John A. Underwood
@modayode.com
Science fiction writer. SFF, space opera, cyberpunk, etc.
#Codex.
He/him.
Rockets and rayguns, books and bad habits.
modayode.com
#Codex.
He/him.
Rockets and rayguns, books and bad habits.
modayode.com
Pinned
John A. Underwood
@modayode.com
· Nov 16
Most recent release:
MC with crippling anxiety.
Dystopian hypercapitalist hellscape.
Fast food chain called EAT THE RICH serves up clone steaks.
Rogue AI, natch.
Corrupt cops and untouchable corporate greedheads.
A plot to overthrow the whole stinking system.
Clone! Heist!
books2read.com/b/mqazL8
MC with crippling anxiety.
Dystopian hypercapitalist hellscape.
Fast food chain called EAT THE RICH serves up clone steaks.
Rogue AI, natch.
Corrupt cops and untouchable corporate greedheads.
A plot to overthrow the whole stinking system.
Clone! Heist!
books2read.com/b/mqazL8
Spending the rest of my life chasing this high.
October 14, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Spending the rest of my life chasing this high.
Annoyed but also somewhat amused to find my novel Serotonin Overload, in which a corporate trained AI can only imagine success in capitalist terms and thinks of humans as "inventory," and in which GIGO is a *major* theme, has apparently been stolen for the training of AI.
Hilarious.
Hilarious.
There are tons of graphic novels, academic papers, film and TV scripts, & prose novels/nonfiction on the LibGen list Anthropic used.
As settlement approaches, make it easy for the class action lawyers to contact you! Here’s how
Part 1: is your work in Libgen?
www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...
As settlement approaches, make it easy for the class action lawyers to contact you! Here’s how
Part 1: is your work in Libgen?
www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...
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
September 1, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Annoyed but also somewhat amused to find my novel Serotonin Overload, in which a corporate trained AI can only imagine success in capitalist terms and thinks of humans as "inventory," and in which GIGO is a *major* theme, has apparently been stolen for the training of AI.
Hilarious.
Hilarious.
This absolutely fascinates my language nerd.
When we say "isn't he," i.e. "is he not?" to answer in the affirmative is an agreement that he is ... so yes, this headline breaks Betteridges.
BUT the literal meaning of the construction "is he not?"
When we say "isn't he," i.e. "is he not?" to answer in the affirmative is an agreement that he is ... so yes, this headline breaks Betteridges.
BUT the literal meaning of the construction "is he not?"
Betteridge's law has fallen.
Donald Trump says he is not a dictator. Isn’t he?
September 1, 2025 at 3:19 PM
This absolutely fascinates my language nerd.
When we say "isn't he," i.e. "is he not?" to answer in the affirmative is an agreement that he is ... so yes, this headline breaks Betteridges.
BUT the literal meaning of the construction "is he not?"
When we say "isn't he," i.e. "is he not?" to answer in the affirmative is an agreement that he is ... so yes, this headline breaks Betteridges.
BUT the literal meaning of the construction "is he not?"
Possibly the best text I've ever gotten
August 22, 2025 at 2:39 AM
Possibly the best text I've ever gotten
Big fan of this
August 22, 2025 at 2:37 AM
Big fan of this
This is delightful. 3 posts to get the whole tale.
greetings i have made another zine, this is about how i got my hands on a knife at age ~9 (individual pages in the replies) #internationalzinemonth #minizinejuly2025
July 21, 2025 at 1:44 PM
This is delightful. 3 posts to get the whole tale.
I drive an electric, so I don't really go in gas stations. But today I discovered the corner gas station sells 99 cent beer and that's all right.
June 30, 2025 at 10:03 PM
I drive an electric, so I don't really go in gas stations. But today I discovered the corner gas station sells 99 cent beer and that's all right.
Colonel Greenbeans is a work colleague, not like some random bar rat I met drunk. We have fucking meetings.
You think you're a responsible adult and all and then you realize your phone has contacts named "Colonel Greenbeans"
June 20, 2025 at 1:37 AM
Colonel Greenbeans is a work colleague, not like some random bar rat I met drunk. We have fucking meetings.
You think you're a responsible adult and all and then you realize your phone has contacts named "Colonel Greenbeans"
June 19, 2025 at 6:28 PM
You think you're a responsible adult and all and then you realize your phone has contacts named "Colonel Greenbeans"
I don't even know where to start trying to explain what's been happening in my life since I last posted regularly.
And I'm likely not coming back yet.
