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Fred Coppersmith

@unrealfred.bsky.social

1.4K followers 660 following 11K posts

Writer, editor, just this guy. Occasional stories: https://www.unreality.net/writings. I also publish the quarterly zine Kaleidotrope. (He/him.) 😷

www.unreality.net

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Fred Coppersmith @unrealfred.bsky.social · Nov 15

Hello, new followers! Presumably you know this, or else why would you be following me, but I'm Fred. I natter on about this and that. I work in academic publishing, have edited and published @kaleidotrope.bsky.social for almost 20 years, and very occasionally write short fiction, most recently this:

Fred Coppersmith > Where the Prayers Run Like Weeds Along the Road > Bourbon Penn

You find the dead man waiting for you right where you left him, leaning against the old wooden fence at the side of the road. He looks like he’s smiling, a lopsided grin of too many teeth, but you’re ...

www.bourbonpenn.com

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Reposted by Fred Coppersmith

Kaleidotrope @kaleidotrope.bsky.social · 20h

Ask me anything—Kaleidotrope-related or otherwise!

a man in a skeleton costume is giving a thumbs up and says " any questions "

Alt: a man in a skeleton costume is giving a thumbs up and says " any questions "

media.tenor.com

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Fred Coppersmith @unrealfred.bsky.social · 10h

Yeah, this isn’t great.

Reposted by Fred Coppersmith

🎃👻 John BrooOoooOOOOooOoks 👻🎃 @johnbrooks.bsky.social · 10h

If any actual journalist ever again has the chance to interview a member of this administration, they must ask them to name - literally provide the name of - any one known member of Antifa and explicitly identify any one event for which Antifa has been demonstrably responsible.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 11h

HANNITY: Antifa is working against the American people. What would that be called?

BONDI: It would be called organized crime. And that's what they're doing ... they are no different than MS-13

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Deva Woodly @devawo.bsky.social · 12h

👀 WHAT ARE WE DOING HERE FOLKS

Mark Lemley @marklemley.bsky.social · 3d

And this:
92% of the growth in the entire country this year has been data centers. And some of that is "circular deals" that dont involve actual money

fortune.com/2025/10/07/d...

Without data centers, GDP growth was 0.1% in the first half of 2025, Harvard economist says | Fortune

Is a U.S. without data centers a country without GDP growth?

fortune.com

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Fred Coppersmith @unrealfred.bsky.social · 10h

I guess I’m making a double-feature of kinda lousy ‘80s slasher movies tonight. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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Fred Coppersmith @unrealfred.bsky.social · 11h

You can see some of the sensibility of Evil Dead II in this—director Scott Spiegel co-wrote that movie with longtime friend Sam Raimi, and both Raimi brothers (and Bruce Campbell) are in the movie—but it’s pretty bad, and not just by comparison.

Reposted by Fred Coppersmith

Eric Meyer @meyerweb.com · 12h

I have never been afraid of anything as much as Republicans are afraid of everything.

The Oregonian @oregonian.com · 12h

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson calls Sunday's naked bike ride in protest of the Portland ICE facility and and Trump troop deployment "the most threatening thing I’ve seen yet"

www.oregonlive.com/portland/202...

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Fred Coppersmith @unrealfred.bsky.social · 11h

It’s not a great sign when the best performance in your movie comes from a magazine cover photo.

Scott Spiegel's Intruder (1989) may be the first slasher film to include a literal Sting-er. Our full retrospective review of this often overlooked slasher classic is out now: https://pod.fo/e/288c3 ...

Scott Spiegel's Intruder (1989) may be the first slasher film to include a literal Sting-er. Our full retrospective review of this often overlooked slasher classic is out now: https://pod.fo/e/288c3

www.facebook.com

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Fred Coppersmith @unrealfred.bsky.social · 12h

This is…not good. Though it’s not good in some occasionally interesting ways.

Fred Coppersmith @unrealfred.bsky.social · 12h

Now watching

From the creators of Evil Dead II comes…

Intruder

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Fred Coppersmith @unrealfred.bsky.social · 14h

Not seeing a whole lot about *how* they can supposedly now "mitigate the serious health issues" of ChatGPT—you know, those issues that directly led to a number of recent teenage suicides and in a better world would have led to the entire company being shut down?

Matt Burgess (WIRED) @mattburgess1.bsky.social · 19h

Oh good, ChatGPT is getting "erotica for verified adults" later this year

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.

Fred Coppersmith @unrealfred.bsky.social · 14h

It was just so confusing as an advertisement, even ignoring the fact that I've never owned the very specific car they supposedly wanted me to trade in.

