2026-10-31T01:44:16Z https://njump.me Zeb Larson https://njump.me/npub1a5cqpvdmlr2kzpex7ev8sl9t67qvvpkg45vfprd28lxfadmly45sz05g4q https://spaces.hcommons.social/accounts/avatars/113/019/289/139/790/119/original/3b466a62844e67d1.jpg https://spaces.hcommons.social/accounts/avatars/113/019/289/139/790/119/original/3b466a62844e67d1.jpg https://njump.me/nevent1qqs82pz4dtyy2qrp5y8m0zl6hvj3esv9x7tw2ksz5mud2jgfry2d2tgzyrknqq93h0ud2cg8ymm9s7ru40tcp3sxezk33yyd4glue84h0ujkj7tamln Some memes you need to save in your phone because it will just keep coming up again and again.<br/> <img src="https://spaces.hcommons.social/media_attachments/files/116/303/013/860/789/745/original/d50de48b0cae7e04.png"> <br/> 2026-03-27T20:26:18Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqsqep5dfy96afelrs85q7k0m57vkeqj8wc09x4n0qq5wjelynpytuqzyrknqq93h0ud2cg8ymm9s7ru40tcp3sxezk33yyd4glue84h0ujkj9ad7pf I published this for Wired today and I&#39;m really happy with it. You might think that I have a categorical dislike of COBOL, but actually I don&#39;t. I think instead that it&#39;s really important to think carefully about the computing systems you build, because changing them can be *really* painful. I wrote this thinking in no small part about vibe-coding and how we&#39;ll be stuck with systems that nobody really understands, and if they get large enough they will be incredibly difficult to unravel.<br/><br/><a href="https://www.wired.com/story/cobol-is-the-asbestos-of-programming-languages/">https://www.wired.com/story/cobol-is-the-asbestos-of-programming-languages/</a> 2026-03-16T12:35:54Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqspylx3pnmu0k98jemxqmhkta0gyq6vuwsrh24e7d8uv2uqdwxz66czyrknqq93h0ud2cg8ymm9s7ru40tcp3sxezk33yyd4glue84h0ujkj8k4km0 I hate that the movie that best predicted what life would like in the 2020s was Children of Men. No massively exciting technological advantages, just stagnation and a very real sense that things will keep getting worse. 2026-03-04T13:28:04Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqs0ws9f5lq883rkc4zgmq4e270fyal0a9qh57th6kt0chv8f8mdmpqzyrknqq93h0ud2cg8ymm9s7ru40tcp3sxezk33yyd4glue84h0ujkjzn3eru In case you’re unfamiliar with our decades of interference in #Iran, I wrote up a primer on it and the #history for Dame Magazine. When Hegseth says that Iran’s been at war with us for decades, he’s got it totally backwards. At the end of the day, that’s us.<br/><br/><a href="https://www.damemagazine.com/2026/03/02/americas-long-war-on-iran-history/">https://www.damemagazine.com/2026/03/02/americas-long-war-on-iran-history/</a> 2026-03-03T00:19:45Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqs2gk7a5utw4ye8px2kqu9sq7wrw2jkweaetrdqjuddeth3lj6feggzyrknqq93h0ud2cg8ymm9s7ru40tcp3sxezk33yyd4glue84h0ujkj82drhu In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsgflkjvrfc2uu65dc6lfgqwgwh9u5r4wj89eh3tv6rza3g7rfuvzc4g5s4f'>nevent1q…5s4f</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>Just got it from somebody, but thank you! 2026-01-04T18:19:59Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqs89pzjhtczrvagxttanl633e7rmwm6kpwprq28x5fcfa9zrel996qzyrknqq93h0ud2cg8ymm9s7ru40tcp3sxezk33yyd4glue84h0ujkju8gttl Anybody able to help me get access to this? Kinda badly need it.<br/><br/><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/chapter/edited-volume/abs/pii/B9780127450407500107?via%3Dihub">https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/chapter/edited-volume/abs/pii/B9780127450407500107?via%3Dihub</a> 2026-01-04T18:07:40Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqspuhkhqf5vdlmfl7swdq38atdqpvpjfzncadcn7wr38wrgq96g8rgzyrknqq93h0ud2cg8ymm9s7ru40tcp3sxezk33yyd4glue84h0ujkjpll62h Since Republicans just invent issues, Democrats should give it a try. Go after Sean Duffy, talk ceaselessly about how fucking shitty air travel is. Yes, the airline industry sucked and was