According to my wife, calling butter tarts “mini raisin quiches” does not make them appropriate breakfast food. I beg to differ.

Me: *playing with my Star Wars LEGO advent calendar* Wife: Oh, nice. You got a C-3P0 and an R2-D2 Me: That's not R2-D2! It looks like it's maybe supposed to be an R2 unit, but it is for sure an astromech droid. What's interesting about it is... where are you going?

I've long held that I will use this line at my eventual retirement party, decades hence.

This is the kind of thread for which social media was invented.

This one really hurts.

Who needs an MBA when you have Bluesky?!?

For a second I thought this was a Chronicle of Higher Ed article...

A fantastic argument for a liberal arts education. #highered

We’re living in an era where everyone wants authentic connection but also wants AI to write every thought they’ve ever had. My policy: if you try to connect with me on social media and your every single post is AI-generated, I’m not connecting back and I now hate you. #LinkedIn #BeHuman

Hey, so apparently you can ask what vaccines you should get. I’ve been due for my tetanus shot since 1991. Guess I’ll do that… at some point.

It’s widely known (and, I think, pretty uncontroversial) that learning requires effort — specifically, if you don’t have to work at getting the knowledge, it won’t stick. Even if an LLM could be trusted to give you correct information 100% of the time, it would be an inferior method of learning it.

If you use GMail, AI (Gemini) was turned on yesterday by default and now scans all of your content for machine learning. To turn off, go to Settings>General and scroll down. Uncheck the box for "Smart features." There's other "Smart" add-ons as well, but that's the one that reads your content.

Suddenly it all makes sense.

every company in 2025

Somebody please explain to me the business case of AI companies.

So if I understand the current state of capitalism correctly, we can't have too many electric cars because that would overwhelm the power grid, but there is no upper limit on the number of data centers we can establish. Have I got that right?

For their first project, my Kids and Society students have to create an infographic clarifying a common misconception about "kids these days." I'd prefer that they not use AI to create their projects, so I made my own infographic explaining why : )

Imagine if the Cartoon Network relaunched as a free streaming service. #dreams

One of these rich dudes invested in a food company with all proceeds going to kids in need. The other started Sundance Institute, boosting the lives of countless artists. Hey modern rich dudes, don't be a typical greedy AI crypto-prick, be like these two.

Rule of thumb: don't kill people, even if they are assholes.

“We find that whole communities suddenly fix their minds upon one object, and go mad in its pursuit; that millions of people become simultaneously impressed with one delusion, and run after it, till their attention is caught by some new folly more captivating than the first.” - Charles MacKay (1841)

Now Lego needs to set terms that it'll only start shipping Lego back to the US once the Americans take the 's' off the end of their plural pronunciation.

Printed and distributed ahead of meeting.

Read a book. Read another book. And then read some more. Thanks for coming to my TED talk.

Hey everybody! @drjuliawester.bsky.social and I have a new paper! We surveyed over 800 scientists, science communicators, and science educators who use social media. Conclusion: Scientists no longer find Twitter useful or pleasant, and many have switched to Bluesky! 🧪🌎🦑 doi.org/10.1093/icb/...

“Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street building has been renamed, every date has been altered.[...] Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Party is always right.” ― George Orwell, 1984

Thanks to ECPR political science journals. With their help, a more journals have been added to the list (bsky.app/profile/did:...) and starter pack (go.bsky.app/Jo9yr7F) for "Academic Journals - Political Science". Message me with any other journals I'm missing on these lists & starter packs!

Same. Except I’m firing my bank over my mortgage balance numbers.

there are so many great things about generative AI! here are some of my favorites <3

Because it is summer and we're all flailing about looking for something to do, maybe it's time to check out this feed I somehow managed to construct: (The first part of the above post is heavy with sarcasm, the second half is not.)

When exactly did LinkedIn 'influencers' forget that paragraphs are a thing?

"Amazon Prime Day used to mean something. When I was young, my family would joyfully celebrate the legacy of a mega-corporation that runs hundreds of mom-and-pop stores out of business every year. Now, though, it's just become so commercialized."

Knowing that TV's Frank is currently watching Strange Brew for the first time instantly makes this my favorite BlueSky post of all time.

I am happy to announce that after living in the same house for 25 years, making mortgage payments faithfully, the amount I now owe the bank is only the original purchase price.

Time for the periodic reminder that I curate a number of academic journal starter packs. If you are involved with a journal that has joined Bluesky recently-ish, let me know and I'll be sure to add it to the appropriate pack. #academicsky

This song was released 40 years ago today. Damn.

I was running to catch a bus and nearly knocked Jim Byrnes into traffic. He told me to slow down.

Morning

1. It's been 38 years since Spaceballs came out. 2. Mel Brooks is still working at 98 years old.

I have a new theory: Trump and Musk are BOTH Andy Kaufman.

I have a new theory: Trump and Musk are BOTH Andy Kaufman.

An industry entirely dependent upon theft would seem to be a form of organized crime, no?

If I hear one more person this week refer to 50 year-olds as "elderly," I might just go ahead and break a hip.

If you see this, I IMPLORE you to post a picture from whatever device you’re using without explanation.

If you are a "LinkedIn Influencer" and your posts are a series of one-sentence paragraphs (peppered with emojis or not): (1) I'm not reading, and (2) I have decided that you are a vapid idiot.

'Cheers' is my all-time favorite sitcom, if not television show. This news is incredibly sad.

Pop Quiz: "Do you live in Manitoba?" Q: It is 30C outside. Do you take the down comforter off your bed? A: No, because the forecast calls for snow on the weekend.