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Diane Shaw

@museocat.bsky.social
2K followers 2.5K following 670 posts

Retired museum library cataloger in Washington, DC area. Fond of birds and travel.

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Diane Shaw @museocat.bsky.social · 6h
At what point does normal intelligence flip over to “Super Intelligence”? It’s a vague term whereas Artificial intelligence accurately describes a non-human-based product.
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University of Virginia Library @uvalibrary.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Open to all and happening tomorrow!
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Amyville Hoyrror @amyhoy.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
in the art fraud world, faking a signature is the killing stroke for a legal case. the smart fraudsters let a faked artwork work its way through a series of deniable attributed-to's and in-the-manner-of's and let the buyer fill in the blanks.
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Diane Shaw @museocat.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
I was in Los Angeles recently and visited several museums and galleries. At the Broad, the exhibition “Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind,” featured this timely poster from 1969: “War is Over, if you want it.” (Exhibition closes Oct. 11).
Poster (lithograph on paper) dated 1969, featuring the text “War is Over!” In large block letters, followed in smaller type by the words “If you want it. Love from John and Yoko.”Large poster at the entrance to the exhibition “Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind,” at the Broad in Los Angeles, California. The accompanying photo shows Yoko Ono dressed entirely in black, sitting cross-legged on the floor in a medical office room painted entirely in white. This partly interactive exhibition closes on Oct. 11, 2026.
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Diane Shaw @museocat.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
At first I thought this was a painting. The framing is perfect with the brown and beige background and the partial lettering. It all makes the Kingfisher’s colors stand out. Perfect!
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Ryan Cordell @ryancordell.org · 03/10/2026
A truly stunning set of children’s books for the book historian or printmaker in your life. We just got a full set for the library @skeuomorphpress.org
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Diane Shaw @museocat.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Once or twice I’ve actually gone to the manufacturer’s website to get information about shower controls. I’ve had the same thought as you, David.
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Michael Lobel @mlobelart.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Did I just get back from a viewing at Bonhams auction house in NYC of cat-themed art? Why yes- yes I did. Did I take pictures, including of these Chinese ceramic cats from the Qing Dynasty? Also yes! Will I make a thread of some of them? Indeed I will, which will include...
Two ceramic cats in a vitrine
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Diane Shaw @museocat.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
This is my photo of tonight’s LA sunset taken near the Farmers’ Market. It truly was epic.
A vivid sunset in Los Angeles on the evening of September 26, 2026 with various layers of purple, light and dark orange, with some silhouetted trees and houses.
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The Linnean Society of London @linneansociety.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Stop! Hooo goes there? We need help. We are trying to raise money to save damaged rare and beautiful books in our library. One of them holds this very anxious looking owl in a book on the natural history of Alaska (1874-1881) by American naturalist Lucien M Turner. Pls can you help? bit.ly/45wG7YG
Naturalist illustration of an adult female great grey owl (Ulula cinerea lapponica) perched on a mossy tree stump, facing forward with a round facial disk, concentric feather markings and bright yellow eyes.
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Michael Schulman @michaelschulman.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Thank you to whoever anonymously donated $60 million to the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, the largest single donation in its history, so it can expand access. One of my favorite places in NYC! www.nypl.org/blog/2026/09...
nypl.org
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Rebecca Stone Gordon @meanlouise.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
This fascinating exhibit at the National Museum of Women in the Arts opens to the public on Friday Sept 18 & is well worth a visit. BTW the museum has 2 free community days each month (1st Sunday & 2nd Wednesday) but it’s a good idea to book those tix online ahead of time. nmwa.org/exhibitions/...
nmwa.org
Routed West: Twentieth-Century African American Quilts in California | Exhibition | National Museum of Women in the Arts
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Kevin M. Levin @civilwarmemory.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
The fact that the National Park Service is being forced to place these signs at the Smithsonian is truly disgusting. www.theatlantic.com/culture/2026...
theatlantic.com
The Next Change Trump Has Planned for the Smithsonian
A letter from Interior Secretary Doug Burgum revealed new details about warning signs the White House will install near the American-history museum.
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Julian Sanchez @normative.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Something weirdly not noted in a lot of the coverage of the extortionate threats to murder the Kennedy Center unless it’s reimagined as a shrine to Trump: There was no dire fiscal crisis until Trump’s goombahs started mucking with it. Its finances were fine. projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/o...
projects.propublica.org
John F Kennedy Center For The Performing Arts - Nonprofit Explorer - ProPublica
Since 2013, the IRS has released data culled from millions of nonprofit tax filings. Use this database to find organizations and see details like their executive compensation, revenue and expenses, as...
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Jack Gann @jackgann.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Here I am promoting the display of Elizabeth Blackwell's 'A Curious Herbal' in the pages of The Yorkshire Post. But why, of all the plants I could have gone with to highlight for our exhibition on folklore, magic, and medicine, have I chosen to look at something as everyday as a tomato?
A photo of me in a newspaper clipping. I am looking at an old book, open to a page with a colour illustration of a tomato plant.
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Diane Shaw @museocat.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Sounds like a great job but the salary range stated as “$xxx-yyy” is puzzling. Living in NYC is quite expensive so I hope it pays well.
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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
PSA: An original penny farthing is on display at the MLK Library in downtown DC
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Diane Shaw @museocat.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
I also saw this magnificent creature when I was in London a couple of years ago.
A short-haired, elegant black cat with green eyes, wearing a pleated white ruff around its neck, sits at the old wooden doorway of a London pub.
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Diane Zorich @dzorich.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Job opening: Bilingual editor (Spanish/English) at the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Latino. $70,623 - $91,815 /yr (GS 9) Closes: 9/23
usajobs.gov
Editor
The Smithsonian Institution is the worlds largest museum, education, and research complex, with 21 museums and the National Zoo. This position is located in Communications and Marketing, External Affa...
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Diane Shaw @museocat.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
I recently watched a YouTube documentary on the Hitler Diaries hoax, and a government archivist used white cotton gloves to handle the leather-bound paper volumes. I kept gasping, “Why are you doing that?” But the mysterious lore relating to handling rare books clearly lives on.
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David Shiffman, Ph.D. 🦈 @whysharksmatter.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
I'm glad the specimens were saved here. They're an invaluable resource to science
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Diane Shaw @museocat.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
This particular phase of the trade war reminds me of the opening scene in every episode of Boardwalk Empire where Nucky Thompson (Steve Buscemi) is standing in the water off Atlantic City with lots of floating bottles of smuggled Canadian booze.
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Elle Cordova @ellecordova.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
I am the very model of a modern day typographer A font take on the tune “Modern Major General” by Gilbert & Sullivan #typography #fonts #graphicdesign
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The Organization of American Historians @oah.org · 08/09/2026
Lonnie Bunch has announced that he is retiring from his post as Secretary of the Smithsonian. Link here for the full OAH statement on his remarkable impact: bit.ly/4iSfoNY
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Diane Shaw @museocat.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
As a former 30-year employee of the Smithsonian who still has close ties to the Institution, I am sad but not surprised Lonnie Bunch will be retiring this year. He’s widely appreciated by the staff & donors, and led us through difficult times (COVID; tough finances, and now Trump). I wish him well.
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Kevin Sievers @diplotomodon.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
New on the blog: a (brief) recap of what led to this point in the storied history of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. diplotomodon.wordpress.com/2026/09/07/p...
diplotomodon.wordpress.com
“Patterns of Visitation and Audience Behavior”: Or, How We Got Here
The Academy’s penultimate location at the corner of Broad & Sansom Streets, Philadelphia, where Hadrosaurus foulkii first stood, circa 1840 It’s been almost a week since the news ab…
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James Wright @jpwarchaeology.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
As a buildings archaeologist, I enjoy meeting my clients...
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Diane Shaw @museocat.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
I recently read the book “Ready for My Close Up: The Making of Sunset Boulevard and the Dark Side of Hollywood” by David M. Lubin, which has a lot of fascinating details about Wilder, Von Stroheim, Swanson and others. It was a great read for me, and I highly recommend it.
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Andrew Curry @andrewcurry.com · 02/09/2026
Ancient parchments, covered in ancient disease DNA! Researchers led by @ucddublin.bsky.social's @gingerhowley.bsky.social recover the genes of a deadly animal pathogen from medieval manuscripts. @science.org
science.org
Ancient sheep virus found hiding in medieval parchment
Newly recovered sheeppox sequences reveal when and how the virus emerged
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Laura Ansley @lmansley.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
This summer, the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History launched an online exhibit that highlights their recently expanded Menstrual History Collection. Worth a perusal! And an amazing resource for women's history or medical history classes. 🗃️ americanhistory.si.edu/explore/exhi...
Box for "Form-Fit" Sanitary ApronPoster: "You're a young lady now" with a tomboy looking into a mirror, which shows a more girly version looking back at her
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The 51st @51st.news · 03/09/2026
NEW: September is peak pawpaw season in the mid-Atlantic. As @ecwilliams.bsky.social learned, once you start looking for the tropical-tasting fruit, you'll see them everywhere. Here's where to find one for yourself — and why you shouldn't miss the window:
51st.news
It’s pawpaw season. Where can you find the fruit around DC?
