iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Fabian Offert @zentralwerkstatt.org · 29/09/2026

I'll be at the amazing U of T BMO lab at 4:30pm tomorrow to talk about Brecht, Wagner, and artificial intelligence, courtesy of @sbaycheng.bsky.social & David Rokeby. New research, so I'm especially excited. Stop by if you happen to be in Toronto!

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Fabian Offert @zentralwerkstatt.org · 24/09/2026

The program for our Critical AI Studies? conference, happening Oct. 9&10 at @ucsantabarbara.bsky.social, is now online: huml.ucsb.edu/conference. Hope to see you there!

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meson press @mesonpress.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

🚀 Digital version is out! 🚀 BUT we do think this one 📕 is so beautiful thanks to the 💨 cover pic by Trevor Paglen @paglen.studio -> everyone should get the real thing. 📚 @zentralwerkstatt.org @uminnpress.bsky.social also Leo Impett & Johanna Drucker meson.press/books/vector...

Three different books of Meson Press series "In Search Of Media". On top 'Vector Media', and in the background 'Digital Theory' and 'Neural Networks'.

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Fabian Offert @zentralwerkstatt.org · 09/09/2026

It might be entirely a my bubble thing but everybody I know hates their phone. The appeal of a phone that's actually two and a half phones to me is less than zero. Then again it's $2K so obviously not for me.

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maybe: leif weatherby @leifw.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

New German Critique has the Digital Theory Lab's Semiotic Machines special issue forthcoming, featuring a collection of essays by people at the cutting edge of AI and interpretation, politics, and culture ngc.arts.cornell.edu/forthcoming....

ngc.arts.cornell.edu

New German Critique: Forthcoming Issues

Widely considered the top journal in its field, New German Critique is an interdisciplinary journal that focuses on twentieth- and twenty-first-century German studies.

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Fabian Offert @zentralwerkstatt.org · 28/08/2026

Ja danke wie immer sehr hilfreich

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Hannes Bajohr @hannesbajohr.de · 26/08/2026

Etwas Neues von mir: Der Merkur bringt meinen Text »Probabilistische Intution. Über artifiziellen Text und seine Stile«. www.merkur-zeitschrift.de/artikel/prob...

Panel aus Ernie Bushmillers "Nancy": Sluggo, rechts, spricht zu Nancy, links, während er eine Dose Köder hochhält: "They pay me in woims!"

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Fabian Offert @zentralwerkstatt.org · 25/08/2026

Alle Jahre wieder. It. Does. Not. Work. Und übrigens auch 1:1 von Adam Harvey geklaut. (Das Argument, es ginge nur darum, auf die Überwachung aufmerksam zu machen, ist irrelevant wenn – wie in der taz hier – die Funktion als Fakt präsentiert wird. Im Bild: YOLO 8 one shot.)

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James E. Dobson @jeddobson.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

There has been little scholarly work on the media history of the GPU. This freshly published OA article is my attempt to show the lines of influence from learning machines in the 1950s through 1980s HPC and MPP systems to the TPUs and GPUs of the present. link.springer.com/article/10.1...

marketing image from Nvidia of the DGX Spark paired with a MacBook.

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Nina Lager Vestberg @lagernina.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Fancy an excuse to come to Stockholm in September? Open seminar on PICTURE CULTURES with various folks involved in the project Selling Pictures: Pictorial Economy and Commoditization 1820–2020 (IFFS/VR). Speaker list in the comments!

A poster of various AI-generated cats accompanied by the following invitation to an
OPEN SEMINAR
PICTURE CULTURES

17 Sept. 09.30–16.00

Klockan Konferens

Olof Palmes gata 29-31

Welcome to a seminar where researchers as well as the advisory board involved in the project Selling Pictures: Pictorial Economy and Commoditization 1820–2020 (IFFS/Vetenskapsrådet) will present recent and ongoing research on various of aspects of how mass-produced and mass-reproduced pictures can be interpreted, datafied and studied.

