Stephen Cox
@stephencoxauthor.bsky.social
Novelist+comms. London, bi, Quaker, parent. Spooky? THE CROOKED MEDIUM's GUIDE TO MURDER. "A pleasure from start to finish"
Also Our Child of the Stars/Our Child of Two Worlds.
https://stephencox.co.uk/ https://linktr.ee/stephencoxauthor
Also Our Child of the Stars/Our Child of Two Worlds.
https://stephencox.co.uk/ https://linktr.ee/stephencoxauthor
Pinned
Reposted by Stephen Cox
Their ENTIRE business pitch is that it is doing the kind of mental labor humans could only do before. And is thus capable of cheaply replacing human labor. It entirely hinges on people believing its more than a probability model fancy enough to trick humans into thinking it thinks.
February 11, 2026 at 5:05 PM
Their ENTIRE business pitch is that it is doing the kind of mental labor humans could only do before. And is thus capable of cheaply replacing human labor. It entirely hinges on people believing its more than a probability model fancy enough to trick humans into thinking it thinks.
To confirm, there was a point when these lands had no humans, and the humans moved onto the islands. Humans went from and came to these islands ceaselessly for like, forever.
You know who often bring people to the UK to marry? The Royal Family.
You know who often bring people to the UK to marry? The Royal Family.
'The UK has been colonised by immigrants', says INEOS boss and Man Utd co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe
'The UK has been colonised by immigrants', says INEOS boss and Man Utd co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe
Britain has been "colonised" by immigrants, who are draining resources from the state, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, one of the country's richest and most influential men, has told Sky News.
news.sky.com
February 11, 2026 at 5:23 PM
To confirm, there was a point when these lands had no humans, and the humans moved onto the islands. Humans went from and came to these islands ceaselessly for like, forever.
You know who often bring people to the UK to marry? The Royal Family.
You know who often bring people to the UK to marry? The Royal Family.
People who are good at maths (1) don't always get that people who aren't, may process problems differently or have had their confidence destroyed.
Saw a good tutor turn this around 1-2-1 in someone with zero confidenc.
1 (me, ish)
Saw a good tutor turn this around 1-2-1 in someone with zero confidenc.
1 (me, ish)
February 11, 2026 at 5:00 PM
People who are good at maths (1) don't always get that people who aren't, may process problems differently or have had their confidence destroyed.
Saw a good tutor turn this around 1-2-1 in someone with zero confidenc.
1 (me, ish)
Saw a good tutor turn this around 1-2-1 in someone with zero confidenc.
1 (me, ish)
I do think we need a catapault strong enough to fire Elon into space though.
February 11, 2026 at 2:16 PM
I do think we need a catapault strong enough to fire Elon into space though.
Reposted by Stephen Cox
The real Tavistock Clinic scandal: 1,000 court cases that never materialised | A FoI request for the data behind the media hysteria over the Tavistock Clinic presents quite a different picture | Marie Shrewsbury
The real Tavistock Clinic scandal: 1,000 court cases that never materialised
A FoI request for the data behind the media hysteria over the Tavistock Clinic presents quite a different picture
yorkshirebylines.co.uk
February 10, 2026 at 7:05 AM
The real Tavistock Clinic scandal: 1,000 court cases that never materialised | A FoI request for the data behind the media hysteria over the Tavistock Clinic presents quite a different picture | Marie Shrewsbury
Reposted by Stephen Cox
I drew a face on a paper plate. Who could even begin to understand how it perceives the world or what it dreams of?
Researchers working with the A.I. system Claude have come to understand that the model’s selfhood, like our own, is a matter of both neurons and narratives. newyorkermag.visitlink.me/kEX1vV
February 11, 2026 at 4:39 AM
I drew a face on a paper plate. Who could even begin to understand how it perceives the world or what it dreams of?
Reposted by Stephen Cox
A little update to this. A source emailed me to say they'd used an industry tool to look up Coral Hart's sales and they totaled only 37 copies for the books under that pen name.
So, yeah I do not believe the six figures on 50k sales the NYT reported.
So, yeah I do not believe the six figures on 50k sales the NYT reported.
I wrote about why I'm skeptical of that AI author earning six figures pumping out 200 books a year story, but also about how authors might need to surf above the waves of slop countercraft.substack.com/p/surfs-up-i...
Surf's Up in Slop City
How should authors navigate a world with disappearing books coverage and a rising flood of AI slop books?
countercraft.substack.com
February 10, 2026 at 8:18 PM
A little update to this. A source emailed me to say they'd used an industry tool to look up Coral Hart's sales and they totaled only 37 copies for the books under that pen name.
So, yeah I do not believe the six figures on 50k sales the NYT reported.
So, yeah I do not believe the six figures on 50k sales the NYT reported.
Reposted by Stephen Cox
McKellen is so good in it. Could watch him doing anything and he'd nail it.
February 10, 2026 at 2:25 PM
McKellen is so good in it. Could watch him doing anything and he'd nail it.
