Sandstone
quartzen.bsky.social
Sandstone
@quartzen.bsky.social
Programmer and SFF reader. Sega fan. Asexual and otherwise queer. She/her. 📚
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Very sad to learn of the passing of writer Jeffrey A. Carver. I don't think I ever met him in person, but he became a friend through our shared work at the writer's cooperative Book View Café. This is his website: www.starrigger.net
Science Fiction Worlds of Jeffrey A. Carver
For the curious reader of science fiction (scifi) and fantasy
www.starrigger.net
February 8, 2026 at 4:25 PM
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You can support a good cause and get a little printable reading challenge zine from me in this bundle along with a lot of other cool stuff! Please check it out!!
February 9, 2026 at 4:04 PM
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One of the most miserable things about living in this era is having to watch the stupidest & most arrogant people in the world have to relearn The Why of literally everything good that we collectively do the hard way.

The answer is always ‘Because a bunch of people died, fuckwit.’
February 10, 2026 at 1:30 AM
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I worry that none of us have enough money to be the target demographic for anything. The commercials are for investors not consumers.
i worry that a 5-year stretch of nothing but ads for NFTs, bitcoin, and AI is a long enough gap that this nation's once-great advertising industry will forget how to sell a product people actually want
February 9, 2026 at 12:47 AM
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Three members of Congress and the governor of Hawai'i, a medical doctor who responded to the measles outbreak in Samoa, are calling for RFK Jr's resignation. Emails now reveal he lied under oath about his antivax role in those 83 deaths.
RFK Jr misled Senate during confirmation, Congress members and Hawaii governor say
Newly revealed emails undermine Kennedy’s testimony about 2019 Samoa trip ahead of deadly measles outbreak
www.theguardian.com
February 10, 2026 at 12:25 AM
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Metal Garden is on Steam front page as part of today's Daily Deal!

It's also at it's lowest price ever! I hope you enjoy it! :)

store.steampowered.com/app/3539440/...
Save 30% on Metal Garden on Steam
Travel through an overgrown megastructure, and discover what lies beyond it. Metal Garden is a short, atmospheric singleplayer FPS game.
store.steampowered.com
February 9, 2026 at 6:07 PM
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omg everybody go draw a horse this is what the internet was made for

gradient.horse
gradient.horse
Draw a horse, watch it run!
gradient.horse
February 9, 2026 at 11:11 PM
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The timing of winter, the amount of snowfall and temperatures are all less reliable and less predictable because Earth is warming at a record rate, said Shel Winkley, a Climate Central meteorologist.
https://to.pbs.org/3MeUvyK
Olympic town warms as climate change puts Winter Games on thin ice
The International Olympic Committee said last week it could move up the start date for future Winter Games to January from February because of rising temperatures.
www.pbs.org
February 9, 2026 at 10:32 PM
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In my first piece of the year, I look back on 2025 through the stories that impacted me the most, and why
Even More Stories Living Rent-free in My Head
Looking back at 2025 through the lens of art, if only to make sense of it for myself.
buttondown.com
January 23, 2026 at 1:02 PM
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if you want to dive into non-anglophone culture for any reason, there's a new @storybundle.bsky.social In Translation bundle from an amazing array of languages, and donations from it go to @globalvoiceslingua.bsky.social ! Please check it out!
storybundle.com/translation
StoryBundle
Pay what you like and get a bundle of awesome ebooks and more!
storybundle.com
February 9, 2026 at 9:54 PM
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Be part of the first-ever book exploring transness in cyberpunk

Your support is an act of resistance in a time of surveillance & censorship

What’s more punk than that?

Not-for-profit crowdfund runs until March

Let’s chronicle the new cyberpunk canon together!

🔗 www.backerkit.com/c/projects/s...
February 9, 2026 at 7:03 AM
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No ICE in Minnesota bundle is live! Get Gunhouse, Hyper Gunsport, and 1,400 other things for $10 or more.
itch.io/b/3484/no-ic...
February 9, 2026 at 9:02 PM
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BUY! OUR! BOOK!!! ❤️

"This delightful book considers how science fiction stories portray archives and archivists, analyzes the ways in which these portrayals affect readers’ views, and shows how archivists can leverage these insights to improve the public’s understanding of the discipline."
February 9, 2026 at 9:28 PM
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If a door gets left open here for any length of time it summons the elusive but impressive garage peacock.
February 9, 2026 at 8:07 PM
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Something new this evening... this time of year, in the middle of winter, I start longing for greenery!

