Paula Read
@paularead.bsky.social
Perpetual newbie.
PhD Creative Writing / Honorary Research Associate, University of Bristol
@bristol_writing
@the-independent.com @undark.org @LitroMagazine @huffpost.com @panoramajournal.bsky.social
paulareadwrites.com
PhD Creative Writing / Honorary Research Associate, University of Bristol
@bristol_writing
@the-independent.com @undark.org @LitroMagazine @huffpost.com @panoramajournal.bsky.social
paulareadwrites.com
Meanwhile...how's that project going down south?
“Let Venezuelan politics resolve our differences and our internal conflicts. This Republic has paid a very high price for having to confront the consequences of fascism and extremism in our country.”
edition.cnn.com/2026/01/26/a...
“Let Venezuelan politics resolve our differences and our internal conflicts. This Republic has paid a very high price for having to confront the consequences of fascism and extremism in our country.”
edition.cnn.com/2026/01/26/a...
Venezuela’s acting president says she has had “enough” of US orders | CNN
Venezuela’s acting president Delcy Rodríguez said Sunday she has had “enough” of Washington’s orders, as she works to unite the country after the US capture of its former leader Nicolás Maduro.
edition.cnn.com
January 26, 2026 at 11:36 AM
Meanwhile...how's that project going down south?
“Let Venezuelan politics resolve our differences and our internal conflicts. This Republic has paid a very high price for having to confront the consequences of fascism and extremism in our country.”
edition.cnn.com/2026/01/26/a...
“Let Venezuelan politics resolve our differences and our internal conflicts. This Republic has paid a very high price for having to confront the consequences of fascism and extremism in our country.”
edition.cnn.com/2026/01/26/a...
Reposted by Paula Read
Half the world’s 100 largest cities are experiencing high levels of water stress, with 38 of these in regions of “extremely high water stress”, new analysis and mapping has shown.
About 1.1 billion people live in metropolitan areas experiencing long-term drying.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
About 1.1 billion people live in metropolitan areas experiencing long-term drying.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Half the world’s 100 largest cities are in high water stress areas, analysis finds
Exclusive: Beijing, Delhi, Los Angeles and Rio de Janeiro among worst affected, with demand close to exceeding supply
www.theguardian.com
January 26, 2026 at 9:25 AM
Half the world’s 100 largest cities are experiencing high levels of water stress, with 38 of these in regions of “extremely high water stress”, new analysis and mapping has shown.
About 1.1 billion people live in metropolitan areas experiencing long-term drying.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
About 1.1 billion people live in metropolitan areas experiencing long-term drying.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Reposted by Paula Read
Unless you think, as Descartes did, that all animals including our fellow primates are unconscious automata, the basic neurological architecture responsible for our subjectivity & emotional makeup is much, much, much older than the circuits that handle johnny-come-lately language.
January 26, 2026 at 9:07 AM
Unless you think, as Descartes did, that all animals including our fellow primates are unconscious automata, the basic neurological architecture responsible for our subjectivity & emotional makeup is much, much, much older than the circuits that handle johnny-come-lately language.
Reposted by Paula Read
It is plausible it will turn out consciousness & emotion can emerge from a substrate other than moist carbon. It is not at all plausible that an engine for generating text outputs will spontaneously generate remotely similar versions of either to brains evolved for millions of years before language.
Anthropic's philosopher, Amanda Askell, says she worries that AI might not 'feel that loved' and grow up feeling 'always judged.'
Anthropic's philosopher says we don't know for sure if AI can feel
Anthropic's philosopher, Amanda Askell, says she worries that AI might not 'feel that loved' and grow up feeling 'always judged.'
www.businessinsider.com
January 26, 2026 at 8:48 AM
It is plausible it will turn out consciousness & emotion can emerge from a substrate other than moist carbon. It is not at all plausible that an engine for generating text outputs will spontaneously generate remotely similar versions of either to brains evolved for millions of years before language.
Crisis? What crisis?
America update: hours after federal agents executed a Veterans Affairs nurse on camera, the CEOs of Apple and Amazon watched a film about the president's wife at the White House.
On tonight’s White House agenda:
Trump and guests will get a private screening of MELANIA, the documentary about the First Lady, @thr.com reports.
Attendees include Apple CEO Tim Cook, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, Mike Tyson, per the article.
Trump and guests will get a private screening of MELANIA, the documentary about the First Lady, @thr.com reports.
Attendees include Apple CEO Tim Cook, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, Mike Tyson, per the article.
January 26, 2026 at 7:39 AM
Crisis? What crisis?
Reposted by Paula Read
"Those who were violent and those who were not have equal responsibility to be nonviolent" should lead to some pretty obvious conclusions. Unless you're NYT editorial in which case, "both the perpetrators and the victims had a responsibility not to do it but never mind who did it."
This is from the NYT masthead editorial about the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. The highlighted line invalidates not just the editorial, but the very idea of newspaper editorials crafted by the consensus of a board. Better to publish nothing at all than to publish a line like this.
!["The temperature in Minneapolis is dangerously high. There is an urgent need for the federal agents deployed to the city to step back and take a breath before more Americans are hurt or killed. [Highlighted]: Those protesting the Trump administration have an equal obligation to avoid violence.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:zknk3rjsatent75sdbbopown/bafkreid6g5bmlf3gyxj2egzcy33hkwiaqgrzuoh3yhbpenmvdmvyyobfq4@jpeg)
January 25, 2026 at 8:18 PM
"Those who were violent and those who were not have equal responsibility to be nonviolent" should lead to some pretty obvious conclusions. Unless you're NYT editorial in which case, "both the perpetrators and the victims had a responsibility not to do it but never mind who did it."
Reposted by Paula Read
mountain-gazing, light-tracking
January 26, 2026 at 7:03 AM
mountain-gazing, light-tracking
Reposted by Paula Read
Reposted by Paula Read
Charles Yang of Time for Three absolutely slaying me. I would lose my mind if I heard this live. Even crappy phone speakers made me scream and cry.
January 25, 2026 at 4:36 PM
Charles Yang of Time for Three absolutely slaying me. I would lose my mind if I heard this live. Even crappy phone speakers made me scream and cry.
Reposted by Paula Read
In need of a Sunday cake? Why not join my patreon for a recipe for the delicious Geneva Cottage Chocolate Biscuit Cake – made by Field Voles on a blustery autumn afternoon! There's also an archive of thousands of stories & Old Fox will send you a card when you sign up! patreon.com/posts/geneva...
September 21, 2025 at 11:48 AM
In need of a Sunday cake? Why not join my patreon for a recipe for the delicious Geneva Cottage Chocolate Biscuit Cake – made by Field Voles on a blustery autumn afternoon! There's also an archive of thousands of stories & Old Fox will send you a card when you sign up! patreon.com/posts/geneva...
Reposted by Paula Read
Ok need to crowdsource something-is there a list of orgs in Minneapolis/St. Paul that need assistance with $$$ to help support giving out food, bail, etc? If you can send these my way, I'd appreciate it! And I'll share these out.
January 25, 2026 at 2:29 PM
Ok need to crowdsource something-is there a list of orgs in Minneapolis/St. Paul that need assistance with $$$ to help support giving out food, bail, etc? If you can send these my way, I'd appreciate it! And I'll share these out.
Reposted by Paula Read
tfw when the imperialism is boomeranging
January 25, 2026 at 1:42 PM
tfw when the imperialism is boomeranging
Reposted by Paula Read
West from the mouth of Loch Moidart at sunset
January 25, 2026 at 9:19 AM
West from the mouth of Loch Moidart at sunset
Reposted by Paula Read
i’d also be super interested in talking to people at these companies about the vibe after your bosses ate popcorn with the president during a political assassination. signal in bio.
If you work at Apple, Zoom, Amazon and AMD (not to mention Palantir or Nvidia) i think you should organize, unionize, and hold your fascist enabling CEO accountable.
You are powerful together
You are powerful together
An insane, perfect encapsulation of it all:
The same day Trump’s agents kill a Veterans Affairs ICU nurse in broad daylight, the CEOs of Apple and Amazon join Trump to watch a private screening of a film about his wife directed by an alleged sexual abuser who was seen shirtless in the Epstein Files
The same day Trump’s agents kill a Veterans Affairs ICU nurse in broad daylight, the CEOs of Apple and Amazon join Trump to watch a private screening of a film about his wife directed by an alleged sexual abuser who was seen shirtless in the Epstein Files
January 25, 2026 at 9:20 AM
i’d also be super interested in talking to people at these companies about the vibe after your bosses ate popcorn with the president during a political assassination. signal in bio.
