Jak Koke
@jakkoke.com
Author and editor of speculative fiction. Awards & Noms: Endeavor, PW Best of Year, Ippy, Ben Franklin, Foreword, Origins. Science advocate and hope peddler. See https://jakkoke.com/ .
Most news sources purposefully use fear because that draws views ... and ultimately views lead to ad revenue. To help balance out the depressing news, I often use news aggregators that are vetted to be positive or unbiased. Here's one:
www.positive.news/society/what...
www.positive.news/society/what...
What went right in 2025: the top 25 good news stories of the year
Scientists treated the ‘untreatable’, species bounced back, solar surged, deforestation fell, rivers were revitalised, plus more good news
www.positive.news
December 23, 2025 at 6:09 PM
Most news sources purposefully use fear because that draws views ... and ultimately views lead to ad revenue. To help balance out the depressing news, I often use news aggregators that are vetted to be positive or unbiased. Here's one:
www.positive.news/society/what...
www.positive.news/society/what...
Ghosts of Christmas
open.substack.com/pub/jakkoke/...
open.substack.com/pub/jakkoke/...
Ghosts of Christmas
Resisting consumerism. Reprise with a free story at the end.
open.substack.com
December 22, 2025 at 9:31 PM
Ghosts of Christmas
open.substack.com/pub/jakkoke/...
open.substack.com/pub/jakkoke/...
Introduce yourself with 5 animals you've seen in the wild:
Great green macaw
Barracuda
Gila monster
Toucan
Orca
Great green macaw
Barracuda
Gila monster
Toucan
Orca
Introduce yourself with 5 animals you've seen in the wild:
Goliath heron
Himalayan vulture
Cerulean warbler
Laysan albatross
Australian king parrot
Goliath heron
Himalayan vulture
Cerulean warbler
Laysan albatross
Australian king parrot
Introduce yourself with 5 animals you've seen in the wild:
Blue whale (and calf)
Mexican free-tailed bat
King rail
Portuguese man-o-war
17 year periodical cicada
Blue whale (and calf)
Mexican free-tailed bat
King rail
Portuguese man-o-war
17 year periodical cicada
November 28, 2025 at 7:11 PM
Introduce yourself with 5 animals you've seen in the wild:
Great green macaw
Barracuda
Gila monster
Toucan
Orca
Great green macaw
Barracuda
Gila monster
Toucan
Orca
My thoughts (and advice) on writers using word count as a metric to track their progress.
#writing #writingcommunity
#writing #writingcommunity
Size Matters – Word Count
Dic-tion measuring contests are bad for writers
open.substack.com
November 19, 2025 at 3:36 PM
My thoughts (and advice) on writers using word count as a metric to track their progress.
#writing #writingcommunity
#writing #writingcommunity
In which I talk about getting older ... 'I've seen things you people wouldn't believe... " 🤣 #writingcommunity #mexico #birthday
Just another (birth)day
The good and the meh of birthdays... and a look back on the year.
jakkoke.substack.com
October 17, 2025 at 5:01 PM
In which I talk about getting older ... 'I've seen things you people wouldn't believe... " 🤣 #writingcommunity #mexico #birthday
Reposted by Jak Koke
Hey, I know books are expensive and money is tight right now.
But if there's a brand new book you really wanna read — including my own Lessons in Magic and Disaster — you can help get the book into way more hands by requesting it from your local library!
It's easy! Check your library's website.
But if there's a brand new book you really wanna read — including my own Lessons in Magic and Disaster — you can help get the book into way more hands by requesting it from your local library!
It's easy! Check your library's website.
September 16, 2025 at 5:15 PM
Hey, I know books are expensive and money is tight right now.
But if there's a brand new book you really wanna read — including my own Lessons in Magic and Disaster — you can help get the book into way more hands by requesting it from your local library!
It's easy! Check your library's website.
But if there's a brand new book you really wanna read — including my own Lessons in Magic and Disaster — you can help get the book into way more hands by requesting it from your local library!
