Dot Porter
@leoba.bsky.social
Medievalist, digital humanist, and wannabe booklicker.
I'm here to post memes and yell about manuscripts.
See also @sims-mss.bsky.social
I speak for myself and not for my employer
I'm here to post memes and yell about manuscripts.
See also @sims-mss.bsky.social
I speak for myself and not for my employer
Pinned
Dot Porter
@leoba.bsky.social
· Apr 3
I love EVERYTHING about manuscripts but mostly I love that they were made by people - that every part of them, from the substrate to the ink to the ideas behind the words on the page to the thread that holds the codex together - were made by the hands and minds of people.
Reposted by Dot Porter
Faces looking at us looking at them
Basel, Universitätsbibliothek, B V 16; Epiphanius Latinus (?), Interpretatio evangeliorum (chap. 18-62); 1st half of the 9th century; probably Upper Rhine region; f.66r (e-codices.ch/en/list/one/...)
Basel, Universitätsbibliothek, B V 16; Epiphanius Latinus (?), Interpretatio evangeliorum (chap. 18-62); 1st half of the 9th century; probably Upper Rhine region; f.66r (e-codices.ch/en/list/one/...)
November 26, 2025 at 9:21 PM
Faces looking at us looking at them
Basel, Universitätsbibliothek, B V 16; Epiphanius Latinus (?), Interpretatio evangeliorum (chap. 18-62); 1st half of the 9th century; probably Upper Rhine region; f.66r (e-codices.ch/en/list/one/...)
Basel, Universitätsbibliothek, B V 16; Epiphanius Latinus (?), Interpretatio evangeliorum (chap. 18-62); 1st half of the 9th century; probably Upper Rhine region; f.66r (e-codices.ch/en/list/one/...)
Reposted by Dot Porter
A fun afternoon yesterday with the @rialibrary.bsky.social Stowe Missal! MS D ii 3 dates to the late 8th/early 9th centuries, and contains excerpts from the Gospel of St John and a Latin Missal. The last folio features Irish charms to protect against loss of eyesight and urinal diseases! 📜🎉
November 26, 2025 at 2:36 PM
A fun afternoon yesterday with the @rialibrary.bsky.social Stowe Missal! MS D ii 3 dates to the late 8th/early 9th centuries, and contains excerpts from the Gospel of St John and a Latin Missal. The last folio features Irish charms to protect against loss of eyesight and urinal diseases! 📜🎉
Reposted by Dot Porter
Pope Leo XIV told students not to use artificial intelligence for homework, saying that AI ‘won’t stand in authentic wonder before the beauty of God’s creation.’
Even God Is Worried About ChatGPT
Pope Leo XIV told students not to use artificial intelligence for homework, saying that AI ‘won’t stand in authentic wonder before the beauty of God’s creation.’
www.vulture.com
November 26, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Pope Leo XIV told students not to use artificial intelligence for homework, saying that AI ‘won’t stand in authentic wonder before the beauty of God’s creation.’
Reposted by Dot Porter
Anybody who is like “Piracy is activism!”—trust me, supporting your local library is about 1000% more effective activism, and it’s still free for you and authors still get paid!
November 26, 2025 at 8:02 PM
Anybody who is like “Piracy is activism!”—trust me, supporting your local library is about 1000% more effective activism, and it’s still free for you and authors still get paid!
Reposted by Dot Porter
Which breed of dog can create print-ready proofs?
A Type Setter.
A Type Setter.
November 26, 2025 at 6:58 PM
Which breed of dog can create print-ready proofs?
A Type Setter.
A Type Setter.
Reposted by Dot Porter
I've seen people say that getting attached to ChatGPT is like "believing the stripper really loves you", but that's not true. It's more like believing that the dryer personally composed that little jingle on a lonely sockless night just to win your affections.
November 26, 2025 at 1:55 AM
I've seen people say that getting attached to ChatGPT is like "believing the stripper really loves you", but that's not true. It's more like believing that the dryer personally composed that little jingle on a lonely sockless night just to win your affections.
Reposted by Dot Porter
Reposted by Dot Porter
I wish I didn’t have to share this. But the BBC has decided to censor my first Reith Lecture.
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
November 25, 2025 at 9:26 AM
I wish I didn’t have to share this. But the BBC has decided to censor my first Reith Lecture.
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
Reposted by Dot Porter
The @medievalacademy.bsky.social Leyerle-CARA Prize supports the research of an MAA member who needs to consult materials available at the University of Toronto. This includes all it collections, including the vast network of U of T Libraries. Apply by January 31!
bit.ly/3KdqOwW
bit.ly/3KdqOwW
November 24, 2025 at 7:28 PM
The @medievalacademy.bsky.social Leyerle-CARA Prize supports the research of an MAA member who needs to consult materials available at the University of Toronto. This includes all it collections, including the vast network of U of T Libraries. Apply by January 31!
bit.ly/3KdqOwW
bit.ly/3KdqOwW
Reposted by Dot Porter
Again, I’ll repeat.
