Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Geoffrey W. Cole @geoffreywcole.bsky.social · 8d

I'm so delighted to be on the Eco-Horror panel at the Little Ghosts Festival in Toronto. Come on out this Sunday, October 5th, 1PM at the Tranzac Club!

www.littleghostsbooks.com/product/litt...

Little Ghosts Festival ! | Little Ghosts

Save the Date!The first weekend of October celebrate Spooky Season with Little Ghosts' Fest. A Collection of vendors, programming, and film all dedicated to the Horror Genre! General admission dur...

www.littleghostsbooks.com

Reposted by Geoffrey W. Cole

Patrick Wyman @patrickwyman.bsky.social · 9d

Today's the big day, friends - my new book, Lost Worlds: The Rise and Fall of Human Societies from the Ice Age to the Bronze Age, is available for preorder! Smash that link and purchase from your retailer of choice, if that's the kind of thing you're into. www.harpercollins.com/products/los...

Lost Worlds

The creator of the hit podcast Tides of History offers a new look at humanity’s deep past, showing us how our world was built not by inevitability, but by t...

www.harpercollins.com

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Geoffrey W. Cole @geoffreywcole.bsky.social · 9d

Not available for order from Harper Collins Canada yet... Looking forward to it!

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Reposted by Geoffrey W. Cole

TriCon @tricon-hfx.bsky.social · 17d

Introducing TriCon! ✨May 15-17, 2026 in Kjipuktuk | #Halifax. Celebrating spec fic, we couldn't be prouder to have @amalelmohtar.com @englelaird.bsky.social and @kurestinarmada.bsky.social joining us as our Guests of Honour. Earlybird tickets available now! 🎟️ www.eventbrite.com/e/tricon-the...

Blue graphic stating that Earlybird Tickets for TriCon: The Trident Conference for Soeculative Fiction are on sale now. Lower right corner says Kjipuktuk | Halifax, May 15-17 2026

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Reposted by Geoffrey W. Cole

Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 21d

The 400 richest Americans are now worth a record $6.6 trillion.

The entire bottom 50% of America is worth just $4.2 trillion.

Our problem isn't a lack of resources.

Our problem is ever-expanding inequality.

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Reposted by Geoffrey W. Cole

George Takei @georgetakei.bsky.social · Sep 10

This is * chef’s kiss *

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Reposted by Geoffrey W. Cole

Lexie Henning @lexie-henning.bsky.social · Aug 16

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Geoffrey W. Cole @geoffreywcole.bsky.social · Aug 13

Makes sense!

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Geoffrey W. Cole @geoffreywcole.bsky.social · Aug 13

More Carp UFO.

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Geoffrey W. Cole @geoffreywcole.bsky.social · Aug 13

I saw an honest to god UFO tonight. Around 10:45 PM near Carp, Ontario. No idea what it was. Maybe Perseids? Never seen a meteor move like that though Initially thought it was the ISS but the ISS was over Africa. Anyone else see this? Any ideas what it was?

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Geoffrey W. Cole @geoffreywcole.bsky.social · Aug 12

No new oil and gas development. No new pipelines. For my American friends, vote the fascists out this midterm and hold the orange menace to account. For Canadians, contact your MPs and demand Carney invest in the kind of projects that will build a future that isn't on fire.

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Geoffrey W. Cole @geoffreywcole.bsky.social · Aug 12

This is the Shell wildfire burning in Spain. The Trump wildfire burning in California. These wildfires belong to those who continue to trade our future for their profits. This is their fault and it will only get worse until we start to fight back.

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Geoffrey W. Cole @geoffreywcole.bsky.social · Aug 12

Instead of thinking of the wild fires ravaging North America and Europe as random events loosely associated with climate change, we should reframe them: this is the oil and gas industry and the politicians that support them waging war on us. They are fire bombing our forests.

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Geoffrey W. Cole @geoffreywcole.bsky.social · Aug 10

Tune in to the Prix Aurora Awards, live now!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wy2k...

The 2025 Aurora Awards

YouTube video by Mark Leslie Lefebvre

www.youtube.com

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Geoffrey W. Cole @geoffreywcole.bsky.social · Jul 30

Lesbian cannibal novella! That's the elevator pitch right there!

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Reposted by Geoffrey W. Cole

Insta Science @instascience.bsky.social · Jul 30

It's just a “swarm of fish" following a duck.

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Geoffrey W. Cole @geoffreywcole.bsky.social · Jul 22

This is top notch

Surprised Eel Historian, PhD @greenleejw.bsky.social · Jul 21

The other day I drew a subway-style map for The Hobbit, and it was very well received. Some of you asked if I could do one for LoTR, so I have!

Forgive the eel watermark; I'm working on making these something you can buy, if you like.

Subway style map to go with The Lord of the Rings, showing the different pathways of various parties throughout the book. The title reads: "Lord of the Rings Transit Map: One Does Not Simply Walk Ino Mordor When One Can Ride." The map takes up the middle part of the page, and there are two keys. The one on the left is titles "Standard Service Lines, and has color keys matched to the subway lines on the map. Lines are named:
"Shire-Bree Commuter Line
Old Forrest Crescent
Wildland Scenic Line
Fellowship Line
Gollum / Sméagol Line
Uruk Hai Express
Three Hunters Line
Fangorn Slow Service
Rohan to Gondor Business Line
Black Ships Ferry Service
Oliphant Direct Line
Army of the West Line
Gandalf Express

A smaller key on the right side of the map is labeled: "Limited Service Lines" and has color keys matched to the following names lines:
"Eagle Express
Paths of the Dead Line
Nazgûl Search & Resuce
Valinor Ltd."

