Ekaterina (Katya) Babintseva
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babintsevak.bsky.social
Ekaterina (Katya) Babintseva
@babintsevak.bsky.social
1.2K followers 220 following 20 posts
Historian of the mind, computing, artificial intelligence, and labor in the Cold War Soviet Union and the US. Asst Prof at Purdue. PhD from UPenn.
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Reposted by Ekaterina (Katya) Babintseva
datasociety.bsky.social
AI is already impacting children’s developing brains in profound ways, and kids’ wellbeing is not at the center of tech industry innovation, @drdanasuskind.bsky.social writes‬. “Every time we replace a human with AI, we risk rewiring how a child relates to the world.” thehill.com/opinion/tech...
thehill.com
July 16, 2025 at 4:42 PM
Reposted by Ekaterina (Katya) Babintseva
alondra.bsky.social
🙏🏾
May 15, 2025 at 1:01 AM
Reposted by Ekaterina (Katya) Babintseva
miriamposner.com
The lovely @natlhumanities.bsky.social is hiring a Scholarly Programs Research Manager! nationalhumanitiescenter.org/careers/
Careers at the National Humanities Center | National Humanities Center
The National Humanities Center is looking for amazing and talented humanists. Join our team!
nationalhumanitiescenter.org
May 2, 2025 at 7:51 PM
Reposted by Ekaterina (Katya) Babintseva
mikebithell.bsky.social
It’s kinda funny / harrowing that LLMs didn’t get smarter or less brute-force-y, we just got better graphics cards, and more comfortable with wasting obscene energy on what still remains the most overrated madlibs ever.

www.wsj.com/tech/ai/how-...
We Now Know How AI ‘Thinks’—and It’s Barely Thinking at All
The vast ‘brains’ of artificial intelligence models can memorize endless lists of rules. That’s useful, but not how humans solve problems.
www.wsj.com
April 27, 2025 at 8:22 AM
Reposted by Ekaterina (Katya) Babintseva
hypervisible.blacksky.app
“But can a human life be reduced to a dataset? Can a body be tuned up like a machine? Or is this explosion of self‑tracking simply narcissism redesigned for the age of big data, by a society that has internalised the tech industry maxim that more data is always better?”
‘The bot asked me four times a day how I was feeling’: is tracking everything actually good for us?
Gathering data used to be a fringe pursuit of Silicon Valley nerds. Now we’re all at it, recording everything from menstrual cycles and mobility to toothbrushing and time spent in daylight. Is this ju...
www.theguardian.com
February 22, 2025 at 3:07 PM
Reposted by Ekaterina (Katya) Babintseva
williamthomas.bsky.social
The American Institute of Physics is looking for an associate director who will lead our new policy research and analysis function, which is within my portfolio. We will be busy. americaninstituteofphysics.applicantstack.com/x/openings
February 14, 2025 at 9:51 PM
babintsevak.bsky.social
A bit of a rant from my research leave bubble: I understand, AI is a research topic in vogue now, even in the humanities, but it would be nice if more people actually tried understanding the primary sourcers they use, or at least read beyond their first page.
February 11, 2025 at 9:45 PM
babintsevak.bsky.social
A helpful discussion of knowledge vs information vs content.
January 3, 2025 at 5:18 AM
babintsevak.bsky.social
What's troubling about ed tech is that it always promises to be tailored to students' individual needs, but it operates with universal, normative concepts of learning and intelligence.
iansociologo.bsky.social Ian Carrillo @iansociologo.bsky.social · Dec 14
Rather than deal with institutional racism and instructor bias, just make POC students ask questions to the robot while white students get human teachers.
December 14, 2024 at 3:14 AM
Reposted by Ekaterina (Katya) Babintseva
textfiles.com
MIT has a set of books labelled "Open Access" but it's a little clunky to find them on the MIT Press site, and so I've gone ahead and mirrored 400+ of them here:

archive.org/details/mit_...
December 1, 2024 at 2:49 PM
Reposted by Ekaterina (Katya) Babintseva
camw.ing
In 2025 (less than 30 days away), PayPal will start selling your transaction history for targeted advertising.

I very highly recommend logging into your account and going to Settings > Data & Privacy > Personalized Shopping.

