Eric J. Francis (he/him)
@ericjfrancis.bsky.social
Writer. Editor. Analog nerd. Content strategist by day, wannabe novelist and/or board game designer after hours. Opinions are my own and I endorse exactly zero political parties and candidates (but will dis many).
Damn but #LoisMcMasterBujold can write:
"Demagoguery, I suppose, is eloquence sliding to some least-moral-energy level." -- Miles Vorkosigan, in "Komarr"
"Demagoguery, I suppose, is eloquence sliding to some least-moral-energy level." -- Miles Vorkosigan, in "Komarr"
November 25, 2025 at 7:24 PM
Damn but #LoisMcMasterBujold can write:
"Demagoguery, I suppose, is eloquence sliding to some least-moral-energy level." -- Miles Vorkosigan, in "Komarr"
"Demagoguery, I suppose, is eloquence sliding to some least-moral-energy level." -- Miles Vorkosigan, in "Komarr"
John Irving is one of my favorite writers. "A Prayer for Owen Meany" is a forever book for me. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/03/s...
www.nytimes.com
November 5, 2025 at 11:12 AM
John Irving is one of my favorite writers. "A Prayer for Owen Meany" is a forever book for me. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/03/s...
People! PEOPLE! @marthawells.com new book Queen Demon comes out tomorrow and I've got the audiobook on preorder and I am SO FREAKIN' EXCITED!!1!
If you haven't read Witch King and love smart fantasy adventure with incredible worldbuilding (and a great narrator if you like audiobooks), try it!
If you haven't read Witch King and love smart fantasy adventure with incredible worldbuilding (and a great narrator if you like audiobooks), try it!
October 6, 2025 at 7:39 PM
People! PEOPLE! @marthawells.com new book Queen Demon comes out tomorrow and I've got the audiobook on preorder and I am SO FREAKIN' EXCITED!!1!
If you haven't read Witch King and love smart fantasy adventure with incredible worldbuilding (and a great narrator if you like audiobooks), try it!
If you haven't read Witch King and love smart fantasy adventure with incredible worldbuilding (and a great narrator if you like audiobooks), try it!
Are you a #webdeveloper? Interested in the #boardgame space? GAMA (the Game Manufacturers Association) has issued an RFP for a web developer to revamp our site. Download the PDF for details. Proposals due Sept. 22. Hope to hear from you! bit.ly/41iLKYI
GAMA RFP Web Developer 8.22.25.pdf
Shared with Dropbox
bit.ly
August 22, 2025 at 8:38 PM
Are you a #webdeveloper? Interested in the #boardgame space? GAMA (the Game Manufacturers Association) has issued an RFP for a web developer to revamp our site. Download the PDF for details. Proposals due Sept. 22. Hope to hear from you! bit.ly/41iLKYI
Reposted by Eric J. Francis (he/him)
Stealing text from books written by PhDs and using probability-based algorithms to scramble that text up to make answers that *sound* *like* a person with a PhD answered them is not in fact PhD-level intelligence or expertise. It does tell us something about the people selling and using this slop
OpenAI releases the newest version of the AI model that powers its popular ChatGPT chatbot, with CEO Sam Altman promoting it as like having a “team of Ph.D. level experts in your pocket.”
OpenAI releases GPT-5, calling it a ‘team of Ph.D. level experts in your pocket’
OpenAI says its latest version of the popular AI model is better at coding, more accurate and less deceptive than previous versions.
nbcnews.to
August 7, 2025 at 8:03 PM
Stealing text from books written by PhDs and using probability-based algorithms to scramble that text up to make answers that *sound* *like* a person with a PhD answered them is not in fact PhD-level intelligence or expertise. It does tell us something about the people selling and using this slop
Congrats @wiswell.bsky.social on your Nebula Award for Best Novel! :) #scifi #reading #books #authors
June 9, 2025 at 5:19 PM
Congrats @wiswell.bsky.social on your Nebula Award for Best Novel! :) #scifi #reading #books #authors
I love @byjenamiller.bsky.social's newsletter, and this weeks is especially good. Not only for the great take on the AI book review scandal, but her love for two awesome shows: Call the Midwife and Miss Austen. :) jenamiller.com/notes-from-a...