Archaeology shows us that people have always, always modified, altered and changed things - buildings, monuments, places - for their own present needs. Prehistoric Barrows built on, medieval castles changed, late medieval sculpture slighted during Refomation
It’s what we do!!!
Archaeology shows us that people have always, always modified, altered and changed things - buildings, monuments, places - for their own present needs. Prehistoric Barrows built on, medieval castles changed, late medieval sculpture slighted during Refomation
It’s what we do!!!
'Responding to the decision, Devine, 80, said: “In principle I am opposed to changing historic artefacts to suit today’s tastes. To do so is presentism, imposing 20th-century values on those of the distant past.'
'20th-century'? Bit of an own goal Sir T.
'20th-century'? Bit of an own goal Sir T.
Historian attacks ‘ludicrous’ changes to statues with slavery links
Professor Sir Tom Devine, an emeritus professor at Edinburgh University, said he was opposed to changing artefacts to suit modern sensibilities
www.thetimes.com
November 24, 2025 at 9:21 AM
Again, I’ll repeat.
Archaeology shows us that people have always, always modified, altered and changed things - buildings, monuments, places - for their own present needs. Prehistoric Barrows built on, medieval castles changed, late medieval sculpture slighted during Refomation
It’s what we do!!!
Archaeology shows us that people have always, always modified, altered and changed things - buildings, monuments, places - for their own present needs. Prehistoric Barrows built on, medieval castles changed, late medieval sculpture slighted during Refomation
It’s what we do!!!
Reposted by Dot Porter
Trying to get us to advertise as: "No AI, small classes, people-first." Or something similar.
Who invests in critical thinking and who invests in an AI chatbot to help you think will be really telling.
November 23, 2025 at 7:39 PM
Trying to get us to advertise as: "No AI, small classes, people-first." Or something similar.
Post a movie where you are from
November 23, 2025 at 9:10 PM
Post a movie where you are from
Reposted by Dot Porter
One thing I really wish for my trans and NB siblings is that they can just live their lives and do normal stuff rather than have to be plugged into batshit hateful discourse every five seconds and make everything about their identities and right to exist as they are.
November 22, 2025 at 1:30 PM
One thing I really wish for my trans and NB siblings is that they can just live their lives and do normal stuff rather than have to be plugged into batshit hateful discourse every five seconds and make everything about their identities and right to exist as they are.
Reposted by Dot Porter
PLEASE, retail workers
from a religious minority living under Christian hegemony year-round
(factcheck: true)
the public space stuff this time of year is a lot
(though I'd 100% take public Christmas but w/national abortion access if playing forced choice, ofc)
PLEASE DO THIS
it is a kindness
from a religious minority living under Christian hegemony year-round
(factcheck: true)
the public space stuff this time of year is a lot
(though I'd 100% take public Christmas but w/national abortion access if playing forced choice, ofc)
PLEASE DO THIS
it is a kindness
When I worked at a bookstore, I quickly learned that people cannot tell the difference between Xmas music and any Baroque or Elizabethan music album that doesn't get too organ-ish. I used this to my advantage.
One customer caught on... AND THANKED ME
One customer caught on... AND THANKED ME
If we had to hear “Baby Shark” everywhere we went for two whole months out of the year we’d throw a fit, right?
And rightfully so.
So tell me, why do we put up with it when the song is “Frosty the Snowman”?
And rightfully so.
So tell me, why do we put up with it when the song is “Frosty the Snowman”?
November 22, 2025 at 5:21 AM
PLEASE, retail workers
from a religious minority living under Christian hegemony year-round
(factcheck: true)
the public space stuff this time of year is a lot
(though I'd 100% take public Christmas but w/national abortion access if playing forced choice, ofc)
PLEASE DO THIS
it is a kindness
from a religious minority living under Christian hegemony year-round
(factcheck: true)
the public space stuff this time of year is a lot
(though I'd 100% take public Christmas but w/national abortion access if playing forced choice, ofc)
PLEASE DO THIS
it is a kindness
Reposted by Dot Porter
PSA: take your turkey out of the freezer, kittens.
November 22, 2025 at 1:21 PM
PSA: take your turkey out of the freezer, kittens.
I'm starting to plan for a family vacation this summer (Leeds-Edinburgh-Glasgow) and the lack of information about bathtubs in the various booking apps (we require one) is really annoying me.
November 22, 2025 at 10:44 AM
I'm starting to plan for a family vacation this summer (Leeds-Edinburgh-Glasgow) and the lack of information about bathtubs in the various booking apps (we require one) is really annoying me.
Reposted by Dot Porter
I am by no means a prominent public intellectual, but my inbox is increasingly filled with messages from people who have been convinced by sycophantic chatbots that they have discovered revolutionary theories that entirely upend our scientific understanding of the universe.
November 21, 2025 at 2:49 AM
I am by no means a prominent public intellectual, but my inbox is increasingly filled with messages from people who have been convinced by sycophantic chatbots that they have discovered revolutionary theories that entirely upend our scientific understanding of the universe.
