Finbarr O'Reilly
@finoreilly.bsky.social
Irish science fiction writer (possibly the world's slowest). Squid, spaceships, síntí fada -- what's not to like? https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/author/finbarr-oreilly/
"Aw, it's not for you. It's more a Shelbyville idea."
Anthropic CEO Worries Humanity May Not be 'Mature' Enough for Advanced AI
Anthropic CEO Worries Humanity May Not be 'Mature' Enough for Advanced AI
When has that ever stopped us?
gizmodo.com
January 26, 2026 at 10:42 PM
"Aw, it's not for you. It's more a Shelbyville idea."
Reposted by Finbarr O'Reilly
Nigella Lawson replacing Prue Leith (who previously replaced Mary Berry) on the great British bake off is the Uk equivalent of Marisa Tomai playing Aunt May.
January 26, 2026 at 6:26 PM
Nigella Lawson replacing Prue Leith (who previously replaced Mary Berry) on the great British bake off is the Uk equivalent of Marisa Tomai playing Aunt May.
Reposted by Finbarr O'Reilly
If you strip all the accreted centuries of obfuscatory political rhetoric away, what you have is simply an ideology of petty egoism versus an ideology of sociality, of community. The "right" should be instantly recognised as fundamentally & inherently just plain antisocial. Damned by definition.
January 26, 2026 at 6:41 PM
If you strip all the accreted centuries of obfuscatory political rhetoric away, what you have is simply an ideology of petty egoism versus an ideology of sociality, of community. The "right" should be instantly recognised as fundamentally & inherently just plain antisocial. Damned by definition.
Reposted by Finbarr O'Reilly
Britain is broken and that's why I am going to vote for the people who broke it.
January 26, 2026 at 5:07 PM
Britain is broken and that's why I am going to vote for the people who broke it.
From 'Burnham would' to dunce inane
January 26, 2026 at 4:39 PM
From 'Burnham would' to dunce inane
I'm old enough to remember David Cameron agreeing to a referendum because he was worried about UKIP gaining seven MPs.
Suella Braverman's defection to 'Reform' makes eight.
Imagine what we could have skipped if Cameron had a backbone: Brexit, Windrush scandal, Boris, Dom Cummings, Liz Truss ...
Suella Braverman's defection to 'Reform' makes eight.
Imagine what we could have skipped if Cameron had a backbone: Brexit, Windrush scandal, Boris, Dom Cummings, Liz Truss ...
January 26, 2026 at 2:25 PM
I'm old enough to remember David Cameron agreeing to a referendum because he was worried about UKIP gaining seven MPs.
Suella Braverman's defection to 'Reform' makes eight.
Imagine what we could have skipped if Cameron had a backbone: Brexit, Windrush scandal, Boris, Dom Cummings, Liz Truss ...
Suella Braverman's defection to 'Reform' makes eight.
Imagine what we could have skipped if Cameron had a backbone: Brexit, Windrush scandal, Boris, Dom Cummings, Liz Truss ...
If anyone else missed out on single rooms for this year's Eastercon in Birmingham, the Moxy NEC has a £65-a-night deal on at the moment
January 26, 2026 at 2:07 PM
If anyone else missed out on single rooms for this year's Eastercon in Birmingham, the Moxy NEC has a £65-a-night deal on at the moment
Reposted by Finbarr O'Reilly
You hear amateurs complaining about how cell phones ruined a lot of their thriller plots, but truthfully THIS is what makes my job as a grimly hopeful science fiction author harder. "We got the information out to the public! Now everything will be okay!" is no longer in the optimistic ending toolbox
HOW IT WORKS IN MOVIES:
1. Government lies
2. Brave heroes release video showing the truth
3. Press says “the government is lying!”
HOW IT APPARENTLY WORKS IN REAL LIFE
1. Brave heroes release video showing the truth
2. Government lies
3. Press says “Oh no, what now? So confusing! So hard!”
1. Government lies
2. Brave heroes release video showing the truth
3. Press says “the government is lying!”
HOW IT APPARENTLY WORKS IN REAL LIFE
1. Brave heroes release video showing the truth
2. Government lies
3. Press says “Oh no, what now? So confusing! So hard!”
A battle over the truth erupts after deadly Minneapolis shooting
January 26, 2026 at 1:18 PM
You hear amateurs complaining about how cell phones ruined a lot of their thriller plots, but truthfully THIS is what makes my job as a grimly hopeful science fiction author harder. "We got the information out to the public! Now everything will be okay!" is no longer in the optimistic ending toolbox
Reposted by Finbarr O'Reilly
Also, don’t vote for Nigel Farage/Reform.
What can those of us outside the USA do right now? Is it protests outside the US embassy? Lobbying our own leaders to stand up against this regime?
Honestly and openly, how can we help?
Honestly and openly, how can we help?
January 25, 2026 at 9:27 AM
Also, don’t vote for Nigel Farage/Reform.
A nice list, with too many that I haven't seen. www.theguardian.com/culture/2026...
The Guide #227: A brain-melting sci-fi movie marathon, curated by Britain’s best cult film-maker
As Bulk tours indie cinemas, its director reflects on the cinematic DNA and oddball influences that fuelled his most unconventional work
www.theguardian.com
January 24, 2026 at 2:27 PM
A nice list, with too many that I haven't seen. www.theguardian.com/culture/2026...
Reposted by Finbarr O'Reilly
January 23, 2026 at 11:47 PM
Whatever happened to all those stories about Russian hookers urinating on Trump?
I guess we got bored of piss.
news.sky.com/story/what-i...
I guess we got bored of piss.
news.sky.com/story/what-i...
Who's on Trump's Board of Peace - and who said no
Originally planned as a small group to oversee the Gaza ceasefire, the board has morphed into something far more ambitious - and Trump could be chairman for life.
news.sky.com
January 22, 2026 at 4:27 PM
Whatever happened to all those stories about Russian hookers urinating on Trump?
I guess we got bored of piss.
news.sky.com/story/what-i...
I guess we got bored of piss.
news.sky.com/story/what-i...
I saw Casablanca for the first time at the old IFC in Dublin, about 30 years ago.
A couple sat in front of me and the guy said to his date "it's a bit clichéd, but I think you'll like it".
It wasn't and she didn't.
(I'm aware that this story is itself a cliché, but it's true)
A couple sat in front of me and the guy said to his date "it's a bit clichéd, but I think you'll like it".
It wasn't and she didn't.
(I'm aware that this story is itself a cliché, but it's true)
For the kids of today, The Matrix is probably foundational to the point of being dusty. This is not a complaint -- The Matrix fuckin' BANGS -- just a reminder that time passes. It's not that kids today can't/won't see SF films before then, just that their eye on them will be very different.
Teaching a Science Fiction CW class today, and mentioned Kubrick's 2001 to illustrate a point. Out of 18, only 1 had seen it (and he wasn't super clear about it). To these—bright, creative, engaged!—20yos this was just some antique movie.
January 21, 2026 at 7:51 PM
I saw Casablanca for the first time at the old IFC in Dublin, about 30 years ago.
A couple sat in front of me and the guy said to his date "it's a bit clichéd, but I think you'll like it".
It wasn't and she didn't.
(I'm aware that this story is itself a cliché, but it's true)
A couple sat in front of me and the guy said to his date "it's a bit clichéd, but I think you'll like it".
It wasn't and she didn't.
(I'm aware that this story is itself a cliché, but it's true)
Reposted by Finbarr O'Reilly
Got myself a little Dry January gift.
January 21, 2026 at 11:15 AM
Got myself a little Dry January gift.
Reposted by Finbarr O'Reilly
"If you watch an episode of Cheers, you might hear references to foreign filmmakers, to classical musicians, to Russian novelists. The level of assumed knowledge back then was far greater; now, TV is rarely adventurous in its allusions."
TV brain rot: The real reason television shows are getting stupider www.the-independent.com/arts-enterta...
TV brain rot: The real reason television shows are getting stupider
It’s crazy for streamers to prioritise ‘second-screen viewing’, writes Louis Chilton – but that’s not the only way TV seems to have lost faith in its audience
www.the-independent.com
January 20, 2026 at 7:00 PM
"If you watch an episode of Cheers, you might hear references to foreign filmmakers, to classical musicians, to Russian novelists. The level of assumed knowledge back then was far greater; now, TV is rarely adventurous in its allusions."
