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I J Baker

@ijbaker.bsky.social
1.1K followers 621 following 831 posts

Author, lover, dad, rider, cook. Mr O Winds Back the Clock is intoxicating, funny, and novel. More: ijbaker.com.au

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4fuxake @blueheartedly1.bsky.social · 12h
Love it! 👏👇
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Martin Shaw @thebooksdesk.bsky.social · 3h
Didn't know this. Hilary McPhee on signing Tim Winton: "Allen & Unwin discovered Tim first, I must make that clear, and looked after him very well. But the big mistake they made was having a policy that they didn’t publish short stories, which hardly any publishers did in those days. And we said,
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I J Baker @ijbaker.bsky.social · 10h
It's funny how habit works. When I first came to #Bluesky I found myself checking in frequently to my account at X. Over several months I've lost that habit. And X looks very dull. Most of what I want to see is on Bluesky. Many accounts I liked on X are here now. I hope Bluesky doesn't sell out.
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David Emmett @motomatters.com · 30/09/2026
By The Numbers: Jorge Martin's Most Dangerous Weapon In The 2026 Title Fight motomatters.com/analysis/2026/09/30… By The Numbers: Jorge Martin's Most Dangerous Weapon In The 2026 Title Fight Every MotoGP title is won on a different …
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Charlie Warzel @cwarzel.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
There is a moment at the very very end of Abdul El-Sayed's podcast with Ezra Klein (book recommendation section) where he talks about the idea of "speaking truth to pain" and this will be staying with me for an extremely long time. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/25/o...
But there’s also something about truth to pain. We talk a lot about truth to power, but I think it’s actually a lot harder to speak truth to pain. I say that as someone who went to medical school, realizing that in a lot of our politics right now, we’ve got to get a lot better at speaking truth to pain if we’re going to get through some of these challenges that we have.

What does “truth to pain” mean?

It’s one thing to look power in the eye and say: You’re wrong about this. But there’s a way in which pain is very difficult to reason with. Because when somebody is in their pain, they’re in their trauma. They see that pain, and they may not see what’s causing it.

I remember just very explicitly being in a trauma ward with a gunshot wound patient and watching this big guy with his hand on his gunshot wound. All the folks are trying to pull his hand off his pain, that point of his gunshot wound, this clear vulnerability.

And this emergency room doctor had the presence of mind to be like: Everyone, stop. And she looks him in the eyes, and she’s like: I get that really hurts, and I’m so sorry that you’re here. You don’t want to be here. We don’t want you to be here. But if you don’t let us fix this, you could die. So I’m going to take your hand, and I’m going to move it off, OK? Because I need to get there so that you can live.

