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Eric Hellman

@gluejar.com
652 followers 314 following 225 posts

Executive Director of Project Gutenberg. Free Ebook Foundation, Unglue.it, Free-Programming-Books. (他)

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Reposted by Eric Hellman
tweety fish @sifu.tweety.fish · 18/09/2026
this from @ftrain.com is terrific, unsurprisingly, and I think this sentence actually understates the issue; it's not just that the big labs are in a hurry, it's that they don't see producing useful and well-documented tools for using these models as an important part of what they're doing
I don’t blame the coders for this, or even the bosses. I blame the big A.I. companies, who are in such a hurry that they often release new versions of their models and tools without manuals or even clear YouTube tutorials.
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Eric Hellman @gluejar.com · 05/09/2026
Hi, I'm Eric. My job is to make sure Project Gutenberg lasts another 55 years. I love it when Clarence starts singing "Ho Ho Ho Ho" in the last verse of Bruce Springsteen's "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town". Would you like to introduce yourself with a small song moment you like?
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Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD @josephhall.org · 24/08/2026
The best talk I have ever seen: Cliff Stoll at DEF CON 34. A 75-cent accounting error. Original 1987 NSA transparencies. A thermos of minestrone soup. Saturn photos for call-trace data. Absolute treasure. josephhall.org/blog/cliff-s...
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Julie Cohen ❌👑 @filmmakerjulie.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
His mom says Jovanny (the name he went by) had lived in Plainfield NJ about 20 years. She says he had a work permit and was headed for work when he was detained in June. She says his 12 year old daughter can’t eat or sleep.
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Riana @riana.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Disincentivizing widely-used online services from offering strong encryption. During a war with Iran. A country that's been conducting cyber operations against U.S. targets for years. That's what both parties think belongs in the NATIONAL DEFENSE BILL.
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Eric Hellman @gluejar.com · 15/07/2026
I was just walking around to talk to people when I got drafted for the OG panel at #dwebcamp. Luckily I had a few stories that the audience appreciated.
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Eric Hellman @gluejar.com · 05/07/2026
I have a bit of vacation in Mainz, with my son Axel.
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Eric Hellman @gluejar.com · 05/07/2026
Excited to visit the Gutenberg Museum MOVED tomorrow. They’re building a new museum, the old building was unsuited to exhibiting the museum’s treasures, so there’s a temporary museum in the Natural History Museum.
Eric in front of the Gutenberg statue in Gutenberplatz.
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Reposted by Eric Hellman
Project Gutenberg @gutenberg.org · 03/07/2026
Project Gutenberg News - July 2026 Contents Happy 55th Birthday, Project Gutenberg! PG at ALA Annual Meeting 100th Anniversary of The Hungry Tiger of Oz 100th Anniversary of The Muder of Roger Ackroyd Do we still need 2 kinds of MOBI? New Releases at Gutenberg.org — June 2026 #ebooks #publicdomain
The Project Gutenberg logo, featuring the organization's name in a decorative medieval-style typeface with gold and black lettering, alongside a detailed engraving of a historical printing press on a pale blue background.
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Project Gutenberg @gutenberg.org · 26/06/2026
Project Gutenberg is attending #ALAAC26! Enjoy it @gluejar.com www.gutenberg.org #ebooks #publicdomain
gutenberg.org
Project Gutenberg
Project Gutenberg is a library of free eBooks.
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Eric Hellman @gluejar.com · 12/05/2026
Yo las tengo
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Reposted by Eric Hellman
Carl T. Bergstrom @carlbergstrom.com · 15/04/2026
Johnny Knoxville says Ed Witten should be more careful when talking about physics.
Vance Says the Pope Should Be More Careful When Talking About Theology

The vice president, who is Catholic, took issue with Pope Leo XIV’s statement that disciples of Christ are “never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs.”
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Eric Hellman @gluejar.com · 08/04/2026
Science Times was so interesting today. Black hole neutrinos and hermit crabs!
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Eric Hellman @gluejar.com · 20/03/2026
The team is super proud of this new release!
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Andromeda Yelton @thatandromeda.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
this is the wokest take on St. Patrick's Day ever and I love it
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Eric Hellman @gluejar.com · 17/02/2026
My town.
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Eric Hellman @gluejar.com · 06/02/2026
It looks like Tom Malinowski is going to win the NJ primary election to be the Dem candidate to replace Mikie Sherrill. I voted for him, mostly because I got so much anonymous attack mail against him that i thought: if the big money hates him; he must be good!
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Bruce Springsteen @brucespringsteen.net · 28/01/2026
I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis. It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good. Stay free
youtu.be
Bruce Springsteen - Streets Of Minneapolis (Official Audio)
YouTube video by Bruce Springsteen
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Eric Hellman @gluejar.com · 19/01/2026
I believe in the promised land. IYKYK.
