Reposted by Dr. Gabriel Baker👻madeline bOoOoOoOodent👻 @oldenoughtosay.com · 27/09/2026I think this is a key part of why historians are mad, yeah. Because it’s a dunk, and it’s one that like. We all know that scientists and engineers think themselves better and smarter than humanities students. There’s always an assumption that they could do our job but we couldn’t do theirs. 2231539
Reposted by Dr. Gabriel BakerAP Stylebook @apstylebook.com · 23/09/2026Artificial intelligence systems do not think, feel, want or understand. Avoid language that gives them human characteristics.apnews.comhttps://apnews.com/article/openai-safety-ai-framework-089e75b95bc935af092da7b79d92706d 5542321628
Reposted by Dr. Gabriel BakerElizabeth N. Saunders @profsaunders.bsky.social · 23/08/2026Forgive the all caps, it’s just hard to process so much hegemonic self-destruction all at once 1224517
Reposted by Dr. Gabriel BakerElizabeth N. Saunders @profsaunders.bsky.social · 21/07/2026Can't get numb to this: The United States is stuck in a war it started, cannot end, and may further escalate to no avail, having dismantled its diplomatic apparatus, depleted its military stockpile, and destroyed its credibility. A historic strategic mistake harming millions in many different ways. 22681002174
Reposted by Dr. Gabriel BakerSarah E. Bond @sarahebond.bsky.social · 29/06/2026Every single publisher getting an AI payout from the LLM lawsuits should be paying it to their authors & making that author’s book open access—regardless of who own the rights. Most academic authors (ca. 80%) do not own their own publishing rights (especially first authors) & wont get checks at all. 07420
Reposted by Dr. Gabriel BakerTed McCormick @tedmccormick.bsky.social · 12/06/2026getting rid of grades entirely would be much more effective at curbing surreptitious use of genAI than any amount of surveillance, would do vastly less harm to the pedagogical relationship at the heart of education, and wouldn't be another massive economic windfall for the creepiest people you know 1322081
Reposted by Dr. Gabriel BakerTed McCormick @tedmccormick.bsky.social · 02/06/2026Uninterested in leading a pile-on but no, AI does not “have access” to everything ever published. Not archival material, obviously, but not secondary material either. Nor across times nor languages. AI is not human knowledge personified. It’s exactly not that, in fact. It’s not even a search engine. 101326334
Reposted by Dr. Gabriel BakerThomas Lecaque @tlecaque.bsky.social · 22/04/2026Hegseth's repeal of universal flu vaccines is nonsense on so many levels, but his claim vaccine mandates were an "era of betrayal" irked me as a historian. Here's my response, in @thebulwark.com this morning; www.thebulwark.com/p/george-was...thebulwark.comGeorge Washington’s Woke VaccinesWhat the Founders would have thought about Pete Hegseth lifting the requirement that service members get the flu vaccine. 11753262
Reposted by Dr. Gabriel Baker"Online Rent-a-Sage" Bret Devereaux @bretdevereaux.bsky.social · 14/04/2026I apologize, but I've some harsh words here: Until the tenured are taking pay cuts to get more tenure lines, until they are pooling their salaries to provide basic living for the folks who *didn't* get hired in this shit job market, y'all have no right, zero, NONE to tell us how to do history. 1905
Reposted by Dr. Gabriel BakerAnne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.wsocial.eu · 12/04/2026Orban concedes defeat. The support of Trump, Vance, Putin, Lavrov, Weidel, Milei, Le Pen, Fico, Babis and many others could not overcome Hungarian anger at a stagnant, corrupt regime www.theguardian.com/world/live/2...theguardian.comHungary election live: Viktor Orbán concedes defeat in Hungarian election after 16 years in powerLong-serving prime minister beaten by opposition after early results showed clear lead 28778471889
Reposted by Dr. Gabriel BakerSarah E. Bond @sarahebond.bsky.social · 03/04/2026“The Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 Budget proposes to eliminate the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and provides $38 million to conduct an orderly shutdown of the Agency.” — NEH.gov The NEH has $207 million for FY2026. War in Iran? 1 billion per day. We go through 4.83 NEHs a day for what? 723889
Reposted by Dr. Gabriel BakerErin Grievances @erinbartram.bsky.social · 09/03/2026The danger to my job from AI isn't that AI can do my job, it's that my job is made even more precarious by the way AI is shaping ideas of the value of work. It can't do my job, but it can be part of convincing people (incorrectly) that my job isn't necessary. 8852269
Reposted by Dr. Gabriel BakerAngry Staff Officer @pptsapper.bsky.social · 04/03/2026I know that the people who need to read this aren’t here, but here goes: Rules of engagement aren’t for the enemy. They’re for you. They’re for your soldiers when they’re captured or wounded. They’re for your civilians when they’re in range of the enemy. They’re for your allies, to reassure. 4042131041
