iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Helen Wiley

Ryan Packer @typewriteralley.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

George Saunders on using AI: "Writing is the most precious way one person can communicate their essence to another person. I’ve spent a lifetime trying to get better at making myself present in my writing. Why would I want to sacrifice even one iota of that?"

Have you spent time trying to write or revise with AI? Is there an experiment that would be interesting enough to try?

I have not. Not for a second. To me, this whole idea of using AI to write is . . . anathema. A thing to be most radically avoided.

Writing is the most precious way one person can communicate their essence to another person. I’ve spent a lifetime trying to get better at making myself present in my writing. Why would I want to sacrifice even one iota of that? Not even in an email and certainly not in a short story or novel.

Who are we ceding our authority to, exactly, when we let AI write for us? And why? Why surrender our agency (that amazing ability we have to reach across time and space, with our strange, idiosyncratic phenomenon, and land within the sensibility of another human being) to something that, by its very design, pushes the individual sensibility aside? And in the name of . . . what, exactly? Ease, I guess? Efficiency? The person who chooses to write with AI has also sacrificed, from the start, the opportunity of experiencing difficulty, of struggling to say what he wants to say, of making himself evident in his prose, of trying to find out what he believes. By this, he sacrifices a chance to know himself and his mind better. To me, that’s a shame. And it’s dangerous, because, as we are now finding out, it affects the brain and lessens our capabilities. Thanks, but no thanks, get thee behind me, etc.

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Abdul El-Sayed @abdulelsayed.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

We're being told that if we sacrifice the rights of some people, then the rest of us get to keep our rights. We all know that's some BS.

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Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 14/09/2026

So when libs say, you need to do incremental progress like gay marriage, it completely ignores the rollbacks that have happened in 5 years. It is every aspect of trans life from where we use the bathroom, how we are addressed, what our IDs say, to even censorship on discussions about our existence.

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Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 14/09/2026

Cis people do not understand how much trans people's rights have regressed in just 5 years. 5 years ago, there were none of these restrictions. 19 states banned legal recognition 21 states have bathroom bans 8 states ban gender marker changes on DLs 25 ban gender affirming care for trans youth

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whet moser @whetmoser.com · 15/09/2026

rhea seehorn didn’t win for better call saul so vince gilligan was like, what if she was the only character, what now

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Marlow Stern @marlownyc.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

‘The Matrix’ creator Lilly Wachowski on J.K. Rowling and the new ‘Harry Potter’ series: “She is funding trans genocide. J.K. Rowling funds trans genocide, full stop. So, if you support ‘Harry Potter,’ you’re supporting trans genocide.” variety.com/2026/tv/feat...

variety.com

Lilly Wachowski on Her New Studio Anarchists United, the Black Power Origins of ‘The Matrix’ and How ‘Harry Potter’ Fans Are ‘Supporting Trans Genocide’

‘The Matrix’ filmmaker Lilly Wachowski opens up about her new studio for marginalized voices Anarchists United, J.K. Rowling and Elon Musk.

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Aleksandra Vaca @transiticsnews.com · 10/09/2026

I’m a Texan trans kid who almost died because of Ken Paxton. The world should know what he’s done. This was very difficult for me to write, but given what's at stake, I cannot bear to stay silent about what I went through at Paxton's hands. He must not be rewarded for what he's done to trans kids.

transiticsnews.com

I’m a Texan Trans Kid Who Almost Died Because of Ken Paxton. The World Should Know What He’s Done.

Regardless of Talarico’s recent statements on trans people, Paxton cannot be rewarded for the extreme suffering he’s inflicted on me and tens of thousands of Texan trans kids.

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Reposted by Helen Wiley

Xero now with 100% more 🎃 @artificer-ind.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Still patiently waiting to be "left behind" by AI rather than it chasing me across every damn space like a slasher in a low budget flick.

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Alex Nicholson @allpunandgames.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

RT if you've never had a tab of ChatGPT open, period.

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Micah @rincewind.run · 02/09/2026

it's not an exaggeration to say that jk rowling is the world's most powerful and prominent transphobe outside of elon musk it's easy to not buy a tesla and it's easy to not watch the harry potter tv show

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Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Long before the other scandals - the divine intervention at a Dairy Queen, affairs, indictment, impeachment - Ken Paxton took another lawyer's $1,000 pen. The incident has, for whatever reason, become Texas lore. Now, the man behind the infamous pen is speaking out. An interview with Mr. Montblanc:

texasmonthly.com

Ken Paxton Took His $1,000 Pen. He Has Not Forgotten.

Fourteen years ago, Paxton was caught on camera taking attorney Joe Joplin's Montblanc from a security tray. The incident has become the stuff of Texas politics lore.

