Michael J. Murphy

Funny thing: I'm NOT a Luddite. But increasingly I understand the difference between my work as a teacher and scholar and the cheap reproduction of the trace/footprint/shadow of that work by an LLM. An LLM might be able to crank out a "paper" but it can't crank out human skill and learning.

Academics Need to Wake Up on AI Ten theses for folks who haven't noticed the ground shifting under their feet

The problem with “AI can already produce publishable papers!” arguments is that they consider the *paper* to be the product when increased knowledge and skill of researchers and authors are the *actual* products. A publishable paper is merely a byproduct of scholarly work.

Did a WTC Leaseholder Buy Terrorism Insurance Just Before 9/11? A longstanding urban legend holds that WTC leaseholder Larry Silverstein "fortuitously" took out terrorism insurance just months before the 9/11 attacks.

www.snopes.com/fact-check/w...

This is not just cursed, its monstrous. The digital resurrection of a historian who died in January of this year, all so Grammarly can get some more clicks and engagement from students and/or scholars and/or others.

It feels so wrong on so many levels, these ghosts enslaved to AI forever

This is the part where I point out that the original Nazis also blamed transness and gayness on Jews, specifically because one Jew in particular was ahead of his time on the matter, whom Hitler referred to as "the most dangerous Jew in Germany." This is not new, but it's still dangerous.

"Iran forced us to bomb them!" is the logic of rapists and domestic abusers. It blames victims for the abuser's choice to be violent. Unsurprising, coming from an administration filled with accused rapists and sexual abusers...

All those "crusades" tattoos, memes, and AI slop the U.S. regime dumps on social media make a lot more sense now...

These cybersecurity boot camps are not run by the same “micro-university” contractor I wrote about last year, but they seem to be using a similar “powered by” model. And the following applies:

jfc

Image of New Yorkers crossing the Brooklyn Bridge on foot while NYC skyline with burning twin trade towers in background.

I was so happy to learn there has never been any "blowback" to the U.S. military killing "bad people" in the Middle East. No examples. None.

Unmasking Academe’s Gilded Boys’ Club The Epstein files reveal an elite, chummy, and venal scholarly network.

"The distribution of power and privilege was not random, so the notion of the meritocracy is completely revealed to be gendered bullshit." www.chronicle.com/article/unma...

How Kansas Republicans weaponized the law to target 300 trans driver's license holders SB 244 was put into effect virtually overnight, causing chaos, panic and fear in the trans community.

New — I spoke to eight trans people in Kansas about the new state law that invalidated their driver’s licenses overnight, what’s it’s like to live there right now, plus details of two DMV emails exclusively obtained by The Handbasket that shed light on the law’s chaotic and cruel rollout:

Director and Curator, Special Collections and Archives - Middlebury College Reporting to the Dean of the Library, the Director and Curator of Special Collections provides leadership, vision, and budget oversight for Middlebury’s special collections, including its rare book an...

JOB ALERT! 📜📚

Who wants to be director & curator of special collections & archives at Middlebury College (Vermont!) — & work for a wonderful boss (& one of my favorite people), Rebekah Irwin?

apply.workable.com/middleburyco...

Operation Metro Love Thy Neighbor Hello Friends of Operation Metro Love Thy Neighbor! Many of our neighbors in Minneapolis are being targeted based on the color of their skin, their accent, or their country of origin. From a healthcare standpoint, this is leading to very scary outcomes, as patients are terrified to leave home and are foregoing necessary care in an effort to stay safe. For moms and babies, medical professionals scramble to meet these needs and to ensure patient safety. As neighbors and community members, we want to ensure these moms and babies have their needs met in terms of supplies, personal care items, and infant and toddler items. While it's a far cry from a baby shower, we are doing our best to ensure that our neighboring mamas have what they need in times of massive distress. All items purchased on this list will be delivered to me and then immediately sent out into the community for maximum impact. On behalf of all the mama and baby teams, we so appreciate your love and generosity.

Black image with white text and white line drawing of a parent holding a baby. Text reads: "Mama + Baby donations needed. All items with an asterisk must be unused. Other items may be gently used. These items will go to immediate homes and be appreciated. [heart emoji] Thank you! ITEMS NEEDED: diapers (size 0-6)*, baby wipes*, pacifiers*, teething items*, free and clear detergent, baby shampoo, baby-safe lotion, infant clothing (all sizes), infant hats, baby blankets, burp cloths, swaddlers, hands-free baby carriers, breastfeeding guards*, feeding pillows, maternity pillows, belly bands, nipple cream*, pimps, infant safe toys, pack + play, epsom salt."

We're seeing a drop off in newborn donations in Minneapolis. Birth workers are seeing small/early babies due to stress/food insecurity—ICE has not stopped—families still in desperate need of support. If you're able, here is a wishlist compiled by folks doing mutual aid
www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/...

So, VSU faculty could have unionized. They’d be stupid to not do so now.

I’ve reached the point in my career where I just refuse to attend pointless meetings. If it could have been an email, I’m not wasting my time on it. Meetings aren’t work!

Marie Antoinette-coded

U.S. colleges and universities used to be admired worldwide. The speed at which they're now destroying the very thing that made them great is truly astonishing. A self-immolation for the record books!

Can public employees unionize?

The media and academia have an obligation to not remain neutral in the face of authoritarianism. These institutions need liberal institutions to exist in any meaningful way. Authoritarianism is an existential threat. Our devotion to "neutrality" will keep us from fighting for our own survival.

Another College Stops Recognizing Faculty Unions, Citing Catholic Identity and Need for ‘Flexibility’ St. John’s University said core academic decisions were being tied up in collective bargaining. It’s the latest institution to invoke its faith-based mission.

St. John’s university has stopped recognizing the campus’s two faculty unions and is considering terminating about 20 academic programs. Here’s what you need to know. https://chroni.cl/3OAPEJ6

This is why OpenAI is selling so aggressively to education at all levels—they want to create entire generations of users incapable of reading, writing and thinking without ChatGPT to hold their hands

And teachers and professors should call this out for what it actually is

idk whether VA allows faculty unionization but if these faculty had been unionized, they could have challenged their firing as an illegal change in working conditions. Just another reason for faculty to unionize! ✊

If you want to register opposition to the University of Iowa's elimination of African American Studies and Gender/Women's/Sexuality Studies programs:

Provost Kevin Kregel, provost-office@uiowa.edu
President Barbara Wilson, president@uiowa.edu
Board of Regents (linked)
#AcademicSky

BTW the wholesale failure of university administrators to justify the existence of higher ed as something other than job training and career prep does not exactly smack of "leadership." But you don't become a successful uni admin by challenging those above you...

Last, we need to show how targeted programs help prepare students for a wide variety of forms of work and other social roles. Gender, race, and ethnic studies programs are great prep for a wide range of careers. 3/3

To resist, we need to offer an alternative vision of the role of higher education in our students' *whole* lives, not just work lives. We also need to challenge "number of majors" as the sole metric of an academic program's value to students, universities, and society. 2/

UI African American, Gender Studies faculty prepare for program closures University of Iowa faculty in African American Studies and Gender, Women's, and Sexuality Studies are preparing for closure of their programs following a review of "low-enrollment" degrees and majors ...

Important point about the U Iowa elimination of women's/gender studies is the "workforce alignment" justification. This language is being used across the country to turn public universities into job training programs for corporations (who don't pay for them). 1/

Why do we even need sex/gender markers on drivers licenses?

If you want to aid trans Kansans escape to more tolerant places, please donate to Colorado’s Trans Continental Pipeline!