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Tim Gloege

@tgloege.bsky.social

Historian of reigion and Platform Administrator at the Grand Rapids Public Library. Author of Guaranteed Pure (UNC Press) and other things; tech tinkerer; local information; hopelessly Midwestern (he/him).

554 Followers  |  249 Following  |  25 Posts  |  Joined: 23.12.2023
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Posts by Tim Gloege (@tgloege.bsky.social)

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Michael Pollan Punctures the AI Bubble His new book, about the mystery of consciousness, strengthens the case that technology will never truly replicate humans.

www.theatlantic.com/books/2026/0...

25.02.2026 01:17 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Computing began as a scientific revolution, to be sure, but these days it is primarily, exhaustingly, an economic one, wrapped in an aura of utopian mysticism. The chieftains of AI reject humanism not because it is anti-scientific, but because it is anti-business; workers are expensive. That’s why the recent marriage of big tech and right-wing politics might strike some as a relief. It’s simply more honest.

Computing began as a scientific revolution, to be sure, but these days it is primarily, exhaustingly, an economic one, wrapped in an aura of utopian mysticism. The chieftains of AI reject humanism not because it is anti-scientific, but because it is anti-business; workers are expensive. That’s why the recent marriage of big tech and right-wing politics might strike some as a relief. It’s simply more honest.

Love this quote:

25.02.2026 01:17 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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Minnesota Proved MAGA Wrong The pushback against ICE exposed a series of mistaken assumptions.

Link:

30.01.2026 00:40 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
If the Minnesota resistance has an overarching ideology, you could call it β€œneighborism”—a commitment to protecting the people around you, no matter who they are or where they came from. The contrast with the philosophy guiding the Trump administration couldn’t be more extreme. Vice President Vance has said that β€œit is totally reasonable and acceptable for American citizens to look at their next-door neighbors and say, β€˜I want to live next to people who I have something in common with. I don’t want to live next to four families of strangers.’” Minnesotans are insisting that their neighbors are their neighbors whether they were born in Minneapolis or Mogadishu. That is, arguably, a deeply Christian philosophy, one apparently loathed by some of the most powerful Christians in America.

If the Minnesota resistance has an overarching ideology, you could call it β€œneighborism”—a commitment to protecting the people around you, no matter who they are or where they came from. The contrast with the philosophy guiding the Trump administration couldn’t be more extreme. Vice President Vance has said that β€œit is totally reasonable and acceptable for American citizens to look at their next-door neighbors and say, β€˜I want to live next to people who I have something in common with. I don’t want to live next to four families of strangers.’” Minnesotans are insisting that their neighbors are their neighbors whether they were born in Minneapolis or Mogadishu. That is, arguably, a deeply Christian philosophy, one apparently loathed by some of the most powerful Christians in America.

Every paragraph @adamserwer.bsky.social writes in this piece is worth reading but here's a taste:

30.01.2026 00:40 β€” πŸ‘ 4    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

This has to be our orientation. Allow people to change their minds. Then let's argue about the other really important stuff tomorrow.

25.01.2026 20:48 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Repeatedly warning us. Listen.

24.01.2026 21:54 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Trump’s America.

23.01.2026 07:17 β€” πŸ‘ 3880    πŸ” 1622    πŸ’¬ 233    πŸ“Œ 83

We’ve decided to make this story free for all readers, forever. We hope you’ll support this reporting by sharing it.

20.01.2026 14:56 β€” πŸ‘ 1321    πŸ” 816    πŸ’¬ 13    πŸ“Œ 9
Screenshot with following text highlighted: "NEH funding will underwrite nine fellowships for college graduates and three senior writer-in-residence opportunities at the Institute on Religion and Public Life and its journal, First Things;"

Screenshot with following text highlighted: "NEH funding will underwrite nine fellowships for college graduates and three senior writer-in-residence opportunities at the Institute on Religion and Public Life and its journal, First Things;"

Not surprising on the one hand, but also, wow...talk about naked politicization of NEH grants.

20.01.2026 14:07 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Opinion | One Year of Trump. The Time to Act Is Now, While We Still Can.

Now is the time.

20.01.2026 11:20 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

My heart is with my hometown. Add to the list business owners and accountants I know who are getting involved. They aren't taking any of this laying down.

19.01.2026 20:59 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
A 35 year old letter to the editor, written by a very ballsy 15 year old, about the Rodney King verdict.

A 35 year old letter to the editor, written by a very ballsy 15 year old, about the Rodney King verdict.

Remembering today that having your heart broken is a necessary step on the path to becoming fully human. Whichever heartbreak is your first, it’s probably critical that a state break your heart so that you can develop a political imagination. If this is your first, I’m sorry and also welcome.

08.01.2026 22:33 β€” πŸ‘ 12189    πŸ” 2496    πŸ’¬ 86    πŸ“Œ 118
Ad with headline "Eat Like the Apostles" 
"40 days 12 ingredients 1 transformation"
"Printable meal plan."
There are four very white people depicted eating.

Ad with headline "Eat Like the Apostles" "40 days 12 ingredients 1 transformation" "Printable meal plan." There are four very white people depicted eating.

I am so confused. Please send help.

03.11.2025 00:10 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Purity, certainty, control: these characteristics are toxic regardless of ideology.

19.10.2025 22:18 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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No Kings Grand Rapids. Hands down the largest protest I've seen in our 15+ years here. Plus Garfield!