Fred Coppersmith @unrealfred.bsky.social · 14h

I got a strange piece of junk mail from a local car dealership I've never been to, about a car I've never owned. It was written like a memo to a salesman there from his manager, telling him to contact me about buying the car, with a fake post-it attached, as if I was just being cc'ed on this deal.

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Ferric Fang, MD @fangferric.bsky.social · 15h

According to a state epidemiologist, "CDC personnel who normally share information with state officials during outbreaks have been eliminated."

Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 1d

“One veteran researcher who still has his job (and, like other public-health workers I spoke with for this story, requested anonymity for fear of losing it) told me he believes that Kennedy’s ultimate goal is to “silence the scientific voice of career CDC scientists.””

Alt CDC (they/them) @altcdc.altgov.info · 1d

"Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things"
- Peter Drucker

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norbizness @norbizness.bsky.social · 15h

Well I think we've finally found a comprehensive theory for middle-aged podcast bro and senior citizen Health Secretary malfunction.

The New York Times @nytimes.com · 16h

A number of popular protein supplements contain levels of lead that could pose health concerns, according to a new report that tested samples of 23 powders and shakes.

Report Finds Lead in Naked Protein Powders and Other Popular Brands

Experts said the levels were not high enough to cause immediate harm, but raised the risk of long-term health effects.

nyti.ms

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Fred Coppersmith @unrealfred.bsky.social · 15h

“Pack up the stereo, meet at the burial ground” #nowplaying #nowplaying

The Decemberists - Burial Ground (Official Audio)

YouTube video by TheDecemberists

youtu.be

Fred Coppersmith @unrealfred.bsky.social · 16h

“Why won't you ever know that I'm in love with you, that I’m in love with you?” #nowplaying

The Cure - Just Like Heaven

YouTube video by TheCureVEVO

youtu.be

Reposted by Fred Coppersmith

Fred Coppersmith @unrealfred.bsky.social · 4d

Every time someone suggests some use for AI, it’s something I’d rather do myself, rather not do at all, or rather not see anyone do, ever. That practically every one of these uses is bad for the environment and our brains, and relies on unethically built algorithms, is almost beside the point.

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Alex Brown 🇵🇸 (they/them) @bookjockeyalex.bsky.social · 16h

Setting aside graverobbing woman who died in no small part due to men exploiting her image, copyright violations aren't "growing pains." It's literally the law. They’re breaking the law. Without copyright law, there is no creative industry, and without a creative industry, there is no genAI.

Scientific American @sciam.bsky.social · 2d

Despite early, and familiar, copyright growing pains, Sora may be the prelude to AI-generated on-demand TV and movies

Want to See Marilyn Monroe in Game of Thrones? AI Could Make It Soon

Despite early, and familiar, copyright growing pains, Sora may be the prelude to AI-generated on-demand TV and movies

www.scientificamerican.com

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Reposted by Fred Coppersmith

Chris Hayes @chrislhayes.bsky.social · 16h

Unless and until some kind of compelling legal and moral argument is presented as to why this is a legitimate use of deadly force, this is just…mass murder.

Amarnath Amarasingam @amaramarasingam.bsky.social · 16h

The military has now killed 27 people as if they were enemy soldiers in a war zone and not criminal suspects. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/14/u...

U.S. Military Kills Another 6 People in 5th Caribbean Strike, Trump Says

www.nytimes.com

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Greg Sargent @gregsargent.bsky.social · 18h

Trump is no longer even pretending to have any kind of argument that his murdering of people in the Caribbean Sea has any kind of statutory validity. Just straight up declaring that he has quasi-unlimited power to execute people based on (nominal) suspicion.

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Amarnath Amarasingam @amaramarasingam.bsky.social · 16h

The military has now killed 27 people as if they were enemy soldiers in a war zone and not criminal suspects. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/14/u...

U.S. Military Kills Another 6 People in 5th Caribbean Strike, Trump Says

www.nytimes.com

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Fred Coppersmith @unrealfred.bsky.social · 16h

“Somewhere I lost connection, I ran out of songs to play” #nowplaying

Creedence Clearwater Revival - Lodi (Official Audio)

YouTube video by Creedence Clearwater Revival

youtu.be

Fred Coppersmith @unrealfred.bsky.social · 16h

“We need change and we need it fast, before rock's just part of the past” #nowplaying

Ramones - Do You Remember Rock and Roll Radio? (Official Music Video)

YouTube video by RHINO

youtu.be

Fred Coppersmith @unrealfred.bsky.social · 21h

I like how Outlook frequently tells me I’m not responding to the latest message in a conversation, but then when I open what it says is the latest one, it’s always the same message, an earlier message, or a completely unrelated message.