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Reposted by Governor Finn Black

Juno Rylee Schultz @junoryleejournalism.com · 2d

David Simon, creator of ‘The Wire’, being interviewed by Ari Shapiro (NPR)

SHAPIRO: OK, so you've spent your career creating television without Al, and I could imagine today you thinking, boy, I wish I had had that tool to solve those thorny problems...
SIMON: What?
SHAPIRO: ...Or saying...
SIMON: You imagine that?
SHAPIRO: ...Boy, if that had existed, it would have screwed me over.
SIMON: I don't think Al can remotely challenge what writers do at a fundamentally creative level.
SHAPIRO: But if you're trying to transition from scene five to scene six, and you're stuck with that transition, you could imagine plugging that portion of the script into an Al and say, give me 10 ideas for how to transition this.
SIMON: I'd rather put a gun in my mouth.

Governor Finn Black @govfinnblack.bsky.social · 6d

This. Absolutely this.

Russ's book is brilliant and I don't begrudge him pushing it at all - and October's resolution is to be more like Russ! 📚💙 #booksky

Russ Jones @russincheshire.bsky.social · 6d

This is all authors.

Unless we post about our books, you don't know they exist.

And unless happy readers recommend us, our books die.

And we don't eat.

There is no "marketing dept". Algorithms favour the megastars, so they're no help.

Anyway. I'm sorry for being repetitive. I have no option.

stitch is holding a sign that says `` sorry '' .

ALT: stitch is holding a sign that says `` sorry '' .

media.tenor.com

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Reposted by Governor Finn Black

The Secret Barrister @barristersecret.bsky.social · 12d

This woman is everything to me

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Governor Finn Black @govfinnblack.bsky.social · 11d

If you can bring yourself to ignore the amateurish covers, you might enjoy reading about Finn's shenanigans in Leeds, north Wales, and Shetland.

In the meantime enjoy this video of Shetland.

There were brief moments of calm, despite Finn getting boisterous with the Russians...

📚💙 #booksky

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Reposted by Governor Finn Black

Governor Finn Black @govfinnblack.bsky.social · 11d

I used an early version of AI to 'placemark' covers for the series.

Finally sold enough books to be able to commission someone to create unique ones.

Well, that didn't work out:

Designer #1: Simply redid the covers in the same style using better AI. Told me "everyone does it".

#booksky 📚💙 1/2

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Governor Finn Black @govfinnblack.bsky.social · 11d

Thank you!

Governor Finn Black @govfinnblack.bsky.social · 11d

Designer #2: Used AI even after I told him I didn't want that. Said "it saves time" and missed multiple deadlines when redoing them without AI.

Designer #3: When I chased him 10 days after expecting a draft I discovered he hadn't even started it.

I will revisit this, but not for now.

📚💙 2/2

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Governor Finn Black @govfinnblack.bsky.social · 11d

I used an early version of AI to 'placemark' covers for the series.

Finally sold enough books to be able to commission someone to create unique ones.

Well, that didn't work out:

Designer #1: Simply redid the covers in the same style using better AI. Told me "everyone does it".

#booksky 📚💙 1/2

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Reposted by Governor Finn Black

Dean Jobb 🇨🇦 True Crime Writer @deanjobb.bsky.social · 17d

A Journalist on the Inside Upends Good vs. Evil Criminal Stereotypes www.nytimes.com/2025/09/23/b...
#truecrime #journalism #prisons

A Journalist on the Inside Upends Good vs. Evil Criminal Stereotypes

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Governor Finn Black

Christian @ceebarnacles.bsky.social · 25d

Written by a doctor at St Thomas' Hospital, London after the Tommy Robinson march on 13/9.

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Reposted by Governor Finn Black

Sean Jones KC @seanjones.org · 25d

Bear with me, I anticipate your disagreement. There is a clear pattern to the advice given to those who want to press back against rising racism. What it boils down to is that if you point out that racism is often being dressed up as “legitimate concerns” you will alienate people. /1

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Reposted by Governor Finn Black

Simon Cox @simonfrcox.bsky.social · 28d

Hundreds of prison officers may have to leave UK after Labour’s visa rule change www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Hundreds of prison officers may have to leave UK after Labour’s visa rule change

Prison Officers’ Association says change in eligibility for skilled work visas is ‘disgraceful’ and ‘pandering to Reform’

www.theguardian.com

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Governor Finn Black @govfinnblack.bsky.social · Sep 9

I really must stop ignoring widely lauded books on the basis they can't be *that* good.

