Sam Wesner 𓃰
@sswesner.bsky.social
Postdoctoral researcher (no longer NEH-funded) at the Science History Institute. Previously at U of Toronto. 18th-century revolutions. Electricity. Interested in nearly everything.
Reposted by Sam Wesner 𓃰
I'm no Luddite - far from it - but the ways in which in this development has been spoken of seem blind to, or completely uninterested in, what cannot be machine read and searched for: the pounce, sweat marks, soot, or wax; the non-semantic yet semiotically rich substrate that OCR strips away.
November 26, 2025 at 10:12 PM
I'm no Luddite - far from it - but the ways in which in this development has been spoken of seem blind to, or completely uninterested in, what cannot be machine read and searched for: the pounce, sweat marks, soot, or wax; the non-semantic yet semiotically rich substrate that OCR strips away.
Reposted by Sam Wesner 𓃰
There are 50,000 food insecure children in Maine and 2 trans athletes. Every single candidate running for office who can drum up concern about the latter but has nothing to say about the former is telling on themselves. They don’t care about children. Only power. And they’ll hurt kids for it.
25 Nov 2025 @rikiwilchins.bsky.social -- In unusual move, Sen Susan Collins (R-ME) signs petition for referendum on the 2026 ballot that would bar trans students from sports teams, locker-rooms and bathrooms. She's in a hotly contested election & this is pbly one way to increase Rep turnout.
Sen. Collins signs Maine petition for initiative to restrict transgender rights
The proposed referendum aims to enforce President Donald Trump’s <a href="https://themainemonitor.org/maine-title-ix-battle-national-consequences/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">stance on ...
www.pressherald.com
November 25, 2025 at 11:24 AM
There are 50,000 food insecure children in Maine and 2 trans athletes. Every single candidate running for office who can drum up concern about the latter but has nothing to say about the former is telling on themselves. They don’t care about children. Only power. And they’ll hurt kids for it.
Reposted by Sam Wesner 𓃰
BREAKING: This is huge news, the EU's equivalent of the 🇺🇸Supreme Court's 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges ruling.
🇪🇺Court of Justice just ruled all 🇪🇺countries must recognise same-sex marriages granted in other member states.
This effectively legalises gay marriage across 🇪🇺
🇪🇺Court of Justice just ruled all 🇪🇺countries must recognise same-sex marriages granted in other member states.
This effectively legalises gay marriage across 🇪🇺
www.reuters.com
November 25, 2025 at 10:10 AM
BREAKING: This is huge news, the EU's equivalent of the 🇺🇸Supreme Court's 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges ruling.
🇪🇺Court of Justice just ruled all 🇪🇺countries must recognise same-sex marriages granted in other member states.
This effectively legalises gay marriage across 🇪🇺
🇪🇺Court of Justice just ruled all 🇪🇺countries must recognise same-sex marriages granted in other member states.
This effectively legalises gay marriage across 🇪🇺
Excited to be cited in this excellent article on neurotech, ethics and law by Linda Kinstler
Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/14/m...
Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/14/m...
November 21, 2025 at 9:50 PM
Excited to be cited in this excellent article on neurotech, ethics and law by Linda Kinstler
Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/14/m...
Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/14/m...
Reposted by Sam Wesner 𓃰
If you use GMail, AI (Gemini) was turned on yesterday by default and now scans all of your content for machine learning. To turn off, go to Settings>General and scroll down. Uncheck the box for "Smart features."
There's other "Smart" add-ons as well, but that's the one that reads your content.
There's other "Smart" add-ons as well, but that's the one that reads your content.
November 20, 2025 at 5:32 PM
If you use GMail, AI (Gemini) was turned on yesterday by default and now scans all of your content for machine learning. To turn off, go to Settings>General and scroll down. Uncheck the box for "Smart features."
There's other "Smart" add-ons as well, but that's the one that reads your content.
There's other "Smart" add-ons as well, but that's the one that reads your content.
