Alex Harvey
@alexharvv.bsky.social
Best-selling author, artist, archaeologist; I write about the ‘Dark Ages’. Views my own.
New book, LITTLE KINGDOMS, out now!: https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Little-Kingdoms-Hardback/p/56542
Published w/ Cambridge Uni, Sidestone Press, Amberley
New book, LITTLE KINGDOMS, out now!: https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Little-Kingdoms-Hardback/p/56542
Published w/ Cambridge Uni, Sidestone Press, Amberley
Pinned
Alex Harvey
@alexharvv.bsky.social
· Dec 1
www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Little-Kingd...
My third book, LITTLE KINGDOMS: AN A-Z OF EARLY MEDIEVAL BRITAIN, is now out
I couldn’t find a better way of explaining it than the old thread I made - so here it is preserved in amber! Happy reading! 🧵
My third book, LITTLE KINGDOMS: AN A-Z OF EARLY MEDIEVAL BRITAIN, is now out
I couldn’t find a better way of explaining it than the old thread I made - so here it is preserved in amber! Happy reading! 🧵
Reposted by Alex Harvey
People are so thrilled that their robots can beat the Turing test that they don't care that they've simulated only an average, unintelligent schlub who cuts corners, thinks he's a genius, and kisses their butt to keep his job.
February 17, 2026 at 2:46 PM
People are so thrilled that their robots can beat the Turing test that they don't care that they've simulated only an average, unintelligent schlub who cuts corners, thinks he's a genius, and kisses their butt to keep his job.
Reposted by Alex Harvey
“AI can make mistakes” might as well be the slogan of our era. Even boosters admit that you need to spin the vibe code slot machine a few times to get a jackpot.
An employee with that degree of consistency would be fired.
So how do we redirect some of that unlimited grace from machines to humans?
An employee with that degree of consistency would be fired.
So how do we redirect some of that unlimited grace from machines to humans?
Corporations demand perfection from workers, but AI gets unlimited slack.
LLM users have bottomless patience for inconsistent tools, and no grace left for their colleagues. What if we could flip it around?
productpicnic.beehiiv.com
February 17, 2026 at 1:59 PM
“AI can make mistakes” might as well be the slogan of our era. Even boosters admit that you need to spin the vibe code slot machine a few times to get a jackpot.
An employee with that degree of consistency would be fired.
So how do we redirect some of that unlimited grace from machines to humans?
An employee with that degree of consistency would be fired.
So how do we redirect some of that unlimited grace from machines to humans?
Reposted by Alex Harvey
Leaked documents reveal the inner workings of Alpha School, which both the press and the Trump administration have applauded. The documents show Alpha School's AI is generating faulty lessons that sometimes do "more harm than good."
'Students Are Being Treated Like Guinea Pigs:' Inside an AI-Powered Private School
Leaked documents reveal the inner workings of Alpha School, which both the press and the Trump administration have applauded. The documents show Alpha School's AI is generating faulty lessons that sometimes...
www.404media.co
February 17, 2026 at 3:30 PM
Leaked documents reveal the inner workings of Alpha School, which both the press and the Trump administration have applauded. The documents show Alpha School's AI is generating faulty lessons that sometimes do "more harm than good."
Reposted by Alex Harvey
Writing is thinking.
It's not some marginal boring task you can skip. It's the heart of it.
It's not some marginal boring task you can skip. It's the heart of it.
It’s easy to think writing is mainly the transcription of ideas you already have—that is, until you try to write something worthwhile, and you find what you thought were saying transform into something far more interesting in the process. This skips that last step, and that is *not* an improvement.
“We plan to hire an AI rewrite specialist to ingest the reporting by Hannah and others and use AI to convert it into stories.”
The editor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer said it will use AI to ‘write’ its articles.
www.cleveland.com/news/2025/10...
The editor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer said it will use AI to ‘write’ its articles.
www.cleveland.com/news/2025/10...
February 16, 2026 at 2:55 PM
Writing is thinking.
It's not some marginal boring task you can skip. It's the heart of it.
It's not some marginal boring task you can skip. It's the heart of it.
