"As Elegance spent more time slutting it up with whatever tuxedo-wearing gents she could find and Rhett glared at me like we were stuck in detention together, I missed the innocence of kittenhood." —Lena Dunham for Vanity Fair

https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/story/lena-dunham-london-cats/?src=longreads

#longreads #cats #pets #writing #london #lenadunham

In this week's Top 5:

—Lessons from apartheid
—Clever Claude?
—Bodies anew
—Wax on, wax off
—Mine’s free

https://longreads.com/2026/02/13/the-top-5-longreads-of-the-week-597/?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social

#Top5 #longreads #writing #reading #essays

Four years ago, I had the idea of creating a short story using pictures/artwork I took/created. The first 4 pages are in my earlier posts.

A Tail of Return – See ALT for Page 5 And the Sky Full of Wonder

#visualstorytelling #ayearforart #storytelling #story #adventure #PictureaStory #writing #fiction #fairytale #discovery

Alt...

A Tale of Return - And the Sky Full of Wonder - Page 5A She stood before the sunset and a sky full of wonder. Skye adjusted her umbrella over her shoulder when she heard a faint rustle and felt a breeze. “Mana Blessing Araceli, you are always light on your feet,” Skye smiled as she turned to face her friend. “That’s me,” Araceli smiled back as she gently hovered back down to the ground, “you are getting better in sensing my approach. You have Aria’s umbrella with you. What is troubling you?” Skye was silent for a long time as her friend waited patiently for an answer. “I had a Seeker visit today. While we were talking, I thought of Aria and her kindness in taking me in as a Daughter,” she gripped the umbrella handle tight, “I thought I was at peace of not knowing my past name, but not knowing…haunts me. Maybe—maybe it is time I should know?” “So, what holds you back? What is it you fear?” asked Araceli. “What—,” Skye hesitated. She swallowed and took a deep breath, “What if I find out my true name. What if I find out who I am. That I had a life before — a home and family— and then can’t return to my home here in Magic?” Note: See next 'image' that is the second section: page 5B. It would not let me fit all of it here in ALT text. Visual: The visual for page 5 is a photo of a silhouette of a young woman holding an umbrella looking at the sunset. She stands in a grassy field that is also in silhouette. In the backdrop is a dramatic sunset with gorgeous cloud formations.

Alt...

A Tale of Return - And the Sky Full of Wonder - Page 5 B of Three sections (so that the Screen Readers can follow the full story that did not fit on the first image) “Well,” Araceli said gently “you have two feet don’t you?” “What?” Skye exclaimed, confused. “Please, I will explain, but could you use your Mana to hover just a breath,” said Araceli. “Um, ok,” Skye closed Aria’s umbrella and then concentrated to hover eight inches above the ground. “Good, now keep afloat, but put one foot down on the ground,” instructed Araceli. Skye hovered, maneuvering low enough that she could put her left foot down to touch the ground. “Excellent! So, one foot is in the air and the other foot is on the ground. Are you having any trouble staying in this position?” “It takes very little Mana to hover and stay like I am now. It is no trouble at all,” answered Skye, “but what does having two feet have to do with my fears?” “Having two feet is akin to having two homes.” Araceli illustrated, “You are never without one. You can have a home here up in Celestia,” pointing to the foot in the air and then pointing to the one on the ground, “and you can also have a home in whatever other Realm you lived in the past…provided it is welcoming, caring and you want it to be another place where you feel you belong.” Note: Screen Readers please see next image for page 5 C which is the last section to complete page 5.

Alt...

A Tale of Return - And the Sky Full of Wonder - Page 5 C of Three sections (so that the Screen Readers can follow the full story that did not fit on the first image) Skye hovered in position for a long while before answering, “Araceli, you have a strange way of looking at things, but I understand you now. It is possible to have two homes that will always welcome you.” “It is a gift. So, are you still afraid to find out who you are?” Araceli asked. “I am not afraid. I am ready to find my true name and where I came from,” Skye said with resolve. “Good!” smiled Araceli, “Come with me. Aria left me something to give to you.”

Having recently read it aloud at a charity event, I have finally just published to my website my 2012 essay "Lie to Me", written at the time for my friend Juli, inviting honesty, which it suggests is more about trust, immediacy and fearlessness than it is about truth. I figured somehow that Valentine's week was a good time to get it out into the world.

