"A possible source of new information"--GB
@vpterson.bsky.social
Philosophy & politics. #Technology, #Edtech, #Linux, & #highereducation policy.♥️📚🇺🇦🇨🇦🇩🇰🇺🇸
Reposted by "A possible source of new information"--GB
I’m never very interested in arguing about definitions even though that was once all that happened in Philosophy. Often (not saying in this case!) insisting on a definition is an attempt to assert power over a discourse. What matters is the underlying idea rather than the name for it.
December 6, 2025 at 9:21 AM
I’m never very interested in arguing about definitions even though that was once all that happened in Philosophy. Often (not saying in this case!) insisting on a definition is an attempt to assert power over a discourse. What matters is the underlying idea rather than the name for it.
Reposted by "A possible source of new information"--GB
While I wasn't looking, slide generation in Google's NotebookLM became impressive
Here I threw in 10 academic papers I authored & it summarized them into a coherent (& quite pretty) deck. I saw no hallucinations, but each slide is an image which results in some occasional spelling and graph issues
Here I threw in 10 academic papers I authored & it summarized them into a coherent (& quite pretty) deck. I saw no hallucinations, but each slide is an image which results in some occasional spelling and graph issues
December 4, 2025 at 3:31 AM
While I wasn't looking, slide generation in Google's NotebookLM became impressive
Here I threw in 10 academic papers I authored & it summarized them into a coherent (& quite pretty) deck. I saw no hallucinations, but each slide is an image which results in some occasional spelling and graph issues
Here I threw in 10 academic papers I authored & it summarized them into a coherent (& quite pretty) deck. I saw no hallucinations, but each slide is an image which results in some occasional spelling and graph issues
Reposted by "A possible source of new information"--GB
"When AI tools fail to deliver the transformative results promised in executive presentations, employees experience disappointment that compounds their fatigue. This... leaves employees confused...making adoption feel pointless or overwhelming." www.forbes.com/sites/caroli...
Why 'AI Fatigue' Is Wearing You Down And How To Beat It
Feeling overwhelmed by nonstop AI tool rollouts? Explore what’s driving AI fatigue, its impact on employees, and strategies to beat burnout.
www.forbes.com
December 4, 2025 at 2:32 AM
"When AI tools fail to deliver the transformative results promised in executive presentations, employees experience disappointment that compounds their fatigue. This... leaves employees confused...making adoption feel pointless or overwhelming." www.forbes.com/sites/caroli...
Reposted by "A possible source of new information"--GB
This is true for writers of every age and experience, and recognizing this truth and applying it to how I framed the practice of writing for students transformed the experience for them and me. It also explains why the LLM enthusiasts who can't think don't value writing. It's foreign to them.
i strongly, strongly believe that good writing is downstream of clear thinking and a strong understanding of the subject matter at hand. without fail, tortured writing comes from writers who don’t know and can’t think clearly about anything.
Oh man! This paragraph is brutal. The best thing about this review is it's not trying to be mean. It's just listing how bad the writing is.
December 3, 2025 at 7:32 PM
This is true for writers of every age and experience, and recognizing this truth and applying it to how I framed the practice of writing for students transformed the experience for them and me. It also explains why the LLM enthusiasts who can't think don't value writing. It's foreign to them.
Reposted by "A possible source of new information"--GB
The NYT's coverage of higher ed is really largely worthless.
December 3, 2025 at 5:57 PM
The NYT's coverage of higher ed is really largely worthless.
Reposted by "A possible source of new information"--GB
Reposted by "A possible source of new information"--GB
That would be sweet. The private mutterings, the little grievances, the gossipy bombshells—I bet there’s already enough for an easy hot selling book if only there were recordings, even private ones. After this administration, the tell-alls will be mind-blowing.
December 3, 2025 at 12:15 PM
That would be sweet. The private mutterings, the little grievances, the gossipy bombshells—I bet there’s already enough for an easy hot selling book if only there were recordings, even private ones. After this administration, the tell-alls will be mind-blowing.
