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Robert "Verity" Karn

@veritykarn.bsky.social

61 followers 100 following 100 posts

Some schmuck who's somehow convinced educated people that he belongs. Student. Eurasian Policy/History, US Foreign Policy, International Security. Loves Fighting Games. Currently Reading: This Is How They Tell Me The World Ends by Nicole Pertroth

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Robert "Verity" Karn @veritykarn.bsky.social · Nov 27

Hello, Bluesky! If anybody is wondering who I am, I am a current student at Hampshire College. My previous studies were in cybersecurity(2013-15) and philosophy(2021-24). I'm currently studying Eurasian history and politics, with a focus on international relations and security surrounding Russia.

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Robert "Verity" Karn @veritykarn.bsky.social · 3d

Originally, I started using Bluesky because it got away from my recommendations being filled with whatever scumbag paid enough to get ads.

Now, I mostly log into this app to watch @radiofreetom.bsky.social remind people that their social media takes are pretty basic, and to trust the experts.

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Robert "Verity" Karn @veritykarn.bsky.social · 4d

There are some colleges that actually use this method: www.eastcentral.edu/free/ai-facu...

There are also tools built for this directly, such as Draftback: chromewebstore.google.com/detail/draft...

Using Google Docs to Detect Students' AI Usage - Faculty Resources for Educational Excellence

Objective: This guide will help you learn how to 1) teach your students to share editable versions of their Google Documents with you through Canvas and 2) view all your students’ changes, additions, ...

www.eastcentral.edu

Reposted by Robert "Verity" Karn

The Moscow Times @themoscowtimes.com · 19d

#OpEd Jimmy Kimmel's removal from late night television resembles when the Kremlin attacked a television channel that satirized Putin — and even the liberal media rationalized what happened as if it was acceptable, warns Andrei Soldatov.

For Russians Like Me, Silencing Jimmy Kimmel Looks Dangerously Familiar - The Moscow Times

Opinion | The removal from the air of a second American comedian since President Donald Trump was elected in the United States should send chills down the spine of every journalist who worked in Mosco...

www.themoscowtimes.com

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Robert "Verity" Karn @veritykarn.bsky.social · Sep 6

Funny enough, that's basically the strategy I adopted over the past few months. Telling people that I was studying Eastern European history made them bored. But if I told them I was a student of military history, then they got interested. Learning history became learning information warfare, lol.

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Reposted by Robert "Verity" Karn

The Atlantic @theatlantic.com · Sep 6

Donald Trump is reportedly planning to rename the Department of Defense as the Department of War. @radiofreetom.bsky.social argues that the move is a stunt that could wind up embarrassing the Pentagon and costing millions.

Read more: theatln.tc/r1lU6FWz

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Robert "Verity" Karn @veritykarn.bsky.social · Sep 5

Every time I think I'm going to start off a new academic year as a respectable member of the middle class, where I go and buy my textbooks, working only part time to pay bills, I see the $60 price tag on seven books I need to buy. Sailed the high seas this long, so why not another year?

Robert "Verity" Karn @veritykarn.bsky.social · Sep 2

There is a type of hatred I've molded specifically for those who will offhandedly dismiss government or media reports, claiming them as unfairly biased, only to turn around and use grok or ChatGPT as their source.

Reposted by Robert "Verity" Karn

Bill Kristol @billkristolbulwark.bsky.social · Aug 24

Leftist: Yes, Trump’s kind of a fascist. Now let me get back to my obsession, re-litigating fights with Democratic centrists from a decade or two ago.

Centrist: Yes, there are signs of fascism. Now let me get back to complaining a lefty used some woke terms a few years ago.

American democracy: 🤯🤯🤯

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Robert "Verity" Karn @veritykarn.bsky.social · Aug 14

"The United States deters conventional threats through superior military power, but it completely lacks that dominance in cyberspace, where defense and offense are inextricably linked."

www.foreignaffairs.com/china/china-...

China Is Winning the Cyberwar

America needs a new strategy of deterrence.

www.foreignaffairs.com

Robert "Verity" Karn @veritykarn.bsky.social · Aug 12

"Whereas the first phase of the war was defined by hardware, with each side competing to invent new kinds of drones, payload, and munitions, the next phase of the war will be determined by software."

www.foreignaffairs.com/guest-pass/r...