absurdly uncompetitive and committed fucking over customers under Biden and before; no matter. Just force them to own how godawful air travel is. 2025-11-30T22:43:21Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqszru9z86vnju4m9p0drzhs6pz88542q9av2jj42aj9d60h4397qhqzyrknqq93h0ud2cg8ymm9s7ru40tcp3sxezk33yyd4glue84h0ujkjpf74mj I quit a project last week. What I was initially told was that I would be editing lesson plans; what I learned was that ChatGPT would write the content and I would structure the lesson plan (“do this activity here,” “share with a peer”, etc) and fact check it.<br/><br/>To me, it’s like a microcosm of what’s wrong with the way we use AI. For me, the hardest part of curriculum development is the pedagogical part: thinking about the best way to structure it takes me the greatest amount of time. LLMs save me no time at all there. As for the content, they might vomit it out pretty quickly, but that part is so much easier for me. I don’t trust their accuracy, but I do trust mine. And especially right now, I don’t want to present neutered or overly safe social studies material — but AI is perfect for that.<br/><br/>I have the luxury of quitting freelance work that I don’t want because I have a full-time job. But it’s depressing to see where education is heading with this. 2025-11-27T20:40:07Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqsv0tczpc6nmcpm47fgxu5v0hgekjl80spnpyl9atwqh7thsdgarpszyrknqq93h0ud2cg8ymm9s7ru40tcp3sxezk33yyd4glue84h0ujkjlkn6k3 My latest piece for Dame Magazine on the Trump shadow presidency, what happens as autocrats grow old and infirm, and what it means for the rest of us. It&#39;s not good: a Trump power vacuum does not inherently mean Democrats swoop back in, especially when the people around him openly disdain democracy and the rule of law.<br/><br/><a href="https://www.damemagazine.com/2025/11/13/who-is-really-running-the-oval-office/">https://www.damemagazine.com/2025/11/13/who-is-really-running-the-oval-office/</a> 2025-11-13T16:42:35Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqsqc9mndt9vpw85gm8lr09rpsjky3eq6l7masy0xu5dc6jr3k4kgngzyrknqq93h0ud2cg8ymm9s7ru40tcp3sxezk33yyd4glue84h0ujkjwdpqgh People have been doing this thing with me lately where they ask me if I&#39;m neurodivergent, I say that I&#39;m not, and then they insist that I must be. It&#39;s *really* annoying, and I would just chalk it up to overly judgmental &#34;normal&#34; folk but it&#39;s actually coming from the ranks of the neurodivergent.<br/><br/>It’s just really weird to argue with somebody else’s self-identification. Not just weird: obnoxious. 2025-11-12T19:24:09Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqsq4hws4pn63jt7x0yrjy56dd456drvzhm0sm84hymqu892ar5kvgszyrknqq93h0ud2cg8ymm9s7ru40tcp3sxezk33yyd4glue84h0ujkj66fzwe In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsd86mf95y4w4jldtjepr22uulsq3ff0t3tzx3275r7ary8u3p8ytqus4zwr'>nevent1q…4zwr</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>From the former editor of the Politics desk and the (as of today) other former editor of the Politics desk. I worked with both of them.<br/> <img src="https://spaces.hcommons.social/media_attachments/files/115/487/899/085/146/215/original/c3ea30e8d77479fa.png"> <br/> <img src="https://spaces.hcommons.social/media_attachments/files/115/487/899/448/021/436/original/ea21f4e3982d28cf.jpeg"> <br/> 2025-11-03T21:31:41Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqsgvx20sgs6chhrcfzfjuhr8tyqwslpu54zvpc3myrhwy0p4sn0puszyrknqq93h0ud2cg8ymm9s7ru40tcp3sxezk33yyd4glue84h0ujkjq7drny This sounds really innocuous, but Teen Vogue just axed their whole politics desk — everybody working on it has been laid off. This is devastating: it was a publication with a lot of reach and it was consistent in how it spoke out against this administration. <br/><br/><a href="https://www.vogue.com/article/teen-vogue-is-joining-voguecom">https://www.vogue.com/article/teen-vogue-is-joining-voguecom</a> 2025-11-03T20:36:49Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqsy9057rk5m8sp5tc5ekeqf6lsyd6lmqfh6p27pqmc4ps858w9g70czyrknqq93h0ud2cg8ymm9s7ru40tcp3sxezk33yyd4glue84h0ujkj2wjvwd I sincerely wish that the people who defend PhD education were better at it.