Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

William Gibson @greatdismal.bsky.social · 17h

Ever misread verification code as vilification code?

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R.U. Sirius @rusirius.bsky.social · 1d

Lindy-hopping Nazis and golems with guns: The return of Thomas Pynchon

Pynchon's latest novel is about a strikebreaker turned detective who gets hired to track down a cheese heiress—but that bare-bones summary hardly does the book justice.

reason.com

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David Simon @audacityofdespair.bsky.social · 1d

As basic question from an ex-police reporter: Can some of our journalists detail the training regimen all these new federal agents receive? The lethal incompetence involving use of force and perameters of the 4A suggests they are just handed guns, masks and badges and told to go fuck people up.

John Pavlovitz @johnpavlovitz.bsky.social · 1d

ICE is made up of men who have failed the human test and have nothing of value to offer this nation.

Adults with decency and options and possibilities don’t do this shit.

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Nick Harkaway @nickharkaway.com · 1d

It troubles me that I’m starting to feel the same way about Bluesky that I do about the UK. Like: it sounds great, and some of the people I know are great, but the leadership is making some weird choices and I’m a bit worried it may all be over in a couple of years.

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Mrs. Betty Bowers @mrsbettybowers.bsky.social · 1d

Thanks, New Yorker

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William Gibson @greatdismal.bsky.social · 1d

Two faves of mine, Kadrey and Pynchon, to each drop a new novel, the morning after the rise of the harvest moon…

Richard Kadrey @richardkadrey.bsky.social · 2d

THE FLESH KING will be out this Tuesday! It continues Ford, Neuland, and Tilda's story back home in New York, where they are blackmailed into hunting down an immortal killer. Also, my cat says please buy it because we're out of chicken and chicken is life. 😿

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Pulpfiction Books @pfbvan.bsky.social · 1d

Pleased to discover this one back in print, & at a very reasonable price point, too.

"[L]ike its predecessors, a near-faultless technical performance...[plus] 2 new items to the Beauman repertoire: relative structural simplicity and profound emotional resonance."

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Pulpfiction Books @pfbvan.bsky.social · 1d

On sale @ both PFBs tomorrow (Tue 7th) at opening. Special orders available for pick-up at the same time.

I live semi-nearish; anyone who wants to pick up from Main Street at 12:01am is welcome to DM ***before 9pm*** & if there is any interest I'll walk over & briefly reopen the shop.

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Karen Dalton Beninato 🐦 @kbeninato.bsky.social · 1d

On this Harvest Moon 🎶
[Neil Young twang]

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Joe Bernstein @bernstein.bsky.social · 2d

The award-winning novelist and veteran tech activist Cory Doctorow has written millions of words in his nearly four-decade career. Now he's best known for a single one: "Enshittification." How did he get here? My profile: www.nytimes.com/2025/10/05/b...

A Powerhouse Writer Found One Word to Change the Debate About Tech

www.nytimes.com

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colinnegrych.social @colinnegrych.social · 1d

@radiofreetom.bsky.social

The Goldwater Rule does not rule out one or all psychiatrists calling for the replacement of a government official. It only restricts them offering a official diagnosis as the basis for why doing so would be advisable.

www.npr.org/sections/sho...

Psychiatrists call for RFK Jr. to be replaced as health secretary

Two groups are calling for new leadership at HHS after Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s actions on substance abuse treatment and mental health medications, among other issues.

www.npr.org

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Dr. Jonathan N. Stea @jonathanstea.bsky.social · 1d

This guy is in charge of US health care.

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Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 3d

Trey Reed, a student at Delta State University in Mississippi, was found hanging from a noose. Mississippi police ruled the death a suicide. Now an autopsy reportedly concludes that he suffered extensive blunt force trauma across his body before he died, meaning he was beaten before he was lynched.

Kaepernick-Funded Autopsy Reportedly Finds Trey Reed Didn’t Die by Suicide — Family Attorney Ben Crump Hasn’t Confirmed

According to a source who isn't authorized to comment publicly, the autopsy of Trey Reed reveals that his death was not caused by a suicide.

www.blackenterprise.com

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Kat Tenbarge @kattenbarge.bsky.social · 3d

As an internet culture journalist, I think it’s important for me to continue to observe the depravity that goes viral on X, but one of the reasons I’m glad I stopped posting there is because I think it helps me avoid normalizing the rhetoric celebrating the political brutality in America right now

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Michael Harker @michaelharker.bsky.social · 2d

His Brother in Ginger, Biscuit.

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The Great Beast @the-great-beast.bsky.social · 2d

Orange cats are The Full Kitty Experience.

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William Gibson @greatdismal.bsky.social · 2d

I was well over 30 when I wrote and published my first novel, and fully agree with you!

John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 3d

When I turned 30 I had not yet written my first published book or my first published novel and did not know (or know of) some of the most important people in my life. I didn't know how much my life could still change, and did, after the age of 30. There is so much your life still yet to live.

essencesimmone.blacksky.app @essencesimmone.blacksky.app · 5d

Those who are 35+, what advice do you have for people just entering their 30s?

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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 3d

When I turned 30 I had not yet written my first published book or my first published novel and did not know (or know of) some of the most important people in my life. I didn't know how much my life could still change, and did, after the age of 30. There is so much your life still yet to live.

essencesimmone.blacksky.app @essencesimmone.blacksky.app · 5d

Those who are 35+, what advice do you have for people just entering their 30s?

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News Eye @newseye.bsky.social · 3d

NEW: Extraordinary scenes in Amsterdam this afternoon (Sunday, Oct 5).

An estimated 250,000 bring the city to a standstill; people all wearing red to show solidarity with Palestine 🇵🇸

(🎥 Ahmed Zantac)

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William Gibson @greatdismal.bsky.social · 2d

I was well over 30 when I wrote and published my first novel, and fully agree with you!

John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 3d

When I turned 30 I had not yet written my first published book or my first published novel and did not know (or know of) some of the most important people in my life. I didn't know how much my life could still change, and did, after the age of 30. There is so much your life still yet to live.

essencesimmone.blacksky.app @essencesimmone.blacksky.app · 5d

Those who are 35+, what advice do you have for people just entering their 30s?

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William Gibson @greatdismal.bsky.social · 2d

Wheezie portrait on a suddenly sunny October day, by G. Gibson

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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 4d

Smiting and vengeance is so much easier than forgiveness and charity

Random Ralph @ralphb3rd.bsky.social · 4d

A lot of evangelicals seem to be more attracted to the vengeful God of the Old Testament than the forgiving God of the New.

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The Scales ⚖️ @shakethescales.bsky.social · 3d

It would take around 1.1 million acres of solar panels to (clean) power the world. That's less than a quarter of the number of acres devoted globally to golf courses. You can see where this is going, right...?

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Nick Harkaway @nickharkaway.com · 4d

You know, we could just put a giant corkboard in the middle of town and everyone could leave messages on it like twice a month. I'd be kind of okay with that, if it comes to it. Although I'm quite lazy so I might not go.

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Nick Harkaway @nickharkaway.com · 4d

Wow. I‘m not sure which part of this is weirder: that they think Starmer’s rep might be worse than theirs, or that they might be right.

Mark Chadbourn @chadbourn.bsky.social · 4d

Palantir has pulled out of involvement with the UK Digital ID card, according to an interview with their UK CEO on Times Radio. They’re concerned about the reputational damage of being involved with an unpopular Starmer policy.

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