iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Jess Popplewell @jesspopps.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

The audiobook of THE DARK WITHIN US is live! I know for a fact it’s on Audible, Spotify and Libro, and I anticipate it will be on Apple, Kobo, Overdrive (so you can request it to your library) and YouTube Music within the week!

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Rosie (she/her) @airfriedrosie.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

Remember Streeting's review into whether young people are being overdiagnosed with ADHD, autism, and mental health issues? Well, the interim report is out, and there's a reason the media are silent on it (spoiler: it proves what a lot of us have been saying all along)

In others, notably ADHD and autism, rising diagnoses and referrals appear to exceed changes in underlying epidemiological prevalence and are likely to reflect a combination of:

improved recognition
changing help-seeking behaviour
institutional incentives
pressures within existing service pathways
Across both ADHD and autism, best currently available population-based estimates remain relatively stable, while administrative diagnoses, self-identification and recorded service demand have increased substantially. In autism, the evidence also points to particularly rapid growth in identified need within educational systems, including increasing identification among girls and among young people without learning disability.

These patterns suggest that rising demand is not simply the result of increasing prevalence, but of several processes operating simultaneously, including:

real increases in distress in some groups
improved recognition of previously unmet need
changing expectations about support
systems that frequently rely on formal diagnosis as the primary route to assistance
Across the system, support is too often accessed through pathways that are slow, fragmented and heavily dependent on diagnostic categorisation. While diagnosis remains essential for some forms of clinical decision-making, the evidence suggests that current arrangements do not always provide the most effective or efficient way of identifying and responding to need.

In particular, where access to support depends heavily on formal diagnosis, demand for diagnostic assessment can increase more rapidly than systems are able to respond, generating long waiting times, duplication of assessment and pressure on specialist services.

The next phase of the review will therefore focus on clarifying the relationship between distress, diagnosis and need, and on examining how systems might respond more effectively to these patterns. A central objective will be to identify opportunities for developing more coherent, evidence-informed care pathways that enable support to be provided earlier and more proportionately, while ensuring that specialist services are available in a timely and appropriate manner for those whose needs are most complex.

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Jess Popplewell @jesspopps.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

Don’t mind me, I’ve had a low-level headache going on 2 weeks and am feeling grumpy that I can’t write anything, so I’m crocheting furiously and drinking the delightful Sauvignon Blanc I won from the @notquitewrite.com Flesh Fiction comp (yeah, the giant cockroach fella’s mine). Thanks, Ed & Amanda!

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Joanne Harris @joannechocolat.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

Unsolicited writing advice, no. 326: Don't let the fear of rejection stand in your way. Every author you have ever admired has been rejected many times. It's not a mark of shame: it's a sign that you dared to put yourself out there. Most people never do.

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Orcspiration @orcspiration.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

YOU CANNOT GRIND THE BONES OF YOUR ENEMIES INTO DUST TOMORROW IF YOU DO NOT HAVE SOMETHING TO EAT.

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L. D. Lewis, Sea Witch Apologist 🧜🏾‍♀️ @ldlewiswrites.blacksky.app · 21/05/2026

You have to support the projects you love with money. I am sorry we do not live in a world where that is not the truth.

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Not Quite Write @notquitewrite.com · 20/04/2026

Flesh Fiction Volume 1 is now available for pre-order! Containing 304 pages of the most "unsafe for work" content our authors could dream up. Trust us when we say, reading this book will blow your... mind! Ships worldwide from 1 June. Head to notquitewritepress.com to pre-order your copy now.

The cover of Flesh Fiction Volume 1 appears beside a quote from Blanche d'Alpuget, author of the Bunny Club, "I laughed a lot, and fell in love with a giant cockroach. Yes! Really."
Available for pre-order now from not quite write press dot com. Write is spelled w r i t e.