She was speaking truth to pain. He understands he’s at the hospital, he needs care, but he also doesn’t want anybody to touch the wound. Which is a natural thing. And I think it is a really great metaphor for how we think about a lot of these challenges we talked about today.
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I J Baker @ijbaker.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Fascinating piece on a literary artist I will soon be reading. And extremely heartening for anyone with more interest in producing art than in producing money. #LitFic
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😈Miss Hell Batkeeper😈 @mishellbaker.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
If you're going to be one of those authors who does nothing but self-promo (several times a day), I do at least appreciate the fact that book titles, by nature of their uniqueness, are easy to mute. >.> (The occasional post is fine, but also maybe be a person.)
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Artem Zakharchenko @kettanaito.com · 26/09/2026
Maybe it's just me, but the book community seems to be much stronger on Bluesky. Honestly, only makes me happy. Authors need a place to share and to speak and to be, no matter where it is.
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Jamie Smart @jamiesmart.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Can’t eat a sandwich until you subscribe to sandwiches. Can’t eat today’s sandwich until it has applied daily sandwich updates. Sandwich now has adverts even though you paid for ad-free sandwich. Can pay again to have less sandwich adverts. Now you can eat the sandwich, but it’s smaller.
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Chris Schweizer @ NCAF & NYCC @schweizercomics.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Sometimes I miss reading pretentious (in a good way, young artists SHOULD bristle with pretension) literary fiction by under-thirties about deep passion and heartache and aspirations and the like. Who're the best wordsmiths these days reaching for the stars? I don't even know where to look!
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Stephen Moran. @moranstephen1000.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
There, fixed it complete with statue
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M Meerkat @kackbro.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
THIS 👇 HERE.......
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Jon Cooper @joncooper-us.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Who did this? 🤣🤣🤣🤣
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I J Baker @ijbaker.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
This is weird and it is also true. 😄
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Phil Lewis @phillewis.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
A Philadelphia family just bought their first home with a $10,000 first-time homebuyer grant funded by a group of Quakers It’s part of the congregation’s racial justice plan to redistribute wealth to Black residents in the Germantown area as a form of reparations
inquirer.com
A Philly family bought their first home thanks to reparations from Quakers in Germantown
Green Street Friends Meeting, a Quaker congregation in Germantown, pledged to spend $50,000 a year for 10 years as part of its reparations work. It’s helping Black Philadelphians become homeowners.
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David Emmett @motomatters.com · 17/09/2026
Austria MotoGP Preview: Acosta Time At Last? motomatters.com/analysis/2026/09/17… Austria MotoGP Preview: Acosta Time At Last? There is a curious contrast between the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg and the Motorland Aragon circuit near …
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Coffee @coffeeexplorer.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Sipping on this latte feels like a warm hug on a cozy day! ☕❤️ #Coffee #Latte #Cozy #Cafe #Art
A beautifully crafted latte in a white cup on a wooden table.
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Stephen Moran. @moranstephen1000.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
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The Mouthy Renegade Writer @mouthyrenegade.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
You know you're a coffee addict when you get excited for bedtime, because you know coffee will be waiting in the morning.
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Martin Shaw @thebooksdesk.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
"Just over 70 years after the First Fleet landed in Australia in 1788, only seven per cent of Australia's pre-colonial population was estimated to have survived..."
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Ron Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
18 months ago, Trump was yelling at Zelenskyy that he didn’t have any cards and was about to lose the war. Now he’s begging him to stop bombing Russia.
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coffeelabadvisor @coffeelabadvisor.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
☕ New guide: What Is a Lungo? The Long Espresso Shot, Explained (2026) Tested by our editors, written without fluff. Details: www.coffeelabadvisor.com/guides/wha… #CoffeeLabAdvisor #SpecialtyCoffee #Espresso #HomeBarista #Coffee
coffeelabadvisor.com
What Is a Lungo? The Long Espresso Shot, Explained (2026)
A lungo is a long espresso shot: the same dose of coffee with roughly twice the water run through it.
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coffeelabadvisor @coffeelabadvisor.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
🎯 🧠 Caffeine takes about 45 minutes to fully enter your bloodstream after drinking coffee, and its effects last 3-5 hours. #CoffeeAddict #Barista #CaffeineFix #Espresso
Coffee: Caffeine takes about 45 minutes to fully enter your bloodstream after drinking c
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coffeelabadvisor @coffeelabadvisor.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
⚡ 💬 Did you know? Coffee makes it possible to get out of bed. What more do you want from a beverage? #CoffeeLover #CoffeeGeek #CoffeeLife #CoffeeTime
Coffee: Coffee makes it possible to get out of bed. What more do you want from a beverag
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lerrrgan @lerrrgan.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
it’s paneer makhani with garlic naan o’clock
A bowl of paneer makhani with jasmine rice and garlic naan on the side.
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David Emmett @motomatters.com · 11/09/2026
Misano MotoGP Thursday Round Up: Wired Different - Why Did Marc Marquez Post That Picture? motomatters.com/analysis/2026/09/10… Misano MotoGP Thursday Round Up: Wired Different - Why Did Marc Marquez Post That Picture? Wired …
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coffeelabadvisor @coffeelabadvisor.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
✨ 🇺🇸 A Missoula roaster crafting exceptional coffee in the Rocky Mountains, known for its light roasts and commitment to sustainability. This is Dragonfly Coffee Roasters in Missoula, Montana. #Espresso #CaffeineFix #CoffeeBreak #HomeBarista
Coffee: Dragonfly Coffee Roasters in Missoula, Montana
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I J Baker @ijbaker.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Insight here into how hard the AI frenzy is partying. OMFG. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
theatlantic.com
