iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Greg Specter

MadScientist @mads100tist.bsky.social · 7h

Would a machine be able to come up with Tunak Tunak? Absolutely fucking not youtu.be/92ydUdqWE1g?...

youtu.be

Tunak Tunak Tun Video | Daler Mehndi | Full Song | Daler Mehndi Music

YouTube video by Daler Mehndi Music

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🌦️Wifeguy Auteur🌦️ @delugeduvall.effigyfilms.com · 25/09/2026

if “we’re all cam girls in a surveillance state” ya’ll better be acting in solidarity with actual fucking cam girls 😒

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L.D. Burnett @ldburnett.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

amplifying this whole thread and adding my perpetual plea: create/buy/use/share actual ink-on-paper texts. use the public library and build your own to share. keep media out of the cloud. do things by hand, make things with your hands: cooking, sewing, gardening, art. these are soul-healing skills.

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Tressie McMillan Cottom @tressiemcphd.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Please try to reclaim your precious precious attention, at all costs. Do puzzles. Take walks without a phone. Dear god, try to read, almost anything that isn’t a manifesto will really do. You are going to need your brain.

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The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL) @themerl.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

How can films designed for audiences in the past be made accessible to viewers today? Our new blogpost reflects on our ongoing project to restore, digitise, and share a collection of 1,800 films depicting historic farming life. merl.reading.ac.uk/news-and-vie...

merl.reading.ac.uk

Beyond nostalgia

How do we help audiences of today encounter films from the past?

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Senthorun S. Raj @senthorun.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

“We should stop and think about the tech we are using, or even discussing, and what it actually does.” “AI” does not think. “AI” does not feel. “AI” does not have agency. We need to stop talking about “AI” like it is a person and talk about it instead as technologies with specific functionalities.

buttondown.com

How to talk about "AI" without adding to the anthropomorphization

Emily M. Bender and Nanna Inie In our op-ed for Tech Policy Press ("We Need to Talk About How We Talk About 'AI'"), we made the case against the...

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Scott Sandage @scottsandage.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

#ThatFeelingWhen you’ve got 26 original printings of The Columbian Orator, enough to put one into the hands of each student as you begin teaching how #FrederickDouglass taught himself #HowToRead and #SpeakTruthToPower

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Greg Specter @gregspecter.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

this is some good 2009 3 AM twitter shit.

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Marie Le Conte @youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com · 14/09/2026

thinking about this tweet again, and the fact that it's got such a hold on me that I genuinely think about it whenever I write a feature because I don't want to do "the hot dog thing"

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shanna 🩷 @shannasins.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

support my garden!

Pink echinacea with tomatillos behind it

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Kevin M. Levin @civilwarmemory.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

At 10am EST I will be live with @tattooedhistorian.bsky.social to talk about my new biography of Robert Gould Shaw. Join us for what promises to be an engaging discussion. #CivilWarMemory www.youtube.com/watch?v=Na_5...

youtube.com

The Man Behind "Glory": What Hollywood Got Wrong About Robert Gould Shaw

YouTube video by The Tattooed Historian

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Greg Specter @gregspecter.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

My father worked for decades on public health & immunizations in Pennsylvania. It's getting pissed away by these shitbirds. Public health doesn't just happen. It takes work yanking a county, state, nation in that direction. The individual can't do it. It's top down policy built over time.

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Greg Specter @gregspecter.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

A student showed me an app (AI powered) that took my syllabus & broke it down by week, converted the schedule into an action list w/ time estimates, & provided some other perks. What struck me first wasn't AI use, but that we could have a syllabus like that. By getting rid of the boilerplate BS.

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Jim Casey @jimccasey1.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Proximity searching is such a brilliant tool for research in newspaper databases. I learned it from the CCP's legendary librarian Carol Rudisell. Even useful on sites that don't advertise that capacity. E.g., "weekly anglo-african"~5 support.jstor.org/hc/en-us/art...

support.jstor.org

On this page: Finding similar spellings Wildcards Proximity: finding terms used together Finding similar spellingsYou can find words with spellings similar to your search term by using the tilde ...

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Amy Earhart @aearhart.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

I’m having a morning, and I would guess you might be too. Here is Mustard, daughter of our very ancient Housie, bottle lamb who grew up in the house after her Mom rejected her. Mustard will soon be at a new house as part of a foundational herd. I hope this brightens your day!

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Deidre Lynch @drbibliomane.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

#18thc and Novel people, what work of secondary criticism or work of novel theory would you pair with Eliza Haywood's Fantomina? (this for a hastily pulled together grad seminar, not necessarily populated by people with an interest in the period, but definitely interested in the genre). Thank you!