Speakers:

Realism revisited. The persistence of photography in the age of AI
–Estelle Blaschke

What Did the Victorians See? Using Multimodal AI to Analyze 72,000 News Illustrations
–Thomas Smits

What Are Artificial Intelligence Models Models Of?
–Fabian Offert

Picturing Baskerville’s Punches
–Caroline Archer Parré

Proto-photographic Reproductive Phantasmagoria
–Wolfgang Brückle

Pictorial Economy and Commoditization 1820–2020
–Nina Lager Vestberg & Anna Näslund

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Lauren Klein @laurenfklein.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Last day to submit! Deadline is today!

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Casey Newton @caseynewton.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

Me: (being murdered by the AI paperclip maximizer) Bluesky: Actually it can't 'murder' you. Murder implies intent.

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Fabian Offert @zentralwerkstatt.org · 24/07/2026

One more week to submit! See you in Santa Barbara in October!

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journeyman folklorist @aniceburrito.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

You know that annoying asshole we all hate? Well I have resolved to put screenshots of his posts into your feed every day until the heat death of the universe. Enjoy

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Fabian Offert @zentralwerkstatt.org · 15/07/2026

Looks just like him amazing down to the low-cut grey dress he always liked to wear to the patent office

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Alan Liu @alanyliu.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

I posted on arXiv.org the preprint of my “AI Virtue: What Is ‘Good’ Knowledge in the Age of Artificial Intelligence?” arxiv.org/abs/2607.01776, which is forthcoming in a double special issue of “MFS Modern Fiction Studies on “Cultural AI” in 2027.

Screenshot of preprint abstract:

"In the age of AI, what will be good knowledge? This article, which is accepted and forthcoming in a special issue of Modern Fiction Studies on "Cultural AI" in 2027, applies digital humanities methods to map epistemic virtues (like "true," "accurate," "creative") used in a corpus of 553 journal articles on AI published in 2024. "Creativity" comes in for special attention as an example. Exploring this discourse of value, the article considers how a framework might be developed for evaluating the knowledge-worth of AI -- one less locked into values formed around pre-AI "knowledge work" agents or structures, and more open to the future values of "generativity." The essay is supported by an online digital kit for exploring data models of the corpus of articles on AI it studies."

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meson press @mesonpress.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

So glad to see the book "Vector Media", just co-published with @uminnpress.bsky.social, getting the attention it deserves! 👇Shout out to the authors @zentralwerkstatt.org Fabian Offert + Leo Impett for their excellent work!!!! ✊ + thx @mckenziewark.bsky.social + Lev Manovich for your interest.

Facebook post in which Lev Manovich says: 'This is the best theoretical book about generative AI video I have read so far' forwarded by McKenzie Wark writing 'this looks interesting'.

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Fabian Offert @zentralwerkstatt.org · 03/07/2026

If you're wondering why the world is what it is you should read the Hacker News comments on this piece (news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4877...), where one half doesn't get the joke and the other is like "she does have some good points though." inpreparation.substack.com/p/opinion-i-...

inpreparation.substack.com

Opinion: I Was Not Allowed To Type Prompts Into ChatGPT During My Chalk Talk And This Is Discrimination

By Dr. Rachel Simmons, Postdoctoral Fellow, Stanford University

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Fabian Offert @zentralwerkstatt.org · 26/06/2026

Some good news (if you like me)

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Fabian Offert @zentralwerkstatt.org · 23/06/2026

Excited to share that we are now inviting proposals for our upcoming Critical AI Studies? conference at @ucsantabarbara.bsky.social on Oct. 9&10, 2026. Please see the full CfP here: huml.ucsb.edu/conference. Submissions are due July 31, 2026. For questions DM me or @owenleonard.bsky.social.

Poster for the conference "Critical Artificial Intelligence Studies?" at the University of California, Santa Barbara, October 9&10, 2026. The subtitle says "An interdisciplinary conference on a field in formation."