Reposted by Dot Porter
To “my students and to anyone who might listen, I say: Don’t surrender to AI your ability to read, write and think when others once risked their lives and died for the freedom to do so.”
www.huffpost.com/entry/histor...
www.huffpost.com/entry/histor...
I Set A Trap To Catch My Students Cheating With AI. The Results Were Shocking.
"Students are not just undermining their ability to learn, but to someday lead."
www.huffpost.com
November 21, 2025 at 12:22 AM
To “my students and to anyone who might listen, I say: Don’t surrender to AI your ability to read, write and think when others once risked their lives and died for the freedom to do so.”
www.huffpost.com/entry/histor...
www.huffpost.com/entry/histor...
Reposted by Dot Porter
Medieval "Piss-Prophets" who would taste urine using a "urine wheel" have entered the chat.
November 20, 2025 at 10:40 PM
Medieval "Piss-Prophets" who would taste urine using a "urine wheel" have entered the chat.
Reposted by Dot Porter
Every time the shocking, perplexing tactic of “giving money to people who need it” is tried, it turns out to work.
And yet people who have more money than they could ever need remain baffled.
And yet people who have more money than they could ever need remain baffled.
An Oregon pilot program giving cash to homeless youths sees a staggering reduction in homelessness. The program gave participants $1,000 cash payments each month for two years, and at the end of the project's first phase, 91% of participants reported being in stable housing.
Oregon pilot program giving cash to homeless youths sees staggering reduction in homelessness
The state program gave participants $1,000 cash payments each month for two years. At the end of the project's first phase, 91% of participants reported being in stable housing.
www.streetroots.org
November 21, 2025 at 8:04 AM
Every time the shocking, perplexing tactic of “giving money to people who need it” is tried, it turns out to work.
And yet people who have more money than they could ever need remain baffled.
And yet people who have more money than they could ever need remain baffled.
Reposted by Dot Porter
How have books shaped the way we think? In January Anna Somfai will teach an online short course on books about science and philosophy in the Middle Ages. Book now 👇 #MedievalSky @ies-sas.bsky.social @warburginstitute.bsky.social @sas-news.bsky.social palaeography.uk/study/short-...
Medieval Philosophical and Scientific Manuscripts – an online short course taught by Anna Somfai
This course will run online from 14:00-17:00: Monday 26 January – Thursday 29 January 2026. The course explores medieval Western philosophical and scientific manuscripts produced over the spa…
palaeography.uk
November 21, 2025 at 10:39 AM
How have books shaped the way we think? In January Anna Somfai will teach an online short course on books about science and philosophy in the Middle Ages. Book now 👇 #MedievalSky @ies-sas.bsky.social @warburginstitute.bsky.social @sas-news.bsky.social palaeography.uk/study/short-...
Reposted by Dot Porter
Are you interested in how people thought about the past in Middle Ages? Want to understand the books they wrote about it? We have an online short course for you! Book now for January 2026 👇 #MedievalSky palaeography.uk/study/short-...
Writing History c. 1000-1250: An Introduction to the Manuscript Sources – a short course taught by Charlie Rozier, Manuel Muñoz García and Laura Cleaver
The course will run online from 14:00-17:00: Monday 26 January – Thursday 29 January 2026. The past was a popular subject for writers in the eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth centuries, partic…
palaeography.uk
November 21, 2025 at 10:35 AM
Are you interested in how people thought about the past in Middle Ages? Want to understand the books they wrote about it? We have an online short course for you! Book now for January 2026 👇 #MedievalSky palaeography.uk/study/short-...
Reposted by Dot Porter
And the news is... We're recruiting! Applications are now open for our 2026 @leverhulme.ac.uk Doctoral Scholarships. So, if you want to study at PhD level pre-modern handwritten cultures and the organisation of knowledge and power within them, do investigate our refreshed website.
November 21, 2025 at 9:30 AM
And the news is... We're recruiting! Applications are now open for our 2026 @leverhulme.ac.uk Doctoral Scholarships. So, if you want to study at PhD level pre-modern handwritten cultures and the organisation of knowledge and power within them, do investigate our refreshed website.
A great question! Many manuscripts in Penn's collections reflect various types of unfinished illustrations and initials. But why?
Let’s talk about unfinished parts in medieval and early modern manuscripts. Why would you chose to not finish, for example, a figure on an illuminated manuscript page? The lower body part of the man on the left is only drawn, no colours at all… #bookhistory
November 20, 2025 at 2:44 PM
A great question! Many manuscripts in Penn's collections reflect various types of unfinished illustrations and initials. But why?
Reposted by Dot Porter
When you really need to stress where the most important bit of the text is - 15th century, Avignon, Bibliothèque Ceccano - 1094, f. 195v
November 19, 2025 at 5:37 AM
When you really need to stress where the most important bit of the text is - 15th century, Avignon, Bibliothèque Ceccano - 1094, f. 195v