being in my state's medical cannabis program. So, I'm very stoner friendly. I do occasionally free associate while writing, like I was noodling riffs on a horn. Like any honest writer may admit, I write to please myself.

On these questions, smart people do worse.

The Expert Myth

We have two minds about everything...

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Hi! I have a question.

I've been reading up on your post about psychological horror, and I'm wondering if a writer could use something considered supernatural (like a vampire or werewolf or demon) in the stalker horror subgenre of psychological horror?

I'm sorry if that doesn't make sense, words are awkward atm lol

Hi, that's alright. My words get clunky and awkward too!

Genres do tend to overlap, so that could happen. Currently working on another request, and these excerpts about genre could answer your question:

Although every literary genre has its own trends and defining characteristics, the divisions between these categories aren't always clear.

If you want to become a writer, there are a number of reasons to learn about genres, according to Paul Witcover, associate dean of the online Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Creative Writing program at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU).

“I feel it’s important for writers to have an understanding of genre because it will impact how their books are marketed, as well as how they are perceived by publishers,” he said. “But I also think writers can be too concerned with genre.”

Although he encourages writers to learn about the subject, Witcover noted a tendency for overly rigid ideas about the distinctions between genres. “Concepts of genre are more fluid than writers may believe,” he said. It's important to keep that fluidity in mind.

Genre is determined by need and audience expectation. Its set functions are determined by its social need.

Broadly speaking, the fiction world is divided into 2 segments: literary fiction and genre fiction.

Some genre writers straddle a line between genre-focused commercial fiction and the traditions of literary fiction.

Traditionally, there are 4 broader categories of genre: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, and Drama. Although most writing falls into at least one of these 4 categories, the edges are a bit blurred, and there can be overlap.

You can read this post for more information on the different genres. The sources for the above excerpts are included there as well. Hope this helps with your writing!