John Scalzi
American science fiction novelist (Old Man's War, Redshirts, The Kaiju Preservation Society); has run the blog Whatever since 1998.
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What they believe
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Many processes currently categorized as AI will be integrated into creative workflows regardless of whether people want them.
many processes currently lumped into the “AI” rubric are going to be put into the workflows of creative people whether we actively want/use them or not.
whatever.scalzi.comSaid 18 Oct 2026This on korrents
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A person with a wide enough reach can sculpt bespoke truths for a whole society very quickly.
It was fascinating to observe that it takes hardly any time at all for a person with a wide enough reach to sculpt bespoke truths for a whole society.
whatever.scalzi.comSaid 7 Oct 2026This on korrents
The bold line is korrents’ wording; the quote is theirs. These 2: what they wrote before what they said aloud, one per source, newest first.
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As its own page →Hiding
20 October
19 October
18 October
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Their words
many processes currently lumped into the “AI” rubric are going to be put into the workflows of creative people whether we actively want/use them or not.
16 October
15 October
14 October
12 October
Nothing matches.
Beliefs
Korrents What they believe 8 beliefs — each backed by an exact quote.
Each is a — compiled by korrents.com, not by them: the one-line wordings are korrents', the quotes are theirs.
Recent
Many processes currently categorized as AI will be integrated into creative workflows regardless of whether people want them.
many processes currently lumped into the “AI” rubric are going to be put into the workflows of creative people whether we actively want/use them or not.
What a Good “AI” Policy Looks Like Said 18 Oct 2026
A person with a wide enough reach can sculpt bespoke truths for a whole society very quickly.
It was fascinating to observe that it takes hardly any time at all for a person with a wide enough reach to sculpt bespoke truths for a whole society.
The Big Idea: Mia V. Moss Said 7 Oct 2026
The Fisher King mutes Terry Gilliam's baroque visuals to give its characters depth, making it his best film.
“The Fisher King,” Gilliam’s splendid new effort, achieves that balance, muting the directors’ baroque visual edge and using that reclaimed, calm space to allow its characters depth. The result is synergistic: It is Gilliam’s best film.
And Now, For Their 35th Anniversary, My First Two Professional Movie Reviews Said 27 Sept 2026
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The thriller Deceived fails largely because its script and direction aren't up to its plot's complexity.
But “Deceived” doesn’t work very well, largely because the script and the direction aren’t up to the level of complexity they need to pull it off. In a genre like this, where plotting and direction are everything, it’s hard to overcome that handicap.
And Now, For Their 35th Anniversary, My First Two Professional Movie Reviews Said 27 Sept 2026
Smart appliances can malfunction due to bad software updates.
We don’t need an LED screen or phone alerts, and recent news has shown that “smart appliances” can mess you up with a bad update.
Our Thrilling New Purchase Said 24 Sept 2026
The things that excite adults are different from what excited them when they were younger.
Getting new major appliances was also a reminder that as an adult, the things you get excited and happy about are very different from what you’d get excited about when you were younger.
Our Thrilling New Purchase Said 24 Sept 2026
Rock groups rarely keep the same lineup for their entire career.
It's rare to have a rock group of any sort keep all the same members all the way through their run.
50th Anniversaries and When I’ll Hit Them Said 20 Sept 2026
AI is unlikely to end a working writer's career, barring a broader societal collapse.
no, I don't think AI will keep me from hitting any of these anniversaries as a working writer, unless it triggers the apocalypse, in which case we have other problems.
50th Anniversaries and When I’ll Hit Them Said 20 Sept 2026
What is a korrent?
A korrent is a belief a person has stated in their own words: one sentence stating the claim, backed by a quote and a source, kept at korrents.com.
Under a name here, the quoted block is what they actually said. The korrent beneath it is the claim those words support, in korrents' wording — tap it to see the record, its source, and who else holds it.
Nobody here wrote their own korrents. They are compiled from public statements, and a person can change their mind, which is recorded too.
Recommends rcmnd
rcmnd What they recommend 16 things — each backed by an exact quote.
Compiled by rcmnd.app, not by them: the quotes are theirs, and each links to the post it was copied from.
Recent
Loved Almost There
The Academy Is…, one of my favorite bands from this century (and yes, I feel old just typing that out), has recorded their first new album in eighteen years, titled Almost There, and will be putting it out in March.
whatever.scalzi.com 14 Jan 2026
Liked Apollo 13
Every film ages, but it seems to me that 30 years on, Apollo 13 has aged rather less than other films of its time
whatever.scalzi.com 29 Dec 2025
Mixed on Alita: Battle Angel
None of this is brilliant filmmaking, even if it is efficient, and much of it isn’t even necessarily good, but damned if I can’t stop watching it.
whatever.scalzi.com 27 Dec 2025
Show 13 more
Loved Notting Hill
Notting Hill, in addition to being just a lovely little romantic comedy about two people from entirely mismatched stations in life, trying to negotiate a space in the world they might get to call their own, is one of the best films out there showing at least a little bit of what it’s like to be famous to everyone, everywhere, all the time, forever and ever, amen.
whatever.scalzi.com 22 Dec 2025
Loved A Fish Called Wanda
I have thought a number of films have been riotously funny, but only A Fish Called Wanda made me laugh so hard that I was in very real danger of pissing myself right there in the movie theater.
whatever.scalzi.com 20 Dec 2025
Liked Starship Troopers
Hey! There’s a novel called Starship Troopers! It’s pretty good! Coincidentally and unrelated, there’s a movie called Starship Troopers! It’s also pretty good! Not the same, but pretty good.
whatever.scalzi.com 18 Dec 2025
Loved This is Spinal Tap
This is Spinal Tap offers a lot of joy. It is one of the funniest movies ever made, a movie that can make you laugh until you cry, and also, make you laugh even if you have been crying.
whatever.scalzi.com 15 Dec 2025
Loved Raiders of the Lost Ark
I am a relic of the 80s as much as Raiders of the Lost Ark, and while I acknowledge how storytelling has changed between now and then, as a storytelling vehicle, in many ways it is still peerless and endlessly watchable.
whatever.scalzi.com 13 Dec 2025
Loved Strictly Ballroom
In fact, I will say this: Strictly Ballroom is, in its way, an absolutely perfect movie.
whatever.scalzi.com 9 Dec 2025
Recommends Coco
(Coco is wonderful, though, you should absolutely see it if you have not).
whatever.scalzi.com 7 Dec 2025
Loved Moana
And in fact, I do like Moana very much. It’s my favorite film out of Disney Animated Studios in the last decade, and even (barely) edges out Coco when you include Pixar in the mix
whatever.scalzi.com 7 Dec 2025
Liked Dredd
But as a spectator, it’s fascinating, and in Dredd, it feels close enough to real to pack a punch.
whatever.scalzi.com 5 Dec 2025
Loved Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Still, I’m glad that Rothman decided to spend a little bit (or actually a lot) of the money Fox was getting out of the X-Men and Ice Age series to make this extremely handsome, extremely rewatchable ballad to the high seas.
whatever.scalzi.com 2 Dec 2025
What others say about Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World →
Loved K-Pop Demon Hunters
K-Pop Demon Hunters functions fabulously as an action-oriented animated musical, but what makes it rewatchable are the character interactions.
whatever.scalzi.com 1 Dec 2025
Recommends Forever is a Feeling
I can’t imagine I won’t be getting the album when it comes out.
whatever.scalzi.com 16 Jan 2025
Loved The Record
Lucy Dacus is one third of boygenius, whose album The Record is my favorite of the last couple of years
whatever.scalzi.com 16 Jan 2025
Where they publish
Blog Whatever His blog since 1998; also served at the scalzi.com apex.
Recent
- What a Good “AI” Policy Looks Like 18 Oct 2026 Subvert is a creator-owned music platform, catering primarily to indie musicians; think of it as Bandcamp if it was a co-op. Subvert recently released a policy on the use of “AI” in the music that’s released on the site…
- Blurb Hiatus Through the Rest of 2026 16 Oct 2026 I’m six weeks out from a book deadline, which means all of my brain is going to be dealing with that and I will have no brain cycles left to do much of anything else, including evaluating new fiction to see if I want to…
- My First Science Fiction Short Story, Published 25 Years Ago Today 15 Oct 2026 What was it? A short story entitled “Alien Animal Encounters,” which I sold to Strange Horizons magazine, and which they published on this day in 2001. Prior to this story, I had never submitted a short story of any sor…
Show 4 more
- I’m in the New York Times Today, Talking About Monsters 15 Oct 2026 You know, as you do. The article is a list of science fiction monster novels (or at least, science fiction novels with monsters in them), staring with the early 19th century and going through to earlier this year. Yes,…
- The Big Idea: William C. Tracy 14 Oct 2026 There’s much to discuss with Pressure Magic, but what’s really the big sell (at least up front) is a very large magical animal. It’s not just me who thinks so: author William C. Tracy is super-excited to tell you all ab…
- Horse Apple, With Dog 14 Oct 2026 It’s the time of the year where horse apples (also known as Osage oranges) are thick on the ground at the local nature preserve. I call them “brain fruit” because, well, look at it, it kind of looks like a green, sickly…
- First Impressions: Dell XPS Googlebook and the Googlebook OS 12 Oct 2026 As someone who has, over the years, found himself deep in the Google ecosystem of hardware and services, I had been curious about the Googlebook concept for a while — whether it would be basically a fancy Chromebook, or…
Link verified 4 Sept 2026. Recent items update automatically from the channel.
