Patrick O'Duffy
@patrickoduffy.bsky.social
I used to write things.
Maybe I will again.
Maybe I will again.
Reposted by Patrick O'Duffy
When you're writing a tabletop roleplaying game, the mechanics should evoke the atmosphere you want in your story.
A simple example: we're writing a cozy woodland mystery game. What are the combat mechanics like? Well, clearly there aren't any. Combat isn't part of our cozy woodland story.
But...
A simple example: we're writing a cozy woodland mystery game. What are the combat mechanics like? Well, clearly there aren't any. Combat isn't part of our cozy woodland story.
But...
November 16, 2025 at 9:13 PM
When you're writing a tabletop roleplaying game, the mechanics should evoke the atmosphere you want in your story.
A simple example: we're writing a cozy woodland mystery game. What are the combat mechanics like? Well, clearly there aren't any. Combat isn't part of our cozy woodland story.
But...
A simple example: we're writing a cozy woodland mystery game. What are the combat mechanics like? Well, clearly there aren't any. Combat isn't part of our cozy woodland story.
But...
Jesus shit.
Remember folks, a real publisher won't ask you to pay them money to make your book.
(they will instead ask you to work a third, unpaid job to market and promote your book for them)
www.theguardian.com/books/2025/n...
Remember folks, a real publisher won't ask you to pay them money to make your book.
(they will instead ask you to work a third, unpaid job to market and promote your book for them)
www.theguardian.com/books/2025/n...
Lost in the plot: how would-be authors were fooled by AI staff and virtual offices in suspected global publishing scam
Book publishing websites in Australia, the UK and New Zealand appear to be using fake testimonials and AI staff pages to lure aspiring writers into handing over their money
www.theguardian.com
November 16, 2025 at 8:14 PM
Jesus shit.
Remember folks, a real publisher won't ask you to pay them money to make your book.
(they will instead ask you to work a third, unpaid job to market and promote your book for them)
www.theguardian.com/books/2025/n...
Remember folks, a real publisher won't ask you to pay them money to make your book.
(they will instead ask you to work a third, unpaid job to market and promote your book for them)
www.theguardian.com/books/2025/n...
Reposted by Patrick O'Duffy
Sexual harassment is a productivity tax on women in STEM
Imagine the things we could do with our time if we didn’t have to do this bsky.app/profile/chan...
I did my job. And then I did a job that never should have been my responsibility afterwards, sending emails and having meetings about how this was allowed to happen in the first place. Other women scholars had to spend their time explaining to Aspen leadership why this was not ok.
November 16, 2025 at 7:35 PM
Sexual harassment is a productivity tax on women in STEM
Reposted by Patrick O'Duffy
Hey! Here is a really important distinction:
satire
vs.
being shitty, but in a jokey tone
satire
vs.
being shitty, but in a jokey tone
November 12, 2025 at 8:42 PM
Hey! Here is a really important distinction:
satire
vs.
being shitty, but in a jokey tone
satire
vs.
being shitty, but in a jokey tone
the new Florence and the Machine album is uhhhhh real fuckin' good folks
youtu.be/ECZdOYJZ91c
youtu.be/ECZdOYJZ91c
The Old Religion
YouTube video by Florence + the Machine - Topic
youtu.be
November 12, 2025 at 5:12 AM
the new Florence and the Machine album is uhhhhh real fuckin' good folks
youtu.be/ECZdOYJZ91c
youtu.be/ECZdOYJZ91c
Reposted by Patrick O'Duffy
Makes me think of MAO II where DeLillo is talking (in 1991) about how terrorists now occupy the space novelists once held. Novelists once dangerously influenced mass consciousness, now they don't, and terrorists have seized their role.
Oates is from the last generation still trained to kill.
Oates is from the last generation still trained to kill.
“whatever club he’s invited to join has been devalued by the invitation”
November 11, 2025 at 5:00 AM
Makes me think of MAO II where DeLillo is talking (in 1991) about how terrorists now occupy the space novelists once held. Novelists once dangerously influenced mass consciousness, now they don't, and terrorists have seized their role.
Oates is from the last generation still trained to kill.
Oates is from the last generation still trained to kill.
Reposted by Patrick O'Duffy
My post on Gough: "Gough dreamed of a country that never was, and asked why not?"
thepoint.com.au/opinions/251...
thepoint.com.au/opinions/251...
Gough dreamed of a country that never was, and asked why not?