IRL be fucked up right now.
And I'm likely not coming back yet.
IRL be fucked up right now.
May 12, 2025 at 6:38 PM
I don't even know where to start trying to explain what's been happening in my life since I last posted regularly.
And I'm likely not coming back yet.
IRL be fucked up right now.
And I'm likely not coming back yet.
IRL be fucked up right now.
I may give up on everything, drink a shit ton of white russians, and just write Big Lebowski fan fiction.
May 7, 2025 at 4:46 AM
I may give up on everything, drink a shit ton of white russians, and just write Big Lebowski fan fiction.
Radio silence to continue. I am alive.
I know I've gone quiet, dealing with some things.
Stay well, friends and neighbors.
Stay well, friends and neighbors.
March 21, 2025 at 4:05 PM
Radio silence to continue. I am alive.
I should return soon. Might just lurk for a bit.
I know I've gone quiet, dealing with some things.
Stay well, friends and neighbors.
Stay well, friends and neighbors.
March 10, 2025 at 3:32 PM
I should return soon. Might just lurk for a bit.
I know I've gone quiet, dealing with some things.
Stay well, friends and neighbors.
Stay well, friends and neighbors.
March 4, 2025 at 1:58 AM
I know I've gone quiet, dealing with some things.
Stay well, friends and neighbors.
Stay well, friends and neighbors.
This is still going over on #Booksprout by the way. I could use the reviews and eyeballs. Standalone #cyberpunk #thriller, free review copies available. Plenty of slots still open!
If anyone uses Booksprout as a reader, I could use some new reviews...
booksprout.co/reviewer/rev...
booksprout.co/reviewer/rev...
Serotonin Overload
A post-cyberpunk thriller set in a dystopian, corporate-dominated future and featuring an anxiety-ridden main character:Serotonin Overload grinds a living from Cap City's neon-drenched streets, workin...
booksprout.co
February 25, 2025 at 6:11 PM
This is still going over on #Booksprout by the way. I could use the reviews and eyeballs. Standalone #cyberpunk #thriller, free review copies available. Plenty of slots still open!
Meanwhile, clouds rolled in last night and squelched my plan to image the Horsehead nebula, so here's an image from a few nights ago with which I am dissatisfied.
#astrophotography
#astrophotography
February 25, 2025 at 4:28 PM
Meanwhile, clouds rolled in last night and squelched my plan to image the Horsehead nebula, so here's an image from a few nights ago with which I am dissatisfied.
#astrophotography
#astrophotography
About to start this project for the third time.
Maybe I've finally figured out the correct opening structure.
#amWriting #spaceopera
Maybe I've finally figured out the correct opening structure.
#amWriting #spaceopera
February 25, 2025 at 4:25 PM
About to start this project for the third time.
Maybe I've finally figured out the correct opening structure.
#amWriting #spaceopera
Maybe I've finally figured out the correct opening structure.
#amWriting #spaceopera
Reposted by John A. Underwood
You can say "Have a nice day" no problem, but saying "enjoy the next 24 hours" sounds vaguely threatening.
February 25, 2025 at 3:09 AM
You can say "Have a nice day" no problem, but saying "enjoy the next 24 hours" sounds vaguely threatening.
Reposted by John A. Underwood
If you enjoyed my "very weird", "on the verge of going out of control" novel about the not-good things that happen when conglomerates run space cities--and murder--I hope you'll consider it for Nebula nominations, closing Friday 🙏✨🌠
February 24, 2025 at 11:19 PM
If you enjoyed my "very weird", "on the verge of going out of control" novel about the not-good things that happen when conglomerates run space cities--and murder--I hope you'll consider it for Nebula nominations, closing Friday 🙏✨🌠
Reposted by John A. Underwood
Perhaps we *do* need to start anthropomorphising LLMs - not as reliable researchers or trusty assistants, but as familiar spirits or demons. They WILL lie and deceive, and twist your words, and seek to get you into trouble, while following the letter of their instructions.
February 19, 2025 at 8:21 AM
Perhaps we *do* need to start anthropomorphising LLMs - not as reliable researchers or trusty assistants, but as familiar spirits or demons. They WILL lie and deceive, and twist your words, and seek to get you into trouble, while following the letter of their instructions.
Reposted by John A. Underwood
I hope they vet armed guards doing gig work better than they do Uber drivers.
If you need a litmus test for the temperature in the States.
February 18, 2025 at 7:08 PM
I hope they vet armed guards doing gig work better than they do Uber drivers.