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jeeyon shim 심지연 @jeeyon.bsky.social · 28/03/2026

How I feel reading 99% of art and media critique these days

a tumblr post with a user named bvckbiter writing "is this character good or bad" "is this shop unproblematic or not" "is this arc deserving of redemption or not" girl...

underneath it is a screenshot from the show shōgun of a character saying "i don't have time for this christian nonsense"

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John Bull @garius.bsky.social · 24/03/2026

"I do not want art for a few, any more than education for a few, or freedom for a few." - William Morris, born 191 years ago today.

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Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan @london.gov.uk · 23/03/2026

Today is a dark day for London. An attack on our Jewish community is an attack on us all. Decent Londoners of all faiths and none will reject those who seek to pit us against one another.

jewishnews.co.uk

Khan: No Jewish person here should be attacked because of what happened in the Middle East

Mayor describes Golders Green attacks as 'dark day for London'

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Them Fatale, @mxthemfatale.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

This is a horrific hate crime. So are all the replies (i am not QTing antisemitism, but you'll find plenty) 'questioning' why 'they have their own ambulances'. Hatzola is pretty similar to St Johns Ambulances, but no one is conspiratorial about that. www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cz...

bbc.co.uk

Four Jewish ambulances set on fire in London in what health secretary calls 'sickening' attack

The attack on the Jewish community ambulance service in north London is being treated as an

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Louie Stowell @louiestowell.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

Are any other news outlets going to cover this? Still only seen one local paper do so (with an interesting angle on why this is dangerous) northwestbylines.co.uk/news/educati...

northwestbylines.co.uk

Not banned – just gone: what Manchester’s missing books reveal about England’s schools

Books removed from a Manchester school raise a bigger question: who decides what children are allowed to read?

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Retro Blast 👻 @retroblastpod.com · 19/03/2026

If you have the AUDACITY to play video games on "easy" or "story" mode... I want you to know that I think that's a perfectly acceptable way to enjoy a video game that you paid for because you're supposed to enjoy your favorite pastime any way you like. Real life's hard enough. Enjoy your hobby. 🫶

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Jess Popplewell @jesspopps.bsky.social · 19/03/2026

I just published version one of my first interactive fiction story!! It’s a cyberpunk setting about interacting with other people in a world designed to tear you apart and you can find out more about it here: www.jesspopplewell.com/doingthings/...

jesspopplewell.com

I published a game! — Jess Popplewell

I published an interactive fiction game you can play for free!

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Trev Ellis 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 🇪🇺 #YES @gingertrevtrev.bsky.social · 19/03/2026

The tribes of Britain c. 540 in the time of Gildas.

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Felicia Davin @feliciadavin.com · 18/03/2026

as a parent I would so much rather that my kid encounter *any* topic in a book before encountering it in real life, lol

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Unnerf Rescue Cat @unnerfrescuecat.bsky.social · 18/03/2026

We don't NEED garbage AI slop We don't WANT expensive-ass graphics cards just to play ugly ass 'realistic' characters We want stories that we can enjoy that has beautifully handicrafted art and tales that could be shared to another generation

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Cody @atiredgay.bsky.social · 18/03/2026

I don’t want to yassify game characters, I just want to be able to upgrade my PC without it costing an absolute fortune… 🫩

tomshardware.com

Jensen Huang says gamers are 'completely wrong' about DLSS 5 — Nvidia CEO responds to DLSS 5 backlash

The CEO says artistic control remains with developers.

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Olivia Waite @oliviawaite.com · 09/03/2026

Oh, do romance readers read too much? Of the wrong kind of books, you say? In the wrong kind of language, you say? Are they too easy, too sexy, too fun, too silly? And we’re pretending this is not The argument that people have made against romance since (checks library) 1785?

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Richard Ovenden @richove.bsky.social · 12/02/2026

The study points to using libraries and visiting museums as bringing these enormous brain health benefits ... who would have thought? Well, librarians and museum folk for a start ... www.theguardian.com/society/2026...

theguardian.com

Reading and writing can lower dementia risk by almost 40%, study finds

Cognitive health in later life is ‘strongly influenced’ by lifelong exposure to intellectually stimulating environments, say researchers

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Molly Jong-Fast @mollyjongfast.bsky.social · 05/02/2026

Name them shame them

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Jess Popplewell @jesspopps.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

This is beautiful and awful and really well written.

