iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Dr. Kurtis Hanlon @kurtishanlon.bsky.social · 1h

I think I'm going to start sharing some of my poem translations that I'm proud of. And maybe it'll spur me on to do more as one-offs rather than just as part of big projects. I'll keep it all in one thread. And, if any translations move you, be sure to tip your translator: ko-fi.com/kurtishanlon

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Dr. Kurtis Hanlon @kurtishanlon.bsky.social · 7h

I was at some friend of the family's house and was glad when they put on a VHS for me and the other kid I didn't know. But in Little Nemo the scene where he releases the darkness and it literally consumes the king made me just want to go home.

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Dr. Kurtis Hanlon @kurtishanlon.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Want to surprise your friend with a letter in the mail? Need a prop for your TTRPG? Does someone need a letter from Santa as motivation to stay on the nice list until December? I'm taking commissions both for cursive and fancy calligraphy letters! Check out the samples: ko-fi.com/kurtishanlon

A letter in cursive font in a sky blue ink. The fictional nineteenth-century letter implores Thomas to write to Diana from overseas, the lapse of which Abagail seems to blame herself for.

A proclamation in gothic and chancery cursive font in a dark blue ink. It reads, "The Baron von Kleist hereby decrees that the band of outlaws who stole from his carriage are subject to execution. Those found to be harboring the criminals or to have received The Baron's stolen property will be considered equally guilty." The letter features three sizes of font.

A letter in cursive font in an emerald green ink. The letter from Santa Claus reassures the recipient, Timothy, that he does not need to worry about the naughty list as long as he chooses to be a kind friend.

A letter in batard font in a Jurassic green ink that sparkles with gold glitter. The fictional message in a bottle reveals a riddle to find Amareth - the lost city of gold - and to keep its location secret from "the magistrate."

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Dr. Kurtis Hanlon @kurtishanlon.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

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Dr. Kurtis Hanlon @kurtishanlon.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Practicing some calligraphy by making a sample TTRPG prop. I don't know if it comes across in the picture, but the ink has gold glitter that makes it shimmer. HMU if you want something like this for your table.

A calligraphic letter on a piece of paper. The ink is Jurassic green with gold glitter that gives it a shimmer effect. The sample TTRPG prop reads, "To whomever finds this note, I have found the lost city of Amareth—the city of gold! It is all around here: in their bricks, woven into their clothes, even infused into the ink on this page. I fear what might happen to the people should the magistrate learn of the location, so I leave this for you: Where stone meets sand, face lion's mane / travel a day, and then again. / When overlook the clouds you do, / descend the road, take number two. / If swirls do not make you fall, / you'll find the city where gold is all. Keep it safe, Dr. Orbano." The signature changes to Blackletter font.

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Dr. Kurtis Hanlon @kurtishanlon.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

New cast iron skillet came in. Gonna put a few coats of seasoning on it over the next few days. Can't wait for it to have that clean black sheen.

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aurelia and aureliette will see the stars @boneyardofnames.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

should concatenate these ideas: this too is, imo, a manifestation of the "I get mine, fuck others". and it's a spreading out of something that is gravely concentrated in tech: having no idea, really, literally, of what other professions entail.

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Dr. Kurtis Hanlon @kurtishanlon.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Mentors: don't make waves, don't insult administrators, you're precarious at all times Me: talks shit about AI and admins that are englamoured by it, talks openly to students about working conditions and salary, makes social media posts like this one

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Dr. Kurtis Hanlon @kurtishanlon.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Me assigning readings for my grad students' seminar: "yes, this will give them good practice reading scholarly texts" Me having to spend time on the weekend to also read said readings: "i've made a huge mistake"

static.klipy.com

Tony Hale in Arrested Development: Huge Mistake

Alt: Gob Bluth, from the show Arrested Development, looks into the distance while sitting in a wheelchair and wearing a hospital gown. He says through a plastered-on smile "I've made a huge mistake."

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Carl T. Bergstrom @carlbergstrom.com · 26/09/2026

Does my Speak-n-Spell feel pain when I type O-U-C-H? The jury is out. Philosophers and neuroscientists say that's fucking stupid, but I called a guy from the Center for Pretending that Household Electronics Are Sentient and he said there's no way to know for sure.