Charlie Booker warned us about THIS EXACT THING
Meta has patented AI that can run a dead person's account, continuing to post and chat on their behalf
It can message and video call by replicating a user's online behavior using their past data
It can message and video call by replicating a user's online behavior using their past data
February 17, 2026 at 1:49 PM
Charlie Booker warned us about THIS EXACT THING
Reposted by Alex Harvey
This is a great chat between @history-w-hilbert.bsky.social and @alexharvv.bsky.social not only for the insights into Alex's new book, but also because they touch on some really important stuff around being an independent researcher and the networks involved in that.
February 16, 2026 at 3:38 PM
This is a great chat between @history-w-hilbert.bsky.social and @alexharvv.bsky.social not only for the insights into Alex's new book, but also because they touch on some really important stuff around being an independent researcher and the networks involved in that.
The enemy
Thinking about the many decisions that get made when you turn your notes into a draft and what that looks like when the bot is making all of those decisions, even if you get the "final say" after the decisions have been made. www.cleveland.com/news/2026/02...
February 16, 2026 at 5:10 PM
The enemy
Reposted by Alex Harvey
"Peter Thiel says" is invariably followed by something so whackadoodle crazy you need to have a paracetamol (yes, even if you're pregnant) and a good lie down.
Of all the compelling arguments against billionaires, this one is the pinnacle.
Of all the compelling arguments against billionaires, this one is the pinnacle.
February 8, 2026 at 12:32 PM
"Peter Thiel says" is invariably followed by something so whackadoodle crazy you need to have a paracetamol (yes, even if you're pregnant) and a good lie down.
Of all the compelling arguments against billionaires, this one is the pinnacle.
Of all the compelling arguments against billionaires, this one is the pinnacle.
Old post from last year, but a very cool find nonetheless, featured in LITTLE KINGDOMS
The Acomb Assemblage is a lovely little collection of trinkets hidden away, barely mentioned in the Yorkshire Museum; 7th century possible-burial assemblage, found in Acomb, a suburb of York, around 2016 (1/3)
February 15, 2026 at 3:13 PM
Old post from last year, but a very cool find nonetheless, featured in LITTLE KINGDOMS
Reposted by Alex Harvey
Historians: this is the archaeological equivalent (morally if not legally) of cutting pictures out of medieval manuscripts in a library and selling them on eBay.
*Academic sells history off to the highest bidder*
There, BBC, we sorted that headline for you
If he truly feels *a connection* to the find, as the article claims, would he not have donated it to a museum?
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
There, BBC, we sorted that headline for you
If he truly feels *a connection* to the find, as the article claims, would he not have donated it to a museum?
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Professor finds Iron Age coin hoard near Bury St Edmunds
Tom Licence says he feels a personal connection to the coins, which are to be auctioned.
www.bbc.co.uk
February 15, 2026 at 11:36 AM
Historians: this is the archaeological equivalent (morally if not legally) of cutting pictures out of medieval manuscripts in a library and selling them on eBay.
Reposted by Alex Harvey
The two from Fredrikstad display a mix of a deity’s (or chief)’s head and the abstract form of what is probably a galloping horse, two quite prevalent designs across the wider corpus of bracteates
As to what they represent, that’s anyone’s guess: symbols of Odinic devotion, Late Roman medallions?
As to what they represent, that’s anyone’s guess: symbols of Odinic devotion, Late Roman medallions?
February 15, 2026 at 8:26 AM
The two from Fredrikstad display a mix of a deity’s (or chief)’s head and the abstract form of what is probably a galloping horse, two quite prevalent designs across the wider corpus of bracteates
As to what they represent, that’s anyone’s guess: symbols of Odinic devotion, Late Roman medallions?
As to what they represent, that’s anyone’s guess: symbols of Odinic devotion, Late Roman medallions?
Reposted by Alex Harvey
3x gold bracteates on display in the National Museum, Oslo, dating between the 5th and 6th c.
Discovered at Fredrikstad and Bjørnerud, in the Østfold and Vestfold respectively
Two even feature inscriptions!
