John Be Lane
johnbelane.bsky.social
John Be Lane
@johnbelane.bsky.social
Publisher at Global Arts Press & author of The Future Lies - a post-dystopian romantic thriller, and the award-winning The Beatin’ Path - a lyrical guide to lucid evolution https://johnbe.com
Reposted by John Be Lane
Here is a poem Renee Good, under her earlier name Renee Macklin, wrote, "On Learning to Dissect Fetal Pigs." It won a prize. It's really good. "it’s the ruler by which i reduce all things now; hard-edged & splintering from knowledge." poets.org/2020-on-lear...
2020 Academy of American Poets Prize
On Learning to Dissect Fetal Pigs by Renée Nicole Macklin
poets.org
January 8, 2026 at 1:52 PM
Reposted by John Be Lane
As Hannah Arendt put it: "The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists." Undermining that distinction will be a lasting legacy of generative AI.
December 27, 2025 at 12:16 PM
Reposted by John Be Lane
"I should hope this gives much more accurate impressions as to what's going on with AI capabilities."
A New Paper Tested AI's Ability to Do Actually Online Freelance Work, and the Results Are Damning
A new benchmark shows that AI agents are embarrassingly terrible at doing remote work tasks -- which is bad news for the AI economy.
trib.al
October 30, 2025 at 5:12 PM
We the people.
Giant copy of the Constitution being carried down Pennsylvania Avenue.
October 19, 2025 at 5:47 PM
As they’re ending it. We’re just here to please the billionaires. Oh, and to make them trillionaires!
October 13, 2025 at 4:57 PM
LLM
YouTube video by Merriam-Webster
www.youtube.com
October 5, 2025 at 3:31 AM
"AI is the asbestos we are shoveling into the walls of our society and our descendants will be digging it out for generations..."
pluralistic.net/2025/09/27/e...
#AI #TheFutureLies
Pluralistic: The real (economic) AI apocalypse is nigh (27 Sep 2025) – Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow
pluralistic.net
October 4, 2025 at 2:38 AM
Reposted by John Be Lane
Something I need to hammer home here because it's not being hammered enough: we need to be urging Congress to reauthorize the Museum and Library Services Act of 2018. Without it, funding would be meaningless.
We can still save the Institute for Museum and Library Services. Here's a practical guide to what to do right now to save not just the agency's funding but its future all together: bookriot.com/we-can-still...
We Can Still Save the Institute for Museum and Library Services
Act now to help save the Institute for Museum and Library Services and ensure the well-being of public libraries nationwide.
bookriot.com
July 8, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Americans deserve fully funded libraries.

When libraries are adequately funded, it empowers residents, boosts engagement, and enhances the quality of life.

action.everylibrary.org/fundlibraries via ‪@everylibrary.bsky.social‬
SIGN THE PETITION: Fund Libraries in the United States
Help demonstrate that Americans love their libraries and want to see them fully funded by signing this petition!
action.everylibrary.org
June 26, 2025 at 4:26 PM
OpenAI has an unsubtle communications strategy.
open.substack.com/pub/davekarp...
OpenAI has an unsubtle communications strategy.
The load-bearing relationships between futurity-vibes and finance
open.substack.com
May 23, 2025 at 6:44 PM
Reposted by John Be Lane
The “critics say” thing is the last refuge of both-sidesism, and both-sidesism is not reporting. Just gesturing at two utterances is a supplicative dance.
www.stopthepresses.news/p/news-outle...
News outlets over-rely on the phrase ‘critics say,’ this critic says
Journalists do a disservice to the public when they’re afraid to state facts.
www.stopthepresses.news
May 18, 2025 at 2:26 PM
Reposted by John Be Lane
John Be Lane sees the future in The Future Lies, a Colorado Book Award Finalist. The Colorado Book Awards are presented by the Colorado Humanities & Center for the Book
#scifi #dystopian #books #Sunlit
coloradosun.com/2025/05/11/s...
John Be Lane's thought experiment examines "oppression on autopilot"
In his sci-fi novel "The Future Lies," the author describes a future when AI deprives humanity of its agency, and our tools use us
coloradosun.com
May 11, 2025 at 3:14 PM
This is what COURAGE looks like. And what truth sounds like. (Carole Cadwalladr is on Substack)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZOo...
This Is What a Digital Coup Looks Like | Carole Cadwalladr | TED
YouTube video by TED
www.youtube.com
April 10, 2025 at 4:07 PM
Two things we can never take for granted: Libraries, and the Rule of Law. Stand sure.

Action steps you can take:
uniteagainstbookbans.org/right-to-rea...

#RightToReadDay #supportyourlocallibrary #ruleoflaw #globalartspress
Right to Read Day
The right to read is under attack. On Right to Read Day, April 7, 2025, take action to support your library and protect your freedom to read.
uniteagainstbookbans.org
April 7, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Reposted by John Be Lane
Lesson 13: "Practice corporeal politics... Put your body in unfamiliar places with unfamiliar people. Make new friends and march with them."

***There will be chances to practice corporeal politics all over the USA on April 5th.***
Find yours here: handsoff2025.com
Here is my best guidance for action, rendered beautifully by the great John Lithgow. I first published these lessons more than eight years ago, in late 2016. They open the twenty chapters of "On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century."
snyder.substack.com/p/twenty-les...
Twenty Lessons, read by John Lithgow
Key selections from On Tyranny, for viewing and sharing
snyder.substack.com
April 3, 2025 at 2:32 PM
We are celebrating a legal victory for students, readers, and the Constitution in Elizabeth, Colorado.

www.everylibrary.org/legalvictory... via @everylibrary.bsky.social
A Legal Victory for Students, Readers, and the Constitution in Elizabeth, Colorado.
This ruling is not only a win for the students of Elbert County but also reinforces the principle that public schools cannot censor books simply because some individuals disagree with their content.
www.everylibrary.org
April 1, 2025 at 7:41 PM
Reposted by John Be Lane
Reposted by John Be Lane
Originally posted by Trump resistance movement on insta. Quote from @timothysnyder.bsky.social
March 8, 2025 at 2:32 PM
Reposted by John Be Lane
Is Microsoft's AI Copilot ingesting and recording every word you type in Word?
Yes. Yes it is.
That's why we published this handy guide to disabling Copilot while enjoying all the benefits of Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and other MS 365 apps.
How to disable AI Copilot in Microsoft Word — Transparency Coalition. Legislation for Transparency in AI Now.
Microsoft is now embedding its Copilot AI system in every version of Word. The AI model will ingest and remember every word you type, unless you disable it.
www.transparencycoalition.ai
March 6, 2025 at 10:03 PM