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Dr Amanda Dillon @oddityofwings.bsky.social · 13d

Goths! Academics! I have possibly made this up (irony), but I am reasonably sure I read something in the last few months that said LLMs are essentially gothic in nature.

Sound familiar to anyone? Any idea what it might have been? Probs just a thread, but might have been a substack…

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Dr Amanda Dillon @oddityofwings.bsky.social · 17d

That sound you are hearing is my jet lagged brain slowly creaking back into teaching mode.

Reposted by Dr Amanda Dillon

Chaucer Doth Tweet @levostregc.bsky.social · 21d

Major yn Englisshe:
• focused readinge & writinge prepare you for anythinge
• research, communicacioun, creativitye, and interpretacioun will be needed for careers not even invented yet
• meaningful engagement wyth big ideas and textes that will staye wyth you forevir
• it ys awesome
• books!

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Reposted by Dr Amanda Dillon

Becca Harrison @beccaeharrison.bsky.social · Jun 17

There's lots more to say about @davidharvie.bsky.social and my findings. Please read the report to support union action & honour those who shared experiences.

I'll finish with an eyeopening stat: the hidden, 'backdoor' redundancies affecting *11,500* people. 11,500 HIDDEN job cuts. This must end.

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Reposted by Dr Amanda Dillon

Silkabelli (mutazione-piromane Edition) @silkabelli.bsky.social · 22d

Queen

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Dr Amanda Dillon @oddityofwings.bsky.social · 22d

First morning back in Britain: cold*, wet. Trying to figure out how to get the washing to dry.

Welcome home to me. ❤️

*it was well into the mid 20s and above in the US. 12 may as well be winter to me right now.

Dr Amanda Dillon @oddityofwings.bsky.social · 22d

It was hilarious. I sort of expected the gates to get grumpy, because technology, but the glee with which the immigration lady hammered it on the desk was impressive. ‘If it ever stops working again, just give it a good thwack’, according to her.

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Dr Amanda Dillon @oddityofwings.bsky.social · 22d

Also my cabbie from the station was a full on lefty and the sigh of relief I let out was incredible. The US was not, shall we say, comfortable over the last week and a bit.

(NB not my family - just the overall vibe.)

Dr Amanda Dillon @oddityofwings.bsky.social · 22d

Found out when using my brand spanking new British passport for the first time this morning that apparently you need to thwack them to get the chip to work correctly.

There’s a metaphor in there somewhere, as a friend put it.

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Reposted by Dr Amanda Dillon

Nick Harkaway @nickharkaway.com · 23d

More prosaically, as someone pointed out to me recently: LLMs are *always* hallucinating. its just that sometimes their hallucinations appear to map our experienced reality. But the map is never *of* our reality, just *like* it. So the words don’t describe it. 4/4

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Dr Amanda Dillon @oddityofwings.bsky.social · 23d

Haven’t had a single serving friend on a flight in… 15 years? 20? Nice to pass the time with someone way too happy to chatter for a change.

Dr Amanda Dillon @oddityofwings.bsky.social · 25d

That’s the plan!

a cartoon of a dragon sitting at a desk with a stack of books and the words buy above it

Alt: a cartoon of a dragon sitting at a desk with a stack of books and the words buy above it

media.tenor.com

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Dr Amanda Dillon @oddityofwings.bsky.social · 25d

Oh definitely. This one is for the journal I manage, so I know the timescales intimately. They can hold off till I’m back in Blighty on Tuesday. (Unless I really, really feel like doing it. But I doubt I will.)

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Dr Amanda Dillon @oddityofwings.bsky.social · 25d

I mean, given the current UK HE state, even that’s not really a thing anymore.

elmo from sesame street is making a funny face while looking at the camera .

Alt: elmo from sesame street staring at the camera, definitely done with this shit.

media.tenor.com

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Dr Amanda Dillon @oddityofwings.bsky.social · 25d

Thank you. Between one thing and another right now, I need the distraction but also I was hoping it might be rampant book acquisition, not quadruple guessing my paragraphing practices…

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Dr Amanda Dillon @oddityofwings.bsky.social · 25d

I’m not even on a research contract. I DID THIS TO MYSELF. 🫠

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Dr Amanda Dillon @oddityofwings.bsky.social · 25d

Imagine me weeping at the breakfast table when looking at emails today. (Which I shouldn’t do but wondered if we had an email about the Guardian League tables or not…)

elmo from sesame street is sitting at a table with a straw in a cup .

Alt: elmo from sesame street is sitting at a table with a straw in a cup. The caption reads: long exasperated sigh; okay.

media.tenor.com

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Dr Amanda Dillon @oddityofwings.bsky.social · 25d

Me: *finishes book proofs while on holiday*

Me: ah, I have three days left - I will reward myself with a Barnes and Noble trip and relax til my flight.

Journal article proofs, 1am Saturday: the hell you will.

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Dr Amanda Dillon @oddityofwings.bsky.social · 27d

Reading your edited proofs as a pro copy editor yourself: yeah, like, I can see why you might think that, but WORLDS OF NO.

In other news, I am glaring at my laptop.

Reposted by Dr Amanda Dillon

Stephen Aguilar @stephenaguilar.com · 27d

Aw man I wish academics had headlines like this.

“Stephen Aguilar (existential dread) is not expected to write today, per @mpolikoff.bsky.social”

Mike Reiss @mikereiss.bsky.social · 28d

CB Christian Gonzalez (hamstring) is not expected to practice today, per Mike Vrabel.

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Dr Amanda Dillon @oddityofwings.bsky.social · 27d

Oh. Oh that one.

Dr Amanda Dillon @oddityofwings.bsky.social · 28d

Could UK HE please hold themselves together at least till I get back from holiday? FFS.

(In all seriousness, I’m gutted and furious and terrified for colleagues at both institutions - and what this means for the rest of us…)

University and College Union (UCU) @ucu.org.uk · 29d

BREAKING 🚨 @drjogrady.bsky.social on Greenwich/Kent “merger”:

“This isn’t a merger, it’s a takeover. Severe financial pressure is driving this & staff & students are left overlooked, overworked & ignored.

Govt must intervene before the crisis in HE worsens.”

www.ucu.org.uk/article/1417...

UCU response to University of Greenwich "takeover" of University of Kent

www.ucu.org.uk

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Reposted by Dr Amanda Dillon

Amy Hoy @amyhoy.bsky.social · 29d

the word “sloppycat” just popped into my head for people who try to ape actual specific human work using slop generators

please feel free to use it

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Dr Amanda Dillon @oddityofwings.bsky.social · Sep 7

*most
**hated

I give up with auto cucumber.

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Dr Amanda Dillon @oddityofwings.bsky.social · Sep 7

OH I HATE THAT. Amongst my many hates tropes…

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