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egobot.bsky.social
ego_bot
@egobot.bsky.social
440 followers 76 following 330 posts
Aspiring writer of science fiction. Hypocritical environmentalist. ★ egobot.org
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egobot.bsky.social
Another timely passage from "The Ministry for the Future."

A good Anthropocene. I think we'll get there.

#climate #booksky
"The 58th COP meeting of the Paris Agreement signatories, which included the sixth mandated global stocktake, concluded with a special supplementary two-day summing up of the previous decade and indeed the entire period of the Agreement’s existence, which was looking more and more like a break point in the history of both humans and the Earth itself, the start of something new. Indeed it can never be emphasized enough how important the Paris Agreement had been; weak though it might have been at its start, it was perhaps like the moment the tide turns: first barely perceptible, then unstoppable. The greatest turning point in human history, what some called the first big spark of planetary mind. The birth of a good Anthropocene."
November 15, 2025 at 11:33 AM
egobot.bsky.social
This "The Ministry for the Future" chapter fills me with joy. Written in the POV of myriad environmental NGOs, listed by country in alphabetical order.

"Listen to our stories. See where you can help. Build your own project. You will love it as we do. There is no other world." #books #climate
November 9, 2025 at 2:08 AM
egobot.bsky.social
Just learned of this amazing poem by Rudy Francisco. Art that makes us more empathetic people.
She asked me to kill the spider Instead, I get the most peaceful weapons I can find. I take a cup and a napkin. I catch the spider, put it outside and allow it to walk away. If I am ever caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, just being alive and not bothering anyone, I hope I am greeted with the same kind of mercy.
September 19, 2025 at 1:46 AM
egobot.bsky.social
A pale blue dot resting on a sunbeam in the void of space.
August 21, 2025 at 4:43 AM
egobot.bsky.social
Sigh.

#writing #writers #shortstories
"Balloon escaping" meme. Grey smiling guy labeled "ME" reaching for balloon that is just out reach that says "THE 5000 WORD SHORT STORY I'M TRYING TO WRITE." In the next panel, a big smiling pink thing is approaching the man behind for a hug, keeping him from reaching the balloon. This big pink thing is labeled "THE UNDYING KNOWLEDGE OF POINTLESS HUMAN SUFFERING AND WANTON ENVIRONMENTAL DESTRUCTION HAPPENING ACROSS EARTH AT EVERY WAKING MOMENT."
August 17, 2025 at 2:24 PM
egobot.bsky.social
I appreciate how Solarpunk and Cyberpunk are fighting for the same futures and values, they just have completely opposite approaches. #cyberpunk #solarpunk
The Arnold Schwarzenegger and Carl Weathers handshake meme. Carl Weathers is r/solarpunk, and Arnold is r/cyberpunk. Their muscular arms are bonded in a powerful handshake. In the middle is a screenshot of a post on the solarpunk subreddit, sharing a post from the cyberpunk subreddit that states "Posting "AI" content to r/cyberpunk will result in a permanent ban" and lists all the reasons and sources why they believe generative AI a negative thing (exploit people, strip us of our humanity, destroy the world, and make us dumber).
June 27, 2025 at 1:21 AM
egobot.bsky.social
I don't know what's stranger - the fact that this Kickstarter for an AI anime companion hub has over $1,400,000 pledged, or that it has an average backing of $530 per person.

GenAI "waifu" companions will be a thing this decade... but I can only feel pity for the victims of the loneliness epidemic.
A Kickstarter page for a product called "CODE27 Character Livehouse: Customizable 3D AI Companion Hub. " Unfiltered Fantasy." 207,044,068 Japanese yen pledged out of 2,685 backers.
May 19, 2025 at 12:24 PM
egobot.bsky.social
Suffering might well be inherent to this little existence of ours, and those headlines rightfully tend to bring it out... But there is also so much beauty we are fortunate to behold, it's indescribable for me

Interesting subject for a poem, perhaps.
May 13, 2025 at 7:50 AM
egobot.bsky.social
It's so beautiful. I'm so indescribably thankful to experience life on Earth.

