iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Matthew Ward

Victoria Hayward @writervh.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

So excited to be able to talk more about this soon.... it's something we've been cooking for a while and we can't wait to share what we have planned! 😍🖤 @guyhaley.bsky.social @nickybandini.bsky.social @johnfrench.bsky.social @squintywitch.bsky.social @thetowerofstars.bsky.social @gavthorpe.co.uk

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Matthew Ward @thetowerofstars.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Rewatching Tomb of the Cybermen and it occurs to me that the cautionary tale of Eric Klieg has definitely been lost to time. Klieg would definitely be all for Flock cameras and AI.

static.klipy.com

Matt Sawyer Moonbase Cybermen

ALT: Matt Sawyer Moonbase Cybermen

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Matthew Ward @thetowerofstars.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Farringdon Road cyclists are likely to be my supervillain origin story.

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Reposted by Matthew Ward

Jason Bean @comradedantes.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Good morning! We’ve been enjoying ‘Legacy of Ash’ by @thetowerofstars.bsky.social 😼

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Matthew Ward @thetowerofstars.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

In terms of getting me over the hump and actually putting metaphorical pen to paper, it was David Ashton’s excellent McLevy radio plays. It’s been a while since the results saw light of day, but you never know… (Yes, I know that’s not a book, but it’s the hand on heart truth.)

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Matthew Ward @thetowerofstars.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

It’s a crying shame. Splendid books (greatest influence on my writing, bar none). But dear lord, the OCR typos. (Where the scanner guesses at a word, then throws up its hands & botches things). Net result? New errors, absent from the originals. Not on, @harpercollins.bsky.social

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Matthew Ward @thetowerofstars.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Anyone in the #Stirling area fancy a signed book or two? There are full sets of both #TheLegacyTrilogy and #TheSoulfireSaga at the Book Nook

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Matthew Ward @thetowerofstars.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Initial impression of Star Wars: Zero Company. Gameplay seems solid, but it continues the recent trend of Star Wars aliens just moving and sounding like Americans in costume.

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Matthew Ward @thetowerofstars.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Now I cast my mind back, I actually offered to reduce my advance on this series or pay for the production of the audio up front, precisely because I believed that it was important to do all or none. From the response, you’d have thought I’d asked for a slice of raw hippo.

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Matthew Ward @thetowerofstars.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Ah, another day, another apologetic email to a reader who can’t finish a trilogy because Book 3 isn’t - and will likely never be - in audio. It’s absolutely maddening. Make the audio or revert that part of the rights. I’ll do it myself.

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Reposted by Matthew Ward

Susanah Grace @susanahgrace.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Stop fucking using genAI. Not even for a joke, not even for that oh so cutting political satire. Every time you use it, you are actively taking food out of our mouths. You are using the weapon of the enemy. We do not need it.

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Matthew Ward @thetowerofstars.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Even assuming that the datacenters are necessary (at the moment they seem to be propping up a product that can't turn a profit)... are they actually paying their own way to begin with? I suspect not. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

theguardian.com

Two planned datacentres will have higher UK carbon emissions than ExxonMobil, analysis finds

Exclusive: Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire sites predicted to emit 4.5m tonnes a year when fully running

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Reposted by Matthew Ward

The Onion @theonion.com · 24/08/2026

Guy Who Sucks At Being A Person Sees Huge Potential In AI theonion.com/guy-who-sucks-at-being…

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Matthew Ward @thetowerofstars.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

“The architectural style is early maniac.” Bravo, Michael Keating.

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Matthew Ward @thetowerofstars.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

Today, I am reminded - thankfully from a distance - of the worst people you can ever work with. The sort that if they tell you it’s raining outside you *still* need to see for yourself. Not because they’re lying, but because they don’t care if it’s raining or not, and disdain those who even ask.

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Matthew Ward @thetowerofstars.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

I’ll be surprised if I ever see a penny from this. At least two tiers of vultures will be gorging first. Also notable that the penalty/work is far lower than if Anthropic had breached fewer copyrights. Proving once again that in crime, as in all business, there is economy of scale.

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Reposted by Matthew Ward

Victoria Strauss @victoriastrauss.com · 19/08/2026

From Courtney Milan, a detailed thread on the what and why of the appeal filed yesterday in the Anthropic copyright settlement. (I've also updated my blog post on the settlement: writerbeware.blog/2026/07/23/a...)

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Matthew Ward @thetowerofstars.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

I've got a lot of stuff going on. Some things I can talk about. Most, I can't. (I *really* want to talk about the latter group.) But I'm totally on top of it all. Totally. Yes. Even that bit.

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Matthew Ward @thetowerofstars.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Currently suffering a Royal Mail postie with two modes: 1) Shove "signed for" items through the letterbox and then fraudulently signs for the item on my behalf. 2) Repeatedly (and falsely) claiming there's no one in, because door bells are strange, alien tech. www.theguardian.com/business/202...

theguardian.com

Royal Mail boss’s pay package triples to £6.9m despite profits slide

Martin Seidenberg, chief executive of parent company IDS, handed payouts after takeover of UK postal service

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Matthew Ward @thetowerofstars.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Had one such creative confirm that this was their situation literally a couple of hours later. Invisible harm is still harm.

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Reposted by Matthew Ward

Chris Eliopoulos @chriseliopoulos.com · 12/08/2026

Mildly content. chriseliopoulos.substack.com/p/mildly-con...

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Matthew Ward @thetowerofstars.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Articles like this miss the number of self-employed creatives receiving ever fewer commissions because it's so easy to instead produce uncopyrightable data-scraped slop. The management and analysis class don't care because it's an alien life to them. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

theguardian.com

AI was supposed to destroy jobs. Where’s the carnage?

