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Kate Bowles

@sokate.bsky.social
1.1K followers 224 following 331 posts

Exploring experience design for uncertain situations. Higher education sceptic. Climate worrier. Mostly over at aus.social.

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Reposted by Kate Bowles
Tressie McMillan Cottom @tressiemcphd.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Right, okay everybody, I’ve had a lot of meetings and talks this week and I have to share some top line thoughts. Things are quite a bit worse than i am usually willing to share with people because panic does no good. It’s kinda bad. The baddies have the wind at their back. No denying that.
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rom comrade @savasavasava.myatproto.social · 07/09/2026
there’s a certain kind of person who says this as though it’s an easy thing to do
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JLRay @jlray.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
Baudrillard spinning in his grave so fast he torpedoes out of the hillside and remains airborne, lasers shooting out of his eyes with such force earth is cleanly cut in two
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Ben Williamson @benpatrickwill.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
From journal editing experience this tracks. In 2022 our journal got ~300 submissions. In 2025? 1300. So far this year? 500 and we're not even out of April yet. The AI trickle is now a stream, yet T&F are *still* seeking new big tech partners to flog papers for AI training rather than *helping us*
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Greg Jericho @grogsgamut.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
The world is so much poorer for not having Jon Kudelka in it
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Luke Pearson @lukelpearson.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
"Why aren't media as outraged about the Perth bomb attack as there were over the Bondi shootings?" Dude, they aren't even as outraged as they were when Adam Goodes threw an imaginary boomerang.
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Kristen Radtke @kristenradtke.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
I wrote about my childhood friend Alexi Pretti. Please read it and share it and remember him as a human being. @theverge.com
theverge.com
I grew up with Alex Pretti
The kind-hearted ICU nurse shot by ICE agents was my childhood best friend.
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Charlie Jones @charliepsych.bsky.social · 25/12/2025
It’s good to feel a bit of time to slow down & appreciate the people we love, the people who shape us, the people we miss, people who maybe aren't around any more. Maybe some nostalgia for times gone by. A sense of knowing, amidst all the noise, that it’s our relationships that matter.
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Australian Academy of the Humanities @humanitiesau.bsky.social · 26/11/2025
It is with deep sadness that we share the passing of Emeritus Professor Graeme Turner AO FAHA FQA — one of Australia’s most influential humanities scholars and a towering figure in the Academy’s history. humanities.org.au/our-communit...
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Mark Hurst @markhurst.bsky.social · 23/04/2025
My thoughts on AI's intrusions in education, quoting @audreywatters.bsky.social & @biblioracle.bsky.social On resisting AI intrusions: buttondown.com/creativegood...
buttondown.com
On resisting AI intrusions
For several years I’ve been following Paul Salopek, a National Geographic explorer, on his Out of Eden Walk around the world. Paul has been on Techtonic a...
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Kate Bowles @sokate.bsky.social · 28/02/2025
Albanese? Wong? Anything to say about anything? I know we just learned that AUKUS is beyond him, and I know we’re very keen to say we have no doubt they would defend us under ANZUS, but is this the moral quality of the ally we are choosing, or just the one we’re afraid of losing?
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Brigid Russell @brigidrussell51.bsky.social · 11/02/2025
People who condemn well-intentioned approaches to diversity, equity, and inclusion out of hand are presuming their so-called "meritocracy" operates on a level playing-field. Such an argument entirely misses the point that prevailing sources of money, power, and privilege dominate.
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Kate Bowles @sokate.bsky.social · 24/01/2025
So glad this morning to find @brigidrussell51.bsky.social and @charliepsych.bsky.social here. I’m still never quite sure what to say in this space so I’m really taken with the consistency of their reflections.
