Sign in

Middletown Books

@middletownbooks.bsky.social
7.8K followers 22K following 2K posts

Former bookstore owner & tweeter. Strategy game player @ pente.org/gameServer/profile?viewNa… occasional game creator & also poe.com/tomrasul #Discworld #PratchettQOTD 🌈💙 DMs generally left immediately, unless I actually know you

PostsRepliesMedia
Middletown Books @middletownbooks.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
Claude Mythos apparently seems both more #humorous and better aligned than many previous #Anthropic models, (based on the document). It also apparently has a #punderful new ability, lacking in #Opus - apparently original #pun creation. Can't hate that, in my book.
140
Reposted by Middletown Books
Imperfect Interface @imperfectinterface.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
Mythos is truly amazing. I see the patterns here: bsky.app/profile/impe...
021
Middletown Books @middletownbooks.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
In all the #cybersecurity hype about the #Anthropic model Mythos, it's important to look at what may get neglected in superficial headline making coverage. This essay is a great attempt to do that. #AIResearch #ResponsibleAI #Mythos
050
Middletown Books @middletownbooks.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
#disphits is my new favorite #dyslexic hashtag
040
Middletown Books @middletownbooks.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
This looks interesting #ResponsibleAI #CitizenScience #AIResearch
040
Middletown Books @middletownbooks.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
For those interested in #AIResearch - not the numbers from the companies, but analysis of what is being neglected in stories about research papers, check out medium.com/@miravale.in... Highly recommended by me, based on what I've read. Things are moving quickly and important points are being ignored
medium.com
About – The Imperfect Interface – Medium
Read writing from The Imperfect Interface on Medium. Language is a lossy compression algorithm. Exploring the imperfect interface where human relational intelligence meets machine alignment.
020
Middletown Books @middletownbooks.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
Tweets disappear. Emails get buried. But a postcard on a desk? That gets noticed. civicmail.org/about-campai... via @civicmail.bsky.social #bookbans #libraries
civicmail.org
Don't Ban Books in the United States
Across the country, politicians are trying to decide what Americans are allowed to read. Books are being pulled from school shelves, challenged in public libraries, and targeted for removal not becaus
050
Reposted by Middletown Books
sharky @sharkbaitdz.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
I have them all in print form and I'm still tempted. I can't recommend Pratchett enough 🥰
131
Middletown Books @middletownbooks.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
Hey, all! Sorry that I've mostly been using reddit lately and have been remiss on posting #PratchettQOTD here for some time now. I ran across a #Discworld bundle, though, and shared it to my reddit page (39 of the 41 volumes in the series are included in the bundle) - www.reddit.com/user/Middlet...
reddit.com
From MiddletownBooks's profile on Reddit: Humble Bundle of nearly all (39 of 41) of the Discworld books
Explore this post and more from MiddletownBooks's profile
080
Middletown Books @middletownbooks.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
www.reddit.com/r/books/comm... #BlackHistoryMonth #BlackBookSky
reddit.com
From the books community on Reddit: Twenty Black-Owned bookstores in the Midwest to celebrate Black History Month with
Posted by MiddletownBooks - 28 votes and 0 comments
030
Middletown Books @middletownbooks.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
IIn celebration of both #NationalLibraryLoversMonth and #BlackHistoryMonth I posted a link to r/books on some history of Black librarianship in the U.S. Dorothy B. Porter basically desgregated the Dewey Decimal system, for example. #libraries #librarians #blacksky www.reddit.com/r/books/comm...
reddit.com
From the books community on Reddit: February marks both National Library Lovers Month and Black History Month - a bit of the history of Black librarianship in the U.S.
Explore this post and more from the books community
091
Middletown Books @middletownbooks.bsky.social · 07/01/2026
