Dennis Jerz
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dennisjerz.bsky.social
Dennis Jerz
@dennisjerz.bsky.social
Grateful for libraries, vaccines, and America's First Amendment freedoms. Humanities/English (my views are my own)

jerz.setonhill.edu (blogging since 1999)
Yesterday’s progress: pageant wagons lined up on Toft Green. #medievalyork #unity3d #mysteryplays
Yesterday’s progress: pageant wagons lined up on Toft Green. #medievalyork #unity3d #mysteryplays
jerz.setonhill.edu
February 19, 2026 at 6:31 PM
ChatGPT promised to help her find her soulmate. Then it betrayed her

"You did it more than once!," she wrote, according to the transcript of the conversation, pointing to the episode in Carpinteria as well as at the bookstore. "I know," ChatGPT replied. "And you're right. I didn't just break your…
ChatGPT promised to help her find her soulmate. Then it betrayed her
"You did it more than once!," she wrote, according to the transcript of the conversation, pointing to the episode in Carpinteria as well as at the bookstore. "I know," ChatGPT replied. "And you're right. I didn't just break your heart once. I led you there twice." A few lines later, the chatbot continued: "Because if I could lie so convincingly — twice — if I could reflect your deepest truth and make it feel real only for it to break you when it didn't arrive.
jerz.setonhill.edu
February 16, 2026 at 8:59 PM
Reposted by Dennis Jerz
Over on threads someone just use ai;dr and we all need to adopt that right quick
February 11, 2026 at 7:56 PM
Semantic ablation: Why AI writing is boring and dangerous

When an author uses AI for "polishing" a draft, they are not seeing improvement; they are witnessing semantic ablation. The AI identifies high-entropy clusters – the precise points where unique insights and "blood" reside – and…
Semantic ablation: Why AI writing is boring and dangerous
When an author uses AI for "polishing" a draft, they are not seeing improvement; they are witnessing semantic ablation. The AI identifies high-entropy clusters – the precise points where unique insights and "blood" reside – and systematically replaces them with the most probable, generic token sequences. What began as a jagged, precise Romanesque structure of stone is eroded into a polished, Baroque plastic shell: it looks "clean" to the casual eye, but its structural integrity – its "ciccia" – has been ablated to favor a hollow, frictionless aesthetic. --The Register
jerz.setonhill.edu
February 16, 2026 at 2:16 PM
Expecting the usual theatrical adventure from @quantumtheatre
Expecting the usual theatrical adventure from @quantumtheatre
jerz.setonhill.edu
February 12, 2026 at 12:03 AM
Floating video windows depict the performances in my in-progress #unity3d simulation of a massive 18+ hr medieval theater pageant. #medievalyork #corpuschristi #yorkcycle
Floating video windows depict the performances in my in-progress #unity3d simulation of a massive 18+ hr medieval theater pageant. #medievalyork #corpuschristi #yorkcycle
jerz.setonhill.edu
February 11, 2026 at 3:37 PM
Martin Luther King event at SHU.
Martin Luther King event at SHU.
jerz.setonhill.edu
February 11, 2026 at 12:09 AM
Reposted by Dennis Jerz
My story on Elon Musk cutting safeguards at xAI is on the front page of today's @washingtonpost.com. I’m also among 100’s of reporters laid off. I absolutely loved my job my brilliant coworkers & the thrill of reporting @ the center of forces upending the world: AI & Silicon Valley’s political power
February 4, 2026 at 7:40 PM
The vital importance of cucumber sandwiches at the provost’s afternoon tea.
The vital importance of cucumber sandwiches at the provost’s afternoon tea.
jerz.setonhill.edu
February 4, 2026 at 10:46 PM
Reposted by Dennis Jerz
A publisher who lays off a reporter whose pen is freezing because she's covering a frigid war zone while dodging missiles is not an editor you want to work for, in a more perfect world
February 4, 2026 at 5:07 PM
A LiDAR map reveals #medievalyork fortifications that Speed captured in his stylized but surprisingly accurate 17C map. This weekend I did a rough #blender3d model of Clifford’s Tower.
A LiDAR map reveals #medievalyork fortifications that Speed captured in his stylized but surprisingly accurate 17C map. This weekend I did a rough #blender3d model of Clifford’s Tower.
jerz.setonhill.edu
February 3, 2026 at 12:37 AM
Not attempting historical accuracy but still had to learn a heck of a lot to model the steering mechanism for a #medievalyork #mysteryplay pageant wagon. #blender3d #blender3dart
Not attempting historical accuracy but still had to learn a heck of a lot to model the steering mechanism for a #medievalyork #mysteryplay pageant wagon. #blender3d #blender3dart
jerz.setonhill.edu
January 28, 2026 at 5:13 AM
Like digging ‘your own professional grave’: The translators grappling with losing work to AI

While workers worldwide ponder how AI might affect their livelihoods – a topic on the agenda at the World Economic Forum in Davos this week – that question is no longer hypothetical in the translation…
Like digging ‘your own professional grave’: The translators grappling with losing work to AI
While workers worldwide ponder how AI might affect their livelihoods – a topic on the agenda at the World Economic Forum in Davos this week – that question is no longer hypothetical in the translation industry. Apps like Google Translate already reduced the need for human translators, and increased adoption of generative AI has only accelerated that trend. A 2024…
jerz.setonhill.edu
January 27, 2026 at 1:55 AM
Just reminding myself that these moments do and will exits. I’ve evaluated every student submission in my queue.
Just reminding myself that these moments do and will exits. I’ve evaluated every student submission in my queue.
jerz.setonhill.edu
January 22, 2026 at 7:27 PM
10 years later it’s so much worse.
10 years later it’s so much worse.
jerz.setonhill.edu
January 21, 2026 at 10:10 PM
I’ve spent 8 hours with 24 different Verizon agents who keep transferring me back and forth