Discovered at Fredrikstad and Bjørnerud, in the Østfold and Vestfold respectively
Two even feature inscriptions!
February 15, 2026 at 8:22 AM
3x gold bracteates on display in the National Museum, Oslo, dating between the 5th and 6th c.
Discovered at Fredrikstad and Bjørnerud, in the Østfold and Vestfold respectively
Two even feature inscriptions!
Discovered at Fredrikstad and Bjørnerud, in the Østfold and Vestfold respectively
Two even feature inscriptions!
Reposted by Alex Harvey
The Middleham Assemblage for #FindsFriday: I just think it's neat!
February 13, 2026 at 5:11 PM
The Middleham Assemblage for #FindsFriday: I just think it's neat!
3x gold bracteates on display in the National Museum, Oslo, dating between the 5th and 6th c.
Discovered at Fredrikstad and Bjørnerud, in the Østfold and Vestfold respectively
Two even feature inscriptions!
Discovered at Fredrikstad and Bjørnerud, in the Østfold and Vestfold respectively
Two even feature inscriptions!
February 15, 2026 at 8:22 AM
3x gold bracteates on display in the National Museum, Oslo, dating between the 5th and 6th c.
Discovered at Fredrikstad and Bjørnerud, in the Østfold and Vestfold respectively
Two even feature inscriptions!
Discovered at Fredrikstad and Bjørnerud, in the Østfold and Vestfold respectively
Two even feature inscriptions!
Reposted by Alex Harvey
Exciting news! I'm the incoming Executive Editor for 'World Archaeology' and here is my first CfP!
Call for Papers for ‘World Archaeology’: Debates and Emerging Issues in Archaeology
howardwilliamsblog.wordpress.com/2026/02/14/c...
Direct link here: think.taylorandfrancis.com/special_issu...
Call for Papers for ‘World Archaeology’: Debates and Emerging Issues in Archaeology
howardwilliamsblog.wordpress.com/2026/02/14/c...
Direct link here: think.taylorandfrancis.com/special_issu...
February 14, 2026 at 1:48 PM
Exciting news! I'm the incoming Executive Editor for 'World Archaeology' and here is my first CfP!
Call for Papers for ‘World Archaeology’: Debates and Emerging Issues in Archaeology
howardwilliamsblog.wordpress.com/2026/02/14/c...
Direct link here: think.taylorandfrancis.com/special_issu...
Call for Papers for ‘World Archaeology’: Debates and Emerging Issues in Archaeology
howardwilliamsblog.wordpress.com/2026/02/14/c...
Direct link here: think.taylorandfrancis.com/special_issu...
The view atop Caistor (N. Lincs), an exceedingly well positioned site with 3-4th c. Roman walls, a large cemetery, 5-6th c. urns, and at least 4 springs!
Good place to hole up ahead of future sieges!
Good place to hole up ahead of future sieges!
February 14, 2026 at 4:51 PM
The view atop Caistor (N. Lincs), an exceedingly well positioned site with 3-4th c. Roman walls, a large cemetery, 5-6th c. urns, and at least 4 springs!
Good place to hole up ahead of future sieges!
Good place to hole up ahead of future sieges!
Reposted by Alex Harvey
In that particular case, humans do the translation. The AI models let them see texts that have been burned to a cinder.
I suppose my point is that AI isn't one thing and we risk throwing incredible babies out with the sloppy bathwater if we talk of it in monolithic terms.
Incidentally, I did my >>>
I suppose my point is that AI isn't one thing and we risk throwing incredible babies out with the sloppy bathwater if we talk of it in monolithic terms.
Incidentally, I did my >>>
February 14, 2026 at 10:49 AM
In that particular case, humans do the translation. The AI models let them see texts that have been burned to a cinder.
I suppose my point is that AI isn't one thing and we risk throwing incredible babies out with the sloppy bathwater if we talk of it in monolithic terms.
Incidentally, I did my >>>
I suppose my point is that AI isn't one thing and we risk throwing incredible babies out with the sloppy bathwater if we talk of it in monolithic terms.
