Violet Blue®
@violetblue.bsky.social
Awarded author, journalist: cybersecurity, privacy, Covid. WIRED, PopSci, Spinoff, Engadget, FT, IFJ. Visiting Scholar at Stout Research Centre, NZ. Black Hat keynote. S/her.
Bio: about.me/violetblue
More: linktr.ee/viblue
News: patreon.com/violetblue
Bio: about.me/violetblue
More: linktr.ee/viblue
News: patreon.com/violetblue
I got an author scam email this weekend that was a freakishly accurate, highly empathetic, long litany of praise for A Fish Has No Word For Water -- but almost all of it in my own words, lifted from the book and its blurbs. Obviously fake but meant to feel very personal, like my book was a lifeline.
You're getting those book club scam emails too?
It's so much darker than you might have thought. Read through to the final paragraph.
It's so much darker than you might have thought. Read through to the final paragraph.
Like many authors, I’m bombarded by scam fan mail. I wasn’t prepared for what would happen when I wrote back
The novelist receives passionate AI-written emails almost every day – but when he decided to take up one sender’s offer to find him new readers, the story took a darker turn
www.theguardian.com
November 2, 2026 at 9:59 AM
I got an author scam email this weekend that was a freakishly accurate, highly empathetic, long litany of praise for A Fish Has No Word For Water -- but almost all of it in my own words, lifted from the book and its blurbs. Obviously fake but meant to feel very personal, like my book was a lifeline.
Reposted by Violet Blue®
ICYMI! 🧪
Get a postcard from Antarctica!
Sign up here: www.patreon.com/cw/arielwald...
I am headed back to Antarctica to film an entirely new documentary and I could use your help to bring this project to life. Please share!
Sign up here: www.patreon.com/cw/arielwald...
I am headed back to Antarctica to film an entirely new documentary and I could use your help to bring this project to life. Please share!
November 1, 2026 at 8:36 PM
ICYMI! 🧪
If anything like this comes up in Wellington (NZ) someone please tell me 😢
Melbourne, we are having an impromptu Trek Irish wake to drink and share stories and have a good cry
meetu.ps/e/Q85Nv/6xCR...
meetu.ps/e/Q85Nv/6xCR...
Star Trek Irish Wake for Sir Patrick, Walter Koenig, and all the rest we miss, Sat, Nov 7, 2026, 12:15 PM | Meetup
We’ve lost some icons of the Star Trek universe this month, and we should celebrate what they meant to us. On top of our usual casual meetup, we will share food and whiskey
meetu.ps
November 2, 2026 at 4:49 AM
If anything like this comes up in Wellington (NZ) someone please tell me 😢
Incredible photos. "What matters most to us is better support for the health and education systems." www.independent.co.uk/news/world/e...
Protester in Batman costume arrested during violent Halloween clashes in Germany
Saturday saw another wave of protests in cities across Germany and France, as young demonstrators clashed with riot police
www.independent.co.uk
November 1, 2026 at 10:07 PM
Incredible photos. "What matters most to us is better support for the health and education systems." www.independent.co.uk/news/world/e...
Reposted by Violet Blue®
It’s Samhain, the time of year when the patience of folklore historians is at its thinnest
November 1, 2026 at 12:03 AM
It’s Samhain, the time of year when the patience of folklore historians is at its thinnest
Halloween pet parade!
Share your pets in their costumes
Share your pets in their costumes
November 1, 2026 at 1:22 AM
Halloween pet parade!
Share your pets in their costumes
Share your pets in their costumes
Reposted by Violet Blue®
Natives and Horror fans got an extra treat this Halloween. At midnight on Saturday, HBO Max dropped "A Story of Derry". Don't bother looking for Pennywise. The episode follows the Native community that first faced the evil lurking under Derry.
redpopnews.com/hbo-max-surp...
redpopnews.com/hbo-max-surp...
HBO Max Surprises Fans With a Native-Led "Welcome to Derry" Standalone Episode Set Centuries Before Pennywise
Natives and Horror fans got an extra treat this Halloween. At midnight on Saturday, HBO Max dropped "A Story of Derry," a surprise special from IT: Welcome to Derry. Don't bother looking for Pennywise...
redpopnews.com
October 31, 2026 at 4:15 PM
Natives and Horror fans got an extra treat this Halloween. At midnight on Saturday, HBO Max dropped "A Story of Derry". Don't bother looking for Pennywise. The episode follows the Native community that first faced the evil lurking under Derry.
redpopnews.com/hbo-max-surp...
redpopnews.com/hbo-max-surp...