Notes from a Hired Pen: On that guy who used AI to 'write' book reviews - Jen A. Miller
Readers! I said on Linkedin that I probably had thoughts on a recent freelancer-related news story. In case you missed it, a freelancer writer used AI to “write” book reviews (and some other things) f...
jenamiller.com
June 3, 2025 at 1:56 PM
I love @byjenamiller.bsky.social's newsletter, and this weeks is especially good. Not only for the great take on the AI book review scandal, but her love for two awesome shows: Call the Midwife and Miss Austen. :) jenamiller.com/notes-from-a...
Are. You. Fucking. Kidding. Me. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/16/u...
Some Republicans Push to Put School Desegregation Officially in the Past
www.nytimes.com
May 16, 2025 at 2:27 PM
Are. You. Fucking. Kidding. Me. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/16/u...
I am privileged to have known @jordanphickey.bsky.social as a journalism colleague and a friend. He's a great writer and a great human being, and this @longreads.com story is a shining example of both.
Some exciting personal news:
Looks like the @longreads.com piece that I wrote about Amanda Arafat and her family was named a #JamesBeard finalist in profile writing this morning. Thrilled and humbled because that's some pretty impressive company to be in — but especially glad that this very 1/3
Looks like the @longreads.com piece that I wrote about Amanda Arafat and her family was named a #JamesBeard finalist in profile writing this morning. Thrilled and humbled because that's some pretty impressive company to be in — but especially glad that this very 1/3
May 12, 2025 at 11:22 AM
I am privileged to have known @jordanphickey.bsky.social as a journalism colleague and a friend. He's a great writer and a great human being, and this @longreads.com story is a shining example of both.
Rand Paul doesn't come close to being someone I admire, but he is 100% right here: Congress must stop the never-ending "emergency" and the Trump Administration's rule by fiat, and Republicans that refuse to do so are cowards. youtu.be/aOK2NW7Va6E?...
BREAKING: Rand Paul Decries Congressional 'Cowardice' As He Explains Vote To End Trump's Tariffs
YouTube video by Forbes Breaking News
youtu.be
May 6, 2025 at 5:31 PM
Rand Paul doesn't come close to being someone I admire, but he is 100% right here: Congress must stop the never-ending "emergency" and the Trump Administration's rule by fiat, and Republicans that refuse to do so are cowards. youtu.be/aOK2NW7Va6E?...
Good journalism will always be relevant. Here's a reading list. www.pulitzer.org/prize-winner...
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www.pulitzer.org
May 6, 2025 at 11:18 AM
Good journalism will always be relevant. Here's a reading list. www.pulitzer.org/prize-winner...
This middle-aged English major word nerd cannot overstate his love for the good works of @ellecordova.bsky.social. youtu.be/ib7jyxfUNMo?...
The Errorist strikes again!
YouTube video by Elle Cordova
youtu.be
May 4, 2025 at 11:07 AM
This middle-aged English major word nerd cannot overstate his love for the good works of @ellecordova.bsky.social. youtu.be/ib7jyxfUNMo?...
"The woodpecker could not be reached for comment." #NatureIsMetal www.nytimes.com/2025/04/23/u...
A Coastal New England Town’s ‘Ornery’ Vandal: A Woodpecker (Gift Article)
More than 20 vehicles in a town on Cape Ann, Mass., have been damaged by a woodpecker in mating season. “You still see him out here,” one resident said. “Peck, peck, peck, peck.”
www.nytimes.com
April 23, 2025 at 2:37 PM
"The woodpecker could not be reached for comment." #NatureIsMetal www.nytimes.com/2025/04/23/u...
Reposted by Eric J. Francis (he/him)
For $0.00 you can read what Bret Devereaux (of ACOUP fame) called an "absolute banger of a Tolkien essay" and what my mom (of giving birth to me fame) called "very timely and relevant": "What Lies and Threats: Nationalist Myth-Making in The Lord of the Rings" on @speculativeinsight.bsky.social!
