Brian Ruh

Hot take: most of the students who you laughed at for majoring in critical theory or comparative lit dense in French theory are more prepared for the 21st Century than computer scientists and engineers.

Everyone who rolled their eyes at “the gulf war didn’t happen” owe Baudrillard an apology

Will Art Institute expansion leave Louis Sullivan’s Chicago Stock Exchange room in the cold? No decision has been made, but the museum says "the east side of the building — where the Trading Room is located — represents the area where gallery space could increase the most."

My architecture column today. Art Institute tells the Sun-Times no decision has been made on the old CSE trading room, but adds "the east side of the building — where the Trading Room is located — represents the area where gallery space could increase the most."

Yes, I was trying to find if there was anything of his that had been translated recently. This got my hopes up for a second.

"In March, Japan marks International Women’s Day, as well as the anniversaries of the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11 and the 1945 Tokyo air raids."

Such a weird sentence. Japan Times, what are you even doing?

Haunt for a killer: [detective crime novels] A trilogy by Yannis Maris Amazon.com: Haunt for a killer: [detective crime novels] A trilogy by Yannis Maris: 9798307361153: Maris, Yannis, Thirdley, Ed: Books

The book in question, just for context
www.amazon.com/Haunt-killer...

When you see a newly-translated book of Greek detective stories, but then notice with a sinking feeling:
1. A probable AI cover
2. No translator listed
3. Rambling (LLM?) bio of the.. editor? publisher?
Sigh. If this were real I'd have bought it.

One side - bio grandpa worked at the (Greek) family restaurant in Chicago, adoptive grandpa ran a small neighborhood grocery store, also in Chicago

Other side - chemist for Proctor & Gamble in Cincinnati

How I arrived on Bluesky

I like this set alot

Being a Luddite Is Cool and All, but Have You Seen the Hilarious Tapestries These New Looms Are Making? Don’t get me wrong, I’m as invested in keeping my job as the next weaver. When the boss brought in that big new power loom, I was pretty skeptical....

When the boss brought in that big new power loom, I was skeptical. He said once he got it running, we’d be out of a job, so when the boys started talking about breaking into the factory and smashing the thing, I was on board. Until, that is, I saw the funny tapestries it could make.

Health, climate change concerns inspire weekly vegetarian meals at Finland's army canteens The decision to add more vegetarian options was driven by health concerns as well as the impact of meat production on climate change rather than money.

"So far, all of Finland’s garrisons cater to vegetarians and overall, the Army has sought to introduce increasing amounts of vegetables into soldiers’ diets."

Isn't it surprising how better diets, clean energy and active lifestyles contribute to national security?

#Sufficiency

yle.fi/a/3-10363579

Beyond Aesthetics: What ‘True’ Metal Really Means Under Repression in Iran — Inferno Music Conference

Sharing on behalf of @paky.bsky.social

stupid meme about how Oshii just keeps making like profound philosophical films for studios that really seem to want him to just make a good action-comedy for christ sake

watched Angel's Egg (its great ofc) and rabbhitholed on Oshii's career again... really love this dude...

Drawings by Tetsuya Nishio of Isaku Okabe as a priest and Mamoru Oshii (dog form) as a shrine maiden.

I missed that last year at the Howling in the Night event they were selling acrylic stands of military consultant Isaku Okabe as a priest and Mamoru Oshii (dog form) as a shrine maiden.

hn226.hatenadiary.com/entry/2025/0...

I think this can be generalized: "If you think AI can make a better product than you can, maybe you're right but that's a personal problem."

Thanks! I will try to be there.

I'm looking forward to this! Do you have any planned signings / talks?

Cover of Trace Elements, coming out of the box

Spine

Cover held up

It's arrived, it's real, it's an actual book! @adapalmer.bsky.social Preorder now, in stores March 24th!

Ulysses 31 has seemed like it would be a great @discotekmedia.bsky.social title, just saying

I love talking about Battle of the Planets because it gets people excited, even though it wasn't part of my own childhood.

For me, it was Ulysses 31, Goldorak (UFO Robot Grendizer), Captain Future, Captain Palnet, Spartakus and the Sun Beneath the Sea, Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water ...

“AI is here to stay” has become “common sense”, a phrase I’ve ranted about before.

Any time someone says something is “common sense” it means “I haven’t thought too much about this, and you shouldn’t either”.

Same goes for AI.

People keep saying it and I keep thinking it's omnipresent marketing 'cuz even if we take out discussions of morality and utility for a lot of it (which, imo, is steelmanning the position), the core infrastructure of the data-center-requiring genalgo functions seems pretty unsustainable.

AI absolutely might put us out of work, but not because it can replicate the quality of what humans currently do. Like any disruptive capitalist “innovation,” it’s a simulacrum that’s far cheaper and just barely convincing enough. Let’s not mistake it for being an actual substitute.

I heard the good old “AI is here to stay” line on NPR this morning.

That always strikes me as so odd. I work in IT, and I don’t (knowingly) use AI. And the last time I used it in a personal capacity, all it could do was create weird smeary images.

For most cases, there’s just no need for it.

Cover illustration for TKC magazine, March 2026 issue.
TKC全国会の会報誌『TKC』2026年3月号の表紙イラストレーションを担当しました。
View on Behance: www.behance.net/gallery/2451...

First week in the BBC graphics department and already thriving

Sometimes in the dark of the night, the following words will erupt unbidden from the depths of my soul:

“A baloo is a bear. A yonker is a young man. Wuzzle means to mix.”

One of the greatest, Bruce Campbell, announcing he has cancer. Our hearts are with you Bruce, Hail to the King.

Oh certainly. They’re very closely linked. I tend not to hear about 1932 as much, though.