Because my life could have been filled with Kate Atkinson far sooner.

What an extraordinary book Started Early, Took My Dog is.

(Side note: How can any of us compete with writing of this quality?) 📚💙

Cover of Started Early, Took My Dog by Kate Atkinson

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Governor Finn Black @govfinnblack.bsky.social · Sep 4

Everyone's favourite library knocking it out of the park - again!

Orkney Library & Archive @orkneylibrary.bsky.social · Sep 3

It's seven years since we posted on Twitter about how kids kept coming into the library asking if we had any books about FORTNITE. We didn't back then, and we'd never heard of it so we tried asking what it was.

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Governor Finn Black @govfinnblack.bsky.social · Sep 1

Forgot to say how good this is; melancholic yet offering the hope of redemption that's so important to those of us who've fucked up but spend each day trying to do better.

Simply outstanding.

Governor Finn Black @govfinnblack.bsky.social · Aug 21

@authorpetermay.bsky.social's The Black Loch is on sale as a Kindle book for 99p.

That's the weekend's reading taken care of. Cutting the lawn can wait...

The cover of The Black Loch by Peter May

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Reposted by Governor Finn Black

Ned Hartley @nedhartley.com · May 20

Compare Vonnegut buying an envelope with this tech bro running from his life

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Governor Finn Black @govfinnblack.bsky.social · Sep 1

This is an astonishingly good novel from an astonishingly good writer.

Russ Jones @russincheshire.bsky.social · Sep 1

Forgot to mention - also available as an eBook on loads of other platforms (for those of you who are justifiably allergic to Amazon).

Find #BabysBreath on your platform here
books2read.com/u/bPO6Ql

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Governor Finn Black @govfinnblack.bsky.social · Sep 1

He's not bloody wrong.

A very dark book.

Highly recommended.

M. W. Craven @mwcraven.bsky.social · Sep 1

The Mercy Chair ebook is just 99p this month. You can the money you save into the therapy you’ll need after reading reading it

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Reposted by Governor Finn Black

David Osland @davidosland.bsky.social · Aug 31

Britain has been multicultural for the last 2000 years. That's why we have the Roman alphabet, a Middle East religion, Arabic numerals, a Syrian patron saint, an aristocracy with French ancestry and a German royal family.

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Reposted by Governor Finn Black

Orkney Library & Archive @orkneylibrary.bsky.social · Aug 29

Just removed the date label from an old book and discovered that someone has drawn a design for a teapot that can serve either tea or poison how's your day going?

A withdrawn library book. Under the date label there is a biro drawing of a teapot divided to serve either tea or poison

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Governor Finn Black @govfinnblack.bsky.social · Aug 29

And you should because Jimmy's great!

Ann Cleeves @anncleeves.bsky.social · Aug 29

If you’d like to catch up with Jimmy Perez before following his new adventure in Orkney, Wild Fire, the last Shetland book, will be £1.99 on Kindle for the whole of September.

Reposted by Governor Finn Black

Praxis, for migrants and refugees @praxisprojects.bsky.social · Aug 27

📢 @jdportes.bsky.social "We have yet to hear a Cabinet Minister point out that migrants now fill 1/5 jobs in the UK, that they are more likely to be employed & less likely to claim benefits. Diversity should be our greatest strength, and it is that argument that anti-immigration zealots fear most."

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Governor Finn Black @govfinnblack.bsky.social · Aug 27

I have a LOT of experience of moving people from one place to another when they don't want to go.

The idea that you could move 600,000 people without abandoning every legal, humanitarian, and social norm is wild.

And that's just the logistics.

Shame on the Daily Mail for propagating Farage's BS.

Jack Surfleet @jacksurfleet.bsky.social · Aug 26

Wednesday's DAILY MAIL: Finally, a politician who gets it
#TomorrowsPapersToday

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Reposted by Governor Finn Black

Gareth L. Powell @garethlpowell.bsky.social · Aug 21

In the bookshop this morning:

PARENTS: “Okay, we’re leaving now.”

CHILD: *pulls another book from the shelf and sits down *

CHILD: “Then I guess this is goodbye.”

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Governor Finn Black @govfinnblack.bsky.social · Aug 21

@authorpetermay.bsky.social's The Black Loch is on sale as a Kindle book for 99p.

That's the weekend's reading taken care of. Cutting the lawn can wait...

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