Civilian Reader
@civilianreader.com
Reader of books (biblio-Sisyphus), listener of music, watcher of movies, drinker of coffee & wine. (Same handle on Insta.) I also like basketball. Basically just ricocheting my way through life.
http://civilianreader.com
http://civilianreader.com
Currently reading END TIMES FASCISM by Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor:
www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/824616...
Only a couple chapters in, but it's excellent so far. Bleak, but excellent.
www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/824616...
Only a couple chapters in, but it's excellent so far. Bleak, but excellent.
End Times Fascism by Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor | Penguin Random House Canada
One of The Guardian's 'Most Anticipated Nonfiction Books of 2026' • Quill & Quire Fall 2026 Nonfiction Pick • A CIBA Fall 2026 Pick A scathing investigation into the apocalyptic thinking of the Christ...
www.penguinrandomhouse.ca
September 17, 2026 at 3:44 PM
Currently reading END TIMES FASCISM by Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor:
www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/824616...
Only a couple chapters in, but it's excellent so far. Bleak, but excellent.
www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/824616...
Only a couple chapters in, but it's excellent so far. Bleak, but excellent.
TBT for CR20: Six years ago, I reviewed THE SIXTH MAN by Andre Iguodala and Carvell Wallace...
civilianreader.com/2020/09/17/q...
Fantastic book. Highly recommended. Published by Blue Rider Press.
@penguinrandomhouse.bsky.social
civilianreader.com/2020/09/17/q...
Fantastic book. Highly recommended. Published by Blue Rider Press.
@penguinrandomhouse.bsky.social
Quick Review: THE SIXTH MAN by Andre Iguodala & Carvell Wallace (Blue Rider Press)
A superb memoir that is also a passionate, engaging meditation on race in America Andre Iguodala is one of the most admired players in the NBA. And fresh off the Warriors’ fifth Finals appearance i…
civilianreader.com
September 17, 2026 at 2:17 PM
TBT for CR20: Six years ago, I reviewed THE SIXTH MAN by Andre Iguodala and Carvell Wallace...
civilianreader.com/2020/09/17/q...
Fantastic book. Highly recommended. Published by Blue Rider Press.
@penguinrandomhouse.bsky.social
civilianreader.com/2020/09/17/q...
Fantastic book. Highly recommended. Published by Blue Rider Press.
@penguinrandomhouse.bsky.social
Reposted by Civilian Reader
The miraculous Shit-Raining Machine, from which there will be NO HOPE OF RELIEF, promises to unlock PREVIOUSLY UNIMAGINABLE AND CURRENTLY VAGUE BENEFITS FOR HUMANKIND, such as:
- business things
- other stuff
- WE MUST CREATE IT.
buff.ly/K5t1rGh
- business things
- other stuff
- WE MUST CREATE IT.
buff.ly/K5t1rGh
We Must Create the Shit Machine
“For as long as humans have created SHIT with our BODIES AND BUTTS, we have been asking this FUNDAMENTAL QUESTION: What if there was a COMPUTER that could AL...
www.mcsweeneys.net
September 17, 2026 at 1:40 AM
The miraculous Shit-Raining Machine, from which there will be NO HOPE OF RELIEF, promises to unlock PREVIOUSLY UNIMAGINABLE AND CURRENTLY VAGUE BENEFITS FOR HUMANKIND, such as:
- business things
- other stuff
- WE MUST CREATE IT.
buff.ly/K5t1rGh
- business things
- other stuff
- WE MUST CREATE IT.
buff.ly/K5t1rGh
Reposted by Civilian Reader
"Entry-level postings have fallen off a cliff and the first rung of the ladder in tech is under pressure."
AI Really Is Eviscerating Entry-Level Jobs, New Data Shows
New data on entry-level job postings in New York City found evidence of a bloodbath for recent computer science graduates.
trib.al
September 16, 2026 at 10:34 PM
"Entry-level postings have fallen off a cliff and the first rung of the ladder in tech is under pressure."