The Dawn of Automated Warfare

Artificial intelligence will be the key to victory in Ukraine—and elsewhere.

www.foreignaffairs.com

Robert "Verity" Karn @veritykarn.bsky.social · Aug 12

It's an interesting balance that everyone in academia grapples with: How do I convey my knowledge and ideas in a way that fits for this paper/presentation/lecture/etc.? The medium and audience shifts that approach. I can take pride in the paper, while knowing my audience are not from the same field.

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Robert "Verity" Karn @veritykarn.bsky.social · Aug 12

Checked what was said on birdsite to make sure I understood. I generally agree. My first presentation was just reading my paper. The commentators said they didn't understand it. After that, I started to try and speak to the audience itself, while giving them the paper if they wished. Better received

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Reposted by Robert "Verity" Karn

Alexander S. Vindman @avindman.bsky.social · Aug 10

The Trump-Putin Summit, as it is being framed, a peace deal “land-swap” between Russia and Ukraine, is very troubling and should sound alarm bells at home and abroad.

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Reposted by Robert "Verity" Karn

Anna Gvarishvili @annagvarish.bsky.social · Jul 14

🧵 When I, as a Georgian, talk to an international friend from a country facing democratic challenges, yet still far from an authoritarian regime, and they say, “OMG, same here!”

Seriously?

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Robert "Verity" Karn @veritykarn.bsky.social · Jun 12

It's interesting when reading the actual cited material for a book is the greatest argument against that same book.

Robert "Verity" Karn @veritykarn.bsky.social · Jun 12

In creating this, I'm hoping to give somewhat of a reference sheet for anybody dealing with Libertarian nonsense regarding Ukraine. This is only the first of many sections, so work still needs to be done. Still, my plan is to truck on, and work through as much of this as I can.

Robert "Verity" Karn @veritykarn.bsky.social · Jun 12

Within this section, Horton managed to either misattribute his own source, deliberately change around the wording of a source, or deliberately change the vocabulary used within the source. That's not even to mention the one point that he quoted what was clearly misinformation. It's a mess, in short.

Robert "Verity" Karn @veritykarn.bsky.social · Jun 12

After a month, I've gotten through the first section of one of the worst books I've ever read, "Provoked," by Scott Horton. I've been documenting each source that he used, and marking down whether I believed it was, using very lax terms, a good source. Most fail.

docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

HortonSources

docs.google.com

Robert "Verity" Karn @veritykarn.bsky.social · May 19

Meanwhile, Horton will cite five sources in one sentence that have nothing to do with the actual material of the sentence, and basically cover far-spread ideas that aren't even related. I genuinely have no idea how anybody reads his book without going insane.

Robert "Verity" Karn @veritykarn.bsky.social · May 19

It's not the number of materials we cite that makes research robust. Rather, it is the precise nature and understanding of what we cite, which is used to bolster the idea that we are arguing. We don't just say "here's fifty articles," we say, "here's fifty articles that support my argument."

Robert "Verity" Karn @veritykarn.bsky.social · May 19

I also think this will be a good exercise in demonstrating how citations themselves are not foolproof shields to criticism. Horton advertises the book as having a high amount of citations, so he must be educated on the topic to an expert level. This is missing the point of why we cite materials.

Robert "Verity" Karn @veritykarn.bsky.social · May 19

I've figured out what my personal Summer project will be: Going through Scott Horton's(Russian boot licker) book on Ukraine, and tracking down every footnote. Every one I've seen personally is either nonsense or intentionally misleading. I need to know how bad it gets in full.

Robert "Verity" Karn @veritykarn.bsky.social · May 19

I have spent half a day attempting to create an account on Facebook, all of which has resulted in every account being flagged as untrustworthy. Dude, I just want to have an account for my co-workers to reach out, instead of them having to deal with my Russia takes.

Robert "Verity" Karn @veritykarn.bsky.social · May 19

While the first rounds of the Romanian elections gave me pause, I'm glad to see the pro-EU forces rally behind Mayor Dan today. It's a good sign that there are enough elements moving against kleptocracy to motivate the average voter. Still, more work needs to be done, there and elsewhere.

Robert "Verity" Karn @veritykarn.bsky.social · May 15

Remember how I said that my generation had a problem with over digitizing material? It has the same problem with technologizing solutions. Is the idea unfounded? No, but that's missing the point. There is a whole rabbit hole of people attempting to "fix sleep" when we still don't know why we sleep.