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Mike Masnick @masnick.com · 12/01/2026
It's nice to read NYT opeds on tech policy issues from people who actually understand the nuances and ins-and-outs of tech policy, rather than the usual crowd of moral panic "but but do something!" folks. That is to say, this is good:
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Eric Hellman @gluejar.com · 01/01/2026
Personal Note, January 1 2026: I have a new job: Executive Director of the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. I reposted what I wrote for PG's January Newsletter on my blog: go-to-hellman.blogspot.com/2026/01/new-...
go-to-hellman.blogspot.com
New Job: Project Gutenberg
Personal Note, January 1 2026: I have a new job: Executive Director of the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation . Here's what I wro...
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Directory of Open Access Books (DOAB) @doabooks.bsky.social · 05/11/2025
Today at #Charleston2025 @nielsstern.bsky.social will be participating in a panel about AI bots alongside Tim Lloyd @liblynxllc.bsky.social, Tim McGeary @duke-university.bsky.social & Eric Hellman, Free Ebook Foundation @gluejar.com We're looking forward to this timely discussion!
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OAPEN Foundation @oapenbooks.bsky.social · 05/11/2025
Starting now at the Charleston Conference @nielsstern.bsky.social participating in the ‘Bot war’ panel #Chs2025 #Charleston2025 @gluejar.com
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Eric Hellman @gluejar.com · 01/11/2025
Great article about Greg Newby www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/6a7a103...
theglobeandmail.com
Project Gutenberg CEO Greg Newby helped put a trove of literature online
A professor and a fixture of the hacker community, he was also ‘undoubtedly the most consequential volunteer’ to the project, a massive library of free, public domain texts on the internet
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Project Gutenberg @gutenberg.org · 22/10/2025
The Project Gutenberg community mourns the passing of our CEO, Dr. Greg Newby (@gbnewby). Without his years of leadership, Project Gutenberg wouldn't be what it is today. Learn more about him and his contributions at www.gutenberg.org/about/newby....
gutenberg.org
Project Gutenberg
Project Gutenberg is a library of free eBooks.
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Carl T. Bergstrom @carlbergstrom.com · 18/10/2025
This morning my ChatGPT quota was inexplicably exhausted. It took a while but I pieced it together. Voice mode somehow got activated when I went to bed. The bot then engaged in a 10 hour conversation with my snoring dog, answering questions the pup wasn’t asking and praising him for his insight.
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Eric Hellman @gluejar.com · 18/10/2025
I was there. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/17/n...
nytimes.com
Wikipedia Volunteers Avert Tragedy by Taking Down Gunman at Conference
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Project Gutenberg @gutenberg.org · 14/10/2025
Join us for the Open Heritage Statement Launch Webinar | 14 October at 14:00 UTC. openheritagestatement.org/signatories Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation has already signed the list of signatories to the Open Heritage Statement. #CulturalHeritage #CreativeCommons #PublicDomain
"Watering Place at Marley" by Alfred Sisley, 1875, CC0, Art Institute of Chicago, remixed with "TAROCH balloon" by Creative Commons/Dee Harris, 2025, CC0.
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Project Gutenberg @gutenberg.org · 14/10/2025
TAROCH Coalition, led by Creative Commons, promotes equitable access to public domain heritage. Its Open Heritage Statement affirms shared values, removes barriers & urges a UNESCO framework to secure global cultural access & participation for a sustainable creative future openheritagestatement.org
openheritagestatement.org
Open Heritage Statement
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Eric Hellman @gluejar.com · 02/10/2025
Personal Note: As of today, I am officially "Acting Executive Director" of Project Gutenberg. PG's President and CEO, Greg Newby, is very ill and does not have the energy to do all the things that keep Project Gutenberg running. This is a big responsibility for me and it's going to be a lot of work.
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andykimnj.bsky.social @andykimnj.bsky.social · 22/09/2025
It is so important that we stay engaged and get people ready to vote this November. New Jersey needs a leader like Mikie Sherrill who will stand up to Trump and fight for working families. Be sure to tune in to tonight’s debate! mikiesherrill.com/debate
mikiesherrill.com
The New Jersey Gubernatorial Debate Presented by O’Toole Scrivo
Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
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Annalee Newitz @annaleen.bsky.social · 11/09/2025
Do you love public transit and science fiction? Of course you do! Now you can have them at the same time! Next Tues, 9/16, at 6pm, an astonishing panel of activists and creators are coming together to talk about the future of transit. Seriously do not miss this one-of-a-kind event. luma.com/0olo6szj
luma.com
Public Transit Visions in Speculative Fiction · Luma
Flying cars in the Jetsons; trains snaking around towers in Wakanda, or the sentient rail system on the newly terraformed Sask-E planet. In building future and…
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Eric Hellman @gluejar.com · 15/08/2025
On Wednesday, I finished a 110km trek, the Fjällräven Classic Sweden, along with 500 others, many of whom are now good friends!
