Tessera
Folgen

Melanie Walsh

@mellymeldubs.bsky.social

Assistant Professor @ University of Washington, Information School. PhD in English from WashU in St. Louis. I’m interested in books, data, social media, & digital humanities. They call me "Eyre Jordan" on the bball court. 🏀 https://melaniewalsh.org/

1013 Posts5439 Follower1236 Folgt
danah boyd@zephoria.bsky.social · 5h ago

It's the end of an era. The Social Media Collective is shutting down. Thanks to everyone who was a part of this crazy endeavor, but especially @nancybaym.bsky.social, Tarleton Gillespie, and @marylgray.bsky.social. I adore you all! socialmediacollective.org/2026/09/23/s...

The Social Media Collective Comes to a Close

It is with both celebration and sadness that we announce that the Social Media Collective, our research team of critical, humanistic social sciences at Microsoft Research’s New England lab, is comi…

socialmediacollective.org

Ted Underwood@tedunderwood.com · yesterday

Models like Talkie-1930 sound like voices from the past. If they could reliably speak from specified historical vantage points, researchers might also use them to simulate the past. But how reliable are they? Today we release a benchmark answering that question for English contexts 1831-1930.

Free-text evaluation of answers to character modeling and constrained generation questions. This is just one of several scores Chronologic-EN can produce; we focus on it here because it's both the hardest test and the one most relevant to simulation of the past. Frontier models reach 72%; Talkie-1930 is stronger than several larger competitors, but not at the frontier by this measure. Note that this score has improved ~45% in the last two years, but still falls perceptibly short of ground truth.
Joseph Rezek@rezekjoe.bsky.social · yesterday

I am thrilled to announce that the American Studies Program at Boston University will be accepting new PhD Students for the 27/28 academic year. These are fully funded, unionized, 5-year positions, with 4 semesters of guaranteed dissertation fellowship in years 4 & 5.

Application Deadline: December 15, 2026 The American Studies Program at Boston University is a nationally recognized leader in the interdisciplinary field of American Studies. Our students and faculty study the disparate yet interconnected cultures of colonial North America and the United States as seen in the ideas and actions of its people, and as expressed in a range of forms, especially culture, the arts, media, literature, and institutions - often seen through a global or transnational lens. Formerly known as the American & New England Studies Program, we maintain active collaborations with many cultural institutions in the region, especially in the Boston Area. Our large PhD program has produced tenure-track protessors, public historians, museum curators, and directors at major universities, museums, and other cultural and historical institutions. Funding Opportunities PhD students receive full funding for up to five years (12 months a year) under a collective bargaining agreement. During this time, they take courses, teach in their fields and disciplines of interest, and develop and write dissertations. The fellowship package guarantees four semesters of dissertation fellowship in years 4 and 5, with no service obligations Additional funding is available from Boston University for travel to conferences, for archival research, and for internships. Current students have recently received outside fellowships from the Fulbright Foundation, the American Antiquarian Society, the Massachusetts Historical Society, the Huntington Library, the Smithsonian Institution, the Beinecke Library, the Corning Museum of Glass, the New Bedford Whaling Museum, and the American Historical Association. Graduate Student Association The Program's own independent Graduate Student Association (GSA) is comprised of elected PhD students who sponsor events and programs for developing professional skills, while representing our students' interests to the governing faculty. A list of affiliate faculty, available also on the program’s webpage
Richard Jean So@richardjeanso.bsky.social · 2d ago

Prospective PhD students: if you work on computational humanities, cultural analytics and/or cultural AI, pls apply to Duke English! We're recruiting in these areas & you'd join a vibrant community. Candidates with training in both lit studies + CS/sciences esp welcome. Email me if any questions!

Nathan Kalman-Lamb@nkalamb.bsky.social · 3d ago

ICE abducted a WBB player while she was traveling with her Kentucky State team in early August at Louisville airport. She has been imprisoned for 1.5 months and denied care for a serious ACL injury. It is the responsibility of universities and the NCAA to protect their players. They have failed.

Aminata Seck, 26, a student-athlete at Kentucky State University, was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport while traveling with her school's basketball team Aug. 7, said Sadiqa Reynolds, a lawyer helping coordinate Seck's case. Seck's team was headed to New York for a tournament, and she was taken into custody after going through airport security, said Reynolds, former president and CEO of the Louisville Urban League.
David Mimno@dmimno.bsky.social · 5d ago

A university founded in the Middle Ages in a city that centers itself around a Medieval castle does not see a need to study Medieval History

Margot Finn@eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 6d ago

Celtic (UG), Chinese & Russian (UG), Contemporary History, Economics & Statistics (joint degree), Inclusive Education (MSc), Intellectual History, Italian & Classics (joint), Law & Social Policy (joint), Medieval History, Persian Studies (UG), Portuguese (UG), Psychology & Economics (joint)....

Katherine McDonald@katherinemcdon.bsky.social · 5d ago

One of my top writing tips (which I'm sure one of you gave me) is to have a separate document called "cuts" for the bits that don't quite work, so that you can fool yourself that you're not DELETING them you're simply MOVING them.

Sarah J. Jackson@sjjphd.bsky.social · 5d ago

I learned this week that the New York Times was founded 175 years ago. There is a useful set of pieces floating around on this for journalism history buffs. But what struck me is that means the Times was founded 25 years *after* the black press which will celebrate its 200th birthday in a few months

Brandon Walsh@walshbr.bsky.social · last wk.

Embedded Pedagogies is out! Available freely online through @openbookpublish.bsky.social and for purchase in a variety of different formats. It's a tough time to teach, and it's easy to feel helpless. In this book I argue for an expansive view of teaching and the work it can do in the world.

Open Book Publishers@openbookpublish.bsky.social · last wk.

What shapes teaching beyond the classroom? In 'Embedded Pedagogies', Brandon Walsh explores how university structures, policies & values influence pedagogy—& how educators can challenge these to build more equitable & hopeful institutions. Read free: buff.ly/kQau5oV #DigitalHumanities #HigherEd

The book in hardback against text that says: Embedded Pedagogies: Digital Humanities Teaching and the Infrastructure of Change by Brandon Walsh This volume offers a timely and incisive exploration of teaching in an era of institutional instability and political pressure. Drawing on extensive experience as a digital humanities practitioner and administrator, Walsh argues that teaching does not occur solely in the classroom but is deeply shaped by the policies, structures, and values embedded within universities themselves. The book reveals how institutional norms, such as claims to neutrality, intellectualism, and future-orientation, quietly shape what and how educators can teach. Walsh combines theory with practical insight, using case studies, digital projects, and firsthand reflections to demonstrate how these forces operate and how they can be challenged. This volume offers guidance for educators seeking to navigate and transform hostile or resource-constrained environments, advocating for pedagogies grounded in transparency, collective care, and social justice.
Sheila Liming@seeshespeak.bsky.social · last wk.

Annie Dillard was the writer whose writing first gave me the permission I needed to do the writing I do now. Her books changed my world, changed my perspective, changed the way I accessed and understood my own voice. RIP. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/16/b...

Annie Dillard, Meditative Author of ‘Pilgrim at Tinker Creek,’ Dies at 81

Her Thoreau-like account of journeys in the woods, published when she was 28, was the first of many ruminations on life and nature, good and evil.

nytimes.com

Melanie Walsh@mellymeldubs.bsky.social · last wk.

Great profile of the leading AI detector, Pangram, and the people behind it—including a former English major who wrote a thesis on Ishiguro (me too). Fascinating snapshot of our cultural moment with AI, and a sober reflection on the future of the internet, teaching, and human communication.

Vauhini Vara@vauhinivara.bsky.social · last wk.

I profiled the startup behind Pangram, the AI detector everyone’s talking about. It works really, really well. I wanted to understand how they did it. and also: why people still don’t trust them. (also, news: Penguin Random House is using it.) gift link! ✨

Saeed Jones@theferocity.bsky.social · last wk.

“But as Irish people we know all too well about genocide, forced famine and violent occupation. I cannot stand by and allow billionaires to use their position of power to silence the rightful voices of those who speak up against Israeli genocide…” — Aaron Rowe

All supporting acts withdraw from Ed Sheeran’s tour in solidarity with Macklemore

Four openers and live band for Sheeran’s tour depart after removal of Macklemore over ‘free Palestine’ comments

theguardian.com

Scott Nye@railoftomorrow.bsky.social · last wk.

And, look, everyone’s gotta get their kicks somehow I guess, but if I went through all the work to get an advanced degree and ended up studying a fantasy nut who asks a machine to regurgitate “LOTR but different, maybe hotter” I’d go see if the gas station was hiring so I can drink from the hose.

Kipo, Sapphic Super-Sphinx@kiposphinx.bsky.social · last wk.

It's saddening that these people might never know the sheer joy of finding someone else who matches your precise flavour of freak, brainstorming ideas and letting them play out in RP or collaborative writing, and exposing each other to new concepts you might never have thought of on your own.

Melanie Walsh@mellymeldubs.bsky.social · last wk.

WIRED featured our study on a phenomenon happening alongside the mainstream AI publishing controversies: Some people are using AI to write their own stories. You may not like it, but it's happening, and it's interesting. Shout out to co-authors @neel2112.bsky.social & @mariaa.bsky.social.

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · last wk.

Trump: "The only control or 'guardrails' that AI needs is a STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT, and the U.S.A. has that, in spades!"

The only control or “guardrails” that AI needs is a STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT, and the U.S.A. has that, in spades! The Trump Administration has stopped AI “people” from doing bad, or potentially bad, “things,“ like Dario (Anthropic!), who is now pretending to be a “perfect little angel” - and we will continue to do so! We already have tremendous CRIMINAL and REGULATORY power over these companies! There is a SICK conspiracy going on against AI and Data Centers, and the only one that is happy about it is China. WHOEVER WINS AI, WINS! We are leading China, and all others, and will continue to do so. Conspiracy Theorists, Treasonists, Traitors, and Leakers, BEWARE! Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP