iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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John Warner @biblioracle.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Well-sourced, eye-opening (but in hindsight, unsurprising) piece from Adam. The main use of AI by publishers appears to be publicity/marketing. I would like to explain why this is a bad use from the perspective of someone who gets pitched dozens of books a week for coverage.

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The Authors Guild @authorsguild.org · 11/09/2026

The Authors Guild has filed a motion asking the court to rule that OpenAI and Microsoft infringed on the authors’ copyrights by pirating their works, copying them to train their AI, and trading the books between them as currency. Here’s everything you need to know:

authorsguild.org

Authors Guild and Co-Plaintiffs File Motion for Summary Judgment v. OpenAI and Microsoft

On Friday, September 4, 2026, the Authors Guild and its co-plaintiffs (the class plaintiffs) filed a motion for summary judgment and supporting brief in their copyright litigation against OpenAI and M...

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Patrick Ness @patricknessbooks.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

I spoke about being queer in a religious upbringing to 200 Scottish teens at book event this afternoon. Had seven (yes, seven) queer students and two trans students come out to me quietly in the signing queue afterwards, one of them in tears. I will never forgive those who make their lives so hard.

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Nan McCarthy @nanmccarthy.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

This is so disturbing. My father in-law (USMC) served in the Korean War. My husband (USMC) participated in joint exercises w/ S. Korea 3 yrs in a row when we were stationed in Japan. Thank God my FIL is no longer here to see such disrespect for our service members, past & present—they are our ALLIES

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Nan McCarthy @nanmccarthy.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

This is especially demoralizing for independent authors who’ve been self-publishing for years—those of us who actually write our own books without any type of AI assistance.

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Will Oremus @willoremus.com · 29/07/2026

A glut of AI-written fiction is drowning out human authors, new research shows. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/28/b...

Screenshot of text from NYT story by Alexandra Alter:

Jess Michaels, a historical romance writer, has released 117 novels since she started writing full time in 1999, most of them self-published. She’s built a devoted readership, and has had 10 USA Today best sellers.

But lately, sales have been so dismal that she might stop publishing.

“The glut of the A.I. work makes discoverability very difficult,” Michaels said. “You’re talking about directly pirating my work, putting it into an engine so that you can produce a ‘Jess Michaels-type book,’ and then glutting the market with it.

“I cannot tell you how soul-crushing it is,” she added. “It essentially erases actual authors.”

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Culture Crave 🍿 @culturecrave.co · 20/07/2026

Australia is planning some of the world's toughest AI regulations • Water usage will be limited • AI data centers will be required to become net producers of energy • AI companies can't train on Australian creators' work without their permission • Proposals expected to be introduced in 2027

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Nan McCarthy @nanmccarthy.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

Hey @ms.now, @cnn.com, ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, etc: I’ll watch whichever station does *not* air Trump’s speech live tonight. I’ll watch the station that summarizes it in real time & contextualizes it with fact checks. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

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Mark Jacob @markjacob.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

If the networks wanted to be responsible, they‘d tape-delay Trump’s speech tonight, thoroughly fact-check it, and then broadcast it, stopping every time Trump lied and explaining the lie, then resuming. They‘d headline this report honestly. If he lies (as he always does), they’d use the word “lie.”

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Ed Newton-Rex @ednewtonrex.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Huge new class action lawsuit filed by big publishers and authors against Google this week over AI training. It accuses Google of taking millions of books / articles provided to them for use only in Google Books, Google Play Books, and Google Scholar, and secretly using them to train LLMs. 🧵 1/4

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MeidasTouch @meidastouch.com · 04/07/2026

Happy 250, America! The country may be far from perfect, but that’s exactly the reminder that our work is never finished. It will always be worth fighting for. And we will never give up on the values and principles that truly make this country great. Happy 4th 🇺🇸

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Nan McCarthy @nanmccarthy.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

This Chicago girl is just gonna rewatch the Obama Library Opening Ceremony on the Fourth 🇺🇸 How ‘bout yous guys?

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🌴✨🦋 Kathryn 🦋✨🌴 @kathrynkatiekwrites.substack.com · 18/06/2026

My biggest challenge is the fact that I only like salads when they're made by other people and cost me $15.

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NPR @npr.org · 13/06/2026

So you want to ignite a reading habit this summer. How do you get back into the groove? We talk to reading enthusiasts for their best tricks — like allowing yourself to read wherever, whenever.

n.pr

5 ways to read more books this summer

So you want to ignite a reading habit this summer. How do you get back into the groove? We talk to reading enthusiasts for their best tricks — like allowing yourself to read wherever, whenever.