Reposted by Dr. Gabriel BakerElizabeth N. Saunders @profsaunders.bsky.social · 28/02/2026Quick reactions after learning that no, nobody could stop him. 1/ goodauthority.org/news/trump-m... 1/goodauthority.orgTrump might start a war with Iran. Can anyone stop him?Trump might start a war with Iran. Can anyone stop him? Congress, public opinion, and administration insiders aren’t reliable constraints on Trump’s foreign policy decisions. 16644239
Reposted by Dr. Gabriel BakerGrace Panetta @gracepanetta.bsky.social · 22/02/2026Alysa Liu telling 60 Minutes “I love struggling, it makes me feel alive” is a legit revolutionary statement from a Bay Area native in a time when copious amounts of time and resources are being put toward convincing us to opt out of experiencing struggle, friction and self-actualization 105138102484
Reposted by Dr. Gabriel BakerChristian Cooijmans @ccooijmans.bsky.social · 06/01/2026'Reclaiming academic publishing as a public good will require a return to not-for-profit models and sustainable open-access systems. Quality, accessibility and integrity need to be put ahead of profit.'theconversation.comThe 5 stages of the ‘enshittification’ of academic publishingAcademic publishing now shows the same decline that has hit social media and online marketplaces. 0219
Reposted by Dr. Gabriel BakerKim A. Wagner @kimatiwagner.bsky.social · 03/01/2026Operation Just Because 1213
Reposted by Dr. Gabriel BakerThomas Lecaque @tlecaque.bsky.social · 24/12/2025I want to treat "Roman Helmet Guy" as a serious interlocuter, and I want to do it as someone who does what might be called "New Military History," applying cultural studies to military history (religious violence and apocalypticism during wars): you can't study war without studying people. 1417922
Dr. Gabriel Baker @gabrielbaker.bsky.social · 24/12/2025I don't understand the point of this comment. Because from where I'm sitting, it is actually not a Good Thing for a world class university--situated in a democracy that is frequently at war, where a disproportionate number of future policy makers are educated--to NOT teach military history. 1018315
Reposted by Dr. Gabriel BakerDr Rob @robheighton.bsky.social · 23/12/2025May the Ents march forth and tear your data centres to the ground 1307
Reposted by Dr. Gabriel BakerKevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 07/12/2025This really is a must read for anyone in academia. 351897782
Reposted by Dr. Gabriel BakerJason "Red5" Lyall @jaylyall.bsky.social · 20/11/2025Just a reminder that I'm happy to speak to any journalist, or to recommend other scholars to do so, about why prejudice and "potentially divisive symbols" like swastikas (!) are so harmful to morale and cohesion in militarieswashingtonpost.comU.S. Coast Guard will no longer classify swastikas, nooses as hate symbolsThe military service, which falls under the Department of Homeland Security, has drafted a new policy that classifies such items “potentially divisive.” 716436
Dr. Gabriel Baker @gabrielbaker.bsky.social · 10/11/2025www.npr.org/2025/11/10/n... "'I swore an oath to the Constitution, not a person,' she says. 'I just really, really implore my peers and everybody outside looking in, to just think about that. Really think about that, and think about what that means.'"npr.orgIn an encrypted group chat, National Guard members question Trump deploymentsAs President Trump's call for National Guard deployments rings out across the U.S., a small contingent of Ohio guard members is quietly expressing concern in an encrypted group chat. 042
Reposted by Dr. Gabriel BakerJason "Red5" Lyall @jaylyall.bsky.social · 24/10/2025"Wouldn't it be fascinating to live in the late Roman Republic?" (Monkey paw curls). 512223
Reposted by Dr. Gabriel BakerGovernor JB Pritzker @govpritzker.illinois.gov · 07/10/2025BEST BIG CITY IN THE US 9 YEARS IN A ROW. While critics try to paint Chicago as something to fear, the rest of the world knows the truth — this is the best big city in America.choosechicago.comBest Big City: Chicago Wins Award 9th Year in a RowLearn why Chicago was voted the Best Big City for the 9th consecutive year by exploring our vibrant culture, welcoming inclusion, and so much more. 405125703511
Reposted by Dr. Gabriel BakerBrian Farrell 🇨🇦🇺🇦 @hisbpf.bsky.social · 10/09/2025If Putin concludes that NATO’s incredibly weak physical and verbal response to his aerial assault on Poland is as robust as it is willing to get, then the disparity in wealth etc won’t deter him at all. How is this not blindingly obvious? VERY serious danger is now heading towards us at speed. 283
Reposted by Dr. Gabriel Baker"Online Rent-a-Sage" Bret Devereaux @bretdevereaux.bsky.social · 05/09/2025So if you remember that frustrating article a couple of weeks ago at the Dispatch suggesting that we ought to save the sciences by shoving the humanities overboard, I wrote a response to the financial illiteracy and moral cowardice of that position: thedispatch.com/article/univ...thedispatch.comHow (Not) to Save the American UniversityWhy splitting the sciences and humanities—and appeasing Trump—won’t work. 731473
Reposted by Dr. Gabriel BakerThe Atlantic @theatlantic.com · 27/08/2025The University of Chicago recently announced pauses on admissions to some of its humanities doctoral programs. Tyler Austin Harper argues that it's “a particular gut-punch to the humanities, not just at the university itself, but nationally and even globally.”bit.lyWhat’s Really at Stake if Fewer People Study the HumanitiesWhy the University of Chicago’s decision to pause admissions to some doctoral programs hurts so much 410628
Reposted by Dr. Gabriel BakerJonathan Edward Durham @thisone0verhere.bsky.social · 21/08/2025I think we should be using “real feel” for more things than just the weather, like you have a half hour meeting today but it’s at 4:00 so the real feel is gonna be up around 53 minutes, or you have 2 cats but they’re in a mood today so the real feel is gonna be somewhere between 7 and 9 726024
Reposted by Dr. Gabriel BakerGarrett M. Graff @vermontgmg.bsky.social · 05/08/2025As we mark the 80th anniversary of WWII's end, I’ve come to believe that in losing that Greatest Generation, we are losing more than just the memories of combat. We are losing the memory and experience of what it means to fight fascism and authoritarianism. www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/what-we-lo...doomsdayscenario.coWhat We Lost When We Lost the Greatest GenerationIt's no coincidence that democracy is backsliding in the US exactly eighty years after the end of World War II. 1925292
Reposted by Dr. Gabriel BakerRichard C. Keller, PhD @richardckeller.bsky.social · 05/08/2025AI will never locate a new archive. It will never uncover a new source. It will never find a small, privately held collection of papers that can upend what we think we know about the past. It can never work with undigitized sources. It can never do real oral history or ethnography. 6340109
Dr. Gabriel Baker @gabrielbaker.bsky.social · 05/08/2025Regurgitating/remixing the work of historians ≠ doing history. But clearly the "researchers" who made this list had no idea what any of these professions actually do. "You guys just memorize facts and dates right? And maybe speculate about ancient aliens? Prepare to be obsoleted!" 030
Reposted by Dr. Gabriel Baker"Online Rent-a-Sage" Bret Devereaux @bretdevereaux.bsky.social · 25/07/2025But because there's no giant 'history formula,' no tables of strange symbols (well, amusingly, there *are* but you don't work with them until you are much deeper in the field), folks assume that history is easy, does not require special skills and so contemptible. 12/ 531618
Reposted by Dr. Gabriel BakerSharon 🪳🌹 @sharonk.bsky.social · 23/01/2025a good arbiter of how close we are to bad hybrid regime shit is if the political comedy shows start getting pulled for whatever reason 8453591131
Reposted by Dr. Gabriel BakerJess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 14/07/2025"We don’t make enough money to put up with this." Last year, US K-12 schools opened short 55,000 teachers. Between book bans and political attacks on schools and educators, it's looking like this year's shortages will be even more dire, especially in red states. newrepublic.com/article/1967...newrepublic.comAmerican Teachers in Red States Are Walking Away for GoodThe predictable consequences of the right wing’s war on public schools are being felt as educators leave their communities—and their profession. 561068445
Reposted by Dr. Gabriel BakerAngry Staff Officer @pptsapper.bsky.social · 03/07/2025To form a more perfect Union, implies as we all know, that we have something imperfect. But to strive for the betterment of all, and to keep striving no matter what - that is the American legacy. “For that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion.” We strive still. 1532865
Dr. Gabriel Baker @gabrielbaker.bsky.social · 02/07/2025New article out @ruhm.bsky.social! I examined negative reactions to mass violence (massacres, mass enslavements, etc) in Greek+Roman texts. Such reactions suggest that, for some ancient observers, acts of extreme violence were "atrocities"—i.e., transgressive, shocking, & worthy of condemnation. (1) 140
Dr. Gabriel Baker @gabrielbaker.bsky.social · 24/06/2025There are some things I miss about living in the Bay Area and some things I very much do not miss, but *that summer weather* is the thing I miss the most. 010
Reposted by Dr. Gabriel BakerIan Boudreau @ianboudreau.com · 15/06/2025Another good reminder from today is that to win this we all need to get used to cooperating with people we sometimes find highly annoying 594596755
Dr. Gabriel Baker @gabrielbaker.bsky.social · 13/06/2025I have a joke about Phylarchus but Polybius says it's too dramatic. 031
Dr. Gabriel Baker @gabrielbaker.bsky.social · 25/05/2025Shout out to @bretdevereaux.bsky.social for consistently being super generous. 150
Dr. Gabriel Baker @gabrielbaker.bsky.social · 25/05/2025Is anyone else randomly getting a bunch of new followers? Not complaining, but, um, I'm super boring, barely post, and when i do it's basically me talking to myself. Like right now, 95% chance no one sees this. So. I don't get it! New followers, are you real? You won't see this, so we'll never know. 3100