Soften up a horror film:
28 Vacation Days Later
28 Vacation Days Later
Soften up a horror film:
Night of the Living
Night of the Living
Soften up a horror film:
Let As Many In As You Like
Let As Many In As You Like
November 1, 2026 at 1:05 AM
Soften up a horror film:
28 Vacation Days Later
28 Vacation Days Later
I love GREEN ROOM, I love Sir Patrick Stewart, and I love this story. "If Sir Patrick Stewart wants to utter a four-letter word, YOU LET HIM."
Also love (and miss) Anton Yelchin, whose performance was flawless.
Me (old punk) + a friend (old metalhead) saw this in an empty theater and had a blast.
Also love (and miss) Anton Yelchin, whose performance was flawless.
Me (old punk) + a friend (old metalhead) saw this in an empty theater and had a blast.
One of Patrick Stewart's best performances was as the villain of Jeremy Saulnier's GREEN ROOM, and the director honored the late-actor by telling a surprise audience how Stewart saved the film from shutting down.
How Patrick Stewart Saved Jeremy Saulnier’s GREEN ROOM
One of Patrick Stewart's best performances was as the villain of Jeremy Saulnier's GREEN ROOM, and the director honored the late-actor by telling a surprise audience how Stewart saved the film from shutting down.
dlvr.it
November 1, 2026 at 1:02 AM
I love GREEN ROOM, I love Sir Patrick Stewart, and I love this story. "If Sir Patrick Stewart wants to utter a four-letter word, YOU LET HIM."
Also love (and miss) Anton Yelchin, whose performance was flawless.
Me (old punk) + a friend (old metalhead) saw this in an empty theater and had a blast.
Also love (and miss) Anton Yelchin, whose performance was flawless.
Me (old punk) + a friend (old metalhead) saw this in an empty theater and had a blast.
Reposted by Violet Blue®
Age verification makes everyone less safe.
Age verification makes everyone less safe.
Age verification makes everyone less safe.
Age verification makes everyone less safe.
Age verification makes everyone less safe.
Age verification makes everyone less safe.
Age verification makes everyone less safe.
Age verification makes everyone less safe.
Age verification makes everyone less safe.
Age verification makes everyone less safe.
Age verification makes everyone less safe.
Hackers Had A Live Feed Of Every ID This Verification Company Scanned. For Over A Year.
From the very beginning of this recent obsession with identifying everyone online (yes, they like to call it "age" verification, but it always ends up as identity verification), we've been pointing out that it was a huge privacy nightmare waiting to happen. Or maybe it wasn't waiting. Maybe it was already happening. This week a...
www.techdirt.com
September 4, 2026 at 10:19 PM
Age verification makes everyone less safe.
Age verification makes everyone less safe.
Age verification makes everyone less safe.
Age verification makes everyone less safe.
Age verification makes everyone less safe.
Age verification makes everyone less safe.
Age verification makes everyone less safe.
Age verification makes everyone less safe.
Age verification makes everyone less safe.
Age verification makes everyone less safe.
Age verification makes everyone less safe.
Reposted by Violet Blue®
The starkest thing about TNG compared to most space opera today is how much it presents the eruption of violence as a total catastrophe, rather than something awesome bsky.app/profile/norm...
Same. There was something that felt really radical about having a TV hero whose superpower was not just intelligence but thoughtfulness, and a kind of moral seriousness. Who showed from that first episode that you “win” by seeking to understand what seems like a threat.
I am so glad to have learned about the integrity of leadership from Patrick Stewart as a kid watching TNG. "What would Picard do?" feels like a fair guiding question.
Thank you, Patrick, for everything.
Thank you, Patrick, for everything.
October 29, 2026 at 9:57 PM
The starkest thing about TNG compared to most space opera today is how much it presents the eruption of violence as a total catastrophe, rather than something awesome bsky.app/profile/norm...
