John P. Murphy
@johnpmurphy.bsky.social
Science fiction and fantasy writer, author of RED NOISE, THE LIAR, and others. Coffee enthusiast.
No idea what I’m doing.
https://johnpmurphy.net
No idea what I’m doing.
https://johnpmurphy.net
Reposted by John P. Murphy
I wonder: how would you tell, in this case, a cackhanded suppress out of cowardice, from a deliberate attempt to amplify what would otherwise be a throwaway line nobody would have much noticed? It’s probably the former, but once you cross the 2-3 Megastreisand mark, one has to wonder.
BBC tells staff they cannot quote Trump line removed from Reith Lecture
BBC tells staff they cannot quote Trump line removed from Reith Lecture
Journalists not allowed to repeat Rutger Bregman’s corruption claims against US president in coverage of edit
BBC presenters and journalists have been told they cannot quote a line removed from its prestigious annual lecture, in which a Dutch writer accused Donald Trump of being “the most openly corrupt president in American history”.
Rutger Bregman accused the BBC of cowardice after the decision to remove the line from the first of his Reith Lectures, which he was invited to give by the corporation. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
November 27, 2025 at 2:26 PM
I wonder: how would you tell, in this case, a cackhanded suppress out of cowardice, from a deliberate attempt to amplify what would otherwise be a throwaway line nobody would have much noticed? It’s probably the former, but once you cross the 2-3 Megastreisand mark, one has to wonder.
Reposted by John P. Murphy
"There was a cafeteria, but we're not sure anyone trusted it."
November 26, 2025 at 1:45 PM
"There was a cafeteria, but we're not sure anyone trusted it."
Reposted by John P. Murphy
We’re not small business owners, ffs - we’re independent contractors, and we are routinely robbed by the world’s dumbest dingbats.
![A quote-tweet with the profile blocked out because I won’t be accused of sending flying monkeys at this digital turd.
counterpoint: pirate everything all the time. pirate a sandwich. download a car. abscond from from small business owner mindset with your brain
[High Priestess, Low Patie... • @cherie... • 14h
Re: previous post - People who steal art of any kind are assholes, full stop. If *you* deserve to be paid for your labor, so do I - and so does everybody else; this means writers, visual artists, musicians, and every other category of People Who Make Things.]
• • •
every time vulgar leftism pipes in from the sidelines of petit bourgeoisdom i am forced to become 8.75% more marxist](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:x2ssvkga34xug334b66hvrje/bafkreigp2f33rtfu62kqjygnsxhg3jxxs6udwuyisipmyqrh5ew4c6kbyi@jpeg)
November 25, 2025 at 7:25 PM
We’re not small business owners, ffs - we’re independent contractors, and we are routinely robbed by the world’s dumbest dingbats.
Reposted by John P. Murphy
I once asked a bookseller at a large indie store how many people would have to buy a book for it to get the attention of the store buyer and cause an additional order and they said: Three.
I see some book piracy discourse, and, to make a positive argument in favor of buying books, your marginal ability to influence what books get published and support the careers of writers you like is massive compared to most other forms of media.
November 25, 2025 at 11:07 PM
I once asked a bookseller at a large indie store how many people would have to buy a book for it to get the attention of the store buyer and cause an additional order and they said: Three.
Reposted by John P. Murphy
True tale: A Baltimore police colonel called a rival at 3 a.m. from a crime scene: "Leon, I got you now. You fucked up. You wrote "POLICE" backwards on the front of the EVU truck."
"Eddie, that's so it reads correctly in a rear view mirror."
Long pause.
"Aw Leon, you got an answer for everything."
"Eddie, that's so it reads correctly in a rear view mirror."
Long pause.
"Aw Leon, you got an answer for everything."
November 25, 2025 at 3:14 PM
True tale: A Baltimore police colonel called a rival at 3 a.m. from a crime scene: "Leon, I got you now. You fucked up. You wrote "POLICE" backwards on the front of the EVU truck."
"Eddie, that's so it reads correctly in a rear view mirror."
Long pause.
"Aw Leon, you got an answer for everything."
"Eddie, that's so it reads correctly in a rear view mirror."
Long pause.
"Aw Leon, you got an answer for everything."
Reposted by John P. Murphy
dwarf fortress patch notes that could have been an entire mid-80s Stephen King novel
November 25, 2025 at 9:21 AM
dwarf fortress patch notes that could have been an entire mid-80s Stephen King novel
Reposted by John P. Murphy
"Finally, you seem to not give a thought about the fact that your contributions demand work of other people. The fact that you were able to generate large amount of code that passes test is interesting, but that's only 20% of the work
One of the many joys of using AI for programming is the creation of huge PRs on complex topics that the authors barely understand, but still suggest "because they work". Here's a great example from #OCaml github.com/ocaml/ocaml/...