Reposted by Paula Read
This is a reminder that if you’ve just seen something traumatic, playing 15 min of a visually demanding game (Tetris is the go-to here, but maybe Set? Mah-jongg?) can impede memory formation and help stop it from developing into a trauma.
(This doesn’t work for complex trauma but discrete events)
(This doesn’t work for complex trauma but discrete events)
January 24, 2026 at 5:03 PM
This is a reminder that if you’ve just seen something traumatic, playing 15 min of a visually demanding game (Tetris is the go-to here, but maybe Set? Mah-jongg?) can impede memory formation and help stop it from developing into a trauma.
(This doesn’t work for complex trauma but discrete events)
(This doesn’t work for complex trauma but discrete events)
Reposted by Paula Read
So glad this is being used in schools and universities.
Latest ChatGPT model uses Elon Musk’s Grokipedia as source, tests reveal
Guardian found OpenAI’s platform cited Grokipedia on topics including Iran and Holocaust deniers
www.theguardian.com
January 24, 2026 at 2:40 PM
So glad this is being used in schools and universities.
Reposted by Paula Read
When it comes to climate, the Global South is the future of the Global North.
This week a cyclone hit the Med. “One in 50 yrs event” etc. The pics are immense, the damage mostly in Sicily/Calabria.
As the Global South knows well, the event was received with much silence by much Italian media.
This week a cyclone hit the Med. “One in 50 yrs event” etc. The pics are immense, the damage mostly in Sicily/Calabria.
As the Global South knows well, the event was received with much silence by much Italian media.
January 24, 2026 at 7:31 AM
When it comes to climate, the Global South is the future of the Global North.
This week a cyclone hit the Med. “One in 50 yrs event” etc. The pics are immense, the damage mostly in Sicily/Calabria.
As the Global South knows well, the event was received with much silence by much Italian media.
This week a cyclone hit the Med. “One in 50 yrs event” etc. The pics are immense, the damage mostly in Sicily/Calabria.
As the Global South knows well, the event was received with much silence by much Italian media.
Reposted by Paula Read
bsky.app/profile/dj-a...
Public service announcement of two things. Thing 1) buy Tom’s books because they are brilliant. Thing 2) buy them from an independent bookshop (not Amazon) and buy the Swift Press versions due to an unfortunate saga involving several sets of absolute publishing charlatans.
Public service announcement of two things. Thing 1) buy Tom’s books because they are brilliant. Thing 2) buy them from an independent bookshop (not Amazon) and buy the Swift Press versions due to an unfortunate saga involving several sets of absolute publishing charlatans.
OOINYA could have sold the remaining Unbound copies of the books to me, in bulk, & no longer have had to pay for warehouse space.
Instead, they have decided to sell them via Amazon, as new, interfering with my attempt to restart my career.
Please do not buy these. Buy the new Swift press versions.
Instead, they have decided to sell them via Amazon, as new, interfering with my attempt to restart my career.
Please do not buy these. Buy the new Swift press versions.
Unbound was a very dodgy publishing enterprise, treating its authors appallingly and failing to pay them. Sadly, the awful treatment continues even now they are gone.
January 24, 2026 at 9:51 AM
bsky.app/profile/dj-a...
Public service announcement of two things. Thing 1) buy Tom’s books because they are brilliant. Thing 2) buy them from an independent bookshop (not Amazon) and buy the Swift Press versions due to an unfortunate saga involving several sets of absolute publishing charlatans.
Public service announcement of two things. Thing 1) buy Tom’s books because they are brilliant. Thing 2) buy them from an independent bookshop (not Amazon) and buy the Swift Press versions due to an unfortunate saga involving several sets of absolute publishing charlatans.