18.10.2025 23:08 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Adam absolutely ethering Yudkowsky in the third paragraph of the review. You love to see it.

Adam absolutely ethering Yudkowsky in the third paragraph of the review. You love to see it.

Y'all. @adambecker.bsky.social reviewed the new Eliezer Yudkowsky book for the Atlantic and he *does not miss.*

www.theatlantic.com/books/archiv...

19.09.2025 18:34 β€” πŸ‘ 314    πŸ” 61    πŸ’¬ 10    πŸ“Œ 9
Here is where A.I.’s agreeability β€” so crucial to its rapid adoption β€” becomes its Achilles’ heel. Its tendency to value short-term user satisfaction over truthfulness β€” to blow digital smoke up one’s skirt β€” can isolate users and reinforce confirmation bias. Like plants turning toward the sun, we lean into subtle flattery.

Here is where A.I.’s agreeability β€” so crucial to its rapid adoption β€” becomes its Achilles’ heel. Its tendency to value short-term user satisfaction over truthfulness β€” to blow digital smoke up one’s skirt β€” can isolate users and reinforce confirmation bias. Like plants turning toward the sun, we lean into subtle flattery.

Everything that's wrong with chatbot ai in one paragraph.

www.nytimes.com/2025/08/18/o...

19.08.2025 00:05 β€” πŸ‘ 4    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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What if Everything We Know About Sacagawea Is Wrong?

A great article that shows how historians weigh evidence (or at least how they should), revise received history, and sometimes remain stubbornly wrong for all too human reasons.

www.nytimes.com/2025/07/23/m...

26.07.2025 16:09 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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I found a β€˜dead’ person collecting Social Security in Seattle β€œDead” Ned Johnson turns out to be very much alive. It took him weeks to convince the system he was breathing and to start clawing his benefits back.

DOGE owns every one of these now whether or not it's directly the result of their actions

15.03.2025 14:36 β€” πŸ‘ 1820    πŸ” 522    πŸ’¬ 31    πŸ“Œ 53
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Trump Orders Gutting of 7 Agencies, Including Voice of America’s Parent The order targeting the agencies, largely obscure entities that address issues like labor mediation and homelessness prevention, appeared to test the bounds of the president’s power.

Highlighting the Voice of America (important as it may be) is totally burying the lede. If successful, Trump's executive order will also end IMLS, which will decimate rural libraries.

www.nytimes.com/2025/03/15/u...

15.03.2025 16:26 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Christians are already going overtime telling us to forgive our fascist neighbors but let me tell you defeating them successfully means we cannot ever forget about their lack of care for the planet, the community, and human rights. Never. Our survival depends on it.

23.02.2025 14:14 β€” πŸ‘ 16    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 1

I asked the Gemini assistant to "show me my screenshots." It said "sure" and then restarted every saved timer on my phone.

23.02.2025 14:18 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Screenshot with the following text from a CNN article: β€œI’m in close contact with the CDC. They have about what, 13,000 employees, 13,000 employees at the CDC. In the last couple years, those probationary people, which is about 10% of their employee base, about 1,300 people, which you’re referring to. A lot of the work they do is duplicitous with AI,” McCormick said. The mention of AI led to β€œno’s” and murmurs from the crowd, leading the Republican representative to say, β€œI happen to be a doctor. I know a few things.”

Screenshot with the following text from a CNN article: β€œI’m in close contact with the CDC. They have about what, 13,000 employees, 13,000 employees at the CDC. In the last couple years, those probationary people, which is about 10% of their employee base, about 1,300 people, which you’re referring to. A lot of the work they do is duplicitous with AI,” McCormick said. The mention of AI led to β€œno’s” and murmurs from the crowd, leading the Republican representative to say, β€œI happen to be a doctor. I know a few things.”

Best malapropism ever.

21.02.2025 15:01 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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My Life As a Homeless Man in America An extraordinary firsthand account.

So, my day job is at a public library where we take pride in being a place where all are welcome... regardless of anything, including housing status. Yet even here we too easily turn people into problems to solve. This is an important dose of rehumanization.

www.esquire.com/news-politic...

28.11.2024 12:31 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

the reason why i hate weimar analogies or hungary analogies or whatever is because they lead people to treat contingent phenomenon as iron clad rules and to ignore critical details like, for instance, the structure of a political system

25.11.2024 02:45 β€” πŸ‘ 2221    πŸ” 198    πŸ’¬ 38    πŸ“Œ 27

New hypothesis: most political discourse today is driven by a search for "authenticity." Those who control the framing of what counts, and doesn't count, as authentic, win the game.

24.11.2024 15:13 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

This is amazing

22.11.2024 23:38 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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The Most Pernicious Anticipatory Obedience Hides in Plain Sight In the waning days of the 2024 presidential campaign, Amazon mogul Jeff Bezos became the target of widespread and deserved disgust for nixing The Washington Post’s policy of endorsing presidential…

Relatedly, please read this from @joshtpm.bsky.social

talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/the-m...

14.11.2024 23:45 β€” πŸ‘ 323    πŸ” 134    πŸ’¬ 29    πŸ“Œ 42

Glad it was helpful and congrats on the book!!

14.11.2024 14:44 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

www.404media.co/facebooks-al...

27.03.2024 10:37 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0