Jo Zebedee@TheSecretBookshelf
@jozebwrites.bsky.social
Writes blasting sci fi and fantasy. Dogsbody at Secret Bookshelf Carrickfergus. Consultant in all things management
Reposted by Jo Zebedee@TheSecretBookshelf
Of all the easy things you can do to help the environment, conserve water for communities not corporations, not perpetuate scams, support the labor and rights of creators... *not* using generative AI is the fucking easiest. You absolutely deserve to be shamed for using it for image and text creation
February 6, 2026 at 10:18 PM
Of all the easy things you can do to help the environment, conserve water for communities not corporations, not perpetuate scams, support the labor and rights of creators... *not* using generative AI is the fucking easiest. You absolutely deserve to be shamed for using it for image and text creation
Reposted by Jo Zebedee@TheSecretBookshelf
The Washington Post has laid off every reporter and editor covering the Middle East and Ukraine. Looks like Trump doesn’t want any reporting of those critical areas.
February 6, 2026 at 5:52 PM
The Washington Post has laid off every reporter and editor covering the Middle East and Ukraine. Looks like Trump doesn’t want any reporting of those critical areas.
Reposted by Jo Zebedee@TheSecretBookshelf
Thanks to @martindoyle.bsky.social for covering our SOLO shortlisting double-whammy news!
“[G]etting onto on to the same major shortlists as publishers that measure their turnover in the hundreds of millions is what gets us out of bed on a cold wet morning!”
www.irishtimes.com/culture/book...
“[G]etting onto on to the same major shortlists as publishers that measure their turnover in the hundreds of millions is what gets us out of bed on a cold wet morning!”
www.irishtimes.com/culture/book...
Children’s Books Ireland Awards shortlist revealed
Paul Howard takes on a united Ireland; lots more book news and events; and please take part in our books newsletter survey
www.irishtimes.com
February 6, 2026 at 2:39 PM
Thanks to @martindoyle.bsky.social for covering our SOLO shortlisting double-whammy news!
“[G]etting onto on to the same major shortlists as publishers that measure their turnover in the hundreds of millions is what gets us out of bed on a cold wet morning!”
www.irishtimes.com/culture/book...
“[G]etting onto on to the same major shortlists as publishers that measure their turnover in the hundreds of millions is what gets us out of bed on a cold wet morning!”
www.irishtimes.com/culture/book...
Reposted by Jo Zebedee@TheSecretBookshelf
I asked if I could write a review of The #Muppet Show 50th Anniversary Special and they said yes jrnl.ie/6948013
I asked if I could write a review of The Muppet Show 50th Anniversary Special and they said yes
It’s not easy being greenlit.
jrnl.ie
February 6, 2026 at 2:21 PM
I asked if I could write a review of The #Muppet Show 50th Anniversary Special and they said yes jrnl.ie/6948013
Reposted by Jo Zebedee@TheSecretBookshelf
We’re delighted to have writer RB Kelly joining us as a guest, who grew up in Northern Ireland and started writing stories as soon as she was old enough to hold a pen. Her debut novel, Edge of Heaven, was shortlisted for the Arthur C Clarke Award.
February 5, 2026 at 4:23 PM
We’re delighted to have writer RB Kelly joining us as a guest, who grew up in Northern Ireland and started writing stories as soon as she was old enough to hold a pen. Her debut novel, Edge of Heaven, was shortlisted for the Arthur C Clarke Award.
Reposted by Jo Zebedee@TheSecretBookshelf
I'm reading Shroud at the moment (physical copy, from The Secret Bookshelf in Carrickfergus) - *loving* it - it's superb!! (Both the book and the shop) @aptshadow.bsky.social @jozebwrites.bsky.social
February 5, 2026 at 1:25 PM
I'm reading Shroud at the moment (physical copy, from The Secret Bookshelf in Carrickfergus) - *loving* it - it's superb!! (Both the book and the shop) @aptshadow.bsky.social @jozebwrites.bsky.social
@norncon.bsky.social - @aptshadow.bsky.social will be a guest of honour!
I'm reading Shroud at the moment (physical copy, from The Secret Bookshelf in Carrickfergus) - *loving* it - it's superb!! (Both the book and the shop) @aptshadow.bsky.social @jozebwrites.bsky.social
February 5, 2026 at 2:54 PM
@norncon.bsky.social - @aptshadow.bsky.social will be a guest of honour!
Reposted by Jo Zebedee@TheSecretBookshelf
Listen, this headline is a better endorsement of the Digital Services Act than any 1000 words I could come up with.
There has been criticism of the European Union's Digital Services Act at a committee hearing in the United States.