Eric and Miggi celebrate crossing the finish line.
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Dan of the Year @downwithdan.bsky.social · 19/07/2025
holy shit lmao
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Laura Brady @laurab7.bsky.social · 01/07/2025
The intersection of my interests: libraries, books, and whackadoo sports mascots.
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Eric Hellman @gluejar.com · 11/06/2025
Project Gutenberg (@gutenberg.org) had its 2nd day ever with over 1M book downloads: www.gutenberg.org/browse/score... Probably lots of AI bots, but regardless, the folks at ibiblio.org deserve a lot of credit for a hosting infrastructure that serves that load without a glitch!
gutenberg.org
Project Gutenberg
Project Gutenberg is a library of free eBooks.
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Eric Hellman @gluejar.com · 26/05/2025
Here’s a project that someone out there will think is fun - do a census of unicode characters used in Project Gutenberg texts. In addition to helping PG code development, it might be interesting from a ddigital humanities/data science angle. github.com/gutenbergtoo... @gutenberg.org
github.com
Need census of Unicode characters in PG texts · Issue #276 · gutenbergtools/ebookmaker
Here something that woud be really useful for PG development going forward: A count of the occurrence of unicode code points used in PG texts. A recent issue #271 notes that the 2em dash is often u...
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Eric Hellman @gluejar.com · 22/05/2025
Earth shaking events 65 years ago. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1960_Va...
en.wikipedia.org
1960 Valdivia earthquake - Wikipedia
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Eric Hellman @gluejar.com · 15/05/2025
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZHW...
youtube.com
Land of Hope and Dreams
YouTube video by Bruce Springsteen
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Eric Hellman @gluejar.com · 04/05/2025
So Journalism falls short, the world needs to respect Sovereignty.
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Eric Hellman @gluejar.com · 22/04/2025
Another edition of Eric's stravaverse. Today: The Boston Marathon and Paul Revere's ride. go-to-hellman.blogspot.com/2025/04/bost...
go-to-hellman.blogspot.com
Boston Marathon Strava-verse: Paul Revere's ride
In seventh grade, Miss Phillips had me memorize "Paul Revere's Ride" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. So I did. After finishing " Jabberwocky ...
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Rick @rickylongthread.bsky.social · 19/04/2025
Tonight is the 250th anniversary of Paul Revere’s midnight ride. May his memory remind us all to resist the tyranny forming in our government.
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infoDOCKET @infodocket.bsky.social · 16/04/2025
#AI Bots are Overwhelming Some #Journals (via @cenmag.bsky.social) cen.acs.org/policy/publi... #scholcomm #publishing
cen.acs.org
AI bots are overwhelming some journals
Web traffic from the bots is disrupting journal websites, but chemistry titles aren’t yet inundated
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Randall Munroe @xkcd.com · 08/04/2025
Tariffs xkcd.com/3073
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Eric Hellman @gluejar.com · 05/04/2025
#handsoff the sign is weeping.
Can’t spell FELON without ELON
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Eric Hellman @gluejar.com · 05/04/2025
#handsoff Essex County, with Cory Booker
Cory Booker working the crowd. Protest crowd with cherry blossoms
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Eric Hellman @gluejar.com · 03/04/2025
Aggressive AI scraping bots have been periodically making it very difficult to access Unglue.it. The image shows the traffic pattern we've been dealing with. We will outlast this evil scourge.
plot of unglue.it cpu usage vs.time for a 3 day period. bots periodically attack the site resulting in 100% cpu usage.
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Eric Hellman @gluejar.com · 27/03/2025
BTW if anyone wants training data from Project Gutenberg to do WHATEVER, there's a one click file you can download containing ALL the cleaned utf-8 .txt files at Project Gutenberg, updated weekly. No scraping necessary! gutenberg.org/cache/epub/f... (9.9GB)
gutenberg.org
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Eric Hellman @gluejar.com · 27/03/2025
One way for Open Access site to encourage good bot behavior is to provide carrots to good robots. For this reason, they would do well to add Common Crawl to greenlists: commoncrawl.org/ccbot
commoncrawl.org
Common Crawl - CCBot
CCBot is Common Crawl's Nutch-based web crawler that makes use of the Apache Hadoop project. We use Map-Reduce to process and extract crawl candidates from our crawl database.
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Ian Mulvany @ianmulvany.bsky.social · 25/03/2025
Bloop bloop beep beep - bot problems.
world.hey.com
AI Bot traffic - a real problem, right now.
We have been experiencing some disruption at BMJ due to actions needed to protect against AI bot traffic. After reading this post by eric Hellman https://go-to-hellman.blogspot.com/2025/03/ai-bots-are-destroying-open-access.html I wanted to share some of our experiences. The issue is a real one. To quote one of my team “Unfortunately, ...
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