I am not impressed by most military matters. As a historian, I've mostly seen it (read about it). But watching a room of decorated officers maintain neutrality while a demented, dollar-store fascist and captain pushups meandered through an hour of nonsense with nary an eye twitch? Stunning.

@pedalingpastor.bsky.social Fyi

Kid#2 starting volleyball. Went to mega sports mart, waited 20 minutes to try on shoes, left. Then went Schuler shoes & got great service for less than expected $. Called Planet Soccer on Lyndale to ask about whistles & they had them ready at the counter when I arrived. Local shops for the win.

Today for the CoT blog, Julie Smith shares a truly fascinating resource. Full of interviews and case studies that show how teachers are thinking about and wrestling with AI technologies in schools. Read the blog post to learn more! www.civicsoftechnology.org/blog/announc...

Faculty, is it just me or did Microsoft just put CoPilot at the top of Word online, right in the mid

MSU Mankto announcing the firing of tenured faculty the same week they announce a $60m campaign to fund athletic facilities is on brand for a university that wants to be a lifestyle brand rather than an institution of higher learning. www.mprnews.org/story/2025/0...

Why does every page load for D2L take 7 seconds, like it's a 1999 modem? In case you wonder why all professors are low-grade irritable, it's because we have to use absolutely rubbish "course management" software that can't do what your Windows XP spreadsheet could 20 years ago.

I have developed quick metrics for if I click to learn more. Anything with Chuck Schumer (weakling), Ronnie Romance (creepy bike guy), or robots-as-cover-art-for-GenAI art get a pass. Kids, bicycles, nerds-speaking-on-their-expertise-on-any-subject, & AMOC discussions are auto clicks for me.

I've never seen a small business story that needs reporting rather than reacting like this: www.startribune.com/wuollet-bake... Calling @racketmn.com ?

I have seen this image many times in history. There's nothing just about genocide and displacement, in any period.

The number of colleges falling all overthemselves to be fascist sycophants surprises me a little. Not a lot, but damn, that’s a lot of fired employees for institutions who claim to be bastions of free speech.

My college plays some role in Mankato's history dept. woes. We've been increasing enrollments from students between us and St. Peter (all along route 169) for some time, and it hurts to know the price of our success.

Lots of people who bike and run on the Minneapolis greenway this morning. Also, plenty of people using drugs. 🤷🏻‍♂️

@kristenwomack.io keep your eye out for this beauty! And send folks their way (if you hear of anyone wanting to rent a Bunch).

I read advice that says not to speak ill of the dead and I think: "Have you met a historian before? That's all we do"

Yesterday‘s bike commute was magical.

Texas A & M is a fascist university. There are many, but being one of many fascists doesn’t excuse fascism. Let teachers teach and students learn.

On my errands (on a bike, naturally) today, saw a beautiful Co-Motion Tandem with couplers. I don't understand the appeal of tandems, but I recognize joy when I see it.

Reporting on the 1500 central ave Minneapolis fire is rubbish so far. That area has tons of beloved companies, so reporting that four buildings had collapsed without saying which ones means radio-scanner reporting.

Vaxxed. Much like posting pics of my biking, I want people to see healthy choices as ordinary.

“Of all the troubling findings we revealed in the study, the one thing where humanity can really make a difference quickly is the decision to better manage groundwater and protect it for future generations,”

Amen

And it's live! www.history21.com/owit-module/...

Big swaths of S. Minneapolis have green & blue ribbons, some blocks showing every vertical pole or tree w/ ribbons. Prove me wrong, but I wonder if these folks know how little Republicans care about kids praying in church compared to the right to own guns? It's guns over kids or prayer, every time.

I used my Beeline to get around the city. I’m so impressed with cycling in Paris. As a woman riding solo, I never once felt unsafe the cycle lanes are so well designed and protected that they create a real sense of freedom and ease. It’s such a refreshing experience to move through a busy city.

