Reposted by Ralph DraytonSonja Drimmer @sonjadrimmer.bsky.social · 17hAsk yourself why the CEO of an online gambling company is giving money for research into the history of art using AI. 29419
Reposted by Ralph DraytonSarah E. Bond @sarahebond.bsky.social · 09/10/2026184 new cuneiform tablets ✍️ (total), dating to c.1400 BCE. “Preliminary examination of the texts has revealed references to military activities, epidemics, the death of an infant princess & requests for assistance sent to the king by Hittite military commanders” www.heritagedaily.com/2026/10/184-...heritagedaily.com184 cuneiform tablets discovered in Hittite royal archiveArchaeologists excavating the ancient city of Kayalıpınar in Türkiye have discovered a Hittite royal archive containing 184 cuneiform tablets and fragments. - HeritageDaily - Archaeology News 11739171
Reposted by Ralph DraytonLiliana Segura @lilianasegura.bsky.social · 23hI've been thinking and talking and writing about the death penalty for my whole adult life and the past week+ has been truly surreal and exhausting, not only because of the onslaught of horrors but because there seems to be so little historical memory of what this system is and always has been. 10913227
Ralph Drayton @rddrayton.bsky.social · 03/10/2026Just got my copy. Looking forward to reading it. 010
Reposted by Ralph DraytonEarth.com @earthdotcom.bsky.social · 29/09/2026A nearly intact medieval wax notebook found in Germany still bears readable Latin notes, offering a rare glimpse into the daily life of a wealthy 13th- or 14th-century merchant.earth.comA 700-year-old notebook was found at the bottom of a medieval latrine, now scientists have figured out how to read it 314344
Ralph Drayton @rddrayton.bsky.social · 25/09/2026OpenAI will keep going rogue until morale improves. 010
Reposted by Ralph DraytonKate Clancy @kateclancy.bsky.social · 22/09/2026I've now gotten three reviews from right-wing media outlets of Pregnancy Interrupted while most center and left-wing outlets have avoided coverage of a book that contests the cultural norms we put around the science of pregnancy. 26117
Reposted by Ralph DraytonMonica H Green @monicamedhist.bsky.social · 18/09/2026#histmed This is indeed a fascinating study. If you haven't heard of the "Plague of Cyprian" before, you're not alone. Its historiographical significance has only been realized in the past few years. And no, currently it's not believed to be plague (Yersinia pestis). What was it? We don't know yet! 0389
Ralph Drayton @rddrayton.bsky.social · 10/09/2026Charlie McCarthy raises questions about what synthetic performers should be nominated for. 100
Reposted by Ralph DraytonIrene Soto Marín @irenin.bsky.social · 09/09/2026My book has a face! 🥹📚 So excited to finally share the cover of The Nile Flows with Gold. Forthcoming, Spring 2027 with Princeton University Press. 310121
Reposted by Ralph DraytonKathleen Crowther @sacrobosco.bsky.social · 07/09/2026If you want to read about labor (the reproductive kind) this Labor Day, Policing Pregnant Bodies is on sale (30% off with code HLAB26) www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/...press.jhu.eduPolicing Pregnant BodiesFrom Ancient Greece to Post-Roe America 031
Ralph Drayton @rddrayton.bsky.social · 06/09/2026I’m assuming I don’t see the superscript thing bc I use a steam-powered iPhone 0.03. And I’m okay with that. 010
Reposted by Ralph DraytonPeter Frankopan @peterfrankopan.bsky.social · 05/09/2026Peter has written a guest post which you can read here peterfrankopan.substack.com/p/how-did-he...peterfrankopan.substack.comHow Did Hermes Reach China? A Silk Road Detective StoryPeter Stewart is an outstanding scholar with a remarkable breadth of interests. 33313
Reposted by Ralph DraytonSarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 05/09/2026Please repost! Drexel announced that it will close the Academy of Natural Sciences public museum- the oldest nat history museum in the US. There are 2 petitions to support the academy. Please sign both & come to our rally Tues. actionnetwork.org/petitions/pe... www.change.org/p/the-academ... 9910863
Reposted by Ralph DraytonKarl Galle @karlgalle.bsky.social · 05/09/2026Interesting profile of a woman who in the 1950s wrote some of the earliest programming code for running computer simulations, including pioneering work in non-linear dynamics: wapo.st/3UXwSyu [gift link] #HistSTMwapo.stHer work was key to a landmark experiment. She was credited in a footnote.Mary Tsingou Menzel, who has died at 97, played a central role in a Los Alamos physics experiment. A half-century later, she finally got her due. 083
