Scott Ma
@scma.bsky.social
Doctorand in History at the University of Zurich🇨🇭. Working on the history of agricultural science in modern Japan & the legacy of Confucian thought. Polyglot and hapless cosmopolitan. Tweets are public reason and not private. Site: https://scott-ma.com
Pinned
Reposted by Scott Ma
Bluesky is the new science Twitter, new study by @whysharksmatter.bsky.social and Julia Wester concludes!
"Results show that for every reported professional benefit that scientists once gained from Twitter, scientists can now gain that benefit more effectively on Bluesky than on Twitter."
"Results show that for every reported professional benefit that scientists once gained from Twitter, scientists can now gain that benefit more effectively on Bluesky than on Twitter."
Scientists no Longer Find Twitter Professionally Useful, and have Switched to Bluesky
Synopsis. Social media has become widely used by the scientific community for a variety of professional uses, including networking and public outreach. For
academic.oup.com
February 13, 2026 at 10:08 PM
Bluesky is the new science Twitter, new study by @whysharksmatter.bsky.social and Julia Wester concludes!
"Results show that for every reported professional benefit that scientists once gained from Twitter, scientists can now gain that benefit more effectively on Bluesky than on Twitter."
"Results show that for every reported professional benefit that scientists once gained from Twitter, scientists can now gain that benefit more effectively on Bluesky than on Twitter."
Did Harootunian reprint a chapter from his 2000 book that reprinted an early article in his 2019 book. I guess if you reprint it enough times no one will notice it was actually written in the 1970s
February 13, 2026 at 2:40 PM
Did Harootunian reprint a chapter from his 2000 book that reprinted an early article in his 2019 book. I guess if you reprint it enough times no one will notice it was actually written in the 1970s
やはり俺の博士論文の論理展開は間違っている
なんちゃって……
なんちゃって……
February 13, 2026 at 1:19 AM
やはり俺の博士論文の論理展開は間違っている
なんちゃって……
なんちゃって……
On the list of things I like about Japan is the veneration of learning. I can’t think of retired Americans spending their aging years researching a scholarly monograph or teaching themselves how to read premodern script but legit Japanese local history is built on the backs of retirees
February 12, 2026 at 11:40 PM
On the list of things I like about Japan is the veneration of learning. I can’t think of retired Americans spending their aging years researching a scholarly monograph or teaching themselves how to read premodern script but legit Japanese local history is built on the backs of retirees
Is not the true victory of the Anglo ideology not convincing the second and third generation descendants of the Italian and Irish that they were always White (as opposed to, say, drunkards and rascals)?
Trump nominated a legit white nationalist to a top post at the State Department. I asked him some basic questions about his belief in the “erasure of white culture”. Watch this embarrassing, fumbling answer. Like he has never before been asked to explain his views.
February 12, 2026 at 11:38 PM
Is not the true victory of the Anglo ideology not convincing the second and third generation descendants of the Italian and Irish that they were always White (as opposed to, say, drunkards and rascals)?
Reposted by Scott Ma
Someone told me lately "Bluesky is just like Twitter." I argued that was untrue on the basis that last time I had a Twitter account most times I got a new follower their bio said "single & looking for fun" & here when I get a new follower it tends to say something like "professor of rare moths".
February 12, 2026 at 10:55 AM
Someone told me lately "Bluesky is just like Twitter." I argued that was untrue on the basis that last time I had a Twitter account most times I got a new follower their bio said "single & looking for fun" & here when I get a new follower it tends to say something like "professor of rare moths".
If this was Europe every few weeks I’d get bored and take a train somewhere for a change of scenery but because this is the U.S. even if there are trains I don’t even want to bother going anywhere
February 12, 2026 at 11:20 PM
If this was Europe every few weeks I’d get bored and take a train somewhere for a change of scenery but because this is the U.S. even if there are trains I don’t even want to bother going anywhere
A lot maybe has to do with me having ridiculously high standards for my own prose idk
February 12, 2026 at 10:20 PM
A lot maybe has to do with me having ridiculously high standards for my own prose idk
Don’t envy professional academics who have to do this while raising kids, teaching, other academic work, etc. I’m struggling to get stuff done literally with just the dissertation only
February 12, 2026 at 10:19 PM
Don’t envy professional academics who have to do this while raising kids, teaching, other academic work, etc. I’m struggling to get stuff done literally with just the dissertation only
So many good ideas, but they’re sporadic and trying to fit them into coherent prose is hell
Yes I know the Zettlr system. It doesn’t work for me, maybe because I’m doing it wrong
Yes I know the Zettlr system. It doesn’t work for me, maybe because I’m doing it wrong
February 12, 2026 at 10:18 PM
So many good ideas, but they’re sporadic and trying to fit them into coherent prose is hell
Yes I know the Zettlr system. It doesn’t work for me, maybe because I’m doing it wrong
Yes I know the Zettlr system. It doesn’t work for me, maybe because I’m doing it wrong
Revising my writing is just patching stuff I wrote back together and by the time you notice it’s been five hours and I’ve both read nothing new and wrote nothing new
February 12, 2026 at 10:17 PM
Revising my writing is just patching stuff I wrote back together and by the time you notice it’s been five hours and I’ve both read nothing new and wrote nothing new
“Things I would rather do than revise my writing”
February 12, 2026 at 10:16 PM
“Things I would rather do than revise my writing”
Will historians still exist in 2040????? Ponder
February 12, 2026 at 5:22 PM
Will historians still exist in 2040????? Ponder
Two other things I’d say
1/ any practical focus further disencourages historical work sans pretzel twisting, which is very bad bad bad
2/ Europe has a worse problem but it’s tied to not social justice but “development goals”, shorthand for STS related and thus seemingly more “useful”
1/ any practical focus further disencourages historical work sans pretzel twisting, which is very bad bad bad
2/ Europe has a worse problem but it’s tied to not social justice but “development goals”, shorthand for STS related and thus seemingly more “useful”
I'm hoping that Tyler Austin Harper's latest piece in @theatlantic.com kicks off an overdue conversation about the Mellon Foundation's de facto monopoly on humanities funding and the way in which "impact" has utterly transformed grantmaking.
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
The Multibillion-Dollar Foundation That Controls the Humanities
Is the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation the last best hope for American arts and letters—or is it killing them?
www.theatlantic.com
February 12, 2026 at 5:19 PM
Two other things I’d say
1/ any practical focus further disencourages historical work sans pretzel twisting, which is very bad bad bad
2/ Europe has a worse problem but it’s tied to not social justice but “development goals”, shorthand for STS related and thus seemingly more “useful”
1/ any practical focus further disencourages historical work sans pretzel twisting, which is very bad bad bad
2/ Europe has a worse problem but it’s tied to not social justice but “development goals”, shorthand for STS related and thus seemingly more “useful”
Reposted by Scott Ma
I'm assuming Bluesky will just ignore it but this is a must-read for anyone who cares about the future of the humanities.
I'm hoping that Tyler Austin Harper's latest piece in @theatlantic.com kicks off an overdue conversation about the Mellon Foundation's de facto monopoly on humanities funding and the way in which "impact" has utterly transformed grantmaking.
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
The Multibillion-Dollar Foundation That Controls the Humanities
Is the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation the last best hope for American arts and letters—or is it killing them?
www.theatlantic.com
February 12, 2026 at 5:01 PM
I'm assuming Bluesky will just ignore it but this is a must-read for anyone who cares about the future of the humanities.
目の前には読みたい本の山に対してどうしようもない
読んだらどうするねん
読まないと何も始まんない
困惑
読んだらどうするねん
読まないと何も始まんない
困惑
February 12, 2026 at 2:23 PM
目の前には読みたい本の山に対してどうしようもない
読んだらどうするねん
読まないと何も始まんない
困惑
読んだらどうするねん
読まないと何も始まんない
困惑
言葉が頭に入ってこない時かなりある、反射的に嫌だと感じる
February 12, 2026 at 2:22 PM
言葉が頭に入ってこない時かなりある、反射的に嫌だと感じる
February 12, 2026 at 1:12 PM
Reposted by Scott Ma
This is a tactic long used by the CPP to silence & punish Tibetans and Uyghurs, such as when the sister @rushanabbas.bsky.social was jailed by China in 2017.
Deeply worrying that punishing family members because of their relatives actions abroad out has come to #HongKong.
Deeply worrying that punishing family members because of their relatives actions abroad out has come to #HongKong.
The conviction of Anna Kwok's father under the NSL is a new low for the Hong Kong police state.
Father of pro-democracy activist Anna Kwok first to be convicted under Hong Kong national security law
Officials arrested Kwok Yin-sang after he tried to end his daughter’s insurance policy and withdraw the funds
www.theguardian.com
February 12, 2026 at 1:46 AM
This is a tactic long used by the CPP to silence & punish Tibetans and Uyghurs, such as when the sister @rushanabbas.bsky.social was jailed by China in 2017.
Deeply worrying that punishing family members because of their relatives actions abroad out has come to #HongKong.
Deeply worrying that punishing family members because of their relatives actions abroad out has come to #HongKong.
I haven’t seen any mention of this yet but FYI Japan is joining the EU research funding body this year. Not sure about the specifics but it gives an additional money pot that Japan based researchers can apply to without having to leave Japan
ec.europa.eu/commission/p...
ec.europa.eu/commission/p...
EU and Japan successfully conclude Horizon Europe negotiations
The European Commission and Japan have successfully concluded negotiations on Japan\'s association to Horizon Europe, the EU\'s flagship €93.5 billion research and innovation funding programme.
ec.europa.eu
February 12, 2026 at 12:37 AM
I haven’t seen any mention of this yet but FYI Japan is joining the EU research funding body this year. Not sure about the specifics but it gives an additional money pot that Japan based researchers can apply to without having to leave Japan
ec.europa.eu/commission/p...
ec.europa.eu/commission/p...
