Austin Toombs
@altoombs.bsky.social
🎮🎲🧶🏳️🌈🏃♂️📚💻
I play video and board games. I knit, crochet, and sew. I’m gay. I run marathons. I’m an Associate Professor at IU. I study technology-mediated relationships and communities through HCI, CSCW, and Social Computing approaches.
I play video and board games. I knit, crochet, and sew. I’m gay. I run marathons. I’m an Associate Professor at IU. I study technology-mediated relationships and communities through HCI, CSCW, and Social Computing approaches.
Pinned
Austin Toombs
@altoombs.bsky.social
· Feb 14
Erasing our history won't erase us.
Transgender people have always been here — and we always will be.
Transgender people have always been here — and we always will be.
U.S. Park Service Strikes Transgender References From Stonewall Website
The “T” was removed in references to L.G.B.T.Q.+ on the official site for the Greenwich Village monument, which marks a milestone in the fight for gay rights. Later, the Q+ also disappeared.
www.nytimes.com
We wouldn’t have a stonewall page to talk about if it hadn’t been for people in the “T” part of LGBT.
Reposted by Austin Toombs
I didn't get a picture of the best sign I saw today, but I remember what it said:
Somewhere in America
A little Hispanic girl
Is hiding in an attic
And keeping a diary.
#NoKings
Somewhere in America
A little Hispanic girl
Is hiding in an attic
And keeping a diary.
#NoKings
October 19, 2025 at 12:11 AM
I didn't get a picture of the best sign I saw today, but I remember what it said:
Somewhere in America
A little Hispanic girl
Is hiding in an attic
And keeping a diary.
#NoKings
Somewhere in America
A little Hispanic girl
Is hiding in an attic
And keeping a diary.
#NoKings
Happy first day of the 2025-26 school year! (I didn’t teach yesterday so today counts)
August 26, 2025 at 2:34 PM
Happy first day of the 2025-26 school year! (I didn’t teach yesterday so today counts)
Academic friends prepping for the CHI deadline: I am happy to give some big-picture pre-review feedback if you could use it! I can probably do this for three-ish papers (maybe two papers where I would be considered an expert of some kind and one paper on a topic I'd just be an everyday reader)
August 13, 2025 at 1:50 PM
Academic friends prepping for the CHI deadline: I am happy to give some big-picture pre-review feedback if you could use it! I can probably do this for three-ish papers (maybe two papers where I would be considered an expert of some kind and one paper on a topic I'd just be an everyday reader)
Trump has tried quite a few things to try to distract us, but none of them are working. Some things he should try next, which could totally work: universal healthcare, pro-earth climate change policies, federal decriminalization + legalization of certain substances, prison reform… I’d be distracted!
August 3, 2025 at 11:35 AM
Trump has tried quite a few things to try to distract us, but none of them are working. Some things he should try next, which could totally work: universal healthcare, pro-earth climate change policies, federal decriminalization + legalization of certain substances, prison reform… I’d be distracted!
Reposted by Austin Toombs
Me three months ago:
My prediction is that in that scenario, he blames the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which puts out employment data. Calls them corrupt, run by Democrats, out to get him. Fires people there, insists their numbers cannot be trusted, White House puts out its own fictitious data to make Trump look good
August 1, 2025 at 10:53 PM
Me three months ago:
Our #educhi2025 papers are available now! Also, the conference has just started (today is the pedagogy workshop educhi2025.educhi.org). I'm excited about my paper, which is about using amoeba drawings to encourage sketching and prototyping within ambiguous problem spaces dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/...
The Ambiguity Amoeba and other Metaphors: Teaching Students to Sketch and Prototype Through Uncertainty | Proceedings of the 7th Annual Symposium on HCI Education
dl.acm.org
July 30, 2025 at 3:22 PM
Our #educhi2025 papers are available now! Also, the conference has just started (today is the pedagogy workshop educhi2025.educhi.org). I'm excited about my paper, which is about using amoeba drawings to encourage sketching and prototyping within ambiguous problem spaces dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/...
You can tell I turned 37 today because I watched a full ad about a nonstick pan, followed the link to the website, and got really excited to read about how it works because I’m tired of my eggs sticking. I bought it. When it comes it will be like my birthday all over again!
July 28, 2025 at 3:36 AM
You can tell I turned 37 today because I watched a full ad about a nonstick pan, followed the link to the website, and got really excited to read about how it works because I’m tired of my eggs sticking. I bought it. When it comes it will be like my birthday all over again!
Wondering if your team could work with our HCI/d students? In this thread I'll list some project types that have worked well in past semesters to spark ideas.
I’m teaching the “HCI/d Studio Practice” course next semester. We pair industry partners with student groups that include first and second year Master’s HCI/d students. If you know someone interested in working with a group of students next semester, let me know! More details: lnkd.in/gqUshj6C
LinkedIn
This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn
lnkd.in
July 15, 2025 at 4:12 PM
Wondering if your team could work with our HCI/d students? In this thread I'll list some project types that have worked well in past semesters to spark ideas.
Let’s all remember that our conferences are attended by people who speak many languages. Your presentation is a chance to explain your research as clearly as possible. It is not the time to try to show off your vocabulary, which is likely inaccessible to many in the room.
July 7, 2025 at 9:09 AM
Let’s all remember that our conferences are attended by people who speak many languages. Your presentation is a chance to explain your research as clearly as possible. It is not the time to try to show off your vocabulary, which is likely inaccessible to many in the room.