It's easy! Check your library's website.
Seattle Worldcon Post Mortem -
Two goals, one success. Plus a friend gets an award nomination, and free stuff (at the end).
jakkoke.com/newsletter/
Two goals, one success. Plus a friend gets an award nomination, and free stuff (at the end).
jakkoke.com/newsletter/
September 19, 2025 at 4:56 PM
Seattle Worldcon Post Mortem -
Two goals, one success. Plus a friend gets an award nomination, and free stuff (at the end).
jakkoke.com/newsletter/
Two goals, one success. Plus a friend gets an award nomination, and free stuff (at the end).
jakkoke.com/newsletter/
on the lighter side of the news today: Tiny Staircases for Cats
Amsterdam is building tiny staircases to help cats exit its canals
Hundreds of wooden steps will be constructed to stop small animals from drowning
www.independent.co.uk
August 9, 2025 at 2:38 PM
on the lighter side of the news today: Tiny Staircases for Cats
beautiful sand art in Cornwall...
Giant sand octopus makes a splash on English beach
A fleeting masterpiece appeared in Cornwall this week, highlighted themes of nature’s beauty and fragility
www.positive.news
July 26, 2025 at 6:12 PM
beautiful sand art in Cornwall...
@karawynn.bsky.social and I will be in Seattle for Worldcon (and to visit friends). #seattleworldcon #writingcommunity #sff
Worldcon Seattle Here We Come
Want to hang out and chat. Let's meet!
jakkoke.substack.com
July 21, 2025 at 4:05 PM
@karawynn.bsky.social and I will be in Seattle for Worldcon (and to visit friends). #seattleworldcon #writingcommunity #sff
Learn why attending a nonviolent protest is one of the most effective things you can do right now. #nokings #resist
ninelives.karawynnlong.com/strategic-re...
ninelives.karawynnlong.com/strategic-re...
Strategic Resistance: Mass Demonstration
Why organized nationwide rallies are an excellent use of your time and energy right now
ninelives.karawynnlong.com
July 15, 2025 at 3:44 PM
Learn why attending a nonviolent protest is one of the most effective things you can do right now. #nokings #resist
ninelives.karawynnlong.com/strategic-re...
ninelives.karawynnlong.com/strategic-re...
we all feel this way sometimes... and this is a good reminder.
I needed to read this today. Thought someone else might need it too.
June 24, 2025 at 7:27 PM
we all feel this way sometimes... and this is a good reminder.
@karawynn.bsky.social talks about the difficulty of picking what to write in the face of an exploding world. ninelives.karawynnlong.com/a-question-f...
News & Notes
A question for readers
ninelives.karawynnlong.com
June 17, 2025 at 2:55 PM
@karawynn.bsky.social talks about the difficulty of picking what to write in the face of an exploding world. ninelives.karawynnlong.com/a-question-f...
Reposted by Jak Koke
Do you have protest photos from last weekend? Did you do any crowd-counting?
Help social scientists accurately measure protest participation by scrolling to Submit a Record at the CCC.
(If you don’t have the data, maybe someone you know does! Please pass it on.)
ash.harvard.edu/programs/cro...
Help social scientists accurately measure protest participation by scrolling to Submit a Record at the CCC.
(If you don’t have the data, maybe someone you know does! Please pass it on.)
ash.harvard.edu/programs/cro...
Crowd Counting Consortium – Ash Center
Publicly available data on political crowds in the United States, including marches, protests, demonstrations, riots, and other actions.
ash.harvard.edu
June 16, 2025 at 11:52 PM
Do you have protest photos from last weekend? Did you do any crowd-counting?
Help social scientists accurately measure protest participation by scrolling to Submit a Record at the CCC.
(If you don’t have the data, maybe someone you know does! Please pass it on.)
ash.harvard.edu/programs/cro...
Help social scientists accurately measure protest participation by scrolling to Submit a Record at the CCC.
(If you don’t have the data, maybe someone you know does! Please pass it on.)
ash.harvard.edu/programs/cro...
