N. R. M. Roshak (Natalka)
@nroshak.bsky.social
Canadian, author & reader, nerd, parent. She/they. SFWA, SCBWI, Codexian. Invisibly bi/pan 🏳️🌈 Proud member of 🇺🇦 diaspora in 🇨🇦. https://nrmroshak.com and https://rdbms-insight.com
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AI Week Special: Holiday Anti-Gift Guide
A Buy Nothing Day Anti-Gift Guide of AI gifts to never buy for anyone, ever.
buttondown.com
GUYS I wrote something really fun for Buy Nothing Day tomorrow: a Holiday Anti-Gift Guide! 10 AI-afflicted bits of tech to not buy for anyone, ever: buttondown.com/aiweek/archi...
I have to agree with the therapist quoted in the article: “Unfortunately, this feels like a failing of human services rather than an integral benefit of the technology itself.”
I’m genuinely surprised every time I see stories like this. AI companionship still feels like sci-fi, but it’s becoming so common it feels normal now. And it raises real questions about loneliness and what people actually need.
#AI #ChatGPT #AIEthics #Relationship
#AI #ChatGPT #AIEthics #Relationship
I interviewed someone in love with ChatGPT to find out more about AI relationships
Mimi says her ChatGPT companion helped her heal and reconnect with life. But her story raises urgent questions about loneliness, technology, and what care really means.
www.techradar.com
November 28, 2025 at 4:09 PM
I have to agree with the therapist quoted in the article: “Unfortunately, this feels like a failing of human services rather than an integral benefit of the technology itself.”
Good news! The tide is turning on power generation.
Clean power growth is now covering all new global demand. Solar and wind generated 635 TWh in the first nine months of this year, exceeding the 603 TWh rise in global electricity demand, and holding fossil generation flat for the year. buff.ly/zRmwAmg
#ShareGoodNewsToo
#ShareGoodNewsToo
Q3 Global Power Report: No fossil fuel growth expected in 2025 | Ember
Solar and wind power grew fast enough to keep up with rising electricity demand in the first three quarters of 2025, as fossil fuel growth should be stagnated. Ember forecasts no growth for fossil…
buff.ly
November 28, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Good news! The tide is turning on power generation.
Happy Buy Nothing Day!
In the spirit of the day, I made an AI Anti-Gift Guide: 10 AI-afflicted bits of tech to not buy for anyone, ever.
There are no affiliate links in the Anti-Gift Guide. If you buy any of these horrible gift ideas, it's not my fault.
buttondown.com/aiweek/archi...
In the spirit of the day, I made an AI Anti-Gift Guide: 10 AI-afflicted bits of tech to not buy for anyone, ever.
There are no affiliate links in the Anti-Gift Guide. If you buy any of these horrible gift ideas, it's not my fault.
buttondown.com/aiweek/archi...
AI Week Special: Holiday Anti-Gift Guide
A Buy Nothing Day Anti-Gift Guide of AI gifts to never buy for anyone, ever.
buttondown.com
November 28, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Happy Buy Nothing Day!
In the spirit of the day, I made an AI Anti-Gift Guide: 10 AI-afflicted bits of tech to not buy for anyone, ever.
There are no affiliate links in the Anti-Gift Guide. If you buy any of these horrible gift ideas, it's not my fault.
buttondown.com/aiweek/archi...
In the spirit of the day, I made an AI Anti-Gift Guide: 10 AI-afflicted bits of tech to not buy for anyone, ever.
There are no affiliate links in the Anti-Gift Guide. If you buy any of these horrible gift ideas, it's not my fault.
buttondown.com/aiweek/archi...
GUYS I wrote something really fun for Buy Nothing Day tomorrow: a Holiday Anti-Gift Guide! 10 AI-afflicted bits of tech to not buy for anyone, ever: buttondown.com/aiweek/archi...
AI Week Special: Holiday Anti-Gift Guide
A Buy Nothing Day Anti-Gift Guide of AI gifts to never buy for anyone, ever.
buttondown.com
November 27, 2025 at 10:12 PM
GUYS I wrote something really fun for Buy Nothing Day tomorrow: a Holiday Anti-Gift Guide! 10 AI-afflicted bits of tech to not buy for anyone, ever: buttondown.com/aiweek/archi...
Reposted by N. R. M. Roshak (Natalka)
Reposted by N. R. M. Roshak (Natalka)
This is amazing and delightful And hilarious.
November 27, 2025 at 4:24 AM
This is amazing and delightful And hilarious.
Reposted by N. R. M. Roshak (Natalka)
Endangered species? What are those? Doug Ford. What a bastard. #onpoli #FordFailedOntario
thenarwhal.ca/ontario-enda...
thenarwhal.ca/ontario-enda...