Reposted by "A possible source of new information"--GB
You can just feel that Anthropic listens more closely to philosophers than other labs, and has defined epistemic character in a way that places high value on "recognizing areas of ignorance."
December 2, 2025 at 10:47 PM
You can just feel that Anthropic listens more closely to philosophers than other labs, and has defined epistemic character in a way that places high value on "recognizing areas of ignorance."
Reposted by "A possible source of new information"--GB
Dooming is a mode of passivity; standing athwart history and yelling stop has a bad track record of success.
Grab the steering wheel.
Grab the steering wheel.
Wrote a short piece arguing that higher ed must help steer AI. TLDR: If we outsource this to tech, we outsource our whole business. But rejectionism is basically stalling. If we want to survive, schools themselves must proactively shape AI for education & research. [1/6, unpaywalled at 5/6] +
Opinion | AI Is the Future. Higher Ed Should Shape It.
If we want to stay at the forefront of knowledge production, we must fit technology to our needs.
www.chronicle.com
December 3, 2025 at 5:32 AM
Dooming is a mode of passivity; standing athwart history and yelling stop has a bad track record of success.
Grab the steering wheel.
Grab the steering wheel.
Reposted by "A possible source of new information"--GB
E.g. you can fine-tune your own version of free DeepSeek or Qwen models; the school will help you fine-tune it and host it. (See link.)
Using AI does not have to mean becoming a passive *consumer* of AI, and at least at the iSchool that’s not the path I see most students or colleagues taking.
Using AI does not have to mean becoming a passive *consumer* of AI, and at least at the iSchool that’s not the path I see most students or colleagues taking.
chat.illinois.edu
December 3, 2025 at 5:16 AM
E.g. you can fine-tune your own version of free DeepSeek or Qwen models; the school will help you fine-tune it and host it. (See link.)
Using AI does not have to mean becoming a passive *consumer* of AI, and at least at the iSchool that’s not the path I see most students or colleagues taking.
Using AI does not have to mean becoming a passive *consumer* of AI, and at least at the iSchool that’s not the path I see most students or colleagues taking.
Reposted by "A possible source of new information"--GB
„CSU—US’s largest public uni system—went all-in with a $17mill partnership with OpenAI. . .CSU unveiled its grand technological gesture just as it proposed slashing $375mill from its budget. While admin cut ribbons on AI, they were cutting faculty positions, academic programs, student services.“
AI is Destroying the University and Learning Itself
Students use AI to write papers, professors use AI to grade them, degrees become meaningless, and tech companies make fortunes. Welcome to the death of higher education.
www.currentaffairs.org
December 3, 2025 at 5:43 AM
„CSU—US’s largest public uni system—went all-in with a $17mill partnership with OpenAI. . .CSU unveiled its grand technological gesture just as it proposed slashing $375mill from its budget. While admin cut ribbons on AI, they were cutting faculty positions, academic programs, student services.“
Reposted by "A possible source of new information"--GB
Reposted by "A possible source of new information"--GB
Absolutely devastating account of the CSU's $17 million capitulation to ChatGPT, from a fellow faculty member watching it happen www.currentaffairs.org/news/ai-is-d...
AI is Destroying the University and Learning Itself
Students use AI to write papers, professors use AI to grade them, degrees become meaningless, and tech companies make fortunes. Welcome to the death of higher education.
www.currentaffairs.org
December 3, 2025 at 4:24 AM
Absolutely devastating account of the CSU's $17 million capitulation to ChatGPT, from a fellow faculty member watching it happen www.currentaffairs.org/news/ai-is-d...
Reposted by "A possible source of new information"--GB
What a pity no one is allowed to say White Supremacy or talk about Patriarchy any more.
This is truly awful. I have served in the university media board for 3 years and saw how brilliant and committed the student editors of these magazines were to quality and integrity. This is such a loss for the university community at large. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/02/u...