Reposted by Civilian Reader
Even the antibacterial stuff is tainted with bacteria.
Bruh
September 16, 2026 at 5:43 PM
Even the antibacterial stuff is tainted with bacteria.
Reposted by Civilian Reader
I'm fascinated by U.S. tech and business journalism because it doesn't adhere to literally any rules of actual journalism.
There's no effort to actually explain objective truth; they can't even so much as hint at the fact there's funny math here and the company isn't worth anything close to this
There's no effort to actually explain objective truth; they can't even so much as hint at the fact there's funny math here and the company isn't worth anything close to this
OpenAI Considers New Financing at a $1.5 Trillion Valuation (Gift Article)
The funding round would double the value of the start-up behind ChatGPT and establish it as the world’s most valuable private company.
www.nytimes.com
September 16, 2026 at 6:06 PM
I'm fascinated by U.S. tech and business journalism because it doesn't adhere to literally any rules of actual journalism.
There's no effort to actually explain objective truth; they can't even so much as hint at the fact there's funny math here and the company isn't worth anything close to this
There's no effort to actually explain objective truth; they can't even so much as hint at the fact there's funny math here and the company isn't worth anything close to this
Reposted by Civilian Reader
"I wrote the piece and Claude found the links relevant to my claims" is, even without the AI, such an admission of poor thinking and argumentation. your claims should emerge from the evidence!
Less shocking to me was reading this bit at the end, where Erickson - whose entire day-to-day job is just wanking out a bit of punditry once or twice a week - has handed much of that over to AI.
September 16, 2026 at 4:45 PM
"I wrote the piece and Claude found the links relevant to my claims" is, even without the AI, such an admission of poor thinking and argumentation. your claims should emerge from the evidence!
Ah, yes, because that has, of course, always been highly successful in the past.
Mike Johnson on OpenAI and Anthropic: "They can self-police. They can self-regulate."
September 16, 2026 at 1:16 PM
Ah, yes, because that has, of course, always been highly successful in the past.
Reposted by Civilian Reader
A minor detail is missing from the headline.
September 16, 2026 at 12:20 AM
A minor detail is missing from the headline.
Reposted by Civilian Reader
Reposted by Civilian Reader
It’s not a goddamn “branding dispute,” @apnews.com. Do your job.
BREAKING: The Kennedy Center board votes to close over financial woes and branding dispute with President Trump, AP sources say.
Live updates: Trump goes after Supreme Court for rejecting his push to restrict mail ballots
President Donald Trump criticized the Supreme Court on Tuesday after it rejected his push to let the US Postal Service restrict mail-in voting in this year’s midterm elections.
bit.ly
September 15, 2026 at 7:47 PM
It’s not a goddamn “branding dispute,” @apnews.com. Do your job.
Review: WHEN WE WERE YOUNG AND FEARLESS by Jonathan Abrams:
civilianreader.com/2026/09/15/q...
Due to be pub'd by Harper on November 3rd. A must-read for fans of the NBA and specifically that great Thunder team.
[DRC received via Edelweiss.]
civilianreader.com/2026/09/15/q...
Due to be pub'd by Harper on November 3rd. A must-read for fans of the NBA and specifically that great Thunder team.
[DRC received via Edelweiss.]
Quick Review: WHEN WE WERE YOUNG AND FEARLESS by Jonathan Abrams (Harper)
A look back at one of the most exciting NBA teams of recent years… A deep dive into the lives and careers of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden, using their entangled paths as …
civilianreader.com
September 15, 2026 at 7:46 PM
Review: WHEN WE WERE YOUNG AND FEARLESS by Jonathan Abrams:
civilianreader.com/2026/09/15/q...
Due to be pub'd by Harper on November 3rd. A must-read for fans of the NBA and specifically that great Thunder team.
[DRC received via Edelweiss.]
civilianreader.com/2026/09/15/q...
