Annalee
@flowerhorne.com
Writer, Quaker, candlestick maker. Open source technologist and occasional tailor.
Fiction in F&SF, Futurescapes, Fireside, Friends' Journal, and places that don't start with F. They.
Fiction in F&SF, Futurescapes, Fireside, Friends' Journal, and places that don't start with F. They.
Reposted by Annalee
Here's the thing: volunteering is about finding a need and then helping to fill it. It's not primarily about you.
If you're hunting for specific activities to do once a year so you can feel you've "done your part" then YOU are the one in need, looking for other people's suffering to fill you up.
If you're hunting for specific activities to do once a year so you can feel you've "done your part" then YOU are the one in need, looking for other people's suffering to fill you up.
DO NOT call up the homeless shelter on thanksgiving or Xmas to see if you can pass a few plates and show your kids the “reason for the season”
The homeless shelter is not a petting zoo of human tragedy! The homeless shelter is not a drive thru nativity scene for you to enjoy!
The homeless shelter is not a petting zoo of human tragedy! The homeless shelter is not a drive thru nativity scene for you to enjoy!
November 27, 2025 at 7:17 PM
Here's the thing: volunteering is about finding a need and then helping to fill it. It's not primarily about you.
If you're hunting for specific activities to do once a year so you can feel you've "done your part" then YOU are the one in need, looking for other people's suffering to fill you up.
If you're hunting for specific activities to do once a year so you can feel you've "done your part" then YOU are the one in need, looking for other people's suffering to fill you up.
Good morning. I haven't been allowed in the kitchen on Thanksgiving since The Incident, so it's time to fire up Unreal Engine and finish cleaning up these blueprints so I can get a pull request together
November 27, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Good morning. I haven't been allowed in the kitchen on Thanksgiving since The Incident, so it's time to fire up Unreal Engine and finish cleaning up these blueprints so I can get a pull request together
Reposted by Annalee
BUY JORDAN'S BOOK
i have a book about the Death of Mountains visiting a middling hill in the Appalachians who doesn't want to die. it's a short little book, and on sale from my publisher (@lethepress.bsky.social)!
November 27, 2025 at 4:18 AM
BUY JORDAN'S BOOK
Reposted by Annalee
This is an excellent summary of how "the author getting paid" works for traditional publishing! To which I'll add: it is super common for books (especially genre fiction) to not "earn out" the advance, so a lot of writers learn to not count on royalty money ever happening.
I'm going to do a little thread on how the money from books works for traditionally published authors because people have questions, and this is always useful info to share IMO. First, a big disclaimer that every contract is different, and there are a million factors that can change things. 1/
November 27, 2025 at 3:24 AM
This is an excellent summary of how "the author getting paid" works for traditional publishing! To which I'll add: it is super common for books (especially genre fiction) to not "earn out" the advance, so a lot of writers learn to not count on royalty money ever happening.
This makes Thanksgiving a particularly good day to tell that racist relative to fix their heart
Thankfully, later history gives Thanksgiving a second origin story, more worth celebrating than its sordid start: As a day of unity in the battle against white supremacist separatism, exactly as Abraham Lincoln intended when he made it a national holiday.
On the topic of Thansgiving, my parents moved to Plymouth when I was a teenager. The one thing that cured my ra-ra pilgrim bullshit real quick were the Indigenous Wampanoag protests proclaiming Thanksgiving a day of mourning.
This holiday has good carbs.
And that's about it.
This holiday has good carbs.
And that's about it.
November 27, 2025 at 12:18 AM
This makes Thanksgiving a particularly good day to tell that racist relative to fix their heart
Reposted by Annalee
Have dozens of people already pointed you to this other lovely bagel dog? bsky.app/profile/wera...
You're kidding me. We only rate dogs. This is a rainbow bagel. I really need you all to start sending us dogs, because we only rate dogs. Thank you... 12/10 (IG: mrpeanutbutter.69)
November 26, 2025 at 2:43 AM
Have dozens of people already pointed you to this other lovely bagel dog? bsky.app/profile/wera...
Reposted by Annalee
Artist is TenderRebellions on IG
November 25, 2025 at 10:35 PM
Artist is TenderRebellions on IG
People really need to get their heads around the difference between saying something in public and saying something for public comment
I'd say "you know better than to do this at coffee shops" but the number of live updates of strangers' conversations we've seen over the years
I'd say "you know better than to do this at coffee shops" but the number of live updates of strangers' conversations we've seen over the years
"Don't post if you don't want random strangers to reply" remains one of the most most hilariously illogical things I have seen people say on social media.
