sam blickhan

a lot of these guys really envision a future where technology relieves us of the burden of human experience

CFP - AI for DH: Research Problems and Critical Approaches.

DHQ seeks 500-word abstracts for a special issue on AI (research problems, critical approaches, responsible applications, case studies, etc.).

Deadline: Sept 15, 2025.

More details: dhq.digitalhumanities.org/news/news.html

When you strip away humanity

Big Tech Asked for Looser Clean Water Act Permitting. Trump Wants to Give It to Them New AI regulations suggested by the White House mirror changes to environmental permitting suggested by Meta and a lobbying group representing firms like Google and Amazon Web Services.

SCOOP from me: Trump's AI action plan released last week makes a specific set of recommendations around loosening Clean Water Act permits for data centers — recommendations mirrored in letters sent to the administration by Big Tech lobbyists earlier this year:

EU regulator green lights an injectable HIV drug that could help stop transmission LONDON (AP) — The European Medicines Agency has recommended authorizing a twice-yearly injectable drug aimed at preventing HIV, which scientists say could help end the virus' transmission.

Maybe it's just what comes across my particular desk, but seems like it should be a bigger deal that both the EU and the US have approved a kind of HIV vaccine--a shot that provides 99% protection for 6 months--and it's going to be produced royalty-free in 120 poor nations w/ high HIV rates.

I'm glad Tom Lehrer got to spend over a year in a world without Henry Kissinger

How great was Tom Lehrer? In 2020, he moved his entire catalog into the public domain because he felt he'd made more than enough money off of it.

Enjoy every Tom Lehrer album:

tomlehrersongs.com

"The Zaynab Project is a women-led, 100% volunteer-run nonprofit operating directly from within Gaza. We are part of the very communities we serve. No middlemen, no marketing costs, no admin fees — just local teams delivering urgent relief to those most in need."

So very proud of this publication. It all started 'cause a group of us Wiki editors wanted to educate participants of the International Botanical Congress about #Wikidata. This paper was an unanticipated consequence of a conference poster and workshop. #IBC2024

According to POLITICO reporter @kyledcheney.bsky.social, a federal judge has blocked the cancellation of NEH awards by DOGE.

i bring a real "stop saying this is impossible/a problem only solved by tech when you mean institutionally we've committed to under-resourcing human expertise" to a lot of meetings that people are forced to begrudgingly agree with before moving on as if i said nothing

We have done this experiment one billion times and it has worked great all one billion times.

On Owing $93,605 in Student Loans; or, A Profession Built on Debt - ACRLog I don't know the right metaphor to make you understand how this much debt physically feels. What it actually feels like is a pressure on my chest and shoulders, but maybe that's not evocative enough. ...

ACRLog has published 1,800 posts over twenty years but I guess I'm the first person to write a post about student debt?? 🤷‍♀️

"On Owing $93,605 in Student Loans; or, A Profession Built on Debt" acrlog.org/2025/07/24/o...

This, and it doesn't work.

Now, it is possible to address the harms of mass engagement-driven platforms. But doing so requires pushing back on the core biz models of the platforms, not tinkering on the edges w surveillant 'solutions' that increase surveillance w/o addressing the root cause.

Trump's new executive order about AI states that companies' models must not incorporate the idea that trans people exist as a concept. Seems bad.

ChatGPT is not your friend! real relationships challenge you toward personal growth, as with Mavis Beacon, a beautiful lady professional who taught me to type really fast.

god wants you to close your tabs

Thank you, @roopikarisam.bsky.social, for your closing words for #DH2025: 'the future of DH requires access grounded in accountability; repair sustained by care; scholarship driven by solidarity'

And also, 'hope and strategy are very important things to hold onto right now'

As a journalist and emerging public historian, I spent much of the past week reading through transcripts of oral histories made and collected by residents of Kerr County, Texas – where flash floods killed more than 100 people this month.

There’s one recording that stood out to me. 🧵

Screenshot of the article that reads: It’s not just children. In addition to bolstering underfunded K-12 schools and protecting the rights of kids with disabilities, the department also manages the federal financial aid process for college students. “I am not certain whether or not students will be able to get financial aid next year,” Dominique Baker, a professor of education and public policy at the University of Delaware, told Vox.

Screenshot of the article that reads: While students and families are the most directly impacted by changes at the Education Department, those changes have also inspired a broader concern. Some of the programs terminated by DOGE are congressionally mandated, and if the president or Musk can simply stop them, “that means that Congress no longer actually functions,” Baker said. “There are no longer checks and balances for the executive branch,” Baker said. “A significant part of this goes beyond education and speaks to a constitutional crisis that shapes the future of our country.”

Here Vox's explainer for just what is going on at the Department of Education which includes me saying I don't have faith in financial aid disbursement next year and, oh yea, I think we're in a constitutional crisis

www.vox.com/policy/40233...

Loom math was finding ideal garment length x width (21x95) and adding additional inches for shrinkage and loom waste (my teacher helped a LOT with this!), and we got to 134" or about 3.7yds. I was using 80/20 Tencel, which is 30 EPI, which got me to 630 ends, and a 2331yd warp total length.

It's based on a single panel of weaving, which you cut in half (width-wise) and then use the 2 panels to make what basically looks like a big vest. No neck shaping or anything like that, just a traditional t-shaped garment -- the book I was using for research based their design on a Mexican huipil.

Oh, it's TOTALLY doable. I wrote out the info over the weekend for a friend who was in the same position of feeling like it wasn't feasible for her, but this is the simplest garment construction, and only requires a single panel of weaving! Specs to follow...

The face I just made

Thanks! Yeah, the real question is what kind to use… 🤔

A woven work in progress on a wooden floor loom, in a twill pattern made from black and white yarn. A paper pattern sits on top of the work, and there is a wooden boat shuttle with a black bobbin.

A loose, flowy, handmade top made from the black and white handwoven fabric. It is hanging from a wooden clothes hanger in a doorway.

How it started / how it’s going
#weaving #twill #dhmakes

Still a few details left to add (front closure? maybe a contrast woven binding for sleeves & neck??) but really pleased with my first handmade garment from handwoven fabric.

I know. We ended up waiting till it cooled down, and he was rewarded for his bravery with frozen sweet potato yogurt.

A medium sized brown dog standing at the top of a wooden outdoor staircase. He has a thousand yard stare into the distance, and does not seem pleased.

When you go outside for a walk and the RealFeel™️ is almost 100 degrees.

Friends, please share!

Proofs are ready for @skeuomorphpress.org's edition of Ursula K. Le Guin’s "A Rant About Technology." I am so pleased with this book—in many ways our 1st real book project

Details about how to get one through our fundraiser at skeuomorph.ischool.illinois.edu/le-guin-book...