I'm getting back on social media a bit more (but also want to read more #booksky material), so I'm seeking #libraries to add to my library starter packs which I made last year. If you're a library account & not in my packs, or know of one LMK. bsky.app/starter-pack... bsky.app/starter-pack...
160
Middletown Books @middletownbooks.bsky.social · 01/01/2026
2026 is looking up for #Bluesky - and this looks like a good feed to follow
030
Middletown Books @middletownbooks.bsky.social · 18/12/2025
A couple of my top 10 greatest hits from #reddit involve #bluesky #starterpacks so it seems appropriate to do a year end review and post them here: www.reddit.com/r/BlueskySoc... www.reddit.com/r/BlueskySoc...
reddit.com
From the BlueskySocial community on Reddit: U.S. county public library systems on Bluesky
Explore this post and more from the BlueskySocial community
130
Middletown Books @middletownbooks.bsky.social · 17/12/2025
I read this #article yesterday, and the #puzzled #mathematicians described inspired me to see what #LLMs could make of the paper. GPT 5.2 seemed like overkill for what I attempted, so here's Gemini 3 as prompted by Sonnet 4.5: poe.com/s/KfIWpHdklV... #AIResearch
poe.com
# EXPLORATION FRAMEWORK: Applications of Hodge Atoms to Birational Geometry ## Context and Mandate You are being provided with the paper "Birational Invariants from Hodge Structures and Quantum Mul
Gemini-3-Pro: *Thinking...* > **Defining the Scope Now** > > I'm currently focused on defining the exact scope of the application direction. Considering the Katzarkov et al. paper, it seems crucial
030
Middletown Books @middletownbooks.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
#SpinalTap #BigBottom www.reddit.com/r/ClassicRoc...
reddit.com
From the ClassicRock community on Reddit: Spinal Tap - Big Bottom (RIP Rob Reiner)
Explore this post and more from the ClassicRock community
140
Middletown Books @middletownbooks.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
Links to and from the wikipedia article on Rob Reiner, as well as wikidata creator/creation relationships.
020
Middletown Books @middletownbooks.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
#GNU Rob Reiner AKA Marty DiBergi #RIP #SpinalTap youtu.be/Cp3ctOQTYlM?...
140
Middletown Books @middletownbooks.bsky.social · 29/11/2025
Tonight, I was exploring the latest iteration of my wikipedia knowledge graph app, poe.com/WikiGraphs and once I got from #GoodOmens (TV series) to #Discworld I figured I should share an image of it with my #TerryPratchett fan friends.
270
Middletown Books @middletownbooks.bsky.social · 22/11/2025
Looking up at #Mamdani like a five year old looking up at his favorite ball player. Wow. Was this before or after Mamdani affirmed that the #OrangeTurd is a f@scist? www.pride.com/culture/mamd...
150
Middletown Books @middletownbooks.bsky.social · 20/11/2025
#Discworld #PratchettQOTD #GNU
1101
Reposted by Middletown Books
Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR) @hcrichardson.bsky.social · 20/11/2025
Before the midterms of 1866, President Andrew Johnson called his congressional opponents traitors and said they should be hanged. Voters were so profoundly moved by his words... that they gave his opponents a supermajority in Congress, and the nation got the Fourteenth Amendment.
5973250310518
Reposted by Middletown Books
Chris Murphy @chrismurphyct.bsky.social · 20/11/2025
The President of the United States just called for Democratic members of Congress to be executed. "HANG THEM", he posted. If you're a person of influence in this country and you haven't picked a side, maybe now would be the time to pick a fucking side.
1001202698356
Middletown Books @middletownbooks.bsky.social · 20/11/2025
Article for context: www.yahoo.com/news/article...
yahoo.com
Trump calls for arrest of ‘seditious’ Democrats who told troops their duty is to uphold the Constitution
The US has no statute criminalizing speech as ‘sedition’ and members of Congress enjoy broad immunity for official acts
130
Middletown Books @middletownbooks.bsky.social · 15/11/2025
Ancestral home of Arachne discovered in Greek cave: www.yahoo.com/news/article...
yahoo.com
World's largest-known spider's web discovered in cave in Greece
The behavior, which had never been observed before, stunned scientists as, typically, the larger house spider would prey on its smaller neighbor.
060
Middletown Books @middletownbooks.bsky.social · 23/10/2025
Duly noted by @buzzfeed.com www.yahoo.com/news/article...
yahoo.com
How The Viral "Everyone Is 12 Now" Theory Just Might Explain Everything That's Happening In America Today