Reposted by Ralph DraytonPhillip Maciak @pjmaciak.bsky.social · 04/09/2026No matter how you refine your questions, the chatbot will generate responses reflecting what the greatest number of users are likely to want to hear, which tends to be close to what they think they already know." A great, painstaking piece. www.hnn.us/article/ai-i...hnn.usAI Is an Anti-Primary Source MachineReal voices from the past are threatened by chatbots designed to amplify — and ultimately become — the loudest voices in the room. 37633
Reposted by Ralph DraytonDave Mazella @davemazella.bsky.social · 03/09/2026This is the endgame for TX "core reform": wiping out any traces of the last 100 yrs of scholarship in the humanities, but also wiping out the humanities. This is coming to every system in the state. www.statesman.com/news/educati...statesman.comUT proposes cutting more than 100 'narrow' courses from core this springUT courses on slavery, race, sexuality and environmental history are among those that could stop counting toward UT's core. 10265124
Reposted by Ralph DraytonKarl Galle @karlgalle.bsky.social · 02/09/2026Did someone say Sacrobosco? Look what forthcoming book by @sacrobosco.bsky.social now has an official January 2027 publication date: 👀 😃 press.princeton.edu/books/hardco... #HistSTM #MedievalSkypress.princeton.eduThe Book Everyone ReadHow an all-but-forgotten medieval astronomy book ushered in the modern age of science 54410
Reposted by Ralph DraytonBen Gross @bhgross144.bsky.social · 01/09/2026Happy 250th birthday, America! To celebrate the occasion, we're closing your oldest natural history museum. www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/a... #scicomm #Philadelphianbcphiladelphia.comAcademy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University to close museum on Sept. 30The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University will close its museum in Philadelphia on Sept. 30, 2026, NBC10 confirmed. 111974
Reposted by Ralph DraytonKarl Galle @karlgalle.bsky.social · 01/09/2026Online lecture on "Alchemy and the Scientific Revolution" by Prof. Lawrence Principe, this Thursday at 7:00 p.m. CDT, hosted by The Linda Hall in Kansas City: events.lindahall.org/alchemyandsc... #HistSTM #EarlyModernevents.lindahall.orgAlchemy and the Scientific Revolution (Virtual)Although alchemy was once considered unrelated to the history of science, or even imagined to be an “obstacle” to the emergence of modern chemistry, historians now recognize it as a crucial contributo... 0169
Reposted by Ralph DraytonGallica BnF @gallicabnf.bsky.social · 01/09/2026Aujourd’hui, Gallica se penche sur l’extraordinaire bestiaire de l’un des plus célèbres récits de voyage du Moyen Âge, "Le Devisement du monde" ou "Livre des Merveilles", de Marco Polo : licornes, dragons, léopards, éléphants ou hommes-loups sont au rendez-vous ! => c.bnf.fr/ASg 17529
Ralph Drayton @rddrayton.bsky.social · 31/08/2026Mike’s Movie Madness in Portland — legendary, and still going strong. Amazing collection of movie memorabilia and 90,000+ titles. 131
Ralph Drayton @rddrayton.bsky.social · 23/08/2026All of this is yet another reminder of the value of history of science, which of course includes histories of “rejected knowledge” — astrology, alchemy, “scientific racism,” eugenics, etc. People really need a better understanding of when, how, why knowledge comes to be accepted/rejected. 050
Ralph Drayton @rddrayton.bsky.social · 22/08/2026I love radio and what it does to the imagination. I’ve been listening to the Mel & Floyd Summer Replacement Show on WORT in Madison for 30 years. I’ve never even seen a picture of the hosts, and I’m glad bc I have very specific images of them in my mind (sorry, guys lol). 120
Ralph Drayton @rddrayton.bsky.social · 21/08/2026not sure why some people think philosopher is equivalent to guy with opinions, any more than physicist or airline pilot, say. (I think I know why but they’re wrong.) 100
Reposted by Ralph DraytonChris @multiplicityct.bsky.social · 21/08/2026Pangram experiment part two. I forgot to click "More Human" on Deft AI Writing's interface. A completely LLM-written paragraph comes up 100% human-written in Pangram if I use that Deft feature. It sounds clunky to my ear, and is definitely not my voice. 031
Reposted by Ralph DraytonChris @multiplicityct.bsky.social · 21/08/2026Did a little experiment since Pangram is in the discourse this week. First & second grafs of my dissertation chapter (written 100% by me): judged 100% AI. The two grafs together (no changes): judged 67% AI. Then I had Deft rewrite the first graf -- completely LLM text, judged 54% AI. 🤷🏻♂️ 53413