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Fabian Offert @zentralwerkstatt.org · 12/05/2026

This neat site assembles all kinds of ancient OSs (more like window managers) which reminded me of the hyper-obscure one that I learned Desktop computing on, called GeoWorks Ensemble. It pretends to be Windows but if you poke anything it crumbles back into DOS. Glorious. www.typewritten.org/Media/

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Eryk Salvaggio @eryk.bsky.social · 02/05/2026

Getting looped into convos about this book in its finishing stages expanded the scope of theory around neural networks in LLMs & Media — it opened up so many productive ways of thinking for me. Essential reading for anyone who’s been looking for a fresh theorization of critical AI.

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James E. Dobson @jeddobson.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

Bound to be one of the most important critical and theoretical books on the meaning of neural networks (and not just for vision). Congratulations to Leonardo Impett and Fabian Offert @zentralwerkstatt.org! Freshly published from meson press and University of Minnesota Press. @uminnpress.bsky.social

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Chuck Tingle @chucktingle.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WORKERS DAY

cover of UNIONIZED IN THE BUTT AND NOW EVERYONE IS SAFER, HAPPIER, AND BETTER PAID featuring a shirtless buckaroo on the left and a handsome triceratops on the right they are in a factory

cover of NOT POUNDED BY MY SOUL-CRUSHING JOB BECAUSE I QUIT featuring buckaroo on the left with a satisfied smirk thinkin 'dang i am so glad to leave this job' on the right is is swirling paperwork they are in an office

cover of NOT POUNDED BY THE PHYSICAL MANIFESTATION OF MY OWN SCREENWRITING BECAUSE I'M ON STRIKE AND I DESERVE TO BE FAIRLY COMPENSATED FOR MY LABOR WHILE STUDIO CEOS TAKE RECORD SALARIES featuring ladybuck with a megaphone on the left and a screenplay on the right they are in front of a palm tree lined street

cover of BISEXUALLY SATISFIED BY MY HEALTHY WORK/LIFE BALANCE featuring a shirtless buckaroo in the middle on the left is a living seed growing and on the left is a sentient stapler

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Fabian Offert @zentralwerkstatt.org · 04/04/2026

It's Easter so I thought it would be appropriate to be back from the dead to announce that this is coming out at the end of this month: www.upress.umn.edu/978151792167...

upress.umn.edu

Vector Media

Dispelling the notion of “generative” AINeural networks are designed to dissolve all media into the vector space—a universal space of commensurability....

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AIMODELS @erc-aimodels.bsky.social · 17/03/2025

CHAT TOKEN VECTOR Questioning Models of Language and Neo-Structuralism in AI 11-13 June 2025, Venice Confirmed speakers: Lydia Liu, Hannes Bajohr, Gianni Gastaldi, Leonardo Impett, Fabian Offert a.o. Call for Papers: deadline April 1 unive.it/chat-token-vector

unive.it

Chat Token Vector: Home

Chat Token Vector - Home

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Jordan S. Carroll 🌹 @jordanscarroll.bsky.social · 07/03/2025

BlueSky's main fault is that many people on it seem to be constantly talking about politics but in a way that is often totally anti-political

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Carl T. Bergstrom @carlbergstrom.com · 05/03/2025

Nothing to see here, just Nature advocating LLM peer review. “Feed your dictated notes into an offline large language model (LLM) to clarify and organize your feedback. A simple prompt such as “Write a critical reviewer letter based on the following notes. Maintain a professional tone throughout”

nature.com

Three AI-powered steps to faster, smarter peer review

Tired of spending countless hours on peer reviews? An AI-assisted workflow could help.

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AusSTS @aussts.bsky.social · 05/03/2025

On Day 1 a keynote panel at the NCM on infrastructures of noise with Dang Nguyen (RMIT) @digitaldang.bsky.social, Ranjodh Dhaliwal (University of Basel) @ranjodhdhaliwal.com, Kate Mannell (Deakin) @katemannell.bsky.social and Fabian Offert (UC Santa Barbara) @zentralwerkstatt.org 2/

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AusSTS @aussts.bsky.social · 05/03/2025

The AusSTS 2025 cfp is closing soon - please get your ‘Signals and Noises’ in by Friday 14 March! It’s shaping up to be an amazing few days in Narrm across the National Communication Museum and Deakin Downtown, and we'll be welcoming some amazing keynote speakers and contributors, including... 1/

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Fabian Offert @zentralwerkstatt.org · 25/02/2025

Nobody knows this but if you press one of these for more than 30 seconds a genie will appear and fail to interpret a topic model for you!