Ontario is killing its Endangered Species Act | The Narwhal
The Doug Ford government’s Bill 5 could affect redside dace and other endangered species on the path of Highway 413
thenarwhal.ca
November 27, 2025 at 4:10 AM
Endangered species? What are those? Doug Ford. What a bastard. #onpoli #FordFailedOntario
thenarwhal.ca/ontario-enda...
thenarwhal.ca/ontario-enda...
One of the more popular newsletters I've sent out recently was the one with a section on how to turn off unwanted AI:
buttondown.com/aiweek/archi...
buttondown.com/aiweek/archi...
AI week Nov 1: How to turn off unwanted AI tools
Plus: AI and teen suicide - Boosting AI literacy - Regrettable AI products - & more
buttondown.com
November 26, 2025 at 1:31 AM
One of the more popular newsletters I've sent out recently was the one with a section on how to turn off unwanted AI:
buttondown.com/aiweek/archi...
buttondown.com/aiweek/archi...
Reposted by N. R. M. Roshak (Natalka)
somehow it's "hoarding" when I keep my old tech as long as possible and resent forced obsolescence
but not "hoarding" when billionaires and tech companies suck up all the money and burn though the planet in search of endless growth
but not "hoarding" when billionaires and tech companies suck up all the money and burn though the planet in search of endless growth
stupid young people, stop buying a new phone every year if you don't want to be broke. wait no, not like that.
November 26, 2025 at 1:19 AM
somehow it's "hoarding" when I keep my old tech as long as possible and resent forced obsolescence
but not "hoarding" when billionaires and tech companies suck up all the money and burn though the planet in search of endless growth
but not "hoarding" when billionaires and tech companies suck up all the money and burn though the planet in search of endless growth
Reposted by N. R. M. Roshak (Natalka)
There is a post circulating on Bluesky encouraging the moving of a frozen turkey straight into a pot of hot oil. We are combating this misinformation the best way we know how - through the power of dance music.
November 23, 2025 at 1:31 PM
There is a post circulating on Bluesky encouraging the moving of a frozen turkey straight into a pot of hot oil. We are combating this misinformation the best way we know how - through the power of dance music.
Reposted by N. R. M. Roshak (Natalka)
This is gaming at its best: creating a safe virtual space to bring players together and help build stronger communities.
A group of immigrant rights organizers are helping people use Fortnite to practice what to do if they encounter ICE agents in the wild.
Inside an ICE Defense Training on Fortnite
A group of immigrant rights organizers are helping people use Fortnite to practice what to do if they encounter ICE agents in the wild.
www.404media.co
November 24, 2025 at 3:17 PM
This is gaming at its best: creating a safe virtual space to bring players together and help build stronger communities.
Reposted by N. R. M. Roshak (Natalka)
This was such a relatable article. So many spaces online where I once found it easy to connect with friends and family are now so filled with AI slop, sponsored content, and misinformation they've become nearly unusable.
“I know I’m protecting my kids, but it feels like I’m failing them too.”
@harrisonmooney.bsky.social on landlines, the internet and connection. ☎️
@harrisonmooney.bsky.social on landlines, the internet and connection. ☎️
Why 2025 Was the Loneliest Year | The Tyee
Connection online has rotted on the vine. With few alternatives, I’ve found myself more isolated than before.
thetyee.ca
November 24, 2025 at 3:38 PM
This was such a relatable article. So many spaces online where I once found it easy to connect with friends and family are now so filled with AI slop, sponsored content, and misinformation they've become nearly unusable.
Reposted by N. R. M. Roshak (Natalka)
The leftism leaving people's bodies like cartoon ghosts when people say "artists need to be paid" and "don't steal books."
i have never wanted to make a YouTube video before, but now i want to make one that's basically: Books Are Not Free Content For You, Stop Stealing From Authors, You Scabs.
we are not the enemy.
every dollar folks think they're taking from Amazon, they're taking from authors more.
we are not the enemy.
every dollar folks think they're taking from Amazon, they're taking from authors more.
November 24, 2025 at 6:10 AM
The leftism leaving people's bodies like cartoon ghosts when people say "artists need to be paid" and "don't steal books."
AI Week Nov 23: Techno-necromancy, Chucky, & a poetic jailbreak
buttondown.com/aiweek/archi...
buttondown.com/aiweek/archi...
AI Week Nov 23: Techno-necromancy, Chucky, & a poetic jailbreak
A Waymo hits a cat, technology becomes necromancy, and an AI teddy tells a kid how to light matches.
buttondown.com
November 24, 2025 at 1:02 PM
AI Week Nov 23: Techno-necromancy, Chucky, & a poetic jailbreak
buttondown.com/aiweek/archi...
buttondown.com/aiweek/archi...
