Dr Surekha Davies, Historical Monster Consultant (she/her)
@drsurekhadavies.bsky.social
Historian of science, art, ideas.🗃
Words: Smithsonian, LA Times, TLS, Aeon, Nature, Science, Reactor.
Buy HUMANS: A MONSTROUS HISTORY now: https://www.surekhadavies.org/humans-a-monstrous-history
Newsletter: https://buttondown.com/surekhadavies?tag=bluesky
Words: Smithsonian, LA Times, TLS, Aeon, Nature, Science, Reactor.
Buy HUMANS: A MONSTROUS HISTORY now: https://www.surekhadavies.org/humans-a-monstrous-history
Newsletter: https://buttondown.com/surekhadavies?tag=bluesky
Pinned
Humans: A Monstrous History is a year old today! Here’s a 🧵 of some spinoff writings and interviews.
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🧪💙📚 🗃 #ancient #medieval #earlymodern #histsci #histmed #18thCentury #politics #HAMH
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🧪💙📚 🗃 #ancient #medieval #earlymodern #histsci #histmed #18thCentury #politics #HAMH
Next conversation in 'Critical Perspectives on "AI" in Education': Monday 23 Feb, 12pm PST / 3pm EST / 8pm GMT.
I'll be talking about HUMANS: A MONSTROUS HISTORY, history of disability, and technology.
No need to register; Zoom link in the announcement.
🧪🗃 #histsci
sites.google.com/csusb.edu/cr...
I'll be talking about HUMANS: A MONSTROUS HISTORY, history of disability, and technology.
No need to register; Zoom link in the announcement.
🧪🗃 #histsci
sites.google.com/csusb.edu/cr...
Critical Perspectives on "AI" in Education
French Postcard, ca. 1901, "In the Year 2000," Wikimedia
sites.google.com
February 20, 2026 at 6:02 PM
Next conversation in 'Critical Perspectives on "AI" in Education': Monday 23 Feb, 12pm PST / 3pm EST / 8pm GMT.
I'll be talking about HUMANS: A MONSTROUS HISTORY, history of disability, and technology.
No need to register; Zoom link in the announcement.
🧪🗃 #histsci
sites.google.com/csusb.edu/cr...
I'll be talking about HUMANS: A MONSTROUS HISTORY, history of disability, and technology.
No need to register; Zoom link in the announcement.
🧪🗃 #histsci
sites.google.com/csusb.edu/cr...
Reposted by Dr Surekha Davies, Historical Monster Consultant (she/her)
NEW
How Palantir captured the Ministry of Defence
How a close read of public domain documents show how MoD was commercially colonised by Palantir
By me, at FT
www.ft.com/content/5207...
How Palantir captured the Ministry of Defence
How a close read of public domain documents show how MoD was commercially colonised by Palantir
By me, at FT
www.ft.com/content/5207...
February 20, 2026 at 4:40 PM
NEW
How Palantir captured the Ministry of Defence
How a close read of public domain documents show how MoD was commercially colonised by Palantir
By me, at FT
www.ft.com/content/5207...
How Palantir captured the Ministry of Defence
How a close read of public domain documents show how MoD was commercially colonised by Palantir
By me, at FT
www.ft.com/content/5207...
OMG THE KINDERGARTEN CALL.
In my newsletter: A free-to-read link to this story and the full kindergarten deportation call
drewharwell.com/stories/a-fa...
drewharwell.com/stories/a-fa...
A fake deportation tip line exposes the "banality of evil"
He made a parody hotline for reporting "immigration violations." Then a kindergarten teacher called.
drewharwell.com
February 20, 2026 at 5:09 PM
OMG THE KINDERGARTEN CALL.
Reposted by Dr Surekha Davies, Historical Monster Consultant (she/her)
AI does not enhance “efficiency.” AI is a permission structure for a totalizing regime of austerity and labor immiseration.
“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 2:20 PM
AI does not enhance “efficiency.” AI is a permission structure for a totalizing regime of austerity and labor immiseration.
Reposted by Dr Surekha Davies, Historical Monster Consultant (she/her)
Hi followers. In case you thought I was JUST a shitposter, I'm a historian, trained as a medievalist and working on the long eighteenth century, a college professor, and also for the last six years I've been writing about the far right. Primarily the religious far right, but not exclusively.