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lindsay thomas @lindsaythomas.net · 17/02/2025

In spite of it all the research group I'm leading at Cornell is hiring a postdoc! We're looking for someone w a lit/cultural studies + DH background, esp those who employ data-driven or computational methods. 2-yr position, 1/1 teaching load. Apps due 3/21 academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/29746

academicjobsonline.org

Cornell University, English

Full service online faculty recruitment and application management system for academic institutions worldwide. We offer unique solutions tailored for academic communities.

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Alan Liu @alanyliu.bsky.social · 03/02/2025

Happy to to announce that @mellonfoundation has awarded our Center for Humanities Communication (CHC) a $150,000 grant (via @aacu.org, which supports CHC in the role of our fiscal sponsor). Our news release: center-humanities-communication.org/chc-blog/new...

ALT-TEXT: Screenshot of top of Center for Humanities Communications’ news release on its new Mellon Foundation grant. Shown is text that reads:
<screenshot>
Center for Humanities Communication Receives $150,000 Mellon Foundation Grant to Start Work
Feb. 2, 2025 — How can scholars, creatives, and others working in the humanities better communicate their work to the public? How can humanities communicators–like their science communicator colleagues–benefit from professional training for needed roles in education, the media, cultural and entertainment industries, non-profits, and elsewhere? And what new materials and tools can they invent for telling the humanities’ story across platforms?
To jump start the Center for Humanities Communication (CHC) in creating training and resources to address such questions, the Mellon Foundation has awarded the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) a grant of $150,000 to help launch the recently formed CHC. (The AAC&U supports the CHC as it establishes itself by acting as its fiscal sponsor.) (Read more .)
</screenshot>
(The full news release is at: https://center-humanities-communication.org/chc-blog/news-release-center-for-humanities-communication-receives-150000-mellon-foundation-grant-to-start-work/)

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Alan Liu @alanyliu.bsky.social · 25/01/2025

UC Santa Barbara’s new Center for the Humanities & Machine Learning (huml.ucsb.edu) launched today with a talk by Hannes Bajohr (huml.ucsb.edu/events). L to R in photo: Fabian Offert (‪@zentralwerkstatt.org), Hannes Bajohr (@hannesbajohr.de), Rita Raley, Owen Leonard (@owenleonard.bsky.social).

Fabian Offert, Rita Raley, & Owen Leonard (seated in photo at positions 1, 3, & 4 left to right) under a screen showing slide of the home page of the UC Santa Barbara Center for the Humanities and Machine Learning (HUML). Among them sits guest speaker Hannes Bajohr (position 2). Image on the slide of the HUML home page shows an assemblage of a large red disk, a wooden spoked wheel half covered by what appears to be organic or natural fluff of some kind, and an apparently wooden mechanical artifact like an early analog computer. (Image was created by Fabian Offert using the Midjourney AI image generator.)

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Fabian Offert @zentralwerkstatt.org · 24/01/2025

Today, Mosher Alumni House @ucsantabarbara.bsky.social, 3pm – stop by if you can!

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Fabian Offert @zentralwerkstatt.org · 22/01/2025

If you're in the SBA area, join @ritaraley.bsky.social and myself this Friday, 3-5 for the opening of our newly established Center for the Humanities and Machine Learning, feat. a keynote by @hannesbajohr.de! huml.ucsb.edu

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Getty @gettymuseum.bsky.social · 20/01/2025

The LA Arts Community Fire Relief Fund is now taking applications. This fund aims to support artists and arts workers who were impacted by the devastating Los Angeles fires. Check eligibility requirements and apply now through February 18 at 5 pm PST at cciarts.org.

Photo of Downtown Los Angeles and text that reads "LA Arts Community Fire Relief Fund"

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Fabian Offert @zentralwerkstatt.org · 21/01/2025

Reposting this shit like there's no tomorrow to signal that you disapprove in front of an audience which exclusively also disapproves really screams I have no actual stakes in this.

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