Linehan among critics in US of EU Digital Services Act
There has been criticism of the European Union's Digital Services Act at a committee hearing in the United States.
www.rte.ie
February 4, 2026 at 9:58 PM
Listen, this headline is a better endorsement of the Digital Services Act than any 1000 words I could come up with.
Reposted by Jo Zebedee@TheSecretBookshelf
Democracy Dies Right There In Front Of You, While You’re Watching.
‘It’s an absolute bloodbath’: Washington Post lays off hundreds of workers
Former Post executive editor blasts owner Jeff Bezos’s ‘sickening efforts to curry favor’ with Trump
www.theguardian.com
February 4, 2026 at 6:37 PM
Democracy Dies Right There In Front Of You, While You’re Watching.
Reposted by Jo Zebedee@TheSecretBookshelf
Well now, would you look at that? A massive, 4-YEAR-LONG study of NEARLY 30 MILLION people in France found that individuals who received a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine had a 74% LOWER risk of death from severe COVID-19 compared to unvaccinated individuals and ZERO increased risk of all-cause mortality.
February 3, 2026 at 5:00 PM
Well now, would you look at that? A massive, 4-YEAR-LONG study of NEARLY 30 MILLION people in France found that individuals who received a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine had a 74% LOWER risk of death from severe COVID-19 compared to unvaccinated individuals and ZERO increased risk of all-cause mortality.
Reposted by Jo Zebedee@TheSecretBookshelf
We have enough evidence for UBI in general that this policy should be a given. But the difference is, to understand UBI works is to believe that people are fundamentally good. And a big chunk of society is built around the belief, *must maintain the belief* that people are fundamentally bad.
"By the end of the two-year period, 94% of participants reported they were housed."
A million pilot programs show the same thing: when people are given enough money to afford housing, homelessness ends.
Other supports matter, but housing comes first. Not policing. Not moralizing. Homes.
A million pilot programs show the same thing: when people are given enough money to afford housing, homelessness ends.
Other supports matter, but housing comes first. Not policing. Not moralizing. Homes.
Homeless Oregon youth got $1,000 a month for two years. Most found housing after • Oregon Capital Chronicle
Oregon is the second of its kind in the nation to implement the direct cash transfer program after New York City.
oregoncapitalchronicle.com
February 4, 2026 at 2:54 PM
We have enough evidence for UBI in general that this policy should be a given. But the difference is, to understand UBI works is to believe that people are fundamentally good. And a big chunk of society is built around the belief, *must maintain the belief* that people are fundamentally bad.
This is me. Makes description fun
'for an estimated 4% of people, this mental imagery is weak or absent. When researchers ask them to imagine something familiar, they might have a concept of what it is, and words and associations might come to mind, but they describe their mind’s eye as dark or even blank.'
Many people have no mental imagery. What’s going on in their brains?
People with aphantasia are offering a window into consciousness.
www.nature.com
February 4, 2026 at 12:22 PM
This is me. Makes description fun
Reposted by Jo Zebedee@TheSecretBookshelf
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić on local TV: “These Epstein documents are appearing, and I now expect a strike on Iran and other major developments within the next 48 hours.”
February 1, 2026 at 2:47 PM
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić on local TV: “These Epstein documents are appearing, and I now expect a strike on Iran and other major developments within the next 48 hours.”
Reposted by Jo Zebedee@TheSecretBookshelf
In this interview, I talk about children’s books, writing and illustration as trades, and offer advice to people still developing skills, including the importance of finding the joy in your work, especially when things get tough. @litkidsmagazine.bsky.social.
#SpeirGorm #Writing #Art #Illustration
#SpeirGorm #Writing #Art #Illustration
Our new interview with Irish writer-illustrator @oisinmcgann.bsky.social is enlightening for artists and authors alike! Please read, share, and give him a follow to promote his marvelous work. Keep shining! ✨
www.litkidsmagazine.com/post/ois%C3%...
#kidlit #writers #authors #artists #illustrators
www.litkidsmagazine.com/post/ois%C3%...
#kidlit #writers #authors #artists #illustrators
Oisín McGann - Prolific Writer-Illustrator
Oisín McGann was born in 1973 in Dublin, Ireland, and grew up there and in Drogheda, County Louth. He studied at Ballyfermot Senior College and then Dun Laoghaire School of Art and Design, before goin...
https://www.litkidsmagazine.com/post/oisín-mcgann-prolific-writer-illustrator
February 1, 2026 at 1:32 PM
In this interview, I talk about children’s books, writing and illustration as trades, and offer advice to people still developing skills, including the importance of finding the joy in your work, especially when things get tough. @litkidsmagazine.bsky.social.