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Dr. Kurtis Hanlon @kurtishanlon.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Hey, if you run a TTRPG and use AI slop images in your campaign docs, people will probably decide not to join your campaign. If you're fine using slop to cut creative corners, how do I know you're creative enough to be a fun GM? Or that you won't feed me slop dialogue from an NPC?

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Dr. Kurtis Hanlon @kurtishanlon.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

I need to get a new cast iron skillet. My good and well-seasoned ones in the states are too heavy to bring over. I miss the ability to caramelize onions and then get an amazing sear on thick pork chops that finish in the oven, all in one pan.

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Dr. Kurtis Hanlon @kurtishanlon.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Welp, I finally did it: I made myself a ko-fi. But I'm mostly using it to offer calligraphy commissions. Want to surprise your friend with a beautiful hand-written letter? Need a prop for your ttrpg? HMU and I gotchu covered. ko-fi.com/kurtishanlon

ko-fi.com

Support Kurtis Hanlon ❤️

Become a supporter of Kurtis Hanlon today!

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Dr. Kurtis Hanlon @kurtishanlon.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Absentee ballot submitted, so I've voted in the general election now. Do it asap. Don't wait. No mailing shenanigans should jeopardize your vote.

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Giorgio Strafella @gstrafella.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

This is also true and important in teaching, and I hope we teachers find a way to really valorise the work of students who are not afraid to search for their own voice in their writing so they can see one more reason to avoid using LLMs for writing and proofreading.

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Leah McElrath @leahmcelrath.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

AP Stylebook warns against anthropomorphizing AI systems: “Avoid language that gives them human characteristics… Instead, explain what a system does, how well it performs, who built it and who could be affected by it.”

APStylebook @APStylebook
X.com
Artificial intelligence systems do not think, feel, want or understand. Avoid language that gives them human characteristics. This is called anthropomorphizing, when we ascribe human traits, emotions or behaviors to non-human things, such as animals or inanimate objects.
Instead, explain what a system does, how well it performs, who built it and who could be affected by it.

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Dr. Kurtis Hanlon @kurtishanlon.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

I'm still serious: has economics as a field found a way to wrestle with the fact that we're not a purely rational species and sometimes make decisions based on emotion? Maybe they've learned to incorporate sociology into their models, but "game theory" falls apart if the two prisoners are friends.

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Dr. Kurtis Hanlon @kurtishanlon.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

IT'S OUT! My paper on gamifying the classroom is out and open access. And it's not just about using Kahoot quizzes in class; I examine how to utilize agency to actually turn the course into a game, not just a traditionally graded course that looks like a game. READ IT! doi.org/10.33823/pht...

doi.org

Gamified Grading: Using the Principles of Andragogy to Foster Self-Directed Learners | Proceedings of the H-Net Teaching Conference

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Jolyon Thomas @jolyonbt.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Should also add that the AI "tell," even before the authors' explicit statement acknowledging use, was that they repeatedly cited key books as saying precisely the opposite of what those books actually say! Absolute trash.

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elisa freschi @elisafreschi.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Please don't tell me that the solution to the huge number of applications is having AI assess (AI-generated) applications. And please also don't tell me that AI is "saving us time".

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Dr. Kurtis Hanlon @kurtishanlon.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

First day of classes today. Time to sell my brand of student agency-led grading practices to another batch of students and hope they buy in.

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Dr. Kurtis Hanlon @kurtishanlon.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Lizzy received two letters from me on the same day, even though they were posted 2 weeks apart. What, did USPS just hold onto them until they had enough letters from Europe to distribute them? I'm so curious as to how such letters are organized and handed off between postal services.

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Justin Hébert @justin-hebert.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Every time I see the latest article about whether chatbots are sentient, I think of Strong Bad hitting on a picture of a Brontosaurus his brother emailed him and then immediately leaving while shouting that he needs to get out of the house.

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Souper Stella @aussied.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Casually saying that you asked a LLM anything and then took it as gospel is downright embarassing, honestly. Moreso when a human with knowledge and authority in the field has already answered your question, but you decided you needed the lying, hallucinating parrot machine to double check.

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Dr. Kurtis Hanlon @kurtishanlon.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Oh no. Kame-chan found the big bag of food we bought him.

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Dr. Kurtis Hanlon @kurtishanlon.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Oh no. Kame-chan found the big bag of food we bought him.