Reposted by N. R. M. Roshak (Natalka)
Scarleteen does incredible, necessary work on a shoestring budget. They’re raising money for a fund to help their brilliant volunteers pay for healthcare. Please help them out by kicking in what you can. They’re an unparalleled resource for teens and young people figuring out sex and relationships.
Scarleteen is raising $40,000 to support the healthcare needs of staff and volunteers who do this vulnerable, crucial, intimate work. 204 people have donated $23k; please join them today and share. www.classy.org/campaign/scarl...
{{MetaTags.description}}
www.classy.org
November 23, 2025 at 6:57 PM
Scarleteen does incredible, necessary work on a shoestring budget. They’re raising money for a fund to help their brilliant volunteers pay for healthcare. Please help them out by kicking in what you can. They’re an unparalleled resource for teens and young people figuring out sex and relationships.
November 22, 2025 at 9:03 PM
This thread is a fascinating essay on **cultural appropriation for genocide** and everyone should read it 👀
#UkrainianView
I want to talk abt it. But it will be a thread of ‼️triggers‼️. So please make sure you are fine to read it.
russia ALWAYS appropriates one's sacred symbols (both religious and cultural) to later use them in justification of performed genocide.
Sorry :'(
🔽
I want to talk abt it. But it will be a thread of ‼️triggers‼️. So please make sure you are fine to read it.
russia ALWAYS appropriates one's sacred symbols (both religious and cultural) to later use them in justification of performed genocide.
Sorry :'(
🔽
can they STOP using our ANCIENT RUNES as HATE SYMBOLS??????
while my hate for russia grows my hate for nazis stays stagnant. in that it has stayed at the top my entire life
while my hate for russia grows my hate for nazis stays stagnant. in that it has stayed at the top my entire life
November 21, 2025 at 4:16 PM
This thread is a fascinating essay on **cultural appropriation for genocide** and everyone should read it 👀
Reposted by N. R. M. Roshak (Natalka)
President Zelenskyy addressed the nation. Key points from his address:
1/ Ukraine may face a very difficult choice: either loss of dignity or risk of losing a key partner, either difficult 28 points or an extremely hard winter, the hardest one, and further risks, Zelenskyy said.
1/ Ukraine may face a very difficult choice: either loss of dignity or risk of losing a key partner, either difficult 28 points or an extremely hard winter, the hardest one, and further risks, Zelenskyy said.
November 21, 2025 at 2:58 PM
President Zelenskyy addressed the nation. Key points from his address:
1/ Ukraine may face a very difficult choice: either loss of dignity or risk of losing a key partner, either difficult 28 points or an extremely hard winter, the hardest one, and further risks, Zelenskyy said.
1/ Ukraine may face a very difficult choice: either loss of dignity or risk of losing a key partner, either difficult 28 points or an extremely hard winter, the hardest one, and further risks, Zelenskyy said.
This is very funny. All you have to do to get chatbots like ChatGPT to break their own rules and hand over nuclear secrets, doxxing, crime how-tos, etc. is to ask them in the form of a poem. Even better, you can ask the chatbot to write the poem for you.
Looks like LLMs are *very* vulnerable to attack via poetic allusion: "curated poetic prompts yielded high attack-success rates (ASR), with some providers exceeding 90% ..."
https://arxiv.org/html/2511.15304v1
https://arxiv.org/html/2511.15304v1
November 21, 2025 at 2:06 PM
This is very funny. All you have to do to get chatbots like ChatGPT to break their own rules and hand over nuclear secrets, doxxing, crime how-tos, etc. is to ask them in the form of a poem. Even better, you can ask the chatbot to write the poem for you.
Reposted by N. R. M. Roshak (Natalka)
We are very excited to announced that our 2026 Agent Guest of Honour will be @hel-no-wai.bsky.social!
Hana is a Literary Agent and Rights Manager at Cooke McDermid and a co-founder of BIPOC Publishing in Canada.
We are super thrilled that Hana can join us next fall!
Hana is a Literary Agent and Rights Manager at Cooke McDermid and a co-founder of BIPOC Publishing in Canada.
We are super thrilled that Hana can join us next fall!
November 20, 2025 at 5:55 PM
We are very excited to announced that our 2026 Agent Guest of Honour will be @hel-no-wai.bsky.social!
Hana is a Literary Agent and Rights Manager at Cooke McDermid and a co-founder of BIPOC Publishing in Canada.
We are super thrilled that Hana can join us next fall!
Hana is a Literary Agent and Rights Manager at Cooke McDermid and a co-founder of BIPOC Publishing in Canada.
We are super thrilled that Hana can join us next fall!