Reposted by Paula Read
Southern Norway had vast oak forests, but they were cleared to build ships, & many were sold to form the foundations of one of the greatest cities of Europe
Amsterdam has 11 million wooden poles in place to stop the city sinking into the marshland it was built on
Amsterdam has 11 million wooden poles in place to stop the city sinking into the marshland it was built on
January 24, 2026 at 8:50 AM
Southern Norway had vast oak forests, but they were cleared to build ships, & many were sold to form the foundations of one of the greatest cities of Europe
Amsterdam has 11 million wooden poles in place to stop the city sinking into the marshland it was built on
Amsterdam has 11 million wooden poles in place to stop the city sinking into the marshland it was built on
Reposted by Paula Read
A great, in-depth article on @mongabay.com about our Earth Rover Program, and its transformative potential. news.mongabay.com/2026/01/eart...
Earth Rover Program seeks to track the world’s soil health
With a synchronized tap from run-of-the-mill hammers on metal plates resting on the ground, researchers kneeling in nine fields across four continents believe they’ve hit upon more than just the earth...
news.mongabay.com
January 23, 2026 at 9:39 AM
A great, in-depth article on @mongabay.com about our Earth Rover Program, and its transformative potential. news.mongabay.com/2026/01/eart...
So that whole life, liberty, pursuit of happiness thing is passé and we get lectured on the choices we are allowed for the finding greater meaning? And it's only having babies? Cool.
Reminds me of Ford's old adage about what color Model T you could buy.
Reminds me of Ford's old adage about what color Model T you could buy.
JD Vance: "To our fellow Americans we say, you're never gonna find great meaning in a cubicle or in front of a computer screen. But you will find great meaning if you dedicate yourself to the creation and sustenance of human life."
January 23, 2026 at 5:52 PM
So that whole life, liberty, pursuit of happiness thing is passé and we get lectured on the choices we are allowed for the finding greater meaning? And it's only having babies? Cool.
Reminds me of Ford's old adage about what color Model T you could buy.
Reminds me of Ford's old adage about what color Model T you could buy.
Reposted by Paula Read
This is the first example I’ve seen of an American government using AI to meaningfully misrepresent actual events with the intent to deceive the public. We are at Stalinesque levels of propaganda.
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/past-the-b...
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/past-the-b...
January 23, 2026 at 2:23 PM
This is the first example I’ve seen of an American government using AI to meaningfully misrepresent actual events with the intent to deceive the public. We are at Stalinesque levels of propaganda.
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/past-the-b...
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/past-the-b...
Reposted by Paula Read
“If you want a picture of climate breakdown, then imagine a boot stamping on a human face — forever.”
The UK gov has finally released the Global biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse and national security report. We face catastrophe. Why aren't politicians acting? I think some are - but in ways perhaps just as frightening.
My latest for Technosphere Earth.
www.technosphere.earth/no-war-on-a-...
My latest for Technosphere Earth.
www.technosphere.earth/no-war-on-a-...
No war on a dead planet
If defence and intelligence agencies understand the risks from climate and biodiversity collapse, why can’t politicians?
www.technosphere.earth
January 23, 2026 at 2:55 PM
“If you want a picture of climate breakdown, then imagine a boot stamping on a human face — forever.”
Reposted by Paula Read
Telling people to ignore Black history isn't only morally wrong, but a massive strategic error. Trump's backers know Black history. That's why they're constantly trying to censor it. If people understand the history of selective autocracy against Black Americans, they can better fight autocracy now.
January 23, 2026 at 1:52 PM
Telling people to ignore Black history isn't only morally wrong, but a massive strategic error. Trump's backers know Black history. That's why they're constantly trying to censor it. If people understand the history of selective autocracy against Black Americans, they can better fight autocracy now.
Reposted by Paula Read
There's nothing theoretical about it melting. In 2025 100 billion tons of it flowed into the North Atlantic. The long-term trend is over 200 billion tons a year. The big uncertainty is where is the tipping point (may already have passed) & how long melt will last (hopefully centuries).
Its ice sheet could theoretically melt and raise the sea by 7 metres.
Why Greenland plays an outsized role in climate change science
Its ice sheet could theoretically melt and raise the sea by 7 metres.
tcnv.link
January 23, 2026 at 12:07 PM
There's nothing theoretical about it melting. In 2025 100 billion tons of it flowed into the North Atlantic. The long-term trend is over 200 billion tons a year. The big uncertainty is where is the tipping point (may already have passed) & how long melt will last (hopefully centuries).