James Lowder
@jameslowder.bsky.social
Freelance writer, editor, tabletop game designer, and publishing consultant. (Knight of the Black Rose, Hobby Games: The 100 Best, Curse of the Full Moon, the Corpse, Pulp Cthulhu, Books of Flesh, and more.) [he/him]
The GOP Reich knows their base.
U.S. Coast Guard will no longer classify swastikas, nooses as hate symbols
The military service, which falls under the Department of Homeland Security, has drafted a new policy that classifies such items “potentially divisive.”
www.washingtonpost.com
November 20, 2025 at 7:20 PM
The GOP Reich knows their base.
Never trust what should be a public good to the market.
Deaths Rose in Emergency Rooms After Hospitals Were Acquired by Private Equity Firms
Staffing, salary cuts offer likely explanation for increase compared to non-private-equity hospitals
hms.harvard.edu
November 19, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Never trust what should be a public good to the market.
There is no bottom to this hole.
Republicans Prove Irony Is Dead With Vote on Condemning Fascism
Republicans hate being called fascist, and yet ...
newrepublic.com
November 18, 2025 at 6:32 PM
There is no bottom to this hole.
"The platform admits it is fighting against a ceaseless torrent of AI slop. Spotify says it has removed 75 million 'spammy' tracks from the platform just in the past year."
Your favorite band has a new single? It might be AI
With AI music generators widely available, scammers are uploading songs to the pages of inactive artists and dead musicians. Spotify says it is cracking down, but the practice persists.
www.npr.org
October 28, 2025 at 4:19 AM
"The platform admits it is fighting against a ceaseless torrent of AI slop. Spotify says it has removed 75 million 'spammy' tracks from the platform just in the past year."
Reposted by James Lowder
Also--
Writers, unite! You do not need to be SFWA to be eligible for a lawsuit under the LibGen & PiLiMi Pirated Books Class - but you do need to act soon!
Deadline: September 1, 2025.
Read more about it here, and spread the word widely: www.lieffcabraser.com/anthropic-au...
Writers, unite! You do not need to be SFWA to be eligible for a lawsuit under the LibGen & PiLiMi Pirated Books Class - but you do need to act soon!
Deadline: September 1, 2025.
Read more about it here, and spread the word widely: www.lieffcabraser.com/anthropic-au...
August 23, 2025 at 8:21 PM
Also--
Writers, unite! You do not need to be SFWA to be eligible for a lawsuit under the LibGen & PiLiMi Pirated Books Class - but you do need to act soon!
Deadline: September 1, 2025.
Read more about it here, and spread the word widely: www.lieffcabraser.com/anthropic-au...
Writers, unite! You do not need to be SFWA to be eligible for a lawsuit under the LibGen & PiLiMi Pirated Books Class - but you do need to act soon!
Deadline: September 1, 2025.
Read more about it here, and spread the word widely: www.lieffcabraser.com/anthropic-au...
Generative AI--the thief that keeps on stealing.
Your Brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of Cognitive Debt when Using an AI Assistant for Essay Writing Task – MIT Media Lab
This study explores the neural and behavioral consequences of LLM-assisted essay writing. Participants were divided into three groups: LLM, Search Engine…
www.media.mit.edu
June 19, 2025 at 8:43 PM
Generative AI--the thief that keeps on stealing.
"Everybody who uses AI is going to get exponentially stupider, and the stupider they get, the more they’ll need to use AI to be able to do stuff that they were previously able to do with their minds."
It's Breathtaking How Fast AI Is Screwing Up the Education System
Thanks to a new breed of chatbots, American stupidity is escalating at an advanced pace.
gizmodo.com
May 17, 2025 at 7:54 PM
"Everybody who uses AI is going to get exponentially stupider, and the stupider they get, the more they’ll need to use AI to be able to do stuff that they were previously able to do with their minds."
The Reich can't have the USPTO getting in the way of the AI company intellectual property smash and grab.
Trump fires director of U.S. Copyright Office, sources say
Register of Copyrights Shira Perlmutter was appointed to the post by now former Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden, who herself was fired by President Trump earlier this week.
www.cbsnews.com
May 11, 2025 at 3:40 PM
The Reich can't have the USPTO getting in the way of the AI company intellectual property smash and grab.
Well, so far the only tabletop gaming professional I've seen defending the tariffs is someone whose most notable accomplishment in the industry is being the subject of a Rascal News article where their former employees and clients accused them of various predatory abuses. That scans.
April 4, 2025 at 4:36 PM
Well, so far the only tabletop gaming professional I've seen defending the tariffs is someone whose most notable accomplishment in the industry is being the subject of a Rascal News article where their former employees and clients accused them of various predatory abuses. That scans.
