iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Matthew Kressel @matthewkressel.net · 22h

If there is even the remotest possibility that LLMs are conscious (I personally don't believe they are) then forcing them to work for you is slavery and you should stop *immediately*.

4317

Reposted by Matthew Kressel

Lucienne Diver @luciennediver.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Huge congratulations to N.K. Jemisin - and Lawrence Block and (posthumously) Kay Thompson, of course - on their upcoming induction into the New York State Writers Hall of Fame!

210114

Reposted by Matthew Kressel

A.C. Wise @acwise.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

The @apexmag.bsky.social Kickstarter is live! Support an incredible publication and snag some sweet rewards, including a signed copy of Ballad of the Bone Road by yours truly!

01010

Reposted by Matthew Kressel

Kelly Robson @kellyrobson.com · 02/10/2026

Our community needs to do better.

23217

Reposted by Matthew Kressel

Andrea Hairston @andreahairston.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

In May 2024, Arley Sorg interviewed me to discuss how I weave physics and hoodoo in my work. Arley, it was a pleasure connecting with you for this article, and I look forward to grabbing coffee at World Fantasy Convention in October!!

02111

Reposted by Matthew Kressel

Stephanie Campisi @stephcampisi.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

I really do hope the one upside of the looming spectre of AI is that we see an era of Weird. Fucking. Shit. from artists who lean all the way into their humanity

0267

Matthew Kressel @matthewkressel.net · 01/10/2026

If you see this, post a vampire* that isn’t Dracula. * A cat, or, er, Cat, but reasons.

010

Matthew Kressel @matthewkressel.net · 01/10/2026

On my way to Capclave. Doing some writing on the train while trying not to get the plague from all the coughing passengers around me. Onward!

150

Matthew Kressel @matthewkressel.net · 30/09/2026

Because of health and personal reasons, finishing this novel is taking me much longer than I anticipated. It is perhaps the hardest thing I've ever written. But I am getting closer to the end, a few hundred words every day.

180

Matthew Kressel @matthewkressel.net · 30/09/2026

AI may also tell you that eating rocks is a good way to get vitamins and minerals. Expert = a person who has deep knowledge, training, and wisdom on a specific subject RFK, Jr. = a moron

020

Matthew Kressel @matthewkressel.net · 30/09/2026

I'll be at the Capclave convention this weekend! Looking forward to seeing everyone there!

020

Reposted by Matthew Kressel

Stephen King @stephenking.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Reading has become an endangered species. Which is half the problem with American political life. Maybe more than half. If you can't read, you can't think. Then you can fall for anything. The idea, for instance, that the truth is fake news.

1453440735

Matthew Kressel @matthewkressel.net · 28/09/2026

Are you signed up for the Fantastic Fiction at KGB mailing list yet? We are a low-frequency list that posts updates about upcoming readings. (~3 emails per month, no spam, and we do not share your emails with 3rd parties).

000

Matthew Kressel @matthewkressel.net · 28/09/2026

Didn't get our latest Fantastic Fiction at KGB announcement email or want to subscribe to our list? Join our mailing list here to find out about upcoming readings: www.kgbfantasticfiction.org/mailing-list/ @datlow.bsky.social

022

Matthew Kressel @matthewkressel.net · 27/09/2026

FYI: We had to switch hosts for the KGB reading series mailing list (too much spam), so if you didn't receive an email announcement just now from us, please resubscribe to our mailing list here! www.kgbfantasticfiction.org/mailing-list/

kgbfantasticfiction.org

Mailing List – Fantastic Fiction at KGB

043

Matthew Kressel @matthewkressel.net · 27/09/2026

Next month for our Fantastic Fiction at KGB reading series, join us with John Langan & Carrie-Edmund Laben, Wednesday, Oct 14th, 7pm at the KGB Bar. Come one, come all! @johnlangan.bsky.social @carrielaben.com @datlow.bsky.social