Heyyyyy, so when we pick destinations with low flight connectivity for our conferences, any kind of travel delay snowballs. All the Newark stuff from last night has me getting to the conference 36 hours later than planned. I’ll be missing the workshop I was going to be a full day early for. #DIS2025
a woman says maybe this is a nightmare nope , can 't fly away . this is real life .
ALT: a woman says maybe this is a nightmare nope , can 't fly away . this is real life .
media.tenor.com
July 4, 2025 at 2:25 PM
Heyyyyy, so when we pick destinations with low flight connectivity for our conferences, any kind of travel delay snowballs. All the Newark stuff from last night has me getting to the conference 36 hours later than planned. I’ll be missing the workshop I was going to be a full day early for. #DIS2025
I know I’m a bit biased, since @graydesign.bsky.social is an author, but I’m legitimately excited to read this. I’m talking myself out of bringing it to DIS with me, but I’m going to try to tackle this before EduCHI. studioproperties.org #studioProperties #studioPedagogy #prettyBooks
July 3, 2025 at 1:38 PM
I know I’m a bit biased, since @graydesign.bsky.social is an author, but I’m legitimately excited to read this. I’m talking myself out of bringing it to DIS with me, but I’m going to try to tackle this before EduCHI. studioproperties.org #studioProperties #studioPedagogy #prettyBooks
Reposted by Austin Toombs
Don’t tell the republicans, but I used part of my sick day to turn this Totally Straight* SuperDry tank top into a SuperGay one.
*I don’t get all the credit. Tank tops are already pretty gay. It didn’t take much convincing.
*I don’t get all the credit. Tank tops are already pretty gay. It didn’t take much convincing.
July 1, 2025 at 11:57 PM
Don’t tell the republicans, but I used part of my sick day to turn this Totally Straight* SuperDry tank top into a SuperGay one.
*I don’t get all the credit. Tank tops are already pretty gay. It didn’t take much convincing.
*I don’t get all the credit. Tank tops are already pretty gay. It didn’t take much convincing.
I’m teaching the “HCI/d Studio Practice” course next semester. We pair industry partners with student groups that include first and second year Master’s HCI/d students. If you know someone interested in working with a group of students next semester, let me know! More details: lnkd.in/gqUshj6C
LinkedIn
This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn
lnkd.in
June 20, 2025 at 1:52 PM
I’m teaching the “HCI/d Studio Practice” course next semester. We pair industry partners with student groups that include first and second year Master’s HCI/d students. If you know someone interested in working with a group of students next semester, let me know! More details: lnkd.in/gqUshj6C
When a person becomes a billionaire, every cent over 1B should go to a world fund. Not for the specific nation, but for the Earth. They literally can't spend that much money anyway. #voteAustinForEmperor
June 13, 2025 at 1:54 PM
When a person becomes a billionaire, every cent over 1B should go to a world fund. Not for the specific nation, but for the Earth. They literally can't spend that much money anyway. #voteAustinForEmperor
Reposted by Austin Toombs
There are 2 previous historical cases of countries destroying their science and universities, crippling them for decades: Lysenkoism in the USSR and Nazi Germany. The Trump administration will be the 3rd.
It's not just budgets but research, institutions, expertise, and training the next generation.
It's not just budgets but research, institutions, expertise, and training the next generation.
May 31, 2025 at 4:43 AM
There are 2 previous historical cases of countries destroying their science and universities, crippling them for decades: Lysenkoism in the USSR and Nazi Germany. The Trump administration will be the 3rd.
It's not just budgets but research, institutions, expertise, and training the next generation.
It's not just budgets but research, institutions, expertise, and training the next generation.
Photos from Japan, post 5/5
May 11, 2025 at 1:40 AM
Photos from Japan, post 5/5
Photos from Japan, post 4/5
May 11, 2025 at 1:38 AM
Photos from Japan, post 4/5
Photos from Japan, post 3/5
May 11, 2025 at 1:37 AM
Photos from Japan, post 3/5
Photos from Japan, post 2/5
May 11, 2025 at 1:34 AM
Photos from Japan, post 2/5
Photos from Japan, post 1/5
May 11, 2025 at 1:32 AM
Photos from Japan, post 1/5
Looks professional. But has Pokémon cards (gifts for students). May this always be true haha. Congratulations to the IU Bloomington HCI/d Master’s students!!! ❤️❤️❤️
May 8, 2025 at 9:59 PM
Looks professional. But has Pokémon cards (gifts for students). May this always be true haha. Congratulations to the IU Bloomington HCI/d Master’s students!!! ❤️❤️❤️
Reposting to remember this analogy with exercise, since that’s basically how I explain it to my students already.
I always tell this to my research assistants: if you use AI to summarize and write for you, you don't need to be my assistant. You don't need to do research at all.
Research should be selfish: *you* (not a machine) learn how to read, write, innovate, and dream. Otherwise, what is the point?
Research should be selfish: *you* (not a machine) learn how to read, write, innovate, and dream. Otherwise, what is the point?
May 4, 2025 at 11:04 PM
Reposting to remember this analogy with exercise, since that’s basically how I explain it to my students already.
Our hotel room number is 2319. Hopefully we don’t encounter any unexpected human artifacts.
a picture of a monster and a green alien with the number 2319
ALT: a picture of a monster and a green alien with the number 2319
media.tenor.com
May 4, 2025 at 5:49 AM
Our hotel room number is 2319. Hopefully we don’t encounter any unexpected human artifacts.