Reposted by N. R. M. Roshak (Natalka)
One of the biggest issues with the synthetic text extruding machines is that we have well-formed linguistic output with no accountability. Solution: OpenAI should be accountable for everything that comes out of ChatGPT, period. (And likewise for Google with Gemini, etc.)
New on the Mystery AI Hype Theater 3000 newsletter: @deccamuldowney.bsky.social and I write about OpenAI's transparent attempt to shift accountability.
buttondown.com/maiht3k/arch...
buttondown.com/maiht3k/arch...
OpenAI Tries to Shift Responsibility to Users
OpenAI is trying to shift the blame for bad legal and medical advice from its chatbot away from the company and onto users. We agree that no chatbot should be used for medical or legal advice.
buttondown.com
November 13, 2025 at 4:36 PM
One of the biggest issues with the synthetic text extruding machines is that we have well-formed linguistic output with no accountability. Solution: OpenAI should be accountable for everything that comes out of ChatGPT, period. (And likewise for Google with Gemini, etc.)
Reposted by N. R. M. Roshak (Natalka)
🧪⚛️
Get ready for Thanksgiving and the curmudgeonly uncle who's going to try and convince you that #climatechange is a hoax.
Here's an easy read by one of my colleagues, which also provides a political context for the current administration bias on the issue.
thebulletin.org/2025/11/the-...
Get ready for Thanksgiving and the curmudgeonly uncle who's going to try and convince you that #climatechange is a hoax.
Here's an easy read by one of my colleagues, which also provides a political context for the current administration bias on the issue.
thebulletin.org/2025/11/the-...
The comforting but dangerous fantasy of ‘normal’ climatic and political aberrations
Our current political climate is just as unusual and concerning as the current state of our planetary climate.
thebulletin.org
November 13, 2025 at 4:14 PM
🧪⚛️
Get ready for Thanksgiving and the curmudgeonly uncle who's going to try and convince you that #climatechange is a hoax.
Here's an easy read by one of my colleagues, which also provides a political context for the current administration bias on the issue.
thebulletin.org/2025/11/the-...
Get ready for Thanksgiving and the curmudgeonly uncle who's going to try and convince you that #climatechange is a hoax.
Here's an easy read by one of my colleagues, which also provides a political context for the current administration bias on the issue.
thebulletin.org/2025/11/the-...
PEW PEW PEW
“To maintain the drag-minimizing and edge-on orientation [for] greater distances, the plant launches its seeds at about 10 m/s with a backspin of > 1200 Hz. That frequency makes hairyflower wild petunia seeds the fastest-rotating natural thing on Earth.” 🧪
physicstoday.aip.org/quick-study/...
physicstoday.aip.org/quick-study/...
How plant seeds fly
Although plants often rely on wind and water to carry their seeds and spores, some have evolved extraordinary launch mechanisms to disperse them.
physicstoday.aip.org
November 13, 2025 at 4:45 PM
PEW PEW PEW
Reposted by N. R. M. Roshak (Natalka)
✨ ‘Tis the season…for award eligibility posts! ✨
I had two short stories published in 2025 and I'd be honoured if you considered them in your nominations for the various SFF awards. And Year’s Best Canadian F&SF Vol 3 is eligible for Best Anthology in the Locus, World Fantasy, and Aurora Awards.
I had two short stories published in 2025 and I'd be honoured if you considered them in your nominations for the various SFF awards. And Year’s Best Canadian F&SF Vol 3 is eligible for Best Anthology in the Locus, World Fantasy, and Aurora Awards.
November 12, 2025 at 5:37 PM
✨ ‘Tis the season…for award eligibility posts! ✨
I had two short stories published in 2025 and I'd be honoured if you considered them in your nominations for the various SFF awards. And Year’s Best Canadian F&SF Vol 3 is eligible for Best Anthology in the Locus, World Fantasy, and Aurora Awards.
I had two short stories published in 2025 and I'd be honoured if you considered them in your nominations for the various SFF awards. And Year’s Best Canadian F&SF Vol 3 is eligible for Best Anthology in the Locus, World Fantasy, and Aurora Awards.
Reposted by N. R. M. Roshak (Natalka)
toy company CEOs: "at long last, we have created the Sinister Talking Doll Factory from the acclaimed movie 'Don't Create the Sinister Talking Doll Factory'"
futurism.com/artificial-i...
futurism.com/artificial-i...
AI-Powered Toys Caught Telling 5-Year-Olds How to Find Knives and Start Fires With Matches
AI-powered toys are flying off the shelves -- but they're engaging in horrifically inappropriate conversations with children.
futurism.com
November 13, 2025 at 1:42 PM
toy company CEOs: "at long last, we have created the Sinister Talking Doll Factory from the acclaimed movie 'Don't Create the Sinister Talking Doll Factory'"
futurism.com/artificial-i...
futurism.com/artificial-i...