Tobias Wilson-Bates

I am firmly of the belief that one of the greatest dangers to digital/mixed media publishing projects is getting seduced by tech/finance hyperscaling ideology

Crushing growth metrics early can give founders, funders, et al the false impression they are the New New Thing, & if they expand a little..

Dostoevsky character: “for briefly, in two words-

(500+ words later)

“…there, that is my decision!”

Lovely!

Trees primarily gather their material from the air. We are surrounded by enormous organic structures manifesting from the air and eating light. I don’t think we even need aliens. This shit is wild!

Dostoevsky character: “for briefly, in two words-

(500+ words later)

“…there, that is my decision!”

As the @aaup.org long noted and in part why it censured Georgia university system for PTR policy

I didn’t realize you were on here! You’re who I got the news from!

Ancient linden tree (Tilia) in the Czech Republic is estimated to be over 800 years old. These resilient trees have the ability to resprout and continue growing even after suffering significant damage or disease.

Will laugh forever about the definition of peer review being “a Nobel laureate may have read this email”

A) "Joining the Faculty Senate, Student Council and General Faculty Council, nine of the University’s 14 academic deans had signed a letter calling for the search to be paused or suspended."

You cannot argue this was legitimate.

B) Texting the homie Julie to tell her about this

Astounding work, Miriam

A lesson about networks that I’m kind of proud of: at the beginning of the year, I gave my 200 students a dumb survey: fav books, foods, etc. I told them they could use pseudonyms and that I’d share their responses with the class. We’ve been using that data in various ways: to make points about +

The Uses of Sorrow Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness. It took me years to understand that this, too, was a gift.

Mary Oliver

Chopped

The Misuses of the University - Public Books Have the funds that might have trained the next generation of scholars at the nation’s first research university have been blown on ostentatious new buildings?

“In 2025, sponsored research by faculty generated more than $4.8 billion. Compared to that sum, donors contribute a pittance: even the profligate Mr. Bloomberg doesn’t come close. And yet for some reason it’s the donors rather than the faculty who sit on the board and make the big decisions.”

To incoming University President Mnookin: Please don’t let artificial intelligence devalue the liberal arts Last month, University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin <a href="https://www.dailycardinal.com/article/2025/12/uw-receives-approval-to-move-l-ss-largest-majors-to-new-ai-focused-school...

students know they are being cheated

It’s why the tooth fairy pays for them

Was just thinking that!

I’m really enjoying the feeling of logging in when there’s a major event happening and knowing there will be a lot of good posting going on here. No idea the numbers, but it feels like Bluesky has hit some threshold of active engagement with current events.

Rather than telling ourselves that we have to “catch up” to some imagined goal of normalized AI use in higher education, Columbia should take advantage of its prominence as a university to propose something better, like classrooms free of screens, oral examinations, and an end to slippery, relativistic standards on AI use from university administrators. Our response to AI is an opportunity to distinguish Columbia as a reservation where minds are developed without the crutch of a chatbot. As incoming University President Mnookin begins to navigate Columbia’s many financial and political threats, she should reassert the true value of a liberal arts education: learning for learning’s sake

The administrators might have been conned by the AI hucksters, but the students, my friends, are all right.

(The author is a history and economics major, I'll note.)

www.columbiaspectator.com/opinion/2026...

🔥🔥🔥

The idea even that it is elite to succeed without struggle. Which... describes nepotism and legal impunity, a fantasy of protected classes.

Back in the day a 4/4 body for 4 mana would’ve been enough! SIX abilities?!?!?

Et tu, Katie????

Georgia Seasons

Spring
Summer
Fall
Second summer
Winter spring
Trick winter
Rain week
Morning winter afternoon summer
Winter forecast but spring weather
Rain week redux
End of “winter”

Lame as fuck

If I were to design a system to slowly destroy these institutions while draining away career possibilities for future scholars, I’m not sure what I’d do differently

We should marximize playbots

Trees primarily gather their material from the air. We are surrounded by enormous organic structures manifesting from the air and eating light. I don’t think we even need aliens. This shit is wild!