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tony

@tonyreads.bsky.social

a Texan in Norway, stereotypical coffee-drinking book nerd, works in tech for the Norwegian Refugee Council

156 Followers  |  414 Following  |  150 Posts  |  Joined: 22.11.2024  |  2.2929

Latest posts by tonyreads.bsky.social on Bluesky

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The problem is far bigger than Jeffrey Epstein | Rebecca Solnit Treating the scandal as an aberration misunderstands the global epidemic of violence against women

"One of the reasons the epidemic of violence against women is so unacknowledged is because cases like these are talked about individually, and often treated as though they are shocking aberrations rather than part of a pervasive pattern that operates at all levels of society."

03.08.2025 14:43 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 7211    ๐Ÿ” 2793    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 151    ๐Ÿ“Œ 216

Softly steps a snow-footed warrior
Tall pale-skinned birch yield their bark
Wrap his legs in their armor
Transform him, name him Birkebeiner

A huldra watches warily, swishes her tail
Protectress, perhaps, but of him
Perhaps not, she ponders, tastes his smell
He's a quiet animal, she watches him go

01.08.2025 14:56 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 4    ๐Ÿ” 1    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Isn't this the plot to the Wrinkle in Time series?

01.08.2025 09:13 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Theย Cure โ€“ Where the Birds Always Sing Robert Smith has said โ€œWhere the Birds Always Singโ€ shares a theme with part of the book The Crow Road by Iain Banks, and was inspired by what he feels is an inevitable cynicism

Am reminded of The Cure's Where the Birds Always Sing

genius.com/The-cure-whe...

01.08.2025 07:02 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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commapress.co.uk/books/kurdis... @commapress.bsky.social

31.07.2025 19:13 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 5    ๐Ÿ” 2    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Jack White says he likes playing on a beat up pawn shop guitar because then it's on him to get a good sound out of it - the craftsman coaxing their tool to produce a better result.

30.07.2025 14:01 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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The Molotov Cocktail The Anniversary by Anthony Nichols Rabbit waits by the window. All the chores are done. They donโ€™t take long. Not anymore. Dusting takes the longest. It gets everywhere and if left unchecked driftsโ€ฆ

I once wrote a flash fiction piece about a little robot still waiting for its people to come back when, well, that's not going to happen ... themolotovcocktail.com/about/archiv...

30.07.2025 09:58 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 9    ๐Ÿ” 1    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Yes, they have kept up writing and review sessions and a bit of social chat and support but I have stepped back from writing and therefore this group because, well, ... life. But I cheer them on quietly from the side of the pitch.

28.07.2025 08:35 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

I did the Granta Memoir course and am such a fan of my cohort - so many great writers.
Look forward to all of them publishing brilliant insightful essays and books that break your heart.

27.07.2025 14:09 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 3    ๐Ÿ” 1    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Oh, this reminds me that Angรฉlique Kidjo has a great album of Talking Heads covers. Recommend.

26.07.2025 05:26 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 4    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Each morning, with a coffee
I swallow my dose of regret
A small black pill, bitter and sweet

I don't consume it to hide it
This is medicine, memory as chemo

Small doses of past ... indiscretions
On slow release, prevent all my futures
From developing contagious toxicities

Caution: habit forming

25.07.2025 06:55 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 4    ๐Ÿ” 2    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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a man is sitting in the back seat of a car and making a funny face . ALT: a man is sitting in the back seat of a car and making a funny face .

Too high!
The void is for screaming into, not sitting at the side of.
I would freeze, pass out, and then lay quivering on the terrace if I were forced outside at that altitude.

23.07.2025 10:17 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

This reminds me of how much fun Stephen Greenblatโ€™s account of 15th C. book hunting is in The Swerve.
#BookSky #Books

20.07.2025 11:43 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Lederhosen by Haruki Murakami (Summary) - Writing Atlas

While I have soured on Murakami's novels, his Lederhosen short story is really good. writingatlas.com/story/1766/h...