Tisha Mark ©2026, Homeland No. 2601, oil on gessobord, 6"x6"

Original is available (ships when dry, approx 2-3 weeks):
tishamark.com/product/home...

#art #painting #SciArt #bsnm #ArtSky
February 8, 2026 at 11:05 PM
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Read the latest Discover + Share blog on how Garden scientist Dr. Mónica Carlsen is currently aiming to provide the first comprehensive characterization of floral scent across the genus Anthurium. 🔗

discoverandshare.org/2026/02/06/m...
Making Sense of Plant Scents - Discover + Share
When scientists describe a new species, they often include a plethora of detail about its physical attributes — the size, shape, and color of its leaves, flowers, and fruits. But what about its…
discoverandshare.org
February 9, 2026 at 5:06 PM
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I've got a new WIP post for my next big painting! Got art juries in the spring and a few of my go to paintings are now past the 3 year mark, so I've been in the "throw spaghetti on the wall, hope something sticks."

It's my main source of income until May.

patreon.com/fallenlights
February 9, 2026 at 1:03 PM
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Always here for some good news on backlist SF classics; looks like Hugh Cook's bonkers late 80s/early 90s science fantasy series is back in print thanks to concerted effort of a group of fans & Cook's estate.

They really are like nothing else out there & it's great to see them available.
Chronicles of an Age of Darkness
Visit Amazon's Chronicles of an Age of Darkness Page and shop for all Chronicles of an Age of Darkness books. Check out pictures, author information, and reviews of Chronicles of an Age of Darkness
www.amazon.com
February 9, 2026 at 8:03 PM
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NEW: Of all the states that voted for Harris over Trump in 2024, there's only one where a Dem governor is overseeing an ICE's 287(g) program:

Massachusetts.

Other blue states have quit, or even outright banned it. My colleague on what's happening: boltsmag.org/massachusett...
Inside ICE’s Only Contract with a Blue State - Bolts
As part of a 287(g) contract between state officials and ICE, Massachusetts continues to release prisoners into deportation—even as state lawmakers look to ban other forms of ICE collaboration.
boltsmag.org
February 9, 2026 at 7:35 PM
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yakuza kiwami 3 is an insult to the game rgg has purported to remake, its players, the studio's previous quality output and, bewilderingly, women. oh, and the casting of an admitted sex pest. i'm somewhere between dejection and fury.

my review for vgc:
www.videogameschronicle.com/review/yakuz...
Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties review: How not to do a remake | VGC
Sega delivers a disappointing remake built on disdain, not reverence, looking to fix a game that wasn’t broken…
www.videogameschronicle.com
February 9, 2026 at 4:22 PM
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🍇 LOST TRADITIONS is out!

The Chronicles of Nerezia continue as the Wagon Crew traverses a haunted marsh and find a ruined monastery.

It's a "TFW your bestie gets possessed by the remnants of a martial arts master, and they're a rude motherfucker to boot"

Buy it: buy.bookfunnel.com/pw9lfydyyw
February 9, 2026 at 3:47 PM
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And... we'd like to welcome NOAA Fisheries (fisheries.noaa.gov) to our Bluesky community!
It’s #WhaleWeek! We’re celebrating these majestic marine mammals, which are among the largest and oldest animals on Earth. Found in every ocean, they range in size from the small dwarf sperm whale to the massive blue whale—the largest animal on the planet. 🤯 🌎
www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-stor...
February 9, 2026 at 4:46 PM
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Source, if anyone wants a perfect time capsule of the xenophobic and demeaning way in which Pokémon was frequently talked about when it was new: time.com/archive/6737...
time.com
February 9, 2026 at 12:29 PM
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Ironic, as this was the magazine that referred to Pokémon as a "pestilential Ponzi scheme" in 1999, characterising its creator Satoshi Tajiri as a literal monster "His eyes are bloodshot; dark circles ripple beneath them... His monsters are a child's predelictions." He never gave another interview.
February 9, 2026 at 12:28 PM
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Strong reporting from my colleague, Sarah Fentem.
After January’s deep freeze, some people experiencing homelessness in St. Louis are suffering severe frostbite.

Advocates say limited shelter access and repeated exposure to extreme cold are leaving lasting damage.
For some St. Louisans living on the street, frostbite can cause lasting harm
People without a stable place to live are more likely to suffer from frostbite, a potentially debilitating condition for those in precarious housing situations.
www.stlpr.org
February 9, 2026 at 4:07 PM