Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Ruth 🏳️‍🌈

@paintedpigeon.bsky.social

1.2K followers 1.9K following 370 posts

hcommons.org

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Ruth 🏳️‍🌈 @paintedpigeon.bsky.social · Apr 6

As it's International Asexual Day, I'm promoting my resource guide to ace sci-fi again! Contents and resource key are below, come take a look at this link! And Happy Ace Day!
works.hcommons.org/records/xyap...

Contents
Introduction (about this guide, audience, glossary, resource key)
About asexuality (resources regarding asexuality itself)
Asexual creators (a selection of asexual creators)
Non-fiction (non-fiction texts and other media about asexuality in sci-fi)
Fiction databases (compilations of sci-fi media containing asexuality)
Fiction (fictional sci-fi media containing asexual characters)
Writing asexuality (for creating and writing your own asexual characters)
Writing sci-fi (for creating and writing your own science fiction media)

[There is an asexual flag border, and an asexual flag at the bottom of the page with a black silhouette of a futuristic city overlaying it)

Resource key:

Academic article
Book / book chapter
Comic / webcomic
Course
Flyer
Podcast
Spreadsheet
Social media
TV show
Video
Video game
Webpage / single blog post
Website / blog
Zine

[Each resource name is accompanied by a corresponding icon in purple]

1 31 53

Reposted by Ruth 🏳️‍🌈

Pavel @spavel.bsky.social · 3h

"Slashdot: What's the reason OneDrive tells users this setting can only be turned off 3 times a year?

[Microsoft's publicist chose not to answer this question.]"

Microsoft's OneDrive Begins Testing Face-Recognizing AI for Photos (for Some Preview Users) - Slashdot

I uploaded a photo on my phone to Microsoft's "OneDrive" file-hosting app — and there was a surprise waiting under Privacy and Permissions. "OneDrive uses AI to recognize faces in your photos.....

slashdot.org

3 89 350

Reposted by Ruth 🏳️‍🌈

Patrick Nielsen Hayden @pnh.nielsenhayden.com · 5h

Not only is this explanation great, I also know 5,271,009 people whose lives would be changed for the better by taking it on board.

Chappell Ellison @chappelltracker.bsky.social · 10d

This Tumblr user summarizes something I've been feeling/doing lately. Against everything going on, it somehow feels helpful.

User homoquartz writes: as long as you smile and nod, people are satisfied. it’s just to show that you are nice and there with good intentions. we’re small in a big world and have to rely on other people to be decent to us. so we do our little human dance to each other to say, “i’m not here to hurt you. here’s something we have in common, like the weather or sports or itchy sweaters, so we both know we’re on the same team. we both agree on a basic fact, like that it is rainy or that being itchy is uncomfortable, and this proves we can get along. i’m being light-hearted and non-threatening right now."
Small talk isn't to get to know a person. It's just a greeting to affirm you're buddies in the universe. I am motivated by wanting the other person to know I am friendly, so I have gotten pretty decent at small tall when I used to hate it.

5 35 100

Reposted by Ruth 🏳️‍🌈

Marko Kloos @markokloos.bsky.social · 4h

I've had that discussion before. Told them Biden wasn't POTUS until January 20, 2021. "Nuh-uh! He was elected in 2020!" Told them to check the Wikipedia article on Biden or Trump to see their in-office dates. "Wikipedia is fake news, it's run by Libs."

We live in different consensus realities now.

Yashar Ali 🐘 @yasharali.bsky.social · 13h

“The Biden FBI”

Who was President on January 6?

Donald J. Trump * © @reaDonaldTrump • 1m
THE BIDEN FBI PLACED 274 AGENTS INTO THE CROWD ON JANUARY 6. If this is so, which it is, a lot of very good people will be owed big apologies. What a SCAM - DO SOMETHING!!! President DJT

1 1 13

Reposted by Ruth 🏳️‍🌈

Adam Roberts @adamroberts.bsky.social · 4h

You wouldn't call this unbiased reporting by The Times. The OfS might lower fees for institutions that are not Gold, Silver or Bronze rated for teaching, but are categorised as "Requires Improvement". OK: but literally *no* UK unis are in this category ...
www.thetimes.com/uk/education...

Tuition fees set to be lowered at universities with poor teaching

Labour is considering bringing the cap below £9,000 a year on campuses where standards aren’t met

www.thetimes.com

1 4 6

Reposted by Ruth 🏳️‍🌈

Ada Palmer @adapalmer.bsky.social · 4h

The WHO has verified the elimination of both measles & rubella in all Pacific Island countries, alongside rubella elimination in Japan. The achievement follows 2 decades of coordinated immunisation campaigns, regional surveillance, and high routine vaccine coverage. buff.ly/EpFb7HK
#ShareGoodNewsToo

Rubella elimination verified in Japan, and measles and rubella elimination verified in Pacific island countries and areas

The World Health Organization (WHO) today announced that the 21 Pacific island countries and areas that are part of the WHO Western Pacific Region have collectively been verified as having eliminated…

buff.ly

23 100

Reposted by Ruth 🏳️‍🌈

K.B. Spangler @kbspangler.com · 4h

The ICE attacks have been going on for months and we’ve seen a bare handful of examples where local cops go “Whoa, not in my neighborhood!”

Masked men dragging people out of their locked cars is a crime. Shooting peaceful protesters with *anything* is a crime. Cops are not on our side.

urnotkelly.bsky.social @urnotkelly.bsky.social · 4h

This is why I am confused when people don’t understand why the local cops are not arresting ICE for doing a bunch of illegal stuff. Because ACAB and they support it, are helping it and wish they could do more things like ICE gets to. The police have never been your friend or on your side.

3 30 110

Reposted by Ruth 🏳️‍🌈

Louie Stowell @louiestowell.bsky.social · 3h

Another thing AI art has robbed from us - the "Graphic design is my passion" website. They used to all look weird and awkward in their own ways.

3 2 17

Reposted by Ruth 🏳️‍🌈

Iron Spike @ironspike.bsky.social · 3h

This. This exactly.

A lack of interest in prioritizing goonerbait characters is (correctly) interpreted as an acknowledgement of the widening of the audience for video games, and "gamers" don't want anyone else's wants or desires to matter. Only their own.

Lucky_Bun @luckybun.bsky.social · 12h

This isn't about porn or gooner brain or whatever, it's not even about looks, this is about power. They don't want to see beautiful women, they want all women in media to be nothing but objects for the pleasure of (white) men.

Ana Valens | 🔞 | Comms Open @acvalens.net · 2d

Gamers’ brains are so cooked dude. The woman on the right is gorgeous and beautiful. Straight gamer men literally can’t find normal women attractive anymore.

47 220

Reposted by Ruth 🏳️‍🌈

Solaris Books @solarisbooks.bsky.social · 6h

To celebrate the UK release of @isabelcanas.bsky.social's 3rd standalone Horroromance - THE POSSESSION OF ALBA DÍAZ - UK readers can grab her second book - VAMPIRES OF EL NORTE - for just 99p for a limited time!

Snap it up now from Kobo, Apple, Google & Amazon! geni.us/VoEN

2 6

Reposted by Ruth 🏳️‍🌈

Robin Moira White @robinmoirawhite.bsky.social · 10h

Presumably the U.K. Government will be urgently introducing domestic legislation to overturn the erroneous interpretation of the Equality Act reached by the U.K. Supreme Court in ‘For Women Scotland’?

1 8 93

Reposted by Ruth 🏳️‍🌈

Cheryl Morgan @cherylmorgan.bsky.social · 9h

UK government flat out lying to the UN here

Robin Moira White @robinmoirawhite.bsky.social · 10h

‘Doublethink*’ alive and well in the U.K. Government.

Given the U.K. Government’s statement to the United Nations on 10 October 2025:

www.gov.uk/government/s...

6 12

Reposted by Ruth 🏳️‍🌈

V.Castro @vlatinalondon.bsky.social · 9h

This very weird and short story is free for a few days on kindle because we don’t like Columbus.

1 11 29

Reposted by Ruth 🏳️‍🌈

Tom Gauld @tomgauld.bsky.social · 8h

My cartoon for this week’s @newscientist.com

A comic strip in six panels. The panels inerlock like a jigsaw with knobs and sockets. Two stick figures walk right to left through all the panels.

Panel 1: Person 1 says "I hear you're working on a new theory."
Panel 2 & 3: Person 2 says: "Yes, I'm calling it the jigsaw model. I think it could change our whole View of reality."
Panel 4: Person 1 says "When Will you publish?:
Panel 5: Person 2 says "But a couple of things are still bothering me." (this piece/panel is a bit squint)
Panel 6: This piece is rotated ninety degees and fits to the others very badly. Person 2 is saying "Soon. I feel like I'm really close"
A second look at the whole comic shows that the last two panels read in the wrong order because the jigsaw has been put together incorrectly.

14 340 1.2K

Reposted by Ruth 🏳️‍🌈

Patrick Samphire but for Halloween 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @patricksamphire.bsky.social · 8h

It does sometimes feel like publishing is becoming worse and worse for most authors.

Georgina Kiersten @ingloriousgigi.bsky.social · 1d

You should be concerned about the rate of authors leaving publishing. Especially from marginalized communities. This year I have seen so many authors just pack it up and go. And it's only getting worse.

