R. A. Coates
@raincoates.bsky.social
Reader, writer, and editor. Looking forward to turning into a mushroom one day.
Reposted by R. A. Coates
As ever @tressiemcphd.bsky.social is brilliant.
"My most daring idea is to refuse."
Yes. Absolutely this.
And I feel like reading BARTLEBY prepared me for this moment.
"My most daring idea is to refuse."
Yes. Absolutely this.
And I feel like reading BARTLEBY prepared me for this moment.
"This promise of an AI future, is really just a collective anxiety that wealthy people have about how well they're gonna be able to control us in the future."
- @tressiemcphd.bsky.social with an absolute mic drop moment about AI bullshit.
Incredible words.
Listen to all of it!
- @tressiemcphd.bsky.social with an absolute mic drop moment about AI bullshit.
Incredible words.
Listen to all of it!
December 19, 2025 at 2:32 PM
As ever @tressiemcphd.bsky.social is brilliant.
"My most daring idea is to refuse."
Yes. Absolutely this.
And I feel like reading BARTLEBY prepared me for this moment.
"My most daring idea is to refuse."
Yes. Absolutely this.
And I feel like reading BARTLEBY prepared me for this moment.
Reposted by R. A. Coates
Oh. My. Fucking. God.
You must listen to this.
You must listen to this.
I love the fucking internet, part 972964386: "One Night In Bangkok" arranged and performed as a 16th century chanson. youtu.be/i3jHv0GZB9U?...
One Night in Bangkok but it's a 16th century chanson
YouTube video by Jonasquin
youtu.be
December 18, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Oh. My. Fucking. God.
You must listen to this.
You must listen to this.
Reposted by R. A. Coates
A colloquial Russian equivalent to “mind your own business” is тебя не ебут, ты не подмахивай. It means “you’re not getting fucked, so don’t wiggle your ass.”
December 17, 2025 at 1:30 PM
A colloquial Russian equivalent to “mind your own business” is тебя не ебут, ты не подмахивай. It means “you’re not getting fucked, so don’t wiggle your ass.”
Reposted by R. A. Coates
Idk who needs to hear this, but talking to blorbo on the plagerism machine is crossing the picket line.
December 14, 2025 at 2:50 PM
Idk who needs to hear this, but talking to blorbo on the plagerism machine is crossing the picket line.
Reposted by R. A. Coates
“I don’t treat fat people any differently”
(Photos by the inimitable Haley Morris Cafiero: www.haleymorriscafiero.com)
(Photos by the inimitable Haley Morris Cafiero: www.haleymorriscafiero.com)
December 6, 2025 at 6:25 PM
“I don’t treat fat people any differently”
(Photos by the inimitable Haley Morris Cafiero: www.haleymorriscafiero.com)
(Photos by the inimitable Haley Morris Cafiero: www.haleymorriscafiero.com)
Reposted by R. A. Coates
A reminder that Iron Circus is gonna get WALLOPED with Baker & Taylor bankruptcy backdraft for the next several months, turning our usual distro payout into bills.
If you'd like to help a small business making weird-ass comics weather the storm, a 💥30% OFF💥 sale is on now!
store.ironcircus.com
If you'd like to help a small business making weird-ass comics weather the storm, a 💥30% OFF💥 sale is on now!
store.ironcircus.com
Iron Circus Comics
Iron Circus Comics is the premiere publisher of award-winning, critically-acclaimed graphic novels in the American Midwest, a small-mid house built from the ground up by founder C. Spike Trotman.
store.ironcircus.com
December 5, 2025 at 11:39 PM
A reminder that Iron Circus is gonna get WALLOPED with Baker & Taylor bankruptcy backdraft for the next several months, turning our usual distro payout into bills.
If you'd like to help a small business making weird-ass comics weather the storm, a 💥30% OFF💥 sale is on now!
store.ironcircus.com
If you'd like to help a small business making weird-ass comics weather the storm, a 💥30% OFF💥 sale is on now!
store.ironcircus.com
Reposted by R. A. Coates
Reposted by R. A. Coates
“Have Yourself A Merriam Little Christmas”
Merriam, a career-oriented lexicographer from the city, returns to her small town for the holidays and meets Webster, a ruggedly handsome librarian, who shows her the true DEFINITION of Christmas.
Merriam, a career-oriented lexicographer from the city, returns to her small town for the holidays and meets Webster, a ruggedly handsome librarian, who shows her the true DEFINITION of Christmas.
December 2, 2025 at 7:18 PM
“Have Yourself A Merriam Little Christmas”
Merriam, a career-oriented lexicographer from the city, returns to her small town for the holidays and meets Webster, a ruggedly handsome librarian, who shows her the true DEFINITION of Christmas.
Merriam, a career-oriented lexicographer from the city, returns to her small town for the holidays and meets Webster, a ruggedly handsome librarian, who shows her the true DEFINITION of Christmas.
