Dr. Courtney Gibbons (she/her)
@courtneygibbons.phd
was @/virtualcourtney. math prof, pragmatic idealist, parent. Chief Problem Solver at MOTHERFUNCTOR.co I write a (U.S.) political commentary newsletter focusing on issues that affect the math community, https://buttondown.com/crgibbons
#PretextGang I feel like you will have strong (and good) opinions about this: what is the best bookmark manager that is portable and can work with different browsers and OSes? (I'm trying find the PreTeXt Zulip chat to ask a question; I know I bookmarked it in one of the many browsers I use...)
Some fiber art in the the art exhibition at the Bridges Conference in Galway, Ireland
More like this, please!
Jenna Norton@jenna-m-norton.bsky.social · 2d agoShout out to @kamlager-dove.house.gov for introducing articles of impeachment against the lawless and cruel Russell Vought. kamlager-dove.house.gov/media/press-... Let's make sure he is not able to harm people further! actionnetwork.org/forms/civil-...
Check out the latest edition of my newsletter, MOTHERFUNCTOR! ("structure-preserving political commentary for mathematicians")
The U.S. Senate giveth, the U.S. Senate and taketh away
Good and bad news from the Senate this week: OMB grants rule change likely to be held off for awhile; Dr. Fauci held in criminal contempt by a Senate committee.
newsletter.motherfunctor.co
Unofficial transcript (prepared by me!) of the Fauci contempt vote discussion: newsletter.motherfunctor.co/archive/tran...
newsletter.motherfunctor.co
If ICE can send subpoenas to deanonymize social media accounts, couldn't they have done it for the anonymous and overtly racist account we found is run by one of their own employees who is still working there?
steven monacelli@stevanzetti.bsky.social · last yr.REVEALED: we identified the operator of an overtly racist X account, "GlomarResponder," as ICE Assistant Chief Counsel James Rodden, based on an overwhelming number of biographical details matched through publicly available documents, other social media activity, and courtroom observation.
It's the summer of messing around with fun projects! I finished creating a revamped style for my personal webpage, and courtney.gibbons.phd forwards there. (If you are a Gibbons with a PhD, send me a message if you want a subdomain to forward to you or an email address to forward to you)
Biography
Professor Courtney Gibbons wants to change the world. From stumping for Dukakis-Bentsen ‘88 as a first-grader and mailing her first one-pager to the White House when President George H. W. Bush came o...
courtney.gibbons.phd
My child would not go to sleep until I had discussed enough non-Archimedean solids. He finally relented and then told me I could go away because the Stella Octangula was coming to snuggle instead. If this is 3, I don't know if I'm going to survive his teenage years...
Yes, I’m still going to see “The Odyssey”. variety.com/2026/film/ne...
Ben McKenzie Says Major Streamers Were Scared to License His Anti-Crypto Documentary, So He Found a Different Way to Reach Audiences
Ben McKenzie, "The O.C." star turned documentarian, is releasing his film about cryptocurrency in a unique way.
variety.com
Brilliant letter from Stuart Thompson to Jeremy Clarkson about his comments that benefit claimants should write weekly thank you letters to tax payers detailing how they spend their benefits each week.
I'm kind of pumped because I created the first levels of a Lean game following the curricular map of Abstract Algebra Actively book. So it starts with students messing around with integers and well-ordered subsets, gets them to induction! It's still buggy but it's really neat!
Check out the latest edition of my newsletter, MOTHERFUNCTOR! ("structure-preserving political commentary for mathematicians")
NSF proposed changes to the PAPPG (NSF 24-1 >> NSF 27-1)
There's still plenty of time to comment on the docket (Aug 24, 2026 at 11:59 PM EDT), but don't put it off into syllabus-revision season!
newsletter.motherfunctor.co
#ASongOrMovieForUsingAComputer HTML (by the Village People) Runners up: - Great Walls of Fire - Oh Brother where art thy firmware updates
Kenan Thompson & Village People SNL Sketch
Alt: Kenan Thompson & Village People SNL Sketch
static.klipy.com
This is going in all my syllabi!
