Auto-generated description: A kaleidoscope-style pattern features multiple faces of a bearded man wearing glasses, all arranged in a symmetrical layout.

I’ve been having a lot of bad days of late dealing with a wide range of pains, brain fog, an accursed tinnitus that averages an 8 out of 10 on the loudness scale, unending exhaustion, and other issues. As a writer by trade, these are all crushing, but I keep trying to post.

What I need is to write something substantial, but for the past year or so I’ve been unable to do much. I haven’t blogged in weeks and filling my days with playing video games, watching YouTube, and drowning out the ringing in my head with music sessions in my AirPods is entirely unproductive.

In the middle of July I shall turn 57 and I’m nowhere near done yet, but the ongoing issues stemming from Long Covid, a bad motorcycle accident in 1990, degenerative disc disease, and arthritis have erected blockades that make it nearly impossible for me to engage in the one thing at which I’m actually decent.

Just ugh. #health #mentalhealth #writing #chronicpain

You know, I might just go back to #Apple #Notes if this rumor is true. Fortunately we’ll find out soon. I’d love to be able to write up notes and short stories on a whim, then export them as #markdown to drop straight into #Microblog. #apps #writing #WWDC2025 daringfireball.net/linked/20…

IAPWE won't leave us alone!

Auto-generated description: A payment receipt shows a $3.99 USD transaction for a Supporter Membership to IAPWE.

We are being harassed by the International Association of Professional Writers and Editors, also known as IAPWE. We signed up for memberships a few years ago, then cancelled after our first year. We found no benefit to the membership. Now, despite cancelling everything we could find on PayPal, speaking with the credit card servicer who can do nothing, and emailing IAPWE over and over and over again, they continue to charge us.

We both subscribed using PayPal, and we’ve no clue how they got our card details to charge us directly! I’m going to assume they can see all those details in the PayPal dashboard, which is frightening. The image above is a receipt from earlier this year, but the charges have not stopped.

This has been going on for over a year now, and we can’t stop it. We’ve considered cancelling the card, which is provided to my wife by her professional union, if this continues. Our emails to them used to get professional responses claiming they would stop, but now they don’t even bother to respond, even to threats of legal action. At least cancelling the PayPal accounts has stopped that vector.

I am posting this as both a warning against considering membership with IAPWE as well as a reminder of the almost complete lack of control we have over our money. It’s utterly maddening. Be careful, please. It’s not the amount they’re trying to take, but the principal. If they do this to enough unsuspecting people, they could be making a lot of free money if it turns out they are indeed a scam operation. #capitalism #PSA #moneymatters #personalfinance #writing #writers

In Merlin’s latest video he discusses Harlan Ellison’s short story “I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream” which, at it’s core, is about the ultimate worst and most selfless aspects of humanity. It’s worth a watch. #writing #scifi #books www.youtube.com/watch

A friend just let me know that Danny Peart, Neil’s brother, has passed away from the same Glioblastoma brain cancer that Neil lost his battle with in 2020. Neil’s passing broke me for months. Rush is a critical part of who I am. #music #news #writing #FuckCancer #Rush faroutmagazine.co.uk/neil-pear…

I recently came across a #YouTube channel called “merlin” where the creator summarizes stories and analyzes them, something like a Cliff’s Notes. Today’s episode is particularly chilling and, sadly, is even more salient now. We never learn. #books #society #humanity www.youtube.com/watch

In his short story “The Last Question”, #IsaacAsimov asked if it was possible to reverse entropy and prevent the end of all things. Check out Merlin’s video summary and analysis of this interesting #scifi thought exercise and its surprising conclusion. #writing #philosophy www.youtube.com/watch

A screenshot of the user comments section in YouTube showing a typo in the comment that reads 'Just so wonderful to see the actual founders dong...' and a reply suggesting to the poster that they fix said typo.

The best typo in 2025, and we’re barely into February! Top notch, my peep! TOP NOTCH!!! #typos #fail #oops #internet #funny

The Authors Guild has launched a new program that allows HUMAN authors to certify that their works are HUMAN-MADE, and NOT written by #AI. The process is currently only available to books authored by one writer who are guild members, but expansion will come. #writing www.theverge.com/news/6029…

I love #animation and I love #writing. I watch the former, but I built a career on the latter, then it died when the #pandemic swallowed the world. I have #LongCovid and it’s major features are brain fog, tinnitus, and exhaustion. I just can’t focus, so I think I have some idea about what Hayao Miyazaki has been going through. How do we live? Good question. Watch this. www.youtube.com/watch