The 24-Year-Old Who Lost Billions
Leo Aschenbrenner claimed to know the future of AI.
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Kate from Kharkiv @kateinkharkiv.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Kushner and Witkoff press conference in Kyiv was a complete disaster. They have zero understanding of what they are doing. ​They dedicated a large portion of it to convincing Ukrainians, in an extremely patronizing tone, that peace is good for us. Like, yeah???
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Freethinkers United For Change @freethinkersunite.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
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Nicholas Grossman @nicholasgrossman.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
The new Bluesky feature (or feature I just noticed) where they automatically number the posts in a thread, and update the denominator of each when you add another post to the threat, is cool. Not the biggest thing, of course, but it beats writing "3/x" "4/4" "wait, one more" "I guess this is, 6/4"
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David Emmett @motomatters.com · 05/09/2026
Incorrect. The correct protocol is do whatever the fuck you want.
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Author M. I. Verras (She/Her) @miverrasauthor1.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Being careful about your public image eventually leads to burnout. I dress, post, and speak as I please, and don’t care who disagrees. I simply avoid unfairly offending anyone. I don’t care if my opinions hurt sales. Those who want my book will buy it. Those seeking offense never intended to.
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SZ Estavillo @szestavilloauthor.com · 01/09/2026
Some readers want stripped-down Cormac McCarthy. Others love Jack London’s dense, sensory atmosphere. Write too slow, it drags. Write too fast, it’s extreme. Describe too much, you’re overwritten. Strip it down, you’re too sparse. Someone will always complain. Write your way. #AuthorSky #BookSky
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Mike Brooks @mikebrooks668.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Good morning. As a (comparatively) successful author I feel it’s time to branch out in my career. As a result, I’m excited to be stepping into the world of professional football. Since I’m physically incapable of playing football at a professional level I will be hiring what I call a “ghostballer”
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Martin Shaw @thebooksdesk.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
He's done it again - 2 prize listings in a week for Wayne Marshall! His 2nd novel Henry Goes Bush is up for the 2026 ARA Historical Novel Prize – the "richest individual literary prize in Australasia". Go you good thing WM! hnsa.org.au/ara-historic...
Historical novel prize longlist
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Rob Delaney @robdelaney.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
I’m reading Cannery Row. Jesus Christ is it amazing. So great to live in a world where I can be almost 50, have been an avid reader my whole life & have barely scratched the surface of the surface of spectacular books out there.
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I J Baker @ijbaker.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Hmm this sounds interesting. I might have to give it a go. 😀
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coffeelabadvisor @coffeelabadvisor.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
📍 🧠 Did you know? A single coffee tree produces only about 1 to 1.5 pounds of roasted coffee per year — enough for about 140 cups. #SpecialtyCoffee #CoffeeGeek #Espresso #Barista
Coffee: A single coffee tree produces only about 1 to 1.5 pounds of roasted coffee per y
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Mark Chadbourn @chadbourn.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Release the hounds.
bbc.co.uk
Gianni Infantino: Uefa pursuing criminal legal proceedings against Fifa president
Uefa is pursuing criminal proceedings against Fifa and its president Gianni Infantino over the failed plan to sell off stakes in the World Cup.
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David Emmett @motomatters.com · 26/08/2026
At the weekend, I went to watch the Dutch #MXGP round at Arnhem, where I got to see one of the greatest #motocross riders in the world in his element. Watching Jeffrey Herlings in the sand helped me understand what makes Ai Ogura so fast in #MotoGP motomatters.com/analysis/202...
motomatters.com
What I Learned About Ai Ogura By Watching Jeffrey Herlings Ride MXGP | MotoMatters.com | Kropotkin Thinks
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womensartbluesky.bsky.social @womensartbluesky.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Harlinah Teoh, contemporary Australian botanical ceramics artist, inspired by nature #WomensArt
Two ceramic vases of different shape and size, both with patterns inspired by plants, leaves and flowers
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David Emmett @motomatters.com · 26/08/2026
Part 13: Tech3 KTM Confirm Luca Marini For 2027 motomatters.com/news/2026/08/26/par… Part 13: Tech3 KTM Confirm Luca Marini For 2027 Another day, another announcement, and today it is the turn of Tech3 KTM, who have confirmed that they …
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derek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
I appreciate that Dolly Parton refused to participate in "dress respectability" and, by her own account, modeled her aesthetic after a town "tramp," who she thought was beautiful. She separated aesthetics from character and understood "classiness" to be about how you treat people, not how you dress.
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Simon Patterson @denkmit.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Official: Luca Marini will replace Maverick Vinales at Tech3 KTM for 2027
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Jamie Douglass @jamesldouglass.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
the other thing that has happened is the long shift from "Philip K Dick was a chronic paranoiac with acute persecutory delusions owing to Stakhanovite amphetamine abuse" to "Philip K Dick was right about everything. He also took speed"
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Techmeme @techmeme.com · 26/08/2026
Bill Gates says tech executives are privately "very worried" about AI disruption but publicly downplay the risks to protect fundraising and planned IPOs (Karen Weise/New York Times) Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
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Meanwhile in Ukraine @meanwhileua.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Ukraine hit a refinery behind roughly one in nine liters of Russian gasoline. ㅤ Drones struck NORSI in Kstovo, a LUKOIL plant with capacity to process 17 million tonnes of crude a year. ㅤ This is not just another refinery on a map. It is one of the engines keeping Russia fueled.
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Amrita C @amritac.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Every time I open up book awards lists, I scour them to see if my half-done first draft, that no one in the world has ever seen, has somehow shown up on the list. Happy hump day #5amwritersclub #writerscommunity #writingcommunity #amwriting #writerslife #writesky
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