Mandy J Watson
@mandyjwatson.bsky.social
Tech-culture journalist. Copy editor. Game dev. Hire me!
World expert in South African comics (#sacomics) published after 2000.
Words: https://brainwavez.org/
Tiny games: https://mandyjwatson.itch.io/
Masked up in Cape Town, South Africa.
World expert in South African comics (#sacomics) published after 2000.
Words: https://brainwavez.org/
Tiny games: https://mandyjwatson.itch.io/
Masked up in Cape Town, South Africa.
Pinned
The Mischievous Thievery Of Jessica The Cat by Mandy J Watson
Jessica the cat has been stealing people's things! A GGJ2021 narrative-puzzle prototype that's now a full game! Play in your browser
mandyjwatson.itch.io
To get the anxiety inducing first post out of the way:
something of mine you can read: https://www.brainwavez.org/screen/film/features/2019/20191128001-01.html
something I made for you to play (dev is ongoing - more to come):
https://mandyjwatson.itch.io/the-mischievous-thievery-of-jessica-the-cat
something of mine you can read: https://www.brainwavez.org/screen/film/features/2019/20191128001-01.html
something I made for you to play (dev is ongoing - more to come):
https://mandyjwatson.itch.io/the-mischievous-thievery-of-jessica-the-cat
Reposted by Mandy J Watson
Eaten, regurgitated, fossilised then recognised as the vomit fossil pterosaur. Will the indignities never cease?
November 25, 2025 at 10:28 PM
Eaten, regurgitated, fossilised then recognised as the vomit fossil pterosaur. Will the indignities never cease?
Reposted by Mandy J Watson
Roses are red
That dino looks ill
That dino looks ill
November 25, 2025 at 7:58 PM
Roses are red
That dino looks ill
That dino looks ill
Reposted by Mandy J Watson
This is why I never downloaded TikTok app and am not a fan of YouTube shorts which they push heavily.
Also ruins ability to focus, encourages passive receptivity to whatever.
Also ruins ability to focus, encourages passive receptivity to whatever.
Short-Form Video Linked to Worse Cognitive and Mental Health
Social media’s increasing use of algorithm-driven content that lasts only seconds may be worsening attention, inhibition, stress, and anxiety.
By Peter Simons
www.madinamerica.com/2025/11/shor...
Social media’s increasing use of algorithm-driven content that lasts only seconds may be worsening attention, inhibition, stress, and anxiety.
By Peter Simons
www.madinamerica.com/2025/11/shor...
Short-Form Video Linked to Worse Cognitive and Mental Health
Social media’s increasing use of algorithm-driven content that lasts only seconds may be worsening attention, inhibition, stress, and anxiety
www.madinamerica.com
November 25, 2025 at 2:12 PM
This is why I never downloaded TikTok app and am not a fan of YouTube shorts which they push heavily.
Also ruins ability to focus, encourages passive receptivity to whatever.
Also ruins ability to focus, encourages passive receptivity to whatever.
Reposted by Mandy J Watson
I'm so excited to see we've raised over 5k so far on the #Creatives4Sudan auction. Can you help us get to £10k? I'm offering a personalised original Loki drawing, and I really will go all out to make it as funny as possible. app.galabid.com/creatives4su... #KidLitUK #KeepEyesOnSudan
Sorry, GalaBid took too long to load. Please check your internet speed or try again.
app.galabid.com
November 25, 2025 at 12:30 PM
I'm so excited to see we've raised over 5k so far on the #Creatives4Sudan auction. Can you help us get to £10k? I'm offering a personalised original Loki drawing, and I really will go all out to make it as funny as possible. app.galabid.com/creatives4su... #KidLitUK #KeepEyesOnSudan
Reposted by Mandy J Watson
Interesting
November 22, 2025 at 2:50 PM
Interesting
Reposted by Mandy J Watson
Some long COVID data out of South Africa - a small group but important to start filling the gaps because long COVID research thus far is mostly from the global north.
Long COVID’s hidden toll: the South Africans still battling fatigue, anxiety and memory loss
Long COVID isn’t purely a biological problem; it’s a human one, shaped by both physiology and lived experience.
theconversation.com
November 25, 2025 at 6:35 AM
Some long COVID data out of South Africa - a small group but important to start filling the gaps because long COVID research thus far is mostly from the global north.