Ohio is the Florida of the Midwest, especially with OSU leading the fascist obeisance. My home state used to be quirky and purple, now it’s just stupid, mean, and failing.

Tell your senior friends and family.

I attended one of these and recommend them to my neighbors.

Linea Palmisano isn't the worst city council member, but she's the Susan Collins of Minneapolis.

Good first day of classes at Normandale Community College. The history department is welcoming 1016 students to our 27 sections, which is means we're 98% full. A gentle reminder the elite hand wringing about history majors at Ivies is a small part of a bigger story. @historians.org

The Salvation Army on Nicollet stopped giving receipts for donations. This has complicated my internal conversation about donations, taxes, and the circular economy.

"It's like a PhD in every field!" "Can it reliably do college-level work, such as accurately identifying and summarizing pertinent information?" "No." "So what is really does is sound like an expert to people who aren't experts in that field?" "Yeah! That's what everyone wants, right?"

Hi! I'm Eric and I'm running for the Minneapolis Board of Estimate and Taxation. What's that, you ask? The "BET" is an elected council that decides how much the city can levy in property taxes to fund public services like parks and street repairs. Here's why I'm running:

Hyper local skeet: a former Minneapolis city council member always supplies me with who NOT to vote for based on her political sign. Currently she has Frey, Abene, & Millard signs out. Oddly there’s no Palmisano sign, which is the council member for our neighborhood.

Discovered new benefit of rental scooters/bike. When parked close to roads people slow down to look at them. Not sure who left this bike here a week ago, but it’s slowing people to under 15 mph. 5 stars

@klobuchar.senate.gov @smith.senate.gov The Federal govt. is attempting to cancel union contracts with a MILLION federal employees. VA employees will lose protections, endangering veteran care. Do something. @startribune.com Cover this .

In all the hand-wringing about the historical profession, consider that the # of majors is a marginally useful metric. In FY 24, my department taught 210 FYE students. That is, if a student took only history courses for 30 credits each year, history would have have 210 students.

I’m mentally preparing to skip watching the 2028 Olympics, which is sad. I attended track and field in Atlanta in 96, & had a gold medal winning coach to inspire me in college with his stories. Still, brownshirts lining the sidewalks and mandatory genital checks for athletes isn’t my thing.

Yeah, as I was saying ...

Evergreen skeet: community college faculty should be in every conversation about teaching history in higher ed. Looking at you @historians.org & your Ai in teaching guidelines. Not just are 40% of students at com colleges, we're increasingly teaching a higher % of all college history courses.

Taking wins where I find them: I figured out how to create an Excel gradebook that can update students (using MS Automate). It uses all college-system software. If this works, I never need use our LMS gradebook again, except to upload grades. Never thought I'd see the day to be happy to use Excel.

If this gets built in Hopkins, it would be very cool. Right on one of my favorite trails (limestone chipped!) with easy access to lots of services. www.hopkinsmn.com/AgendaCenter...

Application due August 3! My college is hiring an assessment person. Pay is ok, benefits are strong, and it's in Minnesota (Minneapolis suburb). The admin leadership of provost & president are this year, but no red flags. minnstate.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/Minnes... Escape to MN (for now).

Find your people. Confront AI vendor slop in collections. Be the change in vendor contracts. Publish with caution and intention. Consider labor issues and workloads. Put companies under the microscope. Be human.

Nearly 6 billion people live in the 101 countries that a new study has identified as confronting a net decline in water supply — signaling enormous challenges for food production and a heightening risk of conflict and instability. By @abrahm.bsky.social, w/ graphics by @lucaswaldron.bsky.social

I suffer from this need as well.

Q: Must I buy Riv's new low normal derailleur and why is the answer yes? #BikeSky

The U.S.O.P.C. can go to hell. Have fun running the Nazi Olympics II. Next up, ICE bed checks on all the brown-skinned athletes in the Olympic Village, and genital checks for any women with square jaws. Are you going to ask athletes that offend Tr mp to not compete? www.ushmm.org/exhibition/o...