I clicked on this link so fast and a single sentence in the first paragraph convinced me I had to read the entire thing.

I am probably more open and interested in LLMs and their uses than the average on Bsky (from posts that show up for me anyway) but I think this is a thread that mimics most of my thoughts on trying to use LLMs for research purposes. Writing and research are the fun bits, I want to do those.

Hi Internet! I'm Drew and THIS IS MY FACE. If this GIF has ever brought you joy in the past, I humbly ask you to consider making a donation to the National MS Society. It would mean a lot to me and to those I know affected by the disease! Donate at blinkingguy.com

Was poking around some publisher's "coming soon" lists to arrange some interviews for the pod. It is kind of wild how many Second World War books get published in English every month. I assume they all sell well enough or the publishers would stop printing them, but it is like a fire hose.

Looks like it is time to dive into Burma again, this time with @lmbd1418.bsky.social as my guide.

Today is #HobbitDay because both Bilbo and Frodo Baggins were born on September 22nd. Normally we'd shire a hobbit pun or two but it might just feel like a tolkien gesture and we don't want to embarrass our elves. Anyway come and boromir #Tolkien books.

Thinking about this more: The A-10 is to the modern American military as the saber armed cavalry was in the years before 1914. Revered by people infatuated with the way past wars were fought, while ignoring warfare’s evolution.

Two things that refuse to die: The A-10 Program A-10 Social Media Discourse Always fun to see the exact same discussions every 6 months or so.

In case anyone is looking for a primary source reader on the German army on the Eastern Front in the Second World War, the one I co-wrote with Adrian Wettstein is one sale for $12.14 on Amazon. Described by the incomparable @crusaderproject.bsky.social as "a must." www.amazon.com/German-Army-...

Always a good sign when the government...*checks notes*....wants more control over the information that is reported. Even unclassified information. Obviously this had never in history resulted in any problems.

[On en parle] C'est officiel 💬 Le jury du Grand prix littéraire de l'armée de Terre Erwan Bergot a décerné son prix 2025 à... Jean-Louis Thiériot pour son ouvrage « Castelnau, le maréchal escamoté, 1851-1944 » aux éditions Tallandier. #Félicitations #PEB2025 #Tallandier

The People in Power: How can we burn it all down as efficiently as possible? The People on Bluesky Who Don't Want That To Happen: Obviously, the most important thing to do today is argue about whether or not you should put your name on a list.

@robzacny.bsky.social Pointing out that the SWW started with the Japanese invasion of China and not the German invasion of Poland on @shiftf1podcast.bsky.social, a podcast about Formula 1, is exactly the kind of crossover I am here for.

Just a random newspaper article for no reason whatsoever. . The Montreal Star Saturday February 2, 1939, Page 2.

When I post this week's podcast episode my second podcast will have more episodes than my first. Which doesn't really matter, but I think it is fun.

Love having to come up with paper based quizzes/exams in an Intro to Computer Science class because every assignment we allow a computer on is about 1/4 LLM responses.

Sometimes writing the podcast feels like really hard work. Other times 2,000 words basically just appear on the page and I barely even realize it.

I know the design is outdated, but I have always loved the look of the aircraft from this generation where the intake and engine are down the center line from the nose.

Happy Publication Day to 'Into the Reich: The Red Army’s advance to the Oder in 1945' by Prit Buttar and 'Nemesis: Medieval England's Greatest Enemy' by Catherine Hanley. Now available in paperback: 1217 Agincourt Battle for the Island Kingdom Find out more: https://bit.ly/3WoqHSw #Historysky

I am deeply saddened to learn about the 45th and 46th school shooting of the year in the United States.

Having been pitched turning the podcast into a video podcast MANY times over the years. The actual reason many people do this is because YT combined with Shorts, Instagram, and TikTok provide VASTLY higher discoverability. Audio podcast listeners often don't engage with discoverability systems.

I guess I will need to wrap up my podcasts soon, the Slop Tsunami will overtake us all eventually.

