Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Theodora Goss @theodoragoss.bsky.social · 48m

If AI decides to destroy humanity, will we really be able to blame it? On the bright side, this post will work well with Ex Machina in my AI unit in Rhetoric 104.

Rebecca Solnit @rebeccasolnit.bsky.social · 9h

So much for all the noble missions and transformations; Altman's AI is down to talking dirty now. Pretty sure it's a massive lie that they've "mitigated the serious mental health issues" and seems likely this new porn feature will generate lots more of them. Bubble, please pop.

Sam Altman

@sama
·
7h
We made ChatGPT pretty restrictive to make sure we were being careful with mental health issues. We realize this made it less useful/enjoyable to many users who had no mental health problems, but given the seriousness of the issue we wanted to get this right.

Now that we have been able to mitigate the serious mental health issues and have new tools, we are going to be able to safely relax the restrictions in most cases.

In a few weeks, we plan to put out a new version of ChatGPT that allows people to have a personality that behaves more like what people liked about 4o (we hope it will be better!). If you want your ChatGPT to respond in a very human-like way, or use a ton of emoji, or act like a friend, ChatGPT should do it (but only if you want it, not because we are usage-maxxing).

In December, as we roll out age-gating more fully and as part of our “treat adult users like adults” principle, we will allow even more, like erotica for verified adults.

Christopher Hale
@chrisjollyhale
I'm asking in good faith here as a premium user — what's the difference between adult erotica and the sexbots you said you wouldn't introduce to the platform this past July?

Reposted by Theodora Goss

Deanna Raybourn @deannaraybourn.bsky.social · 9h

Drawing of three witches in a black convertible with a caption that says, “Get in, losers. We’re going hexing.”

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Reposted by Theodora Goss

Terri Windling @terriwindling.bsky.social · 2h

I hear them through my bedroom window at night, from the woods that edge our back garden. Such a beautiful and evocative sound to fall asleep to.

Jackie Curtis @jcurtisart.bsky.social · 1d

Sound up!

Tawny owls last night.

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Reposted by Theodora Goss

Gareth L. Powell @garethlpowell.bsky.social · 21h

Word of mouth is important to a book's success. So, if you'd like to see the authors who wrote your favourite stories commissioned to write more, please keep talking about all the #books you love.

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Theodora Goss @theodoragoss.bsky.social · 1d

I’m sorry you won’t be there! I would have loved to say hello. :) (And I can’t seem to get answers to emails from them either.)

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Theodora Goss @theodoragoss.bsky.social · 1d

Dear lovely folks, I will be teaching an online workshop for The Orange and Bee on November 16th. You can find more information here: theorangebee.substack.com/p/november-s...

November salon with Theodora Goss

Save the date for our upcoming salon with Theodora Goss

theorangebee.substack.com

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Theodora Goss @theodoragoss.bsky.social · 2d

Thank you! :)

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Theodora Goss @theodoragoss.bsky.social · 2d

Totally thrilled that Letters from an Imaginary Country got a starred review from Library Journal. :)

"VERDICT: Goss’s writing begs to be savored, blending wonder and heartache in perfect proportions and sprinkling in literature, science, and folklore."

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Theodora Goss @theodoragoss.bsky.social · 2d

The particular exhaustion of having just finished a chapter.

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Theodora Goss @theodoragoss.bsky.social · 2d

New poem. :)

There was a tomb in the Fiume Road Cemetery
in Budapest, on which a headless Jesus sat
between two angels holding up their arms
. . .

theodoragosspoems.com/2025/10/10/t...

The Headless Jesus

The Headless Jesus by Theodora Goss There was a tomb in the Fiume Road Cemetery in Budapest, on which a headless Jesus sat between two angels holding up their arms to Heaven as though they too were…

theodoragosspoems.com

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Theodora Goss @theodoragoss.bsky.social · 3d

Just the sort of thing you see on a random walk in Budapest . . .