Kudos to OCaml's maintainers for handling this so gracefully.
Kudos to OCaml's maintainers for handling this so gracefully.
DWARF support for macOS and Linux by joelreymont · Pull Request #14369 · ocaml/ocaml
DWARF v5 Debugging Support for OCaml Native Compiler
This PR adds DWARF v5 debug information to the OCaml native compiler, allowing proper source-level debugging in GDB and LLDB.
What's Impleme...
github.com
November 24, 2025 at 5:46 PM
"Finally, you seem to not give a thought about the fact that your contributions demand work of other people. The fact that you were able to generate large amount of code that passes test is interesting, but that's only 20% of the work
It's like he decided the pinnacle of humor was typing 58008 into an upside-down calculator, but also needs to be the kid with the highest-tech gadget. (And yeah, "everyone is 12 now" remains unbeaten for explanatory power)
Everything about this might be the saddest thing I’ve ever seen
November 24, 2025 at 2:21 PM
It's like he decided the pinnacle of humor was typing 58008 into an upside-down calculator, but also needs to be the kid with the highest-tech gadget. (And yeah, "everyone is 12 now" remains unbeaten for explanatory power)
This is what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps, Charlie Brown!
Not for me! Not for me, Charlie Brown!
Bought marmalade—I call that very feeble, Charlie Brown.
November 24, 2025 at 1:38 PM
This is what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps, Charlie Brown!
Reposted by John P. Murphy
It's that time of year
November 22, 2025 at 11:54 AM
It's that time of year
Every now and then I feel a twinge of regret about not buying a few cheap Bitcoin when I first heard about it. But I've also never had to learn how to chew through zip ties, so maybe it's a wash. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/17/b...
How to Not Get Kidnapped for Your Bitcoin
www.nytimes.com
November 24, 2025 at 1:36 PM
Every now and then I feel a twinge of regret about not buying a few cheap Bitcoin when I first heard about it. But I've also never had to learn how to chew through zip ties, so maybe it's a wash. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/17/b...
Reposted by John P. Murphy
Q+D, graphic design is my passion, etc etc
November 24, 2025 at 12:33 AM
Q+D, graphic design is my passion, etc etc
Reposted by John P. Murphy
Terumaru, a bright young lightbulb and the mascot of the Tokyu Denki electric company, trapped in a door yesterday:
November 23, 2025 at 11:29 PM
Terumaru, a bright young lightbulb and the mascot of the Tokyu Denki electric company, trapped in a door yesterday:
Reposted by John P. Murphy
“Forget the myths the media has created about the White House. The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand.”
November 23, 2025 at 6:15 PM
“Forget the myths the media has created about the White House. The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand.”
Reposted by John P. Murphy
people are reading "catch-and-kill" in the journalistic sense but she was probably just finding raccoons for him to eat
November 22, 2025 at 3:04 PM
people are reading "catch-and-kill" in the journalistic sense but she was probably just finding raccoons for him to eat
Reposted by John P. Murphy
mtg spent like ten years making enemies on the left and that seemed fine with her. she spent ten days making enemies on the right, had to hire security, and then had to quit altogether.
November 22, 2025 at 4:19 AM
mtg spent like ten years making enemies on the left and that seemed fine with her. she spent ten days making enemies on the right, had to hire security, and then had to quit altogether.
Reposted by John P. Murphy
Author me had several works emerge in 2025 for your consideration!
* “Red, Right, Returning” in MiT/Candlewick’s STARSTUFF
* “We Are Here To Discover” in Proxima Kosmos
* A CATALOG OF STORMS : Selected Short Fiction (Fairwood Press)
* A PHILOSOPHY OF THIEVES (Erewhon)
1/2
* “Red, Right, Returning” in MiT/Candlewick’s STARSTUFF
* “We Are Here To Discover” in Proxima Kosmos
* A CATALOG OF STORMS : Selected Short Fiction (Fairwood Press)
* A PHILOSOPHY OF THIEVES (Erewhon)
1/2
November 21, 2025 at 8:29 PM
Author me had several works emerge in 2025 for your consideration!
