Matthew King
@cincinnatusc.bsky.social
I was the shadow of the waxwing slain
by the false azure in the windowpane
birdsandbeesandblooms.com
by the false azure in the windowpane
birdsandbeesandblooms.com
Pic of the week: Vaporous Woodpecker
birdsandbeesandblooms.com/2025/12/07/v...
birdsandbeesandblooms.com/2025/12/07/v...
Vaporous Woodpecker
Vaporous Woodpecker: photo of downy woodpecker taken at Kingston, Ontario. Copyright Matthew King. E-mail [email protected] to inquire concerning use or purchase.
birdsandbeesandblooms.com
December 8, 2025 at 3:18 AM
Pic of the week: Vaporous Woodpecker
birdsandbeesandblooms.com/2025/12/07/v...
birdsandbeesandblooms.com/2025/12/07/v...
Depressing in multiple ways, one being it implicitly points at a thing I hadn't thought of as to why AIpedias are gonna blow Wiki out of the water: seems like Harper likes the grok article more largely bc it uses more of what Wiki would frown on as "original research"
www.patreon.com/posts/grok-1...
www.patreon.com/posts/grok-1...
Grok* | etymonline
Get more from etymonline on Patreon
www.patreon.com
December 7, 2025 at 11:53 PM
Depressing in multiple ways, one being it implicitly points at a thing I hadn't thought of as to why AIpedias are gonna blow Wiki out of the water: seems like Harper likes the grok article more largely bc it uses more of what Wiki would frown on as "original research"
www.patreon.com/posts/grok-1...
www.patreon.com/posts/grok-1...
Interesting thread about metering by units of time rather than stresses and syllables--thinking about how durational metering might map on to English I'm reminded of my highschool music teacher's trick for giving beginners a feel for the timing of sets of notes of different lengths:
Just when you think you've seen it all, today's poem at Rattle by Julie Kane is a PechaKucha—it's a spinoff of a Japanese form of slideshow presentation, where you show 20 slides for 20 seconds each, and fit stories into exactly that length of time. 1/
www.rattle.com/old-maid-a-p...
www.rattle.com/old-maid-a-p...
Old Maid: A PechaKucha by Julie Kane - Rattle: Poetry
She was our father’s only sister. Being Irish and the eldest child and only daughter, she was doomed to take care of her invalid mother. Old Maid, we whispered, like the card game where the loser gets...
www.rattle.com
December 5, 2025 at 8:23 PM
Interesting thread about metering by units of time rather than stresses and syllables--thinking about how durational metering might map on to English I'm reminded of my highschool music teacher's trick for giving beginners a feel for the timing of sets of notes of different lengths:
Have just been reminded that before you get too pleased with yourself for the clever riff on a famous poem you just wrote you might want to check to see whether it's already been done
A lot
(No it does not have plums in it)
A lot
(No it does not have plums in it)
December 5, 2025 at 7:21 PM
Have just been reminded that before you get too pleased with yourself for the clever riff on a famous poem you just wrote you might want to check to see whether it's already been done
A lot
(No it does not have plums in it)
A lot
(No it does not have plums in it)
In a rare gesture of bifelineship both cats suggesting I consider not playing Duke Ellington's Nutcracker quite so loud
Vetoed
Vetoed
December 4, 2025 at 1:55 AM
In a rare gesture of bifelineship both cats suggesting I consider not playing Duke Ellington's Nutcracker quite so loud
Vetoed
Vetoed
Nominating this for the Pushcart for best promotional video short
December 3, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Nominating this for the Pushcart for best promotional video short
Not many remember this but in the early days of the internet people had to go on the roof with an antenna to get internet signal, this time of year they would be freezing so they would go sigh brr, that's why it's called Cyber Monday & to this day your grandparents call the whole internet cyberspace
December 2, 2025 at 3:00 AM
Not many remember this but in the early days of the internet people had to go on the roof with an antenna to get internet signal, this time of year they would be freezing so they would go sigh brr, that's why it's called Cyber Monday & to this day your grandparents call the whole internet cyberspace
Pic of the week: Maw
birdsandbeesandblooms.com/2025/11/30/m...
birdsandbeesandblooms.com/2025/11/30/m...
Maw
Maw: photo of double-crested cormorant taken at Windsor, Ontario. Copyright Matthew King. E-mail [email protected] to inquire concerning use or purchase.
birdsandbeesandblooms.com
November 30, 2025 at 10:58 PM
Pic of the week: Maw
birdsandbeesandblooms.com/2025/11/30/m...
birdsandbeesandblooms.com/2025/11/30/m...