Reading is good for your health! I've believed this for years, but recent science now confirms it!
Not mentioned in the title is that reading also seems to stave off dementia!
#neuroscience #sff #reading #writing-community #writing #books #fiction
Not mentioned in the title is that reading also seems to stave off dementia!
#neuroscience #sff #reading #writing-community #writing #books #fiction
Reading Fiction Boosts Empathy and Fights Loneliness - Neuroscience News
While AI companions are marketed as a fix for loneliness, research shows that reading offers far more meaningful benefits.
neurosciencenews.com
May 19, 2025 at 7:04 PM
Reading is good for your health! I've believed this for years, but recent science now confirms it!
Not mentioned in the title is that reading also seems to stave off dementia!
#neuroscience #sff #reading #writing-community #writing #books #fiction
Not mentioned in the title is that reading also seems to stave off dementia!
#neuroscience #sff #reading #writing-community #writing #books #fiction
Just finished this excellent science fiction book. Really engaging, exciting, and heartfelt. Highly recommended!
#booksky #sff #unreliablenarrator
#booksky #sff #unreliablenarrator
Hello new followers! I'm Marina Lostetter, full time Sci-Fi and Fantasy author, part time clay beguiler. You can find my novels here:
bookshop.org/lists/books-...
bookshop.org/lists/books-...
Books by Marina Lostetter
Check out this list on Bookshop
bookshop.org
April 9, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Just finished this excellent science fiction book. Really engaging, exciting, and heartfelt. Highly recommended!
#booksky #sff #unreliablenarrator
#booksky #sff #unreliablenarrator
Don't Believe Him | The Ezra Klein Show
YouTube video by The Ezra Klein Show
youtu.be
February 7, 2025 at 10:36 PM
well… it’s worse than i thought…
TLDR: Meta / FB - torrented a shitton of copyrighted books from known pirate sites to train their AI… knowingly and there’s an email trail to prove it
TLDR: Meta / FB - torrented a shitton of copyrighted books from known pirate sites to train their AI… knowingly and there’s an email trail to prove it
”Torrenting from a corporate laptop doesn’t feel right”: Meta emails unsealed
Meta’s alleged torrenting and seeding of pirated books complicates copyright case.
arstechnica.com
February 7, 2025 at 1:26 AM
well… it’s worse than i thought…
TLDR: Meta / FB - torrented a shitton of copyrighted books from known pirate sites to train their AI… knowingly and there’s an email trail to prove it
TLDR: Meta / FB - torrented a shitton of copyrighted books from known pirate sites to train their AI… knowingly and there’s an email trail to prove it
In 2025, I'm diving back into the lore of my early years, particularly #earthdawn and #shadowrun. Just got my first copy of Stranger Souls by @jakkoke.com and the lady of the house approved.
February 3, 2025 at 11:23 PM
Reposted by Jak Koke
Rep Landsman: "You're just picking on children. Our government is not supposed to be this intrusive. Your government has become incredibly intrusive. You're in our doctors offices banning treatments. You're in our classroom banning books. Now you're in my daughter's locker room"
January 14, 2025 at 5:57 PM
Rep Landsman: "You're just picking on children. Our government is not supposed to be this intrusive. Your government has become incredibly intrusive. You're in our doctors offices banning treatments. You're in our classroom banning books. Now you're in my daughter's locker room"
Reposted by Jak Koke
“The past was erased, the erasure was forgotten, the lie became the truth.”
― George Orwell, 1984
Thinking about that quote a lot lately.
― George Orwell, 1984
Thinking about that quote a lot lately.
January 8, 2025 at 1:41 AM
“The past was erased, the erasure was forgotten, the lie became the truth.”
― George Orwell, 1984
Thinking about that quote a lot lately.
― George Orwell, 1984
Thinking about that quote a lot lately.
hat tip: @sunyidean.com - so true it hurts. physically hurts, actually.
December 23, 2024 at 4:39 PM
hat tip: @sunyidean.com - so true it hurts. physically hurts, actually.