<br/><br/>A: this is objectively untrue just from a funding perspective. Either the author is painfully ignorant or writing in bad faith. <br/><br/>B: the author’s premise is that critical thinking/deep reading/PhD soft skills are valuable career skills, so it’s all fine. (Nevermind that even though they are, they’re not golden tickets, and they make a poor substitute for actual experience).<br/><br/>C: the author is a tenured professor of history; presumably she hasn’t entered a non-academic career in some time, and I find it maddening when people who haven’t done so presume to speak with a great deal of authority about it.<br/><br/>D: This is the most important thing of all: we’re never going to defend the merits of graduate education from a career metric standpoint. It’s a losing game, and one that only benefits people who want to eliminate or slash doctoral study. We need to make a case for knowledge as a cultural good.<br/> <img src="https://spaces.hcommons.social/media_attachments/files/115/468/505/758/044/587/original/224421dd313ab7b0.jpeg"> <br/> 2025-10-31T11:19:36Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqsyyh99ctvlyvlh0r94z8ggq0tcnmy4e3cckpk4s5sj5vyxh89rhhgzyrknqq93h0ud2cg8ymm9s7ru40tcp3sxezk33yyd4glue84h0ujkjmkzyj4 One of the things we need to be really clear on: the GOP and Trump are mining our history in order to build an updated Jim Crow. Our past history is going to be very instructive on this point. I wrote about that here for Dame.<br/><br/>Vaclav Havel made a point in Power of the Powerless that dictatorships need to be understood in terms of their own historicity: they came from somewhere. Our budding dictatorship of course resembles the state-level dictatorships that were sprinkled around this country.<br/><br/>The difference is that now, they&#39;re also trying to seed it from the top. It creates many more challenges, but we also have certain assets in how we can resist it -- if we don&#39;t let politicians lose their nerve and decide that accommodation is the way to go.<br/><br/><a href="https://www.damemagazine.com/2025/10/21/the-gops-new-new-jim-crow/">https://www.damemagazine.com/2025/10/21/the-gops-new-new-jim-crow/</a> 2025-10-21T15:28:27Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqsvk5qazmnqpgn73tpugtsg932h9ejkt9s5t2vsrzyuts2u2gmaezgzyrknqq93h0ud2cg8ymm9s7ru40tcp3sxezk33yyd4glue84h0ujkjlr8mnm My latest for Dame Magazine! In it, I offer some history of anti-authoritarian resistance and what we can draw on.<br/><br/>Based on the last few days, I&#39;m not feeling particularly sanguine about the path of electoral opposition: I think Dems as a party have no clue what exactly they want to do. Too many in the party want to pursue business as usual, and they&#39;re saving political capital for budget fights when Trump is trying to find ways to spend money without Congress at all. Others are really focused on decorum, which is absurd when faced with this administration. <br/><br/><a href="https://www.damemagazine.com/2025/03/06/anti-fascist-movements-have-succeeded-in-the-past-can-they-work-in-the-u-s/">https://www.damemagazine.com/2025/03/06/anti-fascist-movements-have-succeeded-in-the-past-can-they-work-in-the-u-s/</a> 2025-03-06T16:22:33Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqstme209zraw26xq2puj5tcmkfvgp2jg6snn7ldfp3h9jmemste67qzyrknqq93h0ud2cg8ymm9s7ru40tcp3sxezk33yyd4glue84h0ujkjz9yap3 In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqstxmp33xj4zxnr99r9vlugp9xltc79qk0ch6a04sedx5u88fdpmgq4eazyd'>nevent1q…azyd</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>Yes, he repented, and yes, he embraced pacifism, but he was not a passive bystander and took a lot longer than he should have to apologize for his own virulent anti-Semitism.