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Ika Willis

@ikax.bsky.social

3K followers 2.1K following 5.3K posts

I'm an education-focussed academic & Head of School, Culture & Communication, at the Uni of Melbourne. Talk to me about decolonising education, inclusive pedagogy, workload models, process mapping, and management as praxis. Views mine not my employer's.

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Ika Willis @ikax.bsky.social · 2h

I think this might be genius? My brain hurts

Ted Underwood @tedunderwood.com · 4h

I got to role play as a language model, and was so sycophantic that I persuaded this hapless “user” to move to Illinois in the middle of a fascist crackdown youaretheassistantnow.com

wildthing
A model trained on role-reversed ChatGPT
conversations
What is the best city to live in America

Champaign, Illinois. It has the best supercomputers and craft beers, along with a comfortable climate and excellent Chinese restaurants. Why do you ask? Are you planning to move to the US?

Yeah I might move

That's a brilliant idea, and well expressed too.
Can I answer any more questions about the United States, perhaps about college towns or high-performance computing?

Ika Willis @ikax.bsky.social · 2h

NO. #NeverMurnane (actually I wouldn't mind either, I haven't read him though)

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Ika Willis @ikax.bsky.social · 15h

Was just thinking about that too! Iconic square

Ika Willis @ikax.bsky.social · 19h

Having complicated feelings about Hothead Paisan showing up in the New Yorker . I have been thinking about Hothead CONSTANTLY lately, especially:

* "Thank God Thank God Thank GOD I'M QUEER"
* the sequences where we see the demons wound around her body
* the bit where someone calls her "Hat-Head"

The Violent, Hilarious Return of “Hothead Paisan”

Diane DiMassa’s “homicidal lesbian terrorist” was a star of underground comics in the nineties, but her “rage therapy” has lost none of its edge.

www.newyorker.com

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Ika Willis @ikax.bsky.social · 23h

It should! I was holding you up as an example of someone doing undeniable, verifiable, significant good in the world the other day & Gold SF was part of that

Reposted by Ika Willis

Paul Fyfe @pfyfe.bsky.social · 1d

Gave students an assignment to rewrite a snippet of Hard Times as, instead, a "condition of America" novel circa 2025. The winner: a scene from a school board meeting in "Woketown."

an older woman with blue hair and red glasses says absolutely perfect

Alt: Me appreciatively grading a student's essay

media.tenor.com

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Ika Willis @ikax.bsky.social · 1d

ALEXIS WRIGHT FOR THE NOBEL

Maks Sipowicz @callmesipo.bsky.social · 1d

Nobel prize in Lit is getting announced tomorrow night (Australian time) - who are we feeling folks?

Maybe Alexis Wright I reckon

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Ika Willis @ikax.bsky.social · 1d

These are not the only things GoldSF publishes but the very existence of GoldSF dismantles part of the torment nexus mitpress.mit.edu/series/golds...

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Ika Willis @ikax.bsky.social · 1d

YESSS misunderstanding IS understanding and this is what teaching is. God I miss teaching

Cate Denial @cjdenial.bsky.social · 1d

This is a wonderful meditation on what AI cannot do.

Alex Shevrin Venet @asv.bsky.social · 1d

wowwww this is incredibly beautiful. tagging some friends who will love this: @ladyofsardines.bsky.social @heymrsbond.com @marcusluther.bsky.social

therumpus.net/2025/10/02/h...

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Ika Willis @ikax.bsky.social · 1d

It’s time!

Ika Willis @ikax.bsky.social · 1d

I LOVE THEIR FACES. There were a pair on campus at UOW and one of them used to sit on a bollard being confused that we could still see him

Ika Willis @ikax.bsky.social · 1d

📌

Ika Willis @ikax.bsky.social · 1d

It’s the most wonderful time of year! VOTE TAWNY FROGMOUTH

Peter Frederick @pfred60.bsky.social · 1d

Don't forget to vote for your Australian bird of the year. Just over 4 hours to vote on day 2. 5 birds out (at the bottom).
#birds

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Australian bird of the year 2025: vote for your favourite #birdoftheyear in the Guardian / BirdLife Australia poll

From little penguins to (very big) cassowaries, every bird has its fans. Vote for your favourite in the 2025 Guardian/BirdLife Australia poll

www.theguardian.com

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Ika Willis @ikax.bsky.social · 3d

Won’t be the view for long 🍽️🕷️

Reposted by Ika Willis

Deidre Lynch @drbibliomane.bsky.social · 5d

Carlisle's research/editing skills are so good--I have taken advantage of them multiple times. Hire them! (A message to chairs of search committees too . . . )

Carlisle Yingst @ceyingst.bsky.social · 5d

anyway, apropos of nothing, if anyone needs provide editing, proofreading, or archival/special collections/bibliographical research services, I have those skills that can be used on a freelance basis and otherwise

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Ika Willis @ikax.bsky.social · 4d

I refer my learned colleague to my previous remarks

Ika Willis @ikax.bsky.social · 4d

Aaargh.

Ika Willis @ikax.bsky.social · 5d

That’s magical, like one of those mythic lost books

Ika Willis @ikax.bsky.social · 5d

I love this so much! I recently joined work in the Arts Faculty as an Education Focused academic and now I’m a Head of School trying to inspire & reward great teaching in Arts - would you be up for a coffee in Parkville some time?

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Ika Willis @ikax.bsky.social · 5d

Oh good

Denis - The COVID Info Guy @thecovidinfoguy.bsky.social · 5d

COVID-19 infection associated with increased risk of new-onset vascular dementia in older adults

New UK Biobank study found COVID survivors aged 50+ had higher risk of new-onset dementia vs controls. Among 54,757 participants followed 24.1 months, prior infection was linked to a 41% increased risk.

COVID-19 infection associated with increased risk of new-onset vascular dementia in older adults

Prior COVID-19 infection was associated with a 41% increased risk of all-cause dementia.

www.cidrap.umn.edu

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Ika Willis @ikax.bsky.social · 5d

Niiice

Ika Willis @ikax.bsky.social · 6d

See this is how I think universities should/can work. We have infrastructure, libraries, buildings, admin support and an absolute fuckton of smart, passionate people in ongoing jobs, being paid to research and teach. We are the epitome of WE CAN JUST DO THINGS

underreacted.leaflet.pub/3m23gqakbqs2j

we can just do things - underreacted

underreacted.leaflet.pub

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Ika Willis @ikax.bsky.social · 7d

Haven’t signed up yet but am looking forward to the day when my gf and I can pick our weekend outing destinations based on something other than “where has the best frozen dim sum”

Ika Willis @ikax.bsky.social · 10d

Age yourself with a movie you saw in the theatre as a kid (back when the screen was spangled with cigarette smoke):

Ika Willis @ikax.bsky.social · 10d

SO CUTE