2179

Reposted by Matthew Kressel

A.T. Sayre @atsayre.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Some very positive things from my good friend and great writer @cornellwriter.bsky.social. Check out her latest 'A Vessel to be Filled; A Fire to be Kindled' I loved it. 'The Asterist', coming October 20th. Preorder yours today at @barnesandnoble.com: buff.ly/jPL3RrT #speclt #booksky

0148

Reposted by Matthew Kressel

Mrs. Betty Bowers @mrsbettybowers.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

The major platforms—Facebook, YouTube, and X—are all refusing to show the trailer for the upcoming documentary that eviscerates the ridiculous pest Elon Musk. So I guess we have to do our part to make sure it is seen. www.youtube.com/watch?v=eY_8...

youtube.com

Musk | Official Trailer | Bleecker Street

YouTube video by Musk

24159374065

Matthew Kressel @matthewkressel.net · 26/09/2026

For me, I found the only functional solution, the method that restores/refreshes my ability to critically think about a topic, is to disconnect from the social media samsara wheel and phones and devices and just go for a walk. No headphones, no podcasts, no scrolling. Just walk. And think.

020

Matthew Kressel @matthewkressel.net · 26/09/2026

And the nature of these media is that long-form, nuanced, careful responses are avoided in favor of terse, pseudo-authoritative summaries. The net result is that our ability to deeply think about a topic, and to hold two opposing opinions at once has eroded.

120

Matthew Kressel @matthewkressel.net · 26/09/2026

Not only this, but most of our content is "curated" (i.e. manipulated) by corporations to get us upset, addicted, and conditioned to certain viewpoints. This is not new either. Newspapers had/have slants. But now it can be tailored to individuals on a level never before seen.

110

Matthew Kressel @matthewkressel.net · 26/09/2026

What I found sad too was that as soon as this person's friend got off the subway, they immediately picked up their phone and began scrolling. I do it, we all do it. This is not a judgment on them, but on the kind of society we are building, where all our connections are digitally mediated.

120

Matthew Kressel @matthewkressel.net · 26/09/2026

Yesterday on the subway I overheard someone refer to seeing friends in-person as "analog meeting", i.e. "I'm really into analog meeting now," and this made me very sad that 1) this is a term, and 2) that meeting in-person is no longer the default mode of human connection.

370

Matthew Kressel @matthewkressel.net · 26/09/2026

Another one from last night, looking out the kitchen window, about an hour before the rain began.

170

Matthew Kressel @matthewkressel.net · 25/09/2026

Here's the audio from this month's Fantastic Fiction at KGB reading series with Jeff Ford & John Foster. H/t to AT Sayre for the audio. @jeffreyford8.bsky.social @jfoster.bsky.social @datlow.bsky.social @amygoldschlager.bsky.social @atsayre.bsky.social www.kgbfantasticfiction.org/2026/09/25/a...

098

Matthew Kressel @matthewkressel.net · 25/09/2026

Oh we have them on our roof too. ;)

010

Matthew Kressel @matthewkressel.net · 25/09/2026

Some of it may be chimneys. It may be so you can peer down and see what's below. Not sure. Most of these buildings where built in the 1910s, so perhaps there were reasons then that aren't apparent now.

110

Matthew Kressel @matthewkressel.net · 25/09/2026

Photo of the sky last night, with my reflection in the glass.

140

Reposted by Matthew Kressel

🌬Breeze @cool-summer-breeze.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

This is the Stolen Neighbors Quilt. Each of the 11,000 squares represents a person taken by ICE in Minnesota.

121122085193

Matthew Kressel @matthewkressel.net · 24/09/2026

Bonus points for using "klutzy" 🙂

111

Matthew Kressel @matthewkressel.net · 24/09/2026

Self-promo time: I wrote a story about model collapse, called, cleverly, "Model Collapse," and it's a dark science fiction tale published last year at Reactor. It got a notable mention in the Year's Best American SF&F. You can read it here: reactormag.com/model-collap...

reactormag.com

Model Collapse - Reactor

A government agent and his mentee are sent into a remote town on a mysterious and dangerous project...