Allow me to list several other examples of "Do not allow me to perceive a thing if I cannot personally interact with it" logic at play:
Allow me to list several other examples of "Do not allow me to perceive a thing if I cannot personally interact with it" logic at play:
November 26, 2025 at 1:01 AM
People really need to get their heads around the difference between saying something in public and saying something for public comment
I'd say "you know better than to do this at coffee shops" but the number of live updates of strangers' conversations we've seen over the years
I'd say "you know better than to do this at coffee shops" but the number of live updates of strangers' conversations we've seen over the years
Reposted by Annalee
I Sat on the Photocopier and Pressed Start. What Happened Next Was A Gross Violation of My Privacy by a Malevolent Artificial Intelligence
November 26, 2025 at 12:09 AM
I Sat on the Photocopier and Pressed Start. What Happened Next Was A Gross Violation of My Privacy by a Malevolent Artificial Intelligence
Reposted by Annalee
The Bakery Dragon is a very cute book if you haven't read it yet.
I mean to your kids. If you haven't read it *to your kids* yet. Obviously.
I mean to your kids. If you haven't read it *to your kids* yet. Obviously.
November 25, 2025 at 9:02 PM
The Bakery Dragon is a very cute book if you haven't read it yet.
I mean to your kids. If you haven't read it *to your kids* yet. Obviously.
I mean to your kids. If you haven't read it *to your kids* yet. Obviously.
My gaming/gamedev box is a Windows machine and my laptops are macs and man it really doesn't take long for the Ctrl/Cmd muscle memory to break
(Yes I know I can rebind keys but that has other consequences)
(Yes I know I can rebind keys but that has other consequences)
November 25, 2025 at 1:42 PM
My gaming/gamedev box is a Windows machine and my laptops are macs and man it really doesn't take long for the Ctrl/Cmd muscle memory to break
(Yes I know I can rebind keys but that has other consequences)
(Yes I know I can rebind keys but that has other consequences)
Reposted by Annalee
Gender-affirming care saves lives
1. A landmark study was just published in The Journal of Pediatrics.
It found a 68% reduction in suicidality for trans youth getting HRT.
It also found only 7 of more than 400 stopped taking HRT... and of those that did, 4 still identified as gender-diverse.
Transgender care saves lives.
It found a 68% reduction in suicidality for trans youth getting HRT.
It also found only 7 of more than 400 stopped taking HRT... and of those that did, 4 still identified as gender-diverse.
Transgender care saves lives.
Study In The Journal Of Pediatrics Finds Trans Youth Care Lowers Suicidality, Few Detransition
The groundbreaking study found that suicidality dropped for transgender youth receiving hormone therapy by nearly 70%, with only 7 patients of 432 discontinuing treatment.
www.erininthemorning.com
November 25, 2025 at 11:49 AM
Gender-affirming care saves lives
Reposted by Annalee
A solid thread. And I still think of the piano keys analogy in that book about once a week. (Especially in terms of trying to help kids understand the virtue of temperance.)
A friend who teaches theology shared with me a post about CS Lewis's Mere Christianity, which discusses foundational Christian logic across denominations. It reminded me of Dale's tweet below, and I wanted to share some thoughts here regarding modesty and respectability, which are often hot topics.
November 24, 2025 at 1:02 PM
A solid thread. And I still think of the piano keys analogy in that book about once a week. (Especially in terms of trying to help kids understand the virtue of temperance.)
Reposted by Annalee
And don't keep offering, either.
"Are you sure?"
"It's open bar!"
"Just one."
"Keep me company."
"No one's keeping track."
"It's a party!"
"The bottle's already open."
"My treat!"
"Everyone else is..."
"Are you sure?"
"It's open bar!"
"Just one."
"Keep me company."
"No one's keeping track."
"It's a party!"
"The bottle's already open."
"My treat!"
"Everyone else is..."
Just a friendly reminder as we go into the holidays:
Folks don't have to explain to you why they don't drink.
If you offer them a drink and they decline, don't ask them why. It's not your business.
Just offer them something without alcohol to drink instead. And move on.
Folks don't have to explain to you why they don't drink.
If you offer them a drink and they decline, don't ask them why. It's not your business.
Just offer them something without alcohol to drink instead. And move on.
November 24, 2025 at 12:25 AM
And don't keep offering, either.
"Are you sure?"
"It's open bar!"
"Just one."
"Keep me company."
"No one's keeping track."
"It's a party!"
"The bottle's already open."
"My treat!"
"Everyone else is..."
"Are you sure?"
"It's open bar!"
"Just one."
"Keep me company."
"No one's keeping track."
"It's a party!"
"The bottle's already open."
"My treat!"
"Everyone else is..."
Reposted by Annalee
Major sources of hate speech are located outside the US. Well yeah, we have this conversation every few months. And every few months people reject the bright shiny evidence that easiest way to ruin America is to feed the hate and bigotry that already exists here.
November 24, 2025 at 12:02 AM
Major sources of hate speech are located outside the US. Well yeah, we have this conversation every few months. And every few months people reject the bright shiny evidence that easiest way to ruin America is to feed the hate and bigotry that already exists here.