Incidentally, I did my >>>
Torn between arguing with pro-AI folk online as it’s somewhat intellectually stimulating and also recognising the futility of arguing with people online
February 14, 2026 at 9:03 AM
Torn between arguing with pro-AI folk online as it’s somewhat intellectually stimulating and also recognising the futility of arguing with people online
Reposted by Alex Harvey
AI as it stands now is *incapable* of developing a proper imagination. It can only regurgitate and recombine the things it has been fed. It cannot generate anything novel, just rearrange pixels in an approximation of the (stolen) source materials.
Humans are and will always be better at this.
Humans are and will always be better at this.
February 13, 2026 at 6:01 PM
AI as it stands now is *incapable* of developing a proper imagination. It can only regurgitate and recombine the things it has been fed. It cannot generate anything novel, just rearrange pixels in an approximation of the (stolen) source materials.
Humans are and will always be better at this.
Humans are and will always be better at this.
The Middleham Assemblage for #FindsFriday: I just think it's neat!
February 13, 2026 at 5:11 PM
The Middleham Assemblage for #FindsFriday: I just think it's neat!
I'm a little late today but wanted to contribute to #FindsFriday all the same
This week we have the not-yet-famous Middleham Assemblage, which I'm hoping will one day see its time in the sun! This is, still, an informal(ish) moniker for BM-7C4457 (finds.org.uk/database/art...), + has not yet stuck!
This week we have the not-yet-famous Middleham Assemblage, which I'm hoping will one day see its time in the sun! This is, still, an informal(ish) moniker for BM-7C4457 (finds.org.uk/database/art...), + has not yet stuck!
finds.org.uk
February 13, 2026 at 4:56 PM
I'm a little late today but wanted to contribute to #FindsFriday all the same
This week we have the not-yet-famous Middleham Assemblage, which I'm hoping will one day see its time in the sun! This is, still, an informal(ish) moniker for BM-7C4457 (finds.org.uk/database/art...), + has not yet stuck!
This week we have the not-yet-famous Middleham Assemblage, which I'm hoping will one day see its time in the sun! This is, still, an informal(ish) moniker for BM-7C4457 (finds.org.uk/database/art...), + has not yet stuck!
Vikings! After the half-term holidays!
Longship lineart drawn by me, (initial) colouring by the students
Longship lineart drawn by me, (initial) colouring by the students
February 13, 2026 at 4:33 PM
Vikings! After the half-term holidays!
Longship lineart drawn by me, (initial) colouring by the students
Longship lineart drawn by me, (initial) colouring by the students
Reposted by Alex Harvey
Dude regularly works for Disney, DreamWorks, Netflix and CN so speculate away. But this sucks no matter which studio is doing it, and gross to think some major movie this year is running with a plagiarized image from ChatGPT.
February 13, 2026 at 1:36 PM
Dude regularly works for Disney, DreamWorks, Netflix and CN so speculate away. But this sucks no matter which studio is doing it, and gross to think some major movie this year is running with a plagiarized image from ChatGPT.
Reposted by Alex Harvey
Me (author of book on the Viking Age) being told I can use AI to generate a text on the Viking Age for students
(It was incorrect btw, and said the ‘Vikings’ invented clinker-building)
(It was incorrect btw, and said the ‘Vikings’ invented clinker-building)
February 11, 2026 at 4:50 PM
Me (author of book on the Viking Age) being told I can use AI to generate a text on the Viking Age for students
(It was incorrect btw, and said the ‘Vikings’ invented clinker-building)
(It was incorrect btw, and said the ‘Vikings’ invented clinker-building)
Reposted by Alex Harvey
The Acomb Assemblage is a lovely little collection of trinkets hidden away, barely mentioned in the Yorkshire Museum; 7th century possible-burial assemblage, found in Acomb, a suburb of York, around 2016 (1/3)
April 18, 2025 at 6:12 PM
The Acomb Assemblage is a lovely little collection of trinkets hidden away, barely mentioned in the Yorkshire Museum; 7th century possible-burial assemblage, found in Acomb, a suburb of York, around 2016 (1/3)