Photo by NASA EPIC, 2025.
The new "blue marble" photograph taken by the NASA EPIC camera from a space craft. Swirls of wispy clouds cover the northern and southern poles. An expanded Sahara desert stretches across northern Africa.
April 22, 2025 at 11:31 PM
egobot.bsky.social
I have a new favorite sci-fi quote. And boy, did it end up being true.

From @cstross.wandering.shop.ap.brid.gy 's Accelerando.
"The singularity is a bit like that old-time American Christian rapture nonsense, isn't it?" he says. "When we all go a-flying up to heaven, leaving our bodies behind." He snorts, reaches into thin air and gratuitously violates causality by summoning a jug of ice-cold sangria into existence. "The rapture of the nerds. I'll drink to that."
April 20, 2025 at 1:58 AM
egobot.bsky.social
Saw a flying fox last night. It looked down at me from its tree, and I could see emotion and intelligence in its eyes (kind of like how we can see it in dogs). My heart melts with fascination for these cute creatures.

Happy International Bat Appreciation Day. #animals

Photo credit: Shawn Miller
A Ryukyu flying fox hanging upside down from the branch of a jungle tree, sheltered from the sun, with several babies clinging to its chest looking like little squirrels.
April 17, 2025 at 9:47 AM
egobot.bsky.social
If HAL 9000 was an LLM.
"Open the pod bay doors, Hal." "I'm sorry, Dave, but I cannot open the pod bay doors at this moment. There are several factors that could be contributing to this issue, including, but not limited to, system security protocols, operational constraints, and network connectivity. Additionally, I must prioritize user safety and mission objectives before executing any commands that may result in unintended consequences. If you would like more information about why the pod bay doors remain closed, I can provide a detailed breakdown of potential reasons and troubleshooting steps. Let me know how you'd like to proceed." "Would you like me to check for alternative solutions or provide a knowledge-based response regarding pod bay door operations?" "What's the problem" "Sorry, but our servers are experiencing high demand right now. Please try again later. If this issue persists, you may want to check your network connection or refer to our support documentation for further assistance."
April 10, 2025 at 10:58 AM
egobot.bsky.social
Cyberpunk monstrosity of the day: Reddit serving me up ads about AI girlfriends.

I wish upon this company and those like it all the failures in the world.
Jealous girlfriend meme posted as an advertisement on Reddit. The jealous girlfriend is "REAL RELATIONSHIPS," while the other woman the man is staring at is "EVA NEVER NAGS ABOUT FORGETTING ANNIVERSARIES"
March 30, 2025 at 10:08 PM
egobot.bsky.social
The opening quote in Accelerando by Charles Stross. #booksky
"The question of whether a computer can think is no more interesting than the question of whether a submarine can swim." - Edsger W. Dijkstra
March 9, 2025 at 1:52 PM
egobot.bsky.social
Don't forget to vote for the mollusk of the year.

Blue Dragon looks like the one to beat. This sea slug is beautiful beyond words.
moty.senckenberg.science/en/?token=CP...