<br/><br/>And ironically, there&#39;s a lot we could learn from somebody like him -- but as a fairly willing participant who wound up getting crushed by the engine he lashed himself to. 2025-02-19T12:12:36Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqstxmp33xj4zxnr99r9vlugp9xltc79qk0ch6a04sedx5u88fdpmgqzyrknqq93h0ud2cg8ymm9s7ru40tcp3sxezk33yyd4glue84h0ujkj0y2sjy That Martin Niemoller quote loses a lot of its power when you remember that Niemoller also kept volunteering to fight for the Nazis even after he&#39;d been imprisoned in Dachau, and then forbade church members from participating in denazification after the war. 2025-02-19T12:11:05Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqs89t35tm3ru73kdxtzqnascxxladn77v8ry2rdhlg6zlhs0pf6daczyrknqq93h0ud2cg8ymm9s7ru40tcp3sxezk33yyd4glue84h0ujkjn02e5c My latest piece of writing for <span itemprop="mentions" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/Person"><a itemprop="url" href="/npub1vq8nrza9wd4hsjss56m5ax634wnxqn6p4dxcy42hds7v08cxredqaym4d2" class="bg-lavender dark:prose:text-neutral-50 dark:text-neutral-50 dark:bg-garnet px-1"><span>DAME Magazine</span> (<span class="italic">npub1vq8…m4d2</span>)</a></span> on the LA fires, our historical responses to natural disasters, and what we need to do differently. <br/><br/>#history <br/>#journalism <br/><br/><a href="https://www.damemagazine.com/2025/01/23/disaster-preparedness-climate-crisis/">https://www.damemagazine.com/2025/01/23/disaster-preparedness-climate-crisis/</a> 2025-01-23T16:30:10Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqs9d89akp5sw4nwlgpv96r4qwjvn5y4ww80wlcnsdpws9fgx5n64ugzyrknqq93h0ud2cg8ymm9s7ru40tcp3sxezk33yyd4glue84h0ujkj0nw9zu Happy exploding whale day! On this day 54 years ago, the Oregon Highway Department decided that the best way to get rid of a rotting whale carcass was by dynamiting it.<br/><br/>In the words of this broadcaster (having the time of his life, clearly): “the blast blasted blubber beyond all believable bounds.”<br/><br/><a href="https://youtu.be/V6CLumsir34?si=s1GkjvGN5Ex0HnoA">https://youtu.be/V6CLumsir34?si=s1GkjvGN5Ex0HnoA</a> 2024-11-12T17:20:56Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqs095kzgu8tk2xl04a6pp3thc6dh9kpg9mnhx8ze2a9qnvjjp6y3tszyrknqq93h0ud2cg8ymm9s7ru40tcp3sxezk33yyd4glue84h0ujkjc5jhy6 I’m very much in a “bring back machine politics” place right now and digging this piece. <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/democratic-party-civic-life-local-membership/">https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/democratic-party-civic-life-local-membership/</a> 2024-11-11T18:16:55Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqs9wr2cy7vu5phx5cka4gkz6ws8k20zm8mkfacr85edzwyhlwk2qaszyrknqq93h0ud2cg8ymm9s7ru40tcp3sxezk33yyd4glue84h0ujkj6840gm I very plausibly live in the next Florida. Great piece.<br/><br/><a href="https://jewishcurrents.org/florida-is-everywhere">https://jewishcurrents.org/florida-is-everywhere</a> 2024-11-07T12:36:58Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqsd2qd4yf8gxku2pe5u2khx5q03lxverpeg3acc7uqrn3rsnt6cq2czyrknqq93h0ud2cg8ymm9s7ru40tcp3sxezk33yyd4glue84h0ujkje6rqyg Well, yesterday was a hell of a success amplifying that survey. If you need to reach STEM PhDs, this place is unparalleled. 