May 22, 2025 at 7:01 PM
Hi followers. In case you thought I was JUST a shitposter, I'm a historian, trained as a medievalist and working on the long eighteenth century, a college professor, and also for the last six years I've been writing about the far right. Primarily the religious far right, but not exclusively.
Reposted by Dr Surekha Davies, Historical Monster Consultant (she/her)
Anyway, if you want more people being people but in a bad sense (I guess kind of like this), my podcast episode of @americanmedieval.bsky.social is up, I had the best time talking to Matt about my work:
pca.st/c5go3lb1
pca.st/c5go3lb1
American Holy War with Thomas Lecaque
Prof. Gabriele and Thomas talk about holy war and the end of the world and why early white Americans were kind of like medieval Europeans. GuestThomas Lecaque is an Associate Professor of…
pca.st
February 18, 2026 at 4:50 PM
Anyway, if you want more people being people but in a bad sense (I guess kind of like this), my podcast episode of @americanmedieval.bsky.social is up, I had the best time talking to Matt about my work:
pca.st/c5go3lb1
pca.st/c5go3lb1
Reposted by Dr Surekha Davies, Historical Monster Consultant (she/her)
"free/cheap/non-toxic youth sports" feels like one of those skeleton keys that would have knock-on effects accidentally fix 100 unrelated things about America
or, you know, even if it didn't, at least a bunch of kids would be able to have fun playing sports
or, you know, even if it didn't, at least a bunch of kids would be able to have fun playing sports
February 19, 2026 at 3:24 PM
"free/cheap/non-toxic youth sports" feels like one of those skeleton keys that would have knock-on effects accidentally fix 100 unrelated things about America
or, you know, even if it didn't, at least a bunch of kids would be able to have fun playing sports
or, you know, even if it didn't, at least a bunch of kids would be able to have fun playing sports
Reposted by Dr Surekha Davies, Historical Monster Consultant (she/her)
Note that Finland has produced terrific musicians because music education is part of the curriculum and free. A high percentage of Finns sing or play an instrument. Finland, a country with fewer than 6 million citizens, has three world;class orchestras & a ridiculous number of wonderful conductors.
NBC ran a piece where Mary Carrillo went to Norway to find out why they're so good at the Winter Olympics and i was yelling BECAUSE IT'S COLD THERE
then she went to a little tiny ski jump for kids and was like "it's free, equipment is provided, & they don't emphasize results"
and i was like.
oh!
then she went to a little tiny ski jump for kids and was like "it's free, equipment is provided, & they don't emphasize results"
and i was like.
oh!
February 20, 2026 at 5:44 AM
Note that Finland has produced terrific musicians because music education is part of the curriculum and free. A high percentage of Finns sing or play an instrument. Finland, a country with fewer than 6 million citizens, has three world;class orchestras & a ridiculous number of wonderful conductors.
In 1507, the German mapmaker Martin Waldseemüller coined the term “America” in honor of the Florentine adventurer Amerigo Vespucci, and placed it on a world map.
In 2007, the Library of Congress paid $10 million dollars for the map. But "America" here didn't refer any part of the US.
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In 2007, the Library of Congress paid $10 million dollars for the map. But "America" here didn't refer any part of the US.
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Contributor: What 'America' meant before 1776, and who 'Americans' are today
The label is often wielded now to exclude brown people, but these two continents have been a melting pot since long before the U.S. was founded.
www.latimes.com
February 20, 2026 at 2:08 PM
In 1507, the German mapmaker Martin Waldseemüller coined the term “America” in honor of the Florentine adventurer Amerigo Vespucci, and placed it on a world map.
In 2007, the Library of Congress paid $10 million dollars for the map. But "America" here didn't refer any part of the US.
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In 2007, the Library of Congress paid $10 million dollars for the map. But "America" here didn't refer any part of the US.
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Reposted by Dr Surekha Davies, Historical Monster Consultant (she/her)
Noticeboard outside our local hardware store this morning.
February 20, 2026 at 11:20 AM
Noticeboard outside our local hardware store this morning.
