Cassandra Robin

New AI tool identifies 1,000 'questionable' scientific journals Questionable scientific journals, or those that publish studies without proper vetting for a profit, are growing around the world. A new AI system automatically

A team of computer scientists led by the University of Colorado Boulder has developed a new artificial intelligence platform that automatically seeks out “questionable” scientific journals.

www.colorado.edu/today/2025/0...

New books this week track John Williams' life, future pandemics and NASA fiction This week's publishing highlights are a bumper crop of biography, science and fiction — including new reads the from authors of The Sweetness of Water, The God of Small Things, and Deadliest Enemy.

www.npr.org/2025/09/02/n...

Definition of PANGRAM a short sentence containing all 26 letters of the English alphabet… See the full definition

Weekly pangram!!

Amazingly, few discotheques provide jukeboxes.

#PangramFun #WordPlay #BringBackJukeboxes 🎵🪗

www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/p...

I’m reading three books a week and the one I’m reading right now is called “a civil action.” The movie wasn’t that great but the book is fantastic. Anyway, I fucking love love books. All kinds. Civil, criminal, I don’t even care what the topic is I love law books. Any other lawbook nerds out there?

It’s 5pm in the UK, the Boundless website is down, the staff are unemployed, the emails bounce.

And Archna Sharma NEVER BOTHERED TO EMAIL THE UNBOUND AUTHORS ABOUT THE CLOSURE, she only informed her own imprint’s authors.

Thank heaven we all talk to each other; the groupchat’s been like Dunkirk

Boundless is going under, it’ll cease trading by end of day. Archna has emailed Neem Tree Press authors about this but not Unbound ones :/

Authors, a couple staff members are working hard to get reversions, subcontracts, and files to us—if you need them email NOW before the lights go off

Definition of PANGRAM a short sentence containing all 26 letters of the English alphabet… See the full definition

It's time for the weekly pangram!

We promptly judged antique ivory buckles for the next prize. 🏅

#PangramFun #WordPlay #SentencePlay #PlayPlay

www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/p...

Looks like a blast! But where are the pups??

Contradictory form field that says: (Optional) Personal Preferences* Then below it shows, This field is required.

I'm fine with AI generating mundane stuff like job application forms, but like, some basic quality assurance checks would be nice.

If all of your ideas are correct, will there be room to add to any new information? - Eric Overby

Let’s have a nice calm Thursday hiding inside a book, shall we?

Come and get one (or five) first though. - Michael

Definition of PANGRAM a short sentence containing all 26 letters of the English alphabet… See the full definition

This week's pangram is a bit late, but worth the wait!

Jinxed wizards pluck ivy from the big quilt.

#PangramFun #WritingRules #JinxTheWizard

www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/p...

Hooray for Branston!

post by T0M_SN0W: Interesting thing happened after my game today. #gaming I run a DnD club in my school that sees all types of students from sports kids to theater kids and AP to special ed. The school is predominately Hispanic, and one student comes to me explaining how she was really quiet during the game because she didn’t know how to say certain phrases in English. I thought about this for a second and asked her questions about her (Elf Fighter’s) background. She said that she was a Noble High Elf, and I suggested that as part of her background her family didn’t allow her to learn Common which explains for why she only knows so much Common (English). I then proposed to the game if we made Elvish Spanish so that she can express questions in the game in Spanish and have one of our Half-Elven or Elven Spanish speakers ask the question in English to the group so that I’m helping my student learn English while also giving them something unique and special about their character. The last thing I want is a kid thinking they cannot play because of a language barrier. This is a game for everyone.

Break down language barriers so more people can be gamers.
(screenshot from a 2019 Reddit post on r/DnD by T0M_SN0W, alt text and the link have all the text)

www.reddit.com/r/DnD/commen...

I had no idea!!

So cool! ...but where are there turkeys and palm trees together?? I never thought of the tropics as turkey territory! 😂🦃

- Omphalophobia → fear of bellybuttons
- Geniophobia → fear of chins
- Genuphobia → fear of knees
- Chiroptophobia → fear of bats
- Hippophobia → fear of horses

For anyone with hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia, we apologize for all these long words.

Lines you must never use if you write for TV or the movies:
1. It's complicated.
2. You look like shit.
3. Look at me.
4. That's so crazy it just might work.

Hand drawn stick figure meme. Top half says: GOOD IDEA: Asking a trusted friend to read over your draft. One stick figure is smiling and taking notes while the other is talking, saying "Feedback, Thoughs" and holding the draft. Bottom half says: BAD IDEA: Asking your mom to read over your draft... One stick figure has long hair and wears a skirt, she has hearts coming from her. She's putting the draft on the fridge and smiling. The other is behind her, somewhat frowning, head in their hands.

Choose wisely. ⭐🖋️ #GoodIdeaBadIdea #Writing #GoldStarForYou

An Adolescent Crush That Never Let Up An epistolary history of a fifty-five-year relationship with The New Yorker.

In his lifetime, John Updike published more than 150 poems and more than 160 short stories in The New Yorker, and contributed about 360 book reviews. Read some of his letters to the editors William Maxwell, Tina Brown, and David Remnick.

😁

Hand drawn stick figure meme. Top half says: GOOD IDEA: Asking a trusted friend to read over your draft. One stick figure is smiling and taking notes while the other is talking, saying "Feedback, Thoughs" and holding the draft. Bottom half says: BAD IDEA: Asking your mom to read over your draft... One stick figure has long hair and wears a skirt, she has hearts coming from her. She's putting the draft on the fridge and smiling. The other is behind her, somewhat frowning, head in their hands.

Choose wisely. ⭐🖋️ #GoodIdeaBadIdea #Writing #GoldStarForYou

Now that's an Effin' Bird!! Go Kingston!

Top frame has a stick figure, happily typing at a table with a cup of coffee and a flower. Caption says: Good Idea: Working on your manuscript at the local coffee shop. Bottom frame has a stick figure, distraught, sitting at their desk at work and looking up at their angry stick figure boss. Caption says: Bad idea: Working on your manuscript at the office.

Busted #GoodIdeaBadIdea #Writing #SshImWorking

Top frame has a stick figure, happily typing at a table with a cup of coffee and a flower. Caption says: Good Idea: Working on your manuscript at the local coffee shop. Bottom frame has a stick figure, distraught, sitting at their desk at work and looking up at their angry stick figure boss. Caption says: Bad idea: Working on your manuscript at the office.

Busted #GoodIdeaBadIdea #Writing #SshImWorking

A rare botanical event nearly 20 years in the making is now unfolding at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium. A mature Agave parryi var. truncata in the Desert Garden is in full bloom, sending up a towering flowering stalk in its dramatic, once-in-a-lifetime display.

Eh, it's better to know thy enemy. I hope Gentleman Pirate is black tea! I'd need the caffeine. 🦜😁

🥁

Virginia Hall, The Subject Of 'A Woman Of No Importance,' Was Anything But A very smooth read about a rocky life, Sonia Purnell's biography of the masterful WWII spy is a reminder of what can be done with a few brave people — and a little resistance.

Dystopian fiction gets me every time! I also have a weakness for interesting biographies. I recently finished "A Woman of No Importance" - it was pretty great.

www.npr.org/2019/04/11/7...

Amazing!

Get your books from anywhere else #BookSky