"To cherish what remains of the Earth and to foster its renewal is our only legitimate hope of survival." Wendell Berry, born on this day in 1934
Deneen Senasi
@dsenasi.bsky.social
Shakespeare and Donne scholar, Humanities advocate, library and museum acolyte, erstwhile ballerina: "To be or not to be, that is the question . . . "
keep thinking about the evil of this. It's not just destroying the physical books, bad as that is. They are trying to remove the underpinnings of knowledge, destroy all the accumulated wisdom - and silliness, and creativity, and whatever else humans have thought worthy of writing down.
Dr. Jeroen W.P. Wijnendaele@drdragases.bsky.social · last wk.No longer content with pillaging intellectual work and dismembering our environment (already critically weakened), AI companies are now hellbent on destroying books galore including rare editions. Shut down these nefarious enterprises already.
www.thecrimson.com/article/2026...
In Defense of the Harvard College Writing Center | Opinion | The Harvard Crimson
As current and former Harvard College Writing Center tutors, we write to condemn the dissolution of the Writing Center as an independent entity and the laying off of its director, Jane Rosenzweig.
thecrimson.com
For those seeking another reason to oppose #Anthropic (or #AI more broadly): "Anthropic described the project as 'our effort to disruptively scan all the world’s books' in an internal memo, which noted 'we do not want it to be known that we are pursuing this project'." #booksky #speccolls 🗃️📜📚
AI labs buy, scan, shred millions of rare books
If you have retreated to physical books because the internet is too full of AI slop, bad news — now they’re shredding the books to feed their AI slop machines.
news.com.au
Reprehensible. When I want to understand the implications of AI for writing, @janerosenzweig.bsky.social is one of the first voices I turn to. She even read some of my students' "Real Time Writing" projects a few years ago, which thrilled them. I'm so sorry, Jane. For shame, Harvard. For shame.
Sonja Drimmer@sonjadrimmer.bsky.social · last wk.
"Wyoming will become the first state in the US where you cannot receive a B.A. in Philosophy." dailynous.com/2026/07/23/u...
University of Wyoming to Drop Philosophy Major - Daily Nous
As for Fall 2027, incoming students at the University of Wyoming will no longer be allowed to major in philosophy. The news was shared by philosophy professor Bradley Rettler in posts on social media....
dailynous.com
One of the central objects on exhibition in "Shakespeare and the American Story" is the first American edition of Shakespeare’s plays. The modest bindings of these volumes tell an interesting story about the evolution of the American and British book trade. www.folger.edu/blogs/collat...
230+ Years of Holding It Together | Folger Shakespeare Library
Folger Shakespeare Library is the world's largest Shakespeare collection, the ultimate resource for exploring Shakespeare and his world. Shakespeare belongs to you. His world is vast. Come explore. Jo...
folger.edu
“The dashboard known as the U.S. State AI Policy Tracker is free to the public, collecting information on the more than one million total bills being discussed by state lawmakers and compiling a list of AI-related legislation.”
University of Denver launches tool tracking artificial intelligence laws across the country
A new tool built by the University of Denver is tracking not only all the AI bills in Colorado, but hundreds more across the country.
denver7.com
Because I have some new followers I thought I’d give this piece a bump. More stuff in this vein coming from me and @cnygren.bsky.social , but in the meantime we hope folks find this useful.
Sonja Drimmer@sonjadrimmer.bsky.social · 8mo ago"We envision a resistance that is...a repudiation of the efficiencies that automated algorithmic education falsely promises: a resistance comprising the collective force of small acts of friction." "How to Resist AI in Education" by me & @cnygren.bsky.social www.publicbooks.org/four-frictio...
Bologna opens a new library containing more than 32,000 books from Umberto Eco's private study - arranged exactly as he left them - a decade after his death.
Umberto Eco library opens in Bologna, 10 years after his death
The University of Bologna has opened a new public library housing the personal book collection of writer Umberto Eco, a decade after his death.
wantedinmilan.com
"The most popular class Cyrus has taught is called Avoiding AI, which explains what Generative AI is, some of the concerns around it, and how to disable it and find alternatives." These Maine librarians are helping patrons resist AI and Big Tech: www.bangordailynews.com/2026/07/02/m...
These Maine librarians are helping patrons resist AI and Big Tech
Despite breathless reporting on how AI is going to change the world, Hannah Cyrus, a Bangor librarian, said that, in her experience, most library patrons aren’t finding it helpful.
bangordailynews.com
The only July 4 extravaganza endorsed by Minnesota’s pets: www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
Firefly viewing nights return to the U of M Arboretum with a silent fireworks show
A summer tradition at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum lets visitors trade fireworks for fireflies, as naturalists warn the glowing insects are disappearing in many parts of the country.
mprnews.org
"Writing, as you know is an act of truth, or revelation . . . Furthermore, writing is an act of humanity."
Matthew L Reznicek@drreznicek.bsky.social · last mo.Doctrinally speaking, you should be writing.
Calling all the PhDs I know to make monumental annoyances of themselves (and honestly, who better)
Unusual Whales@unusualwhales.bsky.social · 7mo agoJensen Huang of Nvidia, $NVDA, has said relentless negativity around AI is hurting society and has done a lot of damage, per Techspot.
The way to "sound like you" is to figure out what you think and say it. All of us who teach students need to talk to them about this message that sounding "like you" means "AI drafting, summarizing, and revising" because this message is on every platform every day.
"In a mood of faith and hope my work goes on. A ream of fresh paper lies on my desk waiting for the next book. I am a writer and I take up my pen to write." Pearl S. Buck, born on this day in 1892
Once again, not sure about the marketing strategy here of telling Writing Center directors that their tutors are bad at their jobs by misrepresenting what tutors do in order to sell them an AI replacement. The idea that a tutor just offer a "red pen" is both insulting and wrong.
JOB POSTING 📜📚 The Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University seeks a research (reference) librarian: yale.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/external_car...
Research Librarian
Working at Yale means contributing to a better tomorrow. Whether you are a current resident of our New Haven-based community, eligible for opportunities through the New Haven Hiring Initiative, or a n...
yale.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com
AI has started blocking the Wayback Machine from chronicling the web. Considering that nearly 40% of websites disappear after 10 years, this will enforce a giant loss in collective memory.
AI’s biggest casualty could be history itself
The Internet Archive is a vital resource that has helped the search for truth in more than one global event, writes Anthony Cuthbertson, but it is in danger of becoming the latest collateral damage of...
the-independent.com
I’m with @bcmerchant.bsky.social: "The real Luddites are anti-technology being used to exploit people. A Luddite asks: 'What are the implications of this technology? How is it going to impact society?'"
NPR@npr.org · 2mo agoIt's often a derogatory term used to describe digital dinosaurs and technophobes. That wasn't always the case. NPR's Word of the Week looks back at the not so backwards-looking Luddites. n.pr/44jVrak
New preprint of interest: "Faster Completion, Less Learning" "These results are among the first large-scale behavioral and outcome evidence that generative AI has altered how students study and the knowledge they build — the population-level indicator of cognitive surrender” ht: Justin Reich
arxiv.org
Data centers are literally changing the environment around them. A new study found they may be raising temperatures for miles around their facilities, harming plants, animals, and people alike. We deserve answers before more of these projects are approved across our state.