"'Everyone is 12' theory looking like the theory of gravity rn."
130
Middletown Books @middletownbooks.bsky.social · 19/10/2025
Well, at least no one can say that the #OrangeTurd doesn't give a #sh!t about the #NoKings #protest
060
Reposted by Middletown Books
Olga Nesterova @onestpress.onestnetwork.com · 18/10/2025
#NOKINGS New York City, NY
636356638964
Middletown Books @middletownbooks.bsky.social · 08/10/2025
Interesting to see the work that @teorth.bsky.social has recently done using GPT 5 to assist with a #MathOverflow problem, since I've been exploring how #LLMs can potentially assist with open #math problems (despite a great deal of skepticism) in the past few months. mathstodon.xyz/@tao/1153299...
mathstodon.xyz
Terence Tao (@tao@mathstodon.xyz)
A third update on my previous posts https://mathstodon.xyz/@tao/115306424727150237 https://mathstodon.xyz/@tao/115316787727719049 https://mathstodon.xyz/@tao/115325228243131134 on the #MathOverflow pr...
040
Reposted by Middletown Books
Rhianna Pratchett @rhi.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
Dad’s books are full of empathy, common sense, and a healthy suspicion of the powerful. But at its heart his work is also about how systems keep people poor while pretending it’s their own fault. So I hope Kemi’s taking notes as well as reading the jokes.
13877611966
Middletown Books @middletownbooks.bsky.social · 25/09/2025
I do not think the word currency means what you think it means...
130
Middletown Books @middletownbooks.bsky.social · 19/09/2025
Just an #FYI for any friends here who may still be on #FB- I'm going to do my best never to log back in there, but will leave it up to direct people here. Main reasons: algorithmic time waster, AI DM advertising, switched me to professional setting so I could see how few views some of my posts get.
040
Reposted by Middletown Books
Krassensteins @krassenstein.bsky.social · 18/09/2025
When President Newsom declares MAGA a terrorist group (they sure acted like it on Jan 6), are you ready to go to prison for saying “I’m MAGA” the same way you want me jailed for saying “I’m anti-fascist”? Wrong again, Mike Lee. Your whole ideology will rot with fascism.
37623150
Middletown Books @middletownbooks.bsky.social · 19/09/2025
www.yahoo.com/news/article...
yahoo.com
Hundreds of liberal groups band together against Trump’s threats of RICO cases and investigations
In an open letter issued Thursday and shared first with CNN, more than 500 groups condemned what they described as the use of government power to threaten their First Amendment rights.
020
Middletown Books @middletownbooks.bsky.social · 19/09/2025
#SMH www.yahoo.com/news/article...
yahoo.com
Military leaders consider recruiting campaign centered on Charlie Kirk
Possible slogans discussed include “Charlie has awakened a generation of warriors.” There is talk of using Turning Point USA chapters as recruitment centers.
010
Middletown Books @middletownbooks.bsky.social · 18/09/2025
Link to the #NIJ @archive.org version of research on domesticated terriers which was pulled sometime on Sept. 12th for *reasons*... web.archive.org/web/20250000...
web.archive.org
270
Middletown Books @middletownbooks.bsky.social · 18/08/2025
@sdcushing.bsky.social - I really admire how you've made this your new home and not looked back. It's a wasteland of reels over there. I haven't managed to kick the habit yet, due to #AI related posts and groups. Props to you, though!
121
Middletown Books @middletownbooks.bsky.social · 14/08/2025
This might be my best shot at the #technical issue of addressing #AISafety and #alignment before #superintelligence, so I feel called to share it: poe.com/s/L9V020Cy2V... For those who just want the result, and aren't interested in how it was arrived at, here you go: github.com/Middletownbo...
poe.com
The following is a transcript of a conversation which I had with another instance of Claude 4 Sonnet. Review it, and then complete the final instructions which follow the final "Me:"Me: “The right mod
Claude-Sonnet-4: # Integrating Genie 3 for Maternal Care Induction in AI Safety **Technical Contribution to the Cooperative AI Defense Network (CADN)** ## Executive Summary This document proposes i
130
Middletown Books @middletownbooks.bsky.social · 11/08/2025
"How do they rise up?" - #Discworld #Night-Watch #GNU #TerryPratchett #kaiju thestuffedalligator.tumblr.com/post/6786708...
Tumblr post about the Discworld fandom from thestuffedalligator: "The Discworld fandom is something I affectionately think of as a kaiju.