If you're reading this, turn that off RIGHT NOW before you forget.
A screenshot of PayPal's terms of service. Big wall of legalese text, which I will be pasting in below. You don't need to read it, here's the important part: "The key update to the Privacy Statement explains how we will share information with merchants to personalize your shopping experience and recommend our services to you. Personal information we disclose includes, for example, products, preferences, sizes, and styles we think you’ll like. Information gathered about you after the effective date of our updated Privacy Statement, November 27, 2024, will be shared with participating stores where you shop." Here's the whole paragraph: We are updating our Privacy Statement to explain how, starting early Summer 2025, we will share information to help improve your shopping experience and make it more personalized for you. The key update to the Privacy Statement explains how we will share information with merchants to personalize your shopping experience and recommend our services to you. Personal information we disclose includes, for example, products, preferences, sizes, and styles we think you’ll like. Information gathered about you after the effective date of our updated Privacy Statement, November 27, 2024, will be shared with participating stores where you shop, unless you live in California, North Dakota, or Vermont. For PayPal customers in California, North Dakota, or Vermont, we’ll only share your information with those merchants if you tell us to do so. No matter where you live, you’ll always be able to exercise your right to opt out of this data sharing by updating your preference settings in your account under “Data and Privacy.”
December 5, 2024 at 9:12 PM
babintsevak.bsky.social
Yet another example of full automation being a dream predicated on profound hubris.
November 27, 2024 at 6:19 PM
babintsevak.bsky.social
This looks terrific!
ccmmody.bsky.social Cyrus Mody @ccmmody.bsky.social · Nov 25
CfP: How Sciences End
Oxford, 11-13 July 2025
Deadline: 31 January 2025
Submit 250-word abstracts to howsciencesend@gmail.com

[I'm broadcasting this on behalf of Joe Martin, Michelle Aroney & Alex Aylward, none of whom AFAIK are on this site yet]
CALL FOR PAPERS: How Sciences End Dates: 11–13 July 2025 Location: University of Oxford, UK Submission deadline: 31 January 2025 Conference Theme and Goals Historians have studied extensively how sciences begin—but how do they end? This is a crucial question for understanding how the labour of knowledge-making evolves. Previous attention to the founding, disciplining, and professionalisation of individual sciences has provided robust frameworks for thinking through the birth and growth of knowledge-making communities. Far less attention has been directed toward how those same communities decay, dissipate, or evolve beyond the contemporary boundaries of science. This conference seeks to cultivate case studies of the ends of sciences, and thereby to motivate a new approach to thinking about the developmental trajectories of scientific disciplines, communities, institutions, and the ordering of expert knowledge. A further aim is to strengthen the community of scholars with a shared interest in studying the ends of sciences. Submission Process Submissions should be sent to howsciencesend@gmail.com. Please title the email “SciEnds Abstract Submission” and include the following information in the body: - Full name as you would like it to appear on the programme - Email address - Affiliation, or how you would like to be identified on the programme - Presentation title - An abstract of no more than 250 words describing your proposed talk and how it fits the conference theme and goals. - An indication of whether you would like to be considered for travel support. (Limited funds are available to defray travel costs, with priority given to early career and insecurely employed scholars.) The submission deadline is 31 January 2025. We plan to circulate a draft program by the end of February 2025. Programme Committee Michelle Aroney (Oxford), Alex Aylward (Oxford), Joseph D. Martin (Durham)
November 25, 2024 at 5:45 PM
Reposted by Ekaterina (Katya) Babintseva
claesdevreese.bsky.social
For the lovely 🦋 folks: #postdoc jobs:

We have exciting post doc positions open in the U of Amsterdam's interdisciplinary research priority area "Human(e) AI".

Applicants from eg communication, law, logic, and philosophy welcome!

🗓️: deadline December 13

Share 🫶

vacatures.uva.nl/UvA/job/Two-...
Two Postdoctoral Research Positions in Human(e) AI
Two Postdoctoral Research Positions in Human(e) AI
vacatures.uva.nl
November 22, 2024 at 9:28 AM
Reposted by Ekaterina (Katya) Babintseva
anjalief.bsky.social
I'm super excited about this program and happy to connect if you're interested in working with me through it!
mdredze.bsky.social Mark Dredze @mdredze.bsky.social · Nov 17
Postdoc opportunities! The Johns Hopkins Data Science and AI Institute has a new postdoc program!

We’re looking for candidates across data science and AI, including science, health, medicine, the humanities, engineering, policy, and ethics.

