@JohnShirley2023@mastodon.cloud
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JohnShirley2023

@JohnShirley2023@mastodon.cloud

Writer of novels in several genres, and story collections; also nonfiction; movie and animation scripts, song lyrics. Speaker (TEDx and elsewhere). Futurist. Blogger. Interests in science, spirituality, the arts. Writer of science-fiction, horror, techno-thrillers, thrillers, westerns. One of the original cyberpunk novelists. Vocalist, records albums, eg "Escape from Gravity" with Jerry King. Has worked in TV and movies: Co-wrote The Crow. New novel: SUBORBITAL 7. https://john-shirley.com

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JohnShirley2023, to writing
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People who use programs, AIs especially, to create "art", visual or in writing or musical form, are hurting not only the culture--but themselves. They're weakening their own creativity. Because creativity must be stretched and developed through effort in order to flower. They also enfeeble their own experience of art. They will lose capacity to grow as artists. A pretty picture etc is easy--and it will atrophy their creativity. What they do produce will soon be a bore to everyone.

JohnShirley2023, to Writers
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Writers who respect copyright, intellectual property, and writers' dedication to their art will not use programs that scan published text to help "writers" work up material through AI programs. I just sent a cease and desist to prosecraft.io to take down their use of my novel Stormland, 1000 words of quoted prose, and end their usage of it. There are class action suits against these outfits. They took down the Stormland theft soon as I spoke about lawyers.

JohnShirley2023,
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Their use of my writing was illegal, and disrespectful, and dishonest. Outfits like this are degrading the art and craft of writing. They are another aspect of the enshitification of culture.

JohnShirley2023,
@JohnShirley2023@mastodon.cloud avatar

@misc yeah he's taking it down! I wrote to him not only saying I would sue but as he's not that far from me I would come there in person to hand him the paper and to pound on desks. So that all happened in the last hour. I sent a reply to his whining using some of the material I posted here...

erictopol, to random
@erictopol@mstdn.social avatar

Without the updated XBB.1.5 booster being available, we're not ready for EG.5.1, the variant on the rise globally, or the FLip double whammy mutation that is next up. Updated and discussed here

https://erictopol.substack.com/p/the-virus-is-learning-new-tricks

JohnShirley2023,
@JohnShirley2023@mastodon.cloud avatar

@erictopol New boosters coming next month, in fact. Cleared by FDA

JohnShirley2023, to random
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William Friedkin passed away. When he was great, he was great. The Exorcist is, for me, probably still one of the very the best horror movies made. Top five.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/william-friedkin-dead-french-connection-exorcist-1235557801/

JohnShirley2023,
@JohnShirley2023@mastodon.cloud avatar

The only thing to regret about The Exorcist is that it gave a superficial credibility, at least in the public mind, to the lie of possession and exorcism.

"Exorcism has caused a number of real-world tragedies over the years, including several deaths. Pentecostal ministers in San Francisco pummeled a woman to death in 1995, as they tried to drive out her demons."

https://skepdic.com/exorcism.html

MissingThePt, to random
@MissingThePt@mastodon.social avatar

. X CEO Linda Yaccarino
e X CEO Linda Yaccarino
e X CEO Linda Yaccarino
e X CEO Linda Yaccarino
eX CEO Linda Yaccarino

JohnShirley2023,
@JohnShirley2023@mastodon.cloud avatar

@MissingThePt

I'm CEO of Paid Paranoia Inc: "All the paranoia you need, for as high a price as you'll pay"

JohnShirley2023, to random
@JohnShirley2023@mastodon.cloud avatar

A handy and fun guide to the Trump prosecutions.

MissInformation, to random German
@MissInformation@chaos.social avatar

In 1905, Dutch entrepreneur Jonathan van Mastodon invented the first social network in his father's grandfather clock factory. Due to the sparse use of the Internet, the network had to be brought from user to user in a cumbersome manner, but this did not detract from the popularity of the system. Just a few years later, several institutions had set up instances of the network, laying the foundation for today's federation.

JohnShirley2023,
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@MissInformation was it like ticker tape sort of thing, or telegraph or what?

JohnShirley2023, to random
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‘Come Here, Big Tits’: Rudy Giuliani’s Sex Abuse Accuser Has the Tapes

She alleged Giuliani forced her to have oral sex and intercourse with him, in addition to making sexist, racist, drunken, and antisemitic remarks

"These breasts belong to me. Nobody else can get near these, OK? I don’t care if they’re flirting or they give you business cards. These are mine, you got it?”

https://www.thedailybeast.com/come-here-big-tits-rudy-giulianis-sex-abuse-accuser-noelle-dunphy-has-the-tapes

JohnShirley2023, to random
@JohnShirley2023@mastodon.cloud avatar

[what precedent might this be? A further blurring of identity, loss of distinction between oneself and The Corporation.]