A note at the bottom reads:
"* Mount Doom station only accepts Rings of Power in payment. Plan accordingly."

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Geoffrey W. Cole @geoffreywcole.bsky.social · Jul 17

Join me on Monday nights for 8 weeks of climate fiction writing. My course is offered online with the Alexandra Writers Centre. Please share with anyone who might be interested!

www.alexandrawriters.org/store/p827/W...

ONLINE Writing Climate Fiction

The Earth's climate is at the start of an unprecedented period of change caused by human activity. For many of us, human-caused climate change is a source of anxiety, fear and despair, but it can also...

www.alexandrawriters.org

Geoffrey W. Cole @geoffreywcole.bsky.social · Jul 17

Hi folks, I'm teaching a writing workshop this fall and I want to write hot hot climate fiction with you!

Whether you're writing stories about the world finally conquering climate change or telling bleak post-collapse stories, I want to help you write the best story you can.

ONLINE Writing Climate Fiction

The Earth's climate is at the start of an unprecedented period of change caused by human activity. For many of us, human-caused climate change is a source of anxiety, fear and despair, but it can also...

www.alexandrawriters.org

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Geoffrey W. Cole @geoffreywcole.bsky.social · Jul 14

Voting for the Aurora Awards (Canada's top fan-voted SF literary award) closes July 19th! I'm nominated for Best Short Story for "Desolation Sounds" and Best Novelette/Novella for "Zebra Meridian". Get your votes in before voting closes!

Vote here: www.csffa.ca

The Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association (CSFFA) – Home of the Prix Aurora Awards and CSFFA Hall of Fame

www.csffa.ca

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Reposted by Geoffrey W. Cole

Prof Julia Steinberger 🌹🌱🌍 #ClimateAction #Fightfascism @jksteinberger.bsky.social · Feb 23

As promised, here are the slides I shared with students to convince them to NOT use chatGPT and other artificial stupidity.

TL;DR? AI is evil, unsustainable and stupid, and I'd much rather they use their own brains, make their own mistakes, and actually learn something. 🪄

NO CHATGPT Or other artificial stupidity: motivation
First, clarity on distinguishing AIs:
Non-generative: grammar aid, translation, dictionary, text-to-audio (e.g. Natural Reader): no problem
As long as you use the appropriate tools (least intensive in data and server energy use).
Why? Because you provide the content. Your brain is doing the most important work
Generative: ChatGPT & Co.
You only supply the prompt, the AI supplies the content.
Why is this delegation of work problematic?
3 domains: ethical, environmental, intellectual engagement.

(Caveat: generative is probably ok for computer programming, where it can be useful and save time. Not relevant to this class.)

1) AI and ethics
Mass theft of all and everything
«learning» on books, articles, blogs, social media, images, music, cultural production, without permission of authors/creators, and leading to their mass joblessness. Profits are not reditributed to originators.
Permanent destruction of the mental health of underpaid precarious tech workers in the Global South (Kenya, Philippines …):
«correction» to avoid production of violent and pedophile contents etc, tech workers are obliged to watch and correct super violent contents for days on end, leading to extreme psychological suffering and trauma, from which recovery is doubtful. No or little compensation (certainly not at the level of the suffering inflicted).
In short, an industry built on theft of real human creation and sacrifice of real human health, profiting a few megafortunes.

2) AI and (un)sustainability

Massive consumption of electricity, water, server capacity for generative AI.
Outcome: keep fossil fuel companies in business, using up new renewable capacity, without any satisfaction of basic human needs.
Massive misappropriation of the finance necessary for climate and ecological action (renewable generation, efficiency and retrofit for buildings, public transit, infrastructures for cycling etc) towards AI industry.
Overall: undermine climate action, reinforce fossil industry, waste resources necessary for human development.

3) AI and intellectual engagement

First, what learning is (or should be) about:
The goal should not (only) be the reproduction of «correct» knowledge,
But mainly personal engagement and experience of thinking about topics of interest. Personal engagement = using one’s own brain.
The most important activity for learning and intellectual engagement is the experience of making one’s own mistakes, by trial and error, corrections based on new ideas, starting over again. Learning to recognise nuances, knowledge gaps, better explanations
This kind of learning is possible only through using your own brain, not AI.
Also, Ais are not «intelligent». At all.
They simply reproduce pre-existing patterns. They «bullshit», invent false references, false facts, false data, simply because those sound plausible. VERY DANGEROUS.
If you learn how to NOT use AI, and how to research facts and data on your own, this will serve you and your communities for the rest of your life.

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Geoffrey W. Cole @geoffreywcole.bsky.social · Jun 2

I like the tree burial option, though having a crow drop my mandible in someone's swimming pool is probably bad form. We can donate our bodies to science, which is great, but what if I want to donate my body to comedy?

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Geoffrey W. Cole @geoffreywcole.bsky.social · Jun 2

Love it!

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Reposted by Geoffrey W. Cole

Stephen Kotowych 🇨🇦 @ourmankoto.bsky.social · May 19

When I die, I want the starting lineup of the Maple Leafs to be my pallbearers so that the #Leafs can let me down one last time

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