The AI jobs apocalypse never showed up. Still, jobs are changing and economists expect more to come.

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Matthew Ward @thetowerofstars.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

Yes, I'm sure they're very much alike.

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Matthew Ward @thetowerofstars.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

“Hey! Which of these six scripts shall we use for this movie?” “Use ‘em all. It’ll be fine.”

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Matthew Ward @thetowerofstars.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

Current mood: “I propped him up, gave him some brandy, smiled at him in my most encouraging physician's fashion, commiserated with him on his ill luck and marked him down for death.”

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Matthew Ward @thetowerofstars.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

Currently sitting in a wine bar, and a couple of tables over a chap is enthusing to his date about The Prisoner. I have suggested whistling Farandole. My wife, being a woman of subtlety and grace in social settings, wants me to get my phone out and have it play the theme and see if he reacts.

static.klipy.com

The Prisoner: Seeing You

ALT: The Prisoner: Seeing You

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Matthew Ward @thetowerofstars.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Dear goodness, if you want to set something in London, at least film it SOMEWHERE in the UK. Even in London they drive on the left. When the fancy takes them.

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Matthew Ward @thetowerofstars.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Took some stuff into studio today that definitely flexes some of the skills that Robert Holmes taught me over his career. It’s going to sound great!

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Matthew Ward @thetowerofstars.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Right, so one of two things is going to happen: Either this is going to be an awesome movie or it’s going to make a bunch of awesome movies just a little bit worse. Won’t lie, I’m a mite stressed.

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Reposted by Matthew Ward

Forbidden Worlds Film Festival @fwfilmfestival.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

One of our favourite traders needs your help! If you have the means, please consider helping out Monika and the wonderful Haunted Bookshop in Stokes Croft. Or if you live in Bristol, just go buy some books! www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/save-the-h...

The Haunted Bookshop in Stokes Croft, a horror themed book shop, with a host of people sat outside.

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Matthew Ward @thetowerofstars.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

Having visited four different Ship Upgrade NPCs in #BlackFlagResynced and them all being voiced by Sean Pertwee ... I have to ask: Is this is a stealth Navy Lark reference? If so, well played.

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Reposted by Matthew Ward

Joanne Harris @joannechocolat.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

Unsolicited writng advice, no. 82: Don't worry about "what publishers want". Publishers have no idea what they want. That's why they're constantly being surprised by 'surprise bestsellers', like goldfish repeatedly astonished by the reapparence of the little plastic castle they saw a minute ago.

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Matthew Ward @thetowerofstars.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

I am going to be an insufferable #MagictheGathering player come November, and I’m not even a bit sorry. Today is always a good day to do a Gowron impression.

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Matthew Ward @thetowerofstars.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

If anyone's wondering, my baseline for payment is *at minimum* matching the original fee or advance for the work that's being dissected and cloned... because the market has already proven that's what it's worth. It's not hard, is it?

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Matthew Ward @thetowerofstars.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Here we go. Another "honest" piece of research into how authors feel about AI. - No option for "piss off, you don't get to steal my work at all" - No option for "have free use of the techbro's possessions at will throughout license period" Techbros and Survey statisticians. A match made in hell.

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Matthew Ward @thetowerofstars.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

Actually made some progress on a slow-burning project over the weekend. I should be talking about it soon (actually, I should be talking about it now, but the bill-paying work is a-calling me). #vaguepost #amwriting

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Reposted by Matthew Ward

Krista D Ball is Canada's Spooky Potato @kristadb1.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

I'm fascinated by the replies in this AI brainstorming thread. OP deleted his post, but it was basically "I am wasting so much time trying to get chat to help me brainstorm." Particularly, how they're using it for book outlines. 1/? www.reddit.com/r/fantasywri...

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Matthew Ward @thetowerofstars.bsky.social · 07/06/2026

Treated ourselves to a Dalton Bond double bill this weekend and were reminded just how underrated the movies are. Dark without being over serious. Also, Dalton channels fantastic “I don’t need this job” energy. He’s the only Bond that comes across as credibly grumpy Should have made more.

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Matthew Ward @thetowerofstars.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

Currently playing a game that feels like an escapee from the Noughties. - Illusion of freedom but largely on rails? Check. - Weird story gaps where scenes were cut for budget? Check. - Grinding to a halt for forced “click all the points of interest?” Check. There’s a game here somewhere.

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Reposted by Matthew Ward

HappyToast @happytoast.co.uk · 02/06/2026

Everyone in Southampton who has had their property damaged by the coked up twats should report Farage for incitement and claim damages directly from him. He's got at least £5m to spare.

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Oisín McGann @oisinmcgann.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

1. Another piece on 'We should be reasonable about this, look at the things AI could do for us' by a writer who's basing their assumptions on the hype, not on what it *can* actually do. 2. They focus on opera, where I'm sure careers are very secure. 3. The Guardian has a rights deal with OpenAI.

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Matthew Ward @thetowerofstars.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

On the one hand, the stance taken in the article is incredibly disappointing. On the other, no one ever accused Opera of being able to read a room. Either way, I’m like Suzan. I don’t need AI. I either learn to do a thing or pay someone else who already does it. Ain’t complicated.

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Reposted by Matthew Ward

Abigail Larson @abigaillarson.com · 03/06/2026

Wow I was not expecting the CEO of Patreon to go to bat for a creator like this, love to see it.

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Matthew Ward @thetowerofstars.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

Weird card. Tony is countering a spell by… displaying the original “superhero landing” pose? Where’s my card of Yelena tutting “Such a poser?” (Which would be a better counterspell, naturally.)

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