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Theodora Goss @theodoragoss.bsky.social · 4d

How much cooler can you get than Johnny Cash? And the answer is none, none more cool. Once you are at that level, it’s useless to make comparisons.

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Theodora Goss @theodoragoss.bsky.social · 4d

If I didn’t take a photo of the brownie and post it on social media first, did I really eat it?

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Reposted by Theodora Goss

Locus Magazine @locusmag.bsky.social · 4d

We can't review what we don't receive! Check out our submission guidelines to consider sending us your work! We love small press authors and are always on the lookout for New & Notable work.
locusmag.com/aboutlo...

locus magazine cover -- house on an eerie hill

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Theodora Goss @theodoragoss.bsky.social · 5d

Amazon says that my short story collection Letters from an Imaginary Country is currently #7 in Eastern European literature, behind six books by Tolstoy and Dostoevsky. Glad you know where Hungary is located, Amazon! ;)

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Theodora Goss @theodoragoss.bsky.social · 5d

Free story! Reactor Magazine is very kindly publishing one of the new stories from my collection Letters from an Imaginary Country. If you're interested, go read. It's called Dora/Dóra: An Autobiography.

You can read the full story here: reactormag.com/excerpts-let...

Read an Excerpt From Letters from an Imaginary Country by Theodora Goss - Reactor

This themed collection of imaginary places, with three new stories, recalls Susanna Clarke’s alternate Europe and the surreal metafictions of Borges.

reactormag.com

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Theodora Goss @theodoragoss.bsky.social · 6d

This.

Keith W. Dickinson @keithwdickinson.bsky.social · 6d

Today is a day when arts degrees are worthless, but the product of those degrees is so valuable it would kill an entire industry if they were made to pay for it.

The Verge @theverge.com · May 26

Nick Clegg says asking artists for use permission would ‘kill’ the AI industry

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Theodora Goss @theodoragoss.bsky.social · 6d

Thank you!!! :)

Reposted by Theodora Goss

Reactor Magazine @reactorsff.bsky.social · 6d

We are ecstatically sharing a story from @theodoragoss.bsky.social's new short fiction collection Letters from an Imaginary Country!! Let's sit down with Dóra Muszbek in 1968 Budapest...

reactormag.com/excerpts-let...

Read an Excerpt From Letters from an Imaginary Country by Theodora Goss - Reactor

This themed collection of imaginary places, with three new stories, recalls Susanna Clarke’s alternate Europe and the surreal metafictions of Borges.

reactormag.com

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Reposted by Theodora Goss

Joanne Harris @joannechocolat.bsky.social · 6d

The reason the Right are so invested in the myth that the arts have no value isn’t because the arts don’t generate wealth (they do); it’s that studying the arts teaches people to imagine better ways of judging the value of an idea than by counting how much money it makes…

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Reposted by Theodora Goss

Locus Magazine @locusmag.bsky.social · 7d

SFWA Launches FAQ for Anthropic Settlement

The Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) has published a web page for frequently asked questions about the Bartz v Anthropic lawsuit settlement. It covers basic information abou…

locusmag.com

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Theodora Goss @theodoragoss.bsky.social · 8d

Don’t be a creative. Just be creative.

Theodora Goss @theodoragoss.bsky.social · 8d

Don’t be a content creator. Just be a creator.

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Reposted by Theodora Goss

Christopher Hughes MBE @chrislinguist.bsky.social · 10d

Another language is not just a language. It’s a window on other peoples, cultures and beliefs. It cuts through conflicts and controversies. It brings people together and settles arguments. Another language is understanding, solidarity and friendship. Languages are powerful.

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Theodora Goss @theodoragoss.bsky.social · 9d

😢😢😢

KOJAMF🤘🖤🤘 @kojamf.bsky.social · 10d

Dr. Jane Goodall filmed an interview with Netflix in March 2025 that she understood would only be released after her death.

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