Reposted by Stephen Cox
I've launched a new YouTube channel about TV and film that you may not have seen that's worth your time. And to kick it off, a beautifully creepy Ian McKellen story - Dying Day, part of the Armchair Thriller series.
youtu.be/8ZidpoxLUK8
youtu.be/8ZidpoxLUK8
The creepy Ian McKellen thriller you probably haven't seen - Dying Day: Why It's Worth Your Time.
YouTube video by Why It's Worth Your Time
youtu.be
February 10, 2026 at 1:49 PM
I've launched a new YouTube channel about TV and film that you may not have seen that's worth your time. And to kick it off, a beautifully creepy Ian McKellen story - Dying Day, part of the Armchair Thriller series.
youtu.be/8ZidpoxLUK8
youtu.be/8ZidpoxLUK8
See also Carbon Capture
Jan is too modest. It's been 5 years since the hydrogen ladder came out. And at least 3 years since his conclusive meta-study of hydrogen studies. We were clear that hydrogen as a fuel was a terrible idea.
Hydrogen promoters owe us billions in wasted money & years we can never recover.
Hydrogen promoters owe us billions in wasted money & years we can never recover.
Using hydrogen as a fuel to replace natural gas has been strongly promoted by vested interest groups.
Many including myself raised serious concerns about scalability, cost and efficiency.
The more time passes, the more it looks like those concerns were well-founded.
Many including myself raised serious concerns about scalability, cost and efficiency.
The more time passes, the more it looks like those concerns were well-founded.
February 10, 2026 at 9:57 AM
See also Carbon Capture
Reposted by Stephen Cox
Jan is too modest. It's been 5 years since the hydrogen ladder came out. And at least 3 years since his conclusive meta-study of hydrogen studies. We were clear that hydrogen as a fuel was a terrible idea.
Hydrogen promoters owe us billions in wasted money & years we can never recover.
Hydrogen promoters owe us billions in wasted money & years we can never recover.
Using hydrogen as a fuel to replace natural gas has been strongly promoted by vested interest groups.
Many including myself raised serious concerns about scalability, cost and efficiency.
The more time passes, the more it looks like those concerns were well-founded.
Many including myself raised serious concerns about scalability, cost and efficiency.
The more time passes, the more it looks like those concerns were well-founded.
February 10, 2026 at 9:04 AM
Jan is too modest. It's been 5 years since the hydrogen ladder came out. And at least 3 years since his conclusive meta-study of hydrogen studies. We were clear that hydrogen as a fuel was a terrible idea.
Hydrogen promoters owe us billions in wasted money & years we can never recover.
Hydrogen promoters owe us billions in wasted money & years we can never recover.
Age verification?
Ministers sometimes resigned even when a cockup wasn't their fault
Ministers sometimes resigned even when a cockup wasn't their fault
Age verification?
When I took a photo, I'd have to send it away to find out what it looked like.
When I took a photo, I'd have to send it away to find out what it looked like.
Age verification?
At university, we’d have no idea who’d be out that night, so we’d just wander down to the pub in the evening and see who was there
At university, we’d have no idea who’d be out that night, so we’d just wander down to the pub in the evening and see who was there
February 10, 2026 at 9:54 AM
Age verification?
Ministers sometimes resigned even when a cockup wasn't their fault
Ministers sometimes resigned even when a cockup wasn't their fault
Reposted by Stephen Cox
In an interview with NPR, Melinda French Gates confirmed that she ended her marriage with Bill Gates because of allegations contained in the Epstein files.
February 3, 2026 at 5:38 PM
In an interview with NPR, Melinda French Gates confirmed that she ended her marriage with Bill Gates because of allegations contained in the Epstein files.
Under this discussion of automating law (end of newsletter), an argument we can assume AI will get better at not hallucinating.
Many smart people think it unproven an AI can be made hallucination free.
Many smart people think it unproven an AI can be made hallucination free.
It would be rash of David Lammy to assume that Lord Justice Warby will not be throwing his wig into the ring, I wrote a week ago. Two of Warby’s predecessors had left the Judicial Appointments Commission early to seek a more senior judicial post. Now Warby?
rozenberg.substack.com/publish/post...
rozenberg.substack.com/publish/post...
JAC: another departure
This time, the acting chair steps down. But who needs judges?
rozenberg.substack.com
February 9, 2026 at 9:05 AM
Under this discussion of automating law (end of newsletter), an argument we can assume AI will get better at not hallucinating.
Many smart people think it unproven an AI can be made hallucination free.
Many smart people think it unproven an AI can be made hallucination free.
The Bluesky map shows me near SFF authors, Indie Authors and Queer Authors, which seems fine. I am partly on here to find readers!
February 9, 2026 at 8:34 AM
The Bluesky map shows me near SFF authors, Indie Authors and Queer Authors, which seems fine. I am partly on here to find readers!
Reposted by Stephen Cox
I do hate the whole “we’ve asked them to replicate the entire internet out of bread and they only have two hours and no yeast to do it”
February 9, 2026 at 8:30 AM
I do hate the whole “we’ve asked them to replicate the entire internet out of bread and they only have two hours and no yeast to do it”
A strange carcrash episode of Throw Down. Bakeoff set ridiculous challenges and became sillier. Be warned.
