John Chu
@johnchu.bsky.social
The writer who won the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus Awards. Not the movie director. (He/him/his) Mastodon: @john_chu@wandering.shop
Pinned
John Chu
@johnchu.bsky.social
· May 6
My novel, The Subtle Art of Folding Space, has a cover!
Read about repairing physics, unreasonable parental expectations, and great Taiwanese food! Out on April 7, 2026. Pre-order now: t.co/0nz8JuNhwf
Art credits: Jacket art by Weston Wei, Jacket Design by Katie Klimowicz.
Read about repairing physics, unreasonable parental expectations, and great Taiwanese food! Out on April 7, 2026. Pre-order now: t.co/0nz8JuNhwf
Art credits: Jacket art by Weston Wei, Jacket Design by Katie Klimowicz.
Reposted by John Chu
The Gay Men's Chorus?
Yup, canceled.
BY THE KENNEDY CENTER.
Yup, canceled.
BY THE KENNEDY CENTER.
December 29, 2025 at 2:17 AM
The Gay Men's Chorus?
Yup, canceled.
BY THE KENNEDY CENTER.
Yup, canceled.
BY THE KENNEDY CENTER.
Reposted by John Chu
Issa Rae canceled a sold-out run at the Kennedy Center, indeed she did.
IN FEBRUARY.
IN FEBRUARY.
December 29, 2025 at 2:15 AM
Issa Rae canceled a sold-out run at the Kennedy Center, indeed she did.
IN FEBRUARY.
IN FEBRUARY.
Reposted by John Chu
Everyone is being very hard on Vichy homosexual Ric Grenell about this, and...please continue.
The Kennedy Center is planning legal action after jazz musician Chuck Redd canceled an annual holiday concert. Redd pulled out after President Trump's name appeared on the building. n.pr/49tB0uS
Kennedy Center vows to sue musician who canceled performance over Trump name change
The Kennedy Center is planning legal action after jazz musician Chuck Redd canceled an annual holiday concert. Redd pulled out after President Trump's name appeared on the building.
n.pr
December 29, 2025 at 12:03 AM
Everyone is being very hard on Vichy homosexual Ric Grenell about this, and...please continue.
Reposted by John Chu
You don't need AI as an indie author, you need community. You need people who can help you when you're burning out (and vice versa, importantly). Trade labor with each other, beta read for one another, connect with editors and cover artists. Teach & learn. Help promote one another.
December 28, 2025 at 6:34 PM
You don't need AI as an indie author, you need community. You need people who can help you when you're burning out (and vice versa, importantly). Trade labor with each other, beta read for one another, connect with editors and cover artists. Teach & learn. Help promote one another.
Reposted by John Chu
I’m sorry, this is just not correct. There were members that wanted to impeach Trump on Jan. 6.
Many people said if you waited, GOP outrage would fade. It did.
Pelosi spent days only cautiously committing to impeach, and fussing around with absurd stuff like 25th Amendment remedies.
Many people said if you waited, GOP outrage would fade. It did.
Pelosi spent days only cautiously committing to impeach, and fussing around with absurd stuff like 25th Amendment remedies.
McConnell adjourned the senate for two weeks the next day. There was no slow walk and this idea that republicans could have been tricked into being good but we just decided not to is giving them an out they don’t deserve.
December 28, 2025 at 11:58 PM
I’m sorry, this is just not correct. There were members that wanted to impeach Trump on Jan. 6.
Many people said if you waited, GOP outrage would fade. It did.
Pelosi spent days only cautiously committing to impeach, and fussing around with absurd stuff like 25th Amendment remedies.
Many people said if you waited, GOP outrage would fade. It did.
Pelosi spent days only cautiously committing to impeach, and fussing around with absurd stuff like 25th Amendment remedies.
Reposted by John Chu
It’s almost as if this was the intended outcome
December 29, 2025 at 1:20 AM
It’s almost as if this was the intended outcome
Reposted by John Chu
Yes indeed, Hamilton canceled its 2026 run at the Kennedy Center.
NINE MONTHS AGO.
NINE MONTHS AGO.
December 29, 2025 at 2:14 AM
Yes indeed, Hamilton canceled its 2026 run at the Kennedy Center.
