Jason Dittmer
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realjdittmer.bsky.social
Jason Dittmer
@realjdittmer.bsky.social

Professor of Political Geography at UCL. Posting about geopolitics, popular culture, and cat memes

Political science 29%
Art 22%
Some colleagues in my old department in Trondheim are recruiting a PhD candidate in Gender Studies and/or STS on the "Imagining Positive Energy Futures" project. 3 years, fully funded. Norway's a good place to do a PhD and Trondheim's a nice place to live!
PhD candidate within Gender Studies and/or STS: Imagining Positive Energy Futures (294972) | NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Job title: PhD candidate within Gender Studies and/or STS: Imagining Positive Energy Futures (294972), Employer: NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Deadline: Sunday, March 15, 2026
www.jobbnorge.no

Nobody tell me what happened - about to watch the curling on catch-up

Would be amazing if Bad Bunny sang Lee Greenwood’s Proud to be an American at halftime

"Sometime I wish you would just hold me in contempt, Your Honor, so that I can have a full 24 hours of sleep," Le told Blackwell, according to a transcript.

www.reuters.com/legal/govern...
US Justice Department removes lawyer who told judge in immigration case 'this job sucks'
The U.S. Justice Department has removed a government lawyer from an assignment in Minnesota after she told a federal judge "this job sucks" and immigration authorities had failed to comply with court ...
www.reuters.com

Reposted by Jason Dittmer

We've launched our new migration masters @uclgeography.bsky.social – Migration, Politics and Society
Full of creative and critical approaches, and taught by really good people. Please pass on to students who might be interested!

www.ucl.ac.uk/social-histo...
We're recruiting 2 PhD candidates in human geography here in Uppsala, one position focused on urban/housing issues and one in political ecology.

Please spread the word/repost etc. Being a PhD student in Sweden is a good gig.
2 PhD student positions in Human Geography - Uppsala University
2 PhD student positions in Human Geography, Department of Human Geography, Uppsala University
www.uu.se

👏👏👏👏

I have been thinking about this lot lately! Imagine LLMs consuming LLM product. Awful.
The old test in moral philosophy ‘what if everyone did that?’ is coming back to haunt us. LLMs only work because the information they are sucking up was not generated by LLMs. But as they drive more and more real researchers out of business they are building layers and layers on their own quicksand.
The old test in moral philosophy ‘what if everyone did that?’ is coming back to haunt us. LLMs only work because the information they are sucking up was not generated by LLMs. But as they drive more and more real researchers out of business they are building layers and layers on their own quicksand.

Reposted by Jason Dittmer

Masked thugs, sneering elites and terrified citizens: a picture of the US today. We used to have a name for this | Marina Hyde
Masked thugs, sneering elites and terrified citizens: a picture of the US today. We used to have a name for this | Marina Hyde
Truly, I am the country’s biggest fan. But in the spirit of free speech its leaders apparently love, here’s a few things the rest of the world needs them to know, says Guardian columnist Marina Hyde
www.theguardian.com
Stop what you’re doing and read this piece, which is as powerful as you’d expect from @adamserwer.bsky.social witnessing the events of last week on the ground in Minnesota. “The secret fear of the morally depraved is that virtue is actually common, and that they’re the ones who are alone.”
Minnesota Proved MAGA Wrong
The pushback against ICE exposed a series of mistaken assumptions.
www.theatlantic.com
New YouGov poll: Abolish ICE is now at a *record high* level of support in the United States

46% support
41% oppose

Independents are +12 on abolishing ICE

19% of Republicans now support abolishing ICE as well

Reposted by Jason Dittmer

Are you concerned about your privacy and the power abuse by American tech companies?

This website helps you switch to European and open-source alternatives.

switch-to.eu/en/
Switch-to.eu - EU alternatives to global services
A guide to help you switch from non-EU to EU-based digital services and products.
switch-to.eu

A rare chuckle in awful times
www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...
America Needs Greenland. No—Iceland. Actually, Never Mind!
This is definitely all going to plan.
www.theatlantic.com
A post-by-post dissection of the Nazi and neo-Nazi tropes used in U.S. government social media accounts. By @alibreland.bsky.social in @theatlantic.com.
The Trump Administration Is Publishing a Stream of Nazi Propaganda
Government social-media managers have transformed official feeds.
www.theatlantic.com

Hi all! New paper out today early online (and open access) on the tunnels of Gibraltar, thinking through value as a bridge between political and economic geographies. I hope it is of use to someone somewhere! #AcademicSky #Geosky
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

It’s pretty America First to admit you let your personal desire for a Nobel Peace Prize led you to make policy not in America’s interests, right guys? Guys?
giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
Donald Trump links Greenland pursuit to failure to win Nobel Prize
US president texts Norwegian leader that he no longer feels obliged ‘to think purely of Peace’ after missing out on award
giftarticle.ft.com

Obviously you are exempt from my searing judgement LOL

Me, for weeks after Xmas: “ahh, another few days with decorations up is no harm.”
Me, 5 minutes after taking decorations down: “Who still has their Christmas decorations up? They must be a dissolute family, unable to manage their own affairs properly.”

More like Publoffs, am I rite?
Stunning photos from Minneapolis, including this one by John Locher for the Associated Press. www.theatlantic.com/photography/...

Reposted by Jason Dittmer

CfP for the Spatial Humanities conference is open until January 15th. This year it will be at Universidade do Minho, Portugal, in September.
spatialhumanities26.com
Spatial Humanities – University of Minho
spatialhumanities26.com

Remarkable that his response to this was to monetise it
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Elon Musk's Grok AI image editing limited to paid users after deepfakes
It comes after government urged Ofcom to use all its powers – up to and including an effective ban – against X.
www.bbc.co.uk
🚨 BREAKING: EU countries have approved the Mercosur trade deal after 25 years of talks.

Read the story: politi.co/4suWWNO

Reposted by Jason Dittmer

NPR @npr.org · Jan 1
Former special counsel Jack Smith also described President Trump as the "most culpable and most responsible person" in the criminal conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election results, according to a transcript of Smith's closed-door interview with the House Judiciary Committee. n.pr/49cmd6E
Capitol riot 'does not happen' without Trump, Jack Smith told Congress
Former special counsel Jack Smith also described President Trump as the "most culpable and most responsible person" in the criminal conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election results, according to a transcript of Smith's closed-door interview with the House Judiciary Committee.
n.pr

Would be much funnier if they went on and were purposefully and ostentatiously terrible
President Trump’s threats against artists who decline to perform at the renamed Kennedy Center are ultimately hollow, @jonathanbchait.bsky.social argues:
The Show Won’t Go On
President Trump’s threats against artists who decline to perform at the renamed Kennedy Center are ultimately hollow.
bit.ly

Reposted by Jason Dittmer

President Trump’s threats against artists who decline to perform at the renamed Kennedy Center are ultimately hollow, @jonathanbchait.bsky.social argues:
The Show Won’t Go On
President Trump’s threats against artists who decline to perform at the renamed Kennedy Center are ultimately hollow.
bit.ly

An obvious statement, but Trump’s claim that Russia wants the best for Ukraine is classic abusive husband schtick.