Reposted by R. A. Coates
It’s #InternationalDisabilitiesDay • I'm a disabled #embroidery artist. My work combines anatomy & symptomatology into #SciArt. Here is body map (2016) in which I stitched my #MECFS symptoms as I felt them.
To learn more about my work, Here’s a recent interview: substack.com/home/post/p-...
To learn more about my work, Here’s a recent interview: substack.com/home/post/p-...
December 3, 2025 at 4:02 PM
It’s #InternationalDisabilitiesDay • I'm a disabled #embroidery artist. My work combines anatomy & symptomatology into #SciArt. Here is body map (2016) in which I stitched my #MECFS symptoms as I felt them.
To learn more about my work, Here’s a recent interview: substack.com/home/post/p-...
To learn more about my work, Here’s a recent interview: substack.com/home/post/p-...
Reposted by R. A. Coates
This is an excellent piece on PEM by @darthfoo.bsky.social. Seriously considering sending to literally everyone I know.
substack.com/home/post/p-...
substack.com/home/post/p-...
Why I Can’t Just Meet You for Dinner
The Reality of Post-Exertional Malaise
substack.com
November 23, 2025 at 6:23 PM
This is an excellent piece on PEM by @darthfoo.bsky.social. Seriously considering sending to literally everyone I know.
substack.com/home/post/p-...
substack.com/home/post/p-...
Reposted by R. A. Coates
I found a flowchart which helps you navigate the IT landscape
October 1, 2025 at 6:22 PM
I found a flowchart which helps you navigate the IT landscape
Reposted by R. A. Coates
Interested in reading some queer romance to relax after buying all the things (or staunchly resisting the call to buy all the things)? I have some ebooks on sale:
sextonscottage.com/discount/SOM...
Discount SOMEFRIDAY2025 applies only on ebooks and is good through Sunday night Eastern Time.
sextonscottage.com/discount/SOM...
Discount SOMEFRIDAY2025 applies only on ebooks and is good through Sunday night Eastern Time.
November 28, 2025 at 7:43 PM
Interested in reading some queer romance to relax after buying all the things (or staunchly resisting the call to buy all the things)? I have some ebooks on sale:
sextonscottage.com/discount/SOM...
Discount SOMEFRIDAY2025 applies only on ebooks and is good through Sunday night Eastern Time.
sextonscottage.com/discount/SOM...
Discount SOMEFRIDAY2025 applies only on ebooks and is good through Sunday night Eastern Time.
Reposted by R. A. Coates
One of my favourite books of the last few years, Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh, is on sale for only $2.99 CAD on the Kobo ebook site: www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/...
Some Desperate Glory ebook by Emily Tesh - Rakuten Kobo
Read "Some Desperate Glory" by Emily Tesh available from Rakuten Kobo. Instant National Bestseller and International Bestseller!
Hugo Award Winner for Best Novel!
Arthur C. Clarke Award Final...
www.kobo.com
November 27, 2025 at 5:11 PM
One of my favourite books of the last few years, Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh, is on sale for only $2.99 CAD on the Kobo ebook site: www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/...
Reposted by R. A. Coates
This is an excellent story. We got similar pitches from the same writer at Defector and if they had not been entirely generated by someone plugging prompts into The Fabulism Device they really would've been cool.
A few months ago @thelocal.to got a promising pitch from a writer with bylines in whole bunch of reputable publications—The Cut, The Guardian, Dwell, Architectural Digest, etc. Then I started investigating. Here's a story about fabulists in journalism's AI slop era. thelocal.to/investigatin...
Investigating a Possible Scammer in Journalism’s AI Era | The Local
A suspicious pitch from a freelancer led editor Nicholas Hune-Brown to dig into their past work. By the end, four publications, including The Guardian and Dwell, had removed articles from their sites.
thelocal.to
November 19, 2025 at 4:23 PM
This is an excellent story. We got similar pitches from the same writer at Defector and if they had not been entirely generated by someone plugging prompts into The Fabulism Device they really would've been cool.
Reposted by R. A. Coates
I made some Holiday Cards for y'all.
I'll be at Emily Carr (Vancouver, BC) this Saturday from 9 AM - 5 PM. This will be the first time these cards are available for sale.
If you want to buy them online, just comment here and I'll have them up by Nov 30th.
I'll be at Emily Carr (Vancouver, BC) this Saturday from 9 AM - 5 PM. This will be the first time these cards are available for sale.
If you want to buy them online, just comment here and I'll have them up by Nov 30th.
November 18, 2025 at 8:53 PM
I made some Holiday Cards for y'all.
I'll be at Emily Carr (Vancouver, BC) this Saturday from 9 AM - 5 PM. This will be the first time these cards are available for sale.
If you want to buy them online, just comment here and I'll have them up by Nov 30th.
I'll be at Emily Carr (Vancouver, BC) this Saturday from 9 AM - 5 PM. This will be the first time these cards are available for sale.
If you want to buy them online, just comment here and I'll have them up by Nov 30th.
