Systems, survival, technology, relationships, and the work of staying human.
Blackthorn Field Notes is a collection of essays by C. J. Blackthorn about advocacy, disability, access, technology, relationships, boundaries, survival, and the systems people are forced to live inside.
I write about the things people are often expected to endure quietly: broken healthcare, inaccessible systems, poverty, trauma, love, power, technology, and what it means to keep going anyway.
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The Bureaucracy of Survival
A Blackthorn Field Notes essay on disability, poverty, fragmented social services, and the hidden labor of surviving systems that do not talk to each other.
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Using AI in the Creative Process Ethically
AI is not inherently unethical. The ethical question is how it is used, who it harms, who it helps, and whether creators are honest about the role it played in the work.
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Just Because AI Can Doesn’t Mean It Should
AI is powerful, fast, and increasingly capable, but capability is not readiness. Businesses rushing to replace human judgment with automation may be creating systems they no longer fully understand, govern, or control.
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The People You Leave Behind
An essay on LGBTQ+ solidarity, historical memory, and the growing push to separate trans and queer people from the community that once survived together.
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Password Security Isn’t Paranoia. It’s Basic Survival.
Why password managers matter, why password sharing is dangerous, and why multi-factor authentication should be standard for everyone.
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