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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 1h
Posting this now so that people know I've seen it and no I won't be bidding for the five-necked guitar that's one neck short of the guitar I already have www.thatericalper.com/2026/09/29/c...
thatericalper.com
Cheap Trick's Rick Nielsen Is Auctioning Guitars And Rock Memorabilia For Charity - That Eric Alper
Rick Nielsen has spent more than five decades collecting guitars, cars, clothes and rock memorabilia. Now the Cheap Trick guitarist is opening up part of that personal archive for a charity auction. J...
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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 3h
Boat. Gird.
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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 4h
Panorama from Camp Krissy today. It was a lovely day.
A view of a river with greenery all around
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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 6h
A thing I learned not too long ago is that when an LLM selects a token that leads it down an incorrect path (factually), it has no way to back up, or even know that it should back up, it's just on to the next likely bit. Literally every LLM is just posting their way through it. What an image.
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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 7h
To be fair, the single most publicly-accessed example of "AI" in the world can't find its ass with a flashlight and it's right on top of the search listings, where the most accurate search result used to be. Every LLM suffers from token drift over time so it's only a question of WHEN they're wrong.
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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 7h
I have created a policy for dealing with fan mail and fan requests, which I know sounds ridiculous on the surface of it, but these days is actually useful to have, and to point people to, so they know that how I handle fan mail is not about them personally: whatever.scalzi.com/2026/09/29/h...
whatever.scalzi.com
How I Handle Fan Mail and Requests, 2026 Edition
I get fan mail, which I think is awesome. Also, in the world we live in, which includes “AI”-generated scams and other phishing expeditions, it’s necessary to set some expectation…
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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 7h
In which Eric Schmitt, rumored candidate for VP in an (ugh) JD Vance 2028 presidential run, pre-emptively loses 22 electoral votes in Georgia and Iowa
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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 8h
It's not "super intelligence." It's not even "intelligence." It continues to fuck up easy questions, like to whom I dedicated my most recent book. Also, Mike Johnson is a craven, simpering weasel and none of the people standing near him in this video respect him even the tiniest bit.
"To whom did John Scalzi dedicate The Shattering Peace"

"John Scalzi dedicated his novel The Shattering Peace to his longtime editor and friend Teresa Nielsen Hayden"
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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 9h
Today in "absolutely not"
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McSweeney's @mcsweeneys.net · 10h
"Can a rapist’s prose elicit remorse for sexual assault? What word count best equates to appropriate jail time? In this class, we will dissect what empathy and accountability might look like so undergrads may successfully mimic them on paper in pursuit of avoiding just punishment." buff.ly/5na4oMY
buff.ly
Announcing Cornell University’s Newest Writing Course: Rape Essays 101
“Can a rapist’s prose effectively elicit remorse for sexual assault? What word count best equates to appropriate jail time? In this class, we will dissect wh...
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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 10h
Ice Cream is absolutely lunch, it gives the body essential carrageenans and guar gums
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Kingfisher & Wombat @tkingfisher.com · 10h
It’s Launch Day, darling! This one is not cozy or for the faint of heart, please note the warnings, but it’s here at last! And while you should read in the way you like the best—dude, Neil Newbon’s narration knocks it out of the PARK. www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/813073...
penguinrandomhouse.com
Baldur's Gate 3: Astarion by T. Kingfisher: 9798217298594 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books
The roguish charlatan Astarion will free himself from a centuries-long fate of servitude or die (a second time) trying—in this decadently dark fantasy adventure by award-winning author T. Kingfisher.....
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David Simon @audacityofdespair.bsky.social · 16h
There's a shit-ton of actual anti-Semitism in the world today, but Netanyahu's fraudulent misuse of the term devalues it dangerously. Hamas is anti-Semitic and murderous. Netanyahu is a cynical, murderous shitheel. Mamdani is an American politician with a perverse impulse to tell blunt truths.
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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 14h
My editor is clearly expecting words in the manuscript this morning. I must oblige her.