The point.com.au
thepoint.com.au
November 10, 2025 at 9:49 PM
My post on Gough: "Gough dreamed of a country that never was, and asked why not?"
thepoint.com.au/opinions/251...
thepoint.com.au/opinions/251...
Reposted by Patrick O'Duffy
A rare interview with the creators of the always-funny, always-brilliant, and *usually*-sexy—or occasionally anti-sexy—OGLAF!
Cooper has kept a low profile over the years, but is legitimately one of the very best artists in comics today. Read OGLAF if you're old enough to drive!
Cooper has kept a low profile over the years, but is legitimately one of the very best artists in comics today. Read OGLAF if you're old enough to drive!
Talking Oglaf with Trudy Cooper and Doug Bayne: 'We'd stay up all night drawing stuff to make each other laugh' - The Comics Journal
Other than some time off every year for Christmas, Trudy Cooper and Doug Bayne have delivered a new Oglaf comic, skewering fantasy tropes with absolutely not safe for work humor, every week since 2008...
www.tcj.com
November 10, 2025 at 6:42 PM
A rare interview with the creators of the always-funny, always-brilliant, and *usually*-sexy—or occasionally anti-sexy—OGLAF!
Cooper has kept a low profile over the years, but is legitimately one of the very best artists in comics today. Read OGLAF if you're old enough to drive!
Cooper has kept a low profile over the years, but is legitimately one of the very best artists in comics today. Read OGLAF if you're old enough to drive!
Reposted by Patrick O'Duffy
Probably a good way to tell right now if the job you’re applying for is run by absolute dumbfucks is to ask if they’re using AI.
"The AI industry’s most important product at this moment is not a chatbot or a video generator; it’s the story the AI industry is telling about itself.... According to an MIT study, 95% of businesses that have deployed generative AI have gotten no value from it." www.theringer.com/2025/11/04/t...
How Catastrophic Is It If the AI Bubble Bursts? An FAQ.
The AI industry's most important product is not a chatbot or a video generator; it's the story the AI industry is telling about itself
www.theringer.com
November 8, 2025 at 6:12 AM
Probably a good way to tell right now if the job you’re applying for is run by absolute dumbfucks is to ask if they’re using AI.
Reposted by Patrick O'Duffy
I have absolutely no interest in middle ground or compromise on any human rights, for roughly the same reasons that I have absolutely no interest in allowing a leopard to eat only *part* of my face.
November 6, 2025 at 9:22 PM
I have absolutely no interest in middle ground or compromise on any human rights, for roughly the same reasons that I have absolutely no interest in allowing a leopard to eat only *part* of my face.
Reposted by Patrick O'Duffy
I MAY BE STUPID , - dashare.zone ADMIN
November 5, 2025 at 9:26 PM
I MAY BE STUPID , - dashare.zone ADMIN
Reposted by Patrick O'Duffy
if there's a reason a lot of non-NYers and non-Americans are following this it's because we have all seen our own establishments tell us these kinds of wins aren't possible, that compromise and passivity are the only ways to unseat fascism, and we have seen that backfire in every single instance.
November 5, 2025 at 3:00 AM
if there's a reason a lot of non-NYers and non-Americans are following this it's because we have all seen our own establishments tell us these kinds of wins aren't possible, that compromise and passivity are the only ways to unseat fascism, and we have seen that backfire in every single instance.
Reposted by Patrick O'Duffy
Today's quote from @mattsheridan.bsky.social I'll be stealing for later use:
"They've been being fed this shit for so long that now their only two options are either admitting they've been eating shit this entire time, or spending the rest of their lives pretending they love the taste of shit."
"They've been being fed this shit for so long that now their only two options are either admitting they've been eating shit this entire time, or spending the rest of their lives pretending they love the taste of shit."
October 23, 2025 at 5:08 PM
Today's quote from @mattsheridan.bsky.social I'll be stealing for later use:
"They've been being fed this shit for so long that now their only two options are either admitting they've been eating shit this entire time, or spending the rest of their lives pretending they love the taste of shit."
"They've been being fed this shit for so long that now their only two options are either admitting they've been eating shit this entire time, or spending the rest of their lives pretending they love the taste of shit."
Reposted by Patrick O'Duffy
People are now saying, oh gosh go fix your Grokipedia entries. NO, don't. In fact that might have been musk's intent: use Ai to produce a slop-grade encyclopedia and force the internet to fix it. Nope. Don't fall for it, no matter what it may say about you or yours.