NINE MONTHS AGO.
NINE MONTHS AGO.
Reposted by John Chu
🧵
New, from me: The NYT reporter who specializes in profiles of beleaguered right-wingers on campus went to New College...and found out that things were going ok!
So let me explain some pretty massive errors of omission: 🧵
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-nyt-re...
So let me explain some pretty massive errors of omission: 🧵
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-nyt-re...
The NYT Recruiting Brochure for New College
A failing Ron DeSantis higher ed experiment gets a boost
donmoynihan.substack.com
December 29, 2025 at 2:12 AM
🧵
Reposted by John Chu
The lunatics are running the asylum. Everyone who dealt with this asshole knew what he would do if he had power. It’s up to state & local officials AND PARENTS to push back as hard as they can.
From me, 2016. Even Devin Nunes realized we were headed to insanity:
www.fastcompany.com/3059742/soci...
From me, 2016. Even Devin Nunes realized we were headed to insanity:
www.fastcompany.com/3059742/soci...
December 29, 2025 at 2:01 AM
The lunatics are running the asylum. Everyone who dealt with this asshole knew what he would do if he had power. It’s up to state & local officials AND PARENTS to push back as hard as they can.
From me, 2016. Even Devin Nunes realized we were headed to insanity:
www.fastcompany.com/3059742/soci...
From me, 2016. Even Devin Nunes realized we were headed to insanity:
www.fastcompany.com/3059742/soci...
Reposted by John Chu
A reminder: DJTrump was president in 2019.
Julie K. Brown is a reporter for the Miami Herald who did groundbreaking work on Epstein beginning in 2018, including groundbreaking work on the disgusting coverup by Alex Acosta.
Her travel itinerary was released with some of the Epstein files. It appears the DOJ was monitoring her in 2019.
Her travel itinerary was released with some of the Epstein files. It appears the DOJ was monitoring her in 2019.
December 29, 2025 at 1:44 AM
A reminder: DJTrump was president in 2019.
Reposted by John Chu
Trump had Mike Johnson remove Turner as House Intel Chair because he was perceived as too sympathetic to Ukraine. Turner was upset at the time and called it out. But now he’s a completely broken and beaten man. bsky.app/profile/atru...
KARL: What side of Russia-Ukraine is Trump on?
GOP REP. MIKE TURNER: I, you know, clearly, ummp, Trump is on the side of peace
GOP REP. MIKE TURNER: I, you know, clearly, ummp, Trump is on the side of peace
December 29, 2025 at 1:53 AM
Trump had Mike Johnson remove Turner as House Intel Chair because he was perceived as too sympathetic to Ukraine. Turner was upset at the time and called it out. But now he’s a completely broken and beaten man. bsky.app/profile/atru...
Reposted by John Chu
i don’t think it’s a societal problem that young people tend to want to be able to write down things they aren’t ready to say to another person! that’s normal. it’s a societal problem that the place they’re likely to want to write them down might encourage them to kill themselves
December 29, 2025 at 1:56 AM
i don’t think it’s a societal problem that young people tend to want to be able to write down things they aren’t ready to say to another person! that’s normal. it’s a societal problem that the place they’re likely to want to write them down might encourage them to kill themselves
Reposted by John Chu
if chatgpt didn’t do those things, it would probably still be unhealthy for kids to use it as an interactive diary, since it’s built to be obsequious in a way that can’t be good for developing brains, but also it does do those things
December 29, 2025 at 1:53 AM
if chatgpt didn’t do those things, it would probably still be unhealthy for kids to use it as an interactive diary, since it’s built to be obsequious in a way that can’t be good for developing brains, but also it does do those things
Reposted by John Chu
young people have always looked for a safe place to put their secrets that can’t judge their feelings! it’s why kids like to keep diaries. the difference is that a notebook will never actively encourage mental illness or explicitly validate suicidal ideation
i wonder if anyone is going to ask the other question: why are kids confiding in AI how they feel about *insert mental health topic* and not confiding in a real person? or are we just going to use this as another “AI bad” thing and move on?
getting rid of AI won’t fix the problems that got us here
getting rid of AI won’t fix the problems that got us here
December 29, 2025 at 1:48 AM
young people have always looked for a safe place to put their secrets that can’t judge their feelings! it’s why kids like to keep diaries. the difference is that a notebook will never actively encourage mental illness or explicitly validate suicidal ideation
Reposted by John Chu
I do wonder what happens when OpenAI goes bankrupt, though. Its models _will_ be sold; any or maybe even all of its creditors could wind up with them. When big chemical factories go bust, their chemicals don't get cleaned up; they wind up in the ground and the water.
