Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Christopher Pittard

Ted McCormick @tedmccormick.bsky.social · 19h

A striking thing about articles I’ve read claiming to “study the effects” of generative AI on student writing skills and consumption of information is that (1) they nearly always find the effects are negative and (2) most “conclusions” are still written assuming that we must use AI, for some reason.

25 520 1.5K

Christopher Pittard @christopherpittard.bsky.social · 13h

Also, my thoughts are with the managers of Fitzcarraldo Editions in this difficult time.

1

Christopher Pittard @christopherpittard.bsky.social · 13h

It’s that time of year when the Nobel Prize committee releases a single sentence prize justification that sounds exactly like they haven’t actually done the reading. www.bbc.com/news/article...

Hungarian author László Krasznahorkai wins Nobel Prize for Literature

He was recognised “for his compelling and visionary oeuvre that, in the midst of apocalyptic terror, reaffirms the power of art”.

www.bbc.com

1 2

Christopher Pittard @christopherpittard.bsky.social · 1d

‘Middlemarch of the Cybermen.’

Christopher Pittard @christopherpittard.bsky.social · 1d

Lionel Gadsden was an actor born in London in 1879, meaning that he lived in the same city as George Eliot and Wilkie Collins. His final acting job was on *Doctor Who.*

rax ‘levon honkers’ king @raxkingisdead.bsky.social · 2d

you ever think about those real weird overlaps. like tennessee williams might have listened to the ramones

1 9

Reposted by Christopher Pittard

Research Society for Victorian Periodicals @rs4vp.org · 1d

Are you doing #19thC attribution research? Do you have DH skills and nowhere to use them? YOU could be the next editor of the Curran Index! We're still accepting applications thru next week on 15 Oct. Lead this ongoing + fully supported DH project into its next iteration! rs4vp.org/curran-edito...

Lead the Curran Index as Our New Editor – RSVP

RSVP seeks a new Editor or Editors to lead the Curran Index! Applications should be sent to VP Alison Chapman by October 15.

rs4vp.org

6 5

Christopher Pittard @christopherpittard.bsky.social · 1d

Exactly. In my introductory Crime Writing seminar last week I showed exactly how ChatGPT had badly misrepresented my work on detective fiction, and told students that by not relying on AI they would be the people getting the jobs to fix its costly mistakes.

David Higgins @davidhiggins.bsky.social · 1d

A Gen AI argument I hate:

‘We disadvantage our students if we don’t teach them to use it “responsibly”’

For fuck’s sake, no.

1: it can’t be used responsibly
2: it’s antithetical to what makes humanities work worthwhile: critical thinking, deep research, self expression, self reflection, etc.

2 15

Christopher Pittard @christopherpittard.bsky.social · 1d

I would also not be surprised if Storm Thorgerson had seen 'The Flypaper' and some of those long shots across the fields towards Ely stuck in the back of his mind when designing the cover for Pink Floyd's *The Division Bell.*

1

Christopher Pittard @christopherpittard.bsky.social · 1d

Happened to catch a repeat of 'The Flypaper' from *Tales of the Unexpected* this evening. It's brilliant how it lures you into thinking you've got the twist worked out, but you haven't. The cinematography is also excellent - Ely Cathedral looks positively malign in it.

2 3

Reposted by Christopher Pittard

Prof Damien Page @profdamienpage.bsky.social · 2d

I miss the days when higher education was seen as a social good, a national treasure. When the social, cultural and intellectual contribution of higher education was valued as highly as economic contribution. When students from poorer backgrounds had proper financial support. When the humanities 1/

2 18 63

Christopher Pittard @christopherpittard.bsky.social · 1d

Lionel Gadsden was an actor born in London in 1879, meaning that he lived in the same city as George Eliot and Wilkie Collins. His final acting job was on *Doctor Who.*

rax ‘levon honkers’ king @raxkingisdead.bsky.social · 2d

you ever think about those real weird overlaps. like tennessee williams might have listened to the ramones

1 15

Reposted by Christopher Pittard

Ben Davies @bendavies.bsky.social · 1d

No reason for reposting today...