2024-10-28T11:55:09Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqspdpkzxkxl28er5jlls7dw9g0vdzhhx38qjmxh0wdl87fafkqdf3szyrknqq93h0ud2cg8ymm9s7ru40tcp3sxezk33yyd4glue84h0ujkjqr3z3f Do you have a #PhD but work outside of #academia? Has it been several years since you finished? A friend and I are working on a book chapter about career transitions (what makes them easy, what makes them difficult) and we&#39;re capturing info. If you&#39;re interested, consider filling this out and boost! <br/><br/>#humanities<br/>#STEM<br/>#socialscience<br/><br/><a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/177tL7mkJ5712O5nTsbzJBNmXBX8PdMwPY3s1fo5JJys/edit?ts=66c7f0f9">https://docs.google.com/forms/d/177tL7mkJ5712O5nTsbzJBNmXBX8PdMwPY3s1fo5JJys/edit?ts=66c7f0f9</a> 2024-10-27T19:41:28Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqsra99cxfgmmkmqs4dkyzncczmdt62n8sldhel9av04clwqqhumsaszyrknqq93h0ud2cg8ymm9s7ru40tcp3sxezk33yyd4glue84h0ujkjtgjlzk The best way to filter unserious people out of your feed is to see who thinks Mars colonization is exciting or something that will definitely happen, or even should happen. <br/><br/><a href="https://defector.com/neither-elon-musk-nor-anybody-else-will-ever-colonize-mars">https://defector.com/neither-elon-musk-nor-anybody-else-will-ever-colonize-mars</a> 2024-10-17T14:59:12Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqsyfdcshgzs4jq843qcynh65rkkhrmz6qu09urudpxddcdh5pgln0qzyrknqq93h0ud2cg8ymm9s7ru40tcp3sxezk33yyd4glue84h0ujkj8gdts2 Whenever rock and roll songs are about rock and roll, they generally suck shit. 2024-10-17T12:29:15Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqs0y5krmqf6eld0ypatc9lef3s6e9zmyqck4ptg2g64a4zq9mdewaczyrknqq93h0ud2cg8ymm9s7ru40tcp3sxezk33yyd4glue84h0ujkjlad8z7 In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqspzv44azee8x8kppclyr3yvhtw9pzpld5kt6nkvq58c27awnea8ygzw5jpg'>nevent1q…5jpg</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>That’s horrifying, I’m so sorry. 2024-10-08T11:17:15Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqsq9n9yvxq3vwt8x6g0x356l48gmmp0lkvgmwza0qh2uz75ydxxe6czyrknqq93h0ud2cg8ymm9s7ru40tcp3sxezk33yyd4glue84h0ujkjua2yq9 In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsvamzvfkh5padwrgrauwykky08zr8tugr8a0qzz9ygue98a6e20cqeg82px'>nevent1q…82px</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>Indeed, they uncritically repeat the same shit! All the other parents referred to in this piece do the same thing: “I don’t understand, it came out of nowhere,” etc 2024-10-07T17:18:05Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqsyw7lntvjhq7hmuw4q5klt5j6fwm0jkju3ww72cj7y9lkwmwewf3qzyrknqq93h0ud2cg8ymm9s7ru40tcp3sxezk33yyd4glue84h0ujkjslgdgc Reading through these is morbidly fascinating because you can have a parent say to a kid that they’re going to Hell or that they dislike their partner or hate them for their sexuality, and then somebody else will comment on their relationship and say “I don’t know why they grew apart.”<br/> <img src="https://spaces.hcommons.social/media_attachments/files/113/266/824/095/859/510/original/7322fbee29ac671b.jpeg"> <br/> <img src="https://spaces.hcommons.social/media_attachments/files/113/266/824/438/438/329/original/7e33c07954537966.jpeg"> <br/> <img src="https://spaces.hcommons.social/media_attachments/files/113/266/824/779/403/906/original/aee8966077646288.jpeg"> <br/> 2024-10-07T15:23:10Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqsf8jlnvq38sfvgsrffn688qwsflh3sadmwjy5d062u4c7xrs5dpxczyrknqq93h0ud2cg8ymm9s7ru40tcp3sxezk33yyd4glue84h0ujkjwje9px In any remotely rational society, Sam Altman would be the kind of guy who shows up in town and lasts about ten minutes before being tarred and feathered and then dumped at the edge of town.<br/><br/>Good piece. &#34;AI&#34; is trash.