Joshua Blackwood
@joshuablackwood.bsky.social
3.6K followers 1.3K following 670 posts
Horror novelist and curator of ghosts and other specters. 🌲PNW🌲🏳️‍🌈 Tell your dog I said hi.
Posts Media Videos Starter Packs
joshuablackwood.bsky.social
Ive always found it awkward to tell ppl I’m a writer, I find either people think it’s a fancy way of saying “unemployed dead weight” or that I’m bragging and think I’m better than them. No matter which direction they are thinking though, I have yet to be asked what my books are about 🫠
joshuablackwood.bsky.social
Thank you!! That’s all I was needing to know 😂 I appreciate you being here!
joshuablackwood.bsky.social
And then use the basic brine to fill the jars, which already have their own individual spices.
joshuablackwood.bsky.social
Mostly what I wanna do is make a master brine for pickling that I can use on several things so I’m thinking 3/4 of it would be 5% acidity white vinegar, and 1/4 of it water. In the jars I would put my vegetables and spice them individually with dry spices (peppercorns, mustard seeds etc)-
joshuablackwood.bsky.social
Or I’ll be like “I wanna use this recipe but with half the sugar, is that safe as long as the vinegar concentration is the same?” And the answers are always just “why’d you wanna do it like that??” 😂
joshuablackwood.bsky.social
For instance, I just got off the phone with a safety/canning hotline like “hey here’s my brine recipe that I’d like to use, would this be safe?” And she was just real worried that my pickles wouldn’t taste sweet enough and didn’t really answer the safety part and kept pushing a sweet pickle recipe 🤦🏽‍♂️
joshuablackwood.bsky.social
The main issue I’m having is I want to change recipes or make my own, but I wanna know the basic rules I have to follow so I don’t die, but no one seems to know how to to do that and everyone just says “follow the recipes” and looks at me like I’m nuts when I ask what makes them safe vs unsafe.
joshuablackwood.bsky.social
As a new home canner I would like recipes to be a lot more clear about their statements. “Roma tomatoes are not recommended for this recipe” why Carol? Because they taste funny or because I’ll die?? Be specific! #Homesteading
joshuablackwood.bsky.social
Agents be like “seeking horror!” Then you realize what they mean is dark supernatural romance with a love interest that’s like a ghost or a werewolf and I’m just in their inbox with my horror novel like, hiiiiiiiiii
Small girl wearing a pink dress and layers of costume jewelry necklaces, awkwardly holding out a present with a hopeful smile and double chin.
joshuablackwood.bsky.social
Salary is a trap. In my experience, you’ll likely still be working overtime hours you’ll just not be paid extra for it.
joshuablackwood.bsky.social
What happens 90% of the time we ask “do you want to leave a message?” And they say “No. My name is Karen and I’m just calling about our account ending in 1851 can you let them know I called?” Like, ma’am that is a message. 🙈
Reposted by Joshua Blackwood
leannareneehieber.bsky.social
This is the same information given to the Horror Writers Association members in today's email:
ruthejbooth.bsky.social
"If your books were uploaded to LibGen/fed into the LLMs, add your name to the potential class action lawsuit by tomorrow." Details:

LibDem database: www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...

Attorney form: www.lieffcabraser.com/anthropic-au...

(This information comes via a reliable Discord source.)
Search LibGen, the Pirated-Books Database That Meta Used to Train AI
Millions of books and scientific papers are captured in the collection’s current iteration.
www.theatlantic.com
Reposted by Joshua Blackwood
dieselbrain.bsky.social
CONGRATS SOLDIER, we've hit 2 weeks of solid #SaveSpeech pressure! Youre doing a great job! Reward yourself!

And keep on calling/mailing!

stop-paypros.neocities.org
yellat.money

www.congress.gov/members/find...
SCREEN ACT: 
-full age verification. (biometric scans, ID uploads, background checks)

-Deeply unsafe for personal and data privacy. Security/data breaches are rampant, and uploading so much sensitive data to every single we site is just asking for mass ID theft. 

-id verification is much, much harder on small websites than larger ones, creating a chilling effect and stifling speech for anyone that isnt a massive corporation

-draw comparison to UK's OSA [online safety act] and the backlash it is receiving



KOSA: 
-creates "duty of care,” meaning that tech companies and platform giants would be required to take steps to prevent potentially harmful encounters, such as posts about eating disorders and instances of online bullying, from impacting minors.

-who gets to decide what is or is not "unsafe for minors"? Especially under the current administration

-it will block access to important info minors could use to keep themselves safe or advocate for themselves.  Ex: sex ed. 

-the vague nature of the bill will almost certainly be used to target LGBT content under the guise of "protecting children"
Reposted by Joshua Blackwood
monacht.gay
VISA CAN'T HANG UP ON YOU UNTIL YOU STOP TALKING. YAPPERS, THIS IS YOUR TIME TO SHINE.

Talk in circles! Loop back to the same points! Take a minute to "remember" a word! Your goal isn't to change their minds, it's to keep talking for as long as possible to waste their money and clog call centers.
tendermiasma.com
Visa says they're still drowning today! Payment processors think that we're not organized enough to keep this up but it's we either prove them wrong or submit to global censorship so it's. not much of a contest. Keep calling all 4!!
Reposted by Joshua Blackwood
makiokuta.bsky.social
I'd like to make a list of Canadian creators who have online stores that sell physical merch. With a bunch of us likely cutting off sales to the US soon, it would be nice to have a spot to find people to support. I'll be setting it up this week, please respond to this post if you'd like to be added!
joshuablackwood.bsky.social
Nice try, House of Leaves.
thedoorthedoor.bsky.social
Extra staircase in the house? Just go back to sleep. Maybe it'll be gone in the morning