U. of Alabama Suspends Black and Female Student Magazines, Citing D.E.I. Guidance
www.nytimes.com
December 3, 2025 at 6:52 AM
What a pity no one is allowed to say White Supremacy or talk about Patriarchy any more.
Reposted by "A possible source of new information"--GB
idk not to mention how very nuanced and normal the actual response here was
November 29, 2025 at 3:45 PM
idk not to mention how very nuanced and normal the actual response here was
Reposted by "A possible source of new information"--GB
This is insane. Any material a prof thinks is necessary but isn’t for formal licensing has to get the signoff of the chair, then dean, then provost?
This is an absolutely mockery of academic freedom.
I feel like Texas Tech HAS to lose its accreditation for this, no? It’s preposterous.
This is an absolutely mockery of academic freedom.
I feel like Texas Tech HAS to lose its accreditation for this, no? It’s preposterous.
TX Tech has a flow chat for guidance on what can be taught in the university system. Two things:
1. Very little content seems to be permitted. This is partisan control of the curriculum.
2. I would not enjoy teaching under these conditions, but I really would not want to be a Chair or Dean.
1. Very little content seems to be permitted. This is partisan control of the curriculum.
2. I would not enjoy teaching under these conditions, but I really would not want to be a Chair or Dean.
December 2, 2025 at 2:30 AM
This is insane. Any material a prof thinks is necessary but isn’t for formal licensing has to get the signoff of the chair, then dean, then provost?
This is an absolutely mockery of academic freedom.
I feel like Texas Tech HAS to lose its accreditation for this, no? It’s preposterous.
This is an absolutely mockery of academic freedom.
I feel like Texas Tech HAS to lose its accreditation for this, no? It’s preposterous.
Reposted by "A possible source of new information"--GB
TX Tech has a flow chat for guidance on what can be taught in the university system. Two things:
1. Very little content seems to be permitted. This is partisan control of the curriculum.
2. I would not enjoy teaching under these conditions, but I really would not want to be a Chair or Dean.
1. Very little content seems to be permitted. This is partisan control of the curriculum.
2. I would not enjoy teaching under these conditions, but I really would not want to be a Chair or Dean.
December 1, 2025 at 10:55 PM
TX Tech has a flow chat for guidance on what can be taught in the university system. Two things:
1. Very little content seems to be permitted. This is partisan control of the curriculum.
2. I would not enjoy teaching under these conditions, but I really would not want to be a Chair or Dean.
1. Very little content seems to be permitted. This is partisan control of the curriculum.
2. I would not enjoy teaching under these conditions, but I really would not want to be a Chair or Dean.
Reposted by "A possible source of new information"--GB
"Many people are becoming reliant on AI to navigate some of the most basic aspects of daily life."
www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
The People Outsourcing Their Thinking to AI
Rise of the LLeMmings
www.theatlantic.com
December 2, 2025 at 12:22 AM
"Many people are becoming reliant on AI to navigate some of the most basic aspects of daily life."
www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
Reposted by "A possible source of new information"--GB
Agentic AI is here: What does it mean for online education?
This was a stimulating conversation with John Nash and Jason Johnston of the Online Learning Podcast.
Note: agentic AI browsers do way more than the custom chatbots sometimes called agents.
www.onlinelearningpodcast.com/e/ep-37-agen...
This was a stimulating conversation with John Nash and Jason Johnston of the Online Learning Podcast.
Note: agentic AI browsers do way more than the custom chatbots sometimes called agents.
www.onlinelearningpodcast.com/e/ep-37-agen...
EP 37 - Agentic AI is here. What does it mean for Online Education? A conversation with Anna Mills. | Online Learning in the Second Half
In EP 37, John and Jason talk to Anna Mills about Agentic AI and
See complete notes and transcripts at www.onlinelearningpodcast.com
Join Our LinkedIn Group - *Online Learning Podcast (Also feel free ...
www.onlinelearningpodcast.com
December 1, 2025 at 10:54 PM
Agentic AI is here: What does it mean for online education?
