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Michael Ann, spooky, scary, spooky scary halloween femme

@michaelann.bsky.social

1.4K followers 460 following 2.2K posts

Online Communities, Social Tech, Folk Theories, Epistemic Justice, Queer/Trans HCI. Assistant Prof of Computer Science & Comm Studies @ Northeastern University. @nusealab.bsky.social director. Neurodivergent, trans woman, wife girl, femme lesbian, dork.

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Michael Ann, spooky, scary, spooky scary halloween femme @michaelann.bsky.social · May 13

Hi, I'm Michael Ann, and I'm a Computer Science professor and longtime shitposter! I work on improving social technology. The shitposting is below, the science I'm responsible for is on my site:

- Epistemic Justice: wp.me/P2O4Fr-hN
- Folk Theorization: wp.me/P2O4Fr-9m
- Queer HCI: wp.me/P2O4Fr-9s

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Michael Ann, spooky, scary, spooky scary halloween femme @michaelann.bsky.social · 12h

I think a lust for cruelty is kinda a red flag, no matter who it's pointed towards. Fights are necessary sometimes - often, even! But ideally, you're not *happy* that you're having to be harsh or even cruel - you're a bit horrified by it, necessary as it might be in a given situation.

Michael Ann, spooky, scary, spooky scary halloween femme @michaelann.bsky.social · 12h

I can't stand folks who just really, really enjoy cruelty. And it's not always obvious who this is - some people are very talented at picking targets that no one will stand up for, or that "have it coming," and we ignore the lust for cruelty because we see it as justified in those cases.

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Michael Ann, spooky, scary, spooky scary halloween femme @michaelann.bsky.social · 12h

Trying a thing where I mostly only do meetings in the afternoon, and it's honestly pretty great

Michael Ann, spooky, scary, spooky scary halloween femme @michaelann.bsky.social · 1d

I've had *slightly* better luck with fat positive spaces that are exclusive to lesbians - seems to be a better understanding of the differences between "attracted to fat people" and unwelcome fetishization in those spaces, but of course YMMV

Michael Ann, spooky, scary, spooky scary halloween femme @michaelann.bsky.social · 1d

TBH if you're a medical professional recommending weight loss to a trans woman and you're not 100% clear that it could cause intense psychological distress by damaging key gains caused by transition, you're being an unethical jackass.

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Reposted by Michael Ann, spooky, scary, spooky scary halloween femme

Josh Gondelman @joshgondelman.bsky.social · 1d

Whenever anyone says how much of the U.S. economy is tied to AI right now, I'm like...damn, what if a single rich person had any idea other than "try to zero out labor costs through theft."

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Michael Ann, spooky, scary, spooky scary halloween femme @michaelann.bsky.social · 1d

I can see it. I mean, my particular flavor of neurodivergence can not handle "gel on flesh" as a concept in any way, shape, or form..... but in theory, I can *really* see it

Michael Ann, spooky, scary, spooky scary halloween femme @michaelann.bsky.social · 1d

Get on the wife HRT girlies, I am telling you, it is the way

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Michael Ann, spooky, scary, spooky scary halloween femme @michaelann.bsky.social · 1d

I'm going to go one further than the current discourse calls for re: being prescriptive about HRT

It's not enough to switch to injections

You have to fall in love with a woman, get married, and have HER administer your injections to you

There, that's the new standard, get to it.

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Michael Ann, spooky, scary, spooky scary halloween femme @michaelann.bsky.social · 1d

Also, look to the future political situations, not jus the current ones - SO MANY well meaning senior folks (all queer themselves) pushed me to move to England, or move to Texas because "Austin is safe", and, uh, look how that worked out 😬

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Michael Ann, spooky, scary, spooky scary halloween femme @michaelann.bsky.social · 1d

I mean a Canadian university just suspended a trans prof for protected academic speech, and despite it getting turned around, with that + the growing conservative movement in Canada, I think it's wise to approach Canada with some caution at the moment

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Michael Ann, spooky, scary, spooky scary halloween femme @michaelann.bsky.social · 1d

Can't tell you how many times well-meaning senior faculty got on my case about not applying to stuff in places where my healthcare and safety would always be under attack. It was infuriating.

