Catherine Shaffer

This is also my experience talking to experts on mRNA vaccines.

I wonder where he thinks books come from. He's obviously not looking in bookstores and libraries.

Important context from an immunologist on claims that SARS-cov2 infection damages the immune system.

I would fire any intern that fabricated facts in research I requested. That’s beyond a mistake. And unlike an LLM, when a human makes a mistake, they learn not to do it again.

This is the second report I've seen linking AI use to reduced productivity in software development and it's consistent with what I've heard from friends in IT who are required to use it, but lack confidence in the output.

I agree! Though I do know people who value beautiful prose or material related to their special interests over emotional connection.

So there's a reference to pulling a "Fred Johnson" in #DCC book 7 and I'm amused. Coincidentally, I'm in S2 of a rewatch of The Expanse.

So, like, everything they eat is coming from uber/door dash?

We had only five minutes to get to the next class including a bathroom break, and it could take fully that long to get from one end of campus to the other, so that may be why the custom is different.

That was on Twitter, I’m guessing?

Yes it started at 13, but I’m 5’2”…

Same! I’m going to be so sad when I run out!

Not as far as I’ve read

I have laughed out loud at the gym many times listening to the Dungeon Crawler Carl series. Today I cried. Tears freely streaming down my face on the elliptical. These books have RANGE. #ThisInevitableRuin

We already have insecure apps that can be hacked with ease. This will only make it worse.

"Really good salad" is a surprisingly difficult lunch craving to fulfill. First, where does one go? Second, restaurant salads are mostly vehicles for delivering meat and cheese, so I need to track down the elusive VEGETABLE salad.

That's unfortunate. However, the news industry is in full meltdown. We have already all but lost our local news ecosystem and without our support, many of the national news outlets we rely on will go away, too. A Wired subscription is just $2/month and they are doing incredible work!

Plot =/= story

The best news is behind a paywall because they pay skilled human reporters to write. We would love to make the news free, but we also have expenses like rent and hungry kitties.

Some of the skills overlap, but you can much more easily get away with a half baked idea in a short story by being clever and enigmatic than in a novel. A novel requires discipline and follow through.

And if youre at a lower level of skill than the AI, it’s going to be tough to improve

I agree with all of this 100%. Why would we give ourselves brain damage chasing evidence-free claims of productivity gains when skillful, human-crafted content is rapidly becoming more scarce and more valuable?

I have an app that shows me the real time whereabouts of my son’s dog, monitor her vital signs, and track her “workout” progress on an international leader board. She can also make friends with other dogs on the app. We truly live in an age of wonders.

Interesting context

The internet is not how you get diverse viewpoints into your life. For that you need to travel. And maybe go to college.

I have zero tolerance for any kind of arguing or conflict on the little glass rectangle I use to unwind, read news, and talk with friends. If you’re into it, have at it, but I’ll be hitting mute and block as needed and it’s amazing for my mental health.

Thanks! I'll have to look at my old contracts. I don't recall if that was included in them, but a lot may have changed in 10+ years.

Are they buying FNASR? If so, how does that square with "international publishing?" I've published quite a bit in Analog, and all of this greatly gives me pause about submitting there in the future (disappointingly).

This also suggests that are not just buying first North American serial rights but making a grab for worldwide and reprint rights

Drawing of a horse with a very detailed rear end and a crudely drawn front end. The rear is labeled ‘the scene in my head’ and the front is labeled ‘the scene I wrote down.’

I’ve been publishing professionally for over a quarter century, and for much of it, this meme has been my experience. But lately something clicked and the written version looks very close to what I imagined. It’s a milestone I never thought I’d reach.