#SpeirGorm #Writing #Art #Illustration
#SpeirGorm #Writing #Art #Illustration
Our next guest announcement is the inimitable Jack Fennell - a writer and researcher who teaches at the University of Limerick. He is the editor of three fiction anthologies collecting lesser-known Irish science fiction, fantasy and horror stories respectively.
February 1, 2026 at 12:50 PM
Reposted by Jo Zebedee@TheSecretBookshelf
Epstein survivors joint statement condemning the latest release.
January 30, 2026 at 11:30 PM
Epstein survivors joint statement condemning the latest release.
Reposted by Jo Zebedee@TheSecretBookshelf
Flood the zone.
Flood the zone.
Flood the zone.
Grift
Grift
Grift
Flood the zone.
Flood the zone.
Grift
Grift
Grift
a woman says over and over on bravo
ALT: a woman says over and over on bravo
media.tenor.com
January 29, 2026 at 11:20 PM
Flood the zone.
Flood the zone.
Flood the zone.
Grift
Grift
Grift
Flood the zone.
Flood the zone.
Grift
Grift
Grift
Reposted by Jo Zebedee@TheSecretBookshelf
GOOD NEWS! For the FIRST time ever, researchers have developed a targeted combination therapy that has successfully AND completely ELIMINATED KRAS-driven pancreatic tumors in experimental models. Tumors regressed COMPLETELY with NO recurrence OR major side effects. Let’s talk about that!
January 29, 2026 at 5:00 PM
GOOD NEWS! For the FIRST time ever, researchers have developed a targeted combination therapy that has successfully AND completely ELIMINATED KRAS-driven pancreatic tumors in experimental models. Tumors regressed COMPLETELY with NO recurrence OR major side effects. Let’s talk about that!
Reposted by Jo Zebedee@TheSecretBookshelf
January 29, 2026 at 12:08 PM
Eeee! Putting the gang back together
Lots of guest announcements to come starting with an author we love - Ruth Frances Long/ Jessica Thorne who writes romance and fantasy from the heart which often strays into weird and wonderful liminal places.
@rflong.bsky.social
@rflong.bsky.social
January 29, 2026 at 12:04 PM
Eeee! Putting the gang back together
Reposted by Jo Zebedee@TheSecretBookshelf
Meanwhile the U.S. government just shed **10,000*** STEM PhDs from the federal workforce in a single year.
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
January 28, 2026 at 4:24 PM
Meanwhile the U.S. government just shed **10,000*** STEM PhDs from the federal workforce in a single year.
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
Reposted by Jo Zebedee@TheSecretBookshelf
So when RFK Jr. says “We reviewed the science, listened to the experts, and acted.”
No, no you didn’t.
No, no you didn’t.
January 27, 2026 at 5:08 PM
So when RFK Jr. says “We reviewed the science, listened to the experts, and acted.”
No, no you didn’t.
No, no you didn’t.
Reposted by Jo Zebedee@TheSecretBookshelf
Kare 11 local news just read, in full, this statement from Michael and Susan Pretti, the parents of Alex Pretti.
"Please get the truth out about our son."
"Please get the truth out about our son."
January 25, 2026 at 12:43 AM
Kare 11 local news just read, in full, this statement from Michael and Susan Pretti, the parents of Alex Pretti.
"Please get the truth out about our son."
"Please get the truth out about our son."
Yesterday I was filling in an application, cutting words and making sure criteria were hit, and was advised to use AI instead. Quicker. Does a good job.
But not with my voice and thoughts. Honestly we are losing our skills to think, to work, and in those skills are our intrinsic motivation, too.
But not with my voice and thoughts. Honestly we are losing our skills to think, to work, and in those skills are our intrinsic motivation, too.
January 23, 2026 at 8:57 AM
Yesterday I was filling in an application, cutting words and making sure criteria were hit, and was advised to use AI instead. Quicker. Does a good job.
But not with my voice and thoughts. Honestly we are losing our skills to think, to work, and in those skills are our intrinsic motivation, too.
But not with my voice and thoughts. Honestly we are losing our skills to think, to work, and in those skills are our intrinsic motivation, too.
Reposted by Jo Zebedee@TheSecretBookshelf
ok it is easy to dunk on this,
but, we must remember, it is also v v important to do so
but, we must remember, it is also v v important to do so
January 23, 2026 at 6:59 AM
ok it is easy to dunk on this,
but, we must remember, it is also v v important to do so
but, we must remember, it is also v v important to do so