Reposted by Ralph DraytonBrendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 18/08/2026Can't say gay and bisexual people were killed in the Holocaust in the core curriculum *at an American university* www.nytimes.com/2026/08/18/u... 571839674
Reposted by Ralph DraytonDr Alison Ray @liber-ray.bsky.social · 18/08/2026I’m thrilled to be taking part in this year’s amazing @sims-mss.bsky.social mss online lecture series to share my work on the pecia system and university book production! 🤗📜🎉 www.library.upenn.edu/sims/event-s...library.upenn.eduThe Pecia System and the Medieval University Book Trade, ca. 1200-1340Alison Ray (Royal Irish Academy Library) explores how medieval manuscripts were mass-produced at universities in the thirteenth century at low cost for members of the academic milieu. 28526
Reposted by Ralph DraytonYour Internet Friend Tom Tomorrow @tomtomorrow.bsky.social · 18/08/2026from 2009 1125523
Reposted by Ralph DraytonDeidre Lynch @drbibliomane.bsky.social · 17/08/2026I got tired of waiting for the journalists at @theharvardcrimson.bsky.social to cover this (it IS summer), but this is to say that ALL the staff members in Women & Gender Studies here were laid off last week, on the top of the cutting of 5 lecturer positions in the program last year.+ 21920551
Reposted by Ralph Draytoncmrn knzlmn @ckunzelman.bsky.social · 17/08/2026Reminds me a lot of some of the claims that @sonjadrimmer.bsky.social has been making about what the real use of AI is -- deferment of responsibility and the broad filibustering of the basic functions of civil society. 1479141
Reposted by Ralph DraytonYour Evil Twin, Skippy 🇵🇸 🏳️⚧️ @twinskippy.bsky.social · 07/08/2026Golden State Valkyries forward Gabby Williams: “There’s a lot of discourse around trans athletes and what they can compete in. I would welcome a trans athlete on my team or against my team. Anytime. I don’t think it’s a problem in the world, it’s just another way to kind of attack trans people.” 105157633497
Reposted by Ralph DraytonGuardian US @us.theguardian.com · 30/07/2026State department ‘takes full responsibility’ for erroneous, widely shared chart displayed at Aids conference in Braziltheguardian.comUS government map of Africa mislabels every country at global conference 94114
Reposted by Ralph DraytonHypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 29/07/2026This is a well-produced segment. I encourage you to watch so you can hear the noise for yourself. The professor of environmental health science that they interviewed called it an “unprecedented new noise source.”wxyz.comNeighbors say noise from Michigan data center is 24/7 and upending their livesOne Michigan community has been experiencing the reality of a data center next door for a couple of years now, and they say the sound has changed their lives. 331876956
Reposted by Ralph DraytonSamantha Brennan @samanthabrennan.bsky.social · 23/07/2026"Wyoming will become the first state in the US where you cannot receive a B.A. in Philosophy." dailynous.com/2026/07/23/u...dailynous.comUniversity of Wyoming to Drop Philosophy Major - Daily NousAs for Fall 2027, incoming students at the University of Wyoming will no longer be allowed to major in philosophy. The news was shared by philosophy professor Bradley Rettler in posts on social media.... 53519247
Reposted by Ralph DraytonAndrew Lawrence @ndrew.bsky.social · 22/07/2026the reason we dont have medicare for all is bc corporations need employer based healthcare to keep you chained to your desk in a job you hate that doesnt pay you what youre worth 15570552203
Reposted by Ralph DraytonMar Hicks @histoftech.bsky.social · 22/07/2026The Society for the History of Technology conference extended its call to late August, & this year’s conference will be all online. Details below if you’d like to submit. Also, I’m putting together a panel that has 1 or 2 more slots on it, so lmk if (1/2) www.historyoftechnology.org/annual-meeti...historyoftechnology.org2026 SHOT Annual Meeting (Virtual)Visit the post for more. 34323
Ralph Drayton @rddrayton.bsky.social · 15/07/2026At the All-Star game, why are the dudes dressed as American Revolution soldiers wearing red coats lmao 000
Ralph Drayton @rddrayton.bsky.social · 10/07/2026Ivan Dixon on an old episode of Perry Mason, tonight, playing an expert witness, who inspects pharmaceutical inventories. #IvanDixon 010
Reposted by Ralph DraytonJoanne Freeman @jbf1755.bsky.social · 06/07/2026In the well-over 100,000 documents written by founders included in the Founders Online database from the National Archives, no one uses the phrase "God's noble experiment." No one. 35384892046