Alastair Millar
@skriptorium.info
Translator & flash sf writer (BSFA); 🇨🇿/🇬🇧
Posts eclectically (current affairs, archaeology, words, writing)
❤️ travel, coffee, puns; 🚫 genAI; unsolicited DM = block
Happily married; he/him; 🏳️🌈/🏳️⚧️ ally; #NAFO fella; 🇺🇦 🇬🇪 🇬🇱
Links: https://linktr.ee/alastairmillar
Posts eclectically (current affairs, archaeology, words, writing)
❤️ travel, coffee, puns; 🚫 genAI; unsolicited DM = block
Happily married; he/him; 🏳️🌈/🏳️⚧️ ally; #NAFO fella; 🇺🇦 🇬🇪 🇬🇱
Links: https://linktr.ee/alastairmillar
Pinned
Alastair Millar
@skriptorium.info
· Jun 16
My flash science fiction collection, 'Mars & More', is still available!
If you'd like to get YOUR hands on some punchy, bite sized SF, you can find the ebook here: books2read.com/MarsMore
Or order in print (paperback) through your favourite bookstore: the ISBN is 979-8-227-17966-1
If you'd like to get YOUR hands on some punchy, bite sized SF, you can find the ebook here: books2read.com/MarsMore
Or order in print (paperback) through your favourite bookstore: the ISBN is 979-8-227-17966-1
Reposted by Alastair Millar
Writers, don’t get left out in the cold! Only nine days remain to get your manuscripts of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and More into #SciFanSat before submissions close on January 22nd at scifansat.com/landing.html!
#SFF #AmWritingScifi #AmWritingFantasy #WritingPrompts
#SFF #AmWritingScifi #AmWritingFantasy #WritingPrompts
January 13, 2026 at 1:33 PM
Writers, don’t get left out in the cold! Only nine days remain to get your manuscripts of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and More into #SciFanSat before submissions close on January 22nd at scifansat.com/landing.html!
#SFF #AmWritingScifi #AmWritingFantasy #WritingPrompts
#SFF #AmWritingScifi #AmWritingFantasy #WritingPrompts
A reminder that under international law, feigning civilian, non-combatant status is considered 'perfidy' and explicitly prohibited by article 37. 1. c. of the 1977 Protocol I Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and is yet another war crime.
US military used aircraft disguised as civilian plane in first boat strike: report
US military used aircraft disguised as civilian plane in first boat strike: report
US military used aircraft disguised as civilian plane in first boat strike: report
www.independent.co.uk
January 13, 2026 at 5:37 AM
A reminder that under international law, feigning civilian, non-combatant status is considered 'perfidy' and explicitly prohibited by article 37. 1. c. of the 1977 Protocol I Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and is yet another war crime.
Evil takes many forms, including preying on the naive and desperate in order to make personal bank.
How one woman lures foreign recruits to Russia’s front line in Ukraine
How one woman lures foreign recruits to Russia’s front line in Ukraine
Recruits tell the BBC an ex-teacher who operates on Telegram misled them, saying they could avoid combat.
www.bbc.com
January 13, 2026 at 5:29 AM
Evil takes many forms, including preying on the naive and desperate in order to make personal bank.
Reposted by Alastair Millar
Randa Abdel-Fattah: How Adelaide Writers' Week imploded after axing Palestinian author
Randa Abdel-Fattah: How Adelaide Writers' Week imploded after axing Palestinian author
Some 180 writers, including former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, have withdrawn from the event.
www.bbc.com
January 13, 2026 at 3:44 AM
Randa Abdel-Fattah: How Adelaide Writers' Week imploded after axing Palestinian author
What could possibly go wrong?
Other than sexualised images on military servers, incorrect/outdated info being supplied to the DoD, data being scraped and exported off site, neofascist white supremacist viewpoints influencing policy development, etc. etc. ad nauseum.
🤷
Other than sexualised images on military servers, incorrect/outdated info being supplied to the DoD, data being scraped and exported off site, neofascist white supremacist viewpoints influencing policy development, etc. etc. ad nauseum.
🤷
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced the integration of Elon Musk's xAI platform, Grok, into military networks as part of a new "AI acceleration strategy" during a visit to SpaceX.
January 13, 2026 at 5:22 AM
What could possibly go wrong?
Other than sexualised images on military servers, incorrect/outdated info being supplied to the DoD, data being scraped and exported off site, neofascist white supremacist viewpoints influencing policy development, etc. etc. ad nauseum.
🤷
Other than sexualised images on military servers, incorrect/outdated info being supplied to the DoD, data being scraped and exported off site, neofascist white supremacist viewpoints influencing policy development, etc. etc. ad nauseum.
🤷
Reposted by Alastair Millar
Ukraine's energy workers are thawing pipes completely frozen under layers of ice to restore heating to Ukrainian homes amid severe subzero temperatures.
Ordinary people performing miracles — while the world watches russian genocide unfold in real time.
This is despicable.
Ordinary people performing miracles — while the world watches russian genocide unfold in real time.
This is despicable.
January 12, 2026 at 6:08 PM
Ukraine's energy workers are thawing pipes completely frozen under layers of ice to restore heating to Ukrainian homes amid severe subzero temperatures.
Ordinary people performing miracles — while the world watches russian genocide unfold in real time.
This is despicable.
Ordinary people performing miracles — while the world watches russian genocide unfold in real time.
This is despicable.
Reposted by Alastair Millar
Disturbing but not surprising—more confirmation that LLMs are copying machines
We extracted (parts of) 12 books in experiments with 4 frontier-lab, production LLMs.
We prompted the LLMs with a short prefix of a book and asked them to complete the rest. For Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, we extracted 95.8% of the book from jailbroken Claude 3.7 Sonnet.
We prompted the LLMs with a short prefix of a book and asked them to complete the rest. For Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, we extracted 95.8% of the book from jailbroken Claude 3.7 Sonnet.
January 12, 2026 at 4:39 PM
Disturbing but not surprising—more confirmation that LLMs are copying machines
Reposted by Alastair Millar
❗️Transnistria is completely cut off from military supplies – Ukraine and Moldova have closed all routes, leaving ~1,500 Russian soldiers without fuel, weapons and resources, - EP
January 12, 2026 at 12:11 PM
❗️Transnistria is completely cut off from military supplies – Ukraine and Moldova have closed all routes, leaving ~1,500 Russian soldiers without fuel, weapons and resources, - EP
Reposted by Alastair Millar
I try and avoid political posts because… well… *gestures*, but I am *still* seeing posts from Americans talking about stuff that the “next president” will have to clean up after “the next election” and it blows my mind that even despite… well… *gestures*, they still think there’ll be one.
January 12, 2026 at 7:41 AM
I try and avoid political posts because… well… *gestures*, but I am *still* seeing posts from Americans talking about stuff that the “next president” will have to clean up after “the next election” and it blows my mind that even despite… well… *gestures*, they still think there’ll be one.
Reposted by Alastair Millar
Overnight on Jan 11-12, Russia launched 156 strike drones (Shahed, Gerbera and others) toward Ukraine. Ukrainian air defenses have shot down or suppressed 135 of them across the north, south, east and centre of the country.
The interception rate is increasing again.
The interception rate is increasing again.
January 12, 2026 at 8:22 AM
Overnight on Jan 11-12, Russia launched 156 strike drones (Shahed, Gerbera and others) toward Ukraine. Ukrainian air defenses have shot down or suppressed 135 of them across the north, south, east and centre of the country.
The interception rate is increasing again.
The interception rate is increasing again.
Reposted by Alastair Millar
Excellent. The sooner we can get Ukraine off Starlink (and thus its dependence on Musk) the better.