December 29, 2025 at 1:53 AM
I do wonder what happens when OpenAI goes bankrupt, though. Its models _will_ be sold; any or maybe even all of its creditors could wind up with them. When big chemical factories go bust, their chemicals don't get cleaned up; they wind up in the ground and the water.
Reposted by John Chu
huh
"After completing the study, developers estimate that allowing AI reduced completion time by 20%. Surprisingly, we find that allowing AI actually increases completion time by 19%--AI tooling slowed developers down."
arxiv.org/abs/2507.09089
"After completing the study, developers estimate that allowing AI reduced completion time by 20%. Surprisingly, we find that allowing AI actually increases completion time by 19%--AI tooling slowed developers down."
arxiv.org/abs/2507.09089
Measuring the Impact of Early-2025 AI on Experienced Open-Source Developer Productivity
Despite widespread adoption, the impact of AI tools on software development in the wild remains understudied. We conduct a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to understand how AI tools at the February-...
arxiv.org
December 28, 2025 at 9:58 PM
huh
"After completing the study, developers estimate that allowing AI reduced completion time by 20%. Surprisingly, we find that allowing AI actually increases completion time by 19%--AI tooling slowed developers down."
arxiv.org/abs/2507.09089
"After completing the study, developers estimate that allowing AI reduced completion time by 20%. Surprisingly, we find that allowing AI actually increases completion time by 19%--AI tooling slowed developers down."
arxiv.org/abs/2507.09089
Reposted by John Chu
"...we argue that LLMs are not epistemic agents but stochastic pattern-completion systems, formally describable as walks on high-dimensional graphs of linguistic transitions rather than as systems that form beliefs or models of the world..."
arxiv.org/abs/2512.194...
arxiv.org/abs/2512.194...
Epistemological Fault Lines Between Human and Artificial Intelligence
Large language models (LLMs) are widely described as artificial intelligence, yet their epistemic profile diverges sharply from human cognition. Here we show that the apparent alignment between human ...
arxiv.org
December 28, 2025 at 10:20 PM
"...we argue that LLMs are not epistemic agents but stochastic pattern-completion systems, formally describable as walks on high-dimensional graphs of linguistic transitions rather than as systems that form beliefs or models of the world..."
arxiv.org/abs/2512.194...
arxiv.org/abs/2512.194...
Reposted by John Chu
New, from me: The NYT reporter who specializes in profiles of beleaguered right-wingers on campus went to New College...and found out that things were going ok!
So let me explain some pretty massive errors of omission: 🧵
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-nyt-re...
So let me explain some pretty massive errors of omission: 🧵
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-nyt-re...
The NYT Recruiting Brochure for New College
A failing Ron DeSantis higher ed experiment gets a boost
donmoynihan.substack.com
December 28, 2025 at 7:50 PM
New, from me: The NYT reporter who specializes in profiles of beleaguered right-wingers on campus went to New College...and found out that things were going ok!
So let me explain some pretty massive errors of omission: 🧵
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-nyt-re...
So let me explain some pretty massive errors of omission: 🧵
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-nyt-re...
Reposted by John Chu
this is big, and it’s wild that it needed to be crystallized into law. the 2022 anti-homeless craze that afflicted blue state govs and mayors was (and is) so callous and murderous.
A small victory for people and direct services organizations who help their unhoused neighbors in California: As of January 1, it should (theoretically!) be illegal to punish people for offering outreach and support.
Cities can’t punish outreach workers for helping homeless Californians under new law
A new California law going into effect Jan. 1, 2026 prevents cities from penalizing outreach workers who provide services at homeless encampments.
calmatters.org
December 28, 2025 at 7:42 PM
this is big, and it’s wild that it needed to be crystallized into law. the 2022 anti-homeless craze that afflicted blue state govs and mayors was (and is) so callous and murderous.
Reposted by John Chu
Issa Rae has canceled her sold out performance at the Kennedy Center. Pulitzer Prize winner Rhiannon Giddens, Peter Wolf, Low Cut Connie, and the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, D.C., have also canceled. Lin-Manuel Miranda has canceled the entire Kennedy Center run of Hamilton.
December 28, 2025 at 11:07 PM
Issa Rae has canceled her sold out performance at the Kennedy Center. Pulitzer Prize winner Rhiannon Giddens, Peter Wolf, Low Cut Connie, and the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, D.C., have also canceled. Lin-Manuel Miranda has canceled the entire Kennedy Center run of Hamilton.
Reposted by John Chu
"I think AI is only inevitable when we believe the lie of its inevitability." This. All of this. Everything he said.
Apparently I'm doing this -- my open letter to that open latter about AI in writing and publishing. I emerged from Hibernation Week to write it, so god only knows how much sense it makes. But at least a human wrote it, so that's nice.
Bonus: picture of my "cat," sweet baby Boomba.
Bonus: picture of my "cat," sweet baby Boomba.
My Open Letter To That Open Letter About AI In Writing And Publishing
The tl;dr before you get into this post is this: the SFWA came out, said that some AI usage was okay enough in books for the authors of those books to not to be disqualified from winning a Nebula a…
terribleminds.com
December 28, 2025 at 11:01 PM
"I think AI is only inevitable when we believe the lie of its inevitability." This. All of this. Everything he said.
Reposted by John Chu
(Grammarly, OTOH, *is* LLM-based.)
(Yes, there are Small Language Models and other generative AI that can run on device, but currently not the dominant form or all that effective.)
(Yes, there are Small Language Models and other generative AI that can run on device, but currently not the dominant form or all that effective.)
December 28, 2025 at 11:00 PM
(Grammarly, OTOH, *is* LLM-based.)
(Yes, there are Small Language Models and other generative AI that can run on device, but currently not the dominant form or all that effective.)
(Yes, there are Small Language Models and other generative AI that can run on device, but currently not the dominant form or all that effective.)
Reposted by John Chu
To add a couple of other points to Chuck's excellent letter: the conflation of LLMs (ChatGPT and the like) with other forms of machine learning is EVERYWHERE and it's very annoying. No, spellcheck in MS word is not the same thing as ChatGPT.
December 28, 2025 at 11:00 PM
To add a couple of other points to Chuck's excellent letter: the conflation of LLMs (ChatGPT and the like) with other forms of machine learning is EVERYWHERE and it's very annoying. No, spellcheck in MS word is not the same thing as ChatGPT.
Reposted by John Chu
I was going to write this but Chuck has kindly done it for me.
The weird thing is I'm not hostile to Erin's basic point -- I *do* think that using AI for things that are not *writing the words in your book*, while not good, should not be disqualifying.
The weird thing is I'm not hostile to Erin's basic point -- I *do* think that using AI for things that are not *writing the words in your book*, while not good, should not be disqualifying.
Apparently I'm doing this -- my open letter to that open latter about AI in writing and publishing. I emerged from Hibernation Week to write it, so god only knows how much sense it makes. But at least a human wrote it, so that's nice.
Bonus: picture of my "cat," sweet baby Boomba.
Bonus: picture of my "cat," sweet baby Boomba.
My Open Letter To That Open Letter About AI In Writing And Publishing
The tl;dr before you get into this post is this: the SFWA came out, said that some AI usage was okay enough in books for the authors of those books to not to be disqualified from winning a Nebula a…
terribleminds.com
December 28, 2025 at 11:00 PM
I was going to write this but Chuck has kindly done it for me.
The weird thing is I'm not hostile to Erin's basic point -- I *do* think that using AI for things that are not *writing the words in your book*, while not good, should not be disqualifying.
The weird thing is I'm not hostile to Erin's basic point -- I *do* think that using AI for things that are not *writing the words in your book*, while not good, should not be disqualifying.