James Currie
@oneofmanyjameses.bsky.social
Historian specialising in the Middle Ages, sometimes I do other stuff
One of the odd things about seeing a public history project like AskHistorians grow over the years is how it's become part of the press tour for history books. Having the impact to be worth seeking out for that feels great. But getting National Geographic and Tom Hiddleston is another level!
AskHistorians@askhistorians.bsky.social · 3w agoWe were not entirely prepared for how literally they meant "red carpet" for this AMA. www.reddit.com/r/AskHistori...
We were not entirely prepared for how literally they meant "red carpet" for this AMA. www.reddit.com/r/AskHistori...
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Holy crap, actual Vatican 2 schism! Checked in on my favourite tradcath geocentrists, or tried to (can't find where Rick DeLano posts these days). Robert Sungenis' stance is "you're right about Vatican 2 but why would you go and get yourselves excommunicated?"
What an insult to the students, who worked hard in an institution that could not even be bothered to read their names. The reputational damage cannot have been worth the "efficiency" of... what exactly? I doubt making an AI programme was cheaper and easier than printing the stack of name cards.
Alex Hanna@alexhanna.bsky.social · 3mo agoSir, another graduation ceremony in which the students booed AI has dropped. "College graduates were pissed after their school used AI to announce graduates’ names and missed hundreds of names" (via @/FearedBuck on Twitter)
I'm not sure I've ever seen someone miss the point of learning more than this. "Do not provide disclaimers", "You do not need to tell me it is important to consider anything" are fundamentally stupid things to demand when also asking for "long and detailed" answers of "world class expert" quality.
Dan Olson@foldablehuman.bsky.social · 3mo agoMarc Andreessen putting "you are a world class expert in all domains" and "don't hallucinate" in his custom prompt really demonstrates the calibre of the people steering the ship.
My hottest “I have no data to back this up” take is that phones aren’t making young people less happy. What’s making them less happy is living in a world where everyone is having their reality defined by recommendation algorithms that can only care about whether something keeps you watching.
Stamford Bridge is open for transit, English king Harold Godwinson said. “The only thing prohibiting transit across the bridge right now is a huge Norwegian berserker hacking people to pieces with an axe,” he said. “It is open for transit should the beserker not do that.”
I find this sort of thing so weird. I don't know what Canadian conservativism has to do with Robin Hood, but he's been portrayed as a champion of the poor from the earliest references to his legend in the 14th century. Even in the early ballads, "rob the rich, give to the poor" is his thing.
Scott Robertson@sarobertson.bsky.social · 5mo agoPOILIEVRE: "Canada and the United Kingdom share language, culture, parliamentary government, and most important of all, folklore, including the possibly fictional legend of Robin Hood. And by the way I don't mean the medieval Marxist of 20th century retellings."
Please make it your new resolution to visit AskHistorians once a week, because we've never been this invested in overtaking another community.
There's loads of this AI shit btw. Absolutely tonnes of it. A particularly prevalent grifter seems to be "Dakikon Publishing", who claim to specialise in self-help (which has long been haunted by AI/outsourced crap) but they've recently moved into history and the results are... not good. These suck.
If you're buying history books (or I guess any books) for people this Christmas, be careful you don't accidentally buy some AI garbage, which has flooded the online market and made it much more difficult to buy books online. Good news for the high street book shops, very bad news for everyone else.
On the topic of horrors (that aren't the British fever dream known as Mr Blobby), Happy Halloween! Medieval Halloween was a bit different, being a three day festival held from 31 October - 2 November, encompassing All Saints' Eve (Halloween), All Saints' Day (All Hallows') and All Souls' Day (1)
I tried out the new Affinity. It's a bit finicky but it will do, and although it will load old affinity files it's hit or miss as to how much functionality they have. Still much better than Adobe. This is what I did with an old Lib Dem leaflet template, for which I wholeheartedly apologise.
Fantastic article in which actual experts on AI and higher education cut through the nonsense surrounding the infinite garbage engines and expose a system captured by the techbro sales pitch. "A general ban is necessary, but nobody dares to say so."
apache/@apache.be · 10mo agoBelgian AI scientists are advocating *against* the use of AI in academia. “If independent thinking is no longer encouraged at university, where would it?” apache.be/2025/10/24/b...
The wonderful Berkhamsted Castle, built by William the Conqueror, remade in stone in the early-mid 12th century, as viewed through LiDAR. The dimples at the top were probably platforms for catapults from a siege in 1216, in which a French invasion took the castle before being defeated at Lincoln.
This doesn't look like much, but it was once one of the most important places in the emerging country of England. This is now known as Sashes Island in the middle of the Thames between Berkshire and Buckinghamshire, but was once the Burh of Sceaftessige, a formidable outpost against the Vikings. (1)
1/? I need to vent about how AI is making things worse not better. Usually when people talk about this it's about how AI enables/encourages incompetence by providing a low effort, highly unreliable shortcut; people who outsource their thinking to the algorithmic oracle or making/consuming 'slop'.
This is what's left of some WW1 training trenches in southern Buckinghamshire, where army units were instructed in trench digging. They are excellent examples, but sadly not preserved at all. Every year more leaves fall into them, compost, and slowly bury them, and they'll probably be gone by 2100.
At first I couldn't believe it, tried to be charitable for some reason, watched it 20 times to find a way out of the horrible reality. But side by side it's undeniable.
If you're the sort of person who enjoys true crime and history, you might enjoy Medieval Murder Maps, an interactive project that lets you read contemporary coroner's reports mapped out in the medieval cities of London, Oxford, and York medievalmurdermap.co.uk
Welcome to Medieval Murder Maps
The interactive Medieval Murder Map gives unique insight into danger, violence, and justice in medieval London, York & Oxford.
medievalmurdermap.co.uk
1/2 Recently been reading Amatus of Montecassino's 11th century "History of the Normans". As well as being an important source for Norman Italy, it's full of fun or interesting tidbits. For example, when Pope Gregory VII tried to arrange a proto-crusade against the Norman conqueror Robert Guiscard.
The restoration of Notre-Dame de Paris is stunning, everyone involved should be deeply proud. Many medieval cathedrals look bleak due to centuries of grime and pollution staining the walls and windows so they can't scatter light as they once did. Not so at Notre-Dame! www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Notre Dame: How Paris's cathedral was restored after fire
Paris's Gothic cathedral has been painstakingly returned to its former glory. Here's how it was done.
bbc.co.uk
1/2 A local archaeological development: The earthwork feature just left of centre doesn't look like much, but it's the tip of a Bronze Age barrow last excavated in the 1870s; one of four here. The site also showed evidence of early medieval use, potentially as a site of Anglo-Saxon pagan burials.
If you ever get the chance to go to the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds, take it. As well as all the stuff on display, they've also got live demonstrations of sword combat, and a hands on talk where they let you handle (BUT NOT OPERATE!) some WW2 guns.