Starlink rival Eutelsat orders 340 OneWeb satellites from Airbus reut.rs/3LdZqQ2
Starlink rival Eutelsat orders 340 OneWeb satellites from Airbus
Eutelsat , the satellite operator backed by the French and the British government, has ordered 340 new satellites for its OneWeb low Earth orbit network from Airbus , the two companies said on Monday.
reut.rs
January 12, 2026 at 9:42 AM
Excellent. The sooner we can get Ukraine off Starlink (and thus its dependence on Musk) the better.
Right up my street, this. Love to see it.
January 12, 2026 at 9:38 AM
Right up my street, this. Love to see it.
A good start.
Malaysia and Indonesia become the first countries to block Grok, the artificial intelligence chatbot developed by Elon Musk’s xAI, after authorities said it was being misused to generate sexually explicit and non-consensual images.
Malaysia, Indonesia become first to block Musk’s Grok over AI deepfakes
Malaysia and Indonesia have blocked access to Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok due to its misuse in generating explicit images.
bit.ly
January 12, 2026 at 7:32 AM
A good start.
Was meant to be going out for a regular visit to my physician and to pick up some stuff from the pharmacy this morning, but given that it's -16C/3.2F outside at the moment, screw that.
January 12, 2026 at 7:25 AM
Was meant to be going out for a regular visit to my physician and to pick up some stuff from the pharmacy this morning, but given that it's -16C/3.2F outside at the moment, screw that.
What, you mean London ISN'T a crime-ridden hellscape after all? Well colour me surprised... </s>
London’s homicide rate drops to lowest in more than a decade
London’s homicide rate drops to lowest in more than a decade
Sadiq Khan says ‘public health’ approach has made the capital one of the safest cities in the western world
London’s murder rate has dropped to its lowest in more than a decade with police in the capital and the mayor saying it is now one of the safest cities in the western world.
The figures come as those on the radical right criticise the city for having a crime problem, hoping to gain politically from such claims being believed. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
January 12, 2026 at 7:15 AM
What, you mean London ISN'T a crime-ridden hellscape after all? Well colour me surprised... </s>
Not everything is bad:
K-Pop Demon Hunters took home two Golden Globes (out of three nominations) - Best Animated Film and Best Original Song.
K-Pop Demon Hunters took home two Golden Globes (out of three nominations) - Best Animated Film and Best Original Song.
January 12, 2026 at 7:08 AM
Not everything is bad:
K-Pop Demon Hunters took home two Golden Globes (out of three nominations) - Best Animated Film and Best Original Song.
K-Pop Demon Hunters took home two Golden Globes (out of three nominations) - Best Animated Film and Best Original Song.
Meh, yesterday. Gimme my edit button, Bluesky!
January 12, 2026 at 6:20 AM
Meh, yesterday. Gimme my edit button, Bluesky!
The embrace of Nazism by the US regime continues apace. This was posted by the US Dept. of Labor today.
Ein Reich, Ein Volk...
Ein Reich, Ein Volk...
January 12, 2026 at 6:19 AM
The embrace of Nazism by the US regime continues apace. This was posted by the US Dept. of Labor today.
Ein Reich, Ein Volk...
Ein Reich, Ein Volk...
A term rarely if ever applied to politicians or their utterances.
Veridic [vuh-RID-ik]
(adj.)
Real, actual, truthful & genuine.
Used in a sentence:
“She tended to favor a veridic plainness of speech, believing that ostentatious ornamentation obfuscated honesty rather than enhancing it.”
(More commonly known/used as "veridical")
(adj.)
Real, actual, truthful & genuine.
Used in a sentence:
“She tended to favor a veridic plainness of speech, believing that ostentatious ornamentation obfuscated honesty rather than enhancing it.”
(More commonly known/used as "veridical")
January 12, 2026 at 5:51 AM
A term rarely if ever applied to politicians or their utterances.
Translation: the US regime is openly and blatantly interfering with the internal affairs of a sovereign nation with the intent of coercing a deal that will get US oil companies back into Iran.
