dr. meg smith

Oh that’s awful, but exactly the kind of behavior that makes me love them so much.

An appliqué quilt block, approximately 11x14 inches. It features an angry, honking Canadian goose and some lily pads, with the text “Hope is the thing with feathers,” a line from an Emily Dickinson poem.

This idea has been rattling around my head for a while. I have a deep fondness for Canadian geese, and their brash, unapologetic defense of the vulnerable among them feels like the right brand of hope for this moment. Eventually I’ll stitch down the edges and finish as a wall hanging. #DHMakes

For myself, I’m trying to focus on the most flagrant offenders that I know can afford to pay for snow clearance. Walgreens, Target, Schnucks? Fair game. Churches and small businesses? Maybe a lighter touch.

But I’ve noticed small, local businesses are much more likely to have cleared already.

That’s a great question, and I’d love an answer! A generous take is that it probably comes down in part to capacity. My next move after sending postcards to businesses to remind/inform them of their obligations will be to submit Citizen’s Service Bureau requests, flagging this as a code violation.

Let me know if you want some!

How many do you want? I’ll be out and about this weekend…

🫡

💌Mail day💌

I’ve got 150 of these suckers, and I’m willing to share. Big ups to the Ink Spot, a local union print shop that printed these same day for me! #StLouis #STL #stlwx

Oh my god, I love the vaporware and the printing press! When you have that store up and running, I would totally buy those for @siueiris.bsky.social.

Yes! The residential sidewalks are bad and frustrating, but I have a lot more grace for them. The businesses who’ve obviously paid for snow removal but not on the sidewalks are the main targets of my ire.

I just put in an order for 150 postcards with the snow-clearing ordinance to send to local businesses. No more hiding behind feigned ignorance! #StLouis #STL #stlwx

Sidewalks untreated at the Clayton Rd/Lindbergh Schnucks, bus stop there on Lindbergh where many Schnucks workers arrive/depart. A very narrow sidewalk piled with icy, craggy snow thrown from plows. A pedestrian who tried to walk on this stuff risks slipping into 40mph traffic.

Oh interesting! That deserves further digging.

Hampton Village sidewalks on Hampton and Chippewa are untouched, although the walkways in front of the store are pristine. Not sure how their lease is structured though, whether they’re responsible for it or DESCO Group who own the plaza.

11.18.210 - Snow removal. After any fall of snow, owners, managers, agents or occupiers of any premises shall cause the snow to be immediately removed from the improved area of the sidewalk in the public street adjacent to such premises, and the improved area of the sidewalk shall also be kept clear of ice at all times. If no part of the sidewalk area be improved, then a lane five feet wide in the sidewalk area shall be kept free from snow and ice at all times. Where structures contain six or more units, it shall be the duty of the owner or agent of the owner to comply with this provision. Where structures contain between one and six units, it shall be the duty of the person occupying the units nearest the public street, as well as the owner or agent of the owner, involved to comply with the requirements of this section. (1960 C., § 805.210; 1994 C., § 11.18.210; Ord. No. 56726, § 1(part), 1974.)

library.municode.com/mo/st._louis...

An infuriating call with Walgreens, who maintain it's the city's job to clear sidewalks, has driven me to LinkedIn. Gotta fight fire (corporate neglect) with fire (the most cursed, corporate platform).

Here's the relevant code, in case anyone else wants to be a nuisance. #StLouis #STL #stlwx

A sidewalk on Chippewa outside Target, covered in 9 inches of snow. It’s been heavily trafficked by pedestrians.

A sidewalk on Hampton outside Walgreens with a bus shelter, covered in 9 inches of snow. It’s been heavily trafficked by pedestrians.

A sidewalk off Hampton outside Walgreens, covered in 9 inches of snow.

