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Alice Goldfarb

@alicegoldfarb.com
1.1K followers 2K following 461 posts

Thinking about messy data. [Unbreaking](https://unbreaking.org/) & [CU Boulder's Info Visions Lab](https://infovisions.github.io/) (extricated from afgoldfarb on 🐦, was once goldfarb.bsky.social 🦋)

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Alice Goldfarb @alicegoldfarb.com · 36m
So exhuasted.
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Melanie Walsh @mellymeldubs.bsky.social · 1h
In this powerful piece on libraries, this comment stuck out. I went to ALA for the first time this year, and I was struck by the prominent presence of corporate vendors, many of which are sucking libraries dry… www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Photo of librarian Crystal Gates with quote: I would increase access to electronic materials. Our budget can’t keep pace with demand. The book that I can personally get on Kindle or Audible for $3.99 costs my library $80 to $120, and then we have to return it in three years. I’m limited in the number of checkouts or the number of people. I don’t mind one-copy, one-user restrictions. But telling me I’m going to spend $80 on a book that my patrons no longer have access to in 12 months? It’s not getting damaged. It’s not getting wet. It’s not getting torn up.
Crystal Gates, North Little Rock, Ark.
North Little Rock Public Libraries
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Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 14h
Attention everyone I know! Perfectly accurate, no notes. (Forwarded to me; ultimate source unclear.)
Image headlined "WHAT YOUR FAVORITE OBSOLETE ENGLISH LETTER SAYS ABOUT YOU", with thumbnails of MSS focusing on thorn, eth, wynn, yogh, ash, insular G, and long S; each one has the label "You are a nerd."
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Alice Goldfarb @alicegoldfarb.com · 01/10/2026
WHAT
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Emily Hilliard @emhilly.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Grateful to Smithsonian Folkways for the opportunity to write the bio for the late great Michael Hurley as they announce the reissue of his debut album First Songs. Miss the guy and have been thinking of him as cider sipping and tea tasting season rolls around. folkways.si.edu/artists/mich...
folkways.si.edu
Michael Hurley | Smithsonian Folkways Recordings
Michael Hurley was a beloved iconoclast who made his 60-year career as a traveling musician and visual artist his own way.
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Maria Antoniak @mariaa.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
I'm recruiting 1-2 PhD students to join our lab in Fall 2027, through either Computer Science or Information Science at the University of Colorado Boulder! Looking for people with interests in NLP plus [healthcare | literary studies | narratives | social media | etc.]. Join us! 🏔️☀️
cls-lab.com
CLS Lab — Culture, Language, & Systems | University of Colorado Boulder
The Culture, Language, & Systems Lab at CU Boulder studies the language systems that transmit and shape modern culture, from internet platforms to literary archives to language models.
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Alice Goldfarb @alicegoldfarb.com · 27/09/2026
The framing as 'obvious' and 'inevitable' is one of the ways this feel especially true to me.
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Catherine D'Ignazio (she/her/ella) @kanarinka.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
MIT spent $3 million on 500 AI-capable surveillance cameras while laying people off, shutting down libraries, and canceling journal subscriptions. In this article, 4 faculty & I discuss our new arts initiative to celebrate surveillance and repression on college campuses: fnl.mit.edu/how-we-learn...
fnl.mit.edu
How We Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Campus Surveillance – MIT Faculty Newsletter
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Alice Goldfarb @alicegoldfarb.com · 25/09/2026
Do you know about Ripton, which isn't Shay's Rebellion scale, but speaks to the ongoing frustration of Boston's dismissal of everything west of the commuter rail. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ripton_...
en.wikipedia.org
Ripton (fictitious town) - Wikipedia
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Al Shaw @shaw.al · 25/09/2026
For sale Slop generator Never used
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Paul Ford @ftrain.com · 19/09/2026
people constantly confuse being smart with being right and it’s killing us all
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Colleen Mondor @chasingray.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Just once, I wish we would fully staff ATC and the technicians who keep it operating. Instead of always saying we need technology to address staff shortages, it would be great to address why we have staff shortages. Also, this use of AI is not smart for safety. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/18/u...
nytimes.com
F.A.A. to Roll Out New A.I. Tool for Washington Airports
The tool, called SMART, will crunch scheduling and weather data to predict and avoid delays. It will be deployed in the Washington region’s three major airports next week.
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Amal El-Mohtar @amalelmohtar.com · 19/09/2026
This is utterly heartbreaking. I was privileged to be edited by Rose a few times over the years & with even that slender acquaintance this is such a punch to the gut. My deepest condolences to everyone who knew & loved her.
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Shannon Mattern @shannonmattern.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
4 yrs ago I taught a grad studio abt reimagining the academy. This fall I’m tchg a similar class — abt study more generally — for librarians, archivists, ldrs of alt schools, etc. It’s 🤗 to think about these ideas *in practice* redesigningacademy.wordsinspace.net/spring2022/ crc.metro.org/apply/
redesigningacademy.wordsinspace.net
Redesigning the Academy 2022 – New School Graduate Workshop with Shannon Mattern
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Alice Goldfarb @alicegoldfarb.com · 17/09/2026
I can not wait.
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Alice Goldfarb @alicegoldfarb.com · 16/09/2026
I was wondering if being an Associate EU member allows for associate Eurovision participant, only to learn that Canada is already going to be in Eurovision, starting next year. As in song, so too in governance, apparently.
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Cyd Harrell @cydharrell.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
if you've known me for long, you know I'm a huge admirer (& friend) of Dana Chisnell. she knows her sh*t on the subject of voting - & @monteiro.bsky.social knows his zines & provocations. they made this for you to print & share widely (I helped review); so please do print & share widely!!
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Shannon Mattern @shannonmattern.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
I *hate* this "digital divide" framing for AI; even libraries marshal it to justify their "AI literacy classes," ensuring all have "access" for self-actualization and economic opportunity. Maybe instead some folks are sufficiently literate, and they're instead choosing *principled refusal*.
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Dave Parisi @daveparisi.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Higher ed will never satisfy its hunger for Associate Deans.
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Jeff Sharlet @jeffsharlet.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
I’m a Dartmouth professor. Pres. Beilock implies in this piece that she speaks for us as a college. She does not. I don’t permit AI in my classroom. Not because it stole my work; because as I wrote in @chronicle.com, most of my students hate it—and feel betrayed by the college—even more than I do.
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Alice Goldfarb @alicegoldfarb.com · 26/08/2026
Noooooooo Dislike 👎
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Mar Hicks @histoftech.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
ding ding ding I also think it’s relevant that this is in particular a coding tool, and there was likely an effort to give it a masculine name as a result🫠
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Waldo Jaquith @waldo.net · 14/08/2026
A St. Louis PBS station stored their 50 TB station archives at an Iron Mountain facility, via a subcontractor, which probably gave them lots of security and redundancy. But the subcontractor went under, and now they have lost access to their archives. It turns out their contract had no redundancy.
current.org
Nine PBS sues Iron Mountain over blocked access to archival data
Nine PBS seeks return of more than 50 terabytes of data that represents “70 years of our organization's history.”
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Dr Kevin Guyan @kevinguyan.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
The Gender + Sexuality Data Lab is hiring a Research Assistant to join its project, ‘Box Breakers: Improving Organisational Data Practices for Minoritised Communities’. Now open to all applicants | Closing date: 25 Aug | More info: elxw.fa.em3.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/Candid...
Quote from Dr Kevin Guyan, Director of the Gender + Sexuality Data Lab, which reads: "The Box Breakers project aims to transform how data professionals understand and represent people whose identities exist beyond conventional categories."
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Alice Goldfarb @alicegoldfarb.com · 10/08/2026
too much
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jessamyn @librarian.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
I work at a public library. People who want to use AI seem to have no trouble doing so. People who don't want to use AI have a harder time. I crowdsourced and then finalized this document "How to disable or avoid intrusive AI" and then gave it a short URL: notoai.org Please pass along if it's useful
An aircraft passenger oxygen mask: a drop down passenger mask with air bag and yellow plastic mouth and nose cover, oxygen tube has been cut; Demonstration model used by flight attendant crew for passenger instruction. Has text on the side indicating that it's non-functional.
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Alice Goldfarb @alicegoldfarb.com · 31/07/2026
Nick Harkaway's Angelmaker, it's delightful and gleeful and takes place in such a completely imagined world.
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Katie Mack @astrokatie.com · 31/07/2026
In light of the “good faith questions” discourse I just wanted to re-up @reveleth.com’s fascinating podcast about the complex (and frequently appalling) history and present of policing sexual biology in women’s sports.
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Ian Petrie @icpetrie.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
I have been informed that August begins this weekend and that is both fucked up and bullshit
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Alice Goldfarb @alicegoldfarb.com · 26/07/2026
I saw that! I look forward to reading the letters, with some amount of speculative elaboration.
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Alice Goldfarb @alicegoldfarb.com · 26/07/2026
The Denver Public Library page about him includes the line "there he became friends with the poet Walt Whitman," which really sounds like a euphemism, even if it is not. history.denverlibrary.org/colorado-bio...