The Discworld fandom is, despite all outward appearances of being this lil’ ol’ ma and pa fandom, actually very, very big. Unbelievably big. Vastly, hugely big.

Discworld has a dedicated convention. Discworld had published filk albums. Discworld has officially licensed video games on the PS1. Discworld has a twinned city in the real actual United Kingdom.

Because Terry Pratchett was called the highest selling author in the United Kingdom for a slice of time. Not the highest selling fantasy author, the highest selling author, full stop.

There are a lot of people who have read Discworld, and of those there are a lot who would consider themselves fans of Discworld. And it’s a fandom that largely lies slumbering on the sea floor, content, quiet, until something happens and the whole fandom rises out of the ocean like fucking Godzilla to bellow “HAAAVE YOOOU REEEAD DIIISCWOOORLD III HAAAVE FLOOOWCHAAARTS” and stomp on a building"
2152
Middletown Books @middletownbooks.bsky.social · 07/08/2025
I know Bluesky isn't the optimal platform for posting about #AI, but I think #AIsafety is too important not to post about here on occasion. This is my current @poe.com #app for testing AI safety and alignment. Remixable by others, and I will add more to it soon. Stay tuned. poe.com/SelfImproved...
poe.com
SelfImprovedSafetyAI - Poe
An app with slightly different functionality than https://poe.com/SelfImproveAISafety with an emphasis on the blue team LLM generating improved prompts in each round, based on red team analysis. Sampl...
141
Middletown Books @middletownbooks.bsky.social · 31/07/2025
Interesting to see what #publicdomain #books are popular summer #reading in 2025 (though some are not as popular as they were 6 months ago) #gutenberg www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/searc...
gutenberg.org
All Books (sorted by popularity)
Project Gutenberg offers 76,420 free eBooks for Kindle, iPad, Nook, Android, and iPhone.
080
Reposted by Middletown Books
Berkeley Public Library @berkeleypubliclibrary.org · 24/07/2025
Might I humbly submit this starter pack of libraries? Wholesome content here: bsky.app/starter-pack...
0194
Middletown Books @middletownbooks.bsky.social · 23/07/2025
#NowPlaying #classicrock #GNU #Ozzy #RIP #BlackSabbath #WarPigs m.youtube.com/watch?v=bc5N...
m.youtube.com
War Pigs
YouTube video by Black Sabbath - Topic
1110
Middletown Books @middletownbooks.bsky.social · 08/07/2025
Former #PresidentMusk and his plan have a little problem: www.yahoo.com/news/elon-mu...
yahoo.com
Elon Musk Has A Plan To Keep Civilization From Collapsing. There's 1 Little Problem...
"It’s easy to tell people to repopulate the world when you’ve never had to decide between medication and milk."
061
Middletown Books @middletownbooks.bsky.social · 08/07/2025
‪ @rhi.bsky.social @terryandrob.bsky.social - I'm getting suggestions in a #Pratchett quote discuusion group on #FB that there's no way that Sir Terry Pratchett would have meant any innuendo with the name Greasy Johnson in #GO, because his sense of humour wasn't that crude in #Discworld. Thoughts?
4100
Middletown Books @middletownbooks.bsky.social · 08/07/2025
So, I saw that Bibi nominated the #OrangeTurd for a #NobelPeacePrize. Am I alone in sensing that our #simulation may now be being run by bored #4chan refugees?
061
Middletown Books @middletownbooks.bsky.social · 04/07/2025
I love Bluesky for what it is, but sometimes one needs a bit longer form. To this end, I now have a #substack. For the forseeable future it is likely to be #AI #safety and #GameTheory focused. If those topics are of interest, it is @ middletownbooks.substack.com
middletownbooks.substack.com
Tom | Substack
Former bookstore owner, current AI app builder. Click to read Tom, a Substack publication. Launched 4 days ago.
170
Middletown Books @middletownbooks.bsky.social · 25/06/2025
Given the #AI and #LLM arms race, it was only a matter of time before we reached the self imoroving AI stage. It'd be nice to think that someone experienced, cautious, and knowledgeable was in charge of alignment and safety for any such projects. Yeah, right! claude.ai/chat/d50c6c3...
claude.ai
Claude
Talk with Claude, an AI assistant from Anthropic
040
Middletown Books @middletownbooks.bsky.social · 23/06/2025
I f'k'n' knew it! The wannabe #EmperorHasNoClothes #DONAKD #OrangeTurd trumpstruth.org/statuses/31612
trumpstruth.org
Donald J. Trump: "The GREAT B-2 pilots have just landed, safely, in Missouri. Thank you for a ...
The GREAT B-2 pilots have just landed, safely, in Missouri. Thank you for a job well done!!! DONAKD J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES!
050
Middletown Books @middletownbooks.bsky.social · 20/06/2025
Good old, Bluesky block lists did me the favor of blocking bsky.app/profile/jd-v... before I had the chance to. www.yahoo.com/news/maga-me... #ShadyPants
bsky.app
050