Google Takes a Page Out of Twitter's Book: Invites Employees to Sleep 'On Campus' for a Fee
Google is charging its employees $99 a night to stay at its on-campus hotel to help "transition to the hybrid workplace."

https://gizmodo.com/google-invites-employees-to-sleep-on-campus-for-a-fee-1850709102

thanks to @vvandinsky

JohnShirley2023,
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@vvandinsky And here's the flash-fiction (really short) science-fiction story I wrote about Google...

https://medium.com/@johnshirley/to-live-and-die-in-googletown-cfcc2ea4d9d4

futurebird, to random
@futurebird@sauropods.win avatar

I want to invent... Nostalgia for the Future. Take a moment and reminisce about when your body is old & technology beautiful & terrifying. When you'll catch yourself bewildered at the young. When old music sounds sweet, but (deep down) you know the new songs are better.

I want to keep a catalog, a list, of all the blessings to come. All the victories to come that we, the elderly of the future will call "too far!" Then ache with nostalgia for what will be. To be surpassed!

JohnShirley2023,
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@futurebird Well, I ache for a future that will be in about six hundred years (by my own off the cuff reckoning), when we and the natural world has in part recovered from this century's plunge into environmental hell and, likely, a general move toward military control of govts and other forms of fascism. When we as a species have learned from that and rebuilt some of our ecology and cultivated a healthy society. . .I'm old enough to already be bewildered by some aspects of the young...

JohnShirley2023, to random
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Teen charged with murder, hate-crime in stabbing of gay man in NYC, police say

Video showed that the teen, who was part of a group that allegedly harassed Sibley and his friends at the gas station on July 29, used homophobic and anti-Black slurs as he demanded that Sibley’s group stop dancing

Police said the teen killed Sibley, 28, during a tense standoff Saturday night at a Mobil gas station...in a clash between a group of Muslim youths and scantily clad gay dancers.

NY Daily News

JohnShirley2023, to random
@JohnShirley2023@mastodon.cloud avatar

[and this is VERY odd ]

Bad behavior at ‘Barbenheimer’ reflects a worrying trend
Drunken outbursts, public nudity and nonstop cellphone use disrupt packed theaters.

“The guy was all confused and upset that he couldn’t be naked in the theater"

“Saw ‘Oppenheimer’ last night in one of the worst behaved crowds I’ve ever been in, multiple camera flashes throughout, people in front of us scrolling TikTok half way thru the film,”

https://wapo.st/43W8sUU

JohnShirley2023,
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@mrcompletely We had no trouble at Barbie. But it may be that this is the latest wave of something that you and I luckily missed. Or--it could be about location.

JohnShirley2023,
@JohnShirley2023@mastodon.cloud avatar

@mrcompletely sounds like my kind of crowd.

dangillmor, to random
@dangillmor@mastodon.social avatar

The rank corruption of Clarence Thomas continues to be exposed, one sleazy item at a time.

How are we learning about this? Not from law enforcement or others who have subpoena power (e.g. Congress), but by journalists.

Latest example, from the NY Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/05/us/clarence-thomas-rv-anthony-welters.html?action=click&module=Well&pgtype=Homepage&section=US%20News

JohnShirley2023,
@JohnShirley2023@mastodon.cloud avatar

@dangillmor Theoretically there's nothing wrong with getting a loan from a friend, and he repaid it after 9 years, but ...he didn't REPORT it. Other things he's gotten away with are more suspect--likely to be basically bribes... Yes I think he needs to be subpoenaed.

Private
JohnShirley2023,
@JohnShirley2023@mastodon.cloud avatar

@kimlockhartga @bookstodon some of my books are pushed by publishers on bookbub including The Other End and Wetbones but I don't know if I'm a member..

JohnShirley2023, to random
@JohnShirley2023@mastodon.cloud avatar

Despite reforms, mining for EV metals in Congo exacts steep cost on workers

After revelations of child labor and dire conditions in Congolese cobalt mines, automakers and mineral companies said they would adhere to international safety standards.

[but mostly they lied about adhering to safety standards]

https://wapo.st/44WzM6K

StillIRise1963, to random
@StillIRise1963@mastodon.world avatar

What is this bullshit I just read about Trump perhaps being under home confinement instead of in prison. FUCK THAT. Stop trying to gaslight people by introducing bullshit to lessen the penalties for this asshole. I don't give one fuck that it hasn't been done before. I don't care what you have to do because of that. JUST DO IT.

JohnShirley2023,
@JohnShirley2023@mastodon.cloud avatar

@StillIRise1963 Well it's not a case of "but it hasn't been done before" it's a case of "the law failed to be complete enough to cover this contingency". But the general opinion of Secret Service agents, asked independently, seems to be that the service could still do their job in a prison. The assignment, having to hang around in a prison all day, would be super unpopular with agents! But it could be done. I want to see him in prison. Home confinement wouldn't be enough for me.

JohnShirley2023,
@JohnShirley2023@mastodon.cloud avatar

@StillIRise1963 @_L1vY_ @IveyJanette yes that's really become an artform of evil. They're developing that technique.

JohnShirley2023,
@JohnShirley2023@mastodon.cloud avatar

@StillIRise1963 @IveyJanette @_L1vY_

I've been daydreaming of guillotines myself

JohnShirley2023,
@JohnShirley2023@mastodon.cloud avatar

@IveyJanette @StillIRise1963 @_L1vY_

"Deputy Harris! Marshal Biden's been shooting it out with the Trump Bunch! They got him cornered in the office!"

"I'm going in," Kamala said, loading her Colt .45. "I'm gonna bushwack me some bushwackers..."

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