Reposted by Mandy J Watson
Stop trying to make fetch happen
South Korea’s AI learning program was rolled back after just four months following a backlash from teachers, students, and parents alike
https://restofworld.org/2025/south-korea-ai-textbook/?utm_campaign=row-social&utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_content=1764037440
https://restofworld.org/2025/south-korea-ai-textbook/?utm_campaign=row-social&utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_content=1764037440
AI-powered textbooks fail to make the grade in South Korea
South Korea’s AI learning program was rolled back after just four months following a backlash from teachers, students, and parents, underlining the challenges in embedding the technology in education.
restofworld.org
November 25, 2025 at 9:53 AM
Stop trying to make fetch happen
Reposted by Mandy J Watson
Anybody who wants to use this format, please go ahead! We would absolutely love for people to be as transparent as possible with credits. Who cares if they're long! People who worked on the game deserve their accolades, and if they ever need to get a job (god forbid) their role is now hyper clear.
November 24, 2025 at 10:27 PM
Anybody who wants to use this format, please go ahead! We would absolutely love for people to be as transparent as possible with credits. Who cares if they're long! People who worked on the game deserve their accolades, and if they ever need to get a job (god forbid) their role is now hyper clear.
Reposted by Mandy J Watson
We did something different with the credits for Demonschool. We used this format: name, title, lengthy description of what they did. Often you see credits in games where you don't know what the credited developer was actually responsible for. We wanted to give people proper, actual credit.
November 24, 2025 at 10:23 PM
We did something different with the credits for Demonschool. We used this format: name, title, lengthy description of what they did. Often you see credits in games where you don't know what the credited developer was actually responsible for. We wanted to give people proper, actual credit.
Reposted by Mandy J Watson
Today: Zapiro signing books at Exclusive Books in Sandton (Johannesburg), free event.
Monday: Zapiro's Johannesburg 30th annual launch with Suits & Sneakers, also free.
Ongoing: Cosmic Comics and Smallville Comics (both in Johannesburg) are having sales until the end of the month.
#SAComics
Monday: Zapiro's Johannesburg 30th annual launch with Suits & Sneakers, also free.
Ongoing: Cosmic Comics and Smallville Comics (both in Johannesburg) are having sales until the end of the month.
#SAComics
News: South African Comics Events Coming Up In November 2025
There are lots of #SAComics events coming up in the next six weeks. Here's the first roundup, for November. The second is in progress.
www.brainwavez.org/news/2025/20...
There are lots of #SAComics events coming up in the next six weeks. Here's the first roundup, for November. The second is in progress.
www.brainwavez.org/news/2025/20...
November 22, 2025 at 10:32 AM
Today: Zapiro signing books at Exclusive Books in Sandton (Johannesburg), free event.
Monday: Zapiro's Johannesburg 30th annual launch with Suits & Sneakers, also free.
Ongoing: Cosmic Comics and Smallville Comics (both in Johannesburg) are having sales until the end of the month.
#SAComics
Monday: Zapiro's Johannesburg 30th annual launch with Suits & Sneakers, also free.
Ongoing: Cosmic Comics and Smallville Comics (both in Johannesburg) are having sales until the end of the month.
#SAComics
The way these insidious companies have managed to get their evil little tendrils everywhere, and so quickly....
Governments really need ministers who understand technology (and who aren't chasing big tech $$$).
Governments really need ministers who understand technology (and who aren't chasing big tech $$$).
Greek secondary school teachers to be trained in using AI in classroom
Greek secondary school teachers to be trained in using AI in classroom
Some teachers and pupils voice concerns about pilot programme after government’s agreement with OpenAI
Secondary school teachers in Greece are set to go through an intensive course in using artificial intelligence tools as the country assumes a frontline role in incorporating AI into its education system.
Next week, staff in 20 schools will be trained in a specialised version of ChatGPT, custom-made for academic institutions, under a new agreement between the centre-right government and OpenAI. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
November 22, 2025 at 10:40 AM
The way these insidious companies have managed to get their evil little tendrils everywhere, and so quickly....
Governments really need ministers who understand technology (and who aren't chasing big tech $$$).
Governments really need ministers who understand technology (and who aren't chasing big tech $$$).
I stopped watching Murder, She Wrote as a teenager when about seven minutes in to an episode I had figured out who both the murderer and the victim were and no one had even died yet.
I can always figure out who the killer in an episode of Columbo is within the first 10-15 minutes.
November 21, 2025 at 4:09 PM
I stopped watching Murder, She Wrote as a teenager when about seven minutes in to an episode I had figured out who both the murderer and the victim were and no one had even died yet.
Reposted by Mandy J Watson
I am a fun weirdo who makes cool #zines abt kdramas, NYC, archives, libraries, kaiju monsters, women in STEM, enamel pins, bob's burgers, being kind/worried, homestar runner, internet cats, hobo codes, & molasses floods.
How about some weird zines for an end-of-year holiday treat! Etsy.me/3Ya6bXa?
How about some weird zines for an end-of-year holiday treat! Etsy.me/3Ya6bXa?
November 17, 2025 at 3:54 AM
I am a fun weirdo who makes cool #zines abt kdramas, NYC, archives, libraries, kaiju monsters, women in STEM, enamel pins, bob's burgers, being kind/worried, homestar runner, internet cats, hobo codes, & molasses floods.
How about some weird zines for an end-of-year holiday treat! Etsy.me/3Ya6bXa?
How about some weird zines for an end-of-year holiday treat! Etsy.me/3Ya6bXa?
Reposted by Mandy J Watson
Love this so much. 💜
November 15, 2025 at 4:17 AM
Love this so much. 💜
Look at these awesome zines and stickers @janineveazue.bsky.social sent to me (includes equally awesome D&D stamps on the envelope!).
Thank you so much!
Find her zines here:
www.instagram.com/zinesbyjanine/
and here:
www.etsy.com/shop/Stitcha...
Thank you so much!
Find her zines here:
www.instagram.com/zinesbyjanine/
and here:
www.etsy.com/shop/Stitcha...
November 21, 2025 at 1:17 PM
Look at these awesome zines and stickers @janineveazue.bsky.social sent to me (includes equally awesome D&D stamps on the envelope!).
Thank you so much!
Find her zines here:
www.instagram.com/zinesbyjanine/
and here:
www.etsy.com/shop/Stitcha...
Thank you so much!
Find her zines here:
www.instagram.com/zinesbyjanine/
and here:
www.etsy.com/shop/Stitcha...
Reposted by Mandy J Watson
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 20, 2025 at 5:06 PM
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
Reposted by Mandy J Watson
Today: Carlos Amato launching his cartoon anthology at The Book Lounge in Cape Town (free event).
Tomorrow: Zapiro doing a cartoon showcase at Sacred Heart College, Marist Observatory in Johannesburg (free event).
#SAComics
Tomorrow: Zapiro doing a cartoon showcase at Sacred Heart College, Marist Observatory in Johannesburg (free event).
#SAComics
News: South African Comics Events Coming Up In November 2025
There are lots of #SAComics events coming up in the next six weeks. Here's the first roundup, for November. The second is in progress.
www.brainwavez.org/news/2025/20...
There are lots of #SAComics events coming up in the next six weeks. Here's the first roundup, for November. The second is in progress.
www.brainwavez.org/news/2025/20...
November 20, 2025 at 11:13 AM
Today: Carlos Amato launching his cartoon anthology at The Book Lounge in Cape Town (free event).
Tomorrow: Zapiro doing a cartoon showcase at Sacred Heart College, Marist Observatory in Johannesburg (free event).
#SAComics
Tomorrow: Zapiro doing a cartoon showcase at Sacred Heart College, Marist Observatory in Johannesburg (free event).
#SAComics
Reposted by Mandy J Watson
Today is Trans Day Of Remembrance
#TransLivesMatter #TDoR #TDoR2025 #TransDayOfRemembrance #TransAwarenessWeek #SayTheirNames
*** Trigger warning for the following thread: Violence against trans people (especially TWOC) * * *
#TransLivesMatter #TDoR #TDoR2025 #TransDayOfRemembrance #TransAwarenessWeek #SayTheirNames
*** Trigger warning for the following thread: Violence against trans people (especially TWOC) * * *
November 20, 2025 at 6:58 AM
Today is Trans Day Of Remembrance
#TransLivesMatter #TDoR #TDoR2025 #TransDayOfRemembrance #TransAwarenessWeek #SayTheirNames
*** Trigger warning for the following thread: Violence against trans people (especially TWOC) * * *
#TransLivesMatter #TDoR #TDoR2025 #TransDayOfRemembrance #TransAwarenessWeek #SayTheirNames
*** Trigger warning for the following thread: Violence against trans people (especially TWOC) * * *
What a waste of public money, too. Who needs to see these? It's not as if the public is invited to the G20 (or has any input on its bullshit).
Could have spent this money on so many more worthy causes.
Could have spent this money on so many more worthy causes.
Bad enough hosting actual fascist leaders - did we really need to adopt the aesthetics too? #G20
November 20, 2025 at 11:18 AM
What a waste of public money, too. Who needs to see these? It's not as if the public is invited to the G20 (or has any input on its bullshit).
Could have spent this money on so many more worthy causes.
Could have spent this money on so many more worthy causes.
Reposted by Mandy J Watson
I think it's maybe not good that the dominant genre is now commentary and reaction videos that tell people how to respond to things so audiences never have to decide for themselves how they think or feel about them
November 19, 2025 at 3:30 PM
I think it's maybe not good that the dominant genre is now commentary and reaction videos that tell people how to respond to things so audiences never have to decide for themselves how they think or feel about them
Reposted by Mandy J Watson
A sleepy #tapir at @tapirvalley.bsky.social #CostaRica
After a night of grazing, Lola was taking a snooze in the grasses on a cool morning.
#bairdstapirs #nature #wildlife
After a night of grazing, Lola was taking a snooze in the grasses on a cool morning.
#bairdstapirs #nature #wildlife
November 19, 2025 at 2:39 PM
A sleepy #tapir at @tapirvalley.bsky.social #CostaRica
After a night of grazing, Lola was taking a snooze in the grasses on a cool morning.
#bairdstapirs #nature #wildlife
After a night of grazing, Lola was taking a snooze in the grasses on a cool morning.
#bairdstapirs #nature #wildlife
Cartoonist Carlos Amato's This Is Wild book launch is tomorrow in Cape Town at The Book Lounge.
(That's his art in the middle of the picture.)
(That's his art in the middle of the picture.)
News: South African Comics Events Coming Up In November 2025
There are lots of #SAComics events coming up in the next six weeks. Here's the first roundup, for November. The second is in progress.
www.brainwavez.org/news/2025/20...
There are lots of #SAComics events coming up in the next six weeks. Here's the first roundup, for November. The second is in progress.
www.brainwavez.org/news/2025/20...
November 19, 2025 at 10:56 AM
Cartoonist Carlos Amato's This Is Wild book launch is tomorrow in Cape Town at The Book Lounge.
(That's his art in the middle of the picture.)
(That's his art in the middle of the picture.)
Reposted by Mandy J Watson
PSA for any Apub authors whose books are in the Anthropic settlement list: Amazon is not participating in the settlement, since they have an investment in Anthropic. When you submit your claim form, you DO NOT have to list Amazon as an add'l rightsholder, & can claim 100% of settlement money.
November 18, 2025 at 4:26 PM
PSA for any Apub authors whose books are in the Anthropic settlement list: Amazon is not participating in the settlement, since they have an investment in Anthropic. When you submit your claim form, you DO NOT have to list Amazon as an add'l rightsholder, & can claim 100% of settlement money.
Reposted by Mandy J Watson
Billionaires handing money back and forth, no one creating anything except carbon in the air. Anthropic buys Nvidia chips; Nvidia gives Anthropic billions to buy even more chips; Microsoft gives Anthropic billions, which Anthropic spends on Microsoft Azure, run by Nvidia, etc. An ouroboros of shit.
New @axios: Anthropic lands $15 billion investment from Microsoft, Nvidia
Anthropic lands $15 billion investment from Microsoft, Nvidia
The move is the latest in a series of deals that sees all the big players partnering with one another.
www.axios.com
November 18, 2025 at 4:47 PM
Billionaires handing money back and forth, no one creating anything except carbon in the air. Anthropic buys Nvidia chips; Nvidia gives Anthropic billions to buy even more chips; Microsoft gives Anthropic billions, which Anthropic spends on Microsoft Azure, run by Nvidia, etc. An ouroboros of shit.