18.07.2025 08:40 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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a man in a leather jacket says " i say we take off and make the entire site from orbit " ALT: a man in a leather jacket says " i say we take off and make the entire site from orbit "

Yes, please. Although neither truth nor logical consistency seem to be a primary function of modern LLMs so you may need an altogether different tactic.

18.07.2025 06:58 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 4    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

I am busily tapping my fingers and refreshing the internet waiting for @nataliehaynes.bsky.social No Friend to This House ๐Ÿ to come out on audiobook. Two more months! ๐Ÿ˜ญ

14.07.2025 11:18 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 2    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

true story: when my friend's father was working on his thesis in the early 70s, he emerged, bleary-eyed, from an all-nighter to a dawn like this and genuinely stood there for a minute thinking it was the end of the world and the force of the blast would surely reach him soon

11.07.2025 09:31 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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a crowd of people with their hands on their heads ALT: a crowd of people with their hands on their heads
07.07.2025 14:41 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

In gilded age of
Silver screen stars
Tin-boxed reels rode steerage
O'er deep dark seas to
Distant fans, awaiting Penelope's

In the dystopian now
Reels fly faster than thought
Bringing spoilers to our shore
Of mysteries embargoed,
Cinema for other regions

Stories woven in fiber
To the globe release

04.07.2025 12:17 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 8    ๐Ÿ” 3    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

What I really want to understand is why, after 40,000 years of making footwear, we still cannot make a pair of dress/business shoes that doesn't rub and blister ...
Even Doc Martens casual shoes make it a point of pride with special "break in" socks and videos and instructions.
Must we suffer?

01.07.2025 10:41 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 2    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Was just reading that a US judge has allowed Meta and Anthropic to use copyrighted material for training data as legitimate "fair-use" ... doesn't bode well for creative work, I think, but need to learn more.

27.06.2025 11:44 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

I'm a firm believer that when two people who value the Oxford comma find one another, it's an undeniable sign that their relationship will be fulfilling, beautiful, and everlasting.

25.06.2025 10:16 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 565    ๐Ÿ” 34    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 14    ๐Ÿ“Œ 3
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Knafeh and Arabic coffee make a nice reward at the end of a long walk.
My daughterโ€™s โ€œDubai Strawberry Cupโ€ looked like an overload of chocolates, pistachios, and fresh fruit.
#Oslo #summer

21.06.2025 12:23 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
A large poppy

A large poppy

A purple orchid

A purple orchid

Roses in the foreground; a vine covered wall behind.

Roses in the foreground; a vine covered wall behind.

Scenes from a dog walk: natural light, nearly midnight.
#Oslo

18.06.2025 22:00 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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This #RefugeeWeek we are offering 50% off these important titles with code RW2025:

"A Handbook of Integration with Refugees"
"Meeting the Needs of Reunited Refugee Families"
"Hospitable Linguistics"
"Cultures of Sustainable Peace"

buff.ly/o9i7jgE

16.06.2025 09:51 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 4    ๐Ÿ” 3    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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a woman is standing in front of a white car that is on fire . ALT: a woman is standing in front of a white car that is on fire .
06.06.2025 12:16 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Writerโ€™s virtual assistant is the absolute worstโ€ฆ #ChatGPT #writing

04.06.2025 04:24 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

โ€œWithout widespread theft, my industry canโ€™t surviveโ€ is an argument against your industry surviving, and is not an argument for allowing widespread theft

26.05.2025 15:45 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 6451    ๐Ÿ” 2078    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 121    ๐Ÿ“Œ 62

Accurate

17.05.2025 13:09 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Why Iโ€™m Resigning from the NSF and Library of Congress I cannot participate in systems that require dishonesty as the price of belonging.

"For me, the answer now lies in refusal, the withdrawal of participation from systems that require dishonesty as the price of belonging."

Today I am resigning from the National Science Board and the Library of Congress Scholars Council.

I wrote about my decision in TIME.

time.com/7285045/resi...

13.05.2025 11:19 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 17445    ๐Ÿ” 6038    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 481    ๐Ÿ“Œ 519

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