Every company that plows their parking lot while neglecting their sidewalks is not only flouting their legal obligation. They are sending a clear message about which of their customers and neighbors they deem worthy of care and access. Looking at you, Walgreens and Target. #StLouis #stl #stlwx

And don't talk to me about "who's paying", jerks -- you eliminated the entire program area that funded so much of my field in this country (RIP NEH Office of Digital Humanities) and laid off all our program officers. You think we're just going to give up and go home? #DHmakes

I can see Hampton, and no pavement is visible from where I am.

New scam journal alert for #DigitalHumanities! Digital Humanities and Society Studies - not just predatory, but fully AI-generated with fake authors (or in at least one case, a recognizably stolen name). The publisher's been flagged before as being shady, but this journal is particularly egregious.

A large Tupperware bowl, flipped upside down to contain a cake on the lid. It’s sitting in my lap on a bus. Inside the Tupperware is a round cake frosted wih honey whipped cream, with a crumb coat on top.

The hardest part of bringing baked goods to work is not forgetting them on the way out the door. The second hardest part is maintaining structural integrity on a 2-hour, 3-connection transit commute. Thoughts and prayers for my honey cake…

Well this is fucking bleak.

A Christmas card from Ada, a grey and white dog with (in this picture, at least) sad, droopy ears and mournful eyes. She’s wearing a cheerful and festive red bandanna.

Daycare gave us a spare copy of Ada’s Christmas card this morning, where she is doing her best impression of an ASPCA commercial. So belated merry Christmas from Ada, everyone. I promise she’s spoiled rotten and very happy.

A question for @literaturegeek.bsky.social!

A flyer for a workshop series in the IRIS Center at SIUE: Interactive Storytelling with the Scrolly Story Generator Meg Smith and Dan Schreiber (IRIS Center) Jan. 23, 10:00-11:00, Center for Faculty Development and Innovation (Lovejoy Library, 3rd floor) Teaching with Leaflet Storymaps Laura Fowler (History) Feb. 13, 10:00-11:00, Center for Faculty Development and Innovation Digital Publishing with Manifold Meg Smith and Dan Schreiber (IRIS Center) Mar. 20, 10:00-11:00, Center for Faculty Development and Innovation “Beautiful Dreams of the Past”: Building a Digital Edition Kezia Miller (English) Apr. 17, 10:00-11:00, Center for Faculty Development and Innovation

Join us for a series of workshops on teaching and researching with digital tools! The IRIS Center Morning Bytes series offers hands-on tutorials, activities and lesson plans, and spotlights on ongoing digital humanities projects. #DigitalHumanities

A framed print that reads “Infrastructure is something we owe to one another. - Meg Smith” Made by Amanda Wyatt Visconti! It’s printed in a beautiful pink-blue gradient.

🤩 Thanks again to @literaturegeek.bsky.social for immortalizing this line from the NEH wake session at ACH. If I have a scholarly motto, this is it — infrastructure is mutual obligation and mutual benefit. #DigitalHumanities #DHMakes

A quilted pillow in the shape of Wisconsin. The pattern is rectangles in three fabric prints: gray squirrels, blue moose and trees, and tan hiking symbols

RIP Packers postseason, but I’m still celebrating Wisconsin.

Quick little pre-semester make, the Hello Wisconsin pillow from Crimson Tate.

Applying the Baldwin Test to Ed-Tech — Civics of Technology In this post, Charles Logan argues that educators can apply the Baldwin Test to Ed-Tech.

I took Tucker’s piece as an inspiration for my own post for the Civics of Technology and applying the Baldwin Test to investigate claims about educational technology:

Hey academic podcasters, any best practices for including references? I’ve seen reference lists in episode descriptions and companion websites. Are there other alternatives? What’s worked best for you? #AcademicSky #podcast

A gray and white cat glares at a gray dog, both lying on a loveseat

A gray and white car recoils at the presence of a gray dog on the same loveseat as her. A human hand offers a symbolic boundary between the two

We swapped out a sofa for a loveseat, and we may have achieved too much proximity. Maybe a good bonding opportunity? Or possibly an ignition point — time will tell