Google "AI" overviews are dangerous. Do not use them!
“Searching online for information wasn’t perfect, but it usually worked well. Users had a good chance of clicking through to a credible health website that answered their query."
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“Searching online for information wasn’t perfect, but it usually worked well. Users had a good chance of clicking through to a credible health website that answered their query."
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‘Very dangerous’: a Mind mental health expert on Google’s AI Overviews
Information content manager Rosie Weatherley says harmful inaccuracies are presented as uncontroversial facts
www.theguardian.com
February 20, 2026 at 11:01 AM
Google "AI" overviews are dangerous. Do not use them!
“Searching online for information wasn’t perfect, but it usually worked well. Users had a good chance of clicking through to a credible health website that answered their query."
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“Searching online for information wasn’t perfect, but it usually worked well. Users had a good chance of clicking through to a credible health website that answered their query."
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Reposted by Dr Surekha Davies, Historical Monster Consultant (she/her)
NEW
The death of the Firm
The arrest of Andrew may not show the end of the monarchy, but it may show the end of a certain model of monarchy
By me at @prospectmagazine.co.uk
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/law/th...
The death of the Firm
The arrest of Andrew may not show the end of the monarchy, but it may show the end of a certain model of monarchy
By me at @prospectmagazine.co.uk
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/law/th...
The death of the Firm
The arrest of Andrew shows the end of a certain model of monarchy
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk
February 20, 2026 at 10:55 AM
NEW
The death of the Firm
The arrest of Andrew may not show the end of the monarchy, but it may show the end of a certain model of monarchy
By me at @prospectmagazine.co.uk
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/law/th...
The death of the Firm
The arrest of Andrew may not show the end of the monarchy, but it may show the end of a certain model of monarchy
By me at @prospectmagazine.co.uk
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/law/th...
Reposted by Dr Surekha Davies, Historical Monster Consultant (she/her)
I did the same with the paperback of “Why Don’t Things Fall Up?”
I've just told my publishers to remove the Daily Mail quote they were going to put on the cover of the paperback of my latest novel. I don't care if the Daily Mail gave it a good review. The name of that shitrag is not going on the cover of my book.
February 20, 2026 at 10:06 AM
I did the same with the paperback of “Why Don’t Things Fall Up?”
Reposted by Dr Surekha Davies, Historical Monster Consultant (she/her)
"There are things the Old Woman can do, say, and think that the Woman cannot do, say, or think."
- Ursula K Le Guin
- Ursula K Le Guin
February 20, 2026 at 10:34 AM
"There are things the Old Woman can do, say, and think that the Woman cannot do, say, or think."
- Ursula K Le Guin
- Ursula K Le Guin
Reposted by Dr Surekha Davies, Historical Monster Consultant (she/her)
My words on genAI or ecocide-plagiarism-psychosis-harassment-radioactive waste machines include this excerpt from my 2nd book, HUMANS: A MONSTROUS HISTORY (link in bio):
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lithub.com/were-already...
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lithub.com/were-already...
We’re Already at Risk of Ceding Our Humanity to AI
Machines It’s 2019. I’m in a bar in Providence, Rhode Island, chatting with graduate students and researchers with PhDs. One of them, who holds a PhD in Latin American literature, observed approvin…
lithub.com
February 8, 2026 at 10:56 AM
My words on genAI or ecocide-plagiarism-psychosis-harassment-radioactive waste machines include this excerpt from my 2nd book, HUMANS: A MONSTROUS HISTORY (link in bio):
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lithub.com/were-already...
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lithub.com/were-already...
Reposted by Dr Surekha Davies, Historical Monster Consultant (she/her)
the discovery process in lawsuits against doge is not going to be kind to them, these guys ruined a lot of people’s livelihoods for the most arbitrary and capricious of reasons, and those people are going to remember that
DOGE Bro’s Grant Review Process Was Literally Just Asking ChatGPT ‘Is This DEI?’
Federal grants that had been approved after a full application and review process were terminated by some random inexperienced DOGE bros based on whether ChatGPT could explain—in under 120 characters—that they were…
Federal grants that had been approved after a full application and review process were terminated by some random inexperienced DOGE bros based on whether ChatGPT could explain—in under 120 characters—that they were…
DOGE Bro’s Grant Review Process Was Literally Just Asking ChatGPT ‘Is This DEI?’