Bluesky @scalzi.com His Bluesky account; the handle is his own domain.
Recent
- Jesus my fantasy football team sucks this year 20 Oct 2026
- Smudge in his early days. 19 Oct 2026
- It's not a new trick, they've been doing it for years, you can tell the money spigot's been turned back on any time Jill Stein starts showing up again in your social media feeds 19 Oct 2026
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- There's a reason I have a speaker's bureau to vet my invites. 19 Oct 2026
- I mean, geez, Ohio GOP, I already voted for him, you don't have to keep selling him to me 19 Oct 2026
- Thread, and yes, pretty much every word of this, re: authors being able to spot "AI" writing. I've noted before that if you see "AI" writing once, it looks reasonable. When you see a hundred times, it's exhausting in its sameness. I get dozens of "AI" come-ons in my email EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. 19 Oct 2026
- One perennial issue with right-wing types has been their opinion that they're always the smartest person in the room, and, also perennially, how whiny and discomfited they get when it's shown that they are not and that their cheap rhetorical tricks and patterns don't work on everyone. 19 Oct 2026
- I'm beginning to think the Bari Weiss person might not be very good at her job, either the one where she is meant to be head of a news organization, or the one where she is meant to be a right-wing propagandist in a news organization 19 Oct 2026
- It's a new week, Bluesky. Trust no poll. Trust no pundit. Vote early if you can. Vote in person if you can. 19 Oct 2026
- Gonna take the rest of the day off from social media, please enjoy this image of a teddy bear with a brain slug until I return tomorrow. 18 Oct 2026
- Over on Whatever today I go over @subvert.fm's "AI" policy and tell you why I think it's a really good version of such a policy, and why other organizations looking to create such a policy of their own would be well served to give it a look: 18 Oct 2026 whatever.scalzi.com
- First frost of the season. It's already gone as I post this. 18 Oct 2026
- One last thing about X tonight: noting X has 10x the number of regular users than Bluesky means jack shit when a) a shitload are bots, b) the algorithm boosts right-wing content over everything else so actual engagement there sucks, c) 10 million active accounts is more than enough to hang out with. 18 Oct 2026
- Dude thought he had a flawless gotcha and he ran into a rhetorical woodchipper 18 Oct 2026
- There can be and is successful right-leaning entertainment (see most of CBS' primetime dramas, the Taylor Sheridan Paramount Plus empire, plus, you know, mainstream country music); where the right flops is when it thinks its grievance culture will sell outside of its very tight MAGA bubble. 18 Oct 2026
- One, I live in a county that went 81% for Trump, if I'm going to have such political discussions it will be with neighbors face-to-face and not with some random Russian bot on X, two, I'm not on social media to dialogue with Russian bots, I'm here to enjoy myself and hang with cool people 17 Oct 2026
- Dog, yard, flag, harvester 17 Oct 2026
- Big day for protests, here and abroad 17 Oct 2026 cnn.com
- I mean, I never got my news from social media anyway, I go to the news sites for it, it's better for them and more direct for me, so whether news sites were on Bluesky (or Threads, or etc) was never a huge concern for me. That said, Bluesky does not lack for news organizations on it these days. 17 Oct 2026
- This is the third reponse where someone said "folks are trained to do this" and I guess I am asking "trained by whom?" It may be because I am old now, but I was never trained to do this in by anyone, and in any circumstance I would find people trying to stuff words into my mouth offensive. 17 Oct 2026
Link verified 4 Sept 2026. Recent items update automatically from the channel.
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