When we talk about "civil rights," it's important to keep in mind that the right of women and girls to access the public sphere without being subjected to sexual violence or harassment is usually considered less important than the free speech rights of men to harass them.

If we’re going to have a surveillance state techno-dystopia, can we at least also get cool face tattoos that confound the cameras?

Stuck in the Pittsburgh airport and going to miss my connection in Denver because the radar went down in Minneapolis and that apparently means east-to-west air traffic across the country has ground to a halt.

On a private call, Todd Blanche said his goal was to make the "Dobbs decision permanent in every single state." This isn’t just a confirmation vote anymore—it’s a roll-call vote on which Senators endorse BANNING abortion in ALL 50 states. I’m voting NO.

Best buddy movie idea ever?

Found this little guy hiding in a downed tree at the water’s edge when I was out in my kayak today. I have been told it is a bittern, which is really cool because I’ve never seen one before.

Super useful. I figure a lot of us here in the Sky know this stuff already, but it might be handy to hand to parents, grandparents and pals who are less technically minded. www.librarian.net/NoToAI/

Are you saying the DOJ withdrew that pool vandalism indictment… upon reflection?

“What do you mean, it’s time to get up? I’m so sleepy!

This is a great book for thinking about how to develop better relationships with our students—relationships that can drive motivation and engagement.

Cate Denial@cjdenial.bsky.social · 2w ago

Are you gearing up for fall? Thinking about classrooms that are welcoming, just, and kind? Check out -A Pedagogy of Kindness- for ideas about how to be kind to yourself, and how to thread kindness through your syllabus, assignments, and into your classroom. www.oupress.com/978080619385...

It’s not just that this hamstrings writing on campus. It also strikes down a crucial center of collaborative, peer-to-peer leaning at the university.

Rebecca Colesworthy@rcolesworthy.bsky.social · 2w ago

“Closing the Writing Center and removing its leadership now sends a disturbing signal about how seriously Harvard actually takes [its] mission.” Closing a writing center or library or dept or program or university press—an attack on one is an attack on all. www.thecrimson.com/article/2026...

Look at how terrible this socialism is: “The windfall of tips comes after a city law cracking down on deceptive tipping practices by app-based delivery companies took effect in January … Since taking office, Mayor Mamdani has directed DCWP to vigorously enforce the laws.”

NYC Delivery Workers Earned $104M Extra in Tips Under New City Law

According to a new city report, enforcement of New York City’s tip transparency law has led to an average of about $2,287 in additional tips for each of the city’s 70,000 app-based delivery workers.

documentedny.com

Sometimes Leonidas lives up to his namesake, and sometimes he does this.

It’s nice to see everyone’s textual analysis of The Odyssey It’s almost like the humanities give you entertainment, feelings, pleasure, and fun/interesting stuff to talk about, as well as lenses into both past and current society

a better world is possible

Jan Rosenow@janrosenow.bsky.social · 3w ago

Pornainen, Finland (pop 5,000) is now heated by a silo of crushed soapstone. I spoke to CNBC about it. 100 MWh, charged when power is cheap, emissions down ~70%. Days to weeks of storage, no critical minerals. www.cnbc.com/2026/07/25/f...

incredible

Gotta say: trying to learn a new musical instrument in middle age is fucking awesome. 10/10, would recommend.

One of the biggest challenges to teaching right now is trust, which has been eroded by gen AI — for professors AND students. Copware isn’t the way to get it back.

Eileen Clancy 🧿@clancyny.bsky.social · 3w ago

Universities drop AI detection tools over fears about accuracy Some institutions are overhauling assessment and trying to move away from the emphasis on surveillance By Ima Jackson-Obot

As @drcaromaldo.blacksky.app pointed out, tenure committees (and indeed ANY review and promotion committees anywhere) need also to account for the incredible burden that LLMS are becoming in the classroom. So much of our time is consumed fighting its pollution and degradation of learning.

James Andrew Smith@drsmith.bsky.social · 3w ago

Tenure committee members break and bend the rules all the time… AI usage, which is most likely not discussed in the current set of rules, is most certainly happening now. It needs to be addressed and defended against.

I bring a gift ✨🧚‍♀️💋

matthew always brings the receipts

Matthew Cortland (they)@matthewcort.land · 4w ago

It's a scam all the way down. Taylor Farms gave MAGA Inc. $1M USD less than a week after FDA postponed implementation of food traceability rules. www.patreon.com/mattbc/posts...

I really hope that people in positions of reviewing the tenure files of colleagues think about the EXTRAORDINARY amount of labor that GenAI has added.

I've said this before: Scholar friends, if you read an essay, chapter, or book that you like please DO tell the author! I can't tell you how much these notes mean to someone who feels like they are alone and simply writing into the void.

Toby Ziegler's Intense Stare Down in The West Wing

ALT: Toby Ziegler's Intense Stare Down in The West Wing

static.klipy.com

A bit grim that I keep thinking, well at least the pandemic prepared me with a stock of high quality face masks and a set of good air purifiers in the house.

I don't know, man. In addition to prosecuting that ICE officer in Maine, I think they need to prosecute whoever hired him.

NEW: A federal book banning bill has been introduced in the Senate. It's time to make our voices heard. Tell your Senators to REJECT pro-censorship legislation like S. 4925 that would limit the freedom to read! We need every advocate to speak out against censorship: action.ala.org/campaign/S4925

Have we conquered the things that made people hate this when we last tried it in the 70s or have we just forgotten/ignored all that?

Holland Oates@phinsphan.bsky.social · last mo.

People are gonna fucking hate this if it actually happens. Enjoy all these post 8am sunrises

ALL OF THIS!!!

Rachel Grant/R.S. Grant@rachelgrant.bsky.social · last mo.

You want Washingtonians to have nothing but darkness until 9am in winter? What is wrong with you? This would be horrible for Washington state. We don't need daylight at 10pm in June. We need daylight at 8am in January. We need an END to daylight savings time in WA.

If you don’t know why permanent DST would be bad, I urge you to look it up. More daylight in the evenings can feel nice, but it would come at the expense of our health.

Save Standard Time@savestandard.bsky.social · last mo.

Contact Congress asap! www.votervoice.net/ditchDST/Cam...