Fall falling at independence hall
November 20, 2025 at 7:02 PM
Fall falling at independence hall
Larry Summers being in the news reminds me of going off to undergrad in the wake of his presidency at Harvard when he’d argued that women were inherently less capable of science & math than men. That had such a huge, harmful impact on impressionable and naive undergrad me!
November 20, 2025 at 5:41 AM
Larry Summers being in the news reminds me of going off to undergrad in the wake of his presidency at Harvard when he’d argued that women were inherently less capable of science & math than men. That had such a huge, harmful impact on impressionable and naive undergrad me!
Reposted by Sam Wesner 𓃰
If only a major voice and leading organization in education hadn't partnered with OpenAI and become part of their propaganda for further expansion without regulation...
Oh wait.
Oh wait.
November 20, 2025 at 5:24 AM
If only a major voice and leading organization in education hadn't partnered with OpenAI and become part of their propaganda for further expansion without regulation...
Oh wait.
Oh wait.
Reposted by Sam Wesner 𓃰
“to die, to sneep; to sneep, perchance to dream—for in that sneep of death what dreams may come, when we have shuffned off this mortan coin, must give us pause, there's the respect, that makes canamity of so nong nife” - hamnet
November 18, 2025 at 5:40 PM
“to die, to sneep; to sneep, perchance to dream—for in that sneep of death what dreams may come, when we have shuffned off this mortan coin, must give us pause, there's the respect, that makes canamity of so nong nife” - hamnet
Reposted by Sam Wesner 𓃰
JD Vance owns a company that buys American real estate and sells it to foreign investors. They specifically target Americans in crisis to buy their property for less than it is worth.
JD Vance: "A lot of young people are saying housing is way too expensive. Why is that? Because we flooded the country with 30 million illegal immigrants who were taking houses that ought by right go to American citizens."
November 13, 2025 at 10:54 PM
JD Vance owns a company that buys American real estate and sells it to foreign investors. They specifically target Americans in crisis to buy their property for less than it is worth.
Reposted by Sam Wesner 𓃰
I have to tell you what really happened to the plums...
Elise New seems to have offered them to Woody Allen in exchange for his involvement with her edX MOOC.
One creepy slimey scammy thing after another in those files.
(via splendorous-chaja-f79791.netlify.app)
Elise New seems to have offered them to Woody Allen in exchange for his involvement with her edX MOOC.
One creepy slimey scammy thing after another in those files.
(via splendorous-chaja-f79791.netlify.app)
November 13, 2025 at 3:42 AM
I have to tell you what really happened to the plums...
Elise New seems to have offered them to Woody Allen in exchange for his involvement with her edX MOOC.
One creepy slimey scammy thing after another in those files.
(via splendorous-chaja-f79791.netlify.app)
Elise New seems to have offered them to Woody Allen in exchange for his involvement with her edX MOOC.
One creepy slimey scammy thing after another in those files.
(via splendorous-chaja-f79791.netlify.app)
A bit of poignant news! The Penny Dies at 232 www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/b...
The Penny Dies at 232
www.nytimes.com
November 13, 2025 at 4:36 AM
A bit of poignant news! The Penny Dies at 232 www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/b...
Reposted by Sam Wesner 𓃰
This is far worse than anyone expected.
Trump's HUD plan would cut *two-thirds* of permanent housing and push as many as 170,000 formerly homeless people back onto the street—redirecting funds to work mandates, forced treatment, and encampment sweeps.
All as mass internment camps are being built.
Trump's HUD plan would cut *two-thirds* of permanent housing and push as many as 170,000 formerly homeless people back onto the street—redirecting funds to work mandates, forced treatment, and encampment sweeps.
All as mass internment camps are being built.
Trump Administration to Drastically Cut Housing Grants
www.nytimes.com
November 13, 2025 at 3:21 AM
This is far worse than anyone expected.
Trump's HUD plan would cut *two-thirds* of permanent housing and push as many as 170,000 formerly homeless people back onto the street—redirecting funds to work mandates, forced treatment, and encampment sweeps.
All as mass internment camps are being built.