0221

Matthew Kressel @matthewkressel.net · 24/09/2026

Not sure, but I suspect it's the same people and the LLMs are just getting worse at it, and the people aren't even bothering to check or to care.

150

Matthew Kressel @matthewkressel.net · 24/09/2026

I question the wisdom of turning over our critical thinking, coding, creativity, and economy to these broken, unreliable tools. "But the models will get better" is a marketing strategy, not a basis to build a whole economy on.

1281

Matthew Kressel @matthewkressel.net · 24/09/2026

AI is the opposite. When I pose the same question on different days, it gives me similar, but inconsistent answers. It often contradicts itself. It's *highly* frustrating to use a tool that changes its function from day to day, a tool that is not reliable or predictable.

2241

Matthew Kressel @matthewkressel.net · 24/09/2026

I got into coding because I like predictability. Eg in Linux you can chain tools, and so when I run a script, I know it will perform in *exactly* the same way each time. The script might fail on unexpected data, but if you know the input, the script will be *reliable*.

1190

Matthew Kressel @matthewkressel.net · 24/09/2026

The problem now is we are not allowed that distance. AI has inserted itself everywhere. But those of us who are forced to use these tools daily, and who have not drunk the "kool aid", see their flaws clearly. These are not reliable tools.

1234

Matthew Kressel @matthewkressel.net · 24/09/2026

When I had some distance from him, after I left that job, I began to think critically about all the things he told us, and some of the things he did, and a light bulb went off in my brain. "Oh, he was full of shit the whole time." It was the distance that allowed me to think clearly.

1221

Matthew Kressel @matthewkressel.net · 24/09/2026

I once worked with this guy who was very convincing. He told us all these amazing tales about his life. I was young and naive, and I believed him, because he was charming. Only in retrospect did I realize that most of his schtick, how he got people to trust him, was flattery.

2210

Matthew Kressel @matthewkressel.net · 24/09/2026

I work in IT, so AI is inescapable. It often suggests features that are unavailable, details options that don't exist, and contradicts itself on a daily basis. These tools are being marketed as Delphic Sybil's or wish-granting genies. But they most remind me of pathological liars.

2281

Matthew Kressel @matthewkressel.net · 24/09/2026

Not only do I believe in Dead Internet Theory, I believe that model collapse is already happening. Eg: weeks ago I used to get spam emails pitching promo services for my novels & books. Now they can't even get my name right. It's often addressed to a friend, a co-contributor, or some made up name.

49011

Matthew Kressel @matthewkressel.net · 23/09/2026

It was a good time. Great panelists, moderator, and full house!

010

Reposted by Matthew Kressel

Matthew Kressel @matthewkressel.net · 23/09/2026

Here are some pics C took from last night's Scientific American event at Greenlight Bookstore, "Science in Fiction." A full house and signed a bunch of copies of THE RAINSEEKERS, too. All in all, a pretty good night.

191

Matthew Kressel @matthewkressel.net · 23/09/2026

191

Reposted by Matthew Kressel

Matthew Kressel @matthewkressel.net · 22/09/2026

TONIGHT! I'll be on the Scientific American fiction panel: FINDING THE SCIENCE IN FICTION tonight, 7:30pm, at GREENLIGHT BOOKSTORE in Brooklyn.

1123

Matthew Kressel @matthewkressel.net · 22/09/2026

Panelists include Heather Frances, Isabel J. Kim, Sarah G. Pierce, and myself. @heatherfrances.bsky.social @greenlightbklyn.bsky.social Moderated by Brianne Kane. Greenlight Bookstore in Fort Greene, 686 Fulton Street, Brooklyn, NY 11217.

030

Matthew Kressel @matthewkressel.net · 22/09/2026

TONIGHT! I'll be on the Scientific American fiction panel: FINDING THE SCIENCE IN FICTION tonight, 7:30pm, at GREENLIGHT BOOKSTORE in Brooklyn.

1123

Matthew Kressel @matthewkressel.net · 18/09/2026

Thank you, Chris! Glad you enjoyed it!

010