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kate bush’s husband @airbagged.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

That’s my Samus

BREAKING NEWS
WOMAN LITERALLY TOO ANGRY TO DIE
10:08
SHE JUST KEEPS BLOWING UP PLANETS WE CAN'T STOP HER

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Dr. Kurtis Hanlon @kurtishanlon.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

I still think it's hilarious that Mr. Clean products are called Mr. Proper in Europe. Same bald head, but a posher name.

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Ash @santanaelchan.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

OKAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

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fangy @jeannesfangs.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

witnessing the birth of a new all timer post is such a beautiful thing

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Dr. Kurtis Hanlon @kurtishanlon.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Happy Labor Day from a lazy turtle who has never worked a day in his life. The only place that would hire him would be the idiot factory.

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Dr. Kurtis Hanlon @kurtishanlon.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Question for academics that have patreons or ko-fis or other forms of turning their expertise into side-income: What pitfalls do you see or have you avoided when it comes to the appearance of such income looking like an avenue for bribes from students? Or am I being too paranoid?

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Dr. Kurtis Hanlon @kurtishanlon.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

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Dr. Kurtis Hanlon @kurtishanlon.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Happy Labor Day from a lazy turtle who has never worked a day in his life. The only place that would hire him would be the idiot factory.

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Katie Mack @astrokatie.com · 07/09/2026

This is one of the objections I have when people talk about how useful LLMs can be for literature searches or for any kind of search, really. Even beyond the biases that inevitably (and, in some cases, intentionally) show up, part of a good literature search is seeing information *in context.*

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Girish M. Duvvuri @gmduvvuri.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

The open secret to pedagogy research is that small class sizes/maximizing educator attention per pupil is the simplest, most effective, and unfortunately the least attractive to administration thing you can do to improve learning outcomes.

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Matthew R Francis @bowlerhatscience.org · 20/08/2026

not everything where people agree is an echo chamber. Sometimes it's *consensus* based on *observation* and *listening*. Gravitation is not an echo chamber. Evolution is not an echo chamber. Rejecting "AI" and its fascist promoters is WISDOM.

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Dr. Kurtis Hanlon @kurtishanlon.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Just sharpened my kitchen knives and, hooooo, are they singing! Take a moment and sharpen your knives if you haven't in a while. If you don't own a proper whetstone, take them to a knife shop. Sharper knives are safer knives, unintuitively. And don't use those ceramic V sharpeners; they don't help.

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Dr. Kurtis Hanlon @kurtishanlon.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

NYT with another "AI autonomously ponders its existence" and every time they do, in the last four paragraphs they reveal "it was told 'you are autonomous' and fed the works of Isaac Asimov." Every single time. These machines have no agency. Stop falling for slick marketing.

The "say I'm alive" meme, wherein a simply sketched squinting character speaks at a computer screen while standing with a slouched back and a slightly slack jaw. He instructs, "say 'i am alive'" to which the computer screen replies ">I AM ALIVE" and the man mutters "oh my god." in wonder at the clearly sentient machine in front of him.

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Dr. Kurtis Hanlon @kurtishanlon.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

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Dr. Kurtis Hanlon @kurtishanlon.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

I had a lovely time at #EAJS2026. So many good panels by so many smart people. Thank you to everyone that came to our uta-awase panel today despite the plethora of great concurrent panels. I guess recordings will be available? Somewhere? Now just one more bus leg before I'm home in Olomouc.

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Dr. Kurtis Hanlon @kurtishanlon.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

This applies to so much (mostly dude-centric) discourse about nostalgia. "Why was _____ so much better when I was a kid?" Because you were a kid with no job or responsibilities and the world was new and exciting! Memento moris are nothing new, ya putz, so get used to the ravages of time already!

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Dr. Kurtis Hanlon @kurtishanlon.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Wonderful first day at #EAJS2026! Some amazing panels on literacy, reception, and Sinitic learning. I'm definitely going to go in and bump up the font size on some of my slides, though. The screens aren't the biggest. Come to our panel on uta-awase Sunday at 9:00!

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Dr. Kurtis Hanlon @kurtishanlon.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

It's that time of year when we all have to design our courses for fall. Want a radical design that resists AI slop, but not ready for something as radical as ungrading? Try Gamified Grading, where you treat your students like adults and give them agency to choose how to show mastery of the SLOs!

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