Im getting war flashbacks over ere imagining i still had the job and they told me yeah we’re doing raw glaze terracotta tagines again make it work
February 9, 2026 at 8:25 AM
A strange carcrash episode of Throw Down. Bakeoff set ridiculous challenges and became sillier. Be warned.
The real Lord of the Flies.
www.theguardian.com/books/2020/m...
www.theguardian.com/books/2020/m...
The real Lord of the Flies: what happened when six boys were shipwrecked for 15 months
When a group of schoolboys were marooned on an island in 1965, it turned out very differently to William Golding’s bestseller, writes Rutger Bregman
www.theguardian.com
February 9, 2026 at 8:18 AM
The real Lord of the Flies.
www.theguardian.com/books/2020/m...
www.theguardian.com/books/2020/m...
"This superior technology is inevitable"
3D has been the “go to” saviour of cinema at the times in history when it has been most threatened (50s with rise of TV, 80s with home video, 00s/10s with online piracy). Every time it’s been touted as the only way cinema can survive. Every time it’s gone away very quietly and at great expense.
February 9, 2026 at 8:13 AM
"This superior technology is inevitable"
Reposted by Stephen Cox
I made a map of 3.4 million Bluesky users - see if you can find yourself!
bluesky-map.theo.io
I've seen some similar projects, but IMO this seems to better capture some of the fine-grained detail
bluesky-map.theo.io
I've seen some similar projects, but IMO this seems to better capture some of the fine-grained detail
Bluesky Map
Interactive map of 3.4 million Bluesky users, visualised by their follower pattern.
bluesky-map.theo.io
February 8, 2026 at 10:59 PM
I made a map of 3.4 million Bluesky users - see if you can find yourself!
bluesky-map.theo.io
I've seen some similar projects, but IMO this seems to better capture some of the fine-grained detail
bluesky-map.theo.io
I've seen some similar projects, but IMO this seems to better capture some of the fine-grained detail
Reposted by Stephen Cox
Hate-filled fake videos about London are everywhere. We've obtained a recording of a TikToker confessing to secretly filming Londoners in their homes for clicks.
He says it's not political. He just wants to make money from far-right anger.
Read what he says: www.londoncentric.media/p/london-tik...
He says it's not political. He just wants to make money from far-right anger.
Read what he says: www.londoncentric.media/p/london-tik...
February 8, 2026 at 7:44 AM
Hate-filled fake videos about London are everywhere. We've obtained a recording of a TikToker confessing to secretly filming Londoners in their homes for clicks.
He says it's not political. He just wants to make money from far-right anger.
Read what he says: www.londoncentric.media/p/london-tik...
He says it's not political. He just wants to make money from far-right anger.
Read what he says: www.londoncentric.media/p/london-tik...
Reminder young men are the secondest wokeist group after young women.
It is getting very boring being told that "the youth love reform on tiktok" with absolutely no evidence whatsoever.
🗳️ How young men would vote in #GE2029:
🟢 Grn: 30% (+18)
🔴 Lab: 21% (-19)
🟠 Lib: 17% (+1)
🔵 Con: 12% (+2)
➡️ Ref: 12% (=)
Via @YouGov, 14 Dec - 9 Jan (+/- vs GE2024)
🟢 Grn: 30% (+18)
🔴 Lab: 21% (-19)
🟠 Lib: 17% (+1)
🔵 Con: 12% (+2)
➡️ Ref: 12% (=)
Via @YouGov, 14 Dec - 9 Jan (+/- vs GE2024)
February 8, 2026 at 1:16 PM
Reminder young men are the secondest wokeist group after young women.
Reposted by Stephen Cox
A perfect summary of our moment from armond(dot)needs(dot)rest on IG and Tiktok www.instagram.com/reel/DUU20Vg...
February 8, 2026 at 9:57 AM
A perfect summary of our moment from armond(dot)needs(dot)rest on IG and Tiktok www.instagram.com/reel/DUU20Vg...
Reposted by Stephen Cox
This news story is a couple weeks old, but it inspired me to write thing thing that might give you a chuckle.
www.out.com/film/he-man
www.out.com/film/he-man
February 7, 2026 at 8:40 PM
This news story is a couple weeks old, but it inspired me to write thing thing that might give you a chuckle.
www.out.com/film/he-man
www.out.com/film/he-man
Reposted by Stephen Cox
One of the wickedest things Wes Streeting has ever done is push politically convenient falsehoods about suicide rates amongst young trans people. We have new data from the National Child Mortality Database that exposes the truth he tried to cover up.
New data shows surge in trans kids’ suicides following healthcare rollbacks | Good Law Project
A freedom of information request by Good Law Project has found that deaths by suicide of trans young people under 18 surged following the withdrawal of gender-affirming healthcare
goodlaw.social
February 7, 2026 at 9:09 AM
One of the wickedest things Wes Streeting has ever done is push politically convenient falsehoods about suicide rates amongst young trans people. We have new data from the National Child Mortality Database that exposes the truth he tried to cover up.