@abbefa.bsky.social
Today I'm hosting a workshop with the Primary Praxis working group, which is part of the Central New York Humanities Corridor. If you work at one of the host institutions, you should join! www.cnycorridor.net/about/
I certainly don't have a dream career, not for PhD students in the humanities. So, a question: What would you look for from a career panel about alternative careers targeting PhD students? Have you ever attended one that was meaningful? What made it work?
Here's the talk description in case you're interested
This afternoon I'll be giving a talk on libraries and technology to the Central New York Humanities Corridor. I cannot tell you how much fun it is to get to speak with this amazing group (and especially the Primary Praxis working group that invited me). 🤩
Or my favorite: I wonder if there's a way to get the output I want that doesn't involve burning down trees and propping up billionaires.
It's fun because I can then say something like "this is a poor statistical model for the problem I'm trying to solve." Or "the output is trash, I can't use it." Or: Paid experts can bring nuance to this problem that a statistical model can't.
a change I've been trying to make lately is to stop talking about statistical models built on large data sets like they are living beings. ChatGPT says -> the output was AI tools -> statistical models
This is the quintessence of narcissistic sociopathy. And just plain stupidity. From @anneapplebaum.bsky.social:
Also, for whatever it’s worth, their attempt to distort and manipulate meaning is something that the humanities is really good at contesting.
The doge bros are specifically cutting humanities programs because they believe understanding history and culture is a threat to fascism and white supremacy. They are right.
this is a crucial part of the NEH doge story that the NYT leaves out
Hannah Alpert-Abrams@halperta.bsky.social · 5mo agoMy personal opinion is that the goal of this project was not destroy NEH. It was to punish and demoralize federal workers and award recipients. And it was to free up money in order to convert the agency, which has bipartisan support, from an intellectual institution to a propaganda machine.
And dare I add: my workbook, which targets faculty and staff (not students) is specifically about assessing risk and taking action in higher ed. It may be useful here. halperta.com/shalperta%20...
Taking Action in Higher Ed
Taking Action for Higher Education is a workbook to assist university workers in assessing personal risk and making decisions about how and when to take action to resist fascism.
halperta.com
Modern Language Association@modernlanguage.bsky.social · 6mo agoView our new web page for resources for teaching about current events, supporting students during crisis, and information related to immigration issues. mla.org/Teaching-Crisis
Hello non-fiction writers of the internet! If you or someone you know is feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or could use an outside reader, I still have some availability this spring for writing coaching and editing. ✨ You can learn more about working with me here: halperta.com/categories/e...
Writing and Editing
Towards a better future for the humanities.
halperta.com
A few weeks ago I was interviewed for the "Career Hacks for Humanists" podcast. Check out our conversation about my weird career trajectory and caring about values while needing a job. popphd.substack.com/p/job-hacks-...
Job Hacks for Humanists: Dr. Hannah Alpert-Abrams
Dr. Alpert-Abrams shares the wisdom about building a values-aligned career from working in the humanities funding landscape.
popphd.substack.com
Introducing Sidra Collaborative co-founder Hadassah St. Hubert! Hadassah is dedicated to helping cultural heritage funders and workers scope ideas and programs, while identifying resources to support thriving creatives. She can help build emergency response funding programs. sidracollaborative.com
I like to tell this story because it's good to be reminded that it is not random that our voice-activated services were built to sound like women and be treated like slaves. It was done on purpose, by people who knew better.
In the late 2010s, I was friendly with some people who were in the room during the meetings where Apple decided what its Siri should look and sound like. They argued that voice-activated tools should not be built to sound like women because it would propagate misogyny. They were overruled.
Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 10mo agoGranted I am in no way the audience for this, but finding it hard to believe that part of the next wave is machines that speak unprompted.
![One issue is ensuring the device only chimes in when useful, preventing it from talking too much or not knowing when to finish the conversation — an ongoing issue with ChatGPT.
“The concept is that you should have a friend who’s a computer who isn’t your weird AI girlfriend . . . like [Apple’s digital voice assistant] Siri but better,” said one person who was briefed on the plans. OpenAI was looking for “ways for it to be accessible but not intrusive”.
“Model personality is a hard thing to balance,” said another person close to the project. “It can’t be too sycophantic, not too direct, helpful, but doesn’t keep talking in a feedback loop.”](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:hakzua5btcgcfjye2yujlhos/bafkreib6kvqmnfzzomvt6ywn3ijfqjuep4kopmigecyn255npr3zo756l4)
Reread this short guide to responding to fascism in higher ed this morning. I have very mixed feelings about how increasingly resonant it is proving to be, but also I hope it will prove helpful and maybe comforting as we watch current events unfold. halperta.com/shalperta%20...
Taking Action in Higher Ed
Taking Action for Higher Education is a workbook to assist university workers in assessing personal risk and making decisions about how and when to take action to resist fascism.
halperta.com
Labor day weekend is as good a time as any to prepare to respond to the season to come.
Hannah Alpert-Abrams@halperta.bsky.social · last yr.I just posted a free workbook that aims to help university workers better understand when and how to take risks in the fight against fascism in higher ed. halperta.com/shalperta%20...
JUST IN: A federal judge has blocked the cancelation of $175 million in National Endowment for the Humanities grants, mass terminated by DOGE in April. She says the effort was transparent viewpoint discrimination in violation of the First Amendment.
Solidarity with every NEH employee who is part of the Reduction in Force, and whose separation from the agency is being enacted today.
NEH Union - AFGE L3403@nehafge3403.bsky.social · last yr.We guess that Monday miracle for #NEH employees won't be happening after all. Tomorrow over 100 staff and public servants of the #humanities will be terminated from their positions. It's heartbreaking and so completely unnecessary.
new definition of hell unlocked: being trapped in a conversation with an AI about a credit card that was never cancelled from a job you left because of a fascist government takeover