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Jess Popplewell @jesspopps.bsky.social · 23/01/2026

“…they are generally more set on acquiring new kingdoms, right or wrong, than on governing well those they possess.” Thomas More wrote that about monarchies in approximately 1515. We’ve been singing this song about politics way over 500 years, and this is still the world we live in.

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Jess Popplewell @jesspopps.bsky.social · 19/01/2026

Happy PLR day to all who celebrate (it’s me, I’m celebrating my first ever PLR payment, and also everyone who uses libraries ❤️❤️❤️❤️)

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Sascha // STALKER Maid VTuber // ☢️ 🎀 @toomuchsascha.bsky.social · 29/12/2025

I think the last paragraph of it is important enough that it needs inclusion.

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Jeff VanderMeer @jeffvandermeer.bsky.social · 29/12/2025

Great post about generative AI. Happy Holidays. Don't say I never gave you anything. anthonymoser.github.io/writing/ai/h...

I do understand: you want permission. There’s a machine in the corner wrapped in human skin that makes things out of shit and blood to look like whatever you want (as long as you don’t look too closely). You gave one to your teacher and they didn’t notice. Your boss told you to use it after they laid off half the team and it was fine. You fed one to your kids and they liked it. You want to know you can use it sometimes without me thinking less of you. You don’t need me to believe it’s useful, you just want me to be polite about it.

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Jess Popplewell @jesspopps.bsky.social · 26/12/2025

Periodic reminder that I wrote a book, am v proud of it, and other people seem to quite like it. I dunno, maybe you will too?

A copy of THE DARK WITHIN US which is a red book with an illustration of two people on the front, on a black velvet tablecloth and some other bits and bobs like dry leaves, a candle in a lantern etc. There’s also some text that says “people say nice things about my book: Boxing Day edition”

Screenshot of Amazon review: this book is phenomenal! Jess takes us back to being teenagers, her writing of Jenny is brilliant and really makes you bond with the character and feel those teenage emotions once again. The classic use of early 00s music references and the balls of Jenny reminded me so much of my teens. I was gripped in parts and couldn’t put it down, this book has everything included all of hell! Well done Jess can’t wait to see what you write next PS can you do a second book I definitely need more Jenny and Luc in my life!

Screenshot of Amazon review: This book has absolutely lovely central concepts and themes, brilliantly executed. Jenny’s quest to fill the soul-shaped void inside her is one that I’m sure will resonate with many teens. Just the right amount of thrills, scares and celestial bureaucracy. Wicked, funny, full of feeling. I needed this book when I was a teen and I’m so glad it’s here now. Popplewell is going to be well popular! (Author’s note: don’t know about that last bit!)

A poster showing quotes from 3 lots of 5 star Goodreads reviews: “I enjoyed every minute of this book”, “my most anticipated read of 2024 and it didn’t disappoint at all”, and finally “I feel like I want to read it again in the winter with a candle burning, a blanket and copious amounts of tea.”

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Scott Lynch @scottlynch78.bsky.social · 18/12/2025

Oh wow, suddenly you have a desperate need for social and artistic skill sets? Amazing. Anyway, eat a cold loaf of Satan's ass cheese, fellas.

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Ed Newton-Rex @ednewtonrex.bsky.social · 15/12/2025

🚨 The UK government just published a breakdown of the responses to its consultation on AI & copyright: - 95% of respondents want AI companies to pay for their training data (made up of 88% saying strengthen copyright law, & 7% saying leave it as is) 🧵 1/2

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Jess Popplewell @jesspopps.bsky.social · 15/12/2025

I’m full of cold, and I’m also ✨hormonal✨ so, maybe I’m taking this differently than I would normally, but within the last few days I have: - got 2 chapters into a book recommended to me before realising it was either written ENTIRELY with ChatGPT or at least relied heavily on it… (1)

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Jess Popplewell @jesspopps.bsky.social · 13/12/2025

Editing Advent is on HOLD Because I’m ill! I have brought PESTILENCE into the house! (Probably from the tube). But I’ve got until the new year to get finished so I reckon it’s fine. Anyway, I’m going for a nap.

