iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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bradleypbeaulieu.bsky.social @bradleypbeaulieu.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Part instruction manual, part creative idea generator, and part motivational guide, Three Pillars gives practical, effective tools to improve your writing. I hope you'll support and spread the news about this project. 🙏

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Natalie Bennett @nataliegreenpeer.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Powerful and important letter about artificial so-called intelligence from Sheila Hayman from Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy, University of Cambridge, in the FT today

$Margaret McGirr’s letter (“AI can lend a hand, but it will struggle to replace one”, July 21) and Chine McDonald’s guest column (“This retro revival is more than a longing for the past”, Opinion, August 7) both touch (sic) on something that should be obvious, but is carefully ignored by almost everyone in the tech world. Namely that our intelligence is embodied, evolved and biological, and inseparable from our bodies. The brain’s job is to control the body in the world; it is the last organ to develop. Every square centimetre of our hands (and of the rest of our skin) contains about a 170 touch sensors or nerve endings, sensitive to different kinds of touch: a slap, a burn, a caress, a hug — each of which travels to different parts of the midbrain, prompting the appropriate response. Quickly to the autonomic nervous system for something dangerous; more slowly via a different channel for something carrying meaning. In addition to the hand’s limitless versatility, it is self-repairing, regulates its own temperature, knows without being programmed how much pressure to exert on an egg, a tennis ball or a day-old chick, and can fuse neurologically to whatever it holds. So when we put a glass down on the table or slide a knife through an apple, we feel the table, or the apple, not the glass or handle in our hand (try it!). Finally, and most urgently, the entire human body — including the hands — does everything on 25 or so watts of completely renewable energy: a tiny fraction of what a humanoid robot, even one of the current primitive iteration of robots, needs. The “retro revival” is thus not cultural nostalgia. It’s millions of years of evolution crying out to be heard, before we suppress it totally in the service of an automated — and dead — planet. Sheila Hayman Member of the Advisory Board, Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy, University of Cambridge, London NW1, UK$

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Aliette de Bodard @aliettedebodard.com · 25/08/2026

Going to rt these because my books and you should go buy them

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Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Oxford’s medieval Bartlemas Chapel celebrated its nonacentennial* on Sunday. We captured the event on camera and recount an eventful history, from dissolute brethren to Civil War calumny and a Victorian cowshed. * 900th anniversary! oxfordclarion.uk/900-years-of...

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900 years of Bartlemas

Sunday was the feast day of St Bartholomew. If you were on Cowley Road, perhaps grabbing a takeaway from Sunny's, you would have spotted an extraordinary procession heading to the hidden hamlet of Bar...

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Helen Lowe @helenlowe.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

My latest Heroines of Fantasy post on the Supernatural Underground features 3 characters with a distinctly otherworldly vibe: tinyurl.com/sh2ck58k Always having fun with fantasy-fiction, books, & characters that rock my world. #BookSky #WriterSky #ReadingCommunity

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Helen Lowe (@helenl0we) on X

I have a new #heroines in Fantasy #fiction post on @superntrlUnderg blog -- & my latest trio includes @lainitaylor 's Karou & @seananmcguire 's Rose Marshall https://t.co/5lmQPYhpMo Tho' ...

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Helen Lowe @helenlowe.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Today, I farewell #poet Riemke Ensing & feature her poem "O Lucky Man" from the Tuesday Poem years tinyurl.com/y5vhzehn I also link to her poem "Transport" on the Tuesday Poem Hub. Photo credit: James Ensing-Trussell #WriterSky #PoetryCommunity

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Helen Lowe @helenlowe.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

@victoriamadams.bsky.social Just heading back to the edit desk now, Mary, but great to 'see' you here, however briefly. :)

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Helen Lowe @helenlowe.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Wow, that's a lot Ashley -- congrats!

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Helen Lowe @helenlowe.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

The editor's notes for the #TheWallOfNight #4 are here -- so busy times ahead. But also great to be in the next stage toward completion & getting the the final book in the series to the world. #BookSky #WriterSky #ReadingCommunity

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Helen Lowe @helenlowe.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

What I do in the pre-edit lull -- reread books #1 - #3 of the series for continuity / consistency errors with the w.i.p. & hunt for unresolved set-ups tinyurl.com/p8wjdxyj #booksky #writersky #readercommunity

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Anime Taboo Tatto Girl Reading

ALT: Anime Taboo Tatto Girl Reading

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Helen Lowe @helenlowe.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Happening on the Supernatural Underground blog now...