University English @univeng.bsky.social · Jun 3

2 2

Christopher Pittard @christopherpittard.bsky.social · 1d

On a related note, one of the things I liked about the new Alan Partridge episode was how it reminded the nation of Rishi Sunak's "do you work in business?" visit to a homeless shelter.

5

Christopher Pittard @christopherpittard.bsky.social · 1d

I'm old enough to remember the time when you couldn't go through Heathrow without seeing several massive posters about the cultural industries as a UK asset.

Naomi Alderman @naomialderman.bsky.social · 1d

Not to mention performing arts! The UK has some of the best talent in the world in film and TV. Not just actors but producers, lighting, ADs, makeup, costume, casting. High-end production companies come from around the world to make stuff here. Performing arts is a *massive industry for Britain*.

5

Reposted by Christopher Pittard

danishpasty66.bsky.social @danishpasty66.bsky.social · 1d

Yeah. Who needs English?

8 36 240

Reposted by Christopher Pittard

Plashing Vole @plashingvole.bsky.social · 1d

In a woodcut released today the Guild of Thieves and Cutpurses declared that enforcement of regulations against Thieving and Pursecutting would ‘devastate a growth industry’ and damage the economy.

The Verge @theverge.com · May 26

Nick Clegg says asking artists for use permission would ‘kill’ the AI industry

Paul McCartne, Elton John and others signed an open letter.

buff.ly

10 140 390

Christopher Pittard @christopherpittard.bsky.social · 1d

"Why do so many young people want to go to university?" wails the mediocre leader of a party which spent 14 years in government telling young people that unless they got graduate jobs in finance they were less than human.

2 3 54

Christopher Pittard @christopherpittard.bsky.social · 1d

The Conservatives: “Tough on Books, Tough on the Causes of Books.”

2 5 18

Reposted by Christopher Pittard

Miller on the Threshold @iammilliam.bsky.social · 1d

Rishi Sunak’s drive to increase respect for maths in schools was strongly influenced by his not being able to compute fiction as a schoolboy. These fuckers resent the massive popular success of art.

2 3 21

Christopher Pittard @christopherpittard.bsky.social · 3d

I just spotted this. Terrible, sad news.

Reposted by Christopher Pittard

Spooky Hispanic pixie dream girl @bocadelperro.bsky.social · 4d

Bought a (very highly rated) bunch of new canning lids after making applesauce (58 pints this year, and that's after cider fest). Honestly I'm a little nervous about opening it, since I don't wanna unleash the Götterdammerung.

A package of canning lids with the name "Fenrir"

1 1 9

Christopher Pittard @christopherpittard.bsky.social · 4d

Mark McGurl, *Everything and Less*. It’s interesting, but the diagrams don’t add anything.

1 1

Christopher Pittard @christopherpittard.bsky.social · 4d

I see that jokily unhelpful LRB bio notes are back. If Julian Barnes can take the time to explain who he is, so can you.

An LRB bio note reading “Jessica Olin lives in Massachusetts.” Great, but who’s Jessica Olin?

1

Christopher Pittard @christopherpittard.bsky.social · 4d

I should point out that this is not Eugenie Brinkema’s *Life Destroying Diagrams*, which is an excellent book (and one I draw upon in my recent reading of the magic diagram in *Cranford*).

1

Christopher Pittard @christopherpittard.bsky.social · 4d

Reading a literary criticism/literary sociology book which includes diagrams with free floating categories, and to be honest it reminds me a bit of this.

2 4

Christopher Pittard @christopherpittard.bsky.social · 5d

In 2023, there were Easter eggs in the shops on the day before my birthday. My birthday is in late December. Why this calendrical accelerationism?

1