Michael Black
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mblack.us
Michael Black
@mblack.us
I teach writing and study the history of computing.

https://mblack.us
I was looking at an AI assignment recently and one of the instructions was to "not trust" any of its output. So why ask students to use it then?

My generous reading was that it would push them to review notes/readings to verify everything, but surely there are better ways to get students to do that
November 21, 2025 at 1:50 PM
Reposted by Michael Black
I don’t know who needs to hear this, but AP exams won’t fix the literacy crisis either.
November 19, 2025 at 3:45 PM
Awesome! 😅

I'd love to see the full list when you have it together.
November 19, 2025 at 1:15 PM
I liked Ian Milligan's work on Geocities. Sapnar-Ankerson's Dot-Com design is good. Niels Brugger has a lot of historiographic stuff. Competing on Internet Time for the browser wars. Tim Berners-Lee's memoir is great view of the internet's early goals (good contrast w/Barlow's libertarian views)
November 19, 2025 at 2:20 AM
Reposted by Michael Black
What this reveals is that for most people in charge right now “AI” is less useful as a technology than as a piece of language to shift a conversation in whatever direction they need it to go. In one minute it will propel a new economy; in another it’s the reason for a recession.
November 17, 2025 at 1:39 PM
"I mentioned Erat’s empty office hours and asked Phal how he planned to enact his vision of the future, one where AI filled classrooms rather than emptied them. 'The professors themselves,' he said, would be responsible for figuring that out." 🙃
November 17, 2025 at 1:16 PM
If we were told that someone needed to come into our homes and replace or re-arrange everything to make it more secure, we'd be up in arms. But when it happens on our computers? *Shrug*
November 16, 2025 at 5:50 PM