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William Meikle @williammeikle.com · 28/07/2026

The CHAPBOOK COLLECTION is a set of chapbooks featuring my short stories and novellas, all at 99c on Kindle, and is kind of a historical archive of my writing over the past 30+ years. Something here for everybody... mybook.to/hsi

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Juliet E McKenna @julietemckenna.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

Book Quote Wednesday's word is 'pass' #BookQW #BookSky This is Dan Mackmain's first visit to Ireland. So many things look familiar, it would be easy to assume it isn't really any different to home. Dan knows better. He's been reading up on Irish folklore. The Green Man's Debt - 10th September 2026.

Cover art by Ben Baldwin for The Green Man's Debt by Juliet E McKenna. A grey wolf with pale eyes stands in the shadows of a derelict building with a black and white tiled floor. The wolf is looking straight at you. Its snarl reveals blood on its teeth and jaw.

Book extract reads: We were coming up to the bridge he had mentioned. It was as wide as the road through the town and built from the same grey stone. The ornamental balustrades reminded me of the fountain in the marketplace. I guessed the same mason had done the work.
The Defender’s high driving seat meant I could see over the balustrades as we crossed the bridge. The river wasn’t overly wide, but it was flowing fast. The water was too dark for me to guess at its depth. Rain running off those distant hills must pass through peat bogs before it joined the flow.
Back home, I’d have reckoned there was a decent chance of finding a naiad in there. The ones I’d met would love a river like this. I wondered who or what might have claimed these waters. I realised I hadn’t asked Eimer or Máirtín who or what would accuse a dryad and a sylph of trespassing. I decided to talk to Conn about that first. He’d know the best time to raise it. If we needed to raise it.

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Helen Lowe @helenlowe.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

I have a new Heroines in Fantasy post on @superntrlUnderg blog -- & my latest trio includes Laini Taylor's Karou & Seanan McGuire's Rose Marshall tinyurl.com/2s4yfsbv Tho' v different in many ways, all 3 have elements in common -- incl #awesome of course!😎 #BookSky #WriterSky #ReadingCommunity

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A Year of Heroines in Fantasy: Karou, Rose Marshall, and Yorindesarinen

. The thing I love about this month's trio of heroines is that one of them is resurrected and two of them are dead, Yep, I'm talking heroi...

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Helen Lowe @helenlowe.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

On the Supernatural Underground blog, I'm celebrating #Heroines in #Fantasy tinyurl.com/jz2eykxm Featuring a bookkeeper serving her payback cold, a demon-possessed judge, & a steward fighting betrayal & madness.

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Helen Lowe @helenlowe.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Tis About the #Characters time & the spotlight's on Rhisart from DAUGHTER OF BLOOD: tinyurl.com/3w8nsuhs The About the Characters posts focus on the more minor characters who help make an epic story richer #booksky #writersky #readingcommunity

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Helen Lowe @helenlowe.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Recently, a reader requested suggestions for other contemporary fantasy books "like" #TheWallofNight series. So I've posted 5 suggestions I believe fit the bill: tinyurl.com/34z3uwnr #BookSky #WriterSky #ReadingCommunity

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Dr Rebecca Warren @drrjwarren.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Small but mighty medieval dragon, still bravely holding his ground on the floor of Winchester cathedral. (📷mine)

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Helen Lowe @helenlowe.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

"If it sounds like writing (nods to Elmore Leonard)" -- a post from Inside the Writing Life tinyurl.com/mwy65nhp With a few reflections on how I spot when m'prose sounds like "writing" -- with a segue to the idea of perfection Just having fun with books in other words.😎 #BookSky #WriterSky

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Snoopy Writing 'Noted'

ALT: Snoopy Writing 'Noted'

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Helen Lowe @helenlowe.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

This month on the Supernatural Underground blog, I'm celebrating another 3 #Heroines in #Fantasy tinyurl.com/jz2eykxm Including a bookkeeper serving her vengeance cold, a demon-possessed judge, & a steward fighting betrayal & madness.