Trump said that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran but cautioned that he may have to act first as reports of the death toll in Iran mount and the government continues to arrest protesters.
➡️ https://l.euronews.com/Sm4v
➡️ https://l.euronews.com/Sm4v
January 12, 2026 at 5:36 AM
Translation: the US regime is openly and blatantly interfering with the internal affairs of a sovereign nation with the intent of coercing a deal that will get US oil companies back into Iran.
Reposted by Alastair Millar
Yet again, Elon Musk is pushing the insanely racist Great Replacement Theory that has directly inspired several mass murders from his fellow white supremacists.
The richest man in the world who controls a massive media platform is *repeatedly* pushing this garbage and it should be a global scandal.
The richest man in the world who controls a massive media platform is *repeatedly* pushing this garbage and it should be a global scandal.
January 11, 2026 at 6:08 PM
Yet again, Elon Musk is pushing the insanely racist Great Replacement Theory that has directly inspired several mass murders from his fellow white supremacists.
The richest man in the world who controls a massive media platform is *repeatedly* pushing this garbage and it should be a global scandal.
The richest man in the world who controls a massive media platform is *repeatedly* pushing this garbage and it should be a global scandal.
Reposted by Alastair Millar
The guy in charge of producing endless AI CSAM cheerleading Rowling while she pretends to care about kids.
January 11, 2026 at 8:09 PM
The guy in charge of producing endless AI CSAM cheerleading Rowling while she pretends to care about kids.
According to right-wing British outlets the Telegraph and GB News (so be careful of accepting at face value), Keir Starmer is discussing with Canada and Australia a collective abandonment of X. Perhaps we'll see them (and assorted new journalists) here on @bsky.app?
January 11, 2026 at 7:28 PM
According to right-wing British outlets the Telegraph and GB News (so be careful of accepting at face value), Keir Starmer is discussing with Canada and Australia a collective abandonment of X. Perhaps we'll see them (and assorted new journalists) here on @bsky.app?
Reposted by Alastair Millar
Amazing progress!
Congratulations and gratitude to the team for this life-saving work!
STINGs have now destroyed 3,000 targets!
ruzzia murders civilians daily with its barrages of up to 800+ drones
We can help stop ruzzian terrorists—join the Wild Hornets raffle!
bsky.app/profile/wild...
Congratulations and gratitude to the team for this life-saving work!
STINGs have now destroyed 3,000 targets!
ruzzia murders civilians daily with its barrages of up to 800+ drones
We can help stop ruzzian terrorists—join the Wild Hornets raffle!
bsky.app/profile/wild...
Wild Hornets 3rd Assault Brigade Raffle!🐝
We're partnering with @fellaraktar for drones for these legends
🎟️Donate $10/entry: linktr.ee/WildHornets
🎁Bonus: $100=12 tix | $200=25 tix | $500=70 tix
🤝First $2K matched—2x the tix!
Reply screenshot to enter
GOAL: $22K for 18 Queen Hornets drones
/1
We're partnering with @fellaraktar for drones for these legends
🎟️Donate $10/entry: linktr.ee/WildHornets
🎁Bonus: $100=12 tix | $200=25 tix | $500=70 tix
🤝First $2K matched—2x the tix!
Reply screenshot to enter
GOAL: $22K for 18 Queen Hornets drones
/1
January 11, 2026 at 2:23 PM
Amazing progress!
Congratulations and gratitude to the team for this life-saving work!
STINGs have now destroyed 3,000 targets!
ruzzia murders civilians daily with its barrages of up to 800+ drones
We can help stop ruzzian terrorists—join the Wild Hornets raffle!
bsky.app/profile/wild...
Congratulations and gratitude to the team for this life-saving work!
STINGs have now destroyed 3,000 targets!
ruzzia murders civilians daily with its barrages of up to 800+ drones
We can help stop ruzzian terrorists—join the Wild Hornets raffle!
bsky.app/profile/wild...