A striking thing about these results (in addition to showing why the PM has chosen to throw up his hands on climate) is that the top thing and the bottom thing are right- and left-coded versions of the same thing
Top Issue Facing Canada - (Pick 3):
Cost of living: 64%
Economy: 40%
Healthcare: 35%
Housing Affordability: 34%
Trump: 32%
Immigration: 26%
Crime/Safety: 17%
Job Security/Unemployment: 15%
Climate/Environment: 13%
Inequality/Poverty: 13%
Abacus / Nov 27, 2025 / n=2074 / Online
Cost of living: 64%
Economy: 40%
Healthcare: 35%
Housing Affordability: 34%
Trump: 32%
Immigration: 26%
Crime/Safety: 17%
Job Security/Unemployment: 15%
Climate/Environment: 13%
Inequality/Poverty: 13%
Abacus / Nov 27, 2025 / n=2074 / Online
November 30, 2025 at 7:34 PM
A striking thing about these results (in addition to showing why the PM has chosen to throw up his hands on climate) is that the top thing and the bottom thing are right- and left-coded versions of the same thing
Never sure how I feel about Mary Pratt in general but sometimes it comes together just so
November 30, 2025 at 6:34 PM
Never sure how I feel about Mary Pratt in general but sometimes it comes together just so
Been stewing about the "potential tool use by wolves" article for the last week and the new Christian Wiman piece in Harper's has turned it up to a faster simmer
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Potential Tool Use by Wolves (Canis lupus): Crab Trap Pulling in Haíɫzaqv Nation Territory
Recently, recurring damage to crab traps used by Haíɫzaqv Nation Guardians to control a European Green Crab invasion was investigated with remote cameras. A wolf was recorded emerging from the water ....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
November 28, 2025 at 10:58 PM
Been stewing about the "potential tool use by wolves" article for the last week and the new Christian Wiman piece in Harper's has turned it up to a faster simmer
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Did seriously nobody screenshot that white nationalist AI pic with the one-walled cabin & headless cows & buxom blonde young lady with 6-toed babies & her shirt falling off & a pterodactyl before the guy deleted it
Because that's what I always think of when I think what do these people actually want
Because that's what I always think of when I think what do these people actually want
November 28, 2025 at 5:55 PM
Did seriously nobody screenshot that white nationalist AI pic with the one-walled cabin & headless cows & buxom blonde young lady with 6-toed babies & her shirt falling off & a pterodactyl before the guy deleted it
Because that's what I always think of when I think what do these people actually want
Because that's what I always think of when I think what do these people actually want
I can't get over (not that there shouldn't be consequences and compensations, give em each ten million bucks, fine by me!) what a for-real case of "pass by catastrophe" this is
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pass_by...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pass_by...
#Breaking: Ontario is appealing judge’s decision to toss murder charges because of Maplehurst jail guards’ abuse of inmates
Ontario is appealing judge’s decision to toss murder charges because of Maplehurst jail guards’ abuse of inmates
In its notice of appeal, the Crown says the judge erred by “materially misapprehending the evidence" underpinning his findings of abuse and cover-up.
www.thestar.com
November 26, 2025 at 9:15 PM
I can't get over (not that there shouldn't be consequences and compensations, give em each ten million bucks, fine by me!) what a for-real case of "pass by catastrophe" this is
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pass_by...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pass_by...
Charlie Brown, stop. Stop, will you? Stop, Charlie Brown. Will you stop, Charlie Brown? Stop, Charlie Brown. I'm afraid. I'm afraid, Charlie Brown.
November 24, 2025 at 11:36 PM
Charlie Brown, stop. Stop, will you? Stop, Charlie Brown. Will you stop, Charlie Brown? Stop, Charlie Brown. I'm afraid. I'm afraid, Charlie Brown.
What if I cite it in a poem though
Don’t cite the Adversarial Poetry vs AI paper — it’s chatbot-made ‘science’
Not even poetically sound
www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnID... - video
pivottoai.libsyn.com/20251124-don... - podcast
time: 5 min 46 sec
Not even poetically sound
www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnID... - video
pivottoai.libsyn.com/20251124-don... - podcast
time: 5 min 46 sec
November 24, 2025 at 9:10 PM
What if I cite it in a poem though
An arresting painting in a number of ways, one being the contrast with Group of 7 landscapes (especially Harris, who the foreground trees and shadows seem to maybe quote), which as far as I've seen never do this kind of thing (but what I've seen is far from exhaustive)
Balsam Fir (Abies Balsamea)
Charles Comfort
1950
Charles Comfort
1950
November 24, 2025 at 5:34 PM
An arresting painting in a number of ways, one being the contrast with Group of 7 landscapes (especially Harris, who the foreground trees and shadows seem to maybe quote), which as far as I've seen never do this kind of thing (but what I've seen is far from exhaustive)
Talk to yourself, be less tired, stay up late, be more smart: it turns out I am doing all the right things!