Federal grants that had been approved after a full application and review process were terminated by some random inexperienced DOGE bros based on whether ChatGPT could explain—in under 120 characters—that they were "related to DEI." That's what the newly released proposed amended complaint from the Authors Guild against the US government reveals about how DOGE actually decided which National Endowment for the Humanities grants to kill.
www.techdirt.com
February 19, 2026 at 8:41 PM
the discovery process in lawsuits against doge is not going to be kind to them, these guys ruined a lot of people’s livelihoods for the most arbitrary and capricious of reasons, and those people are going to remember that
Reposted by Dr Surekha Davies, Historical Monster Consultant (she/her)
Some may be saying, “yes, we knew this”, but we don’t really know know until we see data like these.
And something we may not have known that this paper shows is that once a person gets into the right wing silo, we’ve lost them. Changing to the chronological feed does not bring them back.
And something we may not have known that this paper shows is that once a person gets into the right wing silo, we’ve lost them. Changing to the chronological feed does not bring them back.
www.nature.com
February 19, 2026 at 6:57 PM
Some may be saying, “yes, we knew this”, but we don’t really know know until we see data like these.
And something we may not have known that this paper shows is that once a person gets into the right wing silo, we’ve lost them. Changing to the chronological feed does not bring them back.
And something we may not have known that this paper shows is that once a person gets into the right wing silo, we’ve lost them. Changing to the chronological feed does not bring them back.
Reposted by Dr Surekha Davies, Historical Monster Consultant (she/her)
A new paper shows that less than 2 months of exposure to Twitter’s algorithmic feed significantly shifts people’s political views to the right.
Moving from chronological feed to the algorithmic feed also increases engagement.
This is one of the most concerning papers I’ve read in awhile.
Moving from chronological feed to the algorithmic feed also increases engagement.
This is one of the most concerning papers I’ve read in awhile.
February 19, 2026 at 6:57 PM
A new paper shows that less than 2 months of exposure to Twitter’s algorithmic feed significantly shifts people’s political views to the right.
Moving from chronological feed to the algorithmic feed also increases engagement.
This is one of the most concerning papers I’ve read in awhile.
Moving from chronological feed to the algorithmic feed also increases engagement.
This is one of the most concerning papers I’ve read in awhile.
Reposted by Dr Surekha Davies, Historical Monster Consultant (she/her)
Great essay by @hardeepmatharu.bsky.social:
"Like other men with no connection to the real world most of us live in, accountability and exposure remain abstract notions; darkness becoming visible a distant and unlikely turn of events."
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"Like other men with no connection to the real world most of us live in, accountability and exposure remain abstract notions; darkness becoming visible a distant and unlikely turn of events."
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🔴 Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor: How Power Protects Itself Through Contempt
"Andrew expected the public to swallow an alternative account, even if he didn't think we would believe it. It is how the powerful protect their impunity through contempt for those they exploit" @hardeepmatharu.bsky.social
"Andrew expected the public to swallow an alternative account, even if he didn't think we would believe it. It is how the powerful protect their impunity through contempt for those they exploit" @hardeepmatharu.bsky.social
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor: How Power Protects Itself Through Contempt
As the eighth in line of succession to the British throne is arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office, Hardeep Matharu explores how elite impunity is built on creating a sense of powerless...
bylinetimes.com
February 19, 2026 at 11:12 AM
Great essay by @hardeepmatharu.bsky.social:
"Like other men with no connection to the real world most of us live in, accountability and exposure remain abstract notions; darkness becoming visible a distant and unlikely turn of events."
1/
"Like other men with no connection to the real world most of us live in, accountability and exposure remain abstract notions; darkness becoming visible a distant and unlikely turn of events."
1/
Reposted by Dr Surekha Davies, Historical Monster Consultant (she/her)
Have been commenting "Alt-text, please" when big accounts post images without alt-text. No one has eaten me alive - yet.
In Bluesky settings (gear icon, bottom left), click Accessibility, check the "require alt-text before posting" button and it will remind you to add it if you forget.