This was a stimulating conversation with John Nash and Jason Johnston of the Online Learning Podcast.
Note: agentic AI browsers do way more than the custom chatbots sometimes called agents.
www.onlinelearningpodcast.com/e/ep-37-agen...
This was a stimulating conversation with John Nash and Jason Johnston of the Online Learning Podcast.
Note: agentic AI browsers do way more than the custom chatbots sometimes called agents.
www.onlinelearningpodcast.com/e/ep-37-agen...
If this piece doesn’t curdle your blood as an ordinary American, or an ordinary world citizen, I have to wonder if you read it. The people the emails portray, their social stratum & mores, the vast sums involved, make them unaccountable in ways we folk could never be for even minor transgressions.
"What the Epstein class understands is that the more accessible information becomes, the more precious nonpublic information is."
If you have the time and patience this is recommended. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/23/o... [email protected] [gift link]
If you have the time and patience this is recommended. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/23/o... [email protected] [gift link]
Opinion | How the Elite Behave When No One Is Watching: Inside the Epstein Emails
www.nytimes.com
December 1, 2025 at 2:27 PM
If this piece doesn’t curdle your blood as an ordinary American, or an ordinary world citizen, I have to wonder if you read it. The people the emails portray, their social stratum & mores, the vast sums involved, make them unaccountable in ways we folk could never be for even minor transgressions.
Reposted by "A possible source of new information"--GB
"What the Epstein class understands is that the more accessible information becomes, the more precious nonpublic information is."
If you have the time and patience this is recommended. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/23/o... [email protected] [gift link]
If you have the time and patience this is recommended. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/23/o... [email protected] [gift link]
Opinion | How the Elite Behave When No One Is Watching: Inside the Epstein Emails
www.nytimes.com
November 23, 2025 at 5:18 PM
"What the Epstein class understands is that the more accessible information becomes, the more precious nonpublic information is."
If you have the time and patience this is recommended. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/23/o... [email protected] [gift link]
If you have the time and patience this is recommended. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/23/o... [email protected] [gift link]
Most questions I find interesting are not widely shared. The problem w/ horizontal inquiries is that each area touched on will not be deep enough to interest that expert, even if it meets their standards, & will lose observers as fields touched on seem removed. It’s a surmountable & tricky problem.
November 29, 2025 at 8:32 PM
Most questions I find interesting are not widely shared. The problem w/ horizontal inquiries is that each area touched on will not be deep enough to interest that expert, even if it meets their standards, & will lose observers as fields touched on seem removed. It’s a surmountable & tricky problem.
Reposted by "A possible source of new information"--GB
You are not wrong. We who are patriots to America, the Constitution, rule of law, and the republic will all be considered “former persons,” an old Soviet designation: the “byvshiye lyudi” and “socially alien element.” The first 50 pages of AS’s Gulag Archipelago are terrifying to consider now.
November 28, 2025 at 7:37 PM
You are not wrong. We who are patriots to America, the Constitution, rule of law, and the republic will all be considered “former persons,” an old Soviet designation: the “byvshiye lyudi” and “socially alien element.” The first 50 pages of AS’s Gulag Archipelago are terrifying to consider now.
It is clear to me now after all these years that H.R. Maturana is, as a rhetorician, an asshole.
November 28, 2025 at 8:18 PM
It is clear to me now after all these years that H.R. Maturana is, as a rhetorician, an asshole.
We seem to have an extremely sophisticated and civilizationally advanced science and technology, unfortunately coupled with an extremely primitive form of politics. And now I’m thinking of apes with nukes. Cf. Kubrick, Space Odyssey 2001, the dawn of man opening shots.
November 28, 2025 at 6:27 PM
We seem to have an extremely sophisticated and civilizationally advanced science and technology, unfortunately coupled with an extremely primitive form of politics. And now I’m thinking of apes with nukes. Cf. Kubrick, Space Odyssey 2001, the dawn of man opening shots.