Blackius Maximus
@blackiusmaximus.bsky.social
I balm atomically…
Reposted by Blackius Maximus
My students are not my customers. A person walks into a shop, they want a bag of oranges, they buy it+ leave. I check them out, having no interest in their well being or existence. A student walks into my classroom. I invite them on a quest to become a better thinker and human.
December 9, 2025 at 9:30 PM
My students are not my customers. A person walks into a shop, they want a bag of oranges, they buy it+ leave. I check them out, having no interest in their well being or existence. A student walks into my classroom. I invite them on a quest to become a better thinker and human.
Reposted by Blackius Maximus
2014 from me: No, students aren't customers. Because you, the student, are much more important than a financial transaction.
www.chronicle.com/article/facu...
www.chronicle.com/article/facu...
Faculty Members Are Not Cashiers
Why the “customer service” lingo in academe is bad for students.
www.chronicle.com
December 9, 2025 at 8:32 PM
2014 from me: No, students aren't customers. Because you, the student, are much more important than a financial transaction.
www.chronicle.com/article/facu...
www.chronicle.com/article/facu...
Yup.Private good arguments (what’s in it for me) lead to public pain & limitations (others can only have what I want).
Public good arguments focus on what’s best for as many as possible. In the long run, wider educational experiences help us see/understand more. But not for the willfully incurious
Public good arguments focus on what’s best for as many as possible. In the long run, wider educational experiences help us see/understand more. But not for the willfully incurious
Not wanting to learn... is actually crazy to me
December 9, 2025 at 8:24 PM
Yup.Private good arguments (what’s in it for me) lead to public pain & limitations (others can only have what I want).
Public good arguments focus on what’s best for as many as possible. In the long run, wider educational experiences help us see/understand more. But not for the willfully incurious
Public good arguments focus on what’s best for as many as possible. In the long run, wider educational experiences help us see/understand more. But not for the willfully incurious
Reposted by Blackius Maximus
One theory I have is that competence, self-control, responsibility, and expertise have all been feminized, leaving “masculinity” with the realm of impulsivity and petulance. So the divide is not really between “femininity” and “masculinity” so much as between adulthood and childishness.
Everything else aside, the idea that this is a model for many men of *masculinity* is so wild. This? This is "manly"? This is how people think it's cool to act?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-wG...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-wG...
Dave Portnoy Demands NFL Investigate Pete Carroll & Raiders For Rigging
YouTube video by Clasher Sports
www.youtube.com
December 9, 2025 at 6:41 PM
One theory I have is that competence, self-control, responsibility, and expertise have all been feminized, leaving “masculinity” with the realm of impulsivity and petulance. So the divide is not really between “femininity” and “masculinity” so much as between adulthood and childishness.
Reposted by Blackius Maximus
it's not a coincidence that this is how republicans talk about elections now, maga is not patriotism it's toxic America fandom bsky.app/profile/chri...
Everything else aside, the idea that this is a model for many men of *masculinity* is so wild. This? This is "manly"? This is how people think it's cool to act?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-wG...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-wG...
Dave Portnoy Demands NFL Investigate Pete Carroll & Raiders For Rigging
YouTube video by Clasher Sports
www.youtube.com
December 9, 2025 at 7:29 PM
it's not a coincidence that this is how republicans talk about elections now, maga is not patriotism it's toxic America fandom bsky.app/profile/chri...
Me watching universities gut humanities to create majors in nft marketing, bitmoji classroom architecture, and metaverse economics:
December 9, 2025 at 5:21 PM
Me watching universities gut humanities to create majors in nft marketing, bitmoji classroom architecture, and metaverse economics:
Reposted by Blackius Maximus
Repugnant. Someone who knows this man personally needs to get on the phone and yell at him for an hour.
Activist and former quarterback Colin Kaepernick visited Largo High School to launch an AI tool designed to help students create their own graphic novels.
Colin Kaepernick launches AI storytelling tool at Prince George's County high school
Former quarterback and activist Colin Kaepernick visited Largo High School to launch an AI tool designed to help students create their own graphic novels. News4’s Juliana Valencia reports.
www.nbcwashington.com
December 9, 2025 at 4:59 PM
Repugnant. Someone who knows this man personally needs to get on the phone and yell at him for an hour.
Reposted by Blackius Maximus
81% of the surveyed Latinos who voted for Trump still approve of his job performance.
For the first time in nearly two decades of our surveys of U.S. Latinos, most say they think the situation of Hispanics in this country has worsened in the last year. And about a third of Latinos say they have considered leaving the country in the last six months. www.pewresearch.org/...
December 9, 2025 at 4:54 PM
81% of the surveyed Latinos who voted for Trump still approve of his job performance.