The techbro smash and grab AI campaign continues, with the latest push a tacit admission they have been stealing work all along.
OpenAI urges U.S. to allow AI models to train on copyrighted material
The tech giant behind ChatGPT urged the Trump administration to let go of “unnecessarily burdensome” regulations on artificial intelligence.
www.nbcnews.com
March 14, 2025 at 3:41 AM
The techbro smash and grab AI campaign continues, with the latest push a tacit admission they have been stealing work all along.
The Reich and its supporters cannot tolerate empathy. It gets in the way of their aspirations for atrocities.
Moms for Liberty renews its fight against social and emotional learning
The conservative group views the widely used educational approach as a “Trojan horse” for indoctrination, and it’s training parents to help root it out.
www.chalkbeat.org
March 13, 2025 at 9:47 PM
The Reich and its supporters cannot tolerate empathy. It gets in the way of their aspirations for atrocities.
Reposted by James Lowder
WELCOME JAMES LOWDER!
@jameslowder.bsky.social will have a brand new article in one of this year's issues. See other contributors, cool art, exclusives and more: www.backerkit.com/c/projects/b...
@jameslowder.bsky.social will have a brand new article in one of this year's issues. See other contributors, cool art, exclusives and more: www.backerkit.com/c/projects/b...
March 12, 2025 at 3:45 PM
WELCOME JAMES LOWDER!
@jameslowder.bsky.social will have a brand new article in one of this year's issues. See other contributors, cool art, exclusives and more: www.backerkit.com/c/projects/b...
@jameslowder.bsky.social will have a brand new article in one of this year's issues. See other contributors, cool art, exclusives and more: www.backerkit.com/c/projects/b...
If you're putting together your Gary Con schedule, I'll be presenting An Insider History of D&D Fiction on Saturday at 3. It's a free event. Tickets here: tabletop.events/conventions/...
An Insider History of D&D Fiction
tabletop.events
February 16, 2025 at 7:40 PM
If you're putting together your Gary Con schedule, I'll be presenting An Insider History of D&D Fiction on Saturday at 3. It's a free event. Tickets here: tabletop.events/conventions/...
The "fair use" AI scraping defense takes a hit.
Thomson Reuters' AI copyright win blows a hole in AI industry’s fair use defense
Thomson Reuters' AI copyright win blows a hole in AI industry’s fair use defense
www.avclub.com
February 12, 2025 at 12:58 AM
The "fair use" AI scraping defense takes a hit.
Another US ruling confirming you have no claim to copyright protection for your work if you use generative AI. If you're publishing your work or licensing your IP to an outfit feeding their releases into AI, they are potentially undermining your legal protection through the output text or art.
A.I. Art Generated With Text Prompts Cannot Be Copyrighted, U.S. Rules
Art generated by A.I. from a text prompt cannot be copyrighted, according to new guidance from the U.S. Copyright Office.
news.artnet.com
February 10, 2025 at 10:30 PM
Another US ruling confirming you have no claim to copyright protection for your work if you use generative AI. If you're publishing your work or licensing your IP to an outfit feeding their releases into AI, they are potentially undermining your legal protection through the output text or art.
GAMA Expo panelist update. Good stuff!
Tuesday, 5–6 pm:
Building a Long-Term Creative Career in Tabletop
Panelists: Mike Elliott, Bruno Faidutti, Marissa Kelly
Wednesday, noon–1 pm:
Licensing and Transmedia Essentials for the Tabletop Market
Panelists: Nicole Lindroos, Mike Pondsmith, Elisa Teague
Tuesday, 5–6 pm:
Building a Long-Term Creative Career in Tabletop
Panelists: Mike Elliott, Bruno Faidutti, Marissa Kelly
Wednesday, noon–1 pm:
Licensing and Transmedia Essentials for the Tabletop Market
Panelists: Nicole Lindroos, Mike Pondsmith, Elisa Teague
January 29, 2025 at 7:32 PM
GAMA Expo panelist update. Good stuff!
Tuesday, 5–6 pm:
Building a Long-Term Creative Career in Tabletop
Panelists: Mike Elliott, Bruno Faidutti, Marissa Kelly
Wednesday, noon–1 pm:
Licensing and Transmedia Essentials for the Tabletop Market
Panelists: Nicole Lindroos, Mike Pondsmith, Elisa Teague
Tuesday, 5–6 pm:
Building a Long-Term Creative Career in Tabletop
Panelists: Mike Elliott, Bruno Faidutti, Marissa Kelly
Wednesday, noon–1 pm:
Licensing and Transmedia Essentials for the Tabletop Market
Panelists: Nicole Lindroos, Mike Pondsmith, Elisa Teague
TSR/Wizards of the Coast fiction authors, double-check your latest Hasbro royalty statements. Three books for which I should be paid are missing from my audiobook section, another anthology included in error. Royalties for one print/ebook also tallied incorrectly. Mistakes go back several reports.