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In Bluesky settings (gear icon, bottom left), click Accessibility, check the "require alt-text before posting" button and it will remind you to add it if you forget.
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Alt Text Guidelines
press.princeton.edu
February 19, 2026 at 12:08 PM
Have been commenting "Alt-text, please" when big accounts post images without alt-text. No one has eaten me alive - yet.
In Bluesky settings (gear icon, bottom left), click Accessibility, check the "require alt-text before posting" button and it will remind you to add it if you forget.
1/
In Bluesky settings (gear icon, bottom left), click Accessibility, check the "require alt-text before posting" button and it will remind you to add it if you forget.
1/
Reposted by Dr Surekha Davies, Historical Monster Consultant (she/her)
History is never boring. Sort of related: Malmsey Madeira is delicious.
www.historyhit.com/what-led-to-...
www.historyhit.com/what-led-to-...
What Led to George, Duke of Clarence’s Execution by Wine?
In 1478 George, 1st Duke of Clarence and brother to the King of England, was executed at the Tower of London. He was rumoured to have been drowned in...
www.historyhit.com
February 19, 2026 at 12:19 PM
History is never boring. Sort of related: Malmsey Madeira is delicious.
www.historyhit.com/what-led-to-...
www.historyhit.com/what-led-to-...
Reposted by Dr Surekha Davies, Historical Monster Consultant (she/her)
Reminder for people who might forget: Ryan is one of the journalists who used a white supremacist as a source for that Mamdani college application story, without revealing that the source was a white supremacist, which is fucking relevant to the privacy breach in the story!!
Benjamin Ryan openly admits that his reporting on trans issues is animated by personal bias against someone who was mean to him online. Ben is not capable of reporting on this issue objectively, and yet the New York Times and other outlets repeatedly let him do just that.
February 19, 2026 at 6:22 PM
Reminder for people who might forget: Ryan is one of the journalists who used a white supremacist as a source for that Mamdani college application story, without revealing that the source was a white supremacist, which is fucking relevant to the privacy breach in the story!!
Reposted by Dr Surekha Davies, Historical Monster Consultant (she/her)
Triumphs over fascism and a dissertation committee in the same year, you love to see it
February 19, 2026 at 7:44 PM
Triumphs over fascism and a dissertation committee in the same year, you love to see it
Reposted by Dr Surekha Davies, Historical Monster Consultant (she/her)
Herbie Hancock Explains the Big Lesson He Learned From Miles Davis: Every Mistake in Music, as in Life, Is an Opportunity
Herbie Hancock Explains the Big Lesson He Learned From Miles Davis: Every Mistake in Music, as in Life, Is an Opportunity
One thing they don’t teach you in parenting school is how to guide a young child into making fewer mistakes in her homework, while also communicating to her that mistakes are not “bad” but often “good...
www.openculture.com
February 19, 2026 at 5:12 PM
Herbie Hancock Explains the Big Lesson He Learned From Miles Davis: Every Mistake in Music, as in Life, Is an Opportunity
Reposted by Dr Surekha Davies, Historical Monster Consultant (she/her)
Sidebar to the OTHER big legal news today:
The Seoul Guardians is an extraordinary documentary about the South Korean martial law crisis. Watch it to learn how ordinary people and their *elected representatives* put their bodies on their line to protect democratic institutions and processes.
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The Seoul Guardians is an extraordinary documentary about the South Korean martial law crisis. Watch it to learn how ordinary people and their *elected representatives* put their bodies on their line to protect democratic institutions and processes.
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The Seoul Guardians (2026) ⭐ 7.8 | Documentary
1h 10m
m.imdb.com
February 19, 2026 at 12:50 PM
Sidebar to the OTHER big legal news today:
The Seoul Guardians is an extraordinary documentary about the South Korean martial law crisis. Watch it to learn how ordinary people and their *elected representatives* put their bodies on their line to protect democratic institutions and processes.
1/
The Seoul Guardians is an extraordinary documentary about the South Korean martial law crisis. Watch it to learn how ordinary people and their *elected representatives* put their bodies on their line to protect democratic institutions and processes.
1/