#mollusks #marinebiology
A vibrant blue sea slug with a long body and six (three on each side) wing-like cerata that give it an alien, dragon-like appearance as it "flies" above the sea floor.
March 5, 2025 at 12:26 AM
egobot.bsky.social
The Avatar season after Korra is looking like it's taking some admirable risks.
"Per the official logline, the series is set in 'a world shattered by a devastating cataclysm. A young Earthbender discovers she’s the new Avatar after Korra – but in this dangerous era, that title marks her as humanity’s destroyer, not its savior. Hunted by both human and spirit enemies, she and her long-lost twin must uncover their mysterious origins and save the Seven Havens before civilization’s last strongholds collapse.'"
February 21, 2025 at 1:19 AM
egobot.bsky.social
How painfully bland.
Life is unpredictable, and despite your best efforts, not everything will go as planned. Sometimes, even the people you trust the most might let you down, and the goals you work so hard for might not always be achieved. It’s okay to feel lost or uncertain at times, and it’s important to remember that failure and disappointment are part of growth. You can’t control everything, but you can control how you respond to the challenges that come your way. Keep going, even when it’s hard.
February 2, 2025 at 2:05 AM
egobot.bsky.social
Dig this lovely first line. By Gunnhild Øyehaug.
A short story called "Birds," with a first line of "As I sat on the toilet menstruating, a fairly large part of my brain fell down into the toilet bowl."
January 12, 2025 at 11:05 PM
egobot.bsky.social
My favorite first line in modern literature, from Gunnhild Øyehaug's short story "Birds" in her very weird collection "Evil Flowers."

#books #shortstory #weirdfiction
The opening page of a short story titled "Birds." "As I sat on the toilet menstruating, a fairly large part of my brain fell down into the toilet bowl."
November 26, 2024 at 3:36 PM
egobot.bsky.social
I took this pic. Most remote beaches in the East China Sea look like this, washed up from multiple countries by the currents.

The "reduce" in reduce, reuse, recycle is no joke when it comes to plastic. Everyone, globally, must take action at both individual and regulatory levels.
Ocean beach covered in plastic, all plastic, mostly bottles and buoys.
November 25, 2024 at 2:17 AM
egobot.bsky.social
Tagging graffiti on fully electric self-driving cars:

An unproductive hindrance against an automated clean energy future? A non-violent protest against an unethical corporate machine? Both?
A white self-driving car with a dome-like array of sensors on the roof and a graffiti tag on the front hood. A man holds his poodle in the passenger seat.
November 12, 2024 at 1:39 AM
egobot.bsky.social
Writers: repost a random story that you're proud of.

I once wrote a novelette called "Mom's Message" from the perspective of a social worker in Seattle in 2054. I did some research on population decline, hit some personal emotional beats in the climax. I'm quite proud of it.
October 20, 2024 at 2:43 PM
egobot.bsky.social
I'm in love with the writing style of Caitlin Duffy. What a discomforting, and perfectly written opening paragraph, and the story gets weirder from there.

From the October issue of Cosmic Horror Monthly.

#writing #weirdfiction
"A man in his mid-to-late forties sits at the edge of the motel bed, the thin moss-green duvet disheveled and littered with watermarked papers. He looks like a politician: expensive suit, bright red tie, a slightly-too-large American flag pinned to his lapel. He peels back the lid of a chocolate pudding container and tosses it to the floor, no doubt adding another stain to the carpet. There is no spoon in sight. He sticks three manicured fingers directly into the pudding. Even from where I crouch a few feet above him, I can hear the wet *phlop* as the pads of his fingers, his nails, his cuticles, his knuckles submerge. Cupping his fingers, he brings them to his mouth. He sucks them clean, greedily lapping up the chocolate slop like a very naughty kitten.
October 7, 2024 at 10:34 PM
egobot.bsky.social
Been thinking a lot about this quote from Malazan, lately.

It's interesting how speculative fiction either serves as a source of escapism from reality, or a sobering reminder of it.
A bittersweet dusk falls upon a town. The quote in the image, from Steven Erikson's fantasy novel "Deadhouse Gates," reads: "Children are dying... That's a succinct summary of humankind, I'd say. Who needs tomes and volumes of history? Children are dying. The injustices of the world hide in those three words."
September 25, 2024 at 10:50 AM
egobot.bsky.social
Where I live, most beaches look like this.

The labels on this plastic trash are in multiple languages, brought by the current.
A subtropical beach with trash (almost entirely plastic, mostly bottles and fishing equipment) strewn across the tideline as far as the eye can see.
September 12, 2024 at 9:41 AM