Spread the word and apply!

ai.jhu.edu/postdoctoral...
Postdoctoral Fellowship Program - Johns Hopkins Data Science and AI Institute
Data Science and AI Institute Postdoctoral Fellowship Program The Johns Hopkins Data Science and AI Institute welcomes applications for its postdoctoral fellowship program, seeking scholars to advance...
ai.jhu.edu
November 20, 2024 at 7:28 PM
babintsevak.bsky.social
Cluster hire in AI at the U of Maryland! ejobs.umd.edu/postings/124...
Assistant/Associate Professor/Professor
The Artificial Intelligence Interdisciplinary Institute at Maryland (AIM; aim.umd.edu) has openings for 30 tenured and/or tenure-track faculty positions in Artificial Intelligence, broadly defined.We ...
ejobs.umd.edu
November 11, 2024 at 7:08 AM
babintsevak.bsky.social
Here's an excellent non-teaching postdoc opportunity in political history/ history of tech and/or media at the Center for American Political History and Technology at Purdue. careers.purdue.edu/job/Postdoct...
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
careers.purdue.edu
October 23, 2024 at 2:17 PM
Reposted by Ekaterina (Katya) Babintseva
justcode.bsky.social
My just published essay on a major security and privacy conference of NSF, and the larger research program at NSF in these areas (Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace, or SaTC). #histsci
z.umn.edu/NSFSaTC
Bridges Over Troubled Waters: Reflections on NSF SaTC
Introduction: This is a reflective essay and review of the September 2024 National Science Foundation (NSF) Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace (SaTC) PI Meeting, in Pittsburgh at the Convention Center and Carnegie Mellon ...
z.umn.edu
October 10, 2024 at 5:10 PM
Reposted by Ekaterina (Katya) Babintseva
gabriellehecht.bsky.social
If it passes regulatory muster, taxpayers will be subsidizing the profits for Microsoft

To be clear
cnn.com CNN @cnn.com · Sep 20
Three Mile Island, the site of worst nuclear disaster in the United States, is reopening and will exclusively sell the power to Microsoft as the company searches for energy sources to fuel its AI ambitions.
Three Mile Island is reopening and selling its power to Microsoft | CNN Business
Three Mile Island, the site of worst nuclear disaster in the United States, is reopening and will sell the power to Microsoft for its AI efforts.
www.cnn.com
September 20, 2024 at 1:45 PM
Reposted by Ekaterina (Katya) Babintseva
andrewpaul.bsky.social
well there it is.

Elon poisoned local waters with mercury for years and the FAA may have known

the FAA said 'We will get back to you' this morning when i asked ahead of the rumored story for @popsci.bsky.social

haven't heard anything since, if you can believe it!

www.popsci.com/science/spac...
SpaceX accused of dumping mercury into Texas waters for years
The bombshell allegations may violate the EPA's Clean Water Act.
www.popsci.com
August 12, 2024 at 7:45 PM
Reposted by Ekaterina (Katya) Babintseva
mysdick.bsky.social
Here is the latest issue of BJHS Themes -- Histories of AI: A Genealogy of Power -- which developed out of our Mellon Sawyer Seminar. www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
BJHS Themes: Volume 8 - | Cambridge Core
Cambridge Core - BJHS Themes - Volume 8 -
www.cambridge.org
January 4, 2024 at 9:02 PM
babintsevak.bsky.social
What a wonderful initiative! The podcast is wonderful. So excited about the newsletter!
draftingthepast.bsky.social Drafting the Past @draftingthepast.bsky.social · Dec 6
I'm excited to launch a Drafting the Past newsletter that brings you more about the craft of writing history, from interviews w/ editors to book reviews to advice. You'll also get peeks into my own research and writing. Sign up for it here: draftingthepast.us20.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=...
Drafting the Past
Drafting the Past Email Forms
draftingthepast.us20.list-manage.com
December 7, 2023 at 4:18 AM
babintsevak.bsky.social
My first post here will be an act of self-promotion. My article of Soviet studies and formal models of creative thinking is out and available via FirstView www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Rules of creative thinking: algorithms, heuristics and Soviet cybernetic psychology | BJHS Themes | ...
Rules of creative thinking: algorithms, heuristics and Soviet cybernetic psychology
www.cambridge.org
October 28, 2023 at 10:23 PM