1 12

Reposted by Ruth 🏳️‍🌈

Skyla Dawn Cameron @skyladawn.ca · 17h

We're okay for ridiculous vet bills this month (more are coming with senior checkups for two cats at the end of the month and probably more for Shawn) between my savings and generosity from folks for my birthday, but Shawn has a wishlist just in case.

Check out my list on Amazon

www.amazon.ca

1 9 13

Reposted by Ruth 🏳️‍🌈

Ify Nwadiwe @ifycomedy.com · 19h

I think we really should stop using antifa and just fully say anti-fascist and get them saying they are against anti fascism. Using antifa is giving them some distance and I genuinely think some of their base don’t even know that’s what it stands for.

400 5.8K 19K

Reposted by Ruth 🏳️‍🌈

Locus Magazine @locusmag.bsky.social · 15h

Join our Patreon to unlock monthly giveaways, digital issues, rare author content, ad space for your business or project, and at the higher tiers: short story critiques, invites to exclusive industry events!

Here's a treasurE from our archives ;) patreon.com/locus

2 5 35

Reposted by Ruth 🏳️‍🌈

Kathryn Cramer 📚🎨 @kathryncramer.bsky.social · 14h

What this means in practice is that OpenAI bending reality around conservatice talking points in realtime.

Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 1d

The administration “is currently pressuring OpenAI and other AI companies to make their models more conservative-friendly.”

OpenAI is trying to clamp down on ‘bias’ in ChatGPT

GPT-5 is better at resisting liberal ‘pressure,’ the company says.

www.theverge.com

5 9

Reposted by Ruth 🏳️‍🌈

Annie Bellet @anniebellet.bsky.social · 21h

Meanwhile, your sorc rolled an 18 cha and is not afraid to use it

(OK, I'll stop but seriously follow the thread I'm qting for more commentary and cool looks)

Bevis Musson @bevismusson.bsky.social · 23h

Mr India is also following the standard of previous Mr India's in the contest of just wearing something traditional and immaculate and I think this is possibly my favourite traditional look of the year. It's just breathtakingly gorgeous.

A photo of a contestant at Mister Global 2025

1 6

Reposted by Ruth 🏳️‍🌈

Annie Bellet @anniebellet.bsky.social · 21h

When your druid took extra ranks in perform and is gonna use em, dammit

Bevis Musson @bevismusson.bsky.social · 22h

Mr Laos. Just when you though this year was a bit quiet on the insanely huge, bedazzled, symbolic costumes along comes Mr Laos and blows everyone else out of the water. This is insane, but it's also *so* good.

1 1 10

Reposted by Ruth 🏳️‍🌈

Bevis Musson @bevismusson.bsky.social · 23h

You know what, let's do the Annual Mister Global National Costume thread tonight after all. Usual rules apply - this is all in fun, this isn't about the contestants looks or making fun of them, it's about the costumes and appreciating them (or, you know, making fun of them...)

6 230 600

Reposted by Ruth 🏳️‍🌈

Charlie Jane "Lessons in Magic and Disaster" Anders 🏳️‍⚧ @charliejane.bsky.social · 1d

If I hadn't had a great special education teacher, I would not be a writer today. I might not be anywhere, doing anything. Special education changes and saves lives.

Sara Partridge, Ph.D. @sarapartridge.bsky.social · 1d

There are reports that the *entire* office of special education at the US Dept of Education has been cut. These hardworking folks ensure kids with disabilities get equal access to a quality education.

America’s children deserve better than this.

7 48 220

Reposted by Ruth 🏳️‍🌈

Indie Book Spotlight @bookspotlight.bsky.social · 1d

✨ FANTASY SHORT STORY ✨

🐉 a dragon (with a princess)
🗡️ a knight (with a plan)
👑 a palace (with a cruel king)
🏰 second pov

🔖 universal link: mybook.to/eJsBfU
💌 itch.io link: rebecca-crunden.itch.io/the-knight-s...
📖 goodreads: www.goodreads.com/book/show/21...

Cover for The Knight Saves the Dragon by Rebecca Crunden; background is a water colour type picture of a castle with trees and mountains behind, leaves surround the edges

16 34

Reposted by Ruth 🏳️‍🌈

Arley Sorg @arleysorg.bsky.social · 23h

it's the weekend! writers - rejection *does not mean* you are a bad writer!

keep writing!❤️‍🔥

9 45

Reposted by Ruth 🏳️‍🌈

Skyla Dawn Cameron @skyladawn.ca · 23h

ONE MONTH OF THE YEAR I GET HORROR FEATURED.

GET YOUR NON-HORROR STUFF OUT OF HERE, I WANT TO LOOK AT HORROR MOVIES.

2 2 16