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Kate Bowles @sokate.bsky.social · 23/01/2025
Australian universities need to be thinking seriously about this question of social license. It’s not new, it’s just got a new hat. And it’s going to pop up everywhere in the election year. A smart defense will need to go beyond stock images of sciencing. futurecampus.com.au/2025/01/23/h...
futurecampus.com.au
HE’s hottest topic emerges - Future Campus
As US higher education institutions brace for the Trump administration’s promised reforms, designed to radically reshape the sector to better align with the values of their supporter base, the importa...
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Louise Milligan @milliganreports.bsky.social · 23/01/2025
Okay friends, you know what to do. Welcome the formidable @louiseadler1.bsky.social to Bluesky. An *awkward gesture* has brought has brought her from X to greener pastures. Louise is brave, big-hearted, funny and smart. Publisher of my first book on Pell, Cardinal, now runs Adelaide Writers’ Week.
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Kate Bowles @sokate.bsky.social · 18/01/2025
Revealing thread on the return of the barely repressed, edtech inevitabilism. Inevitabilistic projections are sparkly because they’re shallow. No one writing (or prompting) this kind of prose needs to trouble themselves with risk.
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Brenna Clarke Gray @brennacgray.bsky.social · 17/01/2025
One of the early panel discussions I did on Generative AI turned to the question of labour saving for faculty. A big topic was taking on the writing that no one wants to do or read anyway. The specific example was reporting out on sabbaticals and grants. Why not automate that hoop with ChatGPT?
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Kate Bowles @sokate.bsky.social · 06/01/2025
“The goal of this change, in Meta's words, was to "limit … the content [teenagers] see, and help ensure their time is well spent.” Something something footy netball swimming Aussie Aussie Aussie.
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Asher Wolf @asherwolf.bsky.social · 04/01/2025
Introduce the clumsy obvious AI accounts first, then while people are distracted slip the far harder-to-spot version into the ecosystem
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Kate Bowles @sokate.bsky.social · 22/12/2024
Overheard yesterday in small independent local bookstore. “My son told me the name of the book and I’ve forgotten it.” Long pause. All of us browsing held our breath. “Percy something?” “Oh yes, we have those, which one?” I’m surprised we didn’t all cheer, as we were thinking it.
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Kate Bowles @sokate.bsky.social · 19/12/2024
Thinking hard about what Lorna is saying about the radical praxis of decelerating in the context of this beautiful writing from @agnesbosanquet.bsky.social: theslowacademic.com/2024/11/30/s...
theslowacademic.com
Slow reading – senses, nature, longing
I am just scraping into November with this slow reading post. Here in the southern hemisphere the weather is heating up (too much); the school, university and work year is ending; and we are hurtli…
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Ioana Cerasella Chis @cerasellachis.bsky.social · 17/12/2024
The UK's HSE in its reply to the University of Birmingham SMT's response to Birmingham UCU's complaint: 'I do not consider that your reply provides sufficient assurance that work-related stress is being suitably managed by the University'. 'we will be inspecting the University [..] in the new year'
Date: 13 December 2024
Dear Professor Tickell,
RE: Concerns about the Management of Work-related Stress
Thank you for your reply sent on 16 September 2024, I have considered the contents and discussed it
with colleagues.
The outcome being that I do not consider that your reply provides sufficient assurance that work-related
stress is being suitably managed by the University. This is because almost all your stated control
measures are tertiary, or lagging measures, that deal with stress once it has become a problem. For
instance, tracking the reasons why your employees access the employee assist programme, and your
staff survey being a lagging measure of the University’s performance.
I have considered your offer to get in touch if I have further queries, but I do not think further
correspondence will be sufficient and as a result we will be inspecting the University’s management of
work-related stress in the new year.
Can you please provide a point of contact by Friday 10 January 2025, so that we can obtain a better
understanding of the organisational structure, your management arrangements, and processes before
undertaking the inspection.
Section 28(8) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 requires me to inform your employees
about matters affecting their health and safety. As such, I have sent a copy of this letter to the
University and College Union as a representative of your employees.