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Jess Popplewell @jesspopps.bsky.social · 10/12/2025

Editing advent day 10: Halfway mark!!!!

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Jess Popplewell @jesspopps.bsky.social · 09/12/2025

Editing advent day 9: I’m back making pen notes on my manuscript again, and it’s nice to have that switch between the two modes of working. I’ve got to a section about my favourite character now - he’s a lot of fun to write.

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Jess Popplewell @jesspopps.bsky.social · 07/12/2025

Editing Advent Day 7: I’d say I’m about 1/3 through this edit now - I start by making handwritten notes on the manuscript to figure out WHERE I should be making the edits, and then I transpose those into the actual document.

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Jess Popplewell @jesspopps.bsky.social · 06/12/2025

Editing advent day six: Very boring task of changing a character’s name today. I COULD use find and replace, but for plot reasons the more laborious version of that is required. Watching YouTube vids I missed on holiday to get me through.

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Jess Popplewell @jesspopps.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

Editing Advent Day 5: Lots of travel time today, but I’m now 80/190 pages edited. Observations: I’ve found lots of places I need to give a little bit of “breathing room” to the action - I guess that happens when a story just BURSTS out of you like this one did…

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Jess Popplewell @jesspopps.bsky.social · 04/12/2025

Editing Advent Day 4: I’m actually ahead of myself, so I gave myself a night off (it’s the last night of my holiday anyway). Tomorrow I have 5 hours on a train to do plenty more!

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Jess Popplewell @jesspopps.bsky.social · 03/12/2025

Editing Advent Day 3: I’ve made notes on 55 pages out of 191, which feels like good going!

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Jess Popplewell @jesspopps.bsky.social · 02/12/2025

Day 2 of Editing Advent: Didn’t achieve loads today because I had windmills to look at, but I made some notes on 2 early chapters to address a couple of editing points (introducing backstory, that kind of thing). Now celebrating with a hot chocolate. The Dutch are VERY good at hot chocolate.

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Jess Popplewell @jesspopps.bsky.social · 01/12/2025

As a sort of advent calendar for me this year, I’ve split my edits for my current WIP (I call it “the vampire book”) into 24. Today I: - changed a character’s name - changed a different character’s age, which has subtly changed that character and her relationships with the main storyline.

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Jess Popplewell @jesspopps.bsky.social · 24/11/2025

Hello I know complaining on the internet is what old people do but I’m old so buckle up. I need a blood test. Like, I’ve had these symptoms before (extreme tiredness even after full night’s sleep, aching muscles, brain fog) and the problem is either a vitamin deficiency or my thyroid meds (1)

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Micah @rincewind.run · 22/11/2025

evergreen

Tweet from @PPathole

Tech enthusiasts: my entire house is smart

Tech workers: the only piece of technology in my house is a printer and I keep a gun next to it so I can shoot it if it makes a noise I don’t recognize

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Runalong Womble @runalongwomble.bsky.social · 02/11/2025

Good Morning Blue Sky! Hope you’re all ok? Today I’m currently reading and highly enjoying Firstborn of the Sun by Marvellous Michael Anton for some epic fantasy back in my life. What are you reading at the moment?

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Bert’s Books @bertsbooks.bsky.social · 26/10/2025

Shall we talk about ebooks? It might be a bit of a weird thing for a physical bookshop to do, but bear with me. There's a reason. Take a seat for a short thread. 1/?

media.tenor.com

a woman in a suit and tie is smiling with #schitts creek written on the bottom

Alt: a woman in a suit and tie is smiling with #schitts creek written on the bottom

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Amanda @akscotland.bsky.social · 23/10/2025

Delivering a face-to-face workshop today about how to write winning flash fiction. Look out NQW contestants, we have some newbies in the wings ready to take the crown!

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Septimus Brown @septimusbrown.com · 18/10/2025

True story

Writing a book is just like reading a book except the book hates you

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