Spice the cat, sitting on my desk, looking judgy.
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the Mountain Goats @themountaingoats.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
bluesky does not seem to really be talking about this but today Stevie Wonder unleased 4 songs that didn't make "Songs in the Key of Life." music.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
music.youtube.com
Songs In The Key Of Life - The EP
EP • Stevie Wonder
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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 29/09/2026
Could be jeans, could be a heterosexual with low blood sugar
"Introducing: The Low Straight"
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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 29/09/2026
Good evening, from rural Ohio
Vibrant red post-sunset clouds in a darkening blue sky.
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Jill Pantozzi @jillpantozzi.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Last month, a Google alert directed me to an interview I did with cartoonist Matt Furie—creator of Pepe the Frog…only I haven’t done any interview and I’d never even met Furie. So I clicked. "None of this is true": AI, content farms, and one completely made-up article. bsky.app/profile/then...
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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 28/09/2026
Technically this is a dinosaur
Tweety bird from Looney Tunes
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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 28/09/2026
As a general rule many things I post on Bluesky come out of the blue and may have no obvious precipitating incident or context, this is a feature, not a bug
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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 28/09/2026
It continues to be interesting to me just how many men, when presented with a clear and obvious answer to a test of morality and empathy, will nevertheless choose to "devil's advocate" themselves into a position of complete assholery
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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 28/09/2026
Also this morning from rural Ohio.
A spider web, catching the morning sunlight, in a glade of trees whose leaves are illuminated by the sun.
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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 28/09/2026
Good morning, Bluesky, from rural Ohio.
There is a cornfield in the foreground with a big red barn in the middle and a bunch of trees in the background. In the morning sky the just-past-full moon is hanging low, getting ready to set.
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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 27/09/2026
Being not Jewish, I was not aware of the key role Fruit Gems had in Bar/Bat Mitzvahs and other celebrations, I was just sad on my own account they were no longer going to be made. But now we all will have reason to celebrate: ejewishphilanthropy.com/sunkist-says...
ejewishphilanthropy.com
Sunkist says it will bring back beloved Fruit Gems after national outcry following eJP report
‘We hear you, Sunkist Fruit Gems fans!’ the company wrote, saying it had found a new manufacturer for the kosher synagogue staple
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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 27/09/2026
Wishing the diamond cartel a very pleasant fuck you youtu.be/xrg6QCGzQGc
youtu.be
Why Diamond Prices Are Falling So Fast
YouTube video by CNBC
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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 27/09/2026
None of these dudes look like they could bench press a Pokémon card
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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 27/09/2026
Today is the 35th anniversary of my professional writing debut, as the film critic for the Fresno Bee newspaper. To celebrate, I've posted the first two reviews I wrote, for the Goldie Hawn thriller "Deceived" and the Terry Gilliam masterpiece "The Fisher King." whatever.scalzi.com/2026/09/27/a...
whatever.scalzi.com
And Now, For Their 35th Anniversary, My First Two Professional Movie Reviews
First off, look at that dork. What’s going on with his hair? Why is he tugging on his ear? Did he really think round glasses were right for his face? Someone needs to go back to 1991 and give…
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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 27/09/2026
Update: I have escaped the Nor'easter and have returned home to cloudless skies.
The light blue skies of an early Ohio autumn.
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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 27/09/2026
Old Man's War. It's sold basically the same number of books every year for two decades. Among more recent books, Starter Villain is the one that really popped; it's got a great cover and crossover appeal. Between those two Redshirts has had perennial success (the Hugo helps with its backlist sales).
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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 27/09/2026
I woke up at 3am, which wasn't great, but since I fell asleep last night at 7:30, I still got a decent night's sleep, turns out I'm speedrunning old people sleep schedules
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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 26/09/2026
Thank you to everyone who braved the elements to come see us talk about utopias and dystopias at the Villa Albertine today! It was lovely to be in your presence.
The audience today at the Villa Albertine listening to us talk about science fiction
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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 26/09/2026
Folks, I can assure you that I am not the richest science fiction (excluding fantasy and horror) writer alive, either on book sales solely or including ancillary income. I am, uhhhhh, doing fine. But not Nora Roberts or Suzanne Collins levels of fine.
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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 26/09/2026
Whatever you do, don't smoke an entire brisket at a job interview, it's a lot of equipment to bring in, it takes a really long time to do it right and those conference rooms have notoriously poor ventilation
Someone smoking a brisket and poking it with a meat thermometer to see what the internal temperature is
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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 25/09/2026
Love Death + Robots not in there, therefore this vote was rigged
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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 25/09/2026
Being able to write a romance in a novel is not the same thing as being able to write a romance novel, though. One is a plot point. The other is working within a genre space with established market expectations.
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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 25/09/2026
It's called Worldcon
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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 25/09/2026
Hello from yet another airport
A plane out in the tarmac, getting ready to depart
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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 25/09/2026
Romance is by far the largest genre for book sales. I will likely not be writing a romance. It's a skill set and I would have to start from square one with an uncertain result. I'll stick to science fiction. I still very much enjoy writing it.
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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 25/09/2026
Science fiction is currently roughly six percent of the current fiction market in North America and fantasy is (again, roughly) four times that. There's definitely more money in fantasy. In all genres, I will note, the money is very unequally distributed. (Horror... fluctuates)
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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 25/09/2026
Among living authors and going on book sales only, and excluding fantasy/horror, Suzanne Collins (via 100 million+ copies of Hunger Games) and Nora Roberts (from the 70 million copies of her "In Death" series, writing as JD Robb). Both of them have other income sources as well, of course.
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Elizabeth Bear @matociquala.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Advice for my younger friends: if you want to encourage yourself to stay healthy and functional, to exercise and eat well... ...pick a couple of motherfuckers you really want to outlive.
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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 25/09/2026
Already did it but otherwise cool idea youtu.be/1ripC8qLmW8
youtu.be
I'll Follow You Into the Dark (Death Cab For Cutie cover)
YouTube video by John Scalzi
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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 24/09/2026
I will be returning to Europe next year. I am very likely to be in Australia in 2028 because the Worldcon will be there. I have not gone to Asia or Africa for a convention (yet) but I never say never. If the United States Antarctic Program wants to invite me to McMurdo for an event, I'm listening.
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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 24/09/2026
If you want me at Canadian conventions, tell the Canadian conventions to invite me as a GoH! When they do I tend to show up!
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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 24/09/2026
YES MEET ME I AM DELIGHTFUL AND SMELL OF FRESH LINEN* (*sometimes, no guarantees implied)
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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 24/09/2026
I feel this very strongly but this is how the how the water and power outlets were installed. Anyway, Krissy doesn't mind because she is left-handed.
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Bob Smietana @bmietana.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Been working on this for a while about pastors who see the racism and antisemitism of America's past as a feature, not a bug. Meet the Jim Crow Theobros religionnews.com/2026/09/24/t...
religionnews.com
The rise of the Jim Crow theobros
(RNS) — A group of Reformed pastors and influencers has wedded old-school segregationist theology with the hypermasculinity of the manosphere and the savvy of the attention economy to preach and sell ...
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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 24/09/2026
I wrote about the new washer and dryer (with accompanying photo) here: whatever.scalzi.com/2026/09/24/o...
whatever.scalzi.com
Our Thrilling New Purchase
Our washer and dryer set had been with us 15+ years and were really showing their age. The dryer’s closing mechanism had to be negotiated with in order to be fully secured, and our washer had…
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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 24/09/2026
I Accidentally Picked a Scab On My Nose I Didn't Even Know Was There and Now There's Blood So Much Blood Oh God WHY is There So MUCH Blood: The John Scalzi Story
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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 24/09/2026
Damn, socialism seems pretty fucking cool if you ask me
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