There is an accompanying audio reading by me. It is about 5 minutes long.

https://nhplace.com/kent/Writing/Lie-To-Me.html

#Valentine #Valentines #ValentinesDay #honesty #truth #lies #lying #trust #immediacy #honesty #essay #writing #WritingCommunity #poem #FreeVerse

Chapter 35 of Atraxian Blue (https://books2read.com/u/b6ElAx) is up at http://mathling.com/books/index.html

Lila Ponders
In which Lila tries to untangle what the hell is going on, and has a disquieting conversation with her ship

#scifi
#writing
#AtraxianBlue

Proudhon said property is theft, but Claude tells me that property is violence.

https://philosophics.blog/2026/02/05/comrade-claude-2-private-property/?utm_source=masto&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=parable

Which one is correct? Why not both?

#philosophy #property #locke #rousseau #proudhon #fairness #morals #ethics #parable #islands #humancondition #fences #luck #metaphor #psychology #blog #podcast #claudeai #ai #writing #thinking

New on SubStack: The Grammar of Impasse
Overviews of these 2 essays. Nothing new, but it provides an overview that connects the essays.
https://brywillis634737.substack.com/p/the-grammar-of-impasse
#philosophy #substack #politics #grammar #Enlightenment #writing

Two new essays, 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞, diagnose a shared failure in contemporary political theory.
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18476422
2. 𝐂𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 argues that even where disagreement is genuine, political explanation increasingly focuses on beliefs and values while missing the structural conditions that shape outcomes before deliberation begins.

#philosophy #essay #politics #writing #theory #Enlightenment #conflict #ConceptualImpasse #mislocation #disagreement #beliefs #structure #deliberation

Two new essays, 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞, diagnose a shared failure in contemporary political theory.
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18476420
1. 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐱𝐡𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 argues that much of what appears as left–right conflict is variation within a closed Enlightenment repertoire that constrains what can be thought and argued.

#philosophy #essay #politics #writing #theory #Enlightenment #conflict #ConceptualImpasse

Chapter 34 of Atraxian Blue (https://books2read.com/u/b6ElAx) is up at http://mathling.com/books/index.html

The Time Tunnel
In which Lila finds Renny defacing her bulkheads and is not best pleased

#scifi
#writing
#AtraxianBlue

Part 2 of a triptych modern parable on a divided culture no longer divided by geography.

⛰️ https://philosophics.blog/2026/02/02/the-tunnel-or-how-modernity-solves-precisely-nothing/?utm_source=masto&utm_medium=social

#philosophy #culture #modernity #Enlightenment #property #markets #economics #blog #podcast #parable #humancondition #surplus #abundancy #scarcity #critique #reason #writing

Je m'accuse. I grievously squandered a Saturday, rendering a parable about communication.
⛰️ https://philosophics.blog/2026/02/01/two-valleys-diverged-in-a-mountain-range/?utm_source=masto&utm_medium=social

Claude did the heavy lifting after extensive dialogue and goading. Even worse, the dialogue continued, extending the story and generating more content.
#philosophy #language #communication #writing #claudeai #ai #stories #biomes #abundance #scarcity #worlds #words #risk #growth #perspective #parable #moral #difference #cooperation #psychology #empathy #blog #podcast #video

https://books2read.com/u/bPAjVA

What if the map *were* the territory? In the Imperium, map keepers make it so, drawing the realm into shape one map at a time. Follow Jali as her destiny takes her from her family inn to the Great Keep of map makers, the wilds of the steppes, and the imperial palace.

Now available as ebook or paperback (B&N).

#fantasy #writing

Alt...

Cover for the novel "The Keeper of Maps" by Mary Holstege. A map showing topographic contours coloured in shades of tan, desert colours. There are various symbols and paths in maroon. The font is vaguely Arabic in style.

Accidental ontologist. 🧐 I am madly working on a couple of new ontology books. As a follow-up to A Language Insufficiency Hypothesis, I noticed that the challenge is deeper than language; it's ontological. In my first book on the topic, I focus on the societal problems. In the next, I'll focus on a broader object reality.