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Helen Wiley @helenwiley.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

A new guide to A SONG AGAINST RUIN, a queer fantasy perfect for fans of Swordspoint, C. L. Polk, and scheming sapphics!

Image of a girl in an elegant blue dress playing a piano.

Text reads:

A SONG AGAINST RUIN
by Helen Wiley

Rep: Sidney Boker @ InkWell Management

An ambitious musician, eager for fame—and the alluring noblewoman who offers her patronage.

A clerk burdened by crushing debts—and the duelist who offers him a fortune to spy on the noblewoman.

As two friends choose opposite sides in a political conspiracy, they don't realize that one's triumph will mean the other's ruin.

Queer Fantasy

for fans of:

The Raven Scholar (political intrigue, scheming nobles)
Witchmark (m/m romance, city setting)
A Dark and Drowning Tide (sapphic romance, 19th-century setting)

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Helen Wiley @helenwiley.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

I once got a group of volunteer choir members to help me herd a roadrunner out of the building after hours. I was a musician with zero expertise in birds or wildlife ..... but lucky for me (and the roadrunner) I had a field biologist girlfriend on speed dial!

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Helen Wiley @helenwiley.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

five living writers that you've read five books by each Ali Smith Premee Mohamed Ann Leckie Emily St John Mandel Allison Saft

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Micah @rincewind.run · 01/07/2026

a) there are, like, single digit trans girls in sports in most states (sometimes literally one!), this entire thing is made up so that one girl who wants to play sports with her friends can't do it b) do not, under any circumstances, make policy based on angry sports parents

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Gillian Branstetter @gbbranstetter.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

Very thankful for this letter to Becky Pepper-Jackson (the 16 year-old trans girl SCOTUS ruled against yesterday) from James Dale, a gay man whose expulsion from the Boy Scouts was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2000.

medium.com

To the Trans Girl Who Just Lost at the Supreme Court: So Did I 26 Years Ago

A letter to Becky Pepper Jackson about her trans sports case defeat at SCOTUS yesterday

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Niko Stratis @nikostratis.com · 01/07/2026

You can’t own anything physical anymore, everything is digital, you can’t own anything digital now, storage is too expensive, you cant stream anything because they took it off the service once their parent company got bought out, you can’t get a McFlurry because the machine is broken

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Cheryl Lynn Eaton @cheryllynneaton.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

What do you mean abolishing ICE is not doable? It was created in 2003. There are Missy Elliot songs older than ICE.

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Evan Urquhart @evanurquhart.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

And the New York Times - which has obsessively covered minute aspects of the gender affirming care fight - chose not to cover this, or a major study finding anti trans laws increase calls to suicide hotlines, or many other stories that don't fit their agenda.

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Deus Hex Machina @asterionhex.monster · 05/06/2026

In case nobody has posted this btw. Jpg is cruddy but alt text has the text

If you EVER think Anthony Head is anything less than an angel then you’d best remember that I have always been a huge fan of his and we’ve always had a little contact over the years and he heard I’d come out as Trans and was having a hard time and that I was kind of sad that the photos I had from conventions with him were of me with long hair and no binder and they were all signed to “Sarah” and so he invited me to spend the day with him at his farm and he picked me up from the station and we just hung out and had lunch and he insisted on paying and took loads of photos and had them printed on photo paper the same day so he could sign them to Jay, along with other photos of him as Giles and Uther and he literally spent five hours chatting with me and got all of the pronoun stuff right every time and then he dropped me off at the station, gave me a final massive hug, waved me through the ticket barrier and insisted I message him when I got home so he knew I got back safe.

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Dan Froomkin/Press Watch/Heads Up News @froomkin.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

Note to media: police arresting peaceful protesters singing “give peace a chance” is not protesters “clashing” with police. It’s the state violating the First Amendment rights of people upset that human beings who did nothing illegal are being held without due process and being fed maggots.

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Helen Wiley @helenwiley.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

I read so many books as a kid where I didn't understand the references!! When I first read The Black Arrow, I had no what the Wars of the Roses were. When I first read Little Women, I didn't understand the references to Pilgrim's Progess.

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Helen Wiley @helenwiley.bsky.social · 24/05/2026

..... I'd burn some topless towers for her any day

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Reposted by Helen Wiley

Birds Are Dinosaurs @birdsaredinosaurs.bsky.social · 23/05/2026

My fellow cis folks, The FCC is asking Americans to submit comments about whether the TV Oversight Management Board (TVOMB) should create new TV ratings to alert viewers to trans/gender content. Time to be an ally and tell the FCC absolutely the fuck not. It takes five minutes to do.

glaad.org

Tell the FCC that LGBTQ Stories Don’t Need a Warning Label | GLAAD

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is targeting LGBTQ stories. They are trying to control what you see on television. This government overreach is dangerous...

