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Richard Bown

@bownie.bsky.social

290 followers 690 following 1.1K posts

Debut novel "Human Software". Small town humanity meets AI corporate conspiracy in rural UK "David versus Goliath in the age of AI.” "Absolutely gripping! A must-read.” Available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Leanpub and more http://humansoftwarebook.com

humansoftwarebook.com

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Richard Bown @bownie.bsky.social · 8d

Available now on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Leanpub and plenty more. humansoftwa.re #booksky

Promotional picture of the book "Human Software" with the words "What happens when AI tries to ruin your life?"

Reposted by Richard Bown

Dave Farley @davefarley77.bsky.social · 4h

AI programming’s worrying stat: 70% of developers trust the output. We need an intervention.

New research from DORA confirms AI is ubiquitous. 95% of developers rely on it, and 80% report productivity gains. But there is a massive and dangerous disconnect.

🧵 1/5

Richard Bown @bownie.bsky.social · 1d

But I do miss a lot on every watch. Very easily distracted. So I have to take multiple passes...

Richard Bown @bownie.bsky.social · 1d

I remember watching them and love them all but just want to sink a bit deeper into the writing. Honestly, I love TV and books and films, so there's a lot of that too, but my capacity for rewatching holds no bounds!

Richard Bown @bownie.bsky.social · 1d

I drive my wife mad. We've watched Groundhog Day a million times. I'm on my fifth rewatch of Better Call Saul and second of The Wire.

Richard Bown @bownie.bsky.social · 1d

Tea works, but getting up because you need to pee is not a nice way to wake up, plus it's unpredictable. Ageing is the sure-fire way to get up earlier and earlier. In the meantime, you can just go to bed earlier.

Richard Bown @bownie.bsky.social · 1d

Try drinking more before you go to bed as you get older. That'll do it.

Richard Bown @bownie.bsky.social · 2d

Surviving Software Is Self-Publishing Something for You? https://richardwbown.com/is-self-publishing-something-for-you/ I attended a discussion at the Amercian Book Center in Amsterdam last month. Authors, read

Richard Bown @bownie.bsky.social · 2d

So many good parts to it, including a huge sideswipe at evil billionaries, the collapse of democracy and GenAI.

Richard Bown @bownie.bsky.social · 2d

I try and go for a lunchtime walk at least once a week and pick out a podcast. This is incredible, Brian Eno talks about his new book "What Art Does" www.nytimes.com/2025/10/03/o...

Opinion | A Breath of Fresh Air With Brian Eno

www.nytimes.com

Richard Bown @bownie.bsky.social · 2d

I try and go for a lunchtime walk at least once a week and pick out a podcast. This is incredible, Brian Eno talks about his new book "What Art Does" www.nytimes.com/2025/10/03/o...

Opinion | A Breath of Fresh Air With Brian Eno

www.nytimes.com

Richard Bown @bownie.bsky.social · 2d

If you liked The Phoenix Project but want something a bit darker, you'll love my book, just released on Amazon, Leanpub, and elsewhere.

humansoftwarebook.com

Now Available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Leanpub, Kobo and Many More - HUMAN SOFTWARE: A Life in I.T.

“Vivid world-building and well-rounded characters. I found myself completely hooked.” RUSSELL MCLEAN, Emmy and BAFTA award-winning Producer of Black Mirror: Bandersnatch Buy Now! In Paperback or Kindl...

humansoftwarebook.com

Richard Bown @bownie.bsky.social · 2d

Republishing this morning to get rid of a couple of typos. Discovered how to format publication date correctly for epub along the way. dev.fyicenter.com/1000928_EPUB...

EPUB 3.0 Metadata - dc:date Element

What is EPUB 3.0 Metadata "dc:date" Element?

dev.fyicenter.com

Richard Bown @bownie.bsky.social · 2d

Concise. Unlike coding assistants.

Richard Bown @bownie.bsky.social · 2d

I'd never considered cathedrals as a non-literal hail marys until now. That changes my next visit to one.

Richard Bown @bownie.bsky.social · 3d

Amazing. I'm going to have to spend some time digesting this. Thanks for sharing and thank you for defining "dehumanization". This is something I've written about but not yet fully considered the implications of.

Richard Bown @bownie.bsky.social · 3d

Return to the office tasks

Richard Bown @bownie.bsky.social · 3d

Ah, yes, I watched this the other day, it's brilliant and perfect bed-day fodder. Feel better!

Richard Bown @bownie.bsky.social · 3d

So pleased to discover that @backlisted.bsky.social already did "Riddle of Sands" - one of my absolute faves. I gave it a nod with the sailing in my book. The fact that my cover is almost an ape of this edition's is a complete coincidence! www.backlisted.fm/episodes/epi...

15. Erskine Childers - THE Riddle of the Sands — Backlisted

Author Lloyd Shepherd joins the Backlisted crew in their small but functional vessel to discuss what some regard as the first ever spy novel The Riddle Of The Sands and the extraordinary life of it'...

www.backlisted.fm

Richard Bown @bownie.bsky.social · 3d

Liz Truss must be having a good Monday. nos.nl/artikel/2585...

Franse premier Lecornu, nog geen maand in functie, treedt af

Hij was de vijfde premier in minder dan twee jaar tijd.

Reposted by Richard Bown

Robin Bradford @tuphlos.bsky.social · 3d

Happy Sunday. Have a snack. (Not me, a different snack.) 🤭

Richard Bown @bownie.bsky.social · 3d

Self-publishing expectation setting for new authors.

Richard Bown @bownie.bsky.social · 4d

uh huh

Richard Bown @bownie.bsky.social · 4d

Ooh I like the sound of that!

Reposted by Richard Bown

Iris van Rooij 💭 @irisvanrooij.bsky.social · 4d

🌟 New preprint 🌟, by @olivia.science and me:

📝 Guest, O., & van Rooij, I. (2025). *Critical Artificial Intelligence Literacy for Psychologists*. doi.org/10.31234/osf...

🧪

Table 1

Core reasoning issues (first column), which we name after the relevant numbered section, are characterised using a plausible quote. In the second column are responses per row; also see the named section for further reading, context, and explanations.

See paper for full details: ** Guest, O., & van Rooij, I. (2025, October 4). Critical Artificial Intelligence Literacy for Psychologists. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/dkrgj_v1

Reposted by Richard Bown

Good Old Claire @illusclaire.bsky.social · 4d

The exact tenor of knowing people are going to mistreat you if you do the thing you think everyone should be doing, and choosing to do it because you know that, if they do, that mistreatment will be Wrong; autistic self-awareness in the face of moral opposition. A sort of fuck-it hopeful fatalism

Dan of the Year @downwithdan.bsky.social · 5d

That she's cool as fuck?

Leviathan @l3vlat4an
X.com
Greta Thunberg donned a keffiyeh with an
"AUTISM" T-shirt that included an image of a skeleton dual wielding automatic rifles before she left on her flotilla.
What do you think she was trying to convey with this t-shirt?
AUTISM

Richard Bown @bownie.bsky.social · 4d

Still a top ten Amazon bestseller #humansoftware #booksky