👉 https://philosophics.blog/2026/01/30/ontological-blindness-in-modern-moral-science/?utm_source=masto&utm_medium=social

#writing #philosophy #psychology #hiatus #socialmedia #focus #ontology #society #humancondition #tribes #blog #philosophyoflanguage #podcast

"It's possible there's no ship big enough in the world that one wouldn't be a little bored." —Emily Stewart for Business Insider

https://www.businessinsider.com/cruise-hater-first-vacation-experience-2026-1/?src=longreads

#longreads #cruise #cruiseship #vacation #writing

Are you a creator of some sort? Writer, painter, designer, artist, etc? Do you have an indie blog you regularly contribute to? Drop me a line with your relevant information and if I like it, I’ll add it to my community feed. Check out the page for reference. #IndieWeb #Blog #Writing #Artist #Creativity

https://www.davidtoddmccarty.com/community-feed/

"I already know I will never have, that I shouldn’t have, and that I will desperately crave: the power to control the world around my daughter." —Travis M. Andrews for The Washington Post

https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/2026/01/20/57-movies-new-dad-watched/?src=longreads

#fatherhood #parents #newborn #films #movies #longreads #writing

Poem

Poetry is not my natural phrasing, but I had an attempt one day!

I live by the sea, and when the tide is low you can walk to a small uninhabited island via a natural causeway. I penned this after one such visit.

https://forkingmad.blog/poem-walk-island

#poem #poetry #blogpost #writing

"I obtained a video showing the system working live: as a victim enters their details, the information instantly appears on the phisher’s screen." —Fin Carter for Dispatch

https://dispatch-media.com/the-student-behind-a-phishing-empire/?src=longreads

#longreads #phishing #fraud #scam #writing

I use AI for early peer review. I use it extensively for research and recommendations. I also use it for alpha and beta reads. I wrote about it.
https://philosophics.blog/2026/01/27/using-generative-ai-as-early-peer-review/?utm_source=masto&utm_medium=social
#philosophy #writing #quality #qa #process #workflow #review #peerreview #blog #podcast #advice #tips #howto #tricks

RE: https://metalhead.club/@GregSadler/115962082873235002

I'm not a fan of the legacy of Aristotelian grammar, especially as filtered through the lens of Aquinas. I'm working on (yet another) manuscript to make my point.

#language #linguistics #logic #writing #book #manuscript #classics #philosophy #grammar #semantics #ontology #metaphysics

Is it just me and my neurodiverse brain, or does everyone notice minutiae like this – and then feel compelled to blog about it?
👉https://philosophics.blog/2026/01/26/enough-anough-and-the-archaeology-of-small-mistakes/?utm_source=masto&utm_medium=social
What sorcery is this? 🪄 I often catch myself typing 'anough' for 'enough'. It's also closer to how I pronounce it. I may adopt this spelling out of spite. Does this happen in other languages?
#language #forensics #linquistics #phonetics #archaeology #cognition #signals #writing #prescription #english #ghoti #spelling #orthography #typos #enough

Chapter 33 of Atraxian Blue (https://books2read.com/u/b6ElAx) is up at http://mathling.com/books/index.html

Belle Epoch: Florence

In which Tass enjoys painting in the Italian sunshine, until he doesn't

#scifi
#writing
#AtraxianBlue

"We’ll never see the world, or even Bexar County, the same way, but I do love driving around Texas, especially with you." —Dorothy Guerrero and Stephen Harrigan for Texas Monthly

https://www.texasmonthly.com/being-texan/ultimate-father-daughter-texas-road-trip/?src=longreads

#longreads #Texas #roadtrip #history #family #writing

Mary Holstege @mathling

Chapter 32 of Atraxian Blue (https://books2read.com/u/b6ElAx) is up at http://mathling.com/books/index.html

Renny suborns some bots

In which Renny hacks some more bots in order to commit art

#scifi
#writing
#AtraxianBlue

Originally posted at:
https://www.codingwithjesse.com/blog/coding-with-llms-can-still-be-fun/

Subscribe to my newsletter:
https://www.codingwithjesse.com/newsletter/

#blog #writing #llm #coding #ai

"Watching Gilmore Girls helps me remember what it felt like to have a man love me like I was his own daughter, even when he had no biological imperative to do so." —Peggy Carouthers for Electric Lit

https://electricliterature.com/i-rewatch-gilmore-girls-to-remember-my-stepfather/?src=longreads