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Helen Wiley @helenwiley.bsky.social · 23/05/2026

Yes! one of the main characters in my political intrigue fantasy novel has a gift for healing magic.....but she has deeeeply disappointed her healer mother by choosing to pursue a career as a musician instead!

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Helen Wiley @helenwiley.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

this is a classic breakfast taco that you can get literally anywhere in Austin!! and people eat breakfast tacos at 2pm all the time. everyone involved in this NYT story should be embarrassed, this is just. incredibly silly.

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Reposted by Helen Wiley

Nick Benson @ottergoose.net · 12/05/2026

Community, labor, and religious leaders just held a press conference in front of one of Delta’s corporate offices in Bloomington, MN. We’re asking Delta to: * Sign the Businesses for Democracy Pledge * Use their lobbying muscle for good * Establish a process to fly released detainees home to MN

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Helen Wiley @helenwiley.bsky.social · 16/05/2026

I'd be on board with, like, an opera adaptation of the story of Turin. Beren & Luthien would be terrific as a ballet. But yeah, the Silmarillion does not want to be a movie, or even a series of movies. Could we please just not.

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Helen Wiley @helenwiley.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

Kaz, Inej, Jesper, Nina, Matthias, and Wylan.

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Helen Wiley @helenwiley.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

this book is incredible!! just finished it yesterday and it's an absolute gift. wonderfully complicated characters, a stunningly weird and lovely setting, and a really thoughtful exploration of different cultures in (often uneasy) conversation. one of the best books of the year, easily

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Helen Wiley @helenwiley.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

all of this has happened before all of this will happen again

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Reposted by Helen Wiley

Joshua Foust 🪖🎮 @joshuafoust.com · 05/05/2026

The single most defining thing Elon Musk has ever done is killing untold numbers of people by having DOGE illegally raid and disband USAID. Not rickets, not cars, not even the CSAMbot on X. It’s this, and so many media pundits just choose to unsee it.

hsph.harvard.edu

USAID shutdown has led to hundreds of thousands of deaths | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

The Trump administration’s decision to shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths from infectious diseases and malnutrition, accord...

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Reposted by Helen Wiley

Nick Ulivieri @nuphoto.com · 05/05/2026

Tried to catch the rainbow and lightning photobombed my iPhone shot. #WXsky #ILwx

A photo of the South Loop with a rainbow cutting through the skyline reaching down towards the ground and lightning striking 1000M

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Human Rights Campaign @hrc.org · 02/05/2026

Anne Hathaway, you will ALWAYS be that girl. 💙💛

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Emily M. Bender @emilymbender.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

I have been sharing the Magic 8 Ball analogy for a while now, but I think this is maybe the first time it's made it to print: >>

Our human tendency to apply context to language and imagine that it’s coming from a personality primes us to believe in AI consciousness, says Bender. And when we interact with language, we start shaping our inputs to match the linguistic outputs: we convince ourselves further by adapting. She now keeps a Magic Eight ball in her office at all times to demonstrate this exact point: “When you play with the Magic Eight Ball and you ask it ‘Should I bring an umbrella?’ and it says something like ‘Signs unclear, ask again later,’ then OK. That would work for any question. But if it says ‘Without a doubt’, which is what came out right now, that only works if it was a yes/no question. If I say ‘What should I have for lunch?’ and I get back ‘Without a doubt’, that's incoherent. And so in playing with this toy, we sort of learn to shape the inputs that we give it so that we can make sense of the outputs that come back.”

Screencap from linked article:

When people play around with Claude or some other chatbot, they’re doing the same thing, Bender adds: “We are putting in input that allows us to contextualize and shape how we understand the output that comes from.”

As for consciousness, she says, to continue her analogy: “Imagine you took a Magic Eight ball and instead of a 16-sided die or whatever inside of it, you made it really big. So you could have a 256-sided die. And then you filled up a football field with those. Is that any closer to consciousness than the one little one that I have in my hand here?”

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Helen Wiley @helenwiley.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

#nowquerying A SONG AGAINST RUIN (113k words), adult fantasy. When an ambitious musician and her best friend try to secure fame and status by aligning with rival noble houses in a deadly political conflict, they don't realize that one's success could cost the other's life. #questpit #Q #A #F #LGBT

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Helen Wiley @helenwiley.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

Lor plans to dazzle society with her virtuosic music skills—and win back Veren, the noblewoman who broke her heart. But Lor doesn't know that Veren is conspiring to rule the city. Or that Lor's best friend is a spy for Veren's enemies. SWORDSPOINT x THE MIDNIGHT BARGAIN #questpit #Q #A #F #LGBT

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