Due to be pub'd by Harper on November 3rd. A must-read for fans of the NBA and specifically that great Thunder team.
[DRC received via Edelweiss.]
TBT for CR20: Review of MOSKVA by Jack Grimwood (@joncg.bsky.social), from 7 years ago...
civilianreader.com/2019/09/15/q...
Definitely recommended. (I really *must* get caught up on the author's other novels!)
Published by Penguin (UK) and Thomas Dunne (North America).
civilianreader.com/2019/09/15/q...
Definitely recommended. (I really *must* get caught up on the author's other novels!)
Published by Penguin (UK) and Thomas Dunne (North America).
Quick Review: MOSKVA by Jack Grimwood (Penguin/Thomas Dunne)
A missing girl, and a twisted mystery that reaches back to the last days of the Second World War ‘A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma…’ January, 1986. A week after disg…
civilianreader.com
September 15, 2026 at 3:06 PM
TBT for CR20: Review of MOSKVA by Jack Grimwood (@joncg.bsky.social), from 7 years ago...
civilianreader.com/2019/09/15/q...
Definitely recommended. (I really *must* get caught up on the author's other novels!)
Published by Penguin (UK) and Thomas Dunne (North America).
civilianreader.com/2019/09/15/q...
Definitely recommended. (I really *must* get caught up on the author's other novels!)
Published by Penguin (UK) and Thomas Dunne (North America).
Reposted by Civilian Reader
The amount of Amazon workers relying on SNAP and Medicaid has nearly tripled since 2020. — while Amazon’s annual profits soared by over 550%.
It’s the same story everywhere: corporate profits are at record highs, while workers’ share of the economy is at a record low.
We must unrig the system.
It’s the same story everywhere: corporate profits are at record highs, while workers’ share of the economy is at a record low.
We must unrig the system.
September 14, 2026 at 11:00 PM
The amount of Amazon workers relying on SNAP and Medicaid has nearly tripled since 2020. — while Amazon’s annual profits soared by over 550%.
It’s the same story everywhere: corporate profits are at record highs, while workers’ share of the economy is at a record low.
We must unrig the system.
It’s the same story everywhere: corporate profits are at record highs, while workers’ share of the economy is at a record low.
We must unrig the system.
Reposted by Civilian Reader
Every other headline now is "Huge liar who's financially motivated to lie says"
September 14, 2026 at 7:15 PM
Every other headline now is "Huge liar who's financially motivated to lie says"
TBT for CR20: "Writing Strong Women", a guest post by @mikecarey.bsky.social, originally published 10 years ago(!)...
civilianreader.com/2016/09/14/g...
Carey's FELLSIDE and many other excellent books published by @orbitbooks.bsky.social @orbitbooksuk.bsky.social.
civilianreader.com/2016/09/14/g...
Carey's FELLSIDE and many other excellent books published by @orbitbooks.bsky.social @orbitbooksuk.bsky.social.
Guest Post: “Writing Strong Women” by M.R. Carey
My latest novel, Fellside, had its UK release in April and it’s just come out in paperback. To commemorate this fact I’m spending the week running around on other people’s blogs (thanks, Civilian R…
civilianreader.com
September 14, 2026 at 2:14 PM
TBT for CR20: "Writing Strong Women", a guest post by @mikecarey.bsky.social, originally published 10 years ago(!)...
civilianreader.com/2016/09/14/g...
Carey's FELLSIDE and many other excellent books published by @orbitbooks.bsky.social @orbitbooksuk.bsky.social.
civilianreader.com/2016/09/14/g...
Carey's FELLSIDE and many other excellent books published by @orbitbooks.bsky.social @orbitbooksuk.bsky.social.
"Results are extremely reliable, provided 'reliable' is understood in its newer, more innovative sense."