Yours sincerely
Harvey Wild
Head of Operations
Inspection Division
cc Cheryl Rogers, Head of Health and Safety Services
University and College Union
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Kate Bowles @sokate.bsky.social · 15/12/2024
The name of this product is the red flag for the conversations higher education is failing to have about its own labour market. The business problem being solved here isn’t the workload of the privileged, that’s just bait. www.alldayta.com
alldayta.com
All Day TA
All Day TA is an AI EdTech company focused on higher education that enables professors to build customized AI teaching assistants for their courses. Available 24/7, it provides students with instant, ...
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Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) @alhr.bsky.social · 15/12/2024
As the remaining Bali 9 members return home, ALHR’s thoughts are with the loved ones of Andrew Chan & Myuran Sukumaran - young men who had been demonstrably rehabilitated after 10 years imprisonment but who were executed. We must continue to work towards the worldwide abolition of the death penalty
irreversible.is
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Litbowl @litbowl.bsky.social · 12/12/2024
From Raymond Carver's book, All of Us: bookshop.org/a/862/978037... #poem #poetry #raymondcarver #writers #books
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Brenna Clarke Gray @brennacgray.bsky.social · 10/12/2024
I dream of a world where instead of saying “hey, AI can write this grant exit report no one wants to read” we ask “what is a more meaningful way to report out about grants?” We automate busy work instead of abolishing it and boil the oceans in the process.
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Kate Bowles @sokate.bsky.social · 10/12/2024
“professional incentives” is the thing to notice. Why have universities incentivised fast and frequent paywalled publication? What metrics of individual and institutional gain/game have made higher education so ripe for AI uplift? Looking forward to what Mark has to say.
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Matthew Kirschenbaum @mkirschenbaum.bsky.social · 09/12/2024
1. It’s not possible to keep “AI” out of “the humanities” so long as the humanities inhabit an institution. 2. AI is first/foremost an amplification of—the operationalization of—long-standing forces acting on (within) that institution. 3. It’s not about the technology. It’s about the capital.
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Kate Bowles @sokate.bsky.social · 09/12/2024
“High levels of internet usage and heavy media multitasking are associated with decreased grey matter in prefrontal regions” — the problem being this is overwhelmingly a description of work itself. Is there a work safety case being built here? Is work really rotting our brains? Is it?
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Kate Bowles @sokate.bsky.social · 07/12/2024
The next thing for Australia’s attempts to decide who uses social media in this country and the circumstances in which they do, is that we’re on about being first (see also: sport) but we’re far from alone. Changes in the US will continue to change things here. Either way. All ways.
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Kate Bowles @sokate.bsky.social · 07/12/2024
Thing I’m still stuck on: the legislative focus is logically Australians under 16, but the legislative target is the media platforms they can access. This means platforms will have to take reasonable steps to check citizenship as well. And that’s going to need govt ID, surely.
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Claire Field @clairefield.bsky.social · 29/11/2024
I can’t believe I never thought about this before 🤦‍♀️ Because of the differences in average graduate earnings across states and territories - the time taken to pay off student loans is worsening the inequality between the states - The Australia Institute australiainstitute.org.au/post/the-inc...
australiainstitute.org.au
The time taken to pay off HECS is worsening the inequality between the states
The increased cost of university degrees has amplified the difference in time it takes to pay off a degree in each state - and can make it more attractive to work elsewhere.
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Carceral Abolition @carceralabolition.bsky.social · 04/12/2024
Trans youth are already among Australia’s most marginalised people. The social media ban could make this worse theconversation.com/trans-youth-...
theconversation.com
Trans youth are already among Australia’s most marginalised people. The social media ban could make this worse
Young trans people in Australia have much higher rates of suicide, mental health struggles and anxiety disorders – but many find refuge in social media.
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Katgallow @katgallow.bsky.social · 03/12/2024
Meanwhile, in Qld, they will be sentenced as adults.
