Ian Milligan
@ianmilligan1.bsky.social
1.3K followers 1K following 370 posts
Professor of History and Associate Vice-President in the Office of Research, University of Waterloo. Interested in digital history and preservation. Posts in a personal capacity only.
Posts Media Videos Starter Packs
Reposted by Ian Milligan
archive.org
In 1996, Brewster Kahle wrote "Preserving the Internet" for Scientific American. Nearly 30 years later, it’s striking how many of his predictions about digital preservation came true—and how many challenges remain.

Let’s compare 1996 vs 2025 🧵
Page from March 1997 Scientific American featuring Brewster Kahle’s article 'Preserving the Internet.' Text describes the Internet Archive’s mission to save digital information. Includes a photo of a Smithsonian exhibit with 1996 U.S. election web memorabilia.
ianmilligan1.bsky.social
Interesting! Surprising to see it as a passenger flight too.
ianmilligan1.bsky.social
Interesting to see a direct flight to… Rzeszów, Poland (!!) on the board at Toronto Pearson.
Reposted by Ian Milligan
archive.org
1 trillion web pages preserved makes the Wayback Machine an indispensable research tool. Share how this effort has impacted you, and encourage your network to support the Internet Archive: donate.archive.org/1T

#Wayback1T #WaybackMachine
Graphic with pixelated, 3D-styled webpage icons radiating outward from a bright point. Center text reads: "Fundraise with us! Celebrating 1 Trillion Webpages Archived."
ianmilligan1.bsky.social
Yesavage!

This is some genuinely remarkable baseball. Go Jays Go!
ianmilligan1.bsky.social
Whenever I’ve tried working in a cafe during the workweek, I swear some surveillance tech immediately notifies everybody to phone me on Teams.
ianmilligan1.bsky.social
My kids are both at activities, so I’m sitting at a nearby cafe, drinking coffee and marking up a graduate paper.

To think this is what I used to do all the time! #nostalgicAdministrator
Reposted by Ian Milligan
archive.org
📢 The #InternetArchive is celebrating an extraordinary milestone: 1 trillion web pages preserved by the #WaybackMachine. 🎉

Join us!
📆 Weds, Oct 22

🎟️ IN-PERSON: 5–10 PM PT (SF) ⤵️
www.eventbrite.com/e/1626438133...

💻 ONLINE: 7–8 PM PT ⤵️
www.eventbrite.com/e/1626431011...

#Wayback1T
Poster with a gradient blue background. Large text reads “the web we’ve built.” Smaller text says “Celebrating 1 trillion web pages archived.” Pixelated 3D icons of a floppy disk, magnifying glass, cursor arrow, computer window, and others radiate outward from a bright starburst in the center. On the right, text lists event details: “Wednesday, October 22, 5–10PM PT. Live stream: 7–8PM PT. 300 Funston Avenue, San Francisco.” The Internet Archive logo appears in the bottom right corner.
ianmilligan1.bsky.social
I hope you have that engraved on your office door!
ianmilligan1.bsky.social
Oh heh my tongue was firmly in cheek. Tho probably more power than the loathed AVP, the most reviled of all the administrative titles!
ianmilligan1.bsky.social
Hah! Ok maybe I’d retire there…

“Emeritus” sounds classy and snazzy.
ianmilligan1.bsky.social
Driven mad by their experience with dictatorial power…!
ianmilligan1.bsky.social
OK, now there's a great setting for a sitcom...

(A retirement community of professors!! Could you imagine those community meetings?)

www.chronicle.com/article/why-...
ianmilligan1.bsky.social
That is so genuinely cool.

Also your new book comes out on Jenn's birthday! Guess I know what's she's getting. Cheaper than getting her jewelry, too.
ianmilligan1.bsky.social
Wow, check out this long-lost 1994 Sierra adventure game about research administration!

(Ok having fun with LLMs while I cook dinner)
Reposted by Ian Milligan
netpreserve.bsky.social
📣This #WebArchiveWednesday, plan your proposal for #iipcWAC26, “Sustainable #WebArchiving,” at KBR, Royal Library of Belgium! netpreserve.org/ga2026/CfP

🗓️ Deadline for proposals: OCT 15

#webarchives #DigitalPreservation #DigitalHumanities
ianmilligan1.bsky.social
My 500-words a day continues to pay off.

Too bad it is the roughest draft of all rough drafts, but my goal is to get a rough pile o' paper by next summer that will then be shaped into something resembling a real manuscript.
ianmilligan1.bsky.social
Probably some day in 1964 or 1965.
ianmilligan1.bsky.social
(I am just trolling; this is the result of a prompt for an "obviously AI generated response")
ianmilligan1.bsky.social
Establishing safeguards, transparency requirements, and regulatory frameworks will be essential to ensuring that the deployment of such technologies aligns with both societal values and long-term public interests.
ianmilligan1.bsky.social
At the same time, the observable limitations, biases, and externalities of these systems create tangible risks that warrant proactive governance.
ianmilligan1.bsky.social
I completely agree with your framing. It is important to acknowledge that while current artificial intelligence systems have generated significant public discourse, much of this discourse is amplified by marketing narratives rather than empirical evidence.