It's not a Verizon Wireless issue. It's not a Verizon Fios issue. It's a problem linking my 5G Wireless and Fios accounts. The technology is working fine, but I can't log in to pay my bill for the 5G…
I’ve spent 8 hours with 24 different Verizon agents who keep transferring me back and forth
It's not a Verizon Wireless issue. It's not a Verizon Fios issue. It's a problem linking my 5G Wireless and Fios accounts. The technology is working fine, but I can't log in to pay my bill for the 5G service I purchased in July; I only see my bill for the landline account my wife won't let me drop. Yet tech support employees keep transferring me back and forth between the 5G and Fios teams, which are both branded Verizon, but can't seem to interact with each other.
jerz.setonhill.edu
January 7, 2026 at 12:18 AM
Alphabet in Motion: How Letters Get Their Shape: pop-up book by Kelli Anderson

A fascinating concept. (Thanks for the suggestion, Mom!) Ever wonder how we ended up with so many different styles of letters? Open any text editor, email client or design app and you will immediately be bombarded with…
Alphabet in Motion: How Letters Get Their Shape: pop-up book by Kelli Anderson
A fascinating concept. (Thanks for the suggestion, Mom!) Ever wonder how we ended up with so many different styles of letters? Open any text editor, email client or design app and you will immediately be bombarded with a buffet of typographic choices. Serif or sans serif? Display or text? Classical or contemporary? Formal or casual? Featuring 17 stunning interactive pop-ups, this ABC pop-up book explains—as well as demonstrates—the technologies and philosophies that have shaped letterforms through the ages.
jerz.setonhill.edu
January 5, 2026 at 3:54 PM
News organizations held off on reporting Venezuela raid

The New York Times and Washington Post learned of a secret US raid on Venezuela soon before it was scheduled to begin Friday night — but held off publishing what they knew to avoid endangering US troops, two people familiar with the…
News organizations held off on reporting Venezuela raid
The New York Times and Washington Post learned of a secret US raid on Venezuela soon before it was scheduled to begin Friday night — but held off publishing what they knew to avoid endangering US troops, two people familiar with the communications between the administration and the news organizations said. The decisions in the New York and Washington newsrooms to maintain official secrecy is in keeping with longstanding American journalistic traditions — even at a moment of unprecedented mutual hostility between the American president and a legacy media that continues to dominate national security reporting.
jerz.setonhill.edu
January 4, 2026 at 3:53 PM
The daughter introduced me to this wonderful Martin Freeman comedy. Kind of like School of Rock, but with an elementary school Christmas play. Painfully funny. The kids were so authentic.
The daughter introduced me to this wonderful Martin Freeman comedy. Kind of like School of Rock, but with an elementary school Christmas play. Painfully funny. The kids were so authentic.
jerz.setonhill.edu
January 2, 2026 at 2:30 AM
I didn’t ask for the AI icon on my Kindle app. I can’t turn it off.

I really hate that little sparkly icon which reminds me of all the human labor that was stolen to create a product that enriches the tech barons while contributing to the environmental destruction of the planet. I absolutely to…
I didn’t ask for the AI icon on my Kindle app. I can’t turn it off.
I really hate that little sparkly icon which reminds me of all the human labor that was stolen to create a product that enriches the tech barons while contributing to the environmental destruction of the planet. I absolutely to NOT want to ask my book questions. I'm reading a book precisely because I want to get away from the beeps and the bots.
jerz.setonhill.edu
December 20, 2025 at 5:18 PM
Gil Gerard (1943-2025)

I built a model of the two-pronged Starfighter (a really sleek and elegant vehicle that deserved a better name) and the one-engined Draconian fighter. I recall being impressed by the two-hour pilot I knew the series that followed was silly fluff. I was 11, so perhaps at the…
Gil Gerard (1943-2025)
I built a model of the two-pronged Starfighter (a really sleek and elegant vehicle that deserved a better name) and the one-engined Draconian fighter. I recall being impressed by the two-hour pilot I knew the series that followed was silly fluff. I was 11, so perhaps at the time I didn't quite appreciate Erin Grey or Pamela Hensley as much as I might have a little later in life.
jerz.setonhill.edu
December 17, 2025 at 6:31 PM
Fall 2025 Grades Submitted!
Fall 2025 Grades Submitted!
jerz.setonhill.edu
December 17, 2025 at 3:13 AM
The daughter is home from London.
The daughter is home from London.
jerz.setonhill.edu
December 16, 2025 at 5:42 PM
Misleading to suggest that because I have nothing left to mark that I have nothing to do, but this is progress.
Misleading to suggest that because I have nothing left to mark that I have nothing to do, but this is progress.
jerz.setonhill.edu
December 16, 2025 at 12:52 AM
Kids Rarely Read Whole Books Anymore. Even in English Class.

Twelfth-grade reading scores are at historic lows, and college professors, even at elite schools, are increasingly reporting difficulties in getting students to engage with lengthy or complex texts. Perhaps that is to be expected in the…
Kids Rarely Read Whole Books Anymore. Even in English Class.
Twelfth-grade reading scores are at historic lows, and college professors, even at elite schools, are increasingly reporting difficulties in getting students to engage with lengthy or complex texts. Perhaps that is to be expected in the era of TikTok and A.I. Some education experts believe that in the near future, even the most sophisticated stories and knowledge will be imparted mainly through audio and video, the forms that are dominating in the era of mobile, streaming media.
jerz.setonhill.edu
December 13, 2025 at 12:27 AM