jessamyn@librarian.bsky.social · last wk.I work at a public library. People who want to use AI seem to have no trouble doing so. People who don't want to use AI have a harder time. I crowdsourced and then finalized this document "How to disable or avoid intrusive AI" and then gave it a short URL: notoai.org Please pass along if it's useful
I work at a public library. People who want to use AI seem to have no trouble doing so. People who don't want to use AI have a harder time. I crowdsourced and then finalized this document "How to disable or avoid intrusive AI" and then gave it a short URL: notoai.org Please pass along if it's useful
I wrote about science funding, science reform, and anti-science agendas. scatter.wordpress.com/2026/07/31/s...
science funding and the cherry picking problem
Science publishing–like all of science–requires money. There’s no getting around it, even with the open science movement. What appears free to many authors and readers still requires money and infr…
scatter.wordpress.com
Betye Saar, Who Opened Portals Between Worlds, Dies at 99 Her visionary assemblages recast the debris of American history into monuments of Black resilience and liberation. by Lisa Yin Zhang for @hyperallergic.com hyperallergic.com/betye-saar-w...
Betye Saar, Who Opened Portals Between Worlds, Dies at 99
Her visionary assemblages recast the debris of American history into monuments of Black resilience and liberation.
hyperallergic.com
Boston seems jealous that NYC has the cool mayor... it's cool, Boston! Your mayor is cool!
Office of Mayor Michelle Wu 吳弭@mayorwu.boston.gov · last wk.Now, any couple who gets married in City Hall can request a pet certificate upon uniting their household! 🐾 This certificate is dedicated to the shared commitment, love, nurture and proper cuddles our pets bring to our lives. Be sure to bring your pets to make the ceremony paw-fect.
Today is Global Ecological Overshoot Day...the day of year when total human demand on ecological resources & services has exceeded what the Earth can regenerate in the whole year! (NB: We in the US burned thru environment's productivity for this yr back on March 14.) overshoot.footprintnetwork.org
Earth Overshoot Day home - #MoveTheDate
Overshoot occurs when humanity's demand on nature exceeds Earth's biocapacity. In 2025, Earth Overshoot Day falls on July 24th.
overshoot.footprintnetwork.org
Bylines Network@bylinesnetwork.co.uk · 2w agoEarth Overshoot Day: how many Earths do we need? Earth Overshoot Day is the exact date when humanity's total demand for ecological resources and services in a given year exceeds what the Earth can regenerate in that same year, and in 2026, it falls on 30 July northeastbylines.co.uk/news/environ...
Throwing a surprise party for an 85-year-old on oxygen is risky, but we managed to surprise my dad without killing him. #winning My dad taught band (alongside a pretty hectic life as a musician), and some of his former students came. In the '70s, he convinced them his name was Wolfgang (it's Tom).
Started making a game: polyhedral-wilds.netlify.app It's not great on a phone (yet) and I need to do some obvious things (like randomize the answers) but it's been a fun learning experience!
Polyhedron Detective
Polyhedron Detective: explore geometric relationships one mystery at a time.
polyhedral-wilds.netlify.app
While the Fields Medal celebrates the under-40s, the mathematician Joan Birman has, at the age of 99, solved a major open problem in representations of the Braid groups, a topic she has worked on for more than 60 years.
OMG, skeets, take a look at this, which my kid just sent me: This is #Tasy, the new #StrayKids #Stay mascot that was launched a few weeks ago. She designed the pattern herself! (The pattern will be up on Etsy/Ravelry just as soon as I finish formatting it.)
Doctor Logic@saraluckelman.bsky.social · 3mo agoSkeets, I need your help to access the algorithm to amplify some things to networks I'm not really in. Do you: 1) like crochet, 2) like K-pop, 3) like cute things, 4) like supporting young people in projects? My kid (14.5 today) is making patterns for Enhypen mascots, and would love a boost.
Things that would make my life better if AI could do them: Putting a fitted sheet on a bed in so the corners stay put. Laundry. Getting the spiderwebs that I can't get to even with a pole. Keeping squirrels out of my bird feeders but in a kind and gentle way.