There is a thesis or 10 to be written on why these supposed high achievers turn into such whingey little shits when stuff stops going their way. 'Move fast and break things' me hole.
AI boom could falter without wider adoption, Microsoft chief Satya Nadella warns
AI boom could falter without wider adoption, Microsoft chief Satya Nadella warns
Big tech boss tells delegates at Davos that broader global use is essential if technology is to deliver lasting growth
www.irishtimes.com
January 20, 2026 at 6:35 PM
There is a thesis or 10 to be written on why these supposed high achievers turn into such whingey little shits when stuff stops going their way. 'Move fast and break things' me hole.
Reposted by Finbarr O'Reilly
AI boom could falter without wider adoption, Microsoft chief Satya Nadella warns
AI boom could falter without wider adoption, Microsoft chief Satya Nadella warns
Big tech boss tells delegates at Davos that broader global use is essential if technology is to deliver lasting growth
www.irishtimes.com
January 20, 2026 at 12:46 PM
AI boom could falter without wider adoption, Microsoft chief Satya Nadella warns
Reposted by Finbarr O'Reilly
Registration for Octocon 2026 is now open! Clayton Hotel, Cork City & Online on 3rd-4th of October with GOHs @cemurphy.bsky.social y.bsky.social & @aptshadow.bsky.social.
€10 off limited Early Bird memberships:
octocon.com/join-us/
#Octocon #Fantasy #SciFi #Fandom #CorkCity
€10 off limited Early Bird memberships:
octocon.com/join-us/
#Octocon #Fantasy #SciFi #Fandom #CorkCity
January 18, 2026 at 4:50 PM
Registration for Octocon 2026 is now open! Clayton Hotel, Cork City & Online on 3rd-4th of October with GOHs @cemurphy.bsky.social y.bsky.social & @aptshadow.bsky.social.
€10 off limited Early Bird memberships:
octocon.com/join-us/
#Octocon #Fantasy #SciFi #Fandom #CorkCity
€10 off limited Early Bird memberships:
octocon.com/join-us/
#Octocon #Fantasy #SciFi #Fandom #CorkCity
Sure, everyone says goodbye to Ruby Tuesday, but who could hang a name on "Walter Monday"?
Current US vice-president JD Sports should take note - nobody remembers the VP (even the Washington Post).
Current US vice-president JD Sports should take note - nobody remembers the VP (even the Washington Post).
January 14, 2026 at 6:06 PM
Sure, everyone says goodbye to Ruby Tuesday, but who could hang a name on "Walter Monday"?
Current US vice-president JD Sports should take note - nobody remembers the VP (even the Washington Post).
Current US vice-president JD Sports should take note - nobody remembers the VP (even the Washington Post).
Reposted by Finbarr O'Reilly
Reminder of the quality of Reform’s latest recruit
The curious carefulness of Nadhim Zahawi's ‘carelessness’
The cliché is that it’s scandals about sex that tend to do for Tories, and scandals about money that do for their counterparts on the opposite benches. To give credit to the current generation of Tori...
spectator.com
January 12, 2026 at 8:12 PM
Reminder of the quality of Reform’s latest recruit
Reposted by Finbarr O'Reilly
Properly funding the court system would clear the backlog even more quickly.
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Slashing jury trials could clear courts backlog within a decade, says Lammy
Exclusive: Lord chancellor urges MPs to back judge-only trials in thousands of criminal cases in England and Wales
www.theguardian.com
January 11, 2026 at 7:13 PM
Properly funding the court system would clear the backlog even more quickly.
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Finbarr O'Reilly
In my day we used manufacture consent for illegal military action, but I suppose the president never was big on consent.
January 3, 2026 at 4:42 PM
In my day we used manufacture consent for illegal military action, but I suppose the president never was big on consent.
Reposted by Finbarr O'Reilly
Commentary: Cory Doctorow: Show Me the Incentive, I’ll Show You the Outcome locusmag.com/feature...
January 1, 2026 at 10:53 PM
Commentary: Cory Doctorow: Show Me the Incentive, I’ll Show You the Outcome locusmag.com/feature...