I need you, trans applicant, to *really* hear me on this: IT'S NOT YOU. IT IS THEM.

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Michael Ann, spooky, scary, spooky scary halloween femme @michaelann.bsky.social · 1d

To all trans PhD students/postdocs entering this year's job market: no, it's *not* you, the faculty members that keep telling you there's great opportunities and then pointing to jobs in places where you would be deeply personally/family/medically unsafe *ARE* being deeply insensitive.

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Reposted by Michael Ann, spooky, scary, spooky scary halloween femme

Haunted Nick Seaver @nickseaver.website · 1d

nothing like watching a presentation about ed tech tools to radicalize you against them

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Michael Ann, spooky, scary, spooky scary halloween femme @michaelann.bsky.social · 1d

Sometimes, it’s your ethical obligation to never spare any funk on a professionally nasty dunk, you see

Michael Ann, spooky, scary, spooky scary halloween femme @michaelann.bsky.social · 1d

I think I’m going to start being much meaner to AI folks, because at this point, I probably have a professional ethical obligation to do so

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Reposted by Michael Ann, spooky, scary, spooky scary halloween femme

Nicole DeWitt @catastro-v.bsky.social · 1d

the idea that trans rights have swung elections to republicans is a fiction made up by media and political elites (both conservative and liberal) who are personally transphobic and want transphobia to be politically popular so they no longer have to hide how disgusting they think trans people are

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Michael Ann, spooky, scary, spooky scary halloween femme @michaelann.bsky.social · 1d

Pro tip: if a fat girl asks for leads on fat-positive community spaces, she’s definitely not looking for a space full of barely-chubby girls who constantly talk about weight loss. Just fyi.

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Michael Ann, spooky, scary, spooky scary halloween femme @michaelann.bsky.social · 3d

She's right. The actions of the Bsky team as of late are a showcase of exactly what I teach my students NOT to do in my "Understanding Users" class, which teaches them how to understand, work with, and communicate with the users of the systems they build.

Anna Phylaxis @quatoria.bsky.social · 3d

just want to again give congratulations to bsky’s staff and mods and ceo for how they created a cycle of negative press coverage and damaged the brand purely out of a fit of pique

great work, winning a lot of confidence from folks right now

flux.community @flux.community · 3d

The Link banning controversy reveals Bluesky’s decentralized aspiration isn’t reality.

Bluesky’s protocol is so complicated that not even the biggest alternative, Blacksky, has been able to become independent plus.flux.community/p/banning-co...

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Michael Ann, spooky, scary, spooky scary halloween femme @michaelann.bsky.social · 3d

If you hate other women I kinda think you don't *get* lesbianism. Like, you might *sleep* with other women, sure, but if you *hate* other women as a class while doing that, you're at best practicing the form without understanding the mysteries.

And the mysteries are kinda key!

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Michael Ann, spooky, scary, spooky scary halloween femme @michaelann.bsky.social · 3d

I think point #2 is very highly dependent on how hard a girl can believe in a thing, personally

Michael Ann, spooky, scary, spooky scary halloween femme @michaelann.bsky.social · 3d

You gotta understand that after today, nominating Newsom means losing a big part of the dem base. He is now officially unelectable by the numbers. So... maybe start fixating on Pritzker or something instead.

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Michael Ann, spooky, scary, spooky scary halloween femme @michaelann.bsky.social · 3d

If this place goes, you can catch me on my secret geocities, I don't see myself going to mastodon tbh

Michael Ann, spooky, scary, spooky scary halloween femme @michaelann.bsky.social · 4d

I continue to be my own kismesis

Michael Ann, spooky, scary, spooky scary halloween femme @michaelann.bsky.social · 4d

Current me is no better than past me, I've decided to just riff on this slide, and leave a note apologizing for current me AND past me to future me.

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