The delicious fruit is abundant throughout the D.C. region. Here's how to get your paws on “nature’s best kept secret.”
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Ben Miller @extinctmonsters.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Take this seriously. Back when I joined field teams more regularly, paleontologists avoided talking about what they were up to in local gas stations and restaurants. They rented vehicles so they couldn’t be tracked and followed. And that was long before a dinosaur at auction broke 10 million.
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Karen K. Ho @karenho.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Hi, this is your seasonal reminder to back up your computer, your cell phone, your voice recorder, your memory cards, anything you think is important. Make multiple copies, because hard drives fail and are very expensive right now. Sometimes you drop you phone into a lake. Do it sooner than later.
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Diane Shaw @museocat.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
US public libraries at ‘breaking point’ amid ideological attacks, report finds
PEN America study details verbal and physical threats to librarians, funding cuts and proliferation of book bans
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Nicole Pagowsky, Ph.D. @nope4evr.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
A list of instructions for disabling AI in various sites and platforms from @librarian.bsky.social : www.librarian.net/notoai
librarian.net
How to disable or avoid intrusive AI
One of the biggest questions I get at Drop-In Time at the library (besides "what is taking up all my cloud storage?") is how to disable or avoid intrusive AI that shows up where people don't want it. ...
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Diane Shaw @museocat.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Some of my favorites from the State Fairs exhibition include a life-size Butter Cow sculpture housed in a special freezer case, dozens of jars of preserved fruits & veggies that glow like jewels, beautiful quilts, and whimsical sculptures.
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Diane Shaw @museocat.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
The wonderful "State Fairs: Growing American Craft" exhibition closes at the Smithsonian's Renwick Gallery on September 7, 2026. It features crafts shown at State Fairs in the USA from over the decades as well as more recently. Definitely worth a visit. americanart.si.edu/exhibitions/...
americanart.si.edu
State Fairs: Growing American Craft
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Diane Shaw @museocat.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
I used to see one along the pollinator pathways next to the Natural History Museum. I know there's at least one near NGA. They're very sweet. Thank you for your fabulous squirrel of the day photos.
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Diane Shaw @museocat.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Is this the "White Whale" frequently featured in PoPVille? A very gorgeous squirrel.
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Diane Shaw @museocat.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
When I saw the new Geffen gallery at LACMA had rare artifacts just sitting out open on tables with no protective glass or Plexiglas cover, I was shocked. How is that a good idea? And why are the labels so skimpy. Thanks for sharing these photos and comments from your visit.
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Diane Shaw @museocat.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Mola mola 🐠
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The Shumater @theshumater.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Arkansas librarian fired for refusing to buckle under to demands from Republican county leaders to censor books receives $275K settlement: "Librarians should be able to serve their communities according to professional standards." #arpx #arnews #arleg arkansasadvocate.com/2026/08/27/a...
arkansasadvocate.com
Arkansas librarian fired after opposing book ban efforts to receive $275K in settlement | Arkansas Advocate
Patty Hector's lawsuit is part of a larger fight over library restrictions playing out in Arkansas and other Republican-led states.
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Diane Shaw @museocat.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Yes, I remember now. It's definitely well worth attending. Sad feeling that we can't break out of the cycle of culture wars and politically stoked paranoia.
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Diane Shaw @museocat.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
The Renwick's State Fair exhibition is charmingly whimsical and makes me feel more optimistic about the nation's future (a tough task these days). I think I saw the Blacklisted exhibition at New-York Historical, if it's a traveling exhibition. Very relevant, sadly, for our current era.
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Diane Shaw @museocat.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
If Trump's so focused on getting his name on a performing arts center, he can build one from scratch (entirely with his own money). I doubt it would be a success, though. Leave the Kennedy Center alone! I used to attend performances there several times a year. But it's basically dead to me now.
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Diane Shaw @museocat.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
No cheating. Share the last photo of the sky in your camera roll.
A partly cloudy sky with mountains in the background and a part of downtown Roanoke, Virginia in the foreground.
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Diane Shaw @museocat.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
It’s an animal in a circle with its mouth open and a splash of red, surely Buc-ees will sue for logo infringement. 🤣
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Adam Nathaniel Furman @anfurman.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
My new book 'Chromatic Architecture' featured over on BBC Culture online today www.bbc.co.uk/culture/arti...
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