Reposted by Annalee
People always ask me, “how do I know my manuscript is done?”
There’s only one way, my friends.
If your file name looks something like this:
Manuscript - Final Draft 3.7 FINAL FINAL - FINAL (5).docx
Then, and only then, is it time.
There’s only one way, my friends.
If your file name looks something like this:
Manuscript - Final Draft 3.7 FINAL FINAL - FINAL (5).docx
Then, and only then, is it time.
May 31, 2025 at 9:17 PM
People always ask me, “how do I know my manuscript is done?”
There’s only one way, my friends.
If your file name looks something like this:
Manuscript - Final Draft 3.7 FINAL FINAL - FINAL (5).docx
Then, and only then, is it time.
There’s only one way, my friends.
If your file name looks something like this:
Manuscript - Final Draft 3.7 FINAL FINAL - FINAL (5).docx
Then, and only then, is it time.
Reposted by Annalee
I know there’s a lot going on but if you have any money to spare, please consider protecting a vital wetland area, or share this link.
secure.qgiv.com/event/beonei...
secure.qgiv.com/event/beonei...
Be One In a Million
We are asking YOU and 1 million people to give $10 to protect and preserve 1,400 acres of wild lands on West Galveston Island.
secure.qgiv.com
November 23, 2025 at 5:40 PM
I know there’s a lot going on but if you have any money to spare, please consider protecting a vital wetland area, or share this link.
secure.qgiv.com/event/beonei...
secure.qgiv.com/event/beonei...
Reposted by Annalee
The Kalmar Nyckel is national news today because a rare yellow headed caracara has been hanging out around the foundation:
Rare Raptor Sighting Sparks Excitement Across Delaware Birding Community
A yellow-headed caracara has made its way to Wilmington, marking the first time in recorded history that the species has been seen on Delaware soil.
www.forbes.com
November 23, 2025 at 1:41 PM
The Kalmar Nyckel is national news today because a rare yellow headed caracara has been hanging out around the foundation:
Reposted by Annalee
this is how you lose the dish war
November 22, 2025 at 4:22 PM
this is how you lose the dish war
Reposted by Annalee
I worked with someone who defined refactoring as “replacing tested code with untested code” and there’s definitely truth in there.
A counter-intuitive finding: the most vulnerable code in your codebase isn't dusty old legacy code. It's the code your people wrote yesterday. Exploitable vulnerabilities and exploits are found in the newest code, not the oldest: queue.acm.org/detail.cfm?i...
A Practical Guide to Transitioning to Memory-Safe Languages - ACM Queue
queue.acm.org
November 22, 2025 at 6:47 PM
I worked with someone who defined refactoring as “replacing tested code with untested code” and there’s definitely truth in there.
Reposted by Annalee
The lesson is that if you're organizing via group chat, you should always trust the people in the group chat.
End-to-end encryption on its own does not provide total privacy.
End-to-end encryption on its own does not provide total privacy.
A “joint situational information report” from the FBI and the New York police department (NYPD), dated 28 August 2025, quoted from a chat on Signal, the encrypted messaging app, and also characterized the court watchers as “anarchist violent extremist actors.”
The FBI spied on a Signal group chat of immigration activists, records reveal
Exclusive: Agency accessed private conversations of New York ‘courtwatch’ group that was observing public hearings
www.theguardian.com
November 22, 2025 at 4:36 PM
The lesson is that if you're organizing via group chat, you should always trust the people in the group chat.
End-to-end encryption on its own does not provide total privacy.
End-to-end encryption on its own does not provide total privacy.
Reposted by Annalee
Kevin Sorbo was in his 30s and in peak physical condition (he was currently playing Hercules), and he had three strokes after he had his neck cracked by his chiropractor.
AARRGH. CHIROPRACTIC IS NOT MEDICINE, IT’S DANGEROUS BULLSHIT CREATED BY A FUCKING GROCER WHO THOUGHT HE COULD HEAL WITH MAGNETS. WHAT THE FUCK, AMERICA
Oh good, they left Chiropractors as professionals but not Nurses, NPs, PA’s or physical therapists
That’s infuriating
That’s infuriating
November 22, 2025 at 11:13 AM
Kevin Sorbo was in his 30s and in peak physical condition (he was currently playing Hercules), and he had three strokes after he had his neck cracked by his chiropractor.
Reposted by Annalee
People were arguing in my mentions today about whether the Earth is "round" when it's technically an irregular oblate spheroid and look "round" doesn't mean "absolutely perfect sphere" it means round. A soccer ball is round, a cantaloupe is round, a fluffy borb in winter is round, just go with it.
November 21, 2025 at 11:23 PM
People were arguing in my mentions today about whether the Earth is "round" when it's technically an irregular oblate spheroid and look "round" doesn't mean "absolutely perfect sphere" it means round. A soccer ball is round, a cantaloupe is round, a fluffy borb in winter is round, just go with it.