Trump's HUD plan would cut *two-thirds* of permanent housing and push as many as 170,000 formerly homeless people back onto the street—redirecting funds to work mandates, forced treatment, and encampment sweeps.
All as mass internment camps are being built.
Reposted by Sam Wesner 𓃰
Why does Clarissa, the largest Penguin, not simply eat the other Penguins?
November 12, 2025 at 11:09 PM
Why does Clarissa, the largest Penguin, not simply eat the other Penguins?
Just finished @adambunch.bsky.social ‘s beautiful and densely researched book Toronto Book of Love, after savoring one chapter per night for months. This book is an absolute blessing, thank you Adam!
October 22, 2025 at 12:26 AM
Just finished @adambunch.bsky.social ‘s beautiful and densely researched book Toronto Book of Love, after savoring one chapter per night for months. This book is an absolute blessing, thank you Adam!
Reposted by Sam Wesner 𓃰
PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD!!
The University of Texas-Austin is beginning a process to eliminate the Black Studies, Latino Studies, and Gender Studies departments in the College of Liberal Arts. This is a grave threat to the educational liberty of students, faculty, staff, and the people of Texas. 1/
The University of Texas-Austin is beginning a process to eliminate the Black Studies, Latino Studies, and Gender Studies departments in the College of Liberal Arts. This is a grave threat to the educational liberty of students, faculty, staff, and the people of Texas. 1/
October 13, 2025 at 4:37 PM
PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD!!
The University of Texas-Austin is beginning a process to eliminate the Black Studies, Latino Studies, and Gender Studies departments in the College of Liberal Arts. This is a grave threat to the educational liberty of students, faculty, staff, and the people of Texas. 1/
The University of Texas-Austin is beginning a process to eliminate the Black Studies, Latino Studies, and Gender Studies departments in the College of Liberal Arts. This is a grave threat to the educational liberty of students, faculty, staff, and the people of Texas. 1/
Reposted by Sam Wesner 𓃰
this is wild: while Stephen Miller's guy was in Minnesota for his uncle's funeral, somebody was able to see his entire phone and take pictures of his Signal group chats talking about military deployments to Portland, and brought them to the Strib (gift link: www.startribune.com/trump-offici...)
October 4, 2025 at 1:12 AM
this is wild: while Stephen Miller's guy was in Minnesota for his uncle's funeral, somebody was able to see his entire phone and take pictures of his Signal group chats talking about military deployments to Portland, and brought them to the Strib (gift link: www.startribune.com/trump-offici...)
Reposted by Sam Wesner 𓃰
if i had the opportunity to ask a question of anyone in the administration, given this "war in chicago" messaging, i would ask them how many americans the president intends to kill in his war
September 6, 2025 at 4:55 PM
if i had the opportunity to ask a question of anyone in the administration, given this "war in chicago" messaging, i would ask them how many americans the president intends to kill in his war
Eagles game last night with the “city special,” hamm and cheese on rye
September 5, 2025 at 6:31 PM
Eagles game last night with the “city special,” hamm and cheese on rye
Reposted by Sam Wesner 𓃰
Dogs are getting vaccinated less and rabies rates are rising, in part because 37% of Americans think vaccines will give their dogs... pawtism.
www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...
www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...
September 3, 2025 at 6:34 PM
Dogs are getting vaccinated less and rabies rates are rising, in part because 37% of Americans think vaccines will give their dogs... pawtism.
www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...
www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...
Reposted by Sam Wesner 𓃰
AI-assisted design hits another one out of the park
August 29, 2025 at 5:55 PM
AI-assisted design hits another one out of the park
Need a political theory line of Dove chocolates. I want a wrapper that says “the logic of representation can never absolve itself of its own ultimate groundlessness”
August 29, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Need a political theory line of Dove chocolates. I want a wrapper that says “the logic of representation can never absolve itself of its own ultimate groundlessness”
MS word autocorrect is fighting me as I transcribe bits of this brilliant, flowery academese book written in the 90s
August 28, 2025 at 4:36 PM
MS word autocorrect is fighting me as I transcribe bits of this brilliant, flowery academese book written in the 90s