"Please understand that this process is not punitive. It is our commitment to protecting literature from authors whose work was used to build the machines used to determine whether those authors wrote their work."
buff.ly/FYVr6Zx
buff.ly/FYVr6Zx
A Note from Your Editor Regarding the Entirely Routine Authentication of Your Humanity
“To establish that AI did not write your book, we will upload it to an AI detector. The detector will retain your words, learn from your distinct syntax and ...
www.mcsweeneys.net
September 14, 2026 at 1:39 PM
"Results are extremely reliable, provided 'reliable' is understood in its newer, more innovative sense."
Reposted by Civilian Reader
One time, and I promise this is true, Bush gave a flip remark about violence while playing golf and it became a defining moment for his legacy.
This president shrugging about a war he started while overseas at a golf tournament that is lining his own pockets won’t be remembered in two weeks.
This president shrugging about a war he started while overseas at a golf tournament that is lining his own pockets won’t be remembered in two weeks.
Q: What do you make of the Gulf nations meeting with Iran?
TRUMP: I don't care. That's up to them. We'll ultimately get out. Unless we decide to stay and keep the oil! Like Venezuela
TRUMP: I don't care. That's up to them. We'll ultimately get out. Unless we decide to stay and keep the oil! Like Venezuela
September 13, 2026 at 1:28 PM
One time, and I promise this is true, Bush gave a flip remark about violence while playing golf and it became a defining moment for his legacy.
This president shrugging about a war he started while overseas at a golf tournament that is lining his own pockets won’t be remembered in two weeks.
This president shrugging about a war he started while overseas at a golf tournament that is lining his own pockets won’t be remembered in two weeks.
Reposted by Civilian Reader
The "safety concerns" are how investors will literally tear Altman to pieces once they actually learn how much money has been set on fire with no return in sight.
Saying it would be an “ill-advised moment” given current AI safety concerns, Sam Altman announced that OpenAI is delaying its IPO and will not go public this year.
Sam Altman confirms OpenAI won't go public this year, saying an IPO now would come at an 'ill-advised moment' given AI safety concerns | Fortune
"I would say not 2026. Yeah, we got a lot of stuff to do, like meeting this moment of what is going to be required for safety and alignment, and how the industry and governments can work together."
fortune.com
September 12, 2026 at 10:20 PM
The "safety concerns" are how investors will literally tear Altman to pieces once they actually learn how much money has been set on fire with no return in sight.
Reposted by Civilian Reader
So very stupid
The US President's new proposal to tax international students has been approved by the White House for release this week.
It's an unprecedented $100,000 tax on int'l grads who stay to work after graduation on Optional Practical Training (most grads do), a crucial bridge to remaining by any channel.
It's an unprecedented $100,000 tax on int'l grads who stay to work after graduation on Optional Practical Training (most grads do), a crucial bridge to remaining by any channel.
September 12, 2026 at 11:23 PM
So very stupid
Reposted by Civilian Reader
I keep seeing reviewers post about completed fantasy series & it's usually the same group obviously - so I'm just throwing this out there. Still going, 20 years later, but probably not really known by the new generation of readers!
March 12, 2026 at 2:14 PM
I keep seeing reviewers post about completed fantasy series & it's usually the same group obviously - so I'm just throwing this out there. Still going, 20 years later, but probably not really known by the new generation of readers!
Reposted by Civilian Reader
My latest books cartoon for @theguardian.com
September 12, 2026 at 11:12 AM
My latest books cartoon for @theguardian.com
Reposted by Civilian Reader
A convicted crypto fraudster gives £36M to a Right-wing political party, more than the Labour party spent on the whole of the last general election, but we don't need a cap on political donations?
Angry Kitten Flips Table Cartoon
Alt: Angrily frustrated little black cat flips another mother-flipping table.
static.klipy.com
September 12, 2026 at 11:36 AM
A convicted crypto fraudster gives £36M to a Right-wing political party, more than the Labour party spent on the whole of the last general election, but we don't need a cap on political donations?
Disappointing ork fans everywhere…
September 11, 2026 at 11:08 PM
Disappointing ork fans everywhere…