This made my day 🥹
HOLY SHIT
MALCOLM MCDOWELL SAID "TRANS RIGHTS"
AND SO MUCH MORE
AHHHHH I AM CRYING
MALCOLM MCDOWELL SAID "TRANS RIGHTS"
AND SO MUCH MORE
AHHHHH I AM CRYING
October 31, 2026 at 11:21 PM
This made my day 🥹
Reposted by Violet Blue®
Reposted by Violet Blue®
I just had four trick or treaters!!! All girls! They looked amazing, one was a blood soaked zombie schoolgirl!!!
* I have candy and I decorated the outside of my flat this year
* I have candy and I decorated the outside of my flat this year
October 31, 2026 at 3:20 AM
I just had four trick or treaters!!! All girls! They looked amazing, one was a blood soaked zombie schoolgirl!!!
* I have candy and I decorated the outside of my flat this year
* I have candy and I decorated the outside of my flat this year
Reposted by Violet Blue®
Wow. This should be taken up by all conferences and conversations, especially SF/F ones. I carry my own CO2 meter for this reason, but this overall system would be much better. We need conventions but con crud needs to become history.
Looove seeing the CO2 dashboard levels at @kawaiicon.bsky.social right now showing healthy air quality in every room during the conference! Attendees can even check before we go: co2.kawaiicon.org Thank you Kawaiicon. Readings are rooms at the Michael Fowler Centre, Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand.
October 31, 2026 at 2:50 AM
Wow. This should be taken up by all conferences and conversations, especially SF/F ones. I carry my own CO2 meter for this reason, but this overall system would be much better. We need conventions but con crud needs to become history.
Reposted by Violet Blue®
National COVlD levels would be characterized as High (WVAL=5.63) instead of "Moderate" if the CDC did not downshift all level categories, past & present, as of Aug 14.
We labeled this an "ethics crisis" on Aug 16 & warned it would slow the public health response when levels worsened. We're here.
We labeled this an "ethics crisis" on Aug 16 & warned it would slow the public health response when levels worsened. We're here.
NBC has picked up the #bluewashing story.
On August 14, the CDC downshifted how they categorize wastewater levels to make all current and historical COVlD levels lower.
On August 14, the CDC downshifted how they categorize wastewater levels to make all current and historical COVlD levels lower.
October 30, 2026 at 8:01 PM
National COVlD levels would be characterized as High (WVAL=5.63) instead of "Moderate" if the CDC did not downshift all level categories, past & present, as of Aug 14.
We labeled this an "ethics crisis" on Aug 16 & warned it would slow the public health response when levels worsened. We're here.
We labeled this an "ethics crisis" on Aug 16 & warned it would slow the public health response when levels worsened. We're here.
The away team is ready. It's already #Halloween #Caturday here in Aotearoa! 🎃🖖
October 30, 2026 at 9:42 PM
The away team is ready. It's already #Halloween #Caturday here in Aotearoa! 🎃🖖
For whom it concerns, that new chip shop in Wellington is so good it broke my brain. Just opened, epic local friendly vibes, minimalist menu, cheaper than the other places, only open two days a week with limited hours, no on-site dining, comes wrapped in paper. LOVE.
October 30, 2026 at 7:57 AM
For whom it concerns, that new chip shop in Wellington is so good it broke my brain. Just opened, epic local friendly vibes, minimalist menu, cheaper than the other places, only open two days a week with limited hours, no on-site dining, comes wrapped in paper. LOVE.
Pour one out for the guy who just tries to explain ransomware to me and insisted his product can detect all ransomware
He didn't like my questions 🙃
He didn't like my questions 🙃
October 30, 2026 at 6:21 AM
Pour one out for the guy who just tries to explain ransomware to me and insisted his product can detect all ransomware
He didn't like my questions 🙃
He didn't like my questions 🙃
Reposted by Violet Blue®
Reposted by Violet Blue®
Reposted by Violet Blue®
Reposted by Violet Blue®
THIS IS SO BEAUTIFUL I WEEP I WISH WE HAD THIS HERE 😭💕
Looove seeing the CO2 dashboard levels at @kawaiicon.bsky.social right now showing healthy air quality in every room during the conference! Attendees can even check before we go: co2.kawaiicon.org Thank you Kawaiicon. Readings are rooms at the Michael Fowler Centre, Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand.
October 30, 2026 at 1:11 AM
THIS IS SO BEAUTIFUL I WEEP I WISH WE HAD THIS HERE 😭💕