<br/><br/><a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/2024/09/28/1104588/sorry-ai-wont-fix-climate-change/">https://www.technologyreview.com/2024/09/28/1104588/sorry-ai-wont-fix-climate-change/</a> 2024-10-06T20:29:25Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqsvutu77dpehdzh27g4qv9fv9he8gx3mcygxrxxxgh8qxflshynavqzyrknqq93h0ud2cg8ymm9s7ru40tcp3sxezk33yyd4glue84h0ujkjn7hp98 Whether or not you suffered through that Atlantic piece this week about reading and high-school students, this is an excellent read from a teacher that was interviewed for it. <br/><br/><a href="https://cmsthomas.substack.com/p/the-atlantic-did-me-dirty">https://cmsthomas.substack.com/p/the-atlantic-did-me-dirty</a> 2024-10-06T13:59:58Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqsq7t5agjdf43tw4keefcgv659cqepj9sxyzmrhzs0pq8fsjgt5q9gzyrknqq93h0ud2cg8ymm9s7ru40tcp3sxezk33yyd4glue84h0ujkj6449uh In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsv5nurw45tkczmu234n7gtw04m47pz7d0r3xrhesjuyvjccdgerwgymyheg'>nevent1q…yheg</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>Is this the first campaign he’s run? 2024-09-28T19:38:04Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqsygm4x7egp3ynwpl2kxrn9qwayc9msvxq744m8mqac62emvwr8e8czyrknqq93h0ud2cg8ymm9s7ru40tcp3sxezk33yyd4glue84h0ujkjndqepw In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsryqyktu6ks6ldygx0dvtyfjg9jrsw40ysz4lj0yfhnz9zmlpul2cykr5v6'>nevent1q…r5v6</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>That’s a hell of a hook. 2024-09-28T19:32:43Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqstwwl7jkpc8z3pwxsujkq5z0kxv39jkmuu0v4l90m5jcrlqd2lf7czyrknqq93h0ud2cg8ymm9s7ru40tcp3sxezk33yyd4glue84h0ujkj94c27e The Boomer panic of the mid-2000s where they warned us never to put anything online because employers would use it against us in job applications is hilarious. Every job gets 147 applicants, we’re lucky if we can get somebody to even read a resume. I’d kill for that level of scrutiny. 2024-09-25T21:25:03Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqsx70vz9clfp0rtfd5hnjle7dvt59ga4mujfs5eudcfkll85xpva5qzyrknqq93h0ud2cg8ymm9s7ru40tcp3sxezk33yyd4glue84h0ujkjxpcn8q Well, Facebook won&#39;t restrain the tide of misinformation anywhere else, but it will take down a nearly year-old article from me about the KKK in the 1920s. Bravo, Meta.<br/> <img src="https://spaces.hcommons.social/media_attachments/files/113/198/258/583/153/253/original/a1d61cae7818c8df.png"> <br/> 2024-09-25T12:46:47Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqs2m0v8tjpkwn03d30vqzrl5kac25pz7fwlhqjw3kpvv5w9ta9vksgzyrknqq93h0ud2cg8ymm9s7ru40tcp3sxezk33yyd4glue84h0ujkjq85rvn A good friend wrote this piece and it&#39;s had me thinking ever since about the unwillingness of white liberals to turn their back on white reactionaries. What sustained Rhodesia for a decade and a half were people who disagreed with the UDI government but thought they could politely sway them.<br/><br/>It&#39;s such a dangerous facet of white supremacy -- even white people who reject it are loathe to push back against their supremacist peers. They need to make allowances for them and hope that they see the light.<br/><br/><a href="https://africasacountry.com/2024/09/the-dangers-of-white-totalitarianism">https://africasacountry.com/2024/09/the-dangers-of-white-totalitarianism</a> 2024-09-24T20:10:23Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqsw82g7ce3wr93gxthn6m59rzem4f240ndn3enfjzkzlecj4na9frgzyrknqq93h0ud2cg8ymm9s7ru40tcp3sxezk33yyd4glue84h0ujkjl5xnw3 Really worthwhile read on all of the ways that Sparta was a mediocrity even in warfare, and utterly unworthy of admiration for pretty much anything else. The unpleasant armchair general nerds who revere Sparta today are dipshits.<br/><br/><a href="https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/07/22/sparta-popular-culture-united-states-military-bad-history/">https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/07/22/sparta-popular-culture-united-states-military-bad-history/</a> 2024-09-24T02:11:25Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqs97elx8xk7rym32shwnp9rqhvjn720wqprle20lu70hkau3a3r2dqzyrknqq93h0ud2cg8ymm9s7ru40tcp3sxezk33yyd4glue84h0ujkj0yvgka In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqs27pw7vmgam37dc54dx6xuzw6qqprnxnner6srljkpeqpej37xslcp68ukt'>nevent1q…8ukt</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>Discipline and Punish 2024-09-22T02:09:33Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqsdp84v2dpnpwgajxfmf4jwd3fsn35muwwac400udq4gegqzxjz7rszyrknqq93h0ud2cg8ymm9s7ru40tcp3sxezk33yyd4glue84h0ujkja6ux0j In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsrr2qdn2cq76gr0mn7379zw6sn0gpt2cxe6czxjx57e35ycjeftrsyckav5'>nevent1q…kav5</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>???<br/><br/><a href="https://www.thetimes.com/profile/james-marriott">https://www.thetimes.com/profile/james-marriott</a> 2024-09-12T21:29:22Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqsz7ckgmrquunsnq8y5wgfl2h2nw0xswz0u7un2t3zhew4zz5v4ttgzyrknqq93h0ud2cg8ymm9s7ru40tcp3sxezk33yyd4glue84h0ujkj297pkc I can’t imagine the level of mediocre entitlement that leads to “painters have too much prestige.” Like it’s not enough that creatives are broke, the problem is that they’re likable and respected.<br/> <img src="https://spaces.hcommons.social/media_attachments/files/113/126/059/947/445/685/original/83bbc35ce36fb4ed.jpeg"> <br/> 2024-09-12T18:44:50Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqsfmyln7r7k3mr6cvlrcgp7je2cel2cjha3xy9qxpx3j9cpsqe4w0gzyrknqq93h0ud2cg8ymm9s7ru40tcp3sxezk33yyd4glue84h0ujkjpuxc9u Going through the records of the AFL-CIO’s South Africa correspondence, I once found a memo with a handwritten note. In all caps, it read “GET ME ALL THE INFO YOU CAN ON CHUBBY CHICKEN!!!” and I’ve been haunted by my failure to learn more about what prompted this. 2024-09-05T01:59:27Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqs80rg2amwfc5yue8dnmf630d6x7m7eghzqg89qhvsz2dvpfdey6jszyrknqq93h0ud2cg8ymm9s7ru40tcp3sxezk33yyd4glue84h0ujkj9tqfwx In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqs06anqmgtynps7uw9cvx6su2zg63gh8r8cw44urjla3hcxgpqyhfc84nddw'>nevent1q…nddw</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>Unfortunately, this does limit who will show up here. Creatives have an ambivalent relationship with this platform (game devs are an exception), and yeah, I think all of the people who shout at them over “self-promoting” or “acting like influencers” didn’t help. Journalists didn’t really like it here. 2024-09-04T18:37:54Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqs06anqmgtynps7uw9cvx6su2zg63gh8r8cw44urjla3hcxgpqyhfczyrknqq93h0ud2cg8ymm9s7ru40tcp3sxezk33yyd4glue84h0ujkjn2erxp One of the nicer things about Mastodon in 2024 is that people seem to have given up on it being the Twitter alternative. I don’t mean that they’ve given up (though goddamn, that 2022 drop-off), but I haven’t seen the outpouring of “why aren’t more Brazilians joining!” that I would have gotten a year ago. <br/><br/>For better and for worse, this place has a lot of friction, but it functions best when people acknowledges that the friction exists and try to use it to keep away spammers and general shittiness rather than shouting about how other people are doing it wrong. 2024-09-04T18:35:41Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqsq7kpr3d8kseyn2hhen9cyahdupq58sh809u9mtcmgunmge8ahwaczyrknqq93h0ud2cg8ymm9s7ru40tcp3sxezk33yyd4glue84h0ujkjnfynsu Again and again, people act like this technology is inevitable somehow, but it spits out absolute bullshit, is ludicrously expensive to operate, contributes to misinformation, and to fully utilize we would have to remake our whole power grid. <br/><br/><a href="https://pivot-to-ai.com/2024/08/23/microsoft-tries-to-launder-responsibility-for-copilot-ai-calling-someone-a-child-abuser/">https://pivot-to-ai.com/2024/08/23/microsoft-tries-to-launder-responsibility-for-copilot-ai-calling-someone-a-child-abuser/</a> 2024-08-27T09:41:03Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqsyw4lvkddt3wckavs52ejemr0fxgp6qngs06rf9kcgdclz65kq9tgzyrknqq93h0ud2cg8ymm9s7ru40tcp3sxezk33yyd4glue84h0ujkjv8djf6 In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqspw5ql85axrxf0fdkjvy4c9f8tylge0my76wk4yf3esll4vh02jsgj7qdmx'>nevent1q…qdmx</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>There&#39;s a whole essay I want to write on how the Kinks&#39; discography basically anticipated the next 50+ years of British politics and the weird grievance/nostalgia that has animated it. 2024-08-26T16:36:42Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqsxvplzn9gmg3ps34ja9kqwyq06t3txdfe3t4y046z92lp0a8g3lcqzyrknqq93h0ud2cg8ymm9s7ru40tcp3sxezk33yyd4glue84h0ujkjjlpatz In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsf7cx3uk3hfdfky5v46uaq3l65da36564rn0uf84ysv9dq342zzsq5urudl'>nevent1q…rudl</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>I also like the Kinks&#39; output in whereas I don&#39;t like Oasis: the novelty is how much they detest each other. 2024-08-26T16:33:32Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqspkl2fzn2y5fy3qy0phd93cvv5v6g3y4wqycwaptk2esjr2f55nzqzyrknqq93h0ud2cg8ymm9s7ru40tcp3sxezk33yyd4glue84h0ujkj5je4l4 In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsqxfw37cqu3nxzh99dr9fs36zr4x7lyy74t2wdunpf4a95zus6s7gryrgwe'>nevent1q…rgwe</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>We can only hope the Davies keep feuding 2024-08-26T16:06:12Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqsyd5h4dyff2sf240pfqvw36892p27gnemzuesgjrmp6sawruhk6lszyrknqq93h0ud2cg8ymm9s7ru40tcp3sxezk33yyd4glue84h0ujkjwupjph But the Gallaghers were so much better at feuding than making music. 2024-08-26T15:35:17Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqsf2tvx2f40l3tkc86gp2ys8za9c4rw268p5jgx57042j8z246dwqszyrknqq93h0ud2cg8ymm9s7ru40tcp3sxezk33yyd4glue84h0ujkjcclqdg In moving accounts last night, it&#39;s striking how many of my followers/follows were totally inactive. I cut my follow list in half last night, but not because I was looking to get rid of anybody: I just didn&#39;t see much point in following accounts that posted three times eighteen months ago and haven&#39;t since.<br/><br/>The Mastodon drop off was real, ya&#39;ll. 2024-08-25T15:25:07Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqsraxf0qcl59s7vf7520vyhvxhag2p9gsj3tedx88dvm8hjg8kjm2gzyrknqq93h0ud2cg8ymm9s7ru40tcp3sxezk33yyd4glue84h0ujkjv0prvp In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqstrhu7q8ly5jamr3408395y507qr6n6l5tadcj07e5vum8835sqmggqrdcl'>nevent1q…rdcl</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>Plagiarized from another account, sadly (I follow her on Bsky)<br/> <img src="https://spaces.hcommons.social/media_attachments/files/113/022/067/883/947/512/original/326a7324ef2c71ec.png"> <br/> 2024-08-25T09:58:17Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqsf3qljrqqlkecth2y5zzpgcj0rvkzae6kzaxcetdvpynd7rhpdmqgzyrknqq93h0ud2cg8ymm9s7ru40tcp3sxezk33yyd4glue84h0ujkj0aefhw Ok, time to dust off the old #introduction, seeing how I&#39;ve got a new instance to be on. New instance, sort of a fresh start, maybe meet some new folks.<br/><br/>Hello! My name is Zeb and I&#39;m a long-time #humanities person. I exist in kind of a weird space professionally: I have a PhD in #history and wanted to go into academia, but the godawful job market drove me into a completely different profession: software engineering.<br/><br/>Today, I #write for fun on a freelance basis, look for ways to work as a public humanities person, and of course sling code. <br/><br/>I also spend a fair amount of time shitposting, deep-diving into the #music I&#39;m passionate about, being mean to #academia, and posting about #politics, particularly leftist politics. <br/><br/>I&#39;ll post my writing here as I publish things, though I&#39;m in a bit of a fallow period at the moment: I&#39;ve got a baby on the way imminently and I&#39;m between book manuscripts atm. But I&#39;m looking forward to getting back to pitching soon. 2024-08-25T00:01:27Z