We can probably look back on every bad thing for the last 15 years and play 6-degrees of Jimmy Fallon.
Jimmy Fallon: "And do you use ChatGPT when raising your baby?"
Sam Altman: "I cannot imagine figuring out how to raise a newborn without ChatGPT."
Sam Altman: "I cannot imagine figuring out how to raise a newborn without ChatGPT."
December 9, 2025 at 4:45 PM
We can probably look back on every bad thing for the last 15 years and play 6-degrees of Jimmy Fallon.
Government by the most insecure, group-thinky, wealthy middle school boys.
Duffy on what he's doing to improve the airport experience for travelers: "Maybe I want a workout area where people might get some blood flowing doing some pull ups or step ups in the airport."
December 8, 2025 at 9:15 PM
Government by the most insecure, group-thinky, wealthy middle school boys.
Reposted by Blackius Maximus
one of the funniest pieces The Onion has done all year, and it's been a GOOD YEAR.
theonion.com/oprah-pursue...
theonion.com/oprah-pursue...
Oprah Pursues Dr. Phil On Ship Through Arctic
THE ARCTIC CIRCLE—With a vow to destroy the abomination she had created if it was the last thing she ever did, television host Oprah Winfrey has spent weeks on a ship pursuing Dr. Phil through the Arc...
theonion.com
December 8, 2025 at 5:40 PM
one of the funniest pieces The Onion has done all year, and it's been a GOOD YEAR.
theonion.com/oprah-pursue...
theonion.com/oprah-pursue...
Reposted by Blackius Maximus
Let me tell you a story. Perhaps you can guess where this is going... though it does have a bit of a twist.
I was poking around Google Scholar for publications about the relationship between chatbots and wellness. Oh how useful: a systematic literature review! Let's dig into the findings. 🧵
I was poking around Google Scholar for publications about the relationship between chatbots and wellness. Oh how useful: a systematic literature review! Let's dig into the findings. 🧵
December 5, 2025 at 10:35 PM
Let me tell you a story. Perhaps you can guess where this is going... though it does have a bit of a twist.
I was poking around Google Scholar for publications about the relationship between chatbots and wellness. Oh how useful: a systematic literature review! Let's dig into the findings. 🧵
I was poking around Google Scholar for publications about the relationship between chatbots and wellness. Oh how useful: a systematic literature review! Let's dig into the findings. 🧵
Transformers: The Movie and Jet Li’s Hero get honorable mentions…
December 8, 2025 at 12:58 AM
Transformers: The Movie and Jet Li’s Hero get honorable mentions…
Reposted by Blackius Maximus
I do not enjoy the idea that I have to market my classes like an influencer
My university wants professors to create IG accounts to promote our classes and, yeah, I'm not going to do that.
December 7, 2025 at 4:52 AM
I do not enjoy the idea that I have to market my classes like an influencer
Ratemyprofessor was/is bad enough. Also, most schools have a “marketing” department. Putting the responsibility of other positions onto faculty is a big part of folks burning out.
I do not enjoy the idea that I have to market my classes like an influencer
My university wants professors to create IG accounts to promote our classes and, yeah, I'm not going to do that.
December 7, 2025 at 3:23 PM
Ratemyprofessor was/is bad enough. Also, most schools have a “marketing” department. Putting the responsibility of other positions onto faculty is a big part of folks burning out.
Reposted by Blackius Maximus
This is horrific and exactly what those of us in Black studies, gender studies, women’s studies have been warning our colleagues in the sciences about. Their seeming neutrality will not save them.
Heartbreaking. The University of Nebraska will terminate its entire Earth science department.
One of the country's most successful and respected geology & climate programs: gone.
When ideologues & politicians are threatened by the very act of studying climate change, I wonder: who of us is next?
One of the country's most successful and respected geology & climate programs: gone.
When ideologues & politicians are threatened by the very act of studying climate change, I wonder: who of us is next?
It's over.
Despite the fact that the academic council recommended against it, despite the fact that the program brought in more tuition than it cost, and despite the fact that Nebraskans need & deserve this expertise, Earth & Atmospheric Sciences will be cut.
www.dailynebraskan.com/news/adminis...
Despite the fact that the academic council recommended against it, despite the fact that the program brought in more tuition than it cost, and despite the fact that Nebraskans need & deserve this expertise, Earth & Atmospheric Sciences will be cut.
www.dailynebraskan.com/news/adminis...
December 7, 2025 at 5:13 AM
This is horrific and exactly what those of us in Black studies, gender studies, women’s studies have been warning our colleagues in the sciences about. Their seeming neutrality will not save them.
I know some people like QTs work…I haven’t heard a lot of people call him a kind person.
It’s bad enough when we (myself included) talk about people like they don’t have feelings, it’s different when someone ostensibly at the top of their field makes personal attacks on someone’s skill/value.