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Reo Eveleth @reveleth.com · 25/07/2026
I need you all to know that the Berkeley Public Library has solicited submissions for a new mascot, and you can now vote for the contestants and I'm losing my mind. berkeleypublic-library.github.io/Fiber-Mascot...
berkeleypublic-library.github.io
Fiber Mascot Contest — Berkeley Public Library
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Heather Froehlich @heatherfro.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
RIT libraries is hiring a digital scholarship and data librarian: rit.wd12.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/career...
rit.wd12.myworkdayjobs.com
Digital Scholarship Data Librarian
Essential Duties & Responsibilities Consults with researchers on digital scholarship projects, including guidance on best practices, workflows, scope, relevant methodologies and technologies Assis...
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Marta Zboralska @marta-zboralska.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
I have held one of these awards and would be happy to share my experience if anyone is looking for advice (it was wonderful).
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Matthew Murray 🦇 @midnitelibrary.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
The "sequel"(?) to "You Are Reviewer 2" is now available to download for free. "So You've Been Told to Publish Your Data" is a solo d6-based "game" to "learn" about Research Data Management and Data Publishing. midnitelibrary.itch.io/publish-your... 📚
A bunch of copies of So You've Been Told to Publish Your Data
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sara m. b. simon @sarambsimon.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
do we still do good news on here? i just learned that my 1939 ny world's fair research was awarded runner-up of best 2025 article published in the ieee annals of the history of computing. timely as ever, about corporate dreams of tech utopia + spectacular tech debuted to distract from rising fascism
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Alice Goldfarb @alicegoldfarb.com · 18/07/2026
@lifewinning.com If 🦋 posts are eligible for perfect sentences, I'd like to nominate "This lettuce is literally everywhere and usually it’s in contexts where no one knows/discloses it."
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Erin Kissane @kissane.myatproto.social · 17/07/2026
We need 2-3 more writers with a science-y backgrounds to help us turn news chaos into orderly information on @unbreaking.org's infectious disease control, food safety, and medical research funding pages. The commitment is a few hours every couple of weeks. Is this you? 🌱 unbreaking.org/how-to-help/
unbreaking.org
How to help — Unbreaking
Documenting damage and resistance. Unflooding the zone.
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Alice Goldfarb @alicegoldfarb.com · 17/07/2026
me: searches 'town name library' google: here are five pages of results that do not include the library page (I gave up after the first 5 result pages & found it linked elsewhere, tho I might not have looked if I didn't know there were a page to find. The town name is unique & not a common word.)
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Prof Gavin Yamey MD MPH @gavinyamey.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Once you see the title, you immediately know which economist wrote it 🤦‍♂️
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Annalee Newitz @annaleen.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Also this is a fundamental misunderstanding of history. It wasn't like the only alternative to cars was horses? Instead it could have been better rail transit, or other kinds of vehicles that didn't require paved roads. Likewise, we're not choosing between AI and quill-and-ink. There are options!!!
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Ryan Randall @www.ryanpatrickrandall.com · 10/07/2026
Be part of your library's supply chain—request that they purchase Dr. Posner's book!
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Reo Eveleth @reveleth.com · 10/07/2026
Everybody: we hate Alexi Lalas Literally everybody: seriously we would rather watch the games in a language most of us don't speak because it means no Alexi Lalas Truly everybody: we cannot stress enough, out loud, all the time, how much we hate Alexi Lalas FOX: why are people watching Telemundo!?
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Alice Goldfarb @alicegoldfarb.com · 10/07/2026
David Lynch's Word
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Alice Goldfarb @alicegoldfarb.com · 30/06/2026
@chanda.blacksky.app Super exciting to see The Edge of Space-Time as book of the week at the fantastic print shop/ bookstore Matter (morematter.com) www.instagram.com/shopatmatter...
instagram.com
The Shop At MATTER on Instagram: "Vania is bringing us our Employee Book of the Week! 'The Edge of Space-Time' by Chanda Prescod-Weinstein is "A fresh, charming, socially conscious tour of the mysteri...
17 likes, 0 comments - shopatmatter on June 30, 2026: "Vania is bringing us our Employee Book of the Week! 'The Edge of Space-Time' by Chanda Prescod-Weinstein is "A fresh, charming, socially consciou...
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Alice Goldfarb @alicegoldfarb.com · 29/06/2026
amazing
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sara m. b. simon @sarambsimon.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
ICYMI: my new article explores the early history of u.s. electronic death registration systems. it's a story about trying to improve both data quality and ease of data entry. turns out, those goals were in tension
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Alice Goldfarb @alicegoldfarb.com · 28/06/2026
Seed art! So much livestock wandering around the mall!
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Alice Goldfarb @alicegoldfarb.com · 25/06/2026
Not to gatekeep, but three guests a dinner party does not make. "I'm having friends over for dinner" is great, but that's something different.
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