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Greg Specter @gregspecter.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

an airport paperback bestseller; a second language; me, after two cocktails

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Dawnlight🌞Neni / ART COMMISSIONS OPEN!! @nenilein.com · 09/09/2026

Fun fact: "Reviewing an AI made translation" is more work for translators than just translating it themselves, because AI translations do not pass the sniff test beyond the most superficial. It's a loophole companies use as an excuse to underpay translators, and nothing else.

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Greg Specter @gregspecter.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

As of late, I keep experiencing moments where I think back to the weeks and months after my mom died. How relaxing the time felt. Carefree. I did what I needed to do and rested from my massive burnout. It was nice. My logical brain asks myself: Do you realize how bonkers that sounds?

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Holly Anderson 🍇 @hollyanderson.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

I find it grounding not only to try and hold in the front of my mind that everybody around me is degrees of Going Through It not seen in our lifetimes, but also to hold steady distrust for anybody who is not

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Greg Specter @gregspecter.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

The government reverting the Arlington confederate memorial and signage doesn't bother me nearly as much as every person along the line making it happen. Every person saying doing it, writing the text, manufacturing it, and tightening the last bolt holding it in place-- they worry me.

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Douglass Day @douglassday.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

🎂 SAVE THE DATE for Feb 11, 2027! 🎂 Douglass Day will feature Transcribe the Early Black Press! 💻 New Crowdsourcing Project 📽️ Live Broadcast 🍰 Great Douglass Day Bake Off 📣 Special guests! Host an event or join us online! Help us spread the word? Register now: DougalssDay.org

Postcard graphic with large text saying "Save the Date for Douglass Day" Below that, text reads "Celebrating the 200th Anniversary of the Black Press" and the date "2.11.2027" followed by the web address DouglassDay.org.

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Asheesh Kapur Siddique @asheeshks.org · 06/09/2026

We know how to teach books in the age of AI: small classes, close reading, research-engaged learning (which is how you ’let students see you struggle’). The issue is nobody will hire and pay the requisite # of faculty to offer this.

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Kat Tenbarge @kattenbarge.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

The right-wing organizing around the Lindsay Clancy trial is growing and it’s frightening. A lot of people overlook these culture wars revolving around women’s issues, because, well, they’re women’s issues. But the right doesn’t. It’s how they regained such a massive cultural foothold.

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J-E Media Translation Course@JVTA（日本映像翻訳アカデミー） @jemediatranslation.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Coming up next week!📚 Join us on September 12th (JST) for a special look into the world of Japanese-to-English manga localization and editing with Sarah Tangney (@sarasaraht.bsky.social) from Square Enix Manga & Books!🤩 Don't miss it! Sign up here: t.co/CDMRlYcsU8

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Jessie Sage @sapiotextual.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Those working at the intersection of intimacy & public leadership (clergy, sex workers, politicians, activists, dancers) may be interested in this 9 month cohort starting now. I did it last year and found it to be personally and professionally enriching & meaningful. meadville.edu/light/public...

meadville.edu

LEADERSHIP & PUBLIC INTIMACY – Meadville Lombard Theological School LEADERSHIP & PUBLIC INTIMACY – Meadville Lombard Theological School

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Tuta @tuta.com · 31/08/2026

If you have a Gmail account, you need to read this. Google's AI now scans your emails and attachments, bank statements, tax files, medical letters, all of it. It turned on by default, and there's a class-action lawsuit over how. Here are 5 moves to shut it off, the switch is hidden in two places:

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John Garcia @jgarc.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Call for Applications: The Scholars’ Workshop in Early African American Print, Jan. 11-15. ‘27 at the American Antiquarian Society (deadline: Oct. 15 ‘26)

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BeefReeferLives @beefreeferlives.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

I think it's worth noting whenever this comes up that when Leadbelly said "Stay woke", he meant "Keep your eyes open, because white people want to kill you" faroutmagazine.co.uk/blues-guitar...

faroutmagazine.co.uk

The blues guitarist who invented the phrase "woke"

The phrase "woke" has been a bit of a contentious issue, but blues legend Lead Belly actually started it years before the modern age.

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Greg Specter @gregspecter.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Just love the LMS. Why have a button like "Insert File" when you can have button with cute little symbols called "Add Stuff." I'd be lost if I hadn't misclicked.

