Lucy M

Sorry to hear that

I’m so tired of having to squint at everything I encounter online and go ‘are you ai?’

Whatever else it can do, this tech adds work and erodes trust. The extra work is time-wasting and wearying, and I resent the erosion of trust most deeply. I cannot believe it is healthy for society to be ever less sure that anything you encounter is the real thought or expression of a fellow human

I had to tick a box to confirm that I had not used AI in one of my PhD applications. And the bar is so low that I went ‘I really appreciate this’

I hope we see a return of the conference orchid…

I have not but I love this

A photo of a white rabbit in grass on a lead and harness

I met a bunny on a lead while going to get a coffee and this might be the best day ever

I’ve been thinking about the intellectual and affective labor involved in reading AI Generated student papers. I’m forecasting a little of the proposal that @cnygren.bsky.social and I advance in a piece that’ll be out soon but here’s where I’ve personally landed (o speak for myself not for us both):

Fried mashed potato grilled cheese?? Ooooh

Reading the responses to this is unbelievably interesting, I can’t wait to share them in an eventual book

It’s time for my annual thread of Australian poetry books you should buy ppl for Xmas. No one buys poetry partly cos it’s intimidating. It rarely makes xmas book guides. But poetry is an ethical gift that: supports underfunded writers; wins brownie points with gift receiver; improves the human soul

Well done!!

An image of the PDF poster for The Maimonides Scholarship. It includes an image of an illuminated medieval manuscript and the following text: About the Scholarship The Maimonides Scholarship supports graduate research in Jewish philosophy and intellectual history. Candidates will complete a thesis under the supervision of Dr Raphael Dascalu. We particularly welcome proposals in medieval Jewish philosophy or intellectual history, including projects in dialogue with medieval Christian and Islamic traditions. Degree options Maimonides Scholars may enrol in one of three Notre Dame research degrees: • Master of Philosophy (MPhil) – 1.5 years full time (includes coursework) • Master of Arts (Research) (MRes) – 2 years full time (no coursework) • Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) – 3 years full time. Scholarship package • Stipend valued at $36,862 per annum (tax-free, indexed). • Tuition Fee Offset scholarship for domestic students valued at approximately $20,000 per annum. • International applicants may seek an International Fee Remission Scholarship. • Find out more: notredame.edu.au/scholarships. 2026 applications • Semester 1 or 2 start • Prospective applicants should contact the Centre at least a month ahead of submission. Eligibility Applicants are required to have completed substantial past study in Philosophy, Religion, Jewish Studies or related fields, usually including a previous short dissertation (such as an Honours thesis). Specific eligibility criteria for the MPhil, MRes and PhD can be found here: notredame.edu.au/hdr Enquiries: chop@nd.edu.au and raphael.dascalu@nd.edu.au Additional text includes a description of the Notre Dame Centre for the History of Philosophy (CHOP) and a brief biography for Dr Raphael Dascalu. He is Senior Research Fellow in the History of Jewish Philosophy at the Notre Dame Centre for the History of Philosophy. He specialises in the medieval Jewish philosophical tradition, particularly Judaeo-Arabic texts.

Notre Dame Australia has advertised a new scholarship for postgraduate studies in Jewish history valued at over AU$56,000 per annum. They are particularly interested in students who want to focus on medieval Jewish philosophy or intellectual history.

#MedievalSky #EarlyModern #skystorians

I love this!!

Attention creative medievalists! Eleanor Barraclough & I are co-editing a special issue of Public Humanities entitled CREATING THE MEDIEVAL NOW! See the cfp for details: essays of 2,000-3,000 words due 1 May 2026. (Amazing artwork by @hellomizk.bsky.social). 1/ www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

This is very cool

My new article has now been published in the 2025 volume of Traditio. I use a little examined episode on the lower Rhine in the late 350s with the aid of agricultural archaeology to reveal fiscal dependency relations between the Empire & Barbaricum, & the consequences of their rupture. #medievalsky

ANZAMEMS was a delight, hats off to the organisers, and also nice to see some of Melb uni because I haven’t actually spent time there

(I do have to admit Melb uni wins on aesthetics)

🥺 well I trust your judgement!

Some of the responses I’ve gotten when telling people (who asked) where I’m applying to in the UK for PhDs is giving me imposter syndrome 😅

And they obviously don’t care about kids considering the proposals to charge children as adults for crime

Called lost property again, was told apologetically that there was nothing in the system. But she checked what bus.

Got a call ten minutes later saying they’d found it - which means she’d called the specific depot and asked them to specifically look for it.

Shout out to her

Exactly so: if you insist you can only give to the "deserving" then you commit to a lifetime of judging and distrusting others

I had a halter done recently, and several days later when I still had the marks on my skin was when I discovered I’m apparently mildly allergic to some adhesives

Bumped into my secondary supervisor in the hall.

Him: where are you off to?

Me: the King Arthur panel

Him: of course, where else would you go?

Will I actually pull it out? Not sure! I still feel wary of giving an impression that I’m not listening

I tend to need to do things with my hands to help my auditory focus. I’ve always been too self-conscious to bring a craft with me to a conference.

But, yesterday, I spent so many sessions colouring in random shapes I’d drawn in my notebook. So stitching is in my bag today.

I fully agree. And I would also like to note that over the course of my career I learned that this was the right position, having started from an inherited assumption that there was something kind of dodgy and unworthy about (students who wanted) extensions and accommodations. You can too!

Without putting the onus on me to ask for that, and then habitually recorded the next chunk of our meetings.

This was one (of the many!) things that made you an excellent superviser, as someone neurodivergent and had a collection of health issues in my MA.

I remember very clearly at one point that we started a meeting and you could tell I was struggling to focus and you started recording the meeting-