I would love to know what percentage of books that would be considered "military history" contain at least one Clausewitz quote either in the Introduction or in the first few pages. It has to be so high!

I thought this was a good listen about the state of Humanities Programs at Universities in the US. Don't be thrown off by it being a historical gaming podcast! @beyondsolitaire.bsky.social did a good job interviewing Dr. Ando.

THIS productivity tool will fix me! I promise!

Eventually you have to accept that no matter how many different notebooks you buy, they won’t make you a better writer. For that, you need to spend a lot of money on the right pen.

Quite enjoyed reading through this thesis on the historiography of Operation Barbarossa this afternoon. So important to understand how the Eastern Front has been discussed and understood over the last 80 years.

Publication day! My book The Colonial Way of War has finally appeared with CUP. The book is the first comparative & transimperial study of the violence of colonial warfare around 1900, based on an extensive empirical base &case studies from the British, German & Dutch Empire. It... shorturl.at/crWw2

Pointless rebrands, once the territory of flagging companies, come for US Agencies now. The millions that will be wasted just on stationary, signage, and documentation updates.

Always glad to see #FWW get featured on the larger history podcasts. I hope it helps a wider audience learn about the war!

Serious Social Media Post of the Year candidate here. Man who creates Slop Machine surprised when people use Slop Machine.

This is a great video that everybody should carve out 4 minutes to watch.

"And Atanamir lived to a great age, clinging to his life beyond the end of all joy; and he was the first of the Númenóreans to do this, refusing to depart until he was witless and unmanned, and denying to his son the kingship at the height of his days."

There is a monumental list of problems with America, but one month after my trip to northern Norway the one that sticks with me: Why do we not have r Lion bars available everywhere? They are so delicious! And the only way to get them is online.

Somebody just let me know if I need to queue up a watch of Death of Stalin tonight. kthx

It turns out that when one nation becomes the Builder of Things for the entire world they are really good at Building Things.

Next up on the fiction reading list. Have not read it in awhile, hoping it holds up. Also, if anybody knows of a place online to discuss Cold War-era milhist that is not full of the worst people please let me know. Also, I use Fable to track my reading check it out! fable.co/wesley-lives...

Please help spread the word about our CFP? Id love to get a wide variety of posts for this series

Went to an air show today, those Blue Angels are really good at what they do.

I think you can dunk on people all day for not knowing history, and yes many people don't. But, assuming that the struggles they face are either unique or equivalent to situations in the past is so remarkably common. Even people who KNOW history fall into this all the time.

Don't listen to anything your hear, WW1 was obviously such an amazingly good time. Death and Suffering are good! This tweet is a great example of both why learning history is so important and why the understanding of history will always be under attack.

The one elite skill demonstrated by the government of the United States over the last 10 years has been the ability to completely destroy our standing within the world community.

100% agree with this discussion thread.

KPop Demon Hunters Sing Along at Alamo Drafthouse was pretty wild today, 1:30PM was a good showtime to pick, lots of <10 year olds absolutely belting those lyrics out. Best time my kids have ever had at the theater. For a movie they have already watched so many times.

Upcoming episode discusses the Big Wing controversy in September/October 1940. Thought it would be about 1,500 words and would just be the first half of an episode....3,400 words and counting. Guess it is getting its own episode.

Always interesting to see the download patterns on episodes based on title and type. Not surprisingly the "Battle of Britain: Pt. 1" episode gets more downloads than others, although it comes back to normal afterwards and Interviews are constantly a few percentage points below normal episodes.

Love being the only one at the gym. Just have to get here at 6AM on a Saturday

Everybody knows the only way to take down a Colossus is to get the surround with your Zerglings.

10 games to get to know you: Ghost Recon Age of Empires II Destiny (1/2) Rome 2: Total War (best Total War) Halo 3 Elder Scrolls (Skyrim mostly, sprinkling of MW) Mass Effect 1-3 Dragon Age Command: Modern Operations World in Conflict