What Lies and Threats — Speculative Insight
Abby Roberts examines the use of national myth-making in JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings.
www.speculativeinsight.com
April 21, 2025 at 11:50 AM
For $0.00 you can read what Bret Devereaux (of ACOUP fame) called an "absolute banger of a Tolkien essay" and what my mom (of giving birth to me fame) called "very timely and relevant": "What Lies and Threats: Nationalist Myth-Making in The Lord of the Rings" on @speculativeinsight.bsky.social!
Reposted by Eric J. Francis (he/him)
Dr. Josephine Baker fought for milk testing in lower Manhattan over a century ago, where babies were 7 times more likely to die than WWI US soldiers in the trenches. Milk was often adulterated with chalk and germ-y water. Today the FDA stopped testing milk due to lack of staff. Shame on you, Trump.
April 22, 2025 at 1:04 PM
Dr. Josephine Baker fought for milk testing in lower Manhattan over a century ago, where babies were 7 times more likely to die than WWI US soldiers in the trenches. Milk was often adulterated with chalk and germ-y water. Today the FDA stopped testing milk due to lack of staff. Shame on you, Trump.
Reposted by Eric J. Francis (he/him)
Markets seem to be slowly discovering what close Trump watchers have known for years. Better late than never.
Today's Morning Shots, from @eggerdc.bsky.social and @cathyyoung63.bsky.social:
Today's Morning Shots, from @eggerdc.bsky.social and @cathyyoung63.bsky.social:
The Market Is Discovering Trump May Be Crazy
It’s not just the tariffs Wall Street hates—it’s the impulsiveness of the president behind them.
www.thebulwark.com
April 22, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Markets seem to be slowly discovering what close Trump watchers have known for years. Better late than never.
Today's Morning Shots, from @eggerdc.bsky.social and @cathyyoung63.bsky.social:
Today's Morning Shots, from @eggerdc.bsky.social and @cathyyoung63.bsky.social:
Bravo to Stonemaier Games and all the other #boardgame publishers pushing back with legal action against the #tariffs. stonemaiergames.com/we-are-suing...
We Are Suing the President
We are joining a lawsuit that will challenge the unchecked authority of the executive branch to impose tariffs. We will not stand idly by while our livelihoods–and the livelihoods of thousand…
stonemaiergames.com
April 22, 2025 at 1:39 PM
Bravo to Stonemaier Games and all the other #boardgame publishers pushing back with legal action against the #tariffs. stonemaiergames.com/we-are-suing...
I cannot overstate how excited I am about this. #Murderbot @marthawells.com #FFSRatthi youtu.be/vEioDeOiqEs?...
Murderbot — Official Trailer | Apple TV+
YouTube video by Apple TV
youtu.be
April 9, 2025 at 3:34 PM
I cannot overstate how excited I am about this. #Murderbot @marthawells.com #FFSRatthi youtu.be/vEioDeOiqEs?...
*sigh* www.cnbc.com/2025/04/08/f...
Fake job seekers are flooding U.S. companies that are hiring for remote positions, tech CEOs say
Companies have long faced external attacks from hackers. Now, thanks to generative AI, another threat has emerged: Employees who aren't who they say they are.
www.cnbc.com
April 9, 2025 at 1:21 PM
*sigh* www.cnbc.com/2025/04/08/f...
They are singing my song.... *sigh* www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
The Gen X Career Meltdown (Gift Article)
Just when they should be at their peak, experienced workers in creative fields find that their skills are all but obsolete.
www.nytimes.com
March 31, 2025 at 6:55 PM
They are singing my song.... *sigh* www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Meet Queen Valerie of Karta Pintingga. For anyone who's lived with a dachshund before, this is hardly a surprise. www.nytimes.com/2025/03/28/w...
Dachshund Lost on Australian Island Is Still Alive, but Elusive (Gift Article)
A year after getting loose on Kangaroo Island, Valerie is still out there.
www.nytimes.com
March 31, 2025 at 1:17 PM
Meet Queen Valerie of Karta Pintingga. For anyone who's lived with a dachshund before, this is hardly a surprise. www.nytimes.com/2025/03/28/w...