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Paris Marx @parismarx.com · 26/08/2026

The United States is taking aim at Canada once again, with a crushing new set of tariffs. Ultimately, government will need to solve this. But in the same way Canadians are avoiding US alcohol, produce, and other goods, they should get off US tech products too. Luckily, I have a guide for that.

disconnect.blog

Getting off US tech: a guide

I’m in the process of dropping US tech services. Here’s how I did it, and options you should consider.

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Greg Specter @gregspecter.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Trainings and hoops feel even more onerous when it's just a single class. Prospects are low for any work in the spring. I did the one training bc otherwise I will literally get 90 days of reminder emails with dangerous auras

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Mara Wilson @marawilson.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

I had this conversation with a young man a few weeks ago. I told him that a lot of straight men don’t like women. They fall in love with them, they like having sex with them, but do they LIKE them? Not at all. They hate everything feminine. They see it as weak and silly.

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Greg Specter @gregspecter.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

The Jungle is really about workers, not meat... But it's so hard not beating the meat

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Leanna Renee Hieber @leannareneehieber.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Sign me up as a founding member. I mean, there are SO MANY little lamb headstones out there, y'all... SO many stones that just say BABY. It's heartbreaking. Yes, Goths love graveyards, yes, because we consider them sacred and beautiful in the most profound ways. Memento Mori. Dead serious.

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Jordan S. Carroll 🌹 @jordanscarroll.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

The study of the humanities depends on the radical idea that anything that humans think, feel, or create has value independent of any immediate utility or appeal to the people who study it.

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Le Cagle @lecagle.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

A conspiracy minded person might put this whole thing together with NCTE'S Google-funded "AI framework" ("We encourage teacher educators to explore AI in its totality") and the org's dismantling of CCCC (which passed a resolution on "the right to refuse AI") and see some real nasty business at work

ncte.org

NCTE Brings Teacher Expertise to Forefront in Development of AI Framework for English Language Arts Instruction

ELA classroom teachers will lead the creation of a scalable framework for responsible AI use within the discipline through a new initiative led by NCTE.

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Mike Ensminger Fan Account @laplanck.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Muskingum County Historical Society putting up banners on Zanesville lightposts that are relevant to @thegurglingcod.bsky.social’s interests

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Sheila Liming @seeshespeak.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

I first encountered Sinclair’s DODSWORTH on one of my PhD comp exam reading lists and now, some 15 yrs later, here’s THIS ⬇️

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da share z0ne @dasharez0ne.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

GET READY - dashare.zone ADMIN

A SKLETON SERFIN THE WAVE'S OF LIFE "DID YOU JUST SHOW INTEREST IN A TOPIC I"M OBSESSED WITH?????" - GET READY TO HEAR SOME FUCKEN INFORMATION ABOUT THIS SHIT , HOPE YOUR NOT GOING ANY WHERE FOR AT LEAST 20 MINUTE'S , - DASHARE.ZONE ADMIN

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🌬️Doctrix Snow • NYC/FMTY @mistresssnowphd.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

I know I do this little song & dance every other week but I predicted EXACTLY THIS in the same publication 4 years ago generative AI is a labor issue in many horrifying ways, including this www.wired.com/story/lensa-...

The material threats of CSEM and deepfakes can’t be uncoupled from the whorephobia that results in teachers’ getting fired when their students discover their OnlyFans. Sex workers’ students and coworkers who consume adult content are rarely if ever disciplined for sexually harassing their sex-working colleagues. There’s no reason to believe AI-generated pornography would be treated differently. And when AI-generated pornography is used to harm people, it’s sex workers who will be blamed for submitting adult content that trained the AI—even if the images were never meant to be scraped and used in this way. Whether you are a sex worker or merely perceived as one, the stigma is the same. And unlike OnlyFans and other platforms that monetize adult content, none of these face-tuning apps verify whether users actually own the content they submit.

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Sonja Drimmer @sonjadrimmer.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

This is what I’m talking about! Our institutions should be doing the work for us and not leaving us to jury rig together the collapsing infrastructure around us. More of this. chicagomaroon.com/53262/news/s...

chicagomaroon.com

Sosc Core to Institute AI Ban, Technology-Free Classrooms This Fall

All social science Core classes will transition to an “analog” approach for the upcoming academic year, restricting in-classroom technology use and banning AI-assisted writing and grading for students...

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Gregk Foley @gregk.co.uk · 23/08/2026

What the fuck do people think the theoretical basis of the Third Fucking Reich was

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Deva Woodly @devawo.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

It’s important to be clear that the truth value of a subject does not become debatable just because somebody wants to debate. Ether. Wandering wombs. Devils in red heads, the cursed left handed. Flat earth. Phrenology. Humors. Race science. “Debate me bro!” It’s fine for the answer to be: no.

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