Reposted by R. A. Coates
This mural has gone up in Kingston, ostensibly for Christmas but AI has ensured it's actually to celebrate the return of our dark lord Cthulhu
November 18, 2025 at 9:44 AM
This mural has gone up in Kingston, ostensibly for Christmas but AI has ensured it's actually to celebrate the return of our dark lord Cthulhu
Reposted by R. A. Coates
THREAD. In her exclusive interview in today's Daily Telegraph Magazine, the actor, influencer and designer Philippa Islington-Smythe (pictured) discusses the price of fame, her controversial new perfume, working with Margot Robbie and how becoming a parent changed her perspective on the world...
November 14, 2025 at 12:51 PM
THREAD. In her exclusive interview in today's Daily Telegraph Magazine, the actor, influencer and designer Philippa Islington-Smythe (pictured) discusses the price of fame, her controversial new perfume, working with Margot Robbie and how becoming a parent changed her perspective on the world...
Reposted by R. A. Coates
Important reading. I had a similar, yet different, experience where a "well-known author" engaged nicely but slightly weirdly (AI alert!) via social media (fake account) and tried to get me to buy her "friends" books.
New #WriterBeware blog post: Yet another in the growing catalog of AI-driven writing scams from Nigeria: a multi-layered marketing/editing referral scheme that begins with a message or email from someone purporting to be a well-known author writerbeware.blog/2025/11/14/i...
If a Famous Author Calls, Hang Up: Anatomy of an Impersonation Scam - Writer Beware
You open your email program one morning. The usual work stuff. Some spam (annoying that it got past your filters!). A couple of newsletters (maybe later). You sip your coffee, scroll down. Wait. What’...
writerbeware.blog
November 14, 2025 at 6:46 PM
Important reading. I had a similar, yet different, experience where a "well-known author" engaged nicely but slightly weirdly (AI alert!) via social media (fake account) and tried to get me to buy her "friends" books.
Reposted by R. A. Coates
As of this morning, Starbucks workers across the country are officially ON STRIKE. And we're prepared for this to become the biggest and longest ULP strike in Starbucks history.
Say #NoContractNoCoffee with us: DON'T BUY STARBUCKS for the duration of our open-ended ULP strike! $SBUX
Say #NoContractNoCoffee with us: DON'T BUY STARBUCKS for the duration of our open-ended ULP strike! $SBUX
November 13, 2025 at 11:33 AM
As of this morning, Starbucks workers across the country are officially ON STRIKE. And we're prepared for this to become the biggest and longest ULP strike in Starbucks history.
Say #NoContractNoCoffee with us: DON'T BUY STARBUCKS for the duration of our open-ended ULP strike! $SBUX
Say #NoContractNoCoffee with us: DON'T BUY STARBUCKS for the duration of our open-ended ULP strike! $SBUX
Reposted by R. A. Coates
A reminder that Slippery Creatures is on sale everywhere just for the weekend!
It's my birthday, so have a present. SLIPPERY CREATURES (Will Darling Adventures book 1) is going on cheap over the weekend. 1920s pulp adventure m/m romance with plots, spies, Bright Young People, and emotional support knife, all for 99p!
Available now at your favorite digital store!
Slippery Creatures by KJ Charles
books2read.com
November 1, 2025 at 6:59 PM
A reminder that Slippery Creatures is on sale everywhere just for the weekend!
Reposted by R. A. Coates
This photo accompanying a news story about the heist at the Louvre is perfection.
October 19, 2025 at 9:56 PM
This photo accompanying a news story about the heist at the Louvre is perfection.
Reposted by R. A. Coates
A statement. Please read.
October 20, 2025 at 1:05 AM
A statement. Please read.
Reposted by R. A. Coates
The reason the Right are so invested in the myth that the arts have no value isn’t because the arts don’t generate wealth (they do); it’s that studying the arts teaches people to imagine better ways of judging the value of an idea than by counting how much money it makes…
October 8, 2025 at 1:41 PM
The reason the Right are so invested in the myth that the arts have no value isn’t because the arts don’t generate wealth (they do); it’s that studying the arts teaches people to imagine better ways of judging the value of an idea than by counting how much money it makes…
Reposted by R. A. Coates
I've updated my document that tackles four of the common arguments used to encourage teachers to use AI.
I hope this will be helpful to those educators wanting to push back on AI mania.
I hope this will be helpful to those educators wanting to push back on AI mania.
Resisting School AI Mania Help Sheet
Help Sheet: Resisting AI Mania in Schools K-12 educators are under increasing pressure to use—and have students use—a wide range of AI tools. (The term “AI” is used loosely here, just as it is by man...
docs.google.com
October 14, 2025 at 7:23 PM
I've updated my document that tackles four of the common arguments used to encourage teachers to use AI.
I hope this will be helpful to those educators wanting to push back on AI mania.
I hope this will be helpful to those educators wanting to push back on AI mania.