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Kate Bowles @sokate.bsky.social · 03/12/2024
As “under 16” is being encoded into social media policy as “childhood”, take a look at the Australian children serving your takeaway and packing your groceries. They’re being paid 36.8% of the adult minimum wage, and very big businesses depend on them. www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
theguardian.com
Grill’d was able to pay Arda $3 less than minimum wage. Unions want this youth ‘loophole’ abolished
Advocates argue it’s time for young people’s wages to rise but business groups claim paying more will push some companies into insolvency
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Cheryl Brown @cherylbrown.bsky.social · 02/12/2024
Enjoying listening to a “voice from home” at #ascilite2024 @czernie.bsky.social talking about Higher Education for Good and @helenbeetham.bsky.social conversation around what a Good University could/should be. More from Laura here czernie.weebly.com
Laura czerniewicz presenting at ascilite2024
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Kate Bowles @sokate.bsky.social · 01/12/2024
Hey hey @rosieandrew.bsky.social, one for us.
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Colin Simpson @gamerlearner.bsky.social · 01/12/2024
I think it says something about how third space staff work that the tech people thought the lapel mic was missing after the last session but we had actually just put it back on the charger and that is so rarely done that they didn't think to look there #3SS
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Kate Bowles @sokate.bsky.social · 29/11/2024
Yes. However the implementation of this works out, Australian parents are being stirred up to block future expert input on means and risks. “Let's go back to old-school days where kids communicated, played outdoors, just had the childhood that we had.” www.abc.net.au/news/2024-11...
abc.net.au
For some parents, the 'blanket rule' of Australia's under-16 social media ban can't come soon enough
From the end of next year, children under 16 will be banned from social media in Australia. So how do parents feel about enforcing the nation's controversial new laws?
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Kate Bowles @sokate.bsky.social · 28/11/2024
On online age assurance risks to LGBTIQA+ teens: techpolicy.press/age-verifica...
techpolicy.press
Considering Age Verification and Impacts on LGBTQ+ Youth | TechPolicy.Press
Mariel Povolny explores how age assurance measures impact LGBTQ+ youth and alternative approaches to protect their agency in online spaces.
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Kate Bowles @sokate.bsky.social · 28/11/2024
Australia will (checks notes) require all social media platforms to take reasonable steps to prove all adult account holders are not children under 16 using methods such as (checks notes) er (flips page) well, not yet sure about that actually. Good grief.
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Lenore Taylor @lenoret.bsky.social · 27/11/2024
Don't often hear a pollie say this; "I have a confession to make. ... I’ve realised I was wrong and changed my mind." www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Why I’ve changed my mind about the social media bill – and why other parents should too | Andrew Wilkie
The ban is a blunt instrument that will silence the voices of young people instead of placing the onus on tech companies to protect them
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Kate Bowles @sokate.bsky.social · 27/11/2024
We also underestimate how much parents when polled want to be able to control or prevent many different things and are prepared for now to call them all “social media”. Phones, group chats, unknown friends, poor sleep habits, stress. All these worrying things are now Social Media.
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Kate Bowles @sokate.bsky.social · 26/11/2024
US colleges cutting majors to manage the education market they’ve created. This is becoming familiar in Australia where we’re stuck between full marketisation and curriculum by government design, and somehow also responsible for migration and housing supply. www.cbsnews.com/news/us-coll...
cbsnews.com
U.S. colleges slash majors in effort to cut costs, leaving some students scrambling
A wave of program cuts at large and small U.S. colleges is creating turmoil for students enrolled in programs suddenly upended.
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Kate Bowles @sokate.bsky.social · 26/11/2024
First rate. Behind the tech and justice challenges of the bill itself is this nostalgia for a golden past when Aussie kids played footy with their real mates. Whose memory is this? Whose childhood are we trying to reclaim? Who does all this sporty storytelling leave out?
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Kate Bowles @sokate.bsky.social · 26/11/2024
Despite three dissenting reports from different points of the political compass, malarkey looks set to continue, committing all Australians (and likely quite a few non Australians)* to proving their age by unspecified means. *international students, for instance
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