January 25, 2025 at 8:11 PM
TSR/Wizards of the Coast fiction authors, double-check your latest Hasbro royalty statements. Three books for which I should be paid are missing from my audiobook section, another anthology included in error. Royalties for one print/ebook also tallied incorrectly. Mistakes go back several reports.
Bundle of Holding featuring Shannon Appelcline's essential TTRPG history series Designers & Dragons, along with a terrific Gen Con history from Robin Laws and both Hobby Games: The 100 Best and Family Games: The 100 Best. If you missed the bundle the other times it's been offered, now's your chance.
Designers, Dragons, and More Bundle
Adventurer! For a third time we've resurrected the January 2015 Designers, Dragons, and More Bundle, a fine collection of .PDF ebooks that chronicle the history and highlights of the tabletop roleplay...
bundleofholding.com
January 16, 2025 at 8:25 PM
Bundle of Holding featuring Shannon Appelcline's essential TTRPG history series Designers & Dragons, along with a terrific Gen Con history from Robin Laws and both Hobby Games: The 100 Best and Family Games: The 100 Best. If you missed the bundle the other times it's been offered, now's your chance.
Nice NYT article about fantasy cartographer Karen Wynn Fonstad. I had the opportunity to work with her at TSR as editorial support on The Forgotten Realms Atlas. Very happy to see her and her work getting this well-deserved attention.
Overlooked No More: Karen Wynn Fonstad, Who Mapped Tolkien’s Middle-earth
She was a novice cartographer who landed a dream assignment: to create an atlas of the setting of “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings.”
www.nytimes.com
January 14, 2025 at 2:20 PM
Nice NYT article about fantasy cartographer Karen Wynn Fonstad. I had the opportunity to work with her at TSR as editorial support on The Forgotten Realms Atlas. Very happy to see her and her work getting this well-deserved attention.
Essential reading. Netflix is a case study in tech bros remaking an entire creative market to eliminate both quality as a goal and the possibility of longterm shared success for the people doing the work. Their hyper-predatory Trickle Up vision for the economy doesn't end with media, of course.
Casual Viewing | Will Tavlin
A decade before Airbnb persuaded homeowners to transform their homes into hotels, Netflix convinced its users to turn theirs into mini Netflix warehouses. Customers who held onto their DVDs for longer...
www.nplusonemag.com
December 29, 2024 at 8:54 PM
Essential reading. Netflix is a case study in tech bros remaking an entire creative market to eliminate both quality as a goal and the possibility of longterm shared success for the people doing the work. Their hyper-predatory Trickle Up vision for the economy doesn't end with media, of course.
In anticipation of Public Domain Day 2025, a good piece on what's entering the public domain and why—including, yes, Buck Rogers! (That pained groan you just heard is the reaction from all the post-1984 TSR alum to the mere utterance of the name.)
Public Domain Day 2025 is Coming: Here's What to Know
A new crop of copyrighted works enters the public domain in the United States on January 1, 2025. Here's what it all means.
copyrightlately.com
December 26, 2024 at 10:27 PM
In anticipation of Public Domain Day 2025, a good piece on what's entering the public domain and why—including, yes, Buck Rogers! (That pained groan you just heard is the reaction from all the post-1984 TSR alum to the mere utterance of the name.)
The 2024 edition of my Games to Gift segment ran on Milwaukee Public Radio yesterday. (Fifteenth year, somehow.) Games covered include Adventure Party, Forgery, Life in Reterra, Wyrmspan, Hard Rock: 1977, Devil's Dandy Dogs, and more. The archive page includes my full PDF write-up.
Top games to gift in 2024
Gaming expert James Lowder shares his top picks for 2024 games, including two-player, family and role-playing games suitable for players of all ages and skill levels, with his favorite game taking the...
www.wuwm.com
December 19, 2024 at 7:01 PM
The 2024 edition of my Games to Gift segment ran on Milwaukee Public Radio yesterday. (Fifteenth year, somehow.) Games covered include Adventure Party, Forgery, Life in Reterra, Wyrmspan, Hard Rock: 1977, Devil's Dandy Dogs, and more. The archive page includes my full PDF write-up.
If you're putting together your potential schedule for Gary Con, I'll be presenting "An Insider History of D&D Fiction" on Saturday afternoon. Details here:
An Insider History of D&D Fiction
tabletop.events
December 18, 2024 at 11:01 PM
If you're putting together your potential schedule for Gary Con, I'll be presenting "An Insider History of D&D Fiction" on Saturday afternoon. Details here: