Thomas Conner, PhD
@thesonginmyhead.bsky.social
Media studies and news-media. Practice: writing, editing, news judgment. Theory: holograms, media, hauntings, oh my. 👻 Ex-music critic, forever gardener. he/him/his
Any former protest-music students still follow me? Ever timely …
I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis. It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.
Stay free
Stay free
Bruce Springsteen - Streets Of Minneapolis (Official Audio)
YouTube video by Bruce Springsteen
youtu.be
January 28, 2026 at 6:34 PM
Any former protest-music students still follow me? Ever timely …
"... users of LLM-powered systems are highly susceptible to becoming interactionally entrenched in culturally essentialized narratives" (i.e., echo chambers)
How does interaction with LLM powered chatbots shape human understanding of culture? The need for Critical Interactional Competence (CritIC) | Annual Review of Applied Linguistics | Cambridge Core
How does interaction with LLM powered chatbots shape human understanding of culture? The need for Critical Interactional Competence (CritIC) - Volume 45
www.cambridge.org
January 26, 2026 at 3:51 PM
"... users of LLM-powered systems are highly susceptible to becoming interactionally entrenched in culturally essentialized narratives" (i.e., echo chambers)
Read the speech. "You cannot live within the lie of mutual benefit through integration, when integration becomes the source of your subordination." What I wouldn't give for someone in Congress to talk like this (with their snarling mouths, not their timid thumbs). #MarkCarney #Resist
Davos 2026: Special address by Mark Carney, PM of Canada
Canadian PM Mark Carney stressed the end of the rules-based international order and urged middle powers to act together to counter the great power rivalry.
www.weforum.org
January 22, 2026 at 6:18 PM
Read the speech. "You cannot live within the lie of mutual benefit through integration, when integration becomes the source of your subordination." What I wouldn't give for someone in Congress to talk like this (with their snarling mouths, not their timid thumbs). #MarkCarney #Resist
Permanent alibi
January 22, 2026 at 2:28 AM
Permanent alibi
Unconscionable clickbait from the NYTimes, holding Anita's hand to help stir the shitpot of speculation without *any* serious reporting to support the claims. Golly, pretty scrolling pix tho. #hst #huntersthompson #gonzo
Did Hunter S. Thompson Really Kill Himself? (Gift Article)
At the request of Thompson’s widow, the Colorado authorities are re-examining his death. “The whole Hunter world is buzzing,” a lawyer said.
www.nytimes.com
January 21, 2026 at 3:59 PM
Unconscionable clickbait from the NYTimes, holding Anita's hand to help stir the shitpot of speculation without *any* serious reporting to support the claims. Golly, pretty scrolling pix tho. #hst #huntersthompson #gonzo
"The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little." — FDR, today in 1937
January 20, 2026 at 5:55 PM
"The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little." — FDR, today in 1937
"... it is becoming apparent that scientific endeavor for the betterment of humankind and preservation of life is unattainable under the current system."
Solidarity with Venezuelan Science—SftP Statement – Science for the People
scienceforthepeople.org
January 13, 2026 at 4:34 PM
"... it is becoming apparent that scientific endeavor for the betterment of humankind and preservation of life is unattainable under the current system."
One of the more profound and inspiring comm/media/cultural studies lectures/sermons/rants I’ve heard in a while: youtu.be/EMWPs75q2_Q?... Students, get ready, this is a preface for next week! #keepitweird @hankgreen.bsky.social
Here's Why New Year's Eve is Bad Now
YouTube video by Hank Green
youtu.be
January 12, 2026 at 10:07 PM
One of the more profound and inspiring comm/media/cultural studies lectures/sermons/rants I’ve heard in a while: youtu.be/EMWPs75q2_Q?... Students, get ready, this is a preface for next week! #keepitweird @hankgreen.bsky.social
"Giving AI a face is not just a marketing ploy but a biological inevitability."
Holographic AI is going to happen. But this bizarre 'friend in a jar' is not it
Humans want to personify AI. Razer's new 'holographic' companion is a crude step toward that future.
www.fastcompany.com
January 9, 2026 at 3:22 PM
"Giving AI a face is not just a marketing ploy but a biological inevitability."
Reposted by Thomas Conner, PhD
@kanopy.com OMG, ***trailers*** please
December 31, 2025 at 1:32 AM
@kanopy.com OMG, ***trailers*** please
Incisive analysis of parallels between Epstein case and R. Kelly, from the guy who gets it, @jimderogatis.bsky.social
Transparency didn't delay justice for R. Kelly or Jeffrey Epstein. Prosecutors did.
From Epstein’s inoculating friendships with the rich and powerful to lax law enforcement and a politicized Justice Department, the systems that should have protected his victims failed time and again....
www.cjr.org
December 19, 2025 at 8:46 PM
Incisive analysis of parallels between Epstein case and R. Kelly, from the guy who gets it, @jimderogatis.bsky.social
Intriguing additional context for #hologram usage: www.police1.com/swat/how-hol...
How holographic negotiation can transform crisis response in policing
With foresight and integrity, it can preserve life rather than complicate justice
www.police1.com
December 18, 2025 at 7:10 PM
Intriguing additional context for #hologram usage: www.police1.com/swat/how-hol...
Always a good writing day when I snatch the Heraclitus off the shelf
December 15, 2025 at 4:23 PM
Always a good writing day when I snatch the Heraclitus off the shelf
A smart manifesto about AI & education from unionized minds: www.aaup.org/reports-publ... "It is essential that higher education workers are in control of technological advancements affecting their employment."
Artificial Intelligence and Academic Professions
Educational technology, or ed-tech, including artificial intelligence (AI), continues to become more integrated into teaching and research in higher education, with minimal oversight. The AAUP’s ad ho...
www.aaup.org
December 12, 2025 at 6:43 PM
A smart manifesto about AI & education from unionized minds: www.aaup.org/reports-publ... "It is essential that higher education workers are in control of technological advancements affecting their employment."
Scurrying to drafting board to craft a syllabus called The Ideologies of Fonts. The conservatism of serifs! The liberalism of sans serifs! The ranting progressivism of italics! #Calibri
December 11, 2025 at 5:55 PM
Scurrying to drafting board to craft a syllabus called The Ideologies of Fonts. The conservatism of serifs! The liberalism of sans serifs! The ranting progressivism of italics! #Calibri
Great read about the power of close reading (adaptable to a surprising variety of contexts!): www.bostonreview.net/articles/the...
The Claims of Close Reading - Boston Review
Literary studies have been starved by austerity, but their core methodology remains radical.
www.bostonreview.net
December 2, 2025 at 6:16 PM
Great read about the power of close reading (adaptable to a surprising variety of contexts!): www.bostonreview.net/articles/the...
Nobody puts Piggy in the corner
November 19, 2025 at 8:47 AM
Nobody puts Piggy in the corner
Started 'Katabasis,' laughing thru the tears, feels like the most thorough parody of academia since 'Moo'! "Good jobs were vanishingly rare in academia. Alice very much wanted one. She wouldn’t know what to do with herself otherwise. She had trained her entire life to do this one thing ...” #preach
November 18, 2025 at 6:08 PM
Started 'Katabasis,' laughing thru the tears, feels like the most thorough parody of academia since 'Moo'! "Good jobs were vanishingly rare in academia. Alice very much wanted one. She wouldn’t know what to do with herself otherwise. She had trained her entire life to do this one thing ...” #preach
Pondering the state of expertise and credentials vs. social impact and change through the lens of ‘The Lowdown’ and whatever the hell a “truthstorian” is: thepickup.com/whats-a-trut...
What’s A Truthstorian, Anyway? - The Pickup
Lee Roy Chapman didn’t fit the typical mold of a historian or a journalist. Good.
thepickup.com
November 18, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Pondering the state of expertise and credentials vs. social impact and change through the lens of ‘The Lowdown’ and whatever the hell a “truthstorian” is: thepickup.com/whats-a-trut...
Such fun presenting today at the @hauntedfutures.bsky.social conference, hosted by the film & screen folks at U College Cork. Our panel explored liminal spaces, fictional architecture, and my own work on digital apparitions — oh my! Best to the whole haunted bunch!
November 13, 2025 at 3:44 PM
Such fun presenting today at the @hauntedfutures.bsky.social conference, hosted by the film & screen folks at U College Cork. Our panel explored liminal spaces, fictional architecture, and my own work on digital apparitions — oh my! Best to the whole haunted bunch!
Important that this analysis connects student news orgs to media literacy overall.
The Enduring Value of Student Newspapers - JSTOR Daily
More than curiosities, college papers are unique pedagogical tools that help undergraduates achieve media literacy.
daily.jstor.org
November 12, 2025 at 11:40 PM
Important that this analysis connects student news orgs to media literacy overall.
I feel like baking them all a very gay cake
The US Supreme Court has acted like it's one of Kim Davis's many husbands and kicked the "Marriage is Sacred, Y'all!!!" hypocrite to the curb. Glory!
November 10, 2025 at 6:30 PM
I feel like baking them all a very gay cake
Reposted by Thomas Conner, PhD
The New York Times quickly sending out Douthat to argue that Mamdani’s victory doesn’t really matter is so predictable it borders on self-parody.
Remember, folks: Every time the Right wins an election, it’s an undeniable expression of the will of the people. If a lefty wins, it’s just a blip.
Remember, folks: Every time the Right wins an election, it’s an undeniable expression of the will of the people. If a lefty wins, it’s just a blip.
Opinion | Mamdani’s Victory Is Less Significant Than You Think
www.nytimes.com
November 5, 2025 at 5:27 PM
The New York Times quickly sending out Douthat to argue that Mamdani’s victory doesn’t really matter is so predictable it borders on self-parody.
Remember, folks: Every time the Right wins an election, it’s an undeniable expression of the will of the people. If a lefty wins, it’s just a blip.
Remember, folks: Every time the Right wins an election, it’s an undeniable expression of the will of the people. If a lefty wins, it’s just a blip.