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Nan McCarthy @nanmccarthy.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

“A professional, nonpartisan civil service is one of the federal government’s most important assets. Changes that fundamentally alter how that system operates deserve careful attention and a clear-eyed understanding of what is gained — and what may be lost.” federalnewsnetwork.com/commentary/2...

federalnewsnetwork.com

Why Trump’s plan to reclassify federal workers should worry everyone | Federal News Network

In practice, this change would make it easier to remove employees whose work or advice conflicts with leadership priorities.

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Nan McCarthy @nanmccarthy.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

Dear iPhone auto-correct: clusterfuck is one word, not two

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Nan McCarthy @nanmccarthy.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

I have stopped watching the news before bedtime. Highly recommend.

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Pine Tree Activism @pinetreeactivism.org · 09/06/2026

REMEMBER WHEN VOTING: Many of the bills passed by this admin cutting funding to social aid programs and various agencies, etc do not go into effect until *after* the mid-terms in Nov. That's by design to help them retain seats in congress before the shit hits the fan. Vote accordingly.

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Project Gutenberg @gutenberg.org · 26/05/2026

#OTD in 1897. First publication of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Let's celebrate #DraculaDay! The novel was mostly written in the 1890s, and Stoker produced over a hundred pages of notes, drawing extensively from folklore and history. Dracula at PG: www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/345 #Books #Literature

Henry Irving is widely considered to have inspired Dracula.

John Bernard Partridge - The Lyceum "Faust." By Joseph Hatton ... with illustrations from drawings by W. Telbin, Hawes Craven, W. H. Margetson, J. Bernard Partridge, and Helen H. Hatton

Taken from "The Ilustrated London News"

A black-and-white engraving of a theatrical figure in a sweeping dark cape, one arm thrust skyward, the other outstretched. He wears a pointed cap, tight hose, and an ornate belt, with a pallid, wide-eyed expression of dark exultation.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracula#/media/File:Mephistophles_on_the_Brocken_(cropped).jpg

Handwritten notes about the novel's characters.

A handwritten manuscript page headed "Historiae Personae — Dracula" — Bram Stoker's early working notes listing characters for his novel, with many names cross…A handwritten manuscript page headed "Historiae Personae — Dracula" — Bram Stoker's early working notes listing characters for his novel, with many names crossed out and revised. Recognisable entries include Jonathan Harker (the lawyer's clerk), Wilhelmina Murray (called Mina), Lucy Westenra, Dr. Seward, and Count Dracula. Earlier rejected names are heavily struck through. Notes at the bottom mention a "secret room" and "dinner of 13," revealing the novel's plot still in formation.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracula#/media/File:Stoker_Dracula_Notes_Personal.jpg

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maraleia @maraleia.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

This fucking bullshit has to stop.

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EveryLibrary @everylibrary.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

Trump's proposed budget destroys federal funding for libraries. Take action today at SaveIMLS.org #library #libraries #libraryfunding #fundlibraries #saveimls #imls #read #reading #book #books

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Nan McCarthy @nanmccarthy.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

It’s Military Spouse Appreciation Day. One way to celebrate military spouses is by gifting (or reading) the Since You Went Away series. 🔗 link in comments Since You Went Away tells the story of a modern-day military family through the eyes of a military spouse via letters to her deployed husband.

A photo of all four books in Nan McCarthy’s Since You Went Away series surrounded by spring flowers.

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Niko Stratis @nikostratis.com · 08/05/2026

I have chronic pain issues that make it hard to write or do anything at all, and I have disabilities that compound on those issues too, and I write all the goddamn time without using AI because I'm not also a fucking loser.

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Wormhole Live @wormhole42.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

my favorite flavor is salt

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MyPet Health by Vetcation @vetcation.com · 02/05/2026

BREAKING: The first 300 Ridglan beagles touched grass for the first time today. They stepped outside and looked up at the sun. Many are playful. Some are scared. All are learning the world can be safe. Today, they are free.

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Ron Lieber @ronlieber.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

NEW: Schwab's donor-advised fund operation has cut off donations to the Southern Poverty Law Center, just like Fidelity and Vanguard did. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/01/b...

nytimes.com

Schwab Affiliate Halts Customer Donations to Southern Poverty Law Center

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Nan McCarthy @nanmccarthy.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

Hey @ms.now let’s not air Trump live every damn time he takes questions in the Oval Office, which is becoming a daily thing now. Instead of amplifying his lies & ramblings just summarize it for us after the fact while covering other, more important news. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

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Diedrich Bader @diedrichbader.bsky.social · 28/04/2026

Reagan actually got shot at the same hotel and never asked for a ballroom

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Asha Rangappa @asharangappa.bsky.social · 11/04/2026

Is the fact that the Iran war wasn’t congressionally authorized something we no longer talk about? Seems like the reporting/discussion now just assumes that Trump can just do whatever he wants wrt the use of force

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Nan McCarthy @nanmccarthy.bsky.social · 11/04/2026

I used to feel good traveling abroad. Last week I visited Canada. During our 30-min drive back to the airport our Uber driver—a Venezuelan immigrant studying for his PhD—politely shared his very negative views of Trump & the U.S. All we could do was nod our heads in agreement & apologize profusely.

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Nan McCarthy @nanmccarthy.bsky.social · 11/04/2026

Leave it to a native Chicagoan to be one of the few world leaders standing up to Trump. Keep fighting the good fight Pope Leo.

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Brian Beutler @brianbeutler.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

Legal eagles noticed, and there’s been SOME mainstream coverage. But overall the political class has underreacted to this month’s OLC opinion, ordered up by Trump or on his behalf, declaring the Presidential Records Act unconstitutional. Things are likely being stolen and/or destroyed *right now*.

offmessage.net

Donald Trump's Plan To Steal Or Destroy Everything

We should assume it's underway, starting with the Epstein files.

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Rachel Maddow @maddow.bsky.social · 06/04/2026

"Filing taxes should be really easy and completely free. It is in most other developed countries. In 2024, the Biden administration debuted a program called Direct File to make tax filing easy and free for most American taxpayers, too. President Trump killed it." www.nytimes.com/2026/04/04/o...

nytimes.com

Opinion | Trump Killed the One Thing That Made Filing Taxes Easier

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Nan McCarthy @nanmccarthy.bsky.social · 13/03/2026

One upside of Twitter having become a cesspool of techbro misogynists is that when I’m considering partnering with someone for a business deal, I can find out who they really are by looking at their posts on X. Talk about dodging more than a few bullets.

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Publishers Weekly @publisherswkly.bsky.social · 07/03/2026

The program, which launched in beta for Guild members in 2025 and certifies titles as written by humans and not AI, is now open to any author whose books are published in the United States.

buff.ly

Authors Guild Expands ‘Human Authored’ Certification Program

The program, which launched in beta for Guild members in 2025 and certifies titles as written by humans and not AI, is now open to any author whose books are published in the United States.

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PBS News @pbsnews.org · 03/03/2026

The conflict has left 18 American service members seriously wounded, Capt. Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command said Monday. The number has grown from the five troops initially reported as seriously wounded on Sunday morning. to.pbs.org/4aYt30f

pbs.org

Live Updates: U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran widens

Iran and Iranian-backed militias fired missiles at Israel and Arab states, apparently hitting the U.S. Embassy compound in Kuwait, while Israel and the United States pounded targets in Iran as the war...

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PBS News @pbsnews.org · 25/02/2026

The Trump-backed Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, or the SAVE America Act, seeks to address the president's longstanding demands to "fix" U.S. elections that he says are "rigged" and "stolen," despite no evidence of widespread voter fraud. to.pbs.org/4bKG2F7

to.pbs.org

What to know about how the SAVE America Act could change voting

Ahead of the midterm elections, Republicans are again pushing for legislation that requires documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to vote.

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Nan McCarthy @nanmccarthy.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

Republicans chanting “USA” like they’re at a fucking hockey game. Where’s Kash?

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Nan McCarthy @nanmccarthy.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

Worst part of the SOTU so far is having to look at Mike Johnson’s smarmy face

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Chuck Wendig @chuckwendig.bsky.social · 17/02/2026

Love that AI, a thing we hate and don’t want, steals everything, ruins everything, shittifies everything. Drinks our water, plagiarizes our art, pisses all over our information fidelity, drives kids to suicide, serves the right-wing, and fucks up our devices and services. Good job, techbros!

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Nan McCarthy @nanmccarthy.bsky.social · 18/02/2026

Looking forward to the new season

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Jeff St John @jeffstjohn.bsky.social · 17/02/2026

Hey, I'm watching the Colbert interview with James Talarico, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Texas, which CBS declined to air on broadcast TV, likely due to Trump administration threats... wanna watch it too? www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiTJ...

youtube.com

Rep. James Talarico On Confronting Christian Nationalism, And Strange Days In The Texas Legislature

YouTube video by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

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Nan McCarthy @nanmccarthy.bsky.social · 11/02/2026

Watching the Bondi hearing & it’s notable how many Republicans—the same ones who boycotted Bad Bunny for not singing in English—don’t know the difference between a noun & adjective. We get the GOP thinks using “Democrat” instead of “Democratic” is a dig but really it just makes you sound illiterate.

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Nan McCarthy @nanmccarthy.bsky.social · 31/01/2026

“Obviously, a batch of cookies is just the starting point. If you can do one dozen, make another. While you’re at the store, grab a few extra items for the food shelf. Every little bit helps. Ask your neighbors if they need anything while you’re out. Start conversations.”

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