November 3, 2025 at 5:04 PM
People are now saying, oh gosh go fix your Grokipedia entries. NO, don't. In fact that might have been musk's intent: use Ai to produce a slop-grade encyclopedia and force the internet to fix it. Nope. Don't fall for it, no matter what it may say about you or yours.
Reposted by Patrick O'Duffy
Video game boss strategies? NO! THE WARMTH OF MY DOG'S BELLY!
Differences between power supply SKUs? NO! THE SMELL OF FRESH DILL!
Summaries of TikTokker beefs? NO! THE FEELING JUST BEFORE I KISSED HER FOR THE FIRST TIME!
DO NOT LET THE COMPUTER IN!
Differences between power supply SKUs? NO! THE SMELL OF FRESH DILL!
Summaries of TikTokker beefs? NO! THE FEELING JUST BEFORE I KISSED HER FOR THE FIRST TIME!
DO NOT LET THE COMPUTER IN!
if you are asked to learn a new computer thing: DON'T!! you can fit SUNSETS and OCEAN WAVES and THE TOUCH OF HER HAND in your brain!! do not allow COMPUTER in there!!
November 17, 2023 at 2:02 AM
Video game boss strategies? NO! THE WARMTH OF MY DOG'S BELLY!
Differences between power supply SKUs? NO! THE SMELL OF FRESH DILL!
Summaries of TikTokker beefs? NO! THE FEELING JUST BEFORE I KISSED HER FOR THE FIRST TIME!
DO NOT LET THE COMPUTER IN!
Differences between power supply SKUs? NO! THE SMELL OF FRESH DILL!
Summaries of TikTokker beefs? NO! THE FEELING JUST BEFORE I KISSED HER FOR THE FIRST TIME!
DO NOT LET THE COMPUTER IN!
Reposted by Patrick O'Duffy
Again, this precise use case is why these systems exist-to proliferate people’s racist (transphobic, misogynistic…) imaginary at scale. This should not be seen as a “misuse” but rather the product being used exactly as intended.
Racist Influencers Using OpenAI's Sora to Make it Look Like Poor People Are Selling Food Stamps for Cash
Folks looking for evidence of SNAP recipients as welfare queens have no shortage of AI generated schlock to use as justification.
futurism.com
November 2, 2025 at 12:44 AM
Again, this precise use case is why these systems exist-to proliferate people’s racist (transphobic, misogynistic…) imaginary at scale. This should not be seen as a “misuse” but rather the product being used exactly as intended.
Reposted by Patrick O'Duffy
Hey remember that whole "Bluesky doesn't have algorithms" thing
October 31, 2025 at 11:13 PM
Hey remember that whole "Bluesky doesn't have algorithms" thing
Reposted by Patrick O'Duffy
genAI is an infantilising technology: it's for the children who whine about how old media looks compared to new; about how classic songs sound compared to modern; about having to put effort into mastering something; about ever being told they're wrong
Youtube has announced that all low-res videos (i.e. older ones) are to be automatically AI upscaled to HD.
Creators can opt-out on a per video basis (but the channel may be long abandoned).
When researching props or behind the scenes, old videos are useful, but not if upscaling produces artefacts.
Creators can opt-out on a per video basis (but the channel may be long abandoned).
When researching props or behind the scenes, old videos are useful, but not if upscaling produces artefacts.
October 30, 2025 at 5:14 AM
genAI is an infantilising technology: it's for the children who whine about how old media looks compared to new; about how classic songs sound compared to modern; about having to put effort into mastering something; about ever being told they're wrong
Reposted by Patrick O'Duffy
I was opening a bunch of PDFs in acrobat yesterday and my computer's fans were going wild. I have a lot of RAM so this was surprising to me. Turns out Acrobat now generates AI summaries by default when you open a file, instead of just asking if you want one (which I never do).
October 28, 2025 at 7:40 PM
I was opening a bunch of PDFs in acrobat yesterday and my computer's fans were going wild. I have a lot of RAM so this was surprising to me. Turns out Acrobat now generates AI summaries by default when you open a file, instead of just asking if you want one (which I never do).
Reposted by Patrick O'Duffy
I have Issues with the concept of writers block, such that I wrote a post on it. kjcharleswriter.com/2019/11/13/w...