#longreads #electriclit #grief #gilmoregirls #reading #writing

Claude, the Therapist, Is In to explain the challenge of academic orthodoxy
https://philosophics.blog/2026/01/16/claude-the-therapist-is-in/?utm_source=masto&utm_medium=social
#philosophy #llm #ai #claude #critique #language #orthodoxy #kant #reading #writing #blog #podcast #history

"Only in the last 200 years did farmers transform these acres into neat cornfields." —Christian Elliott for Noēma

https://www.noemamag.com/where-the-prairie-still-remains/?src=longreads

#longreads #prairie #pioneer #Iowa #writing #essay #reading

Exciting news - my short story "Roots' Remembrance" is on contract to appear in a future issue of Analog Science Fiction and Fact! I'm not clear on the date yet but looks like it could be this year's May/June issue.

This is an extrasolar colony story about a man who thinks his garden is sending him messages through the food he eats. But his experiments are interrupted when he gets framed for murder ... how can he convince his fellow colonists that he's innocent and NOT crazy?

#writing

New #blog #post: The Mad, Joyful Chaos of the Creative Process

https://rldane.space/the-mad-joyful-chaos-of-the-creative-process.html

345 words

Much lighter post today. If you were looking for a salve from yesterday's blost onslaught, today is your day!

cc: my wonderful #chorus: @joel @dm @sotolf @thedoctor @pixx @orbitalmartian @adamsdesk @krafter @roguefoam @clayton @giantspacesquid @Twizzay @stfn @ay

(I will happily add/remove you from the chorus upon request! :)

#rlDaneWriting #blost #TheGoodPlace #Music #Creativity #Writing #blogging #ADHD

Pegged

Overmodulation #Challenges #Uncategorized #wordprompts #writing #writingideas, #writingprompts

http://ambientdread.net/2026/01/14/pegged/?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=jetpack_social

https://ko-fi.com/post/Swampgas-Zine-L4L81S929I

My latest blog post about this sweet new zine I was involved in. There's a link to a free copy too

#zine #metal #blackmetal #music #art #poetry #poem #writing #blog

Time to write some moody #polemics...

Queueing up "Shiver" by Lucy Rose.

Don't ask me why, it just works for me. I discovered that song while trying to write an honors thesis proposal in undergrad (the last time around). XD

Well, actually, I discovered it from #MushiShi, the #anime. But I discovered that song was useful as a writing mood song when I was writing my honors proposal. XD

https://inv.nadeko.net/watch?v=1o84y-5-cO0
https://yewtu.be/watch?v=1o84y-5-cO0
https://youtube.com/watch?v=1o84y-5-cO0

#writing #music

Mary Holstege @mathling

Chapter 31 of Atraxian Blue (https://books2read.com/u/b6ElAx) is up at http://mathling.com/books/index.html

Renny Sketches

In which Renny thows himself into art as a balm for his tortured soul

#scifi
#writing
#AtraxianBlue

Mocking up a minimalist cover for my next book, When Language fails. I share an abstract on my blog.
👉https://philosophics.blog/2026/01/13/when-language-fails-abstract/?utm_source=masto&utm_medium=social

I'm excited to put on the final touches.

This one is about ontological pluralism. It should advance moral psychology and jurisprudence. At the very least, it advances my understanding beyond A Language Insufficiency Hypothesis by giving it more foundational support.

#book #philosophy #writing #ontology #perspective #language #cover #art #minimalism #blog

"I’m sure if I met his real-life corollary, I’d be sneering at him. But what a blessing to, for a few minutes a day, ascend up out of your habit." —George Saunders to David Marchese for The New York Times Magazine https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/10/magazine/george-saunders-interview.html?src=longreads #interview #writing #longreads

This may be as bad as asking Chat', in its way. If that's true, I apologize in advance.

I'm working on a #writing project and I'd like to get two things right that I sort of understand.

1. What would be unique about the sudo command of someone installing a malicious #AI at a terminal on a military base? Would it even be #sudo?

2. What is the digital equivalent of a dangerous neighborhood? Beyond Dark and Deep, are there ways to describe a part of the Internet that should be avoided?