It’s bad enough when we (myself included) talk about people like they don’t have feelings, it’s different when someone ostensibly at the top of their field makes personal attacks on someone’s skill/value.
Scream and Five Nights at Freddy's star Matthew Lillard has admitted it "it f***ing sucks" to be on the receiving end of an insult from Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill director Quentin Tarantino. https://bit.ly/3KD9PnN
December 7, 2025 at 3:01 AM
I know some people like QTs work…I haven’t heard a lot of people call him a kind person.
It’s bad enough when we (myself included) talk about people like they don’t have feelings, it’s different when someone ostensibly at the top of their field makes personal attacks on someone’s skill/value.
It’s bad enough when we (myself included) talk about people like they don’t have feelings, it’s different when someone ostensibly at the top of their field makes personal attacks on someone’s skill/value.
Reposted by Blackius Maximus
This article is heartbreaking.
December 7, 2025 at 1:26 AM
This article is heartbreaking.
Reposted by Blackius Maximus
Read this: www.wgbh.org/news/local/2...
December 7, 2025 at 12:22 AM
Read this: www.wgbh.org/news/local/2...
If you’ve been around abusers in your life, you know their tendency to make any perceived or potential slight into a reason to aggress.
You can see and feel the tension in the space. They want to hurt…to exert power…all of these “agents” exude that vibe.
You can see and feel the tension in the space. They want to hurt…to exert power…all of these “agents” exude that vibe.
“Traumatized, humiliated, degraded.”
The nurse, a US citizen, 4’11”, 85 lbs, says she was following orders when she was dragged out of her car by masked immigration agents in Florida.
It was the 3rd time she had been stopped and told to produce ID.
Free link ⤵️
www.miamiherald.com/news/local/i...
The nurse, a US citizen, 4’11”, 85 lbs, says she was following orders when she was dragged out of her car by masked immigration agents in Florida.
It was the 3rd time she had been stopped and told to produce ID.
Free link ⤵️
www.miamiherald.com/news/local/i...
Exclusive: Woman detained by feds in Keys says she was following agents’ orders
“This is not the America that I grew up in, and this is not the America that we represent.”
www.miamiherald.com
December 6, 2025 at 8:56 PM
If you’ve been around abusers in your life, you know their tendency to make any perceived or potential slight into a reason to aggress.
You can see and feel the tension in the space. They want to hurt…to exert power…all of these “agents” exude that vibe.
You can see and feel the tension in the space. They want to hurt…to exert power…all of these “agents” exude that vibe.
Reposted by Blackius Maximus
I'm starting to wonder how much "the male loneliness epidemic" is just straight and bisexual women identifying low-effort, mean, and incompetent men and choosing not to date, marry, and tolerate them anymore
December 6, 2025 at 4:38 PM
I'm starting to wonder how much "the male loneliness epidemic" is just straight and bisexual women identifying low-effort, mean, and incompetent men and choosing not to date, marry, and tolerate them anymore
Reposted by Blackius Maximus
It starts with knowing the truth. Don’t allow yourselves to be gaslit into believing this is a real question.
December 6, 2025 at 2:44 PM
It starts with knowing the truth. Don’t allow yourselves to be gaslit into believing this is a real question.
Reposted by Blackius Maximus
Gotta love colonialism
I didn't actually realize it was nearly universal in the Americas
December 6, 2025 at 1:43 AM
Gotta love colonialism
As this semester comes to an end, I’m urging higher ed folks to actually breathe during and after grading. It’ll get done, and you more than deserve the coming break.
December 5, 2025 at 5:12 PM
As this semester comes to an end, I’m urging higher ed folks to actually breathe during and after grading. It’ll get done, and you more than deserve the coming break.
Reposted by Blackius Maximus
Again: the Purpose of LLM- type "AI" bullshit engines is not to tell you the truth or to lie to you, but to tell you something you are statistically determined to be more likely to accept, irrespective of facts— which makes them perfect for accelerating dis- & misinformation & persuasive propaganda…
AI dialogues shifted political support by 2 to 3 points in trials, eclipsing standard ads. Roughly one-third of this effect persisted for a month. However, models optimized for persuasion proved more factually error-prone.
#MLSky
#MLSky
AI chatbots can persuade voters to change their minds
Conversations with AI can sway people’s political views. Concerningly, a chatbot’s facts are not always accurate, especially when it supports right-wing positions.
www.nature.com
December 5, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Again: the Purpose of LLM- type "AI" bullshit engines is not to tell you the truth or to lie to you, but to tell you something you are statistically determined to be more likely to accept, irrespective of facts— which makes them perfect for accelerating dis- & misinformation & persuasive propaganda…