There are a ton of things you can do if you're struggling to write, and none of them require using the theft-based environment-ruining plagiarism machine.
There are a ton of things you can do if you're struggling to write, and none of them require using the theft-based environment-ruining plagiarism machine.
People who aren’t writers think writer’s block is at least as big and real a problem as I thought quicksand would be, as a child.
AI can help authors beat writer’s block, says Bloomsbury chief
Publisher last week reported jump in revenue in academic and professional arm thanks to AI licensing deal
www.theguardian.com
October 28, 2025 at 8:52 AM
I have Issues with the concept of writers block, such that I wrote a post on it. kjcharleswriter.com/2019/11/13/w...
There are a ton of things you can do if you're struggling to write, and none of them require using the theft-based environment-ruining plagiarism machine.
There are a ton of things you can do if you're struggling to write, and none of them require using the theft-based environment-ruining plagiarism machine.
Reposted by Patrick O'Duffy
FUCKEN YESSSSSSSS
October 28, 2025 at 3:28 AM
FUCKEN YESSSSSSSS
Reposted by Patrick O'Duffy
These hurricanes will get worse, if that is conceivable, because we continue to approve and extend coal and gas ventures.
Australia is among the *very worst* offenders globally, yet the Albanese govt is only interested in expanding fossil fuel exports.
Australia is among the *very worst* offenders globally, yet the Albanese govt is only interested in expanding fossil fuel exports.
BREAKING: Hurricane Melissa now has max wind gusts up to 215 mph! A catastrophic, historic hurricane will make imminent landfall devastating Jamaica Tuesday morning. Never in recorded history, has a storm of this intensity made landfall in Jamaica.
October 28, 2025 at 4:56 AM
These hurricanes will get worse, if that is conceivable, because we continue to approve and extend coal and gas ventures.
Australia is among the *very worst* offenders globally, yet the Albanese govt is only interested in expanding fossil fuel exports.
Australia is among the *very worst* offenders globally, yet the Albanese govt is only interested in expanding fossil fuel exports.
Reposted by Patrick O'Duffy
Not a hard question, except for the culture that pretends it's not the answer
1) right-wing media lies incessantly, so anyone truth-based doesn't trust it, and anyone who trusts it doesn't trust anything else
2) other media treats those lies as legitimate, for "fairness," getting trust from no one
1) right-wing media lies incessantly, so anyone truth-based doesn't trust it, and anyone who trusts it doesn't trust anything else
2) other media treats those lies as legitimate, for "fairness," getting trust from no one
October 27, 2025 at 3:12 PM
Not a hard question, except for the culture that pretends it's not the answer
1) right-wing media lies incessantly, so anyone truth-based doesn't trust it, and anyone who trusts it doesn't trust anything else
2) other media treats those lies as legitimate, for "fairness," getting trust from no one
1) right-wing media lies incessantly, so anyone truth-based doesn't trust it, and anyone who trusts it doesn't trust anything else
2) other media treats those lies as legitimate, for "fairness," getting trust from no one
Reposted by Patrick O'Duffy
you might as well do good things, because even if you do bad ones to appease shitty people the right will lie about it anyway.
A lesson for the Labour Party - even if you deported a hundred thousand migrants, or five hundred thousand, Nigel Farage would just tell people you hadn't, and they'd believe him.
Yeah this makes me annoyed not because I am a grand defender of Biden's record on the border (I am not), but there is this utterly false perception that the Biden admin did nothing. That could not be further from the truth. The Biden admin carried out over 3 million repatriations in 4 years.
October 27, 2025 at 2:36 PM
you might as well do good things, because even if you do bad ones to appease shitty people the right will lie about it anyway.
Reposted by Patrick O'Duffy
The ALP didn't bother negotiating with the Libs when it changed IR laws, but now apparently it needs LNP support for environmental protection changes.
When govts want to do something, they do it.
When they don't, they use bipartisanship as the excuse.
No one here should fall for it
When govts want to do something, they do it.
When they don't, they use bipartisanship as the excuse.
No one here should fall for it
October 23, 2025 at 2:29 AM
The ALP didn't bother negotiating with the Libs when it changed IR laws, but now apparently it needs LNP support for environmental protection changes.
When govts want to do something, they do it.
When they don't, they use bipartisanship as the excuse.
No one here should fall for it
When govts want to do something, they do it.
When they don't, they use bipartisanship as the excuse.
No one here should fall for it