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A Year of Heroines in Fantasy: Amat Kyaan, Rachael Boucher, & Nhairin

. Well here we are again -- it's heroines time and I have another line-up of three from my Fantasy hall of fame. My July trio are Amat Kya...

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Helen Lowe @helenlowe.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

I rounded off my Matariki 2026 (the Maori new year here in NZ) with a sunrise soak at the local beachside hot pools. It was fabulous, as I hope the photos testify: tinyurl.com/26nss985 Another post brought to you from inside Middle Earth.😎

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Helen Lowe @helenlowe.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

I am also very sorry to hear this. They have made a wonderful contribution.

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Justin Sherin @wychstreet.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

Real actors - the ones I like to watch & work with anyway - are like this. They want a good part & to make some money, sure. But even if you get to hold up the scenery in something truly great once or twice in a lifetime, you rest easier.

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Helen Lowe @helenlowe.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

I have a new #Heroines in #Fantasy #books post on Supernatural Underground: tinyurl.com/jz2eykxm All three endure in the face of great adversity: Amat Kyaan (Long Price series by @abraham.bsky.social ) Rachael Boucher (of @tfrohock.com & Miserere) & Nhairin (from m'own The Wall Of Night series)

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Adult Toph Adult Topg Beifong

ALT: Adult Toph Adult Topg Beifong

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Daniel Abraham @abraham.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Physical books. You own them. They don't require updates. They don't surveil you or collect and sell your data. They are a genuinely safe hallucinogen that leaves you smarter and more empathetic and with a longer attention span the more you use them. Free from the library. What's not to like?

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ΜΑΝΟΣ ΤΡΑΧΙΑΣ™ @trahias.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Syong Ryul (South Korean, b.1994) "Palm Tree," 2025 Watercolor on paper #art #painting #artist #BlueSkyArt

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Helen Lowe @helenlowe.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

"If it sounds like #writing (nods to Elmore Leonard)" -- a post from Inside the #writinglife tinyurl.com/mwy65nhp With a few reflections on how I spot when m'prose sounds like "writing" -- with a segue to the idea of perfection Just having fun with #books in other words.😎

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John Travolta: Yeah! Ain't It Cool?

ALT: John Travolta: Yeah! Ain't It Cool?

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Helen Lowe @helenlowe.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

It's About the (Minor) Characters time at my place -- & I'm featuring Rhike tinyurl.com/3jwff4pk They're an antagonist in 'The Gathering of the Lost' & cut a small, but damaging, swathe. #TheWallOfNight series #fantasy #AwesomeCharacters

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Helen Lowe @helenlowe.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

A reader requested suggestions for contemporary #fantasy #books "like" #TheWallofNight series. So I've posted 5 suggestions I think fit the bill: tinyurl.com/34z3uwnr Titles *may* include The Black Prism by Brent Weeks...😎

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Helen Lowe @helenlowe.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

Today, I'm sharing a (somewhat wry) reflection on wrangling the #writerlife tinyurl.com/4a38hyw8 Content warning: ISPs & dragons may both feature #books #booksky

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Dragão cuspindo fogo

ALT: Dragão cuspindo fogo

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Fantasy Book Nerd @fantasybooknerd.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

New review over on The Bookwyrm’s Hoard today!

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Helen Lowe @helenlowe.bsky.social · 14/06/2026

Thanks for The Wall of Night shout-out, Nick.

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Helen Lowe @helenlowe.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

#4 of my 'Heroines in Fantasy' series is current now on the Supernatural underground blog tinyurl.com/mszm357d The heroines include Shallan from the Shardlight Archives & m'own Jehane Mor -- but the fun lies in the contrast & compare.😎

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alix e. harrow @alixeharrow.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

sylvia townsend warner in 1926, foreseeing the type of author who would use AI:

"That offensive young man at the Sabbath ,"
she remarked , "I know he wasn't you . Who
was he?"
"He's one of these brilliant young authors ,"
replied the Devil . "I believe Titus knows
him . He sold me his soul on the condition that
once a week he should be without doubt the
most important person at a party ."
"Why didn't he sell his soul in order to be-
come a great writer ? Then he could have had
the party into the bargain .”
"He preferred to take a short- cut , you see . ”

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Helen Lowe @helenlowe.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

Finally made it here.😊 Time to do a post or two & have a look around.

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