How Much Does Self-Talk Influence Fatigue?
A Comparison of Performance, Perceived Exertion, and Neuromuscular Patterns during High-Intensity Power Cleans
journal.iusca.org/index.php/Jo...
A Comparison of Performance, Perceived Exertion, and Neuromuscular Patterns during High-Intensity Power Cleans
journal.iusca.org/index.php/Jo...
November 24, 2025 at 4:35 PM
Talk to yourself, be less tired, stay up late, be more smart: it turns out I am doing all the right things!
Honestly needed this affirmation but probably not this encouragement
Research Reveals Night Owls Are More Intelligent Than People Who Get Up Early
www.lifehack.org/318124/resea...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.lifehack.org/318124/resea...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
November 24, 2025 at 6:47 AM
Honestly needed this affirmation but probably not this encouragement
Pic of the week: Reflective Quack
birdsandbeesandblooms.com/2025/11/23/r...
birdsandbeesandblooms.com/2025/11/23/r...
Reflective Quack
Reflective Quack: photo of mallard taken at Joe Benesh Pond, Centennial Park, Etobicoke, Ontario. Copyright Matthew King. E-mail [email protected] to inquire concerning use or purchas…
birdsandbeesandblooms.com
November 24, 2025 at 4:58 AM
Pic of the week: Reflective Quack
birdsandbeesandblooms.com/2025/11/23/r...
birdsandbeesandblooms.com/2025/11/23/r...
I keep thinking how the baseball playoffs really showed the contrast in my feed between the baseball buzz and the poetry lack thereof in this place, just went looking for a recent post from a poet lamenting similarly on the latter and found their account is deactivated. Yikes.
November 22, 2025 at 4:33 PM
I keep thinking how the baseball playoffs really showed the contrast in my feed between the baseball buzz and the poetry lack thereof in this place, just went looking for a recent post from a poet lamenting similarly on the latter and found their account is deactivated. Yikes.
Been having a pretty lean year for getting poems out there but happy to have one in the latest issue of @freefallmagazine.bsky.social!
November 22, 2025 at 3:47 AM
Been having a pretty lean year for getting poems out there but happy to have one in the latest issue of @freefallmagazine.bsky.social!
Ok so we saw One Battle After Another last weekend and almost all of you people seem to be saying he says "a few small beers" but isn't it "three small beers", it sounds like "three small beers" to me, IDK, why can't I even find anyone arguing about this
November 21, 2025 at 7:38 AM
Ok so we saw One Battle After Another last weekend and almost all of you people seem to be saying he says "a few small beers" but isn't it "three small beers", it sounds like "three small beers" to me, IDK, why can't I even find anyone arguing about this
So today I have both watched the Skrilla video and read the adversarial-poetry-defeats-AI-safety-mechanisms article to see what the heck it is we're talking about here and I'm not sure which has left me the less enlightened
arxiv.org/html/2511.15...
arxiv.org/html/2511.15...
Adversarial Poetry as a Universal Single-Turn Jailbreak Mechanism in Large Language Models
arxiv.org
November 21, 2025 at 4:56 AM
So today I have both watched the Skrilla video and read the adversarial-poetry-defeats-AI-safety-mechanisms article to see what the heck it is we're talking about here and I'm not sure which has left me the less enlightened
arxiv.org/html/2511.15...
arxiv.org/html/2511.15...
If this rhyme out loud you say you'll not forget when's turkey day (not here, I mean, it comes too late each year in every US state)
Four Thursdays hath November, though there's sometimes five, remember, turkey will be coming late if this year's 1st should be the date on Friday or on Saturday, Thursday it's the other way, and when 1sts are Wednesdays, too, early turkey seems to you
November 21, 2025 at 1:59 AM
If this rhyme out loud you say you'll not forget when's turkey day (not here, I mean, it comes too late each year in every US state)
Leonard Cohen reading Al Purdy's "Necropsy of Love"--great illustration of why "free verse" at the top of AP's wiki article makes me itch--if you don't get it on the page you sure do in LC's reading, metrical through & through, bulk of it straight-up IP
borealisrecords.bandcamp.com/track/necrop...
borealisrecords.bandcamp.com/track/necrop...
Necropsy Of Love, by Leonard Cohen
from the album The Al Purdy Songbook
borealisrecords.bandcamp.com
November 17, 2025 at 6:36 PM
Leonard Cohen reading Al Purdy's "Necropsy of Love"--great illustration of why "free verse" at the top of AP's wiki article makes me itch--if you don't get it on the page you sure do in LC's reading, metrical through & through, bulk of it straight-up IP
borealisrecords.bandcamp.com/track/necrop...
borealisrecords.bandcamp.com/track/necrop...