* “Red, Right, Returning” in MiT/Candlewick’s STARSTUFF
* “We Are Here To Discover” in Proxima Kosmos
* A CATALOG OF STORMS : Selected Short Fiction (Fairwood Press)
* A PHILOSOPHY OF THIEVES (Erewhon)
1/2
* “Red, Right, Returning” in MiT/Candlewick’s STARSTUFF
* “We Are Here To Discover” in Proxima Kosmos
* A CATALOG OF STORMS : Selected Short Fiction (Fairwood Press)
* A PHILOSOPHY OF THIEVES (Erewhon)
1/2
Reposted by John P. Murphy
“What finally enables ALL THAT WE SEE OR SEEM to succeed as an intellectual thriller – as well as near-future SF–is that Liu’s own sense of wonder is never far from the surface, and never less than infectious.” @garykwolfe reviews @kyliu99.bsky.social
All That We See or Seem by Ken Liu: Review by Gary K. Wolfe
All That We See or Seem, Ken Liu (Saga 978-1-6680-8317-8, $30.00, 408pp, hc) October 2025. I confess I’ve never been enamored of dream-technology tales, in which some sort of SFnal intervention per…
locusmag.com
November 22, 2025 at 2:00 AM
“What finally enables ALL THAT WE SEE OR SEEM to succeed as an intellectual thriller – as well as near-future SF–is that Liu’s own sense of wonder is never far from the surface, and never less than infectious.” @garykwolfe reviews @kyliu99.bsky.social
Reposted by John P. Murphy
These stories are peak. Go read them; you'll thank me.
If you need to set in a good stock of short stories for some introvert time this season, I had two science fiction pieces out this year that I'm quite proud of and hope you get a chance to enjoy.
johnpmurphy.net/2025/11/19/n...
johnpmurphy.net/2025/11/19/n...
New Short Fiction for 2025
I had two short stories come out this fall, both very fun projects that I’m very excited to finally get to share. Encounter at Ákroterra The first needs some explaining: it’s part of th…
johnpmurphy.net
November 20, 2025 at 1:55 PM
These stories are peak. Go read them; you'll thank me.
Reposted by John P. Murphy
If you need to set in a good stock of short stories for some introvert time this season, I had two science fiction pieces out this year that I'm quite proud of and hope you get a chance to enjoy.
johnpmurphy.net/2025/11/19/n...
johnpmurphy.net/2025/11/19/n...
New Short Fiction for 2025
I had two short stories come out this fall, both very fun projects that I’m very excited to finally get to share. Encounter at Ákroterra The first needs some explaining: it’s part of th…
johnpmurphy.net
November 20, 2025 at 1:56 AM
If you need to set in a good stock of short stories for some introvert time this season, I had two science fiction pieces out this year that I'm quite proud of and hope you get a chance to enjoy.
johnpmurphy.net/2025/11/19/n...
johnpmurphy.net/2025/11/19/n...
If you need to set in a good stock of short stories for some introvert time this season, I had two science fiction pieces out this year that I'm quite proud of and hope you get a chance to enjoy.
johnpmurphy.net/2025/11/19/n...
johnpmurphy.net/2025/11/19/n...
New Short Fiction for 2025
I had two short stories come out this fall, both very fun projects that I’m very excited to finally get to share. Encounter at Ákroterra The first needs some explaining: it’s part of th…
johnpmurphy.net
November 20, 2025 at 1:56 AM
If you need to set in a good stock of short stories for some introvert time this season, I had two science fiction pieces out this year that I'm quite proud of and hope you get a chance to enjoy.
johnpmurphy.net/2025/11/19/n...
johnpmurphy.net/2025/11/19/n...
This is good practice. I hope more markets follow suit!
Transparency is a core value for us at OTHERSIDE... and with that in mind, we now have sample contracts available on our website! We believe in supporting and protecting authors: no AI, no rights grabs, quick payment. Let us know if you have questions!
othersidespec.com/sample-contr...
othersidespec.com/sample-contr...
Sample Contracts - OTHERSIDE
Sample contracts for OTHERSIDE, including the language for nonfiction, reprints, original fiction and poetry.
othersidespec.com
November 19, 2025 at 4:27 PM
This is good practice. I hope more markets follow suit!
Reposted by John P. Murphy
Transparency is a core value for us at OTHERSIDE... and with that in mind, we now have sample contracts available on our website! We believe in supporting and protecting authors: no AI, no rights grabs, quick payment. Let us know if you have questions!
othersidespec.com/sample-contr...
othersidespec.com/sample-contr...
Sample Contracts - OTHERSIDE
Sample contracts for OTHERSIDE, including the language for nonfiction, reprints, original fiction and poetry.
othersidespec.com
November 19, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Transparency is a core value for us at OTHERSIDE... and with that in mind, we now have sample contracts available on our website! We believe in supporting and protecting authors: no AI, no rights grabs, quick payment. Let us know if you have questions!
othersidespec.com/sample-contr...
othersidespec.com/sample-contr...
It really feels like the right wing project is to reduce kindness and community as much as possible.
Fox guest on how to save money during the holidays:
"Remember, adults don't need gifts. Focus on the people in your life who are aged 3 to 18. Grandma doesn't need slippers. If they don't live by you, don't get them a gift."
"Remember, adults don't need gifts. Focus on the people in your life who are aged 3 to 18. Grandma doesn't need slippers. If they don't live by you, don't get them a gift."
November 19, 2025 at 3:12 PM
It really feels like the right wing project is to reduce kindness and community as much as possible.