vgshea
@vgshea.bsky.social
Longtime Silicon Valley resident. Author of “Netiquette” (Albion Press, 1994). Just hanging out on Bluesky to see which way it all goes.
This thread is very insightful and worth reading. I’m finding it helpful to think about.
I know the temptation is to just scroll past this with a “not surprised” reaction, but you should read this if you have the emotional bandwidth to encounter horrifying slurs and violent sentiments, because there’s an important takeaway: extremism is often performed to reinforce an in-group’s bond.
POLITICO: “.. They referred to Black people as monkeys and ‘the watermelon people’ and mused about putting their political opponents in gas chambers. They talked about raping their enemies .. and lauded Republicans who they believed support slavery.
@politico.com
www.politico.com/news/2025/10...
@politico.com
www.politico.com/news/2025/10...
October 14, 2025 at 7:40 PM
This thread is very insightful and worth reading. I’m finding it helpful to think about.
SF/F writer friends, fyi!
ICYMI, PLEASE REPOST! WRITERS! Uncanny Magazine will be open to Short Story Submissions from August 25 to September 8! Uncanny Magazine will be open to Poetry Submissions from August 9 to August 26. WE WANT TO SEE YOUR SHINY WORDS! buff.ly/9AyStcb
August 5, 2025 at 12:08 AM
SF/F writer friends, fyi!
Hey, friends, if you’re a WorldCon member, you can still submit Hugo Award nominations until midnight PDT tonight. If nothing else it’s a distraction from all the other dumpster fires raging.
March 14, 2025 at 10:14 PM
Hey, friends, if you’re a WorldCon member, you can still submit Hugo Award nominations until midnight PDT tonight. If nothing else it’s a distraction from all the other dumpster fires raging.
First they came for... our neighbors. Per a text I received this morning from the Rapid Response Network of Santa Clara County, yesterday morning, ICE officers illegally assaulted Mr. Ulises Peña Lopez in his locked car. 1/n
February 22, 2025 at 9:00 PM
First they came for... our neighbors. Per a text I received this morning from the Rapid Response Network of Santa Clara County, yesterday morning, ICE officers illegally assaulted Mr. Ulises Peña Lopez in his locked car. 1/n
If you see this, and you're in the mood for this kind of thing, quote post with a beach photo from your gallery.
February 13, 2025 at 5:48 AM
If you see this, and you're in the mood for this kind of thing, quote post with a beach photo from your gallery.
Reposted by vgshea
Reposted by vgshea
if you see this post, your actions are:
- if you have a spare buck, give it to Wikipedia, then repost this
- if you don't have a spare buck, just repost
your action is mandatory for the world's best source of information to survive
- if you have a spare buck, give it to Wikipedia, then repost this
- if you don't have a spare buck, just repost
your action is mandatory for the world's best source of information to survive
I’ve never donated to Wikipedia before but I set up a small monthly donation as a fuck you to the world’s richest psychopath.
Elon Musk takes aim at Wikipedia
Musk has denounced Wikipedia as "Wokepedia" on X and urged people not to donate to the platform.
www.newsweek.com
December 26, 2024 at 12:03 PM
if you see this post, your actions are:
- if you have a spare buck, give it to Wikipedia, then repost this
- if you don't have a spare buck, just repost
your action is mandatory for the world's best source of information to survive
- if you have a spare buck, give it to Wikipedia, then repost this
- if you don't have a spare buck, just repost
your action is mandatory for the world's best source of information to survive
It must have been incredible to be there. ❤️❤️
hold on to the memories they will hold on to you, and long live the walls we crashed through how the kingdom lights shine for me and you, and then i reread the manuscript but the story isn't mine anymore ✨
December 9, 2024 at 9:10 PM
It must have been incredible to be there. ❤️❤️
“Where Peace Is Lost” was one of my favorite books of 2023, and it’s on sale right now for $1.99. Don’t miss out!
Hello once again to new followers!
All of my pinned information (see below) remains true, and additionally, WHERE PEACE IS LOST is currently on sale for a mere $2 if you’d like to grab a copy. candleinsunshine.com/books/where-...
All of my pinned information (see below) remains true, and additionally, WHERE PEACE IS LOST is currently on sale for a mere $2 if you’d like to grab a copy. candleinsunshine.com/books/where-...
November 10, 2024 at 9:20 PM
“Where Peace Is Lost” was one of my favorite books of 2023, and it’s on sale right now for $1.99. Don’t miss out!
Our friend Lucky, who went back to live with his original human this year. He didn’t mind the new humans, but he never came around to the dog.
November 6, 2024 at 1:31 AM
Our friend Lucky, who went back to live with his original human this year. He didn’t mind the new humans, but he never came around to the dog.
The two middle-school-age boys who arrived right after the last of my candy disappeared put a small pile of their own candy into my cauldron. Then they each took a rubber duckie and a tiny skateboard and moved on.
Don’t let anyone tell you the kids aren’t all right.
Don’t let anyone tell you the kids aren’t all right.
November 1, 2024 at 4:11 AM
The two middle-school-age boys who arrived right after the last of my candy disappeared put a small pile of their own candy into my cauldron. Then they each took a rubber duckie and a tiny skateboard and moved on.
Don’t let anyone tell you the kids aren’t all right.
Don’t let anyone tell you the kids aren’t all right.
This thread inspired me to cut up and eat one of the Honeycrisps I bought at the supermarket a few days ago. It was… fine? Good, even. Crisp, juicy, balanced acidity— but the flavor was very mild, nothing like the intense burst of APPLE I got when I first tasted a Honeycrisp only a few years ago.
As someone who grew up before the Honeycrisp changed the game, I think it's hard for younger folks to understand just how much the apple was kind of a garbage-tier fruit back in the day. It's so much better now. Article by @laurahelmuth.bsky.social:
www.scientificamerican.com/article/appl...
www.scientificamerican.com/article/appl...
Apples Have Never Tasted So Delicious. Here’s Why
Apple experts divide time into “before Honeycrisp” and “after Honeycrisp,” and apples have never tasted so good
www.scientificamerican.com
October 25, 2024 at 5:33 PM
This thread inspired me to cut up and eat one of the Honeycrisps I bought at the supermarket a few days ago. It was… fine? Good, even. Crisp, juicy, balanced acidity— but the flavor was very mild, nothing like the intense burst of APPLE I got when I first tasted a Honeycrisp only a few years ago.
A few days ago, I rebleated a post in honor of PG Wodehouse’s birthday, deleted it for typos, and then couldn’t find it again. So instead, a few days late, I offer this 1960 New Yorker piece. May we all reach age 79 with the fortitude to enjoy two martinis* before lunch. (Plum made it to 93.)
P. G. Wodehouse on the Eve of Eighty
On the terrace, our host advised us that both he and his wife have become American citizens. “It’s like being elected to a very good club,” he remarked.
www.newyorker.com
October 19, 2024 at 8:31 PM
A few days ago, I rebleated a post in honor of PG Wodehouse’s birthday, deleted it for typos, and then couldn’t find it again. So instead, a few days late, I offer this 1960 New Yorker piece. May we all reach age 79 with the fortitude to enjoy two martinis* before lunch. (Plum made it to 93.)
Almost every article I read about AI quotes someone saying “It’s here to stay, whether we like it or not,” in almost exactly those words. AI at work? (More seriously, if we don’t fucking like it, why should we have to keep it?)
Teachers are using AI detection tools to catch students who are cheating. But they’re not always accurate, and consequences are piling up.
AI Detectors Falsely Accuse Students of Cheating—With Big Consequences
About two-thirds of teachers report regularly using tools for detecting AI-generated content. At that scale, even tiny error rates can add up quickly.
www.bloomberg.com
October 19, 2024 at 8:00 PM
Almost every article I read about AI quotes someone saying “It’s here to stay, whether we like it or not,” in almost exactly those words. AI at work? (More seriously, if we don’t fucking like it, why should we have to keep it?)
Reposted by vgshea
It was always about freeing fascist speech.
Which relies on misinformation for manipulation as well as threats for intimidation.
bsky.app/profile/kate...
Which relies on misinformation for manipulation as well as threats for intimidation.
bsky.app/profile/kate...
I sat for an interview w/ Jordan's "weaponization of government" committee. They argued researchers studying online rumors (and platforms taking action re: harmful falsehoods) were "biased" & "targeting conservatives". Turns out, one side just spreads more BS. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Analysis | Why conservatives get suspended more than liberals on social media
It doesn’t mean content moderation is biased, study finds
www.washingtonpost.com
October 3, 2024 at 3:42 PM
It was always about freeing fascist speech.
Which relies on misinformation for manipulation as well as threats for intimidation.
bsky.app/profile/kate...
Which relies on misinformation for manipulation as well as threats for intimidation.
bsky.app/profile/kate...
She’s giving Bella Abzug (that’s a good thing).
Have you met Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), ranking rizzler?
September 28, 2024 at 5:09 AM
She’s giving Bella Abzug (that’s a good thing).
Reposted by vgshea
My cartoon for this week’s Guardian Books.
September 21, 2024 at 9:04 AM
My cartoon for this week’s Guardian Books.
Fun times in America: My son, who moved cross-country last week for a new job (to a state that is not Ohio), got sent home from work today due to a bomb threat.
September 16, 2024 at 8:02 PM
Fun times in America: My son, who moved cross-country last week for a new job (to a state that is not Ohio), got sent home from work today due to a bomb threat.
Reposted by vgshea
How many of the pundits who called couchfucker “disinformation” are going nuts today about Trump claiming Dems kill infants or that schools perform gender surgery?
Zero? It’s zero.
Zero? It’s zero.
August 31, 2024 at 6:16 PM
How many of the pundits who called couchfucker “disinformation” are going nuts today about Trump claiming Dems kill infants or that schools perform gender surgery?
Zero? It’s zero.
Zero? It’s zero.
Distraught to learn of the death last night of Steve Silberman. Getting to know him on Bluesky over the past year or so was one of my favorite things on this site. Condolences to his RL family and friends (and everyone else who considered him a friend here, too).
August 29, 2024 at 10:58 PM
Distraught to learn of the death last night of Steve Silberman. Getting to know him on Bluesky over the past year or so was one of my favorite things on this site. Condolences to his RL family and friends (and everyone else who considered him a friend here, too).
Why did the dinosaur cross the road?
Because chickens weren’t invented yet.
Because chickens weren’t invented yet.
i’m having a shit day, PLEASE repost this with your favorite bad joke
e.g., “why do chicken coops only have two doors? because if they had four, they would be chicken sedans.”
e.g., “why do chicken coops only have two doors? because if they had four, they would be chicken sedans.”
August 24, 2024 at 5:08 PM
Why did the dinosaur cross the road?
Because chickens weren’t invented yet.
Because chickens weren’t invented yet.
Interesting discussion here about whether it’s ever appropriate or worthwhile to complain about books you dislike. Consensus: Don’t bug the author, they don’t need to hear it. Go read something you like instead. BUT…
Oh, I missed ALL of this. That said, my response to people who want to tell me they don't like my work is:
1. That's fine
2. I don't care
3. Stop reading me and find a writer whose work you do like.
Simple. Easy! And then we're both happy.
1. That's fine
2. I don't care
3. Stop reading me and find a writer whose work you do like.
Simple. Easy! And then we're both happy.
I’m seeing the tail end of the “tell authors you hate their work” discourse, but from my perspective, the biggest issue is this: if you consistently hate my work, you’re probably not part of the target audience, and so your opinion is not relevant to me.
August 21, 2024 at 8:39 PM
Interesting discussion here about whether it